Branded for Life

By Mr Trivia August 31, 2007

Zeitgeisters,

Here at the Tract we are all about Brand management. Complacency is the enemy of Brand recognition. One day you’re a refreshing bottle of Sprite, the next you’re a can of Gest Lemonade with a ring-pull tab. One day you’re a Nissan Maxima, the next you’re a Datsun 120Y. You know what I mean?

You gotta be on it. You gotta bring it. You gotta be all you can be, 24/7. It’s all about protecting the integrity of your Brand. And of course you have to create an awareness of your Brand and build a preference for your Brand.

Mr Trivia’s old alma mater Perth Modern School in Subiaco, is doing exactly that. According to the Perth Mod Intranet and the Wikipedia, the school is now a centre for academic excellence. You have to pass an exam to gain entry – ie new students are selected academically, rather than it being a “comprehensive” high school, which it was for the previous fifty years of its life. During this time, also known as the post-1958 dead ordinary era, I spent five years there.

Pre-1958 it was also a high-school that selected academically gifted students and offered them scholarships. Western Australians like ex-Prime Minister Bob Hawke and entertainer Rolf Harris were among their number.

So is Mr Triv getting all misty-eyed, about ol’ Perth Mod High? Nah. I’m only giving you a little context. Recently, I was driving by Mod in the gloaming, when I spotted this sign posted up near some of the new construction work. For those of you who can’t see the accompanying photograph it reads:

Prime Minister
Rhodes Scholar
Governor General
International Artist
Renowned Philanthropist

Next to each of these is a box with a red tick in it. At the bottom there is another ticked box next to the words “Your Child” . And on the far right hand sight it says, We tick all the boxes.

Meh. Tacky.

Elevate the Insignificant
Mr Trivia

p.s. Only a couple of those boxes refer to me, in case you’re wondering.