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BattleFrog
Brand ExpressionAnalysis and Recommendations
Most people equate “brand” with “logo”
But the logo is just the beginning
Winning brands are comprehensive
• Strategy
• Story
• Product
• Identity
• Expression
Strategy:
What does your brand offer?
What does your brand stand for?
Why is it different/better?
Nike Brand Strategy:
Nike provides athletic products, services and inspiration to help you push your limits and strive for new goals. Nike believes that
through unstoppable tenacity and hard work, you can reach your potential whether it is just running a mile or performing like an
all-star athlete. Many companies make sports equipment and apparel, but Nike provides inspiration. No matter what your sport,
your goals or your potential, the Nike philosophy and way of life is there to inspire you to “Just Do It.“
--Davide Grasso, Nike Global Chief Marketing Officer
What does your brand offer? Athletic products, services, inspiration
What does your brand stand for? Tenacity, hard work, reaching potential
Why is it different/better? Has the Nike inspiration to achieve
Story: The history and lore of the brand that
generates:
● Interest
● Understanding
● Belief
● Connection
● Motivation
Product: Features and benefits
Identity: Visual, verbal, sensory communication
elements
Name
Logo
Tagline
Color scheme
Typography
Personality
Vocabulary
Graphics
Endorsements
Expression: The ways and places the brand touches
people through media and experiences
BattleFrog competes in a mature market--
and a crowded field
The Warrior Dash brand
Strategy: Be the world’s largest
obstacle race series, offering “mud,
sweat, beer”
Story: Red Frog Events wanted to
create a fun, challenging way to stay
fit; created “quirky” company in
Chicago in 2009 to run events
Identity: Splotchy mud, Viking
helmet
Product: 5K run with 12 obstacles,
mud, fire; plus live music and beer;
cash prizes
Personality:
Straightforward
Inclusive
Commercial
Trying really hard to be fun
Language:
Race = Battleground
Racer = Warrior
Running = Storming
Start = Unleash
The Spartan Race brand
Strategy: Bring the Spartan ideal
(endurance, resilience and strength)
and thrill of adventure racing, to
millions of people —Story: Founded
by Wall Street trader with a passion
for grueling athletic events. First
created “The Death Race,” then the
Spartan as something with more
mass appeal.
Identity: Splotchy mud, Greek
helmet and spear
Product: Multiple race types, up to 12
miles/25 obstacles, mud, fire; festival
Personality:
Boastful
Taunting/derisive
Athletic
Swaggering
Pulchritudinous
Language:
Are you Spartan tough?
You think you are strong? Prove it.
Time to step up to brutal
Only a few will have the heart
The Tough Mudder brand
Strategy: Not a race but a challenge,
overcoming fears and putting
teamwork and camaraderie before
course time.
Story: Was a semifinalist in Harvard
Business School’s business plan
competition. Pioneer in use of social
media. Has obstacle innovation lab.
Identity: Splotchy text, fire, running
guy
Product: Multiple race types, up to 12
miles/25 obstacles, mud, fire; festival
Personality:
Smart arse
Unconventional
Outgoing
Energetic
Language:
Probably the toughest
Hard. Freaking. Core.
Mudder’s Pledge
Dong Dangler
Fire in Your Hole
An opportunity to make BattleFrog stand out
Mud
Claim World’s largest The best The toughest on the
planet
SEALs don’t need to brag
Splotchy All CAP
typography
Military Warriors Train like a warrior Designed by British
Special Forces
American! Navy SEALs!
Obstacles Extreme Insane, brutal Intense, bad-ass,
innovative
SEAL-Inspired; no
gimmicks needed
Prizes Cash prizes Cash prizes Orange headband Cash prizes
Team Don’t dash alone Team racing/Tribe No “I” in Mudder ---
Event Festival area Festival area Festival area Compound
Celebration Beer & turkey leg Beer at the after party Beer at the end Expo and demo, pose
with SEALs, day with
family and friends
Charity St. Jude’s Homes For Our Troops Wounded Warrior Project Navy SEAL Museum
Navy SEAL Foundation
Other NSW organizations
Inclusive Athletes of all abilities Accessible to everyone For those with badasserie Whole family
To win, the BattleFrog brand must be MORE
than a logo and DIFFERENT from the other races
= ?
Strategy:
What does your brand offer?
What does your brand stand for?
Why is it different/better?
