The Strange World of Brands

When we use a brand as a reference in any marketing or branding conversation, we usually mention the most valuable ones in the market. We talk about Apple, the strength of Nike's "swoosh," and the big names on the ranking. But what about the cultural brands we experience filled with symbols? How much would the American carved pumpkin, the biggest symbol of Halloween, be worth?

A Pumpkin, has become an icon of this date. This tradition originated from an ancient Irish legend about a man named Jack, who, after tricking the devil several times, was condemned to wander the Earth with only a coal to light his way, which he put inside a carved pumpkin. Over time, the pumpkin began to solidify as a symbol of Halloween. I keep the term in English because Halloween here never caught on like the American tradition. The most interesting thing is that all this originated from a story. It’s storytelling showing how good stories stay in people’s memories.

Another important point here, when talking about brands, is the need for us to pictorially register our ideas. Halloween is full of signs, symbols, and behaviors that compose the fanciful universe. The Creative Economy draws from this source, and the Brazilian market expands this tradition with a boom in the food, parties, costumes, cinema, etc. We have normalized a creatively rich tradition, and combined with Brazilian art, our pumpkin will still have much more dendê.

The world of brands is built this way, from stories that gain meaning and are redefined. It is possible to see a brand in everything, and with art, they become eternal. I'll leave here, as a Halloween tip, a story that marked me: The Nightmare Before Christmas, a Stop Motion animation by Tim Burton from 1993. A classic to be appreciated on this night and a lesson on authentic stories.

Happy Halloween

By Renan Luna