OO’s of O’s
Like a good boy, I’ve been building my brand’s distinctive assets.
There’s the ‘Closer to Brands’ name, the discerning shade of blue and the ‘moments of CLOSENESS’ tagline.
I’d like to think these all have some meaning, but really I want you to remember me when you’re next ready to buy, please.
But the one asset that’s paying off big time is the O.
It started life as a bold o in the logo that Jeffrey Steventon created for my opening day. The idea was for it to be like a magnifying glass. Probably, most people thought it was a typo.
Then that little o started taking on a life of its own. It became a great big O in the background of the website.
It wasn’t allowed in presentations as I want those to be about the client’s brand not mine. Closer to your brand.
But it was this blog that put the wind in its sails. Jeffrey and I realised the potential in our own idea.
An O can be a halo.
A Christmas single.
A thought bubble.
A discarded coffee lid.
An on/off button.
The embrace of a guru.
An o inside an O makes a target.
Two O’s interlocked symbolise togetherness.
An O, an o, a smaller o and a dot make a hole in the ground.
Or ever simpler ways of summing up a strategy.
Stick question marks on an O and you have the coronavirus.
Show it sinking into the foreboding sea and you have the Upside-Down of Stranger Things.
Split one in half and it’s the say-do gap in research.
Or it could be a simple old head on shoulders.
A devil with horns.
A scared exec at the end of a boardroom table.
Or a washing machine door.
The marketing pendulum
A 20 mph speed limit.
A loop of golden thread.
A tea bag.
Bubbles of steam.
A rubber band.
A gun sight.
Three respondents in a Zoom group.
The enemy within.
It even ended up being the inspiration for my whole positioning.
First with the ‘stand out / stand for’ brand model.
Then the ‘what they do / why they do it’ consumer model.
And finally, the two coming together in a moment of closeness.
To create a lasting emotional connection.
We don’t use an O every time. It’s good to keep things fresh. Never take people’s attention for granted.
But I like the way it makes a point each time about campaignability. All campaigns need that.
Anyway, what do you think about this post’s image?
Marks out of 1OO?