Buying into plotlines
Your brand is your user experience
Merry Amex-mas (Augmented Fun From Down Un)
Where do you stand on SOPA and PIPA?
I was raised in the Ottawa area. We moved around a little bit, but the majority of my youth was spent in Smiths Falls and Perth, Ontario, two very small towns about 40 minutes south of Ottawa. I was born in the ’70s and became of age to choose a favourite hockey team in 1983.
I was 4 years old. It was a crisp fall morning and a bunch of us were playing on the concrete playground at St. Francis De Sales school, when a debate broke out. Which team was better, the Montreal Canadiens, or the Toronto Maple Leafs. Remember, this was years before the Ottawa Senators (*spit* hutzpah) became a team. The yard quickly divided into the two, equal in number, factions. I, being the son of immigrants, did not have a favourite hockey team. The closest thing to a sport my father was into was watching Monica Seles grunt suggestively during her tennis matches. I was a clean slate. I had never seen a hockey game, and knew nothing of the teams, or the star players of that time.
The two groups noticed me in the middle, and they approached. I was the tie breaker. My vote would decide once and for all which team reigned supreme on the St. Francis playground. Jeff Carroll, a boy tall for his age, questioned: “who’s better?” Jeff was wearing a Maple Leafs hat with their logo prominently displayed in the front.
“Ya, you need to decide! Who do you like better?” added Nick Feeley. Nick was an average-sized boy donning a Montreal Canadiens hat.
I felt immense pressure as the two groups of boys hung on my next words. I knew nothing of these teams, I didn’t even know which logo belonged to what team. But I do know which one I liked better. I pointed at Nick’s hat. “Which team is that?” I asked. “The Habs” one voice replied.
“Ya, the Canadiens,” another said. “I like them better,” I said.
One group erupted with jubilation, the other with disgust. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is from that moment on I was a Habs fan. That year I watched as Patrick Roy led the Habs to a cup. I’ve watched them religiously since. I have bought tickets to their games. I have bought their merchandise. Now my children are Habs fans, and they watch the games with me. With the same fervour and excitement they stare at the screen, wearing their Habs sweaters.
Two generations, sure to turn to three and four, consume the product that is the Montreal Canadiens. All due to effective branding . . . and a Hall of Fame goaltender.
Warren
June 25, 2010 @ 11:29 am
I think the only reason I’m still a Leafs fan is because of the classic look of their jerseys.
Tweets that mention The power of a brand « Big Orange Slide -- Topsy.com
June 25, 2010 @ 2:01 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Grip Limited, miranda. miranda said: Picking a Team: The Power of a Brand http://bit.ly/cg642V #NHL #BigOrangeSlide [...]
dave
July 8, 2010 @ 3:39 pm
That year, at Lollapalooza, I had three different Montreal Expos logo sightings (two hats, one faded tee) all on teens, likely too young to have connected with the team before its demise. I’ve since had several more Expos hat sightings here in TO. I suspect a similar affinity is at work… http://www.gameusedsportsonline.com/images/uploads/0018_montreal_expos_red_white_blue_edited-1_s250.jpg