what is brand? - honey

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What is Brand? ...and what has it got to do with David Bowie?

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Page 1: What is Brand? - Honey

What is Brand?...and what has it got to do with David Bowie?

Page 2: What is Brand? - Honey

What is Brand?...and what has it got to do with David Bowie?Branding matters

Honey, Florin Studios, 6/9 Charterhouse Square. EC1M 6EY +44 20 7354 4150 honey.co.ukVAT Reg No. 832 8431 30 Registered No. 490 9897 Registered Office: 94 Horsecroft Road Hemel Hempstead Herts HP1 1PX

[email protected] +44 (0)7917 608 224 Published on 22nd February 2016

11 wins, 9 years

No, it’s not déjà vu. I really am writing about this again. To the already distinguished brand experts in my network, please stop reading. You know who you are, and you really won’t learn anything further from me. For all you experts in other fields, I’d like to explain a thing or two about branding – starting with a story about David Bowie.

A few weeks back I was dutifully watching a BBC show called 5 Years. I say ‘dutifully’ because my husband is a musician and some of his enthusiasm and teachings have rubbed off on me. I can now say that I am at least an educated appreciator of music, if not an out-and-out talent! Anyway, back to Bowie … So, there I was watching the show when John Harris, the music journalist and author, made a comment that really grabbed my attention.

“He (Bowie) knows he’s started to turn himself into – if you are being romantic you would call it an icon– or if you are being horribly cynical and 21st Century you’d call it a brand, but I would rather not use this word because it’s a huge disservice to what we are talking about.”

WOW. I suddenly felt protective loyalty towards my world of branding – which is the investment in brand to create success. Isn’t this exactly what Bowie did? And he did it so remarkably well. He may not have been recognised by as many people as he should have (in my opinion), but he achieved the same result as a successful brand.

"Bowie was a brand genius. I think he clearly questioned what

the rest of us don’t see."

Page 3: What is Brand? - Honey

What is Brand?...and what has it got to do with David Bowie?Branding matters

Honey, Florin Studios, 6/9 Charterhouse Square. EC1M 6EY +44 20 7354 4150 honey.co.ukVAT Reg No. 832 8431 30 Registered No. 490 9897 Registered Office: 94 Horsecroft Road Hemel Hempstead Herts HP1 1PX

[email protected] +44 (0)7917 608 224 Published on 22nd February 2016

11 wins, 9 years

Bowie was a brand genius. I think he clearly questioned what the rest of us don’t see. He was a brand creator. The only puzzlement to some was that he was on the stage as the product of his creation as well as being director and producer. But this was his genius. This is what made him so very different to many other musicians.

I appreciate his vision. He always seemed to be 10 years ahead of the rest of the music world, and he was sometimes rejected because others didn’t understand his vision. Either that or they sadly lacked his ambition to educate the herd into accepting that music, in the context of a sector, could be pushed and stretched beyond where it was before he started playing as a ‘brand ambassador’.

It was the same with the brilliant Bernard Rudofsky, who did an amazing show in the 1940s called Are Clothes Modern? If there was a fault, it was their fault in having a vision that the average person could not see. But I don’t see this as their fault, but rather it’s the fault of everyone who lacked the inspiration or the trust to follow them.

This is why engagement is slow to be accepted by the masses. In Bernard’s case it was not a fashion show. And his peers didn’t understand his vision and so they rejected his work. According to Paola Antonelli it took even more effort to push through his most famous show, Architecture Without Architects, displayed in 1964. He infuriated scores of modernist architects by declaring modernism dead! It’s no surprise then, 14 years after having the idea, that he was eventually given permission to mount his show at MoMA and preserve it as part of our history.

Bernard RudofskyArchitecture Without Architects

Page 4: What is Brand? - Honey

What is Brand?...and what has it got to do with David Bowie?Branding matters

Honey, Florin Studios, 6/9 Charterhouse Square. EC1M 6EY +44 20 7354 4150 honey.co.ukVAT Reg No. 832 8431 30 Registered No. 490 9897 Registered Office: 94 Horsecroft Road Hemel Hempstead Herts HP1 1PX

[email protected] +44 (0)7917 608 224 Published on 22nd February 2016

11 wins, 9 years

I wish I could explain to John Harris what the word brand really encompasses. Many people still confuse brand, or think of it as being synonymous with logo. Some think of it as a ‘marque’, derived from us branding an animal in ownership. Yet the modern brand has evolved into being four-dimensional. Just open your eyes and look around at some of the most famous brands today.

