Take Apple, for instance, one of the more successful brands in the past five or 10 years. Yes, the iPod is nearly ubiquitous because itís a high-quality product. But the campaign that launched it, and continues to evolve, has captured the imagination and interest of millions. Brilliant brand campaigns often begin with a keen sense of what makes up the brand. Thatís why smart agencies and firms get inside the brand before they begin any creative work.

We set out to find similarities between four brand campaigns from four different agencies. From beer to banking, the overarching themes are trust and collaboration. After all, without the trust of clients, there wouldnít be any work on branding campaigns. And without their collaboration, how would we know if our message is on-target?

Red Stripe
Jamaicans know Red Stripe beer. After all, itís the only beer to originate in Jamaica. Last fall, DiageoóRed Stripeís parent companyóset out to refresh and reposition the brand to attract a younger audience. Diageo recruited Object 9 – a design firm based in Baton Rouge, La. – to assist with their objective. Shortly after winning the account, Object 9 spent a week in Jamaica immersed in the culture.

Jon Cato, partner, and Andy Gutowski, partner and creative director, visited watering holes from one end of the island to the other. They wanted to see Red Stripe fans from every walk of life. ìWhat we discovered is, Jamaicans are passionate people," says Gutowski. ìThey have a 'live hard and play hardí type of philosophy. Thatís where we came up with what 'Live Redí is all about. Thatís something that only Red Stripe as a brand can claimóthe name Red Stripe and that itís the only beer that is the original Jamaican iconóitís something they can really take ownership of and make that correlation with Jamaicansí lust for life with the brand."

Though Object 9's objective was to attract a younger audience, the firm didnít suggest a brand overhaul. ìIn many ways, we were working with a brand that we consider sacred," says Cato. ìEverything about it is so well-established. Our campaign was really an evolution of a message, rather than 'letís rework this entire brand.í It didnít need to be reworked."

(above) Object 9: Red Stripe.
ìJamaicans get a lot of TV from America, so they see a lot of American advertisingóincluding Red Stripe adsótargeted at Americans," says Jon Cato, Object 9 partner. ìBut they werenít seeing messaging coming from the States targeted just to them. So by creating this campaign targeted to Jamaicans for their brand, we actually moved the needle five percent on this brand." He continues, ìAs far as process, it really starts with the idea. A lot of times, people jump straight to creative and start playing around with that, when you kind of need to back up and really focus in on the idea. Once you get that idea, think about how you can communicate that through a very broad range of media. Because itís easy to paint yourself into a corner and think you have an idea, but that may only work for one application."

Seventh Generation
A brand that did need to be reworked was Seventh Generation, a supplier of green cleaning products for nearly 26 years. In fact, Seventh Generation was the pioneer of green cleaning. Facing tougher competition, Seventh Generation founder Jeffrey Hollander recruited JDK Design to help differentiate the company in the marketplace. Or, as he has described it, ìgive them the keys to the car" for a while.

Ever since, you might say JDK has been using a new road map. Their approach has revitalized the brand and positioned the supply company as the pioneer of green cleaning in the marketplace. Guided by the Great Iroquois Law – the founding principle behind Seventh Generationís nameóJDK has updated everything from the logo to the website. They are working on new packaging that will debut in the fall.

ìSeventh Generation needed more advanced communication in how the brand imparts its idea and how we make the brand accessible to people, so we worked on brand strategy and applied The Living Brand process as well," says Michael Jager, one of three founding partners at JDK.

The Living Brand is at the heart of JDK Designís branding process. The Living Brand is a process of discovery that reveals the overall differentiating idea behind the brand, taking into account the emotional, rational and cultural aspects of each brand.

ìWe liked the thought of Seventh Generation in the context of redefining what clean is," Jager says. ìItís more like the relationship to home as an ecosystem. Weíre definitely working toward an idea that takes them beyond cleaning products–to a relationship to your home on a whole different level. To my mind, thereís no reason they canít be making bicycles, or childrenís toys or even books. Anything is possible under this platform."

(right) JDK Design: Seventh Generation
ìThere is certainly equity built in the green leaf, but weíve refined it and refined the typography for a more finessed detail in the graphic, legibility of the font and refinement of the leaf form. We introduced the orange asterisk beside the green leaf to call out the story of the Great Iroquois Law–where the name is taken from. It reads: 'In our every deliberation weíll consider the seven generations ahead,í" explains Michael Jager, JDK partner. ìI think as far as marks of successful branding, you definitely want to have a story that people want to be part of. I think a sense of a cause is really important, too. You create a story, or you help people understand the aspects and dimensions of a story that people just want to be engaged in, so they help you carry it forward and they help you perpetuate the idea. A lot of times, people are just looking to be made cool as a brand, and itís a real mistake to go there. You really have to have something thatís unique, too."

About the author
Rodney J. Moore, a freelance journalist turned communications and PR strategist whose specialty is crafting and making media pitches for companies and individuals, is the founder of Moore Creative Communications. He is the author of Design Secrets: Layout, and he is working on his second nonfiction book.

Read the full article in the August 2007 issue of Dynamic Graphics magazine.

Thanks to our friends at Jupiter Images for sharing this great info.

18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement