Branding?

When does branding cross the line.

With the State Fair in full swing, Jane and I opted to go to the Mill City Market instead. Only 1,000 people instead of 150,000 to avoid. 

One of the things I love is Branding and Advertising. When it's good it incredibly effective.

When it's not it usually embarrassing.

My whole life i look at tee shirts. The copy, the design, the logo, the slogan, the colors, the placement, the front vs the back and then the takeaway. Here's a tee shirt that you could stare at for 10 seconds trying to figure out what the heck it says, and then still look again to be sure. (BAD tee shirt). Have you even been able to figure out what it says yet?

On men it's pretty easy to see tee shirt copy.  On women depending on their genetics, it's much harder.

I can't tell you how many hundreds, no maybe 1000,s of times I've looked at a tee shirt of a women on the street, in a store on an escalator, elevator. On a bus, in a car, in a plane, with a chain. 

When they are easy to read it's a simple glance and "yes, no, ok, funny, bad taste".

But when they are not easy to read but are compelling i stare like a guy trying to read a menu without his cheaters on (don't go there)..  Really, honestly, no intent on staring. Just want to see what it says or is pitching that they were willing to adorn on their body for the day. 

And then it happens.. I subconsciously realize the woman is staring at me and my innocent stare for clarity becomes horribly embarrassing. 

I have to then say as fast a possible. "what does your tee shirt say"? and look them in the eyes. Then I can finish with the cool or funny or nice comment and turn away. 

If I do what comes naturally, I'd look up and say sorry for staring or say nothing and look away. But that would reflect the opposite of what I was actually doing and I'd be forcing myself into false guilt for something they should have thought about before putting a tee shirt over their chest.

Here's another one. "Vineyard Worship".  I still own a Wine Import Licence. I've had people read that I represent Vineyards and then they ask me " WOW, cool, what Vineyard Church do you represent". My answer usually of "no, real vineyards, like wine, like millions of bottles..", gets a less than enthusiastic response.   So now with this Vineyard Tee Shirt... If you're not in christian circles and understand who and what "Vineyard is", a normal person would look at this and think hmm. nice big "V" between the breasts. Is she exposing her love of her grapes of life, maybe she is a Wino or a Vinologist.
  Laugh you may, but truly this copy should be on the "BACK" of a tee shirt not the front. At least that would eliminate most the awkward stares..  Hmmm maybe that's it, you can only put this stuff for women's tee's on the back. I'm serious, I don't have a personal problem with women's chests but I do have a problem with feeling embarrassed for reading their tee shirts and then getting the look for reading what they put on to be read...  sheesh.

So I'm at Mill City Market with my wife yesterday.

 We're buying dark chocolate samples with lavender and sea salt and, and, and a woman walks up next to us who runs a restaurant next store. Shes in jeans and a tee shirt. Of COURSE i look to read the tee shirt. I always do I look at every advertising on anything. Well thank god my wife didn't see me, or her friend the chocolate lady. And thank god the tee shirt was only TWO WORDS in a large green serif font with good kerning,  and it only took a 1/4 second to read it and look away. That was until it sunk in.  Two Words   EAT LOCAL.  EAT over one breast and LOCAL over the other.   Now I was born at night, but not last night.  You can't tell me that you put a tee shirt on like that and not realize what you're saying or having fun "playing". This woman walked away and I said straight away to the shop owner and my wife. No woman should wear a tee shirt that says "eat local" over her breasts. It's just not right.  Well, both women were shocked and laughed and said hmmm you're right. The owner said, I'll let the restaurant lady know that next time she stops by.    I'm thinking, riiiiiight. like she doesn't know what she's doing. 

So in the spirit of fairness and to help the world understand the value of marketing placement I'm asking all marketing companies to from here on out change all marketing for men to be different.

Unless you're as crazy as Mr. Anorexia here who will not live long and prosper, I'd submit that all ads must go on men's Zipper flys or over the crotch area so that if a woman (or a man) wants to see what a man is showing as interesting or cool, she has to look at his crotch to read it and then get the look back from a guy after she notices that he's noticed that she's noticed.  Maybe this would spark a change without words being spoken...

Unfortunately ad sizes for men would vary based on confrontation and, oh heck, the more I think about it, let's eliminate all advertising except on hats, yea hats. Shoot everyone should wear hats anyway to help fight skin cancer, to be cool, to be special..   I mean no one could be offended by a hat.

I've had  100's of hats.  Other than being banned from some church platforms with one on,  or wearing the wrong type of hat for the wrong occasion, it would solve the sexist ad wars.  Heck, how bad can you screw up wearing a hat anyway...

Ok, I give up..

And just remember your words have multiple meanings, be careful what you wear.

Unless you're quite sure of what you want to say.

I think i'm gonna get the tee shirt that says
 "Don't wear the tee shirt if you don't want me to read it".