Go Logo! A Handbook to the Art of Global Branding

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Determinant 7

Curiosity:

Looking Under the Rock

From Chambers Concise Dictionary:

Curiosity: anxious to learn; inquisitive; singular;

rare; odd

7

Truvia is a natural sweetener made from the stevia plant. The

brand design reflects the natural ingredients. (Design: Paula Scher,

Pentagram; Photo: Jessica Walsh)

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Go Logo! A Handbook to the Art of Global Branding142

S

uccessful creatives are curious souls. Brand warriors have a desire to figure out

what things really work and why, in different markets and in different countries.

All the innate creativity in the world isn’t enough.

Even with an array of new communication tools, successful brand warriors stick

to the basics and ferret out the psychological needs potential customers have in

common, despite obvious cultural differences. By digging deeper, into “what lies beneath”

(see chapter 5) in the minds of a target audience, the curious creative warrior can find the

hidden connection to the consumer that has thus far eluded the brand’s stewards. But when

this happens, be careful. Without a ton of collaborating data, this new “big idea” might not

be received with universal acclaim on the client side.

Thinking differently is what you get paid for,

and standing up for what you believe is a

good criterion, if you aspire to be innovative

and promote daring ideas to clients. In joust-

ing with the absolute power of clients, you

must accept that sometimes you win, and

sometimes you lose—but mostly you com-

promise. It’s always worth battling when you

are convinced that a proposed, well-thought-

out strategy, backed by an innovative, cre-

ative idea, will do the best job of stimulating

the curiosity of the target audience, whose

attention the clients are trying to attract.

Human curiosity has fueled virtually all of

the world’s great discoveries, led to the

greatest inventions, and prompted our

greatest cultural achievements. And man’s

spiritual curiosity is, I cautiously suggest, the

sustaining appeal of our most enduring soci-

etal persuasion brands. The great majority of

commercial persuasion brands also depend,

to some degree, on the innate curiosity of

the consumer. New products introduced

under the banner of a new brand, and sup-

ported by advertising and promotion, focus

on stimulating the curiosity of the consumer

and sparking sufficient interest to motivate

the sale. Therefore, making the consumer

aware of the new benefits of a new model

of car, camera, or can of soup, and then

motivating them to buy, is a high priority. In

many categories, the designer’s first creative

task is to design the kind of packaging that

will first arouse the consumer’s curiosity,

then to stimulate interest, and finally to

motivate purchase. When retail outlets allow

marketers to place promotion or merchan-

dising materials, the brand warrior must pull

out all the creative stops and spark the con-

sumers’ curiosity long enough for them to

consider the brand’s persuasion argument.

New products, even those that are logical

brand extensions, require a lot of persua-

sive selling to be accepted by the consumer,

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143Twelve Key Determinants to Creating Successful Brands

RIGHT: Logo for a new wine bar called Vino Téque (Design: Evenson

Design Group)

BELOW: This famous Asian beer brand was redesigned for introduction

into new venues and new packaging formats. (Design: DesignBridge)

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