David Beckham understands the power of his brand – which, simply put, is him. He can now license his brand in almost any way with anyone, however he chooses. But this was not an overnight success. He spent his entire life honing his brand, as is his next generation.

Steve Jobs understood what it was for Apple. Think Different … and never compromise on quality. We are all brands of ourselves and we will always be judged on what we are, what we do, and what we engage with. If you choose Apple over Dell, that’s your choice and you will be judged, rightly or wrongly.

It’s no more complicated, yet to convince others of our values can take a lifetime to achieve. Or, if you don’t have a lifetime to invest, then just do what Google did – clear concise direction, single and determined focus, uncompromising in everything but staying on track for your brand promise. And do as you say, over and over.

Eventually, through a degree of pain, people who want to see will begin to see. These will probably be the same people who want to engage, which then leads to loyalty for those who work with (and those who invest in) you and your brand.

Page 5: What is Brand? - Honey

What is Brand?...and what has it got to do with David Bowie?Branding matters

Honey, Florin Studios, 6/9 Charterhouse Square. EC1M 6EY +44 20 7354 4150 honey.co.ukVAT Reg No. 832 8431 30 Registered No. 490 9897 Registered Office: 94 Horsecroft Road Hemel Hempstead Herts HP1 1PX

[email protected] +44 (0)7917 608 224 Published on 22nd February 2016

11 wins, 9 years

Branding is holistic. Bowie knew this instinctively. He was like an entrepreneur in the world of FMCG. Of course, he wasn’t actually in FMCG but he was in the world of creative acting and fashion as a creative expression of him and his brand – whichhe owned entirely. Other musicians are happy to continually publish the same genre over and over, in much the same way Cadbury’s is known for chocolate.

It’s not wrong, it’s just a choice.Harrods distributes quality, luxury and exclusivity. M&S delivers everyday assurance. Each to their own, I’m not judging, but please don’t tell me this isn’t about branding. And certainly don’t say that it’s less romantic to refer to this as branding as opposed to ‘icon creation’.

If Bowie had given up he may have been forgotten as some eccentric hero to a few who understood

his genius. But because he was unfaltering in his determination and (in my humble opinion) a real genius, he made it many times over. And beyond successes like Madonna, who simply strive to engage herd mentality, Bowie inspired enlightenment for other musicians at every stage of their career.

To build a brand one must invest, not cost-optimise. With investment you will create engagement, loyalty, ownership, and true relationship. If you view creativity as a cost then you will never build beyond your distribution channel. You will never engage the herd to multiply as advocates for your brand.

My guess is that Bowie’s brand will live on well beyond the next millennium. Yet some of the Simon Cowell creations will be forgotten within the next decade.

Respect to another great legend. And, please – respect to branding.

"To build a brand one must invest, not cost-optimise."

Page 6: What is Brand? - Honey

Honey, Florin Studios, 6/9 Charterhouse Square. EC1M 6EY +44 20 7354 4150 honey.co.ukVAT Reg No. 832 8431 30 Registered No. 490 9897 Registered Office: 94 Horsecroft Road Hemel Hempstead Herts HP1 1PX

[email protected] +44 (0)7917 608 224 Published on 22nd February 2016

11 wins, 9 years

Honey is a brand and communications agency.

We deliver brand and design solutions for some of the UK’s bestknown companies. Our 11 Design Effectiveness Awards bear witness to the commercial effectiveness of what we do.

Honey is chosen by our clients because we are:

CollaborativeWorking with our clients to achieve their aims; we are curious and challenging but supportive.

Commercial11 Design Effectiveness Awards prove our commercial understanding and awareness of the reality of sales and marketing.CreativeWe create engagement for all, whether you are consumers, customers and or employees.

Written by Lulu Laidlaw-SmithPublished on 22nd February 2016

11 wins, 9 yearsHoney, Florin Studios, 6/9 Charterhouse Square. EC1M 6EY +44 20 7354 4150 honey.co.ukVAT Reg No. 832 8431 30 Registered No. 490 9897 Registered Office: 94 Horsecroft Road Hemel Hempstead Herts HP1 1PX

[email protected] +44 (0)7917 608 224 Published on 22nd February 2016

11 wins, 9 years