I met Ms. V mid way though my grade 10 math class as she was the new student teacher. I was struggling with the curriculum and her unique way of teaching made me excel in the class while also making it enjoyable! I remember specifically her way of helping us remember the “quadratic formula”- she called it the “Quadrinator” – and even made up a song that allowed me and my peers to remember the long complicated formula. This is one of the many ways V makes math fun and relatable. She helped me with math for the rest of my high school career and I attribute my success in achieving high grades because of her unique way of teaching adolescence, specifically teenage girls. I still keep in touch with Vanessa. She is not only my friend but a role model in business with an outstanding brand attached to her name.
Back then, she was the Math Doctor, and since, she has altered her brand identity and is now The Math Guru. Her ultimate goal is to share her passion for math and utilize her skill in teaching “to make math as cool as Lululemon.” Her vision is to create a ‘brand’ of math that appeals to teens and to shake the already imposed stereotype that math is for geeks.
The Math Guru started with the philosophy – now slogan – “Peace. Love. Pi.” Peace. Love. Pi. is every little thing that she does. She made me a bracelet with charms that had a peace sign, a heart, and the “pi” symbol (π). Her greeting cards had Peace. Love. Pi stamped on it. And around Christmas time, she gave me a Peace. Love. Pi ornament to hang up on the tree (which I did). She even carved the saying into a freakin pumpkin on Halloween! Peace & Love is something that never really goes out of style and companies like Forever 21, H&M, and legends like Bob Marley and Dylan embrace this philosophy. Brilliantly, V used this lifestyle and claimed it her own by adding “Pi” into the equation. I call her a dork because of it; however, it is Genius! Her hippie side really sparks the interest of young teen girls and they have clutched the image she was emulating by wearing her bracelets and using her personally styled and branded math notes. As she was touting this slogan around Toronto she knew she needed some type of logo to accompany it. When The Math Guru was born, she realized she needed a logo that would match perfectly. An attractive female in a yoga pose emanating math became the perfect logo (see below).
To reach her target market (teenage females) she crafted her online presence on Facebook, twitter, blackberry messenger, you name it. Her logo and slogan goes wherever she goes and that is where the kids are. This is why she has incredibly successful and her has attracted a loyal cliental (almost like a fan club)! If you take a look at the major tutoring centres they focus entirely on the functional attributes of their product: their tutoring services. Obviouly that is the first most important thing; however, educators underestimate the importance of braning and its effect on the consumer. Research suggests that consumption decisions are rarely based on the functionality and that other factors play a role as well – brand identity being a huge one! Her distinct competitive advantage over the big guys is she has PERSONALITY.
Check out her page on facebook…
http://www.facebook.com/TheMathGuru
Her future plan is to brand clothing, calculators, school supplies, tea mugs, start a magazine line all in hope to make the “non math people” into math fanatics. Implementing all these dreams and initiatives is the most challenging part of the process and it will take time but there is NO doubt in my mind that she will blow up, and blow up fast!
I will end with a quote that she said about what she believes a brand is:
A good product, of course, is the cornerstone of any good business. But I would argue, that a good, strong, appealing brand is just as – if not more – imperative. People see your brand before they experience your product. As the old adage goes – you never get a second chance to make a first impression!
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