“You can’t save souls in an empty church…. And you can’t bore people into buying your product.” David Oglivy.
(This slightly embellished but true story exposes a tale about a love triangle involving lust, branding and logo design.)
“It’s true. Don’t get me wrong, if it wasn’t the logo that had me pissing and moaning, I would’ve found something else to complain about,” states Mary Elizabeth Glosup, owner of what was formerly called All About Accessories, a jewlery and fashion outlet known for their gold teeth.
Go Big or Go Home
“I remember telling my husband, something wasn’t right. It didn’t feel right right. It had lost its thrill. I could see it in other people’s eyes when they watched. He looked at me dumbfounded. After staring at each other for an eternal 30 seconds with dead silence, I clarified, ‘The name and logo! You’re fine in the other department.’
“I said, ‘Honey, I need something that looks ginormous and feels big. Not only to me but to everyone who sees it.’ He said he understood. And then we took matters into our own hands.”
Obsession
“I actually love my husband but there’s more than a strand of truth about our logo and brand identity ‘destroying our marriage.’ So much of our time together is spent talking — and obsessing — about our several successful businesses — with clients including Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club — and I needed to take it to the next level.”
Getting the Passion Back
“I had heard of David Brier and David agreed to speak with us to serve as a sort of ‘counselor’ for our branding and logo and ‘marriage difficulties’ and woes.
“He agreed and took a look at our existing logo. Our existing name. Listened to who our customers are. Who we compete against. He asked about our passions. What we were about. And how I needed to get the magic back….” (This is the original logo)
How to Score (Big)
“He said, ‘Yes, you can be helped and this is the cost of your investment.’ Sure, I had some sticker shock initially. But I reminded myself, ‘I lost that loving feeling some time ago, and others can feel it.’ I can see it in my husband’s eyes.
“Most importantly, I began to wonder, ‘Were people talking about how vanilla we’d become?’ After that, I thought, to hell with it. If I didn’t make the change now, I’d live with the hell tomorrow. Then the next tomorrow and the next.
“I soon learned that there are some things that fall into the ‘nice to have’ category and others that seem ‘necessary.’ Sadly, I had foolishly put our branding in the ‘nice to have’ column and soon realized, ‘The world class brands that score big don’t treat a brand as a nice option to have in the future, like some luxury that one posts on their Pinterest page. No. It had to be something that’s part of the very fabric of our customers’ brand experience.”
Satisfaction Where It Counts
“After our initial consultation with David Brier and putting our future in his capable hands, the first spot to attack was our name. It wasn’t sexy. It wouldn’t arouse a teenager with hormonal imbalances, you know, the kind that can be aroused by… anything! It didn’t titillate. It didn’t engage our customer like a warm embrace on a cold night in the heart of a big city.
“So, after he did his homework, David suggested our new name: Accessory Snobs.”
We Hadn’t Been Like That in Years
“We burst out laughing. Why? Because the name totally captured our audience and customer. They LOVE accessories. And being a snob in this case was a ‘badge of honor.’ Like a symbol or a tattoo that says, ‘Yes, I’m the real deal.’ So Accessory Snobs was born.
“Then David said, ‘That’s not enough. Trust me. This has to last beyond the initial thrill.’ David then told us the slogan:
‘So much bling. So little time.’
which perfectly connected to our customers who are often in a mad rush (like a shark that’s sensed blood — fast to get in and out, devouring what’s theirs and moving on).”
Seduction in Aisle 3 (Getting the Passion Back)
“I remember thinking, ‘OK, this sounds good but how’s it going to look?’
“After a couple of weeks, David presented us with the new logo. It was… Sexy. Blingy. Overflowing with accessory-ooze.
“My husband and I loved it. Already the passion was back and we could barely keep our hands off the merchandise.
“At the risk of telling of telling you too much, I’ll just show you instead.
“In its basic form:
“All made up, totally blinged out and ready to party, it looks like this:
“Then David helped us by choosing the model and art directing the photo shoot, and then showed us examples of what the complete brand would start to look like:”
When Bigger is Better (and Steamy)
“To make sure my husband and I never forgot the scope of how big this could get, David then presented to us some prototypes of how this would look in the greatest (and steamiest, thanks to their manholes in the streets) city in the world: New York City (Disclaimer: These are only prototypes done digitally so if you are in NYC, do not start hunting them down):”
Stamina Where It Counts
“Many months later, sales have skyrocketed and our social presence is finally starting to gain traction whereas before, nobody knew we existed, let alone wanted to like us or even tell others about us.
“Early on, David mentioned a quote by advertising legend, David Ogilvy, ‘You can’t save souls in an empty church…. And you can’t bore people into buying your product.’
“Bottom line, the boredom is gone for us and our customers. My husband and I are happier than ever and have the magic — and the passion — back. We’re like teenagers in heat, only smarter.”
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