2005 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

Superman Shield

November 28, 2005: Superman Brand Bible Proving a Success

The Business Journal has published an article on how Little & Co. are helping DC Comics to define Superman for the world of brand marketing. Here are excerpts from the article...

    People in the licensing business today often think of characters like Superman as mere entertainment properties. In Superman's case, they might use his image or the "S" logo on products that don't represent his super-human traits.

    For example, a clothing manufacturer that puts the logo on a cheap pair of pants that rips or frays after a few wears is negating the "strength" aspect, essentially throwing Kryponite at the Superman brand.

    "What you start seeing is the brand or logo slapped onto a product that isn't strong or that doesn't work well or isn't full of goodness," said Gorder, director of business development and marketing for Little & Co. "That reflects negatively on the brand itself and over time, if a consumer has a negative experience with [Superman products], they will quit buying the products."

    Knowing that a slew of products will pop up with the summer 2006 release of the Superman Returns movie, David Erwin, DC Comics creative director, wanted to find a way to articulate the Superman brand and ensure it's applied properly.

    Erwin called Little & Co. after being impressed with its work for Target Corp. That includes designing Target gift cards and creating a brand-communication book that the retailer distributed at a national sales meeting.

    Little & Co.'s solution was a 60-page, hardcover book that tells the story of Superman -- who he is and how he came to be. The "brand bible" also articulates the most important elements of the Superman brand.

    It stresses Superman's strength, invincibility and courage in the face of adversity, pairing those attributes with snapshots of his heroic deeds from movies, cartoons and comic books. It demonstrates how the Superman symbol makes people feel by showing a determined woman wearing a shirt bearing the Superman "S". On the adjacent page are the words, "When I wear the S-Shield, I have the power to be my own person. The power to control my own destiny. The power to be my very best. The power to make things happen."

Read the complete article at the Business Journal website.



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