Brand Personality. 09/25/26

There are few businesses more full of it (and themselves) than the ad biz. We used to come up with clever slogans to animate problems that only our products could alleviate. Ring around the collar anyone? Use Whisk. Or this: Get a Colgate Smile (I guess without it, we’d be constantly tight lipped so as not to show our hideous non-Colgate teeth. But these days the way to appeal to consumers is not to talk about problems, it’s to create an “identity” consumers relate to. Hence Coke is a cheerful, optimistic person who brings people together. Therefore, when you open a Coke, you open happiness. No wonder I prefer bourbon. Untuckit is “the confident, relaxed guy who looks good without trying too hard. Therefore you “Wear what feels right.” I wear Untuckit, but not because I want to be seen as a confident, relaxed guy. I wear it because I’m short and don’t want my untucked shirt to hang down to my knees.

So brands are trying to become like people, but what’s even crazier is people trying to become brands. “So what are you up to, recently retired athlete, movie star, talk show host, chef,” is a question I’ve heard posed hundreds of times. “I’m working on my brand,” is the usual answer. For example, Martha Stewart is the “warm inviting perfectionist who will teach us how to live beautifully,” I prefer to think of her as the “Dominating witch who knows how to wear an ankle bracelet with style.” At any rate, Al (the character, not artificial intelligence) and the gang are going to try to create their own brand personalities. If you like them, then John and I came up with them. If you don’t then blame it on Al (artificial intelligence, not the character).

Fall is here and so are we next week with some more branding work. After all we did spend a combined 75 years in advertising.

So to all you intelligent readers with style, have a great weekend,

Andy and John