Gang rolls out supporting branding executions.

gang marketing campaign extension

Just as Coca-Cola is also known as “Coke,” the gang Sur 13, I am guessing can also be referenced by the term SX3, as we learn with execution above of the branding campaign first noticed this gang season on my back fence. (This newest execution is about four doors down from me, on the lot of the former Delphia homestead. May she rest in peace.)

Perhaps you’re wondering why a violent Latino gang would want a colloquial alternative to their formal name. Often a shortening of a brand name that can be more quickly pronounced encourages its use in speech and, so marketers hope, word-of-mouth virulence. A brand wants its name spoken as often as possible, and in the case of parity products, someone might opt for the shorter name out of efficiency or laziness. For instance, “Give me a Coca-Cola” might be shortened to “Give me a Pepsi.” It’s unnatural and unclear to say “Give me a Coca,” hence the creation of “Coke.”

Another reason to shorten a brand same is to communicate familiarity, like a nickname. This leaves the impression that everyone knows the brand. It’s ubiquitous. Sometimes a brand needs familiarity so desperately it will actually create a nickname no shorter, or even lengthier in its pronunciation than the original. Sur 13 = SX3; Atlanta=The ATL.

In the case of this particular gang branding, here again we find strategic shortcomings. First, one should never introduce a secondary brand reference before the first is common knowledge. In a crowded field, this can lead to consumer confusion. Is Sur 13 the same thing as the gang MS-13? Is SX3 actually Sur 13? Or maybe it’s not a gang but a radio-controlled model airplane. Or a music sequencing and recording program. Maybe a fly fishing rod? A concept SUV? A mobility scooter?

Clearly, this suffers from the same shortcomings as the spray-paint scrawls on my back fence — no call to action, no verb, no sense of style, no actual purpose. Yet it somehow manages to introduce even more confusion by changing the the very brand name.

But to be fair, there are redeeming qualities to this marketing effort. First, let’s look at recent media.

gang media

As you can see, media density is high in the area with executions concentrated along the road connecting North Druid Hills Road with Buford Highway in the Brookhaven area of north Atlanta. Buford Highway is the guest-worker jaywalking capital of Georgia. It might seem as if the media selection is meant to “own” an area, but again, the takeaway is that somewhere in the area we have someone with no car, a can of paint and absolutely nothing to do.

There’s almost a sense of humor and a laudable brevity in this latest work at the former Jackson residence. First, note the placement, just a few feet away from a private security firm’s sign, as if to say, “¡Su sistema de seguridad no puede parar me y mi pintura de aerosol! ¿Podemos desfigurar su característica? ¡Si se puede!” To have actually written that would have taken a much bigger wall. Secondly, the text is directly showcased in the architectural accent lighting. Bueno! And because this particular wall actually faces the main road at an angle, almost like a subdivision entrance sign, it racks up impressions from motorists on the busy road. But what is that impression? It can best be summarized as “?” This execution does nothing to advance the Sur 13 brand but instead dilutes it.

The Sur 13 marketing team continues to exhibit a complete disregard for the most basic of brand standards, and ultimately this can only lead to further damage to the gang’s reputation.