Branding is all around us. While it was first invented to identify cows owned by individual farmers, it has grown and mutated into a public relations and marketing hydra that can have a massive impact on the fortunes of a company. Some vast brands solidified their success in part through clever branding. Here are some of the most successful brand-utilizing companies out there.
Converse
Chuck Taylor joined the Converse sales team in the late 1920s and quickly set about using clever branding to make their basketball shoes sell like hotcakes. He started an all star basketball team, designed the iconic star logo, and traveled the country promoting the shoe. In the 1950s and 1960s, Converse began to market its products as fashion items instead of just sporting gear. They had vast amounts of success. Because of their iconic looks and cheap construction, custom converse is regularly used to advertise other brands. These shoes are easy to print onto and typically last a while in the hands of their owners.
McDonalds
The golden arches are instantly recognizable – no matter where you are in the world. McDonalds might just be a burger joint, but the efforts that have gone into building its brand far outstrip the quality of its snacks. The golden arches themselves are a reflection (or interpretation) of the two yellow arches that formed a structural element of the first franchised McDonalds restaurant in 1952. Since then, McDonalds has used a number of innovative – and sometimes controversial – marketing strategies to maintain its market dominance.
Nike
The Nike tick and ‘just do it’ slogans are iconic and immensely successful branding tools. The ‘just do it’ slogan – launched in 1988 – has a rather dark origin story. Dan Wieden, who invented the slogan, said that he poached it from a death row inmate talking before his execution. He changed the wording slightly so that Nike would not have to give the dead man credit! The slogan is one of the biggest branding success stories and has been retained by the company ever since. For example: Some brands are pioneering the reinvention of new terms. That’s how Avon was accused of Pinkwashing.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola – a company that started life selling cocaine-laced stimulant tonics – has evolved into one of the most successful companies in the world. Branding has played an absolutely vast part in the ultimate success of this drinks giant. Almost as soon as it was founded, the Coca-Cola Company was an early innovator in branding.
It used coupons to raise awareness of the new drink, distributing them to local bars and restaurants around Atlanta. By 1911, the company had an advertising budget of over 1 million dollars – huge at the time. It created a distinctive brand identity using its red trucks, cursive logo, and aggressive nostalgia peddling. One thing Coca-Cola did not do in order to further its branding efforts, however, was invent the stereotypical red depiction of Santa Claus. It is testament to the branding success of the company, however, that many people still believe this myth.
