“Given enough coffee, I could rule the world.”

I spotted this quote on the side of a coffee machine at a client’s office. Actually I’ve seen it often over the last few years of going there. Which got me thinking: it’s a good quote, works for the brand of coffee and even has humour. Heck, the idea even resonates with me, especially after a few strong cups!

So why was it bothering me last week when I saw it again? I think it has something to do with brand laziness.

Someone at the agency or the coffee company liked it for it’s humour and signed it off. But unlike a good timeless wise quotatation - humour, especially when you see it daily and extended over a 2 year period just isn’t funny anymore. Would it have been better to use a timeless quote, or to skip the humour, or to skip the quote altogether?

But the designer (or the client) would have insisted on “putting something” on the side of the machine. So it’s either some squiggles, or a logo, or a stock photo of a happy couple drinking coffee. Or a quote :-)

You can see how the brand laziness creeps in right from the get-go. Then it dates. And changing it is costly. And it dates some more. And if you leave it up long enough, eventually it’s like wallpaper, not noticed. Perfect, no complaints.

What would Apple put on the side of an iCoffee machine?

Yes, I thought so too.