• Took a variety of messages out
onto the course and got
extensive in-context feedback
• Conducted research late in the
day, after racers had
experienced the course and the
event
• Got a clear direction of what
engages and motivates racers
and spectators
• Vibrant reactions and thoughts
on language
Talking about BattleFrog—in their own words
Please open media file outside this
presentation to play video with audio
Strategy implications for BattleFrog:
Emotional/philosophical ideas were strongly favored;
Not so tough guy talk about the physical challenge
Most liked words: Integrity, adaptable, inspiring, mental
resolve, never quit, precision, more than a race, gratitude,
teamwork, total test
Liked
experience
cheer
committed
encouraging
exceptional
experience
family
heart-pounding
invincible
mental resolve, mindset
tactical
tough
unfailing
endurance
Least liked words: Steely, monster, brave, steadfast, elite,
challenge, warrior
Least Liked
day long
buzzing helicopters
explosions
sensory overload
fog of war
pays to be a winner
exuberant
steadfast
audacious
energetic
enormous pressure
day long--not really enough stuff
buzzing helicopters
explosions
exuberant
well-rounded
Strategy implications for BattleFrog:
A truly unique set of values
Motivating: “The SEALs on the course were so motivating. When a SEAL says you are doing great, you just want to do better.
When a SEAL says you can do it, you think you might.”
Welcoming: “I’ve never done anything athletic before, but I didn’t feel out of place. BattleFrog welcomed me and supported me. I
don’t look like these people, but I feel comfortable here and like I belong and am wanted. No one sneered at me to ‘prove it’—
they yelled ‘you can do it.’”
Empowering: “The combination of the physical challenge, the encouragement, gave me a natural high like jumping from a plane. I
just feel so good—like I can do anything and like I really accomplished something.”
Total Test: “It was the toughest race I’ve done. You need strength, endurance, agility—and you have to think. It takes strategy to
get through it, not just brawn. And SEALs really know how to build truly demanding obstacles without gimmicks like fire or electric
shocks. ”
Confidence: “SEALs don’t have to brag. They do what they do and let that do that talking. This course is like that. You absorb a bit
of SEAL confidence when you run it.”
SEAL Values: “The values of integrity and never quitting are hugely important to me as a parent. I wanted my kids to experience
what it takes to be a SEAL, not pretend to be one while sitting on a couch in front of a game console.”
Team: “SEALs embody the idea of team and of being there, no matter what. It’s like you have written here: ‘Teams are invincible.’
Plus you are right: Everyone has something to contribute. Doing this as a family is very special.”
Gratitude: “Your whole idea of gratitude is really powerful. Lots of people are very aware that SEALs give more than they get. We
are really happy to be here to say ‘thank you’ in some small way.”
SEAL Excellence: “The course is really well made. The obstacles are physically and mentally demanding—more than you might
think just from looking. The whole event is well planned and executed.—what you would expect from former Navy SEALs. You
don’t have confusion and piles of trash.”
Strategy: Positioning BattleFrog
It’s not the mud; it’s the motivation.
The BattleFrog is an obstacle race event for the motivated, inspired by the never-quit heart of the Navy SEALs. Our races demand
the best from everyone, no matter what age and fitness level. Like the notoriously tough SEAL training, the BattleFrog rewards
those who have an uncommon desire to succeed.
More than a race, the BattleFrog is an experience that includes live action demonstrations by Navy SEALs of some of their
capabilities, a compound with SEAL artifacts and exhibits, food, entertainment, and activities. In gratitude for their service,
BattleFrog actively supports charities that honor memory, preserve legacy and support families of Navy SEALs.
Key Elements
Name: BattleFrog Obstacle Race Series
Theme: Motivation
Who: Racers of every age and fitness level and spectators
What: Races that demand the best
What is special: The never-quit heart of the Navy SEALs
What is different: Experience for the entire family that honors and supports the Navy Special Warfare community
Strategy: Talking about the race
The BattleFrog is a total test. Each step is inspired by the training that forges SEAL operators and prepares them to do anything,
anytime, anywhere. It takes a never-quit heart to succeed.
Navy SEALs call training exercises “evolutions.” You must not only face down the physical demands, you need creativity and heart
to emerge a winner. SEAL instructors turn the sunny California beaches into the most grueling training imaginable, so we know
how to test your motivation without the gimmicks, fire, or electric shocks.
A SEAL is a common man with an uncommon desire to succeed. We have races that demand the best from everyone who is
inspired by the never-quit heart of the Navy SEALs—no matter what age or fitness level.
Men don’t just become SEALs; they join “the Teams.” We are there for each other no matter what. SEALs are there for you on the
BattleFrog course to coach you through the obstacles and cheer you to victory.
The BattleFrog is for anyone who shares an uncommon desire to succeed. It is why we say the BattleFrog is not about the mud,
but the motivation.
