Go Logo! A Handbook to the Art of Global Branding

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9

Chapter 1

The Making of a Creative

Brand Warrior

S

o, just what is a Creative Brand Warrior? And why choose this particular, one-

size-fits-all descriptor for the very eclectic roster of experienced, highly respected

contributors to this book? Well, therein lies the story, and the context, of this book.

After thinking a lot about how to best capture and pass along the lessons learned

during fifty years of participating in clients’ global branding battles, the old title of

consultant or expert seemed a bit lame. And the guru label, used facetiously or not, didn’t fit

at all. With such a diverse list of contributors, only the phrase “creative brand warrior” seemed

to fit everyone. All included here are admired for their skills, and respected for both their

past accomplishments and their continued openness to new challenges. Each has been an

innovator, and each has always been willing to fight for what he or she believes in.

One other commonality among these

contributors is their understanding of the

importance of partnership. All know that

the essential requirement for successfully

establishing a solid brand is to create a

sense of partnership with all of a brand’s

key constituents, including the brand stew-

ards within the parent organization, the

brand’s distribution and communication

channels, and, most of all, with the brand’s

consumers. Perhaps this was always true, but

never has it been more important than today.

The Chambers Concise Dictionary (favored

because it is exactly that, concise) partially

defines “partner” as “an associate, a person

engaged with another in a business, a per-

son who plays on the same side in a game,

and a person who goes in to a formal dinner

with another.” These definitions are quite

apropos when applied in a branding con-

text. Consumers today know that they have

the upper hand in the partnering dance,

with no allegiance to the partner who

brought them. And the only way the mar-

keter and the consumer are playing on the

same side is when consumers consistently

get what they want. In every instance, it is

the buyers and not the sellers who control

this particular kind of relationship.

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Go Logo! A Handbook to the Art of Global Branding10

The creative brand warriors at Lippincott suc-

cessfully partnered with their clients to develop

this eclectic range of global identities.

Over time, bonds forged within creative

organizations can fray badly, as the overall

business changes or the interpersonal rela-

tionships begin to clash. The best creative

relationships—whether in principal/subordi-

nate roles, or in a client/agency situation—

occur when mutual respect and a genuine

liking for one another are a significant part

of the working relationship. In a creative

business, there has to be one person nomi-

nally in charge. Or, at the very least, there

must be clearly outlined responsibilities for

all equal partners, to ensure the firm’s col-

lective energies are harnessed together in

pursuit of agreed, common goals.

Most creatives will experience working

in different kinds of brand warrior tribes,

including very large ones, but will gain most

of their valuable experience from working

in relatively small creative firms. Chambers

simply defines “warrior” as “a fighting man.”

This disposition is a prerequisite to success

in creative branding. However, it’s not such

a good trait to share between partners in

small enterprises. William Kirn wrote the fol-

lowing passage to open his New York Times

Book Review piece on Robert Stone’s Prime

Green, a personal memoir of the 1960s. It

captures what I feel is the most important

lesson “of a creative life lived.”

“Time passes, and what it passes through is

people—though people believe that they are

passing through time. And even, at certain

euphoric moments, directing time. It’s a

delusion, but it’s where memoirs come from,

or at least the very best ones. They tell how

destiny presses on desire and how desire

pushes back, sometimes heroically, always

TACA, a proud Central American airline, offers services

throughout Central, South, and North America with

hubs in El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, and Peru.

(Photos: Albert Vecerka/Esto)

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