Ford F-150 Monster Truck

Earlier this week, one of our family friends dropped off a few presents for the kids. Isaac received this monster truck with over-sized tires and an apparent appetite for destruction.

Needless to say, he loves it.

This particular truck is battery operated and has two buttons on the top. One which makes the toy move forward (rear-wheel drive) and one which makes the truck sound like it’s driving over smaller, meeker, more foreign-made vehicles. While he and I have had a blast loading this truck up with different stuff and sending it roaring across the living room floor, I can’t help but notice how cheaply it is made. When we first got it out, there was hot glue dripped randomly across the top of the truck, one drop of which had landed on a button, making it impossible to push. The body of the truck is glued to the frame with the same adhesive goop. From the time we opened the packaging, the body has easily separated from the frame. There is also glue hanging out the front of the truck, covering up it’s “teeth”. See the photos below for details. With all of these lousy manufacturing mistakes, what really stands out to me that this truck is overly-branded as a Ford product.

Touchpoints for Everyone

As a Partner at an idea studio in Dayton, Ohio that places great emphasis on brand, I find myself obsessed with these kinds of touchpoints. Unfortunately for Ford, this is actually a reflection on their brand. As you can see from these photos, the have placed their logo liberally on the truck.

I can imagine the meeting where this kind of decision was made. Perhaps someone suggested they find an inexpensive way to put the Ford name into the minds of little boys all over America. Maybe they didn’t consider the fact that one or two parents would also receive some kind of brand impression from the product. I would venture a guess that the negative impression on the parents outweighs the positive impression on the kids.

A Better Approach

So what should Ford have done? To start with, I’d recommend that they get their hands on any product they plan on allowing to carry their logo. An alternative would be to manufacture a high quality toy truck, somewhere in the USA, that came free to any parent that purchased a new Ford truck. This way you know you have a “Ford-friendly” family and you are reinforcing that positive emotion. Just throwing a load of trucks with your logo on them into every dollar store across the country doesn’t do much for your brand.

How to Learn from Ford’s Mistake

Something as simple as this may seem harmless. And, perhaps Ford hasn’t done any damage to their reputation by doing this. However, if it were my company, I wouldn’t settle for “made in China” brand awareness. This also applies to packaging. Anyone who’s opened an Apple product can tell you that they create an experience from the moment you hold their product in your hands. The key message here is to spend adequate time evaluating areas where you can effectively increase your brand’s value.

A good place to start would be a brand analysis…

Made in China

At least the truck is good for hauling these “Vensafi” batteries (proudly made in China) which came pre-installed in the truck and died within the first ten minutes of play.

iPhone Makeup Kit

Your Makeup and Your iPhone

So my wife and I are walking into Kohl’s and happen across this display. I’m generally a nice guy, but this caught me off guard. A makeup kit that looks like an iPhone? Seriously?

Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate beautiful product design just as much as the next guy. But ripping off a smart phone design to sell makeup seems like a stretch. Either the beauty industry is desperate or Apple’s product designers are unbelievably good.

Close to Home

While this may not be a huge deal, I did listen to two of our designers today struggle through a design review with a client who really just wanted us to “make it look like Apple’s site.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this. As an idea studio, one of the challenges we face is to push our clients past the easy solution of copying some other cool thing and onto creating their own cool thing that other people will want to copy. It (obviously) takes a lot of work, a lot of persistence, but it is worth it.

A Success Story

On the flip side, at a recent FORGE lunch, a different client of ours was mentioning how one of their competitors in another country just completed a re-brand. They mentioned how similar the new identity was to the system we just launched for our client. They were willing to step out, take a little risk and it’s put them in a position where their competition has no choice but to fall in line behind them. Copyright and Trademark issues aside, this is a good thing.

The Moral of the Story

Now, I know that the economy is tough right now. Believe me, I know that marketing budgets are usually the first to go. But I also know that (as one of my partners would say) organizations which continue to focus on their brand through difficult times will come out ahead. If you are a business owner, now is the time to push. Find an organization that will take the time to understand your market and help you establish a premier brand. Then watch your competition fall in line. Behind you.

The fact is, most non-profits don’t feel like they can afford to invest in key branding initiatives so they ask people to do it for cheap. You get what you pay for. Perhaps there are board members breathing down the [financial] necks of the people doing the work. Perhaps there is a concern that if their identity is perceived as “too valuable”, people will stop donating money. I’ve heard them all, but the truth is being hidden in all of these excuses. In order to succeed, every organization needs to understand their own brand, to know their place in the market and be striving toward their next goal. Without a solid identity, their ability to progress is greatly inhibited.

And so, FORGE launched “FORGE Your Dot Org 2010″.

FORGE Your Dot Org 2010 Website

So, Why is FORGE Giving Away Their Services?

Now that the program is in swing and we’re accepting applications, people are asking, “Why would FORGE give away their creative services for an entire year?”. The truth is actually 2-fold.

Dayton, Ohio Rocks

First of all, we love this community. There are so many non-profits doing great work here. We’ve been accepting applications for FORGE Your Dot Org (affectionately known as FYDO at FORGE HQ) for over a month now and I can tell you that it’s not going to be an easy decision. These groups are doing amazing work that affects the lives of real people in our region. It’s so easy to find motivation when the organization you’re working for is meeting a visible need.

Education Through Experience

Secondly, we hope to begin to educate some of the non-profit groups in this region on the importance of a brand. The reality is that people will only support organizations that they trust. Without intentionally addressing this in the branding process and at every touchpoint, it’s very difficult to achieve.

Help us Spread the Word

2010 will be the first year for FYDO and we’re excited. We believe this will be a much more effective way to handle non-profit work at FORGE. We’re looking for an organization that has big vision, is willing to push themselves and has a real need. If you know anyone at a non-profit in our region looking for branding, fundraising, web development, direct mail campaigns or anything else, please send them our way. We’d love to have them apply.

You Can Help

If you feel you have something to offer and you’re willing to donate your services with us, perhaps you’re a photographer or copywriter, please don’t hesitate to let us know! There is a “Get Involved” like on the FYDO site where you can submit your info. We’ll keep you on file and call on you as we need what you can offer!

Keep a Look Out for the Announcement

We’ll be officially selecting the winning non-profit in the middle of December. It will probably be announced on Twitter (@forgeideas) and on the FORGE website and FYDO website. I’m sure I will make an announcement here as well.