In the movie The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, we have learned the five words in branding. These words are co-production, brand collateral, brand personality, faction, and sell-out. Co-production is the production of a product jointly with other companies. In the case of Morgan Spurlock, he wanted to work with other product companies to sell his movie. Brand Collateral is the collection of media used to promote the brand and support the sales and marketing of a product. It shows what the brander brings to the table. Brand Personality is the personification of one’s product or organization. Naturally, it is where the product or organization show who the creator is. Faction is a combination of fact and fiction. In branding, there are no facts nor fiction. Mostly, it’s fact that has been fictionalized, or fiction that is fact-based. Selling out means to give up some principles to sell something. Some sacrifices have to made in branding in order to make a product sell.
I would say my brand identity is fun and vibrant. A lot of my work is very colorful and is hardly ever dull. I would also say that my brand identity is very intuitive and creative. My mind is just flowing with many different ideas, and I would put these ideas into my work. Three brands I feel have my brand identity are Google, Apple, and Adobe. These three brands have a lot in common: they promote creativity and intuition, as well as display themselves in a fun and vibrant way. Google’s logo is vibrant with its normal color schemes, and they promote creativity by allowing artists to show their own artworks using Google Doodle. Apple sells products that are both fun and intuitive. Adobe promote creativity by displaying artworks of artists who use Adobe’s product. I do believe that these three brands have the same identity as I have.
The message that Morgan Spurlock is trying to deliver in the film is that in branding, you must take risks. Know that rejection will come and that you can just try again and again until you are hired. He also shows how to promote yourself confidently and constantly. You must never give up when you are trying to sell your brand. The main idea of the film itself however, was to show some problems in the branding industry. It was revealed that advertising tells your “what” to think and not “how” to think. Advertising is shown to be so problematic to the point where Brazil banned public advertising for being a “distraction”, which I never knew about. In my personal opinion, it would a problem for some companies because that means that they would have a hard time getting recognition for their brand.
Selling out, to me, means to go against your own morals in order to sells. This is where brandings gets tricky, because you could be selling a product where you are saying to yourself, “I am totally against this.” You are sacrificing your own beliefs in order to sell your product, and sometimes, it would take a toll on you. You do not want to do that to yourself, so it’s best if you buy in. Buying in means you do not have to give up your beliefs in order to sell something. No sacrifices have to be made in order to sell your products, and you would feel a lot better about the product you are selling.
Three of the most useful and interesting things that I have learned is taking risks, “being loud”, and having your own identity. I learned that in branding, you are asked to take risks. Being subtle and safe is not going to get you anywhere in the long runs. Sometimes, I have a tendency to be too “safe” with my work, because I was to scared of “going too far.” I now know that taking a risk is in my best interest. When I say “being loud”, I mean having your voice heard. What I learned from it is that your own voice is your own reputation. I myself am a very shy and quiet person. I don’t speak up very much. I should get out of my comfort zone and speak up more. Having your own identity is important to have people know who you are. I know my brand identity, but having other people see that identity is a little difficult because I feel like I am holding myself back. I need to stop holding myself back and show people my brand identity.
When you are promoting yourself, you should do it shamelessly. You have to promote yourself just like how Morgan Spurlock was proudly promoting himself to sell his movie. You must not be discouraged when you get rejected. All you have to do is look for another company and promote yourself again. You will do it constantly with multiple companies until one of them decides to hire you. You also must not be scared when promoting yourself. You cannot be nervous when presenting yourself to companies and clients. When you are promoting, you have to be loud, proud, and most importantly, self-confident.
