Branding

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  The BIG Kahuna

• Lend America Playing On Our Fears?

  BIG Kahuna

  29 Oct 2009 | 3:19 pm

  I’m sure you’ve all seen this cheeseball commercial: Click here to view the embedded video. Do you believe this brand called “Lend America”? Do you find it insulting how they pretend to be a newscast? In this day of mortgage crisis do you believe a bad credit score is okay?  Have you done a Google search for the phrase “Lend America Scam”? Would you be surprised to learn there are over 51,000 results? http://www.google.com/search?q=lend+america+scam&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGLG_en Your…

• Good Branding Is A Safety Net

  BIG Kahuna

  24 Oct 2009 | 5:30 pm

  As I walk the mall shopping and making buying decisions I always question why I buy one product over another. The other day I had a new home alarm installed. I shopped around and know for certain I could have saved a few bucks with a lot of other people. Who did I go with? Brinks. Sorry, Broadview. Why? I know if there’s ever a problem they’ll take care of me. I’m safe. Same thinking applies to all my shopping. Whenever I’m faced with a decision between two brands I’ll always choose the one that makes me feel the most comfortable. I’ll pay extra for that…

• Fox News – Fair and Balanced?

  BIG Kahuna

  13 Oct 2009 | 7:18 am

  Ah, no you’re not, and I watch you all the time. Let’s face it, you’re a conservative, Republican promoting TV News outlet. Get rid of this ridiculous tagline “Fair and Balanced”. It only makes you look weak.  Embrace your brand identity of representing the right. No one else is. You’ll automatically stand for much, much more by embracing the brand. We all know CNN and MSNBC go way left. Liberals love those stations. They don’t have the guts to come out and say they are liberals either. You do Fox. Just proclaim your rightness and be done with it.

• Are You Blocking Your Employees From Social Networks Like Facebook?

  BIG Kahuna

  12 Oct 2009 | 10:45 am

  If you are stop it. Now. Really, cut the crap! This sort of practice just gets morale down and makes your company an undesirable place to work at. Go ahead, tell me your employees will be less productive. Hogwash. They’re doing it anyway from their SmartPhones, iPhones and whoziedoozzies. Soon we will all have chips surgically implanted in our heads and we won’t need a device. Here’s a great article on the issues, read it: Access to social media improves productivity. According to Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology, “Using social networking sites…

• Obama Wins Nobel Smoke And Mirrors Prize

  BIG Kahuna

  9 Oct 2009 | 1:23 pm

  Today I have lost all respect from the brand Nobel. Today they awarded President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. A fine prize to win based on one’s dedication and hard-work to peace. None of which President Obama has accomplished or worked hard at (he’s only been in office for 9 months). President Obama says:  “I am both surprised and deeply humbled,” Obama said at the White House. “I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments. But rather as an affirmation of American leadership. … I will accept this award as a call to action.” I’m…

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  Tom Asacker on unlocking hearts and minds

• Broken windows and broken brands

  Tom Asacker

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:16 pm

  Years back two researchers argued that rampant crime in the city is the inevitable result of disorder. If a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and that no...

• 912 words on naming 2010

  Tom Asacker

  3 Nov 2009 | 10:59 am

  I just read another one of Stuart Elliott's advertising pieces in the New York Times. Is it just me or does his stuff read like a parody of the ad business? In this breakthrough article, Elliott sincerely discusses the pressing...

• The three habits of highly irritating management gurus

  Tom Asacker

  29 Oct 2009 | 3:30 pm

  That's the title of a recent article in The Economist, which refers to Stephen Covey, Jim Collins, Tom Peters and other management guru's rules as "nothing more than wet fingers in the wind." In addition to the author's disparaging discourse,...

• The one style of leadership

  Tom Asacker

  26 Oct 2009 | 12:29 pm

  I just read a short piece in Forbes Magazine titled Four Styles of Leadership. In it the author, Rich Karlgaard, places leadership styles into the following categories: visionary, empathetic, humble servitude, and moral/ethical. He describes each style by providing examples...

• Brand is Not a Four-Letter Word

  Tom Asacker

  21 Oct 2009 | 7:34 am

  I was recently shocked by a comment made on a post I wrote for a Spanish website. Someone actually compared "branding" to the notorious Nazi Joseph Goebbels' propaganda principles. I'm not kidding. Here's the link (it's in Spanish): http://tinyurl.com/yz88c9x This...

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  .think - A Brainstorm blog

• Branding Out of Your Gourd

  illig

  27 Oct 2009 | 10:13 am

  “Because we think harder.” My daughter and her friend Fouzan dropped in for a short-lived fall break from college last weekend. Fouzan was raised overseas and therefore largely unfamiliar with American holiday traditions, so we decided to visit a pumpkin patch and introduce him to pumpkin carving. A Side Trip On the way back from the pumpkin farm my daughter suggested we drop by Brainstorm and give Fouzan a quick tour of our offices. Fouzan was immediately taken by Brainstorm’s logo design - fascinated by the simple elements and concepts it symbolized: A power outlet, a thought…

• Brainstorm and Heartland Truly Moving Pictures

  illig

  15 Oct 2009 | 1:19 pm

  Hollywood comes to Indianapolis The annual Heartland Film Festival kicks off a 10-day run in Indianapolis today. This year’s festival features a record 87 films from around the world. Heartland Truly Moving Pictures is a non-profit organization that seeks to recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by expressing hope and emphasizing the best in human spirit. The Festival will award cash prizes totaling $200,000 to winning dramatic, documentary, short, and student films at the Crystal Heart Awards ceremony on Saturday, October 17th. Audiences rate movies and vote…

• Marking Their Identity

  Joellyn

  4 Oct 2009 | 10:10 pm

  A Mark Left I live in an urban environment with a bus stop near the front of my house. One morning, my neighbors and I were dismayed to awake to graffiti. Our bus stop had symbols painted on it, store front windows were etched, a residential fence defaced, and the light post marked. “The value of identity of course is that so often with it comes purpose.” -Richard R. Grant While I don’t think anyone in the neighborhood was surprised that it happened, we were grossly disappointed. We all work hard to maintain our beautiful space, but someone with a different connection to our…

