What’s in it for me?
The Beijing Olympics had a powerful brand. An estimated 4 billion people experienced some part of it during the Games. If you watched the opening ceremonies or closing ceremonies, you couldn't avoid it. What do you remember? The running man pictogram, the scroll, the tribal wave pattern, the hundreds of cheerleaders in all white, the heavy use of red and white with accents of blue, yellow, and green. I could go on and on. Each element was carefully crafted to play a role in the story China wanted us to hear.
What story is your Brand telling?
They have a story; Not just a logo
The Beijing 2008 logo is the combination of two elements, instantly recognizable to those familiar with Chinese characters or the country's art history. The dancing figure at the center of the emblem is based upon the Chinese character 京 (jing), meaning "capital," often used as simple shorthand for Beijing (北京, translates to "north capital"). The figure is illustrated in a style evocative of China's ancient seal script. It was designed to look like a Chinese block seal—a stamp still used on official documents. The story doesn't stop there. Another common theme is the scroll. The Olympic torch is even built in the shape of a scroll. It represents history and progress; 4 centuries of Chinese history and the history of 38 previous Olympic Games.
Does your logo imagery and Brand have deep meaning and a story behind it?
China is living the Brand
A great story is just the beginning. A great story presented by passionate story tellers is captivating. The story of the Games is not only being told by the Olympic committee, the media, and the volunteers, it is being lived by the Chinese people. A poll conducted prior to the Games by the Beijing 2008 Olympic Bid Committee showed that 94.6% of the Chinese people supported the Olympic effort. This huge good will and enthusiastic support of the Games translated into exceptionally high levels of recognition and support across the country for those companies who sponsor the Games.
Your brand (your story), must permeate everything you and your employees do. Your employees need to believe in the story, or they won’t live the Brand.
Do your employees know your story? Are they playing their role in the story when interacting with customers?
What Now?
Spend some time thinking about what story you want to tell? Envision the imagery, sounds, and even smells that can be used to tell that story. Now, get out everything that has your logo on it; business card, letterhead, brochures, mailers, golf shirts, everything you have ever produced. Listen to your voicemail message and those of your employees. Listen to how your receptionist answers the phone. Look at what you are wearing and what your salespeople are wearing. Take pictures of your office and stores. You get the point. Do you have everything? Stare at it for a while.
Is it telling your story? Is it correctly portraying your brand?
If it is, congratulations! No doubt you are successful. If there is some room for improvement, just being conscious of the things I mentioned in this article puts you on the right path. In upcoming posts we will describe things you can do to strengthen you brand. In the meantime, scrutinize everything. If it doesn't support your story, either change it or throw it away.
08.27.08 05:47 by Nate
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