Brands that have a purpose meaning and value rarely endure by doing nothing.
For just ten years, from 1985-1995, Bill Watterson illustrated an imaginative world that captivated my daughters and me. There was genius in every panel. We laughed. We cried. We loved being along for their journey. Watterson never picked up the pen again to do Calvin & Hobbes, the next generation.
The brand hasn’t been marketed, worked on or refreshed since 1995.
This brand endures. It explodes with emotion, pathos and humor. It is as fresh today as it was when I first started reading his columns over thirty years ago.
What I Learned About Marketing from Calvin & Hobbes
Authentic: We know where these characters live, how they react and what they do. But we never see them playing for a cheap laugh. The essence of both characters is dependable, reliable and yet – surprises us in fresh ways.
Timeless: The characters live in a world that is relevant to today although illustrated over thirty years ago. They don’t play off the latest trend, the latest news or the latest gimmick. As my Aunt Annette use to tell me, great art “stands the test of time.” Calvin and Hobbes live small moments and experiences which make it so powerful and enduring.
Heart-Centered: The stories and antics of a boy and his imaginary friend always come from the heart. Their pranks are never mean spirited. Calvin & Hobbes are generous and loving, often through an irreverent and mischievous voice. The characters speak to us in deep, resounding and meaningful, touching ways. We laugh but feel moved by the innocence, wisdom and spirit of the moments.
Non-Commercial: Bill Watterson turned downed millions of dollars in licensing opportunities because he wasn’t chasing money. He felt stuffed animal versions of his characters would hurt the true essence of the characters he was creating. He didn’t want to lose control over their image and what they represented just for money. This decision, was so important to his success because by keeping Calvin & Hobbes exclusive to his world within his books and comic strips, they only existed when Watterson put pen to paper. Watterson sold millions of dollars of books, more than enough to make him wealthy without prostituting his work.
A Unique Voice: In marketing, we want to create a blue ocean, a place where only your brand exists. (Versus a red ocean bloody competitors fighting it out). There isn’t another Calvin & Hobbes world. You can’t compare him to anyone else because Watterson is an artist and writer at heart. Charlie Brown and Snoopy are everywhere like Disney characters. Their ubiquity is part of their brand, while Calvin & Hobbes all exists through the hand of one artist. Unlike so many licensed cartoon and characters, no one else drew or captioned Calvin. As I am fond of telling my daughter Fanny, who is building a business around her food, writing and TV interests – “Only you can be Fanny.” And Bill Watterson knew that only Calvin & Hobbes exists because of Bill breathing life into them and guiding them on their journey.
You Need a Strong Distinctive Brand
If you are in charge of creating, inspiring or building a brand, I urge you to reread some of the books illustrated by Bill Watterson where he has created a special world. There is a community of followers that has a special place in their heart for the brand. Bill never veered from those brand standards as he breathed life into a boy and imaginary tiger. Like a great brand manager, he knew what his brand stands for and never veered off-brand. He stayed true to his purpose. Watterson always knew his “why“.
Marketing is a way to see the world of business that requires constraints. It forces you to choose only “this” and never “that”. It helps you target a core audience who, if you are lucky will become a community. And when you get really good at serving that community, they will share and remark about you as you demonstrate that you are remarkable.
The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. Bill Watterson
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Video courtesy of https://www.patreon.com/kaptainkristian?ty=h
Drawing by a six-year-old Fanny Slater in 1991
