I’m going to catch that horse if I can. And when I do, I’ll give her my brand,
And we’ll be friends for life, she’ll be just like a wife, I’m going to catch that horse if I can,
“Chestnut Mare” by Roger McGuinn and Jacques Levey
I draw your attention to this fine composition by The Byrds, without further comment.
Save this. I got to thinking about the elusive Chestnut Mare recently, because, in my eternal quest for that nutbrown equine beauty, it occurred to me that I need an upgrade of my brand.
Because branding is everything these days.
And what’s the point of catching the horse, if I can’t give her my brand? Or, perhaps worse, branding her in a manner that falls short of her majestic stateliness?
Or, most mindboggling to contemplate, what, if, in my case, horse and brand are one and the same?
So, I been trying to enhance my brand. I begin with the logo, recognizing that branding extends well beyond symbology. But one must start somewhere, mustn’t one? And that if I do manage to catch that horse, and she turns out to be non-branded, it’s surely my logo I would affix to her lovely hindquarters.
And here, I’ll be asking for your assistance.
Our current logo was kind of an afterthought, dating back to our launch in 2017:
It’s not like it’s bad or anything. My guys did the best they could. If you care to deconstruct it, the concept of a magnifying glass revealing an upward sloping bar graph (with a trend arrow added lest any of the obtuse miss the meaning), it is certainly uplifting and nothing in my judgment to be ashamed of.
But let’s face it. The image is tres 1.0 – even for 2017. More than six years later, the generous might call it 0.5.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, my family just this weekend mistook it for the AARP logo.
And speaking of AARP/branding, I noted with interest that the Rolling Stones, having just announced their 2024 performance dates, contemporaneously disclosed that the tour sponsor is – you guessed it – the American Association of Retired Persons. One can look at this as be being a refreshing dose of candor from the lads, now octogenarians, who have buried two original members, and chased away their founding bass player, but continue to rock on.
On the other hand, it stands in sharp contrast to, say, the 1969 Altamont concert, which had no sponsors but enlisted the Hell’s Angels for security, a move which didn’t work out particularly well.
I will resist the temptation to take it as a sign that maybe I’ve lived too long, but the news from the tape renders this more difficult by the day. I read this week, for instance, that Hall is suing 0ates, and that restraining orders are involved.
But back to this branding thing. My guys have been busy working up new logos, and again I salute their efforts. A couple of the more eye-catching ones are presented below:
I could live with either one. But if the teaming millions that comprise my readership wish to weigh in, I’d be more than obliged.
I am aware that my gratitude is not the favored currency of the realms we occupy. So, to sweeten the pot, I offer a free month of service to anyone submitting a winning entry, and a gratis consultation to interested parties who constructively opine upon this, most vital of issues my enterprise must confront.
Because branding is everything – a reality that has perhaps never prevailed as much as it has during the current decade. Which began with a virus and associated mitigants. Those of certain predispositions were aggressively disdainful of vaccines and therapeutics until the political power balance shifted, after which, not only did they embrace them, but cast aspersions of treason at anyone who disagreed with their narrative. Thus, even in a burgeoning pandemic, branding of response trumped substance.
We also received branding assaults from Swiftie, Barbie, BLM, LGBTQ+, Bud Lite, TikTok, Twitter/X, Meta, Marvel Comix, Disney and dozens of others.
In the markets, we’ve been besieged by SPACs, NFTs, Defi, DEI, ESG, 0-day options, Quantitative Easing, Quantitative Tightening, factor parity, risk parity and heaven knows what else.
What have all these in common? Say it with me – BRANDING.
Yes, everyone is trying to catch that horse if they can. But it doesn’t appear to be a Chestnut Mare.
But whether dominated by branding or driven by other forces, at least for now, the external factors being brought to bear on the capital economy are bring forth nothing but miracles.. Security prices are riding a one-way-ticket to the heavens. Energy prices are gratifyingly docile.
And, in result, Vixen VIX has lowered herself to levels last observed prior to the lockdowns:
Though off-brand, I might suggest that now is as good a time as you are likely to find to purchase portfolio insurance. But instead, I reckon y’all will wait until it morphs from cheap to unaffordable.
Yes, I would’ve bet against this giddy construct at virtually any point this year, but then again, I have already demonstrated that my branding chops leave a good deal to be desired.
I reckon there are some risks with which to contend that remain to us. Q3 GDP revisions drop this week, along with associated inflation measures derived from this metric. There’s all of December in front of us, and who knows what happens then?
I suspect that it’ll be a quiet week, as the nation recovers from its seasonal coma. Further, I reckon that the first action in December will feature an attempt to extend the rally. Because, well, why not?
After that, it gets a bit more real. And then it’ll be 2024. With political action likely to reach new heights of hysteria. With two wars still going on, either of which could expand in nasty ways.
But as for me, I’m gonna catch that horse if I can. And, with your help, I’ll give her my brand. Unless, that is, the horse is the brand and vice versa. Which would be OK by me.
So, how ‘bout it? Can y’all pitch in? A month of risk solutions services will likely not do you any, or much, harm. Maybe, together, we’ll catch that Chestnut Mare. We won’t be able to hold her for long, but we will have made a friend for life.
And if all fails, you can do what everyone else does. Blame me. Which, for many of you, is about as onbrand as it gets.
TIMSHEL