• Top 20 Reasons We Like Margo

  illig

  30 Sep 2009 | 11:23 am

  Her love of chicken and waffles Our latest list of inane musings from the Brainstorm office white board: Top 20 Reasons We Like Margo She can call Goldie Hawn Mom, and get away with it She sits funny Her love of chicken and waffles She always smells good Bubbly personality She makes random outbursts! Denies ever being married to a Black Crowes band member (see #1) She’s shorter than me Her outgoing nature She listens to me ramble all day She’s a good superb stellar designer She can talk and work at the same time She talks to herself more than I do It makes Jenni us all happy to have her…

• Manage Your Online Savoir Faire

  denita

  10 Sep 2009 | 11:10 am

  Savoir faire: A polished sureness in social settings Indelible or invisible? You know the adage about first impressions. People are always making quick assessments of you or your brand based on how you look, what you say, and what you do. Eyebrows may raise, ears may perk up, or you may be completely ignored. Even a non-reaction is a reaction. Unless you’re surveying your audience on a regular basis, you may not even realize the impressions you’re making, or consider their impact, good or bad. An impressive following Think about how this applies on Twitter—how you form…

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  Brand Insight Blog

• Marketing Strategy vs. Tactics

  johnfurgurson

  1 Nov 2009 | 11:31 am

  by John Furgurson I’m appalled. A successful marketing guy asked me a question recently — a real no-brainer — which led me to believe he didn’t know the difference between strategy and tactics. How can that be? He’s held several high-paying marketing positions. He’s college educated in Marketing 101. He’s gotta know this stuff. So I started doing some research online and I’ve found the problem: The internet! There’s more misinformation than information out there. More nonsense than common sense. Even some of the biggest gurus in the industry have posted conflicting…

• On-line shopping — The best thing ever for MANkind.

  johnfurgurson

  25 Oct 2009 | 9:27 pm

  by John Furgurson Twenty five years ago I couldn’t imagine getting all my Christmas shopping done from the comfort of the man den. The idea of a world without malls was pure fantasy, right up there with that scene from Flashdance where Jennifer Beals dances in place until she’s raining sweat. But today, it’s reality. Men really do have an alternative to the drudgery of shopping. It’s called e-commerce. For men, shopping harkens back to cro-Magnon days when we’d hunt down the things we NEEDED to survive. Men shop alone, in order to be more stealthy and less visible to people who…

• If you got hit by a bus, what would happen to your brand?

  johnfurgurson

  9 Oct 2009 | 11:05 am

  by John Furgurson Death and taxes. Death and taxes. The two are always lumped together as inevitable parts of life. So why, as business people, do we obsess over taxes and ignore the issue of death? Nothing derails a small business faster, and more dramatically, than death. When a partner or key employee dies, or experiences a death in the family, the business suffers. No two ways about it. The question is, is your brand strong enough to survive a devastating personal loss?  My dentist lost his 3-year-old daughter in a drowning accident.  How do you go back to drilling teeth after that? My…

• A feel-good brand in a bummed-out world.

  johnfurgurson

  19 Aug 2009 | 4:35 pm

  by John Furgurson It’s being dubbed a “”depressed economy.”  There are nightly reports on our current “ecomonic dulldrums,” and the  “downturn” in consumer spending. But if you sift through all the doom and gloom you’ll find that some brands are thriving in this “challenging economic environment.”  How do they do it? Here’s the secret: Make people smile!  It’s as simple — and as difficult — as that. If your product or service can elicit genuine smiles, you’ve got a winning brand. Because happiness is contagious.  And when people are experiencing stress…

• F15 Fighter vs. the 787 Dreamliner — Why corporate mergers are seldom good for brands.

  johnfurgurson

  14 Aug 2009 | 5:49 pm

  by John Furgurson In 1997 Boeing and McDonnell Douglas agreed on a merger. Like most corporate marriages, the deal looked great on paper:  Boeing’s strength — commercial jetliners — was McDonald Douglas’ weakness. And vice-versa. Boeing’s shortcomings on the military side would be bolstered dramatically by partnering with McDonald Douglas, maker of the F15 Fighter, the Apache helicopter, the Tomahawk missile, and many other successful weapons systems. Two global brands, both looking to shore-up the weakest parts of their business. Two diametrically opposed corporate cultures. The…

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  Martin Lindstrom

• Brand vision - Absolut Branded Language

  Disney, Kellogg's, and Gillette are three completely different brands with one commonality. Over the past decade, they've established a branded language, whether they know it or not. In my latest book, we found 74 percent of today's consumers associate the word "crunch" with Kellogg's. Another 59 percent consider the word "masculine" and Gillette as one and the same. Americans formed the strongest association of masculinity to Gillette, by an astounding 84 percent. Disney scored higher in purloined language than any other brand. This brand welcomes you to its kingdom of fantasy, dreams,…

• Wireless strategy - Useful techniques - B2Branding

  Let's discuss a product category that's excruciatingly boring: rolling bearings and seals. I want to look at SKF, one of the world's largest manufacturers of rolling bearings and seals. I don't know about you, but I couldn't think of a less sexy and uninspiring product line. If you didn't know this business or the brand, you'd think (when you visited SKF's site) you'd arrived at the wrong URL. SKF not only tells you about the company's support of one of the world's largest rock shows and how SKF products help their clients make delicious biscuits, it also has a special postcard section. The…

• Wireless strategy - Product placement - Useful techniques - Future generations - BRANDchild

  You may be surprised to learn that close to 80 per cent of all brands purchased by parents is controlled by their offspring. But what will undoubtedly startle you are the figures that show a whopping 67 per cent of all car purchases is also determined by the children of the home – and not by the parents. Tweens (8- 14 year olds) are an increasingly powerful and smart consumer group, which in 2002 alone, spent and influenced an astounding €1.88 trillion. Did you know that an average British kid between 8 and 13 years of age is exposed to 22,000 television commercials a year? In fact these…

• Brand vision - Blogs

  You can’t avoid them – the blogs. They’re so plentiful that the opinions they offer are forming part of news reports. Given the evident potency of blogs, therefore, the question is should blogs remain within their current sphere of influence, helping individuals to share their personal opinions on with the world, or should they be adopted by brands as communication tools? The fact is that the marriage between blogs and brands is no longer a vision. Personality brands, like Seth Godin or Tom Peters, already blog the net. And brands like Weight watchers, LEGO, Apple or Harley Davidson…

