In the 1970's, he took his industry by storm with a brash campaign featuring him, the chief executive officer, as chief spokesperson. In a squeaky voice and with quirky demeanor, he listed the reasons his product was superior and worth more than those from dozens of other companies in the category. His company soon grew to be the first real brand in the field and was far more profitable than any of his competitors.
It didn't hurt, some people said, that he even looked a little like a chicken
I'm referring, of course, to one of the great brand pitchmen of all tine, Frank Perdue, who lent several elements of his own personality to his company's brand and built an empire out of chicken drumsticks, thighs and breasts ("If your husband is a breast or leg man, ask for my chicken parts," was an infamous headline).
Frank Perdue was one of the first CEOs to effectively front his company and build its brand, but many have followed in his footsteps. All-stars in the man-behind-the-brand category include Phil Knight of Nike, Lee Iacocca of Chrysler, Steve Jobs of Apple and Richard Branson of Virgin. Of this group, Jobs and Branson are still walking, talking PR juggernauts, with the media reporting their every move and stock prices moving up and down with their exploits.
Like a Virgin
Branson is particularly visionary. He started the Virgin brand with a used-records store, which became a recording studio and has since morphed into literally hundreds of different Virgin companies in as many categories. The Virgin brand is beautifully focused on being first and innovative in whatever they do.
And Branson lives the brand as the dashing adventurist who starts companies, sets navigation records, announces plans to do the impossible and then completes them. His companies and brands are far more than manifestations of his personality, but they each draw energy and a sense of being fresh and different from his far larger than life personality.
Apples and oranges
Jobs founded Apples Computers with Steve Wozniak in 1976, and through various twists and turns of his career has persevered as the charismatic, hip and irreverent face of the company,now Apple Inc. Jobs' vision has been to combine innovation and leading-edge design in a category that often leans toward function over form. He is particularly adept at staging major product introductions and his presence invariably adds tremendous anticipation and hype for what's next.
Unfortunately, the downside is that the opposite also is true.
When Job's health took priority over his ability to lead Apple, and he was unable to appear at the annual Macworld conference in December, Apple devotees shuddered and the company's stock slipped.
Fronting a brand can add great marketing power, but it carries with it the risk of being too dependent on the person as well. Apple has escaped significant damage from his absence (he is expected to return shortly), but still faces the risk of losing a dynamic part of their brand in the future.
A man, a plan, a brand...
As a brand strategy, putting the CEO in the spotlight can add valuable dimension to a brand, but it is rarely the best option. Jobs and Branson both developed their companies from humble beginnings and are natural born PR men. Perdue took over his father's company, but was persuaded by his ad agency to be the focal point of the advertising.
All three were steeped in the authenticity of being at their companies for decades and standing by their vision. Most CEOs of larger firms can't claim this kind of longevity.
And while a CEO as the face of the brand can be very effective, any significant changes to their status can reverberate loudly as well, as we saw with Jobs.
So, for companies tempted to put their leaders in the public eye, be careful. If it isn't in the DNA of the CEO to take on the challenge of the media and the scrutiny of his or her personal life, in addition to every success and failure of the company, it is probably not the right decision.
Adding a human element can vault a brand to a new position in its market, but it had better be genuine, because the whole world is watching.
David Taylor is president of Lancaster based Taylor Brand Group, which specializes in advertising and marketing. He can be reached at www.taylorbrandgroup.com
This article published with the permission of Central Penn Business Journal www.centralpennbusiness.com