I can't imagine my life without John Madden.

John Madden announced his retirement from NFL broadcasting today.  It's truly the passing of an era.  

For me, John Madden is THE voice of The NFL.  You hear his voice and it's undeniably Madden. Undeniably The NFL.  You immediately think "football."  Madden never cared how other broadcasters did it. He did it his way.  He was insightful (like only a real insider could be), brutally honest (like most talking heads are afraid to be), flawed (like his viewers) and always interesting to be with.

Madden is a regular guy who became a brand.  The best brand in The NFL.  For my generation, he will always be the voice of NFL on CBS (sorry Pat Summerall) and Monday Night Football (sorry Howard Cossell), regardless of which network he worked for or on which day. Madden wore his passion on his sleeve and we all ate it up.

At Barkley, Sonny's Agency of Record, we believe that a great brand is one that its consumers can't image life without.  I can't imagine my life without John Madden on The NFL. 

Damn, I'll miss him.

- Butch

Great Brand. Better Dad.

My Dad's birthday is April 11.  That's this Saturday.  He would have been 67.  Cancer took him at 51.

He was humble, honest, straight-talking, friendly, fun when it was time to be fun and very hard working when it was time to be serious.  He lived with a philosophy that it's not so important what you do when people are looking as it when they're not looking.  He treated people with respect and compassion -- like he'd want to be treated. 

He was a great brand.  Because of that, he was an even better father, husband, friend and person.

He is the brand I aspire to be.  Happy Birthday, Dad!  

Manage your brand.  It's your most enduring legacy. 

- Butch

What's up at GEICO?

I've always liked the quirky & entertaining advertising done by GEICO.  The Gecko generated unbelievable brand awareness for an auto insurance company that most of us had never heard of before he debuted on TV.  Over the years, GEICO has layered the Gecko awareness campaign with The Cavemen -- successfully driving home the message that buying GEICO online is so easy that even a caveman can do it -- followed by the Celebrity Spokesperson work that delivered customer testimonials in a creative way never really seen before.

I admire that GEICO has always been a brand that takes what they do very seriously, but doesn't take itself too seriously.  They're like the type of friend we all want to have.

But, something has changed at GEICO in the past few months and I don't like it.  To me, it's pretty clear how it happened.  Let me speculate:  The economy is challenging.  Revenue has slowed.  Senior management decided that it's time to get "more serious" with their advertising messages.  "Stop the cute stuff.  Start telling people stuff like we're the third-largest auto insurance company in the country.  We're a big deal.  Tell people that and cut the soft crap."

The recent work reflects that classic CEO mandate -- "just tell them what I want them to hear" (not necessarily what's most relevant or important to them).  GEICO's agency has tried to incorporate uninspiring corporate facts into the existing Gecko creative.  It seems awkward, forced and somewhat patronizing.  in one spot, the Gecko actually gets called into the CEO's office and is told by the exec what he wants to say in the advertising.  It's literally a metaphor for what happened to the agency.  C'mon, do any consumers really care that GEICO is the third largest auto insurer in the country (I actually thought they were bigger)?  

Just like a good friend, good brands don't pound their chest and spend a lot of time boasting about themselves.  No one wants a friend like that.  Create a brand personality that is like a good, trusted friend and you'll likely have a loyal and growing customer base.

What do you think?

- Butch