Say what you will about the WWE, chairman Vince Mcmahon has long-trail blazed the way in the world of sports entertainment branding.

Mr Mcmahon, who’s enjoyed various successes and failures outside the ring, has built a dominant empire around his wrestling brand.

Melodramatic storylines and huge pay-per-view events played an integral role in this achievement.

But as with any successful film or television show, the action revolves around a strong set of distinct characters that the audience can relate to.

Characterisation and Copywriting…

Technically Bret Hart is one of the greatest wrestlers to have graced the squared-circle. An enigmatic character swathed in pink and black, ‘The Hitman’ long dominated the wrestling scene.

The root of his longevity is multifaceted, but can be traced in large part to the character’s brand identity.

Mr Mcmahon’s savvy ability to brand his wrestlers is comparable to a copywriter composing a piece of advertorial copy.

When selling a product or service it is the copywriters’ task to tap into the ‘emotional selling point’ of that which they are promoting.

Mcmahon adopts a similar approach by playing on the obvious symbolism which resides in ‘The Hitman’s’ name – Hart.

When the audience hears ‘Hart’, they think of ‘heart’. This conjures up an image of a man who fights on the side of good and walks a path of righteousness. Mcmahon’s creative team augments this symbolism by coupling it with a strong back-story and positive colour identity.

The palette of pink and black swamping ‘The Hitman’s’ person funnels directly into this audience friendly perception. Throw a logo and distinctive entrance music into the mix and the brand starts to take shape.

Similarly, the professional copywriter may wish to extrapolate such symbology from the product or service they are selling to inform the composition of their content.

An irresistible force meets an immovable object…

Nestled among the professional copywriters’ cache are slogans, straplines, taglines, end lines, payoffs, signatures and headlines.

Creating a memorable phrase that sums up the tone and premise of a brand or product can form an essential part of getting the message across.

Occasionally, a tagline can be so effective that it alerts the audience to the nature of the product devoid of images.

“It does what it says on the tin”, or “a Mars a day helps you work, rest and play”, are great examples of slogans that have become embedded in our culture.

The same can be said about the Bret Hart brand.

His nickname – ‘The Hitman’ – is suggestive of the wrestler’s clinical nature. A specialist in technical wrestling, the name underscores Hart’s in-ring ability.

The character is also trimmed with a raft of memorable slogans that are seared into the fabric of professional wrestling.

“The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be”, and “the excellence of execution”, are synonymous with the Hart brand.

Legends never die…

Even today, 13 years on since Hart’s incongruous departure from the WWE, his brand identity lives on.

In many ways it’s a testament to Hart himself and the ingenuity of Mcmahon’s WWE branding machine.

The Hart mythology blends fact with fiction and like a good product or service, it refuses to go away.

It’s true to say Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart will always be “the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be”.