By Josh Mabus, Mississippi Business Journal, Feature Article, June 16, 2016. Edward Teach, the pirate better known as Blackbeard, was one of the earliest and most successful designers and brand experts.
Alice Rawsthorn, in her 2014 book Hello World, uses the legendary pirate as an example of taking great care in communicating brand experience.
Imagine for a moment his brand’s “customer experience.” You’re sailing along with a ship full of goods when you see a big, ugly ship on the horizon. Just before you can make out the inscription “Queen Anne’s Revenge” on the bow, you notice a black flag rising on the mast. As the wind catches it, your greatest fears become reality. The flag is a skull and crossbones.
You make plans to evade.
You make plans to fight.
Either way, when you see the ship’s captain, a giant with a smoldering beard, you know your only choices are death or surrender.
You give up your cargo without a fight — at least most did.