Create a Character

Create a character, or invite a real person to represent the brand, a product or service. This technique is similar to > create a character. The difference is that, here, the character must represent the brand. If you are not sure how to create a brand, go to > How-to-create, characterize and build a brand. Where you’ll also find more samples. A classic brand character is the > MSN butterfly man. But there are several ways to approach this creatively. Create a dramatic role for a real person to play: Mrs. Wong for Hong Kong’s Park ‘N Shop supermarket chain. This 60 something grandmother would zip around the store, lowering prices with the slash of her red marker, and making sure shoppers are satisfied. Ronald McDonald, the clown for, uh, what’s the name of that fast food place? Mr. Whipple for Charmin toilet tissue. (While some people found him stupid and irritating. with his constant line, “Please don’t squeeze the Charmin”, but he took the product to number one in its category. And when the agency or client dropped him, so did market share.) Create imaginary characters: The battery powered toy Bunny for energizer batteries. He just keeps on “going, and going and going …” The Subservient Chicken for Burger King. “Have it your way” has never been so true thanks to this bird who will do whatever you want. Tony the Tiger for Kellogg’s breakfast cereal. He gets your day off to a “Grreeeeeat!” start. Use a real person associated with the company: Charles Schwab, company spokesperson for his discount stock brokerage. The Kentucky Colonel for KFC. Sir Richard Branson for Virgin everything. The Singapore Girl, a stewardesses on Singapore Airlines. These are real people acting in their real role at at the company — founder, CEO, employee — who represent the brand. Turn the product into a person, or a person into the product. The Michelin Tire Man is exactly that. One way to explore this approach is to draw a picture of the product at one end of a long layout sheet, and on the other end, draw a picture of the brand as a person. Then create a spectrum of morphs. On one end, a human with a few product characteristics. On the other, a product with a few human characteristics. Or just play with this approach on your computer or sketch pad. See what you get.

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