• Optimizing sales - Brand alliances - Brand Alliances Put to the Test

  I'll bet that, more than once in your career, you've pondered the risk of teaming up with some other brand in a co-branding deal. The deal probably looked good; the conditions were perfect; but the brand... would it damage your own? It would be an exaggeration to claim that a number of studies have examined co-branding. But, luckily enough, I've managed to get hold of one study that might help us shed light on the issue. The Journal of Consumer Marketing published the study I’m referring to in 2000. It reveals a lot of interesting data and highlights facts of which we are possibly…

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  Brand Mix

• Six of the Best: Thanks for all the fish edition

  6 Nov 2009 | 7:20 am

  Photo: Just Taken Pics: FlickrAn edition about dolphins, mice and men. I report. You decide:1) Deep thinkers:The more we study dolphins, the brighter they turn out to be: guardian.co.uk (via Marginal Revolution)Anuschka de Rohan describes the various, amazing ways that Kelly, a bottlenose dolphin, has devised to get more fish. After being taught to retrieve trash for a fish reward, Kelly realized that a small piece of paper trash got the same reward as a large piece. So now, when she finds any paper in the pool, she hides it under a stone and tears it off, piece by piece to get lots and lots…

• A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet to Rachel, and definitely not to Rosemary

  3 Nov 2009 | 7:50 am

  A few years ago, by what I considered at the time to be an interesting fluke, I, Martin John Bishop, managed the MJB coffee brand. According to new work reported in Kellogg Insight, this was not a fluke. It was destiny!In yet another example that we humans are just completely hopeless really, a team of marketing academics has shown that your name can influence your everyday choices and even life-shaping decisions. As Professor Miguel Brendl, one of the authors of the research says: “It’s a bizarre idea, but your liking for the letters of your name, which is really driven by your liking…

• Six of the Best: Trick or Treat? edition

  31 Oct 2009 | 6:17 am

  Photo: peasap (Flickr CC)It's Halloween. Pumpkins all over America are being hacked and slashed to pieces. Thousands of Ghosts, Spidermen and Balloon Boys are ready to head out and hunt for tons and tons of candy that will help keep dentist chairs fully occupied in the months to come. To celebrate the occasion, here are six posts, tricky or treaty in some particular and sometimes obscure ways:1) How Trick-or-Treating Started: Smithsonian.comApparently: "Trick-or-treating is a modern day holdover of the practice of propitiating, or bribing, the spirits and their human counterparts roaming the…

• Tips from a POMQueen: The success of POM Wonderful

  27 Oct 2009 | 7:57 am

  Photo: Pomegranate Seed 3x: saltyseadog (Flickr CC)What's are the seeds of marketing success? How do you launch a product made with a fruit that few people have even heard of? What lessons can we learn from the success of POM Wonderful?Lynda Resnick (aka the POMQueen) was a keynote speaker at the UCLA Anderson Alumni Weekend this past week. She has an amazing track record. In addition to POM Wonderful, she's also had hits with Fiji Water, Teleflora and The Franklin Mint. But of all these hits, POM Wonderful may have been the highest level of difficulty. Before it was launched in 2003, only…

• Six of the Best: Those were the days edition

  23 Oct 2009 | 7:46 am

  Early edition this week because I'm off to LA for a UCLA reunion weekend to reminisce and compare.1) Those were the days: Mary HopkinAs the helpful notes say on the video, this song, produced by Paul McCartney, was a UK hit in 1968. And, no, that wasn't the year I graduated.2) Why Budgeting Drives Us Batty: Harvard BusinessLove budgeting? This took me right back to my Nestlé days: "As one manager said, 'We start budgeting around the middle of the year and finish around the same time the following year.' " Never was so little accomplished by so many for so long. According to Ron Ashkenas,…

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  Ruth Mortimer - Brand & Business Blog - Marketing Week

• The sponsorship of the MTV European Music Awards

  brandstrategy

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:55 am

  I was lucky enough to attend the MTV European Music Awards last night. There was plenty of brand and marketing activity going on (alongside the parties….) and so here is a quick roundup of the sponsor strategies in Berlin. Sony Ericsson ran its annual “fanwalk”, which saw 100 music fans, whittled down from 7000 applicants, walk from Hamburg to Berlin to win tickets to the MTV EMAs. As an extra bonus for completing the 300 km walk but one lucky fanwalker got to get on stage and present an award. (See pic of Gillian Deegan presenting below.) Meanwhile, Dell ran a competition…

• Sorrell predicts an LUV-shaped recession

  brandstrategy

  30 Oct 2009 | 8:46 am

  Anything Sir Martin Sorrell says tends to make headlines. Today, Sorrell said that he thought the recession would take an “LUV” form. This was a phrase coined by Thomson Reuters correspondent Stella Dawson. But what does “LUV” mean? Dawson suggested there would be an L-shaped recovery for some countries, a U-shaped for others and a few would achieve a V-shaped recovery. Sorrell added that he too thought Western Europe would have an L-shaped recovery; North America a U-shaped recovery; and a V-shaped one for the BRIC and Next 11 developing nations. L-shaped means: after…

• Kellogg’s and Calvin Harris

  brandstrategy

  29 Oct 2009 | 2:36 am

  It’s great being a celebrity. Alright, you might have to fend off a few paparazzi and put up with regular tabloid kiss and tells but you also get treated like brand royalty. Yesterday, musician and DJ Calvin Harris posted on his Twitter account about the lovely gift that he was just sent by Kellogg’s. After tweeting quite regularly about his breakfast preferences, the cornflake manufacturer sent him this box with some nice touches including the strapline ‘50% cornflakes, 50% branflakes – the perfect mix’. (Nice touch for a DJ.) I am still waiting for Ruthflakes.

