Dave Morin

License plate frames are brilliant. Whoever came up with the idea of adding dealership messaging on a license plate frame with every new car purchase is ridiculously brilliant. It’s the most ingenious way to market ever. The best part about it is that people not only leave them on their cars for most of the lifetime of the vehicle, but that when they get new plates they remove the frame, then put it back. Take a look around you while you are driving to work in the morning. They are everywhere. Why people allow this kind of subliminal messaging on one of the most personal pieces of equipment we own is mind blowing.

On an additional and inverse note. Highway 280 into Silicon Valley in the morning is populated with a ridiculous number of cars that sport license plate frames showcasing their alma mater. We’ve become a label society. If your car isn’t branded by the dealership, you brand it with your personal brand, and your car company makes sure everyone knows that you are in fact driving not only their brand, but their specific model of car.

Your place in the heirarchy is secured. You know where you stand with the Jones. Or at least your fellow Silicon Valley’ites. His school is better than mine. My car is better than his. Ooo I wish I would have spent a little bit more money for that model. What if I went to that guy’s Ivy League school…I could drive that car. Maybe my kids should go there. You get my point.

What if it was all simplified? What if there were no brands. What if your car company had to provide the best experience for you, not an asthetic masterpiece for everyone else? What if the value of your school was defined by how good of a person you are? What if your personal brand equity was established not through material possessions, but by the integrity you hold? What if?

For my favorite work partner, Hardees has released a 1420 calorite burger. Seth Godin calls it a “[purple] cow in more ways than one.”