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Wounded Warrior Visual Hammer
The problem with most marketing programs is that they are so focused on words that they too often overlook the power and importance of a visual. Finding a visual hammer should be the most important task for every company. When a brand adds a visual hammer it increases its emotional connection to the consumer.
Remember a visual hammer isn't a logo, it is a visual that communicates an idea or emotion. Reebok had a logo, Nike has a hammer.
Words alone don't elicit the emotion response that images do. Take this classic example. Compare your response to seeing a "visual of a baby" compared to the word "baby."
I watch a fair amount of television and I'm always blown away by the Wounded Warrior Project. Talk about getting everything right.
1. Focus. A great brand always starts with a narrow focus. Wounded Warrior Project focuses on helping service members injured on or after Sept 11. 2001.
2. Name. Too often non-profits use long, generic names that get abbreviated to meaningless initials, like AARP. Not with Wounded Warrior Project. They use alliteration and a proper name that is memorable and distinctive.
3. Verbal Nail. "The greatest casualty is being forgotten." This statement sums up the mission of the organization in a meaningful way. And the double-entrende for casualty works very nicely to reinforce it.
4. Visual Hammer. You can't over-estimate the importance of the Wounded Warrior visual hammer. While the name and verbal nail are powerful, they don't elict the same emotional response as when you add the visual of a solider carrying a wounded comrad. Wow. And the choice to keep it simple and all black was very wise. It looks particularly nice on the website and everywhere they use it. As a relatively new group, they have had enormous success. When you combine a focus, name, nail and hammer, you can build a brand that cuts through the mind and goes straight to the heart.