212: Thou shall remember that color + time can = brand

Commentary One of the most incredible marketing efforts, tied directly to color, took place over the last few years. The shipping giant UPS has had the color brown as part of its identity since its earliest days, chosen for its dignified and professional appearance. Now, 80 years later, its entire campaign is based around simply calling the company itself “brown.” This is a stunning acknowledgment of how important the color is to the way consumers identify and interact with the company. Built through constant reinforcement, from its delivery vehicles to its employee uniforms, UPS has owned brown in the marketplace to such an extent, and period of time, that they simply refer to themselves as such. This campaign stands as a vital reminder of how important color can be as a brand asset. It brings to mind companies with incredibly strong brands that lack in the logo department, and the decades built on instantly recognizing that Coca-Cola red on the supermarket shelf, among others. JF