Byron Sharp Says Distinctive Assets Reign Over Brand Story: “Who Cares, It Doesn’t Matter”
The Ehrenberg Bass Institute professor spoke with Papa Salt co-founder Charlie Maas about building an iconic brand, reports LBB’s Casey Martin.
In an overly competitive space such as spirits, it’s hard for a new brand to make its mark. Papa Salt, a gin created by five friends, including Charlie Maas and Margot Robbie, is currently on that journey.
Charlie started the creative journey for Papa Salt by looking at other brands within the category. “Tito’s vodka, it’s very different. When people try to find it, it was very easy to find because it stood out from the others in the category,” he said.
“We weren’t going to go out and make the Tito’s of gin, we had to do something different.”
Charlie said he wanted to create a luxury gin that “you weren’t afraid to throw around on the beach with friends.”
The Ehrenberg Bass Institute’s professor Byron Sharp commended Charlie on the brand’s name, which is the most important thing. “You don’t want connotations of something you don’t want, it doesn’t really matter what the brand is,” he said, while noting that the designers in the audience were sure to be horrified.
“No one says to themselves, ‘Hey, how come the biggest selling American diner burger joint in the world has a Scottish name?’” he explained. Byron explained people use brand names as ‘heuristics’, or a mental shortcut to associate the offerings of the brand with the name itself.
Read the full article in Little Black Book.
