by Gone tO hELL » Wed Apr 21, 2010 10:21 pm
Esther Williams never signed TTM. Anything will be either autopenned, preprinted or secretarial. Very tough autograph to find in authentic form. Here is part of an article I read a few years ago.
At another point in my life my friend got me a job signing Esther Williams's autograph for fans. In the 1940s and '50s Esther was a star of MGM water musicals: think Ginger Rogers with nose plugs.
I hated the job because I felt like I was wasting my time. I thought of myself as a misplaced generator of big ideas. But in hindsight I'd have to say that Esther Williams was my first marketing mentor, and later I built my own marketing career around rules I learned from lame tasks I did while working for her.
During my first week, Esther gave me three copies of her signature (different pens, different sizes) and told me to practice. I submitted my best shot to Esther and she said, "Make the E's loopier." I looped and resubmitted and then she gave me the go-ahead. Lesson #5: Quality assurance is part of marketing - you can't brand something that is inconsistent.
We had stacks of old MGM promotional photos in which she looks like a showgirl. But for the die-hard fans who requested it, I also had a headshot photo of Esther when she was about fifty years old. Lesson #6: Give the customers what they want.
We had 8x10s, but I only sent those if the person enclosed postage. Otherwise, Esther instructed me to send a 5x7. Sometimes people would request an 8x10, and even if they didn't send postage, I'd send a big photo. I figured it would make a happy customer and it wouldn't break Esther's bank - after all, she was still receiving residual checks from Million Dollar Mermaid. Lesson #7: Know when to follow rules and when to use your own judgment.
At the time I didn't understand that Esther Williams had spent a lifetime cultivating her own brand. I was lucky to see the intricacies of maintaining the brand, even if the operation was a little eccentric.
Esther Williams never signed TTM. Anything will be either autopenned, preprinted or secretarial. Very tough autograph to find in authentic form. Here is part of an article I read a few years ago.
At another point in my life my friend got me a job signing Esther Williams's autograph for fans. In the 1940s and '50s Esther was a star of MGM water musicals: think Ginger Rogers with nose plugs.
I hated the job because I felt like I was wasting my time. I thought of myself as a misplaced generator of big ideas. But in hindsight I'd have to say that Esther Williams was my first marketing mentor, and later I built my own marketing career around rules I learned from lame tasks I did while working for her.
During my first week, Esther gave me three copies of her signature (different pens, different sizes) and told me to practice. I submitted my best shot to Esther and she said, "Make the E's loopier." I looped and resubmitted and then she gave me the go-ahead. Lesson #5: Quality assurance is part of marketing - you can't brand something that is inconsistent.
We had stacks of old MGM promotional photos in which she looks like a showgirl. But for the die-hard fans who requested it, I also had a headshot photo of Esther when she was about fifty years old. Lesson #6: Give the customers what they want.
We had 8x10s, but I only sent those if the person enclosed postage. Otherwise, Esther instructed me to send a 5x7. Sometimes people would request an 8x10, and even if they didn't send postage, I'd send a big photo. I figured it would make a happy customer and it wouldn't break Esther's bank - after all, she was still receiving residual checks from Million Dollar Mermaid. Lesson #7: Know when to follow rules and when to use your own judgment.
At the time I didn't understand that Esther Williams had spent a lifetime cultivating her own brand. I was lucky to see the intricacies of maintaining the brand, even if the operation was a little eccentric.
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