Scott Woodward: Branding Everything

Product placement: today we take it for granted that blockbuster movies are packed with everything from cars to beverages, but in 1997 this practice was little more than a twinkle in Scott Woodward's eye.  Or should that be "a twinkle in Scott Woodward's Ray Bans"?  For it was Mr. Woodward's inspiration to integrate the classic black sunglasses into the blockbuster film 'Men in Black'. The film did pretty well -- and the glasses went on to sell three times as much as average for the six months following the movie's release. Now the CEO and Chief Creative Officer of SEW Branded, a New York based brand & marketing consultancy, Woodward is esteemed as a master of celebrity placement and marketing tie-ins. Over the course of his accomplished career in image marketing, brands that have benefited from his insights include Chevron, Bausch & Lomb, Ray-Ban, Calvin Klein, and Movado Group. He is a unique blend of strategic and creative, and operates with great success in the worlds of both fashion and entertainment.

Yet to this day, Woodward's greatest challenge is "helping clients understand the power of integrated, holistic, synergistic marketing and branding [as seen through] Apple, Target, Calvin Klein, and other great brands who have done it flawlessly. Most people like to talk about great brands but they do not fully understand what it takes to get to world-class power brand status."

And what exactly does it take? Woodward's consistent success is due to the meticulous and synergistic approach his team takes to idea generation. Woodward's goal is "getting to the core of what a brand is -- how it looks, smells, tastes, feels, and sounds. Once you have this, all of the things developed to support it come from that point of view and allow the consumer to really understand what it's about."

Yet somewhat paradoxically, Woodward loves to create what he calls "BIG IDEA PLATFORMS and IDEA GENERATION decks for clients." He explains, "From these studies at 30,000 feet come some of the most successful strategies and programs that get implemented for small and large brands alike, producing real and concrete results."

Woodward cautions, though, that "one can have the most extraordinary strategic platform on paper that can be imagined. The true test is how it is creatively implemented and communicated and visualized and stylized to the consumer. Could you imagine if Apple or Target were not creatively realized or presented in the way in which we now know both of those brands visually? Devastating to think about"!

Staying fresh is a challenge for anyone who lives by ideas and creativity. Woodward manages this by "being a human sponge on all areas: pop-culture, design, product categories. He continues, "Applying that learning to whatever you are working on is hugely helpful and keeps you innovative in your thinking. Being part brand strategist and part creative allows me to toggle back and forth, but always with clarity, focus, organization of thought and execution."

So, what’s next for Woodward -- what he’s hoping to accomplish? “To brand everything in my path with clarity. Strategically. And with great design and beauty. We live in such a design oriented world. I love to look at the brands that do not really evoke fashion or design and re-think them to be stylish, relevant, and modern.”