Caesar Cut Like a Knife

Rome is an amazing brand architecture with sub brands and line extensions of which its Caesars are a major part. Among all the emperors there are best and the worst, the Constantine and the Nero, but there was only one Gaius Julius Caesar—Rome's first Caesar and from whom the imperial synonym is taken.

He rose to become a respected Roman general and statesman, then he seized a position just short of an absolute monarch. And more than any single figure in Roman history, Caesar was the catalyst in transforming Rome from a proud Republic into what would become a sprawling empire that conquered a vast landscape from Great Britain to Turkey to Lower Egypt.

Caesar's general fame is really centered on his assassination. Most of us know the ancient and famous phrase, "Beware the Ides of March," which is March 15th and the date on which Caesar was killed by the Roman senate in 46 BC.

The truth of the man, however, is that Julius Caesar lived up to and earned his place in history. He was a formidable figure of his time, having followed a complex path to his rule over Rome. His father died when he was just 16 and left the young Gaius as head of the family. Muddy politics put Gaius on the hit list of a powerful Roman figure of the time. In combination with the government's confiscation of his inheritance, Gaius' options were limited and he chose to become a soldier. He was a natural. Within just a few years, he was honored for his role in an important siege in Asia Minor (now Turkey). That honor was the Civic Crown—an adornment of oak leaves and regarded as the second highest honor one could earn.

Over the next 18 or 20 years, Gaius held a number of political and military postings. A common thread throughout was his use of one post to maneuver his obtaining another—either by means of appointment or election. For most of his life, and for various reasons, Gaius was in heavy debt. Public office gave him immunity from prosecution for irregular acts that helped reduce that debt.

To help pay down some of that debt, Gaius aligned himself with two powerful forces in Roman politics––Marcus Licinius Crassus and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Known as the First Triumviate, the Caesar, Crassus and Pompey alliance would present opportunity for Caesar to establish himself as a man for the people. Crassus and Pompey backed his proposed law to redistribute public lands to the Roman poor. The alliance also put Caesar on a meteoric rise in Rome with his appointment as governor over Northern Italy and Southern Europe.

The position gave Caesar command of four legions, which he used to the hilt. His military conquests in Gaul extended Rome's territory to the North Sea, and in 55 BC he conducted the first Roman invasion of Britain. It was also during the Gallic Campaigns that two other talents emerge to shore up the Caesar we would come to know. One is that Caesar was quite the military engineer, his most famous example

Completed in 1-days, the first bridge to
cross the Rhine.

being the bridges he built to cross the Rhine during his Gallic campaign of 55 - 53 BC. Under his personal direction, 40,000 soldiers used local timber to build a crossing in less than ten days. It was almost 30-feet wide and, using a conservative estimate, 500 feet long. Caesar was the first to cross the Rhine and this was mind blowing to the Gauls, and a significant step in Caesar's ultimate defeat of the European tribes.

The second talent is Caesar's affinity for writing. Up until his death, Julius Caesar was himself the best primary source of what we know about him. Most people don't know that he had a reputation for being an accomplished author of prose. In addition to poetry, Caesar wrote war commentaries on his Gallic campaigns. Written and published more as dispatches from the front, one might describe these as journalistic in style—simple, direct, and to the point. Even now, Latin students study Caesar’s Commentarii. The net effect, however, was pure brand building—our politically savvy Caesar was working a long-term public relations campaign.

These documents, written by Caesar himself, detailed his exploits and built him up as the symbol of the quintessential Roman victor. In combination with his sending war booty back to the people of Rome (rather than the patrician class to squirrel it away for themselves), he became the soldier of the people, gaining them lands, wealth, slaves, and goods.

Bold and something of a pirate, Caesar had cagunis, the Italian-American version of cajones. This brand overview reveals a caliber of such brand attributes that allowed Caesar's rise to control all of Rome, and underscore his brand stamina throughout history.

Therefore, submitted for your approval...

1. Determine the most appropriate brand-positioning attribute.

Attitude with Caesar is everything. He recognized within himself his capabilities. One story may best exemplify the man and his brand attribute—his captivity among pirates.

On his way home from an eastern campaign, pirates of the Aegean Sea kidnapped and held Caesar prisoner. Rather than act the victim's part, Caesar maintained an attitude of superiority throughout his captivity. The account goes that when the pirates set the ransom of Caesar for twenty talents of silver, he demanded they increase it to fifty. On payment of the ransom and the subsequent release, Caesar assembled a fleet, whereby he hunted down and captured the pirates. During his own captivity, Caesar threatened his captors with crucifixion, which they took as a joke and an idle threat. But Caesar made good on the promise.

