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When
Francis Barraud finished the portrait of his dog listening to an Edison
Phonograph, the English painter had no idea how powerful the image would
prove to be. Nipper, the terrier in the painting, would soon become one
of the most recognizable faces in the world. When Barraud brought his
work to the offices of the Gramophone Company, Ltd. In 1899, manager William
Barry Owen had perhaps his greatest moment with the company.
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Owen
saw great potential in the image, and he agreed to pay Barraud 50 pounds
for the painting, and another 50 for the copyright, provided the Edison
phonograph from the original painting was replaced with a Berliner Gramophone.
Barraud agreed, and on September 15, 1899, the deal was made. The Gramophone
Company began using the image the next year.
Emile
Berliner, Owen's American partner, registered the trademark in the United
States in 1900, and Eldridge Johnson acquired the rights when he merged
interests with Berliner in 1901 to form the Victor company.
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What
began as an experiment in marketing would beget one of the greatest brand
strategies in business history. Nipper's face would appear on millions of
talking machines and advertisements throughout the world. More than a century
later, the logo still adorns the "Nipper Tower" in Camden, New
Jersey, is still in use by several companies around the world, including
RCA, HMV, and JVC (the Japanese Victor Company), and symbolizes quality
and tradition to millions of consumers worldwide. |
