What is the first thing that comes to mind when you see a lower-case “f” encased in bright blue? How about a thumbs-up sign?

I am willing to bet you immediately thought of Facebook. It’s no surprise either, because Facebook has become one of the most recognizable logos and brands in today’s culture. It is so recognizable that Omniplan chose Facebook as the theme of their 2011 Canstruction creation to fight world hunger. If you aren’t familiar with Canstruction, it’s a unique non-profit food charity organization that holds annual contests with giant art exhibits made entirely out of food cans. After winners are declared in each city the cans are donated to local food banks. “Hunger would not be a friend in our network” is the caption behind Omniplan’s art which received an Honorable Mention and was on display last month at Northpark Center in Dallas. The Facebook logo and thumbs-down symbol make it obvious that hunger has been “unfriended.”

Even though it’s not our sculpture material of choice (GO FRESH!), this art display says something amazing about Facebook’s brand. Facebook has integrated its story so seamlessly into our lives that its lingo has become a part of our every day lexicon. How often each day do phrases like “he friended me” or “they aren’t FBO yet” make it into your conversations? (For the record, FBO is “Facebook Official”, referring to relationship status.) Did you know that words like “unfriend” have made their way into our dictionaries and was even showcased in 2009 as the Oxford American Dictionary word of the year!? Now that is pretty impressive brand integration.

Facebook has managed to create a brand that has become so much a part of our daily routine that the brand and service are completely seamless. So how can we, as marketers of produce, create a brand and sub-brands that fit so well into the consumer’s life that the two become synonymous? We can strive to create brands that somehow become a part of the consumer’s self-image. Create a logo, images and words that are all about the consumer and integrate them into your brand identity and you will have consumers “liking” and “friending” you in their network!

Posted by: The DMA Solutions Team