If you’ve lived in Columbia as long as I have, I’m sure you’ve seen it: that ubiquitous purple circle adorning trucks, donation bins, t-shirts and flyers around town. I’m talking about the Food Bank logo. And if you’ve been paying attention over the past few months, you might have noticed that our friend is looking a little different these days (no, not because of Botox.)

Last fall, our longtime friends at the Central Missouri Food Bank approached VANGEL about working on a brand refresh. Since the organization’s start in 1981, they’ve done more than a little growing, and needed to update the brand in order to reflect that growth.

The first item of business was the name. While down here in Boone County, the Central Missouri prefix seems perfectly acceptable, the Food Bank actually serves 32 counties, including those in the very Northeast corner of our state. After much discussion, we suggested that the name be changed to The Food Bank of Central & Northeast Missouri. We felt the new name would help everyone in the Food Bank’s service area feel acknowledged and valued. We were also confident that this name adjustment wouldn’t be too disruptive, as it would easily accommodate the fact that most simply refer to the organization as “The Food Bank.”

After we established the new name, we started working on a new positioning statement. Over the years, the Food Bank has used a variety of positioning lines, based on the material and/or venue. While there was nothing wrong with the statements already in use, our goal was to come up with something that would be all-encompassing in its expression of the Food Bank’s purpose and mission.

So what did we come up with? Sharing Food. Bringing Hope. This new positioning statement sends a message that association with the Food Bank satisfies the needs of both giver and receiver. It creates positive opportunities for involvement on both sides of the relationship.

With a new name and tagline in hand, we were ready to give the logo a facelift. If this were an episode of Extreme Home Makeover, we’d be at the home-staging phase, where they bring in all the fancy new furniture and make everything look pretty. And in true Home Makeover style, you’ll have to stick around until after the break to see the big reveal…

There’s a big legal battle brewing over the ubiquitous nurdle. What’s a nurdle, you ask?  According to the Wall Street Journal, “the nurdle is that curvy squirt of toothpaste—perfectly shaped in advertisements— that people use to scrub their pearly whites.” (Yeah, I knew that.)

VS.

According to the minty-breathed lawyers representing Aquafresh, and the dazzling smiles of the Colgate legal team, everyone recognizes a nurdle when they see it. More importantly, the companies contend it’s the nurdle that makes us buy their product. I feel so… used.

Anyway, the long and short of the controversy is this: Colgate contends that use of the nurdle is “extremely widespread.” Aquafresh argues that their nurdle is “highly distinctive.”

And lest you think that they aren’t 100% committed to their little nurdle buddy, Aquafresh has even created Nurdle World, complete with it’s own theme song. Now that’s serious business folks.

Of course, this “battle of the nurdle” is just one more example of ongoing brand versus brand turf wars. Companies spend a ton creating and nurturing their brands. Who can blame them for being highly sensitive when a competitor comes along and attempts to benefit from their brand investment?

Here are some other examples of the brand wars:

• St. Louis Firm Sues Microsoft for Trademark Infringement
• Google Sued Over Android Brand
• Louis Vuitton Sues Hyundai Over Basketball
• Apple Sues Companies Over Knockoff iPod, iPad Gear

At VANGEL, we counsel our clients to Speak Clearly when they project their brand. Whether it’s advertising, online presence, point of sale or public relations, the value of a consistent brand presence is invaluable.

If you have a brand that needs a little brushing up, give us a call. We promise minty breath and a dazzling smile. And to tell you which nurdle we like best.

Yes, those are nurdles. No, we don’t know why they’re dancing.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a slight obsession with meatloaf. Sure, this may seem odd to some, but to me there are few problems in life that can’t be solved by making or eating some good meatloaf. Seriously. I think everyone would love meatloaf as much as I do if not for a substantial branding problem. I’ll explain:

First, meatloaf has no identity. Try drawing a logo for meatloaf, and you might come up with something like this:

Possibly the most unappetizing image of all time, right? Well, if that image doesn’t appeal to the masses, let’s explore other images. Meatloaf needs a strong identity that shows off its obvious superiority to other foods.

Before sketching out a new logo for meatloaf, let’s do a quick analysis:

Strengths

• Like a good pair of jeans, meatloaf goes with everything – taters, corn, you name it.
• Inspires even the most routine chefs to experiment with new ingredient combinations. It’s different every time!
• Everyone and/or their mom has a meatloaf recipe.
• Includes ingredients from all essential food groups: ground beef/turkey/sausage (protein), breadcrumbs (grain), tomatoes (fruit), milk (dairy). Moms, you can hide virtually any kind of vegetable (onion, celery, carrots) in a meatloaf without your kiddos finding out!
• Freezes well.
• Can be eaten warm or cold, depending upon preference.

Weaknesses

• It looks weird (to some people).
• Has too many ingredients (for some people).

Opportunities

• Has anyone tried grilling a meatloaf?
• What about a vegetarian meatloaf?

Threats

• Warm weather: consumption tends to go down as the temperature outside goes up.

