Move the logo to the right and make it bigger! Screw the issues…

Why do we keep making the same mistake over and over? Putting brands ahead of issues will not help either. Just recently, I’ve had unsavory - if always enlightening - conversations with a variety of people in different situations about placing logos, names and images ahead of content and issues. It always starts innocently and pure enough: A great concept, a creative approach, a fantastic cause, a diligent and appealing execution - the final shiny product ready to be delivered.

Then it happens, a switch happens, darkness ensues - that visceral instinct to claim credit, push a name, position a label transforms a blank canvass of honest intentions into a Pollock mess of real colors. The cause and the issue are dropped to the side only to give way to an alleged grander scheme that (and this is a very common line) in the end will achieve greater results. Well I’ve seen the end result multiple times - and very rarely is it pretty.

It’s usually covered up with layers and layers of transparent plastic wrapper, differently mix matched color ribbons, multiple name tags, from and to stickers, and very deeply hidden behind it all lies the content.

It is normal for organizations, brands and individuals to want to stamp it all - heck if you are reading this - most likely it will be because some of this has been used to get you here. Using this to attract eyeballs to an honest opinion and/or story is one thing, using it to replace important causes for the sake of positioning and self promotion is a very different thing.

Highlighting the names of those involved as a backdrop to the work (byline of sorts) is a powerful and direly needed part of content production and issue advocacy because it allows many diverse voices to flourish - each presenting precisely what they do best - knowing that at the end the work always speaks for itself. Yet, presenting the work as a mere backdrop to a brand or a name and asking others involved to hide theirs is unnerving. It is promotional gimmickry that has detrimentally affected many causes and issues alike.

A latest example of this - is none other than our good ‘ole immigration reform and immigrant rights movement.  Once again all the players - insiders and outsiders, established and newly risen - displayed with strong and impressive acumen the full bells and whistles of movement building - each one convincing the other that theirs was the only real impacting one (each one thinking of the funding dollars that will come of it after all is said an done.) Colors, logos, names, imagery - all beautiful and all seemingly empty. As if once again we are all going through the motions - knowing that it will lead to nothing. But hey at least we tried and we got our name out there, didn’t we? We should get funding for more work next year. This should go well with sponsors, grants and foundations.

Exactly.

This happened last time - and it happened again. It happens throughout the organizational landscape and the media world. It’s a bit of a nice scheme going on, if you think about it. Build up a brand and name. Play with the hopes and dreams of many within your community only to get to the point when they will believe you and only to the extent that you can get them to support your name and brand. Then what do you do next? Well of course you push the logo a little bit more to the right, place the name on top of it and make it all bigger. Take all the other names out, it’s for the best - they’ll understand - plus they really don’t do much after all. Make sure the color scheme is the organization’s - place it atop and all over the a place. There’s no space for the community. Forget them, drop them - growth and positioning are more important.  In the end it will achieve greater results.

Well our community is still waiting for results. So don’t sell us more colorfully branded hopes and disguised logo intentions. Don’t co-opt one with another and try to blend it as for the good of the community. Don’t then turn around and use it for personal and political gain. In fact don’t sell us anything at all. How about speaking truthfully and honestly about your intentions - ah if only things worked this way. What a novel idea! Whoever does this first will see that in the end this strategy will and does indeed achieve better results. That is if your name doesn’t get in the way.