Dipso, Fatso, Bingo, Asbo, Tesco

...It Almost Sounds Latin

by Mark Fogelberg (me)
Brand marketing's tough work. Boiling down a product or service to its essence; building that essence back up into something palpable, understandable and sale-able. Much of my current role involves helping define our hundred year old brand -- and it is tough. I can't imagine the gravity of properly branding today's Britain.

Yes, Britain. The land of still active royalty, tremendous military history, quite a bit of colonization, beautiful cars and amazing pubs has been seeking a brand statement. Though the government might call it a statement of values, I am calling it essentially a tag line.

Everyone in the advertising business knows that the Brits have been churning out great, imaginative work over the past couple of decades. Perhaps this contest pulls out a bit of a formula. It's something in their inherent British-ness that's helped fuel their great ad work? After all, entries such as my favourite "Dipso, Fatso, Bingo, Asbo, Tesco" and the winner “No Motto Please, We’re British.” stand out as original (example 1) and perfectly concise (example 2). The brand as lived by the brand seems to have captured the brand.

Circular logic, I admit. But this article from the NYTimes captures the whole affair perfectly. Read on!