Seth, Double, Double is a Consumer Generated Brand

“Double, Double”, she says. Seth Godin just posted about a woman he observed while he was standing in line in a strange town to buy a tea.

He noted that the Barrista stares blankly, not understanding the request. The woman repeats it, louder.

Seth reflects and says, “Sometimes, we get hung up on catch phrases and jargon that work great when everyone understands what we mean, but fail to bring understanding to outsiders.”.

Isn’t that, however, the power of a brand and the way brand association is propagated? When I first heard the term “Grande Mocha”, I didn’t understand it so I had to ask about it. Now I know it as a Starbucks product.

“Double, Double” has become a brand. It is a Tim Horton’s coffee (yes, with double sugar, double cream). The remarkable part is that it is a 100% consumer generated brand. Unlike the “Grande Mocha”, Tim Horton’s has never uttered the term.

The brand is so powerful in Eastern Canada (and Atlantic Canada, in particular) that it has transcended the brand “coffee” just like Kleenex has come to mean “tissue”, regardless of the brand. The community owns it and they are fiercely loyal.

“Can you pick me up a large Double, Double?”, is readily understood even by Barristas (a European term which, arguably, is a catch phrase made popular in America by Starbucks).

The Double, Double is so deep, it is a cultural icon. If one of our soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan said, “I can’t wait to order a Double, Double”, you would know he was expressing his longing to be back home.

Eh?

May 23rd, 2008 - Posted in branding | | 2 Comments