MOJO THE MAGNIFICENT

Mojo, the Magnificent died yesterday. He would have been 10 years old on Sunday. Unfortunately, due to illness, he was just too tired to reach that milestone. So he went home, as we all must do someday.

Mojo was the pet and soulmate of Michele Allen, the founder of Crux. He was also her guardian, confidant, advisor, and favorite entertainer. I met Mojo three years ago when I went up to Michele’s for a two-day retreat on how to revamp Crux’s own marketing.  I have to admit I fell in love at first sight.

I had never met a bulldog before I met Mojo and his companion Hope. I like dogs and cats, and I’ve had a couple of furry soulmates of my own, but had never encountered anyone quite like Mojo. The first thing I noticed was how massive he seemed. This was not an animal you could ignore or take for granted.  But the thing that drew me to Mojo and Hope was their incredible gentleness and obvious interest in getting to know me. And then I looked into Mojo’s face and found myself thinking that if Albert Einstein ever came back as a dog, this was the form he must have chosen.  Mojo just seemed all-knowing. And all-loving.

During the course of our meeting, Michele and I discussed how to communicate not only the services we offered but the difference between us and other companies. Continuing our discussion in the car with Mojo in the back seat, Michele said, “We have to show people that not only do we have talent and experience, but real mojo!” At this point, Mojo stuck his face between us and I replied, “But we DO have Mojo! And Hope! After all, I reasoned, if a duck can sell insurance, why shouldn’t Mojo help us market Crux?  When a better way to demonstrate our persistent pursuit of quality, sense of humor and creativity than making a bulldog the symbol of the company?  By the time we got back to the office, images of Mojo on marketing materials were buzzing in our brains.

Mojo succeeded well beyond our dreams.  Clients have often told us what first attracted them to our website was the cute bulldog on our homepage. We used Mojo on our proposals, stationary and holiday cards. How could we not? He added a touch of fun without being silly to everything we produced.

But, of course, he did much, much more than that. For Mojo was always a presence – relaxing on his stuffed lion in Michele’s office, playing with his toys in the living room, hanging out under the dining room table during lunch and letting Hope know that as special as she is, he was Top Dog.  He even helped us make a short YouTube video, “A Pet is One Thing, but a Brand is a Different Animal All Together” about branding, complete with costume changes that he graciously endured.

It goes without saying that Mojo will be missed. But his grace, humor, and patience will continue to inspire and guide all of those who knew and loved him.

Goodbye Mojo. Enjoy heaven. You deserve it.