A Brand For The Man Who Keeps Reaching For The Stars

Copyright 2007 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
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This my response for "The Greatly Improbable, Highly Enjoyable, Increasingly Profitable Life of Michael Kobold." Here's the URL to use so you can read this article.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070501/features-michael-kobold.html

A Brand For The Man Who Keeps Reaching For The Stars
I'm speculating based on this article. Until I read it, I didn't know Kobold watches exist.

Michael Kobold may have crossed the line between being a real-life business owner & a brand character like Tony The Tiger & Charlie The Tuna. He may seem fishy "Big Fishy" to us, but if we're not in the niche that buys what Kobold sells, it doesn't matter much.

I suppose Kobold aspires to be or appear to be like Richard Branson. Would Branson's stunts be done publicly if they didn't have some promotional value for his Virgin brands?

How much does Kobold's niche rely on image -- as opposed to solid, real identity -- & pretense? Reasons to buy a luxury item are 1) to feel good about owning it; 2) to feel good about oneself as a result of owning it; 3) for something that's an obvious luxury (which others will notice & realize it's approximate price) & using it in public is to inspire envy or respect in others.

Each of these are affected by & effected with marketing (Massaging the truth). Sometimes there's little difference between effected with marketing & infected with marketing. It depends how much is meant to be fiction & how much is meant to be believed.

The Underdog Brand
If Kobold achieved what he seems to aspire to, I think he & his brands would lose some of their appeal. If he changed his approach & he mass-produced his watches, his niche wouldn't lose interest only because the watches wouldn't be scarce anymore. Many of them would also lose interest because Kobold & his brands wouldn't be for little guys who want to feel powerful, but know they'll never achieve high levels of power.
They identify with a guy who owns a small business, lives in a regular apartment & has a business in small corners of a big business's building.

Success is achieving worthwhile goals, so Kobold is very successful. But he doesn't act like he's very successful. He acts like he aims for success, but doesn't quite hit the target. He acts like he strives to be a top dog, but being an underdog -- maybe a middle dog -- is his brand.

As Leo Burnett said, "If you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won't end up with a handful of mud either." Kobold watches are for those who keep reaching.

Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.

Copyright 2007 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here-
https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/
http://www.voy.com/31049/