 |
Have you noticed how
“creative” wine labels
are lately? Everything from trucks, fish and animals to crazy names and hand-painted art. Last month I was in my local wine shop when I came across a Valentine display featuring wines for that special someone. In the center was a bottle of Grenache with the name Bitch.
 |
This is a dramatic example of how intense competition is fostering equally intense — and often outrageous — examples of the power of brands to spark emotional reactions to even everyday products. Wine, in particular, seems to be a product where people are selecting “fun” brands to convey something about themselves. Does this type of branding actually reflect the product inside the bottle?
This begs the question: Does your visual brand image reflect what’s inside? Does it represent your product and company culture? A lewd noun that works for wine may not be what you need. But perhaps a new look would better reflect your current capabilities. Think about it and let me know if your brand or collateral needs a few weeks in rehab. Cleveland Design can guide you through the process so your brand image outside reflects the products and services inside.
As I left the wine shop I said to the saleswoman “It’s funny and ironic that a bottle of Bitch is in the Valentine display.” She replied in all seriousness “Yes, but we put a bottle of Fat Bastard next to it.”
If you have comments, thoughts or ideas for the newsletter, I’d love to hear from you.
Enjoy!
Jonathan Cleveland
To give themselves a competitive edge, many retailers are turning to licensed, retailer-exclusive brands with proven recognition, appeal and loyalty. However, analyzing and selecting the right brands, then negotiating the best possible licensing arrangement, takes highly specialized expertise.
That’s where Constellation Management Group (CMG) comes in. CMG has helped develop, launch and build successful retailer-exclusive brands for well-known national retailers and manufacturers in a wide range of product categories — from health and beauty products to toys, apparel and electronics.
When CMG needed a new brand for their own business, they called Cleveland Design.
Working closely with CMG founder and president Blair McCaw, we started by educating ourselves in CMG’s business. Developing an understanding of the dynamics of retailer-exclusive brand analysis and licensing — and CMG’s proprietary Constellation Brand Analysis methodology — was critical to the branding exercise. Understanding the audience was also crucial. CMG works with both retailers and manufacturers — two audiences with complementary, yet unique, needs and priorities.
Based on this foundation knowledge, we developed a brand system revolving around a tagline — Building Brands with Star Power — and a distinctive design vocabulary using planetary elements. Leveraging these brand elements, we developed an integrated communications program including a website and print collateral. In addition to establishing a strong online brand and explaining how CMG adds value
for its clients, the CMG website serves as a portal to Blair McCaw’s blog, where he shares his considerable knowledge and insight on retailer-exclusive brands.
You can see what’s on Blair’s mind this week at http://licensetobrand.typepad.com/.
To learn more about how we helped CMG create their own
“exclusive” brand, we invite you to read our case study.
And by all means, check out the CMG website at http://www.constellationmanagement.com.
See our new direct mail campaign
for Webster
We’re proud to announce that the Boston Business Journal has ranked Cleveland Design on it’s List of Top 25 Graphic Design Firms in the Boston area for the second year in a row. The BBJ’s Book of Lists has long been the standard for measuring the scope of the regional economy and proves that small businesses can make a big impact.
