Blog Archive
March 2005
An interesting article by John Simmons in the Observer this Sunday.
It seems obvious that words must be important to brands because words are needed to tell their stories. But it’s surprising how they have neglected the power of language, channelling most of their energy and creativity into the logos and visuals that for many people still represent the totality of ‘branding’.
In storytelling there is always transgression, and in all art. Without transgression, without the red boundary, there is no danger, no risk, no frisson, no experiment, no discovery and no creativity. Without disturbing something of the complete order of things, there is no challenge, and no pleasure, and certainly no joy. All true artists suspect that if the world really knew what they were doing they would be punished. Quietly, or dramatically, storytellers are reorganisers of accepted reality, dreamers of alternative histories, disturbers of deceitful sleep.Ben Okri
Apparently, the executives in charge of Tabasco for the McIlhenny Company in Louisiana were pondering how to increase sales of their famous product. They had called a meeting of their top brains, from sales, marketing, development, and the agency. Flip charts were used up with diagrams, projections, and ideas for ads and promotional offers.
When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours.