In a world where so many are a this-slash-that, and are broadcasting every moment through the megaphone of social media, we live our lives as walking, talking brands. No one knows that better than one of our instructors, Jason Rand, who has spent the past 20 years working as a brand strategist for companies like Vogue, MTV, VH1, Abercrombie & Fitch, Marshall Amps, and W Hotels. We sat down with this jack-of-all-brands and talked to him about his career path, branding illegal substances, and why 3rd Ward classes are the best!
LIke what you read? Sign up for Jason's branding class here. Class starts August 4th!
3rd Ward: What experience do you have with branding?
Jason Rand: I started out working for Tommy Boy Music. They really understood, early on, the power of a great brand and did a great job not just marketing their artists, but also marketing themselves as a label. We had everything from jackets to tote bags to knapsacks. You name it, we had it. It was a big part of their street level campaigning. There, I did artist development and packaging for a bunch of artists.
3W: Are you still doing it now?
JR: Yeah, but I do it in a completely different way, with more strategy and more institutional clients. Lifestyle branding is really easy, especially if the product is somewhat glamorous. But to take something that’s really not potentially glamorous or not seen as being something you would brand is way more interesting – something like insurance or a hospital. That’s where my focus is right now.
3W: Wow. So with the class that you’re teaching, is it project-based?
JR: I had my students brand Cannabis. It had a number of different incarnations: I said no hippie crap and no tie-dye. It could be a brownie, it could be a butter, it could be an oil. The students needed to develop the product around what the person might want out of the experience. Each project was very much in line with who they were as people, like self-portraits in a way.
3W: Can you give me an example of someone’s particular campaign?
JR: I had a student who put together an incredible mood board, which was really unexpected for the category. It was kind of a weird, witchy version of Ralph Lauren – earth magic meets the Wild West. It was really beautiful and it was a great vision for what it could be; I totally got it. You wanted the product because everything had a romance about it; that’s what I think branding is all about. It’s really developing a romance with your consumer. But everybody had really different, really diverse ideas. Another student had just a type treatment. It was hot pink type on kelly green background and it was like a Cannabis power bar.
3W: Haha!
JR: Yea! It had different flavors and different moods. I think I made it fun for everybody and I think that’s part of the exchange that really makes 3rd Ward great. I’ve taught both undergrad (at SVA) and continuing education, but the students at 3rd Ward are already out in the world and they understand the reality of things. I think that here, because there are so many interdisciplinary occupations among the students, it really makes for a culture as opposed to a class. For example, a student doing social media for Tibet House and another working at Procter Gamble doing product development often interact here at 3rd Ward.
3W: What are you focusing on right now?
JR: I just launched my agency, Harrison Rand, about a year ago. My grandfather started the agency in the 30s and so we’re the third generation. I’ve taken the really traditional old-school structure of what was there and have transitioned in a way that honors those methods but is also relevant to the world that we live in. We’ve become a brand-obsessed culture. The other thing that I talk about a lot is people as brands. We all make choices everyday when it comes to the products we buy or the things we put on, or don’t put on, the shows you watch, the music you listen to, etc. That’s kind of what Facebook is all about. It’s about aligning yourself with people who share your passion for music, the arts, Chipotle, or whatever.
In my class, I talk about Martha and Marilyn because I think they are two opposite ends of the spectrum. Marilyn Manson took two brands – Marilyn Monroe being the height of glamour and Charlie Manson being the height of insanity – and married them together into this glamorous insanity and that’s his brand. He’s never really been a great artist, per se, but he’s been a great showman and his concept is himself. The same thing goes for Martha Stewart. Martha would never be able to do everything that she does, like turn everything into gold, if she wasn’t who she was. Those are the choices she makes regarding things like how she wears her hair, and that expression “that’s so Martha” is really a testament to what she means as a brand. When you say that, you understand exactly it means – it’s shorthand for her brand. When people start to think of people as brands, it makes it easier to understand that everything we do for ourselves is also branding.
To learn more brand tips from Jason, sign up for his class here. All backgrounds welcome, sign up now!
Jul 15, 2010
THis could be you! We'll actually take you back to the shop. || photo by Matt TaplingerWe know man cannot live on pork alone. So, when you come to our Pig Roast this Sunday, you'll also be able to get your hands dirty in another way -- by taking our education workshops!
