In the spirit of fun and everything that comes with Halloween (or All Hallows’ Eve) next week, I’d like to talk about one of my favorite costumed characters – in relation to great branding, of course!
Guess who?
He has pointy teeth, perhaps spotted with blood…
…and maybe a black cape, a widow’s peak and possibly has an affliction involving bats?
That’s right – it’s that infamously sinister bloodsucker himself: Count Dracula! You probably guessed which character I was talking about right away, without even a second thought. Right?
.
Dracula: In the Blood
I’ve always loved the mystery and intrigue behind the character that we’ve all come to know as Count Dracula. I’m not kidding – Bram Stoker’s Dracula was the movie my (future) husband and I went to see on our first date in 1992.
With his novel of the same name (of course) published in 1897, Bram Stoker invented the compilation of startling traits that is the now-archetypal Count Dracula. (Not to be confused with the root myth of the vampire, the existence of which has permeated nearly the entirety of human history.) Stoker’s creation of Count Dracula lit the match that started the Western culture’s near obsession with the cultivation of a terrifying icon.
Dracula: In the Brand
Now, stop and think a moment…why exactly did the word or image of “Dracula” come to your mind SO effortlessly when I provided just minimal clues?
Let’s review the characteristics of a truly effective, lasting brand.
The image and/or idea of Count Dracula:
√ Tells a story
√ Is consistent
√ Is comprehensive
√ Is unique and intriguing
√ Conveys a reputation
√ Creates a lasting impression that stands the test of time
The simple answer: because many of our most loved and most feared characters and entities throughout literature, lore and media exude the same qualities of truly great branding! In fact, these characters are actually unique and very effective brands within themselves!
Dracula Owns ‘Be Everywhere’
The image of Count Dracula has so saturated our society that we have no qualms introducing similar (though definitely more pleasant) 
characters and brand mascots to our children – and sometimes they’re even educational! Perhaps the most interesting commercial branding adaptation of Count Dracula is the General Mills cereal icon Count Chocula…(and General Mills is well aware of this brand’s success)! Or who could forget the quite lovable arithmomaniac, Count von Count from Sesame Street?
The adult version of Dracula can be found almost anywhere in popular culture, from television and cartoons to video games and comics to novels and short stories. I’ve seen “Count Dracula” in so many places throughout my life, it’s hard to remember them all: in Bugs Bunny cartoons, Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein’s monster (and Dracula makes an appearance), on the Munsters, and, of course, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And how could I write a post on Count Dracula without mentioning the lauded performances by Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee and Gary Oldman?!
So consider Count Dracula when you’re aspiring to create a memorable brand! (Just be sure to keep your target audience in mind!) Happy Halloween, everyone, from the Branding Spot!