Sign of the Times

My wife and I share three wonderful kids…some older than others. Our youngest, Jenna, is a 4th grade student at George White Elementary School. It’s a California Public School going through its share of issues given the economy, state budget crisis and the trials and tribulations that normal, everyday 4th grade girls invent.

Recently, Jodi and I, being good parents that we are, attended Jenna’s Open House. It’s a day where we get to see what goes on at school, and it’s filled with her writing projects, class activities, art and a whole lot of excitement.

On the way out, I was admiring a display of student art on the door and suddenly was struck by what appeared to be either a colossal mistake or a sponsorship opportunity. Here, for your edification, is a sample of picture of the door.

OK…so what do you see? Your answer may just give away a few things about you.

To the teacher, it seems like it was an art lesson using an iconic symbol of the ‘60s—the peace symbol. You remember, or MUST have at least heard of the ‘60s—peace, love and all that other stuff?

Well to the casual observer you’re correct. It would appear to be a fitting tribute to the Age of Aquarius. But to me, your friendly, neighborhood Certified Brand Strategist and a product of the 60’s—it was a laughable moment which reminded me about the influence logos have in our lives and how important it is that the iconic power of the brand symbol remains unique, protected and clear.

OK, OK…this peace sign is missing one of the legs at the upside-down Y segment. Yes…true. What was in fact on the back of Mrs. Slade’s door was a great display of Mercedes logos—a clear sponsorship opportunity for Mercedes Benz of Laguna Niguel.

I demonstrated to me the diminishing value of on icon versus the other. Over the same number of years, Mercedes has done a lot to promote its brand and uses its logo as an anchor of that effort in a way to quickly and easily make their product stand apart for their competition. Sadly for the good old peace symbol, there isn’t anyone to promote it actively through the vast communications channels Mercedes has available.

Hmmm….maybe if there was, the world WOULD be a better place.

Walking Talking Brands: You meet them every day

It’s probably no surprise that I’m studying brands everywhere I go and everywhere I travel. Just last week, I got to visit two walking, talking, living, breathing brands in Napa Valley: Top Chef Masters runner-up Michael Chiarello who is the Owner/Chef at Bottega—one of Napa’s hottest restaurants and the owner of Napa Style; and vineyard owner David Long of David Arthur Vineyards, one of THE best premium smaller production producers in Napa Valley.

What they have in common as people and as “brands” is their remarkable persona which you are drawn to immediately upon meeting them—but also how their persona and philosophy permeates the products that carry their “brand” names.

My experience with Michael Chiarello was simply fantastic and just classic. He saw me, or should I say my wife Jodi, on a bench waiting for a table at his very popular restaurant Bottega. Michael, being the quintessential Italian he is, commented, “What’s this pretty lady doing without a glass of sparkling wine?” and promptly sent over two complimentary glasses of Proseco. (I was the lucky beneficiary of his fascination with Jodi.) I struck up a conversation and mentioned we’d just been to his Top Chef Masters rival, Rick Bayless’ restaurant, Topolobampo in Chicago. I noted that Bayless had added his Top Chef Master’s winning menu to his tasting menu and Michael quickly filed away the piece of field intelligence. But the best was his comment about his new-found friend and rival, Rick Bayless, “Nice man…I was only a mole away from kicking his butt!” We all had a great laugh.

Chiarello has done a magnificent job of turning himself and his persona into a brand that reflects his inner beliefs. Leveraging his celebrity on Food Network cooking shows and his cookbooks, everything he does conveys a Chiarello sense of style, high quality for a fair and reasonable price. It pays off in spades at Napa Style which is quickly becoming a top retail location and his restaurants are booking up well after his posted closing hours.

Best of all, he is as accessible a person as he is a brand. While my wife Jodi was easily smitten…I also couldn’t help but be drawn in by his truly genuine, authentic charisma and caring for each person that he exudes when he comes in contact with them. As it happens, a good friend of Michael’s in David Long.

If you roam around the vineyards in Napa Valley, you’d not only find great wines of character, but great characters in the vineyards. Meet David Long, owner of David Arthur Vineyards. He and his charming daughter Laura conduct one of THE great personalized tours in Napa Valley. No time limit, no rush, no charge and lots of David, his stories and his passion for what he does and his wines. Laura is his guiding light—she’s grown up there on the vineyard in the family business and keeps him focused. It’s a great moment to see the two of them conniving on which barrel they should tap into next to share with their eager tour attendees.

The David Arthur brand is a small, well managed vineyard and brand; I discovered it at TRU in Chicago when a sommelier recommend his ’97 Cabernet to me. That, as Laura later told me, was THE vintage that put them on the map. Since then, the David Arthur brand hasn’t slowed down or wavered. They offer premium quality, hand crafted, beautiful composed wines that give you an insight into the greatness David wants in every bottle. David’s doesn’t do it the usual way…in his tours, in the way he plans or in the wines he makes. And every bottle is a reflection of the man himself.

So nice to see that whether they are book smart marketers or street smart living breathing brand icons, that some people just know how to do it right.

For more information on my two new BFF’s:
David Arthur Vineyards; http://davidarthur.com//index.cfm
Bottega Restaurant: http://www.botteganapavalley.com
Napa Style: http://www.napastyle.com/home.jsp