Key Elements
Total test
Inspired by SEAL training
Evolutions that are physically demanding and that require creativity to master
No gimmicks needed
Not about the mud, but the motivation
Becoming a SEAL means joining “the Teams”
There for you coaching and cheering
Strategy: Talking about the experience
The BattleFrog experience is a day of family fun on the compound. Spectators and racers both have room to celebrate, take
pictures, refresh and bond. The compound expo area is where you can get a bite to eat and take close up look at Naval Special
Warfare artifacts and equipment from the Navy SEAL Museum. Sponsor booths offer products and activities for athletes and
families. Mingle with other racers and talk the real Navy SEALs about what it takes to run your best BattleFrog race.
Key Elements
Experience
Day of family fun
On the compound (not festival area)
Celebrate
Take pictures
Refresh
Close up look at SEAL artifacts and equipment
Products and activities
Talk to real Navy SEALs
Strategy: Talking about the demonstration
Take a front row seat for a heart-pounding live capabilities demonstration. Navy SEALs drop from a helicopter to assault on an
“enemy” position. Watch a Multi-Purpose Canine show why man's best friend is much feared by our enemies and for good
reason. You will see straight from the battlefield tactics that demonstrate the overwhelming firepower SEALs use to accomplish
their missions. Although SEAL missions, tactics, and techniques are classified, your enlistment in the BattleFrog grants you the
clearance necessary to witness our nation’s finest operators in action.
Key Elements
Front row seat
Drop from a helicopter (not fast rope in case local authorities prevent it)
Multi-purpose canine
Straight from the battlefield tactics
SEAL missions, tactics and techniques are classified
Enlistment grants you clearance
Witness our nation’s finest operators in action
Strategy: Talking about the SEAL commitment to the
heroes who have gone before
When a man becomes a SEAL, he earns his Trident, which the SEAL Ethos “Forged by Adversity” calls “a symbol of honor and
heritage bestowed upon me by the heroes who have gone before.” We are there for our country, community, team and family
always and everywhere no matter what.
At the BattleFrog, our gratitude to SEAL operators and their families is just as unfailing. We directly contribute to Naval Special
Warfare causes that honor memory, preserve legacy and support families. We actively recruit veterans to work in every aspect of
our company.
The SEAL Ethos ends with this sure knowledge: “In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and
silently guides my every deed. I will not fail.” BattleFrog commits that to heart.
Key Elements
Honor and heritage
The heroes who have gone before
Country, community, team and family
Always and everywhere
Gratitude that is unfailing
Honor memory
Preserve legacy
Support families
Actively recruit veterans
In the worst of conditions, it’s teammates
I will not fail
Story: The history, lore and values for BattleFrog
It is clear: NOBODY has a more genuine, richer, or more compelling story than the BattleFrog, so we recommend:
• Dial the SEAL aspect of the BattleFrog WAY up
• Tell the SEAL story more completely across every aspect of the brand and the product
• Some people say “more cowbell,” your market says “more SEALs”
Story: Talking about the SEAL Story
We are the kind of men who don’t ask how far or wonder how long. We go as far and go as long as it takes.
Making it through training and through a career as an operator takes a mindset of iron determination more than physical strength
We know we need to be physically harder and mentally stronger than our enemies. We know this discipline is the key to health,happiness and mission success.
The BattleFrog is planned with precision, solidly built and well executed—just what you expect from men who have carried out our nation’s most daring and dangerous missions.
We have the confidence to be genuinely humble. If knocked down we get back up every time, which is why we are never out of the fight. We do not need to brag or seek recognition. We let our actions speak for themselves.
We don’t ask people to do what we ourselves have not done and lead by example and with experience. We know that attitude is what powers success. We are there alongside of anyone who is willing to go out and try, no matter who you are.
We never quit. We accept no excuses. We thrive on adversity. We persevere to succeed no matter what.
We don’t need gimmicks, drama or special equipment to physically and mentally test the body, mind or heart.
Integrity, honor and character are core to who we are and how we live.
Team is important to us as SEALs. We are never alone. Camaraderie is our strength. We know that we are only as strong as the weakest among us, only as fast as the slowest. Everyone brings something special to the team. We are there for each other. Neverin the history of Naval Special Warfare have we ever left a man behind.
We created this event to:• Support physical fitness• Educate the public• Give families and groups of friends ways to bond• Celebrate pride and patriotism and express gratitude• Have a chance to work with SEALs again, doing something worthwhile and fun as a team
Strategy: Facebook posts reinforce
the research
“Watching our girl do the Tadpole and the love and support they (the kids in the race) got was incredible.
