When I was given my first VP of Marketing role, I took great care in defining and creating MetaTV’s brand. A brand being more than just a trademark or logo, but a “trustmark” a promise of quality and authenticity. It identifies a company or product that customers can rely on. The e-mails below highlight how I went about creating the brand for MetaTV.
Many of you have asked me how we came up with the tag line, the branding, the colors, logo and style for MetaTV. Well it all centers with the personality of the company. Read on … and click here for the summary PPT
What is Innovate. Adapt. Amaze?
It began with a survey …
—–Original Message—–
From: Ramon Chen
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2000 1:48 PM
Subject: URGENT: Please do this brand personality exercise ASAP
Importance: HighBrand personality.
Why do we need to figure out our brand personality?
Whether we are conscious or of it or not, all brands, all companies, have a personality. That personality is just as real as the personality that any of us have. To be interesting, that personality has to have some depth, some richness, and to a degree some level of contradiction. However, just like human personality, it also has to have some level of consistency otherwise as a company we just look strange at a minimum and schizophrenic in the extreme. Once the personality has been established, the logo, taglines, colors etc fall out of that analysis and the personality should be embedded in the minds of everyone at MetaTV (in their communication with partners, customers, press and with each other)
Now, having said this I am proposing that we do this back asswards. MetaTV already has a logo, colors and image established. As I mentioned, traditionally, you figure out the personality of a brand and then define the colors, logos, taglines that reflect that brand. That’s why VP’s of Marketing typically don’t win any fans when they first arrive on the scene as many just redo logo’s colors, change company names for the sake of it, upsetting people who typically have developed an affinity for the brand that is resident. In defense of this practice though, it does help to rejuvinate a company and give it new life if done well, uniting new and existing employees under a common charter.
However, given the cost of redefining logos, color schemes and more importantly time and effort it takes to execute this and our more urgent marketing priorities, I am proposing that we slowly morph colors and brand images as needed and as it makes sense. But for now, let’s focus on brand personality.
In order to get started, I’d like you to respond to this e-mail (again at your earliest convienience please) answering the questions listed below. I’ll tabulate the results and we can circle back with a face-to-face meeting to discuss where we are.
1) To start, before we talk about MetaTV and to get your creative juices flowing, write down what immediately comes to mind (3 or 4 single words) when you think of the following companies (I’ll put down my thoughts on the first one to get you started):
- a) SAP – Process, Efficient, Mechanical
- b) Liberate – chaos, great logo, hip
- c) Microsoft – stability, domination, ease of use
- d) IBM – corporate, big, blue
- e) Oracle – capable, reliable, proven
- f) Inktomi – high tech, vague, nothing strong. NOTE: I really dislike their type of advertising. The type that is not clear about what their product is.
2) Now comes the slightly bizzare part, I’d like you to think of associative consumer brands that you think we match, or in the case where there isn’t a brand, the general image you feel we should represent, please note that my examples are just there to guide the category of your responses, i.e. it’s not multiple choice, you put down your perspective and if you can, a quick sentence of why you believe in that representation. Now you may be asking, should I answer this in the context of what I personally like? Or should I be thinking and putting myself in the context of our interactions with customers, partners and my fellow workers at MetaTV. The answer is of course the latter, however as managers, directors and leaders steering the ship, our individual personality is definitely a factor in establishing brand personality for MetaTV. This exercise will help us move towards concensus of how we want our brand to be reflected.
- a) If MetaTV was a car what kind of car (brand and type) would we be?
Mercedes 4 wheel drive? Honda Accord?
- b) If MetaTV was an animal what kind of animal would we be?
Tiger? Mouse?
- c) If MetaTV was going to throw a party, what kind of party would we throw?
Sitdown dinner? Rave?
- d) If MetaTV was a person what kind of clothes would we wear when meeting partners and customers?
Suit and tie? Jeans?
- e) If MetaTV was a wristwatch what brand of wristwatch would be be?
Movado, Seiko?
- f) If MetaTV was a movie, what kind of movie would we be?
Action, romance, horror?
- e) Finally given the thought process you have gone through to answer those questions, please list 6 words that you feel encapsulate and represent MetaTV (you may have more than 6 but please put down the 6 strongest in your mind)
Examples: Innovative, Adaptive, Cool, Results-Oriented, Driven, Assured etc
That’s it for now.
Thank you very much for your efforts and patience. I assure you it will be worth it.
Ramon Chen
VP of Worldwide Marketing
MetaTV—–End Original Message—–
Which resulted in …
—–Original Message—–
From: Ramon Chen
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2000 11:52 PM
Subject: MetaTV’s Brand Personality – CapturedThanks to all the input from everyone with the brand personality analysis. Combined with that and just being here for the right amount of time to get to know everybody, and see how we’ve interacted with customers, partners and ourselves we’ve distilled our Brand personality down to the 6 key traits which we can take forward to drive our company personality, orientation, marketing goals.
ANIMAL – Cheetah, powerful, fast, amazing
CAR – Volvo, confidence, solid yet stylish
MOVIE – Science Fiction/Adventure
PARTY – Cocktail party, classy, buzzing
CLOTHES – Business Casual, professional
WRISTWATCH – Dive watch, versatileThey are encapsulated it in this powerpoint (click here to run the slide show, it builds).
As ever, please send feedback. We will use these brand values to create colors, logos, PR messages, taglines, advertising that reflect the traits.
Remember, a brand is much more than a trademark, or a logo. It is a “trustmark”, a promise of quality and authenticity and it identifies a company or product that customers can rely on. With your help we will build MetaTV and our brand to be one synonymous with excellence in the iTV market.
Thanks
-Ramon—–End Original Message—–
And continues today with all of your efforts …
Thank you all for being Innovative. Adaptive and Amazing!