Home (Prologue)
Story Theory (Chapter One)
What We Do (Chapter Two)
Our Client List (Chapter Three)
What Our Clients Say (Chapter Four)
Who We Are (Chapter Five)
Blog (Chapter Six)
Contact Us (Epilogue)
Chapter six:
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The Balancing Act of Building a Character
Virtually every brand character is originally created as a tactical, short-term effort to solve a specific advertising problem. But if the character strikes a chord…
David Altschul	July 4, 2005
Fine-Tuning an Image: Corporate Mascots
McDonald's is making over Ronald McDonald into a health-conscious, active sports guru. We take a look at some other icon changes and how it affects
David Altschul	June 8, 2005
The Mystery of the Missing Ad Icons
Scanning the list of nominees for the Advertising Hall of Fame, I'm struck first by the omissions—and what they tell us about brand Characters.
David Altschul	September 20, 2004
Brands with Character
As she struggled to revamp Georgia-Pacific Corp's Angel Soft toilet tissue in 2003, Jill Mattos had to reckon with the angel problem. It seemed like…
David Altschul	May 1, 2004
Pepsi Enlists Canine Help
The North American division of the Pepsi-Cola Company is going to the dogs – to a dog, more specifically – to help stimulate sales of
David Altschul	November 26, 2002
The Inner Doughboy
How an army of admen battle to define and protect the true nature of the Jolly Green Giant, the Pillsbury Doughboy and other advertising spokescharacters.
David Altschul	March 23, 2000
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Identities Revealed
"Character gets to the heart of what good storytelling is all about. They've helped Wendy's focus on what makes us unique, different and special and that's helped us to get people's attention, keep their interest and keep the business growing. We compete with much larger brands, but by being overt about how we want to attack those differences, we've been able to have a lot of tension and conflict in the story that we are telling. That allows us to keep the story fresh and to fuel it. The more we do that the more positive attention we get as a brand and the more the brand continues to grow, which, in turn, builds our confidence in our storytelling and keeps the courage level high."
—Kurt Kane, President U.S. & Chief Commercial Officer, Wendy's Corporation
"I've been through Character's story framework process four times in my career, and it has always added extraordinary value. It was a central piece of Walmart's rebranding effort in 2006, as we sought a new articulation of our brand narrative and our purpose. It's an equally powerful tool for us now, as Walmart defines its place in a rapidly transforming retail environment. And we are currently using it to do the same for Sam's Club."
—Tony Rogers, Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart
"Since articulating our story framework, Gallo has had its best year. We're up 10% and we're outpacing the category. From a creative standpoint it's been great because we're all in alignment. Now that we have the articulation of our story, our social media, our partnerships, our programs, our packaging—it all makes sense."
—Stephanie Gallo, Chief Marketing Officer, E&J Gallo Winery