• Game, Set, Set, Set, Set, Set…

    Posted on July 7th, 2008 by and currently 5 commenting.

    I don’t usually watch tennis.  As a general rule, if you’re not on ice skates slamming other huge men with unpronounceable names against the boards, then I’m probably not watching your sport.  But yesterday, for whatever reason, I got sucked into the Wimbledon men’s final… and holy cow!  Four and a half hours of one on one tennis… two tie breakers… with two rain delays to add to the drama.  The new guard unseating the reigning champion.  The final photos happening in the dark.  It was a truly exciting match… something I never thought anyone would catch me saying about tennis.

    But (surprise) that’s not really what this post is about.  My post is a little less lofty… it’s just something that watching the match got me thinking about.  You see, not being familiar with tennis, I can’t readily identify the players.  Actually, it took me about the first two sets to figure out who was who.  Two extraordinary athletes, similar coloring, exact same outfit… can you blame me?  But I started noticing the small cues.  The swoosh on Nadal’s clothes was a darker color.  Federer’s hair was a little curlier.  Nadal grunted loudly.  Federer never made a sound (except one time in maybe the third set… and I thought the commentators were going to lose it!).  So although the uber identity of either of those men is as a world-renowned tennis champion, it was the subtle cues that made me recognize and identify them.

    I just think it’s another real world reminder that brand identities can’t necessarily just be built around the “USP” idea.  You have to know what that big thing is that defines you above all else – whether you think of it in terms of your USP or your mission or whatever – but it’s the tiny inroads and specific human touches that make you unique, and that people key into when identifying with you.

    So there ya go.  You know I love a metaphor.  And if it happens to involve hours and hours of watching good looking tennis players… so be it.  That is the sacrifice I am willing to make for you… the BOF blog reader.

  • http://www.taxidrivermarketing.com Daan Jansonius

    It really was an epic match, probably the best Grand Slam final ever!

    As for your analogy, the differences aren’t actually so subtle. They appeared to be due to the rules of Wimbledon, which state each player has to wear predominantly white clothes.

    Normally, Nadal wears flamboyant colours, whereas Federer looked pretty much like he always does.

    However, I do agree that the small touches can make the difference. But you need the big idea to get people to notice the subtleties of your brand, too.

  • http://parkandco.com Park

    Alas, another brandiac in the crowd who can’t enjoy a simple, if not epic, sporting event (even if they’re not knocking out teeth) without dragging work into it. Now I’d like your take on the Williams sisters’ unique brand identities. Enjoyed your blog.

  • http://www.dennymarketing.com Stephen Denny

    Jennifer: it’s so interesting hearing a non-tennis person describe this match! I’m a (very) former NCAA player and have spent a lot of time on the court and would tell you that Nadal and Federer are about as different as two players are likely to be — one a hard court specialist with a dominating serve and the other a clay court baseliner in the model of a legion of famous Spaniards.

    One is a classic along the Sampras lines — almost too eerily similar. The other wears what appears to be basketball shorts and a sleeveless shirt, not to mention the Apache headband.

    There are loads of ‘inner game’ takeaways from these two, their match, and tennis in general. So there’s the marketing lesson: how fast can you bring your audience up the learning curve so they understand the game, how fast can you create experts, how fast can you give them the tools to go out and rave about the match, the players, the points, the drama (and the sport itself) so that others take the first step up the ladder, as well.

  • http://brainsonfire.com Jennifer

    Great comments! I’m sure you’re all right that there are much more outstanding differences between the players than the ones I picked up on – some huge and others in the details. Those are differences that you – in your deeper relationships with their “brands” – understand. But what I picked up on in my perspective as a complete outsider is different than what you would pick up in your existing relationship with the sport in generals and the players in specific. Just goes to show you… people at different stages in their relationship with your “brand” will latch onto different things.

    And Park – I enjoyed the crap out of the match while it was being played (much to my surprise)! The brandiac metaphor machine did not show up until Monday morning! {grin}

  • Christy

    Jen, I’m with you that so many people on the inside do totally miss what an outsider might pick up on about anything; sport, product, service, play, music, whatever.

    It’s so important to talk to the people who are experiencing something for the first time, and find out what it is that’s pulling them in or pushing them away. As someone who has recently moved from Midwestern perspectives to experience Southern culture for the first time. Apparently, I’m amazing people with the things that strike me as a newbie. I hear a lot, “Really???” in a very shocked manner, as if I should have picked up on something much different than what I did.

    But, shocking people with outsider observations is another fabulous way to view your {insert thing here} and how people see it. Guaranteed you’ll learn something new.