The Michelin Man, who goes by the name of Bibendum, is a great example of personality-driven branding that works just as well today as he did during his debut in 1898. He is an amazingly versatile icon that has been able to adapt to change and break new ground for branding. Certainly he has gone through many iterations since his creation, and parts of his appearance and his personality have evolved in response to cultural changes. But the essence of a man made of tires who could "drink up obstacles" remains unchanged.

"He's much more than an advertising tool or corporate logo," says Édouard Michelin, the company's chief executive and the great-grandson of its co-founder. "He has lived through the whole history of the automobile. That gives him a status beyond any other type of corporate logo. He's alive." 1.

In 1889, André and Édouard Michelin developed and patented a pneumatic tire that could be detached quickly for easy repair. They enthused that pneumatic tires could "drink up obstacles". This selling point would be important to the development of Bibendum's persona. Shortly afterwards, the brothers Michelin attended an auto exposition and noticed vertical stacks of tires that looked vaguely like people. "Add some arms," said Édouard, "and you'd say they were men." Both thoughts remained in the backs of their minds.

Several years later, the Michelin brothers came across a rejected sketch for a brewery advertisement by an artist who went by the pen name of O'Galop. The sketch depicted a legendary king uttering a Latin toast, "Nunc est bibendum", which means "Now is the time to drink". They asked O'Galop for a new sketch, replacing the king with a tire man and the drink with a goblet of nails and broken glass. "Nunc est bibendum" was intended in the new design to be quite loosely translated as "The tire drinks up obstacles". Bibendum was born, though he was not referred to by that name quite yet.

The Michelin Man, although his early persona was a bit eerie and rather foppish, managed to charm the majority of the French public. They were not quite as comfortable with his strange goblet of road debris, however, and some referred to him as "the driving drunkard". He was a popular figure at expositions and both bicycle and motor races. At one such race, a competitor saw André Michelin drive up to the start and yelled, "Here comes Bibendum!" After that, the Michelin brothers had an official name for their creation. He appeared in many contexts right off the bat, illustrated in as many different ways as there were illustrators, but already iconic to most of France. He sometimes appeared in the form of a large cardboard cutout with a live barker standing behind it, touting the benefits of Michelin tires.

Over the past 100 years, Bibendum has been depicted in almost every role and situation imaginable. Instead of being a rigidly consistent mark, he has been allowed to move around, dress up, and take on different jobs and pastimes. The fact that Bibendum as a brand can sustain this flexibility and maintain its strength is a testament to inspiration, creativity, and great brand management. His form has changed quite dramatically, too, adapting to changes in culture by becoming less severe and elitist and more round and friendly. His warmth and personality go a long way towards making him a familiar and recognized brand despite the variety in his visual portrayal.

Despite his popularity, Bibendum became less prominent in the middle of the 20th century due to a new reluctance to advertise on the part of the Michelin company. Following World War II, the company had a very difficult time keeping up with demand for tires and consequently spent its energies elsewhere. The creative department at Michelin also experienced some flagging interest in continuing to refine and maintain their brand. They were re-energized in 1969, however, by the sight of astronauts in bulky white suits landing on the moon. The French public watched the moon landing and were immediately reminded of Bibendum, and he resurfaced. Eventually, Michelin would supply its brand of tires to the space shuttle.

Today, Bibendum stands alongside brands such as Shell and the London Underground logo as a brand with immense adaptability and longevity, not to mention influence. In 2000, he was voted the "greatest logo in history" by an international panel of design and branding experts.

A brand's power can also be gauged by the frequency and variety of its interactions with people. Bibendum has been adopted by cultures across the world and has appeared in graffiti, in the art world, and in architecture, as well as in more traditional media placement. Easily able to stand alone without the Michelin name, he is recognized worldwide and due to his charm has been adopted by countless people as a sort of a personal mascot.

The serendipitous creation and lighthearted design of Bibendum is a powerful example to those of us in design today, reminding us to be less rigid and more playful, and to keep the future in mind. It's hard to imagine that our shiny new creations of the moment could be around in 100 years, updated and made new over and over again. It's even harder to think that they could have done it as gracefully as Michelin's Bibendum.