• Media140 – has real-time social media got the X factor for brands?

  brandstrategy

  26 Oct 2009 | 10:39 am

  Thank you to Media140 for having me to speak at their event on real-time social media today. It was a pretty daunting prospect to get up in front of a room full of social media experts, all of whom were sending their every thought on your words and ideas to a massive screen with a rolling Twitterfeed. (It felt a bit like being on The X Factor where everyone watching is Simon Cowell with access to a keyboard.) Luckily, not too many people abused me. And I learnt some interesting stuff: ASOS’ number one referrer is Facebook. Its second-largest referrer is Twitter. The number of referrals…

• Do Kingsmill Confessions make you want to tell tales?

  brandstrategy

  23 Oct 2009 | 8:13 am

  There is an brilliant post on CrackUnit.com by Iain Tait about ads he doesn’t like (read it here). He picks up on the current Kingsmill bread campaign, which encourages people to make “confessions”. As Tait points out: “I’m just bursting with a whole bunch of confessions about bread. What on earth are they expecting? If you’re dying to let your sandwich secrets out, head to kingsmillconfessions.com.” He has a point. Personally, my favourite is someone who has “confessed” to Kingsmill on another site that their favourite bread is Hovis. The…

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  brandflakesforbreakfast

• this week at Plaid

  darryl ohrt

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:12 pm

  Here's what happened this week at the greatest agency in all of the land:Some costumes arrived for a production that's in house. Long story, but we're stoked to have another costume around the office for a couple of days.We shot a screen test for something top secret for someone that we can't talk about. We're bursting at the seams wanting to share the details, but for now we'll have to tell you that it's been a load of fun hanging with someone in tv, and getting a unique perspective on that side of the entertainment industry.Our skateboards arrived for the Bordobello event! This is an…

• bringing twitter to the classroom

  darryl ohrt

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:43 am

  W. Gardner Campbell, director of the Academy of Teaching and Learning at Baylor University believes that Twitter can be a valuable resource in the classroom.Imagine a classroom where students can tweet their questions and comments on the subject matter, projected on a screen at the head of the class. Imagine students having access to that stream after class, for additional discussion and additional input. Sound far fetched? Actually, that's exactly the scenario that exists at SXSW (above) and other conferences. Why not bring the same level of communication and information to students? Some…

• when is it ok to start your xmas campaign?

  darryl ohrt

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:33 am

  AdWeek has some interesting poll results from a survey about when it's socially acceptable to begin your holiday advertising campaign. (I saw my first Christmas display this year mid-October!)According to the poll, if you wait until Thanksgiving, 77% of the population won't hate you. Thanks, Jim Cioban

• twitter = second youngest of all social networks

  darryl ohrt

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:24 am

  ReadWriteWeb has some super interesting perspective on the population of the socialverse. When you look at the median age of each social network's audience, here's how they line up:Twitter: 31MySpace: 26LinkedIn: 39Facebook: 33The report also shows that Facebook is getting older, as the retirement class continue to flock to the network. They also report that Gen Y is warming to Twitter - 37% of those 18-24 now use Twitter when only 19% did back in December 2008. Celebrities? Because their workmates are doing it? Who knows. What we do know: LinkedIn is for the super old. ;)

• how to introduce the carbon economy

  darryl ohrt

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:14 am

  To promote the upcoming Carbon Economy Summit in Washington D.C., the visually brilliant team over at XPlane put together a clip that demonstrates the importance of the task and the opportunity that lies ahead. Beautiful, important work.

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  David Young | Branding Blog - Marketing Advice and Advertising Strategy for Small Business Owners

• Is Your Store Smiling?

  Dave Young

  3 Nov 2009 | 8:04 pm

  As a postscript to Monday's post on Sniffing for Market Share, it occurred to me that one more thing you could do when you evaluate the look (sight) of your business is to watch for smiles.That's right...smiles. Rolex has always required dealers to display their watches with the hands showing 10:10 because it looks like a smiling face. The current TV ad for American Express drives it home as well. The first half of the ad is a bunch of everyday shots that we interpret as unhappy faces. The second half is full of smiles.Can you make your storefront smile? Are any of you competitors smiling…

• Sniffing for Market Share

  Dave Young

  2 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  I've already talked about how this is a good time of year to work on the Personal Experience Factor of your business if the holidays aren't your busy time. So…how do you actually go about deciding which improvements to make in your store, office or shop? There are hundreds of ways to evaluate your PEF, and taking a global look at it will likely put you in paralysis by analysis. Yet, there's no better or direct way of grabbing precious market share away from your competitors. Want a shortcut? Come to your 5 senses! What I mean is simplify the process by using your senses to rank competitors…

• Terry Pettit: Coach, Mentor, Author, Rockstar

  Dave Young

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:46 pm

  Every field of endeavor has its Rockstars. In the world of Collegiate Volleyball coaching, Terry Pettit is a Rockstar. As the coach of the University of Nebraska Volleyball team Terry Pettit's coaching record was an astounding 694 and 148 (82% winning record). When Terry travels back to Nebraska from his current home of Fort Collins, Colorado, he is recognized in stores and on the streets where people want to re-live his teams' amazing feats. His 2008 book, Talent and the Secret Life of Teams is a masterfully crafted collection of some of the best leadership lessons you'll find anywhere.

• What's Your Market Share? Do you really know?

  Dave Young

  15 Oct 2009 | 11:02 pm

  How much of the market for your particular product or service do you own? Car dealers, real estate companies and other businesses whose transactions are tracked by the government have it made. They know exactly where they stand. Some businesses have an industry clearing-house that collects such information and shares it with members.For other local retailers or service businesses, this can be a rather difficult number to calculate with any degree of accuracy. So, how to keep score?If you've been in the market for long, you actually know more than you think. I hope these steps help you.1.

• Signup Now for a free Bootstrap Business Book

  Dave Young

  12 Oct 2009 | 6:16 am

  I wish I could have been in Austin for the Bootstrap Business Bootcamp debut at Wizard Academy. Rich Christiansen and Ron Porter had a super group of students a couple weeks ago. I can't say enough good things about this book and the expertise behind it. I had a very early manuscript and I knew that it was just the kind of information that a person needs in the very early stages of starting a business. Since then, I've been able to spend a fair amount of time with these guys. Rich has helped me put some proper focus into my own business and my life. These guys are the real deal. They live…

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  Branding Strategy Insider

• 9 Digital Trends For 2010

  Derrick Daye

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:10 pm

  1: Facebook replaces personal emailQuestion: Google has it, Hoover has it (in the UK anyway), TiVo had it, lost it and has somewhat got it back. Xerox had it, but nobody really cares anymore. So what is it?It's when a brand name becomes the verb associated with its use. So rather than searching, you Google, or TiVo when digital recording a television show. Arguably an even more powerful synonym is when a brand becomes a noun, such as Polaroid, for instant developed photographs, although that didn't end so well.The newest one would seem to Facebook, although it has too meanings.'I Facebooked…

