Crafting a Memorable Brand

Since 1952, Tony the Tiger has graced us with his presence originally created from an ad campaign by an iconic Leo Burnett team.

There were actually a few other cereal mascots that got dropped after love for Tony took over.

A few years later, the Tony jingles started to hit the airwaves.

Since then, Tony has been on the cover of GQ magazine, has a wife and kids, and became “Tiger of the Year” for Chinese New Year: Year of the Tiger…

What is a Brand?

When you think of a “brand”, what comes to mind? Logos, graphics, ad campaigns?

For the most part, it might be things we can see about a company. Heck, the brand mascot might play a role in your brand recall. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll think about the impact and mission of an organization and how you resonate with them.

I love how Marty Neumeier shares premise around brand. Regardless of what people see, a brand really is our consumers’ gut feeling about our organization. It’s the market’s perception of who we are, no matter what we do or create.

So, how do we create a memorable and impactful brand?

Making the Brand (Asset)

Now, one could argue that a mascot is the most underrated brand asset…

But how did he become so famous?

“They’re grrrrreat!”

When clients come to us, it often feels like many want to become the next big Apple with a “think different” campaign or fly high like Red Bull “giving you wings”. But the issue with beginning here is we’d be aiming at someone else’s target. Let alone someone else’s target audience.

Apple has historically been a great brand because they’ve consistently made a promise on supporting you being creative. Red Bull has shined on top in the action sports world (and beyond) because they make you feel like you can do anything.

Tony the Tiger and Frosted Flakes took these ideas to a whole new level when they doubled down on Tony’s story and his jingle.

Utilizing the Most Underrated Brand Asset

What made Tony so famous? Better yet, what planted seeds of recall and remembrance 20-30 years later?

I’d argue that his tagline and jingle (with multiple iterations) cued him right to the top.

Just by the mention of his name, I imagine you already have the iconic jingle stuck in your head.

“Hey Tony! I like the things you do! Hey Tony! If I would I could be you….”

I don’t even eat Frosted Flakes and yet, I have a connection to the brand. They’ve somehow won me and millions of others over.

Building a memorable brand doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it’s the simple ideas that go the furthest. A simple image of Albert Einstein next to the Apple logo. An ad featuring a task impossible to complete, until a Red Bull is consumed. A basic song calling children to be great.

Making brand assets doesn’t have to be intricate, it just needs to be created for the right person.

Morale of this story?

Don’t sleep on your brand assets. And give a jingle or audio brand asset a try. Sounds consistency is just as compelling and important as visual.

People get songs stuck in their heads more often than visuals anyway 😉

What next?

If you want to audit and then excel your brand, message, and assets, discover your growth here.