World Cup 2014 is upon us!
As I sit here watching the USA play Belgium, I can’t help but have the “I believe that we can win” mantra stuck in my head.
How can I not? Every time I login to any social media it’s in my face! I’m looking at you, Facebook friends!!
Who thought up this ridiculous slogan?
And why did it catch on?
Are we really so uncreative that the best we could come up with is “I believe that we can win”??? And here I thought people who say “‘Merica” were bad. Considering how innovative and creative Americans have been historically, one would think we could do a little better than “I believe that we can win.”
<SIGH>
I’ve checked the USPTO and no one has filed for a trademark on this slogan (yet). And if anyone did, I think it would have to be the U.S. Men’s National Team (#usmnt), or whatever non-creative person came up with this mantra. But I digress. All of this makes me think about brand development and how important it is to pick something good the first time because you never know on to what consumers will latch.
Typically, a company will employ some sort of marketing or branding genius to come up with a slogan or logo that will catch on and help consumers identify the brand; however, some do better than others. How do they accomplish great success? Let’s think for a minute about Nike and the “Just Do It” slogan. This is probably one of the most recognized slogans on Earth. But if they hadn’t pumped millions (billions?) of dollars into their advertising campaign to get this slogan off the ground, it probably would’ve gone nowhere. So it seems that to be successful at getting a slogan or logo not only made but into consumers hands, it takes a good graphic designer and a GREAT marketing firm. Or the World Cup, whichever comes sooner!
Signing off! Have a great 4th of July holiday!