• The Anti-laws of Luxury Marketing #16

  Derrick Daye

  2 Nov 2009 | 9:10 pm

  16. Keep celebrities out of your advertisingIn traditional marketing, stars of stage and screen are very often used in advertising: there is nothing like a David Beckham for selling sunglasses or shaving cream. Nestlé has also got in on the act, with premium brand Nespresso calling on the services of George Clooney, and Nescafé recruiting the famous English soccer player Ian Wright. Nestlé, the world’s number one in food marketing, knows what it’s doing.However, using celebrities to promote luxury products is extremely dangerous. A luxury brand is courted by the stars, in the same way…

• Brands and the Ladder of Life

  Al Ries

  1 Nov 2009 | 9:10 pm

  One of the typical questions marketing people ask themselves is, What’s the lifetime value of a customer?Presumably a company benefits by keeping its customers satisfied over an extended period of time. Nice idea in theory, but this kind of thinking often leads a company down the wrong path.Take Saturn, for example. Here was a brand built on the ultimate in customer satisfaction. Comfortable showrooms, no high-pressure sales people, no haggling over prices. ‘A different kind of company. A different kind of car.’The first Saturn model, the S series, was wildly successful. For a number of…

• Uniting Naming and Promotion

  Steve Rivkin

  31 Oct 2009 | 9:10 pm

  X-13D? What kind of name is that for something you pop into your mouth?Doritos turned naming conventions upside down with its savvy plan in 2007 to generate buzz – and, oh yes, a new name – for its new flavored chips. How? By submitting suggestions on the Web, prompted by these eye-catching black bags of cheeseburger-like chips with the 'classified' moniker.“This is the X-13D flavor experiment,” said the text box on the bag. “Objective: taste and name Doritos flavor X-13D.” This was followed by directions to a website that linked to yet another website. And when snack-happy teens…

• When The Name You Want Is Taken

  Steve Rivkin

  30 Oct 2009 | 9:05 pm

  You've just found out the name you want for your brand is owned by somebody else. So, the temptation is to say, "Let's move on."Not so fast. Names are property, and can be bought and sold (or leased) like real estate.Coors licensed the name of its upscale beer Irish Red from a long-defunct brewery. Yves St. Laurent bought the name of its Opium fragrance for only $200 from two elderly perfumers.The 1999 relaunch of National Airlines came about after the new owners paid $175,000 to buy the name at a bankruptcy sale from defunct Pan Am. (Pan Am had acquired the carrier in 1980.)Not that long…

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  BrandDigital | BrandSimple: The Blog

• In the pink is an understatement for this branding story

  Allen Adamson

  26 Oct 2009 | 6:49 am

  Colors as power apps are pretty hard to own. Yes, there’s the Gatorade green and orange and the FedEx purple and orange and the Coca-Cola red. But of the thousands of brands in existence there is one, in particular, for which a color has become almost unmatched in its power and ubiquity as a key branding element – pink and breast cancer awareness. In my most recent column in Forbes online I write about how breast cancer awareness has become one of the most successful brand stories in recent branding history, and certainly in the category of cause-related marketing. The plot line…

• Stop arguing. Rio’s win to host the Olympics was a won on branding know-how

  Allen Adamson

  14 Oct 2009 | 10:31 am

  What do cities vying for Olympics hosting rights have in common with shampoo? Or cookies? Cars? How about sneakers? Like any brand, which, yes, cities and countries are, they have to identify something to represent to consumers that’s different and better than any competitive claims. More so, this difference has to be genuinely meaningful to those whose attention these brands are trying to grab. While millions of people worldwide followed the competition among cities bidding for a chance to host the 2016 Olympic games, I watched with the perspective of a branding guy. Given the…

• The terms “good brand, bad brand” have taken on new meaning for the hyper-vigilant consumer

  Allen Adamson

  25 Sep 2009 | 6:54 am

  I wasn’t invited to the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, where leaders representing over 85% of the world’s economy are meeting to tackle world issues. I was, however, invited to write a column for Ad Age about the fact that consumers are more motivated than ever to choose brands that improve lives beyond their own. More so, that the very meaning of the terms “good brand or bad brand” have taken on entirely new meaning in a marketplace where corporate environmental and social responsibility is matched in interest only by the digital technology that makes it so easy to track…

• Jay Leno’s new show may not win the ratings game, but it’s still an interesting play on branding

  Allen Adamson

  23 Sep 2009 | 10:01 am

  The jury may have weighed in on this year’s Emmy winners, but it’s definitely still out on the newest iteration of Jay Leno’s presence. While many herald?”The Jay Leno Show,” airing weeknights at 10 P.M., as the next wave of broadcast television – lower cost, easier to produce, and more personal than sit-coms and hour-long dramas – others say it’s not quite living up the expectations set by the weeks of PR and advertising that preceded it. While I’m not a TV critic, a professional one, that is, I do know an interesting branding idea when I…

• Something Good for Free

  Allen Adamson

  22 Sep 2009 | 8:21 am

  Macmillan, the Parent company of my publisher Palgrave, has invited me to participate in a promotion to celebrate the paperback release of my new book, BrandDigital. They’ve set up a three-book prize giveaway, which includes BrandDigital, my first book, BrandSimple, and a book by Erika Andersen entitled, Being Strategic. Here’s how to win: Write a comment on this post naming a company any size or industry that you think is being strategic about their brand; approaching branding in ways that are both innovative and powerfully focused on the future. Erika will be posting this on her…

• 
  Baskin Dim Bulb branding advertising social media business strategy

• Forget About Harley and Apple

  Jonathan

  5 Nov 2009 | 5:15 am

  Have you noticed that most conversations about branding inevitably include references to Harley-Davidson and Apple? Sprinkle in mentions of Coke, Facebook, and Zappos, and you get the context of every agency pitch for more spending on brand engagement, loyalty, or whatever else these examples might suggest.I suggest you ban these references from your next conversation. Forget about them altogether.Marketing's dim science lets itself get distracted and misled by the stand-outs and exceptions. It's no surprise, since we're in the standing-out business (and think of ourselves as quite…

• Text is the New Multimedia

  Jonathan

  2 Nov 2009 | 2:44 am

  (NOTE: This essay draws on a chapter in my new book, Bright Lights & Dim Bulbs, which identifies nine radical branding and marketing insights for innovative business leaders to watch as we roll into 2010)If video killed the radio star, wasn't video supposed to obliterate text?It hasn't. Not even close. Who would have thought that 2009 would witness instead the continued resurgence of the written word?The language was sometimes indeterminable, and the conversations often unrepeatable without a blush added to the shrug, but text has proven amazingly resilient as a communications medium.