Command and control: In few situations, even when at a distinct disadvantage, Caesar maintained an air of authority over his situation.

2. Devise a distinctive way to articulate brand position.

Command and control dictated power and might. And Caesar very cleverly closely associated might with his own name and bloodline. Of the three or so possible histories for the name Caesar, the one chosen by our emperor is one likely derived from a family myth about an ancestor receiving the name after killing an elephant, possibly during the first Punic War. Elephant in the Punic language is Caesar.  

This does a couple of things. First, it ties Caesar to the heroism of Rome's victory over Carthage in the first Punic War. It also ties him a bit to Hannibal. Although a double-edged sword because of Rome's hatred for Hannibal and Carthage (long obliterated but not forgotten), Roman commanders had to admire the strategies of Hannibal. So too might they admire Caesar? 

Second, the Gauls came to know the elephant through the Carthaginian general Hannibal. As a result they would be familiar with the term caesar. Some Gallic tribes allied themselves with Hannibal, while others fell under his sword. Either way, there was a symbol of power, courage, and a degree of ruthlessness. And Caesar didn't mind being associated with any of the three. For good measure, he also used the animal during his Gallic campaigns.  

 3. Develop a focused brand personality that customers can use to recommend or introduce your company to others.

Mighty Caesar (spoken by Cleopatra, by the way)

4. Establish graphic standards.

In ancient times, power and authority often meant you got to mint coins. On minting his first denarius, Caesar had the elephant above his name, and treading on a Gallic serpent-horn, the Carnyx, symbolic of Caesar's victory over Gaul.

5. Implement internal branding programs to reward employees for behaving in ways that are consistent with the brand personality.

There were up to 10,000 men in Caesar's legions—many of them conscripted Gauls. He lead them into successful campaigning on any terrain and under all weather conditions, supported his military abilities being compared to other great ancient commanders, including Hannibal and even Alexander. His reputation also owes much to the strict but fair discipline of his legionaries, who both admired Caesar and were devoted to him.

Caesar rewarded their victories with spoils of war. They returned his generosity by giving Caesar a first rate and cavalry, and an ability for legendary speed with which he maneuvered. Caesar's forces sometimes marched as many as 40 miles a day.

When it came time for Caesar to return to Rome (the senate ordered his return for charges of treachery), they marched with Caesar and did what no other army dared ... crossed the Rubicon with Caesar. The Rubicon River marked the boundary of Rome. No other general marched into Rome with their legions. It was unheard of. And it signaled Caesar's power among the military, his confidence in the populace of Rome, and his intentions to hold power.

6. Consistently and uniquely execute the branding program.

These achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse the standing of all his rivals in Rome. Crossing the Rubicon with his legions in 49 BC, civil war was ignited and from which Caesar emerged as the unrivaled leader of the Roman world. 

Under duress, the senate would eventually grant Caesar the title, "Dictator in perpetuity." But in ancient times dictator didn't carry the negative connotations it does today. Intended as only temporary, those elected to dictator were expected to be of the highest character. And to some degree, Julius Caesar was a man of character. He had the interests of his Roman subjects at heart and was quite progressive, even considered a bit too populist by the senate. His extensive social and political reforms really annoyed the establishment. To the people of Rome, however, Caesar seemed benevolent in fulfillment of his title.

While he cut new ground in the history of Rome, unfortunately for Caesar it wasn't long before several senators became desperate to restore the constitutional government of the Republic. One of these included Caesar's close friend, Marcus Junius Brutus. On that fateful day in March, they lured Caesar into the senate chamber where they stabbed him repeatedly until he died. The result, however, had the opposite effect by further catapulting the Republic into an empire. It also sealed Caesar's position as a martyr among the populace and his soldiers, while carving the name of Caesar in history. In fact the name Caesar would forever be equated with emperor. And so you know, in proper ancient Latin, Caesar was originally pronounced "Kaysar." Play with that one for a while and you get the German term Kaiser, and the Russian Csar.

Side Notes:

One of Caesar's lasting impacts is the Julian Calendar. It is the foundation for our modern Gregorian Calendar of 365 days.

SPQR is often seen on the standards of Roman legions. It is an abbreviation for Senatus Populusque Romanus, the latin phrase for The Senate and People of Rome. It refers to the spirit of Rome's government in the ancient republic and used as an official signature of the government.