John Nosta: THINKOLOGY Thinking For A Living–Great Thoughts…Lots of Typos!

The Big Think: An Elusive Brand Hallmark that David Ogilvy Understood

Brand hallmarks are an essential part of building a brand.  Color, typography, and the usual suspects are all part of  list.  There's nothing new here.

Enter David Ogilvy and the man in the Hathaway shirt.

At first glance you see a distinguished man with his classic white shirt.  But what about that eye patch!!??  What the heck was David thinking?  He was using a rare but very effective brand hallmark that adds a bit of intellectual spark to a concept.  I call it the "enigmatic wink".  It's not a graphic element that fits into the typical brand narrative, but provides a dissonant component that grabs you...and drives a conscious and unconscious event that "sticks to the roof of your brain".  And the enigmatic wink isn't something that requires specific explaination.  It just is.  And there lies the magic.

Now in today's world of over-regulation and over-thinking this device is often cast aside as confusing and unnecessary.  It's easy to imagine some of the comments Ogilvy might have heard from the Hathaway brand manager:  "Is this shirt for pirates?"   Or, "are we selling to the sight-impaired?!"

Lesser minds result in lesser advertising.

What David Ogilvy introduced was an element of intellectual whimsy that took a creative concept to new (and enigmatic) heights.  In today's robust digital world, the wink has the potential to evolve to some very interesting and engaging things.  But sorry, I'm not giving them away here.  So, when you create your next brand or concept, remember to "wink" at your audience.  The brand brand manager will cry fowl, the account executive will look confused and the initial idea will travel that precarious path have have all seen.  But hold your ground!  It's this very path that is the road to excellence!