There are a lot of facts that stick in our minds and imageries we just can’t shake. Whether it’s the 2D illustration of Colonel Sanders, the theme song to The Simpsons or the smell of a freshly brewed cappuccino, we all just know it! But what if I told you the one thing you remembered most about a particular brand or franchise, was absolute bull?
Let’s begin. Humpty Dumpty? Who was he?
Because there was not a single mention of an egg in the whole poem! He could have been a porcelain vase as far as I’m concerned, let alone it being strange all the kings’ horses and men were involved in some medieval egg reconstruction procedure, even if he was one. But still, when we think Humpty we think of him as a beige oval with a face and limbs!
Quick! What’s Star Treks most famous line?
If you shouted “BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY!” aloud to your monitor, you are not only insane for talking to an inanimate object, you are also wrong! Members of the Enterprise would say, “Beam me up” or “Scotty, beam us aboard”, but never once did they say “Beam me up, Scotty”. I know its nitpicking here, but for a one-liner to carry the entire show, at least get it right!
Similarly in Star Wars when Darth Vader is having a warm heart to heart with his son Luke on the Death Star.
Quick! Double or nothing! What is the most memorable line in Star Wars?
What’s that? “Luke, I am your father?”
Wrong again! It’s “No, I am your father!” after Luke accuses him of killing his old man.
This goes on, like “Elementary, my dear Watson” was never used in any of the Sherlock Holmes books or “Play it again, Sam’” was never uttered in Casablanca.
There are a ton of things we associate with brands, whether it be tag lines or messages that we occasionally misinterpret but does this really matter? Humpty Dumpty is still a classic nursery rhyme and Star Wars is still an amazing trilogy.
As long as the message reaches us, its okay if we twist it or miss out a few words. The message and the product still go hand in hand, and it speaks to us in our own individual way.
And we get it! And it sticks with us!
What sticks out most about your brand?
How would your brand participate in the golden age of the geek?
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