• Ads Aren't Augmented Reality

  Jonathan

  26 Oct 2009 | 5:04 am

  Does advertising need augmented reality?Augmented Reality, or "AR," is one of the ideas buzzing around the advertising world these days. The premise is that consumers don't want to look at static ads any longer, so there are various ways to augment them with technology that makes them move, speak, or appear in 3-D. Unlike passive advertising, AR embeds interactivity that lets people engage with marketing content.Cool. Only that's not AR. It's just a fancy name for creating ads for the sake of creating ads. The industry would do well to avoid pursuing the sham.AR is a real thing; fighter…

• Send Teenagers Into Space

  Jonathan

  23 Oct 2009 | 11:37 am

  No, I'm not being a grumpy parent. A nonprofit organization hopes to send as many as 200 teachers into space each year aboard private rockets. I think we should launch teenagers there instead.I understand the argument for teachers: there are educators who genuinely think space exploration is cool, and want to use it to encourage their students to study science. Boosters of manned missions see education as a leverage point for recruiting future boosters. NASA itself pursued the idea up until Christa McAuliffe was killed in the Challenger explosion in 1986."We believe that space should be for…

• Ford Keeps A Secret

  Jonathan

  22 Oct 2009 | 6:47 am

  Ford's latest spots for its Lincoln MKS and EcoBoost engine continues the company's steadfast commitment to advertising that ensures nobody understands what it's selling. It's not only that I don't like the campaign, but I honestly don't understand it.The Lincoln MKS sorta kinda looks like most other sedans, perhaps even luxuriously so. The ad makes this fact very plain, and does so in a very plain, generic, this-is-what-car-companies-do sort of way. Flashback to a couple of years ago and you'd see the same garbage: quick cuts of car exteriors and interiors interspersed with the vehicle…

• 
  Biz Growth News

• Dublin Twitterville Tweetup With Shel Israel Thanks To @Twtvite

  Krishna De

  3 Nov 2009 | 9:54 am

  I’ve always wanted to find an excuse to use the great Tweetup platform of Twtvite after I saw an invitation for an event that my friends Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson were organising for a Tweetup in the US. Today I tested out the platform when creating a Tweetup invitation for an event with another Shel – this time Shel Israel author of the new book Twitterville. Long time podcasting pal, Adrian Moss, who I met a few years ago at the Corporate Podcasting Summit where we were both speaking,  dropped me a direct message on Twitter some weeks ago to say that his company Parity…

• Facebook Changes Groups To Build More Buzz On Your Home Page

  Krishna De

  20 Oct 2009 | 9:49 pm

  Are you a member of a Facebook Group or an adminstrator of a Faceboobook Group? Then you are going to see some dramatic changes when you take a look at your Group this week (did you know there are currently over 45 million Facebook Groups?). Until now, Group activities have been isolated to the group page. This week Facebook have made changes to Facebook Groups – changes are being rolled out across all groups over this week if you don’t see the changes yet. In summary: Facebook Groups will now look similar to PagesFirst, we revamped the design for Groups so that they look similar…

• Sunday Business Post: Out On Your Own Conference for Entrepreneurs, 21 October 2009, Dublin

  Krishna De

  19 Oct 2009 | 9:16 pm

  Are you thinking of starting a new business? Then an event that is taking place on the 21 October 2009 hosted by the Sunday Business Post is a must for you – especially as the investment is just €25 per person. The programme starts at 8.45am and closes at 5.15pm. The conference promises to cover areas including: Tips for surviving an economic downturn Entrepreneurship and business planning Creative marketing on a shoestring Funding your start-up company and getting your pitch right to investors guiidance if you are thinking of investing in a franchise. Speakers include: Sean…

• Burson Marsteller Social Media Use in the Fortune 100

  Krishna De

  19 Oct 2009 | 5:56 am

  via slideshare.net The adoption of social media by the Fortune 100 companies was recently researched by Burson Marsteller. In summary the research found that: 54% of companies were using Twitter 32% of companies had a blog 29% of companies are using Facebook. Of the companies only using one social media platform, 76% of them were using Twitter, 14% were using Facebook and 10% had a blog. Of the companies using two social media platforms, 64% used a blog and Twitter and 36% are using Facebook and Twitter. The research identified that Twitter is being used primarily: to distribute news and…

• Are you addicted To Facebook And Twitter?

  Krishna De

  14 Oct 2009 | 9:31 pm

  via retrevo.com When do you Tweet? When driving, at work or on vacation? A recent Gadgetology study by consumer electronics shopping site, Retrevo.com found that most people check Facebook and Twitter a couple of times a day. 27% of respondents to the survey who are under 35 years of age however are checking Facebook more than 10 times a day. The survey also found that that 36% of people under the age of 35 often use Facebook or Twitter after sex – men being more likely to do this than women – and iPhone users are three times more likely to do so than Blackberry owners. The…

• 
  make the logo bigger

• My dog is delish!

  mtlb

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:44 am

  In spirit, according to the sample of Rachael Ray dog food I got in the mail. Nutrish! The package looks like bad candy design from the 1970s, and the actual sample bag inside looked even more odd. Felt like the back of a recipe card for some reason. (Dog ate it so I suppose it’s okay from a “dogs will eat anything’ perspective. Of course, dogs also eat their own puke and sniff each other’s butts.) Have to wonder if this move puts her regular brand on par with dog food too much though. Ya think?

• “Hy-Tech Autobaby, may I help you?”

  mtlb

  6 Nov 2009 | 7:31 am

  As brilliantly as I think Rhett & Link have put “bad” local on the map, they still can’t replicate the well-meaning intentions of the DIY small business crowd. Oh sure, E*TRADE has CGI coming out of it’s diapers, but it’s hard to beat an auto baby operator. Experience the difference!(Via Mat. O.)

