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The great Carthaginian general, Hannibal—the first image that might come to a modern mind is the elephant. After all, Hannibal crossed the Alps with African Elephants in his army. Certainly this provides a trademark for an event that speaks to the brand expectation felt by the Romans beginning in 218 BC.
In and of itself, the act of crossing the Alps into Italy with what was then a civilized army truly rattled the Romans. And for the next 20 years, Hannibal would live his brand promise to the point that his name struck intense fear in Roman society.
That's sort of what we know of this almost mythic figure. So, discovery is the first step in our branding analysis, evaluating the facts to discern true differentiators.
To Hannibal’s credit, he began with a strong internal branding strategy. He was the son of the celebrated general Hamilcar Barca. Incidentally, the family name Barca is derived from the Phoenician word for Thunderbolt—an ancient symbol of power and divine strength. Hamilcar never lost a battle to the Romans during the first Punic War, and his army was the only Carthaginian unit whom the Romans allowed to keep their weapons.
So Hannibal started with some pretty firm brand attributes, and built on them. As a young child, he accompanied his father to Spain in 237 BC, where on more than one occasion, he differentiated himself by participating at his father’s side in battles and skirmishes against local tribes—gaining from an early age the necessary knowledge and experience that only battle provides.
By the time he was in position to assume command of the Carthaginian army in 221 BC, at the age of 26, Hannibal was well on the road to living his brand. The Roman scholar, Livy, described the young general as follows:
No sooner had [Hannibal] arrived...the old soldiers fancied they saw Hamilcar in his youth given back to them; the same bright look; the same fire in his eye, the same trick of countenance and features. Never was one and the same spirit more skillful to meet opposition, to obey, or to command…
Cunning and determination against long odds are differentiators that set Hannibal apart from his competitors. Crossing the Alps was bold, unheard of, and improbable. While it came at the cost of half his men, Hannibal quickly followed up by defeating superior Roman forces at a place called Trebia.
In terms of military size, Hannibal almost never had the upper hand. The Romans often outnumbered him two to one, even three to one at the Battle of Canae (sometimes spelled Cannae), where Hannibal slaughtered nearly 90,000 Roman soldiers. In every case, the Carthaginian general outwitted his Roman opponents with devastating results. Some Roman towns simply surrendered on his arrival.
So, how might we brand Hannibal at his peak? Submitted for your approval...
1. Determine the most appropriate brand-positioning attribute.
Certainly Hannibal gives us much to work with and selecting one single attribute is a challenge. His merciless attacks on Roman soil dealt a near fatal blow to the soon-to-be empire. Sworn by his father to a blood oath against the Romans, Hannibal of Carthage did the unthinkable—he marched war elephants and a massive army over the Alps to gain the element of surprise. In three key battles, Hannibal used a strategy of terrain, intimidation and his iron will to annihilate the Roman legions, killing every Roman soldier that he possibly could.
The key word here is “strategy.” So we can position Hannibal as a master general with an impeccable command of battlefield strategy.
Hannibal—the father of strategy
2. Devise a distinctive way to articulate the brand position.
The blood oath made Hannibal’s goals clear—eliminate the Roman threat by annihilating it.
3. Develop a focused brand personality that customers can use to recommend or introduce your company to others.
Hannibal the Annihilator
4. Establish graphic standards.
Here is where the visual perceptions and symbols of Hannibal work in our favor. The African War Elephant was totally exotic to the Romans and a symbol of shock and awe. It has come to personify Hannibal and his achievements throughout the Roman campaigns.
5. Implement internal branding programs to reward employees for behaving in ways that are consistent with the brand personality
From the outset, Hannibal instituted a strong brand strategy and the value of the risk was in its reward of glory, plunder, the cause itself. It was clear that army was willing to follow him on a treacherous journey over the Alps and kept them on a 20-year campaign. Even when Hannibal had Rome by the throat—just nine miles from Rome itself – dissent over Hannibal’s decision not to siege Rome was short-lived.
There is no question Hannibal lived his brand. For twenty years he held Rome
by the throat. Only once did he waver from what made Hannibal, Hannibal the
Annihilator. In not sacking Rome immediately following Canae, in showing
mercy, he left the door open for Rome to exact revenge at the Battle of Zama,
leading to the surrender of Carthage. (All brand managers and CMOs should
remember this as a warning.)
One might assume that these are vertical market attributes. But the study of Hannibal shows considerable success outside of warfare. Following his ultimate defeat by Romans at the Battle of Zama, Hannibal demonstrated statesmanship as well as a military leadership.
Peace left Carthage stripped of its former stature and heavily indebted to Rome. Blatant corruption of the Carthaginian government gave Hannibal a chance to re-emerge and become chief magistrate. When he took office, it was an insignificant post, but Hannibal infused it with power and authority. So effectively did Hannibal reform government abuses that the heavy tribute imposed by Rome could be paid by installments without additional and extraordinary taxation. He also reformed the Carthaginian version of the Supreme Court, stipulating that its membership be chosen by direct election rather than co-option. He also used citizen support to change the term of office in the court from life to a year, with a term limit of two years.
While Hannibal finally died in exile, his brand lives on and is a case study continually examined and revered by historians.
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