Brand discovery: Invaluable to every great automotive OEM supplier.

Branding firms/agencies have their own names for it. (I particularly like the name “Adverthinking” because “it’s what most advertising is advermissing.” Poetry.) Whatever it’s called, it’s invaluable. “It” is the discovery phase of the rebrand process. In it, a branding firm gets really smart about a client’s business really quickly. They do research, interviews, focus […]

If it’s not absolutely essential to your brand messaging, eliminate it.

“Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes, that’s an ad.” Howard Gossage said that. He was an ad man in the 1960s. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo Da Vinci said that. He was a genius from the Italian Renaissance. “’Less’ is my motto. Why? Because ‘Less is more’ is too damn long.” […]

Emotion drives us all, even automotive OEM supplier customers.

We, the people, are darn near impossible to explain. Branding can be baffling, too. The emotional tail wags the rational dog. As much as psychologists, research firms and advertising/branding agencies claim to know what makes consumers tick and why we all buy what we buy, they’re kidding themselves. When it comes to this line of business, […]

Bold risks can contribute mightily to a brand’s essence.

When it comes to branding, Elon Musk is a true master. His companies make vehicles, some terrestrial and some extraterrestrial. Musk isn’t shy about pulling audacious stunts in order to give his brands exposure. One of his masterstrokes of branding was when his two vehicle brands intersected in, of all places, outerspace. The SpaceX Heavy Falcon launch […]

Summing up your brand in (just) a few words: Difficult, but so worth it.

I have a love/hate relationship with taglines. I hate bad taglines, the ones that are obvious, mediocre or are an indisputable waste of words, like “Our name says it all” or “Your satisfaction is our top priority.” (Is there any business worth their salt that wouldn’t want to satisfy their customers?) I also hate the […]