• “First, ya gotta know your product.”

  mtlb

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:14 pm

  Chevy trucks didn’t just fly out the door in 1941 by themselves—you had to sell them, mister!

• Hot Pockets—It’s what’s for viral.

  mtlb

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:07 pm

  They’re back. But lose the mascot and just let the skaters do cool shit while eating... Hot Pockets.

• Flickr represent.

  mtlb

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:04 pm

  Old school jazz vinyl covers from the 1960s? Nailed.(Tip to Zeke.)

• 
  ZackBrandit

• The Word of Mouth Concept… Return to the Sources, Part 1

  28 Oct 2009 | 7:14 am

    Centuries ago, humanity like we know it today was different, especially from a technological point of view. Technology was at its first steps, influencing the methods of production,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Blogworld or a World of Blogs?

  22 Oct 2009 | 8:49 am

    Once in a while you hear things like blogs are passé or blogs are losing ground to new social media platforms such as micro-blogging like Technorati posted recently.... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• We’ve Got Some Nouvelles!

  31 Aug 2009 | 6:24 am

       Our platform is improving day by day and so will our communication. I come to you today with 4 headlines: We have finally launched our French blog.... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Conan the Barbarian Changes Our Social Behavior

  31 Aug 2009 | 3:29 am

  While drifting through my Friendfeed account I discovered a funny little thing that made me realize something big is happening.   I present to you... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Can Social Media Survive Without Cheerleaders?

  3 Aug 2009 | 3:57 am

  Twitter this, Facebook that, Friendfeed here - and you know what!?! We’ve been under the spell of social media for some time now, trying different platforms and every day seeing new... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• 
  The Marketing Minute

• How do you see your clients

  Drew McLellan

  5 Nov 2009 | 10:21 pm

  A client of ours, E-Myth Benchmark, who does excellent work with small business leaders (including yours truly) has this philosophy about their clients:"Our clients are much greater than they know.  It's our honor to help them discover that truth about themselves."Imagine if every time you answered the phone, shot off an e-mail or met with a client, you were filled with that attitude.   How might that change the dynamics of your relationship?  How would a bit of reverence change your company's culture?I've said it before....if you can't…

• Free chapter chock full of marketing "ah ha!"

  Drew McLellan

  3 Nov 2009 | 7:30 pm

  I love many things about blogging and social media.  But the #1 reason I love it is because it has afforded me the opportunity to meet some really wonderful, smart people. And sometimes it feels as though we've known each other forever.  That's certainly true for me of Gavin Heaton, CK, Lori Magno, Luc Debaisieux and many others.  But there's this agency guy named Jay Heyman who lives in New York City -- and he and I connect in a whole different way.  For some odd reason, we end up writing posts on the same subject or about the same subject on a regular basis! Which of…

• What I'm reading (11/01/09)

  Drew McLellan

  1 Nov 2009 | 6:57 am

  Sorry I've been lax with this feature in October.  It wasn't that I was not reading....but I've been on the road and at conferences just about all month and I just didn't have time to get this post built.None the less, here's what I've been reading these past few weeks and my take on each. Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz (buy it here) If you think you've already read this book -- you haven't.  Andy did a revised version in early 2009 and added lots of new case studies, worksheets and even some new chapters.  So don't be fooled.

• How to make time for social media: Twitter

  Drew McLellan

  31 Oct 2009 | 6:53 pm

  As I traverse across the country talking about social media, whether it's with clients one-on-one or with conference attendees from a stage -- the "I don't have time" mantra is a common response to the conversation.   I'm with you.  I get the time crunch thing.  I'm caught between that same rock and hard place.  But...I have figured out some ways to create time/time savers when it comes to social media.  So, I thought I would share what works for me, with the hopes that you can steal some of these ideas/tools. I'm not saying…

• If they'll play on your site, they'll pay on your site

  Drew McLellan

  29 Oct 2009 | 2:00 am

  Last year, I told you about Meijer, a 180 big box store in the Midwest and the very cool promotion they unleashed on Chicago and Cincinnati around Halloween.  Their headless horseman rode wild through the streets...having some fun scaring the downtown crowd. Well this year, they've upped the ante.  They've created a 3D experience where you can "put on a mask" and record a Halloween greeting.  Basically, it's a digital hologram called augmented reality.  (Kevin Dugan explains it better than I can.)Using this technology and your webcam, you can…

• 
  Ries' Pieces

• Under Armour: Too Big for its Shirt?

  Laura

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:19 pm

      It's amazing how many of the world's most successful entrepreneurs quickly forget what made them famous.     The latest example is Kevin Plank, CEO of Under Armour.     What made Under Armour famous? It wasn't a Super Bowl ad. It wasn't a massive marketing campaign. It wasn't ego or hype. What made Under Armour famous was "performance apparel" a new category Kevin created and carefully nurtured.      As an ex-Maryland football player, Kevin Plank was sick of wearing…

• Brand Makeover for the Swift School

  Laura

  28 Oct 2009 | 10:47 am

         I am proud to announce that the branding makeover of the Swift School is almost complete. The process has taken many months but the results are extraordinary.    Just to recap, back in April 2009, I was part of the On The House team that donated a total of $100,000 worth of services to a local non-profit organization in Atlanta. The winner of the prize was the Swift School, a non-profit school that serves elementary children with dyslexia.     The mission of On the House was to give a branding makeover to a non-profit…

• How Crocs Crashed

  Laura

  21 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm

    Success is sometimes your own worst enemy. Just ask the management and stockholders at Crocs.   A hot brand ends up in one of two different ways. It burns bright too fast and fizzles. Brands like this are known as fads. Or a brand burns hot then continues at a steady simmer. Brands like this are known as iconic.   Believe it or not, whether your brand will become a fad or an icon depends on your strategy more than you think. The good news is the fate of your brand is very much in your control. The bad news is it may be too late for Crocs.  While it’s true that no…

• Starbucks is Shooting Itself in the Cup

  Laura

  1 Oct 2009 | 10:45 am

            Starbucks latest offensive isn’t against McDonald’s or Dunkin’ Donuts it is against itself. And if Starbucks weapon is as successful as it says it will be then they could be shooting themselves in the cup.           Starbucks new weapon is its Via instant coffee, a brand that went nationwide this week after several months of testing in Seattle, Chicago and London.            To support the Via launch, Starbucks…

• GM & the Implication of the Opposite

  Laura

  15 Sep 2009 | 3:09 pm

                             Sometimes the harder you try, the worse off you are. Why is that?             Branding can sometimes be like trying to pick up girls. It is not what you say that counts. But the implication of what you say that counts.             Asking a girl out for a Saturday night date on a Thursday afternoon doesn’t…

• 
  The Fifth P...