Amazing, inspiring, and MEANINGFUL even for all of us.” –Dad
“One of the most motivating races I have ever participated in.”—Racer
“On the rope climb, my son almost gave up. I have never been prouder when he listened to the SEAL and made
it up. He gained more in this race than a year in therapy. Thank you for everything.”—Mom of child with
Asperger’s
“It truly was an honor and a privilege to help out.”—Volunteer
“There was something for everyone, athletes and spectators alike.” –Racer
“My kids had a blast as did my wife. I got a little fellowship time with some of my co-workers.”—Racer
“If possible, personally, I would like to see more of Old Glory on the course.”—Racer
“This was an awesome event and the course and support on obstacles was the best.”—Racer
“Great support along the race.”—Racer
“Showed what real teamwork can do and the SEALs were there right along with the others busting out an
awesome course.”—Worker
“Brought the entire family and everyone had a great time.”—Racer
“I had an awesome timing running the 15K on Sunday and my family had a blast as well.”—Racer
The Missing Word: “Challenging”
“Challenging” is a word that has been overused everywhere—especially by EVERY BattleFrog competitor
It has been used so much, it has lost all meaning and memorability
Our “challenge” is to find ways to talk about BattleFrog with minimal use of the word
Generic/Thoughtless/Lazy Different, Meaningful
BattleFrog is a challenge BattleFrog is a test
We have challenging obstacles Our obstacles are formidable
Are you ready for a challenge? Are you ready to stand up to the BattleFrog
Runners rise to the challenge Runners dare to take on the BattleFrog
We will challenge you We will take your measure; we will fire you up
Face the challenge of 15 KM Gut it out through 15 KM of the BattleFrog
Challenge yourself Prove yourself
Other Language Notes
Another word to avoid is “warrior.” Warrior Dash owns it, and every competitor uses it in some way. SEALs are actual warriors, but
we can’t use the word and “own” it.
Avoid “festival,” as all competitors also use the word.
Avoid “dash,” as it is part of the Warrior Dash brand.
Develop a vocabulary that is unique to BattleFrog and that draws from the Navy SEAL legacy
Identity: The BattleFrog brand has a strong start with
fantastic visuals
Identity: Recommendations for BattleFrog visuals
• Keep the logo type as is, but for other graphics, evolve away from the splotchy all-caps typography that all the other races
use. As BattleFrog matures and develops its own personality and culture, adopt a distinctive typographical look that fits the
brand and that the brand can truly own
• Add versions of the logo with the “Obstacle Race Series Designed by Navy SEALs” tagline not locked up with the logo.
Creates more flexibility.
• Add another color to the green/blue/white palette—a warm color used sparingly for high impact, such as call to action
buttons—like the “register now” button on the site
• Keep building on BattleFrog character—he can become quite the spokesfrog! Great for kids.
Product: BattleFrog features and benefits
recommendation
The BattleFrog experience/product package is not clear. It is unique and needs to be conveyed consistently on the Web site, social
media “about” sections, in PR boilerplate, etc. Suggest a rewrite of the package in various lengths for various media that makes
clear the four main elements of the offer:
An experience with:
Races Inspired by SEALS Exhaustive, comprehensive test
Live capabilities demonstration Education that inspires
Compound with full day of activities Entertaining for everyone
Supporting NSW community Support and honor our own
Expression: The ways and places the brand touches
people through media and experiences
• Expand and enhance Web site (details to come)
• Refine sponsorship PowerPoint
• Revamp social media profiles and coordinate with social media communicators
• Revamp language in email and newsletter campaign
• Consider brand themes and language in all communications going forward
• Look for sponsor partners that can latch on to and build our key themes
About Merriam Associates
Lisa Merriam has made a career of helping companies build and
manage brands. Her expertise is focused on strategic brand
development and managing strategy-based brand design including
naming, logos, visual systems, brand launch and implementation.
She has been an independent consultant since 2003, serving large,
well-known companies, advertising and marketing agencies, as well
as small, fast growth companies. She is a regular contributor to
Forbes and a number of industry-specific trade publications around
the world.
Branding Expertise
Naming
Tagline development
Brand strategy including brand story, attributes, positioning, and brand
architecture
Identity design including logos and design systems
Copy writing (digital, traditional, search engine optimized
Web video production including on-the-street testimonials
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Selected clients
Canon
Westfield Malls
Kay Jewelers
Jamba Juice
Chevron
Kirch & Co.
Disney Live!
Lancome
ADP
Chevron
Ralph Lauren
PwC
Cablevision
The Hartford
Uganda/Focus on Africa
Reed Elsevier
Lexis Nexis
Johnson & Johnson
Unison Telecom
BMW
Land Rover
US Navy SEAL Museum
Geomentum
Thomas Publishing
YMCA
Western Union
European Space Agency
Lip Fusion Cosmetics
Kore Sportswear
Kay Jewelers