With a strengths list that long, your average turkey sandwich just can’t compete. If you think about it, a turkey sandwich has nothing on meatloaf. With so many delicious ingredients coming together, one might even dub the meatloaf a super food. The king! Perhaps that could be the inspiration for a visual image that represents the delicious taste medley that is meatloaf:

Throw in a PR event – a ‘Meatloaf Smackdown’ competition – and meatloaf may begin seeing some long-deserved attention. Well, it’s a start anyway.

Not everyone shares my interest in meatloaf, but maybe your company needs a little brand analysis of its own. What makes your company memorable? Inject some passion into your brand, but try to take a look at it objectively from an outsider’s perspective as well: not everyone may love it the way you do.

Need some help getting started with your brand analysis? Give VANGEL a call and we can help. And I promise I won’t say a thing about meatloaf.

Last night, I was catching up with my childhood best friend over the phone. Allison has been traveling all over the country with her husband, a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Living the life of an athlete is nothing new for these two—they met as freshmen at USC, where she played basketball, and he played baseball. Both had games all over the states and tournaments in different countries. For six years, they could only spend a day here, a week there, a month together at most while they pursued athletics and education. They spent most of their first year and a half of marriage on opposite sides of the country as her husband played for the Yankees and Allison pursued her masters in post-secondary sports administration at USC.

Allison comes from a family of athletes, too. Her sister played basketball for the University of Tulsa, her brother played football for the Naval Academy, her father played football for our very own Missouri Tigers, and her Grandpa Charlie was a captain on the St. Louis Hawks in 1958 when they won the NBA Finals. Needless to say, athletics have always been a big part of Allison’s life.

But that might not have been possible without the passing of Title IX in 1972. Among many other important things, Title IX gave women a fair shot at playing organized sports. When Allison and I had our first soccer practice or volleyball game in the 90s, I doubt we realized we were of a privileged generation. But our coaches probably did. They were doing something special by giving us opportunities that were not given to them or their sisters or their female classmates growing up.

So when Allison just happened to run into her childhood volleyball coach last weekend and he said the magical words, “You should try coaching,” it brought back a lot of memories for her. Specifically, this beautiful Nike commercial from 1995:

More about Nike’s 1995 “If You Let Me Play” Ad

Allison remembered how Nike’s award-winning ad stuck with her and inspired her as an 11-year-old. It was a “big deal” to the girls’ sports community back then. The ad helped her and her friends realize that teamwork and sports were more than just fun and games—sports were changing their lives for the better. Nike’s ad did much more than bolster its brand; it spoke truth.

And after a little nudge from an old coach 15 years later, “If You Let Me Play” has inspired Allison all over again. She’s committed to finding a girl’s team in the greater Phoenix area to coach. Excitedly, she says, “I’m indebted to sports and all of my coaches. Sports have shaped who I am. Sports paid for my education, taught me leadership and communication skills, changed my approach to life in general. Almost all of my best relationships, in some way, are connected to sports. How could I not help other young girls realize their potential through sports?”

Maybe 15 years from now, the girls who play for “Coach Allie” won’t know anything about Nike’s ad or Title IX, but they’ll surely feel their impact for a long time.

Ahh, the power of great ideas.

Let’s face it, adults are really just big kids. We like pictures. Here at VANGEL, we really REALLY like pictures. A great illustration can help evoke an emotion, create an identity, and help your company stand out in the marketplace. Below are some of our favorite illustrators. We’ve worked with these folks in the past, and know them to be super talented and extremely professional. Their work makes our work look good.

BARROUX

Formerly of New York, Barroux now lives in Paris when he’s not traveling to Brazil. Ah, the boring life of an illustrator. Barroux’s whimsical characters bring along a sense of wonder to both corporate communications and children’s books. We used Barroux’s illustrations to establish the GetAbout Columbia brand, and visually communicate how a walk or bike ride can make you feel like a kid again. Check out what happened when we worked with the guys at the VisionFactory in St. Louis to poof! turn Barroux’s illustrations into a TV spot.

JIM PAILLOT

Kevin went to art school with Paillot, and Brooke worked with him at an ad agency in Kansas City. That was before he left the sordid world of advertising for the sordid world of illustration. Jim now lives in Arizona where he and his feisty illustrated mischief-makers help make clients like Pizza Hut, the University of New Hampshire and the California Science Center muuuuch more interesting. Don’t miss Duckzilla on Paillot’s website here.

JANICE NADEAU

Janice is so tres cool. Her elegant illustrations combine pencil with watercolor for beautiful, sophisticated results. We worked with Janice a couple years ago on some gorgeous illustrations of fish, bumble bees and hummingbirds for a high-end furniture company. Janice hangs out in Montreal and is a pleasure to work with. She’ll even graciously suffer through your attempts to parlez francais.

What about BoCoMo? Yeah, we’ve got artists and illustrators hiding out all over this town. If you’re in Columbia, we want to see your stuff. Send us a link to your work and let’s try to figure out a project that could use a great picture.