What is this brand?

• Icon of the 20th century
• A worldwide marketing phenomenon used to sell everything from booze to T-shirts to mugs to bikinis
• Image represents socialist ideals but is used for capitalist purposes

…………………

The one and only Che Guevara, who would have celebrated his 80th birthday on June 14. Hidden for years within the confines of Cuban photographer Alberto Korda’s studio in Havana, Che Guevara’s famous image portrait was used to transform Che into an icon of daring and rebellion.

It makes a little sense that Cuba’s government has used the image to promote its revolution and to rake in tourist dollars through state-run stores selling Che paraphernalia. There is after all, a brand-message connection for Cuba. There is some irony about it to be sure, but how is it that a communist guerrilla, Marxist ideologue, and fervent critic of “material incentives” has been used to promote vodka?

His daughter is tired of this, saying, “A man who fought and died trying to overthrow capitalism and material excess should not be used to sell British vodka, French fizzy
drinks and Swiss mobile phones, among other travesties.”

What amazes me is how this brand has turned into something much more “meaningful” than the denunciation of materialism. Its message has been extended so broadly (daring and rebellion) that it has turned into the polar opposite of what it stood for in the first place.

Has the message been misinterpreted or has it been lost by plain and simple ignorance? Is this a brand of Revolution or Devolution?

Suffice to say that consumers help to create the brand.

Che Guevara T-shirts for sale in Cuba. Photograph: Chris Hammond/Alamy

Christine Babick is a blogger at www.beneaththebrand.com. A marketing strategist and linguist, she specializes in marketing language, website text, “emo copy,” and cause and relationship marketing. More…

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Article Tags: Babick | brand | Branding | Capitalism | Che | Cuba | Guevara | Icon | marketing | Message | Socialism
Filed under: Advertising, Branding, Message, Personal Opinions