The FreakyTrigger Top 25 Brands: 25: THE RED CROSS
Or the the Red Crescent, or the Red Crystal.
Is this a brand? It’s the logo for an organisation, it has phenomenal global recognition and man alive, its associated with some intense personal experiences.
It’s everywhere, too. Over 150 years, something loosely known as the International Red Cross has grown into a far reaching, if convoluted, arrangement of organisations. A recognised incarnation of the movement now exists in 185 countries, and with it the logo has spread: to hospitals and ambulances of course, but also uniforms, first aid boxes, and a myriad of other cultural references. It’s the ubiquitous symbol of health, of safety. You’re quite likely to see one today, wherever you are in the world.
And it really, really matters. With the weight international law, it bestows the bearer with protection while traversing the most dangerous places in the world to fulfil a mission of unambiguous virtue. Is there really another brand in the world for which that sentence wouldn’t be outrageous hyperbole?
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There. A somewhat solemn start, but certainly a worthwhile entry. If, though, you’re now wondering what on earth could be a more heavyweight brand to follow that one, then here’s a warning:
This list was compiled at a beer festival.
Magnus in Blog 7 / FT / The Brown Wedge • 802 views • Share/Save
Why is the Red Cross such a great brand? Because it is assumed to exist where it doesn’t.
“the logo has spread: to hospitals and ambulances of course, but also uniforms, first aid boxes, and a myriad of other cultural references”
You say this, but look again on those ambulances, those first aid boxes. You won’t see a Red Cross, (except on an official Red Cross ambulance). Green cross denotes pharmacy. White on green cross is first aid. Indeed they are remarkably protective of their trademark, whilst at the same time happy that it is synonymous with all things health-care.
Not to mention their tinkering in the major conflicts, attempting to broker peace in WWII via Rudolph Hess etc. Which is when you get to the truth that the Red Cross are exactly what their flag represents: the opposite of Switzerland. They are not a nation, but they are rarely neutral.