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Interviews (Interview Archive)  Tom Wilson is the Founder and President of Character Matters. Tom Wilson has been drawing Ziggy since 1987. It comes very naturally for Tom, whose father created the Ziggy cartoon nearly 35 years ago. After studying graphic design at Miami University and fine art and illustration at Boston University, Tom graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1981.Before devoting his full attention to cartooning and fulfilling his childhood dream of drawing Ziggy, Tom worked for Amtoy, a New York City toy company, as Director of New Project Development. He then went on to develop the internationally syndicated children's comic strip, UG! Tom has valuable insight on the importance of company recognition and shares it with GW members. GW: You are most well-known for creating the Ziggy comic strip, how did that evolve into creating your company Character Matters? TW: Character Matters was a natural step and a dream that I have held dear for a long time. Creativity is central to everything that I do in my business as well as my personal life. What I wanted to do when I created the business of CM was to work from my strengths...otherwise I wouldn’t have done it at all. For most of my life I have intimately been involved in the business of characters, primarily through the syndication and licensing of Ziggy, but also in business through my work as a consultant for Richard Saunders International. GW: How does Character Matters develop characters? TW: In general we look at character creation and development the way a sculptor looks at a block of marble. We take away everything that is NOT the true character of your brand or business. Our way creates a 3-D image of who you are based upon your true self, not what is perceived outwardly. CM finds the best way to tell your story in order to create a relationship and connection with your audience. GW: What exactly is character branding? How does character branding differ from logos? TW: Character branding is nothing new. For thousands of years mankind has been branding its most deeply held beliefs with characters in the forms of their gods, idols, and archetypes. All of these things were personified in the form of characters to make them understandable and to reach the greatest number of people. By personifying these things it not only puts a face to it, unlike a logo, it brings it to life enabling us to have a relationship with it. That’s the benefit of communicating to an audience with character branding. These days you need to go beyond advertising, you have to create a relationship with your audience. A logo can’t do it. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the true character for your brand is worth millions. GW: What kinds of companies can use characters in their branding? TW: Any kind of company. An established company can use characters to expand awareness into new audiences, create better and more direct communication with existing customers and bring to life aspects of their business that their audiences are not yet aware of. A new company that is just establishing itself can most precisely communicate who they are, what they do and how they do it through the qualities and actions of a character. And remember characters can be real people, illustrations, animation, it’s important to know that when we talk of characters for branding we are not simply speaking of cartoon characters. The medium used to convey that character is best decided by the character of itself, it can range from animation to fine art, the full spectrum of art styles, as well as photography. GW: What should people know about character branding. TW: Characters aren’t just for kids or cereal any more. They can be for any audience, business or brand. They come from any company that has core beliefs behind them and wishes to project them to their customers. The AFLAK duck and the GEICO gecko are great examples. They brought these insurance companies to life from relative obscurity. Bottom line, any business or brand can benefit from the proper character being developed for them. GW: What advice can you offer our members and partners. TW: I believe every business and every brand has a wonderful hidden equity in the nature and character of that business or brand - tap into it. It’s a precious treasure created by the passion and beliefs of the people that make those businesses and brands what they are. GW: Tom thank you for sharing your experience and advice with our members and partners. TW: You’re welcome, I’m happy to do so. Interested individuals can learn more about Character Matters by visiting CM online at www.CharacterMatters.net. Contact us By Email: info@GregWinston.com By Phone: 949.388.2545 Thank you for your inquiry. |
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