Comments on: the power thing

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 11:31:07 +0000

The power of a brand comes from the company’s sense of purpose.
I think it is possible to be evangelical about a garbage bag.
But you need imagination and a sense of adventure.

By: Brock Tice

Brock Tice — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 07:46:28 +0000

Maybe this is why I’m not in advertising, but I’m really coming up short on ways that, say, the mentioned powder for making things whiter can increase anyone’s power. I mean, I guess it could increase your power over stains, but seriously, for some stuff, I just don’t see that marketing can ever really go beyond instilling name recognition.
How can garbage bags increase my personal power, or how could you even pitch them in such a way? Power over not having the bags rip and spill stuff all over me?
Am I missing something?
I do see where this could apply in the technical arena, or with cars, or suits, or whatever. I’m not seeing that the Hughtrain has universal marketing power.

By: solios

solios — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 06:26:04 +0000

POWER = convenience? (for certain values of "convenience") From a technology standpoint, "power" has always seemed to be in "convenience"- VHS took off more for the fact the media could hold an entire movie, and much less for cost, etc. The iPod and portable music players are all over the place because they're more of a convenience than a walkman or discman- you get the ten good tracks by the artist instead of having to shuffle through the seven CDs they're on, burning a comp disk, whatever. Porn built the internet. Cel phones hit that "my life sucks and I don't want to be alone on the bus" niche dead on. Empowering the end user by inflicting boatloads less bullshit on them with convenience on the side. I totally see how the Power bit of the Hughtrain can be made to apply to clothing, appliances, electronics, etc. The thing that's puzzling to me is this- how does one apply the power thing to "awareness" of media (that is, comics, novels, etc.)? Watching webcomics advertise themselves is like watching shitty amateur porn- how to sell the Power thing when the product ultimately kills a few minutes of your day, if that much?

By: John Dumbrille

John Dumbrille — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:32:39 +0000

Hmm the f word. Pls expand.

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:26:23 +0000

“Power” is a fairly fluid term.
As is “Fear”.

By: John Dumbrille

John Dumbrille — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:12:48 +0000

What really resonated for me in the Hughtrain was ” at the center of every human soul is the intense longing to be closer to God. A brand that can empathize with that is powerful.”
Its a jump though to suggest a brand makes a person a more powerful or kinetic entity.
One lie expressed in advertising is that “she” is a fixed thing that becomes a better fixed thing by interacting with a brand. There must be a way around this. I expect a brand that is expressed while respecting people’s intense longing for the truth of our fluid selves could do quite well.