'Have another cocktail and go for it.'
'Bad idea.'
'Sit down.'
'Mia's got it covered tomorrow.'
Thankfully, I listened to reason, keeping the two or threes lines that lacked a conclusion in captivity. Until now. I just couldn't let a good marketing analogy go to waste. Here goes. Fill your flute.
In marketing, you learn about aspirational brands - brands that take the consumer to a richer, thinner, smarter, prettier, tastier, better version of you place in life. For instance, a Prada bag helps you live la dolce vita; a Mini Cooper makes you a better, swifter, cuter driver; and a snack of Morbier Cheese reeks of sophistication.
My friend Kassen is like an aspirational brand. Over the years, she has made quite a name for herself. You want to be friends with her, teammates with her, kitchen mates with her, you just want to be around her because she brings out the best in you. An assist from Kassen was a sure goal. Baking with her meant that your cookies might just turn out as perfectly as her peanut butter blossoms. Getting dressed to go out with Kassen meant that you wearing an extra dash of class. And hanging out with her meant that your smile would last a little longer, your giggle would turn a little more bubbly, and the glow you never thought you had would shine.
For most, tying yourself to an aspirational brand works with limited success. The satisfaction you feel being associated to it can be temporary, fleeting. The sophistication that comes with enjoying a good cheese vanquishes when you realize you've eaten the whole wedge in one sitting. But if you are lucky, and the knot is tied just right, magic between brand and consumer can happen.
This weekend, I witnessed that kind of magic in Alexandria, Virginia. This weekend, Kassen sealed the deal with her biggest brand aficionado - a guy with a similar kind of aspirational quality - and when it happened lightening struck. As I stood up and cheered, feeling a sense pride for helping to bring two big brand names together, I saw how co-branding can take the best of the best to the next level.
To the happy couple who I know will continue to bring out the best in each other each and every day of their lives, and to the couple that I'm happy to not only call my friends, but my second cousins by marriage, let us raise our glasses.
And now, what you've been waiting for - the photos.
Lo.
