I try to keep my mommy blogging to a minimum (or at least limited to my secure blog), and yet here I am, mentioning him twice in two weeks.
As I mentioned before, I have a 3-year-old son, and as much as I try to shield him from marketing, he’s already caught on to several brands through distinctive fonts and logos.
- His first brand was Trader Joe’s. Granted, he saw the logo on our grocery bags and balloons each week, but I was still surprised that he would easily recognize an all-text mark. He spotted his first TJ’s in the Rockridge section of Oakland, 30 miles from the one he was familiar with.
- Target. That bulls-eye mark is easy to identify. He likes to point out anything that he can find with that logo, from 18-wheelers on the highway to the detangling spray that I use on his hair.
- In-n-Out. Unable to remember the name of the place, he drew the logo in the air.
- Chipotle. What can I say? The kid has radar for black beans.
- BMW.
- Peet’s Coffee & Tea. He points them out by name whenever we pass by one.
- The New York Yankees. There’s power in that interlocking NY.
- The American Flag. Not a trademark, exactly, but he’s been able to identify it since he was 2 1/2, and found it puzzling that the Canadians and Germans had flags of their own.
So when building your brand, keep in mind that whatever mark you choose, ask yourself if it’s distinct enough to be identified by a 3-year-old boy.