• Does this surprise you?

  Luke Harvey-Palmer

  5 Nov 2009 | 12:57 am

  An article in today's Sydney Morning Herald released some results from a survey conducted on "Social Isolation and New Technology". The study involved telephone interviews with 2,512 adults between July 9, 2008 and August 10, 2008. The article read; Contrary to popular belief, technology is not leading to social isolation and people who use the internet and mobile phones have larger and more diverse social networks, according to a new study. "All the evidence points in one direction," said Keith Hampton, lead author of the report by the Pew Internet and American Life…

• The future of work…what does it look like?

  Luke Harvey-Palmer

  30 Oct 2009 | 12:37 pm

  Jeff Brenman recently created this compelling slide deck on the future of work, and how social media is shaping the workplace… Along with Randal Leeb-du Toit, I have been asked to present at a conference in February on this very subject, and how social business design thinking is changing the employee/employer dynamic. Groups like E3unlimited and Talent 2 are major resourcing organisations that are also looking at the changing workplace, and helping organisations to adopt and adapt… The future of work is YOU. The Future Of Work View more documents from Jeff Brenman. Bookmark It…

• have we lost our identity in this country?

  Luke Harvey-Palmer

  18 Oct 2009 | 3:44 am

  Can you remember the era when we all talked about ‘win win‘ outcomes. Win win outcomes where were both parties had something to gain from a negotiation, and there was not necessarily a loser. Last week I was speaking with someone who takes great interest in corporate culture and they asked me the question “do you think we are losing our identity in Australia because our corporate culture has become too much about win at all costs, and less about win win?” It was a good question, and I think they make a very good point. There are organisations in Australia where winning…

• why were the pyramids built…maybe it is not what we thought?

  Luke Harvey-Palmer

  17 Oct 2009 | 3:24 am

  ..so here's the thing… I learnt a little more about the pyramids of Giza today.  I am not sure what your ancient history knowledge is like, but mine varies depending on the civilization. What do you believe was the reason for building the pyramids? It seems 'to act as a burial ground for the pharaohs" is a little incorrect…and this does not surprise me, as I have always been left a little meh by this explanation! So, here is a more valid theory! The Nile (which ran through Giza), was worshipped as a God.  It was worshiped because for 4 months a year, there were…

• The tools DO matter for social business design!

  Luke Harvey-Palmer

  11 Oct 2009 | 4:11 pm

  I am reading a lot about social business design lately, and what it is all about. And I am seeing so many people say “the tools are unimportant” or “the tools do not matter” when talking about designing the social business, and stop apologising for this. This is just not true! If an organisation thinks that social media tools are not important, then what chance do they ever stand of being a social business? If it was not for the tools, we would not be having the conversations we are now having, and social business design as a concept would not have been crafted by The…

• 
  Tom Fishburne: this one time at Brand Camp

• feature creep

  Tom Fishburne

  1 Nov 2009 | 12:26 pm

  I passed by a design studio last week that had jack-o-lanterns on the stoop. I like that an office of designers would spend time designing pumpkins.  It struck me that jack-o-lantern carving could be a good metaphor for innovation.If we carved jack-o-lanterns the way we design products, we would probably carve by committee. And, whenever something is designed by committee, it's in danger of "Feature Creep."With “Feature Creep”, the idea gains extraneous features until the project loses focus and momentum.  It becomes a peace treaty.  By trying to appeal to…

• managing the brand

  Tom Fishburne

  25 Oct 2009 | 9:35 pm

  In the last two weeks, there’s been a lot of chatter about the role of the "brand manager" and marketing organizations generally, after Jack Neff at Ad Age previewed a Forrester research report in an article called "Why it’s time to do away with the brand manager.""Managing a brand has always been a slightly odd concept, given that consumers are the real arbiters of brand meaning, and it's become increasingly outmoded in today's two-way world. That's why a new report is going to recommend changing the name "brand manager" to "brand…

• the viral video bandwagon

  Tom Fishburne

  18 Oct 2009 | 8:54 pm

  Back in 2001, BMW created an internet-only series of short films called The Hire directed by big name directors like Guy Ritchie and John Woo. All of the films featured a pre-famous Clive Owen driving a BMW in different assignments around the world (my favorite involved Clive driving around Madonna).  Over four months, the films were seen 11 million times and spiked BMW sales by 12% (and helped launch Clive's career). They effectively pioneered viral video marketing. I remember seeing these films in 2002 and marveling at how a brand could create content that interesting and…

• breaking the rules of traditional retail

  Tom Fishburne

  5 Oct 2009 | 7:11 pm

  Traditional retail can be brutal for a new brand.  I gave a 30 min talk a few months ago about launching the method brand in the UK and how Ocado as an entrepreneurial web retailer helps support challenger brands by questioning the status quo.  Breaking the Rules of Traditional Retail from Tom Fishburne on Vimeo.

• the large print giveth

  Tom Fishburne

  4 Oct 2009 | 1:46 pm

  Whenever I need a marketing wake-up call, I listen to the classic Tom Waits' song, “Step Right Up.” It is an anthem for bad marketing.  In this brilliant song, Tom Waits cobbles together every cliché marketing pitch. "We got a year-end clearance, we got a white sale And a smoke-damaged furniture, you can drive it away today Act now, act now, and receive as our gift, our gift to you They come in all colors, one size fits all No muss, no fuss, no spills, you're tired of kitchen drudgery Everything must go, going out of business, going out of business Going out of…

• 
  Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

• A Personal Branding Tale Part 2

  Chad Levitt

  7 Nov 2009 | 4:15 am

  You have been working at your new job for six months and you are really enjoying being with this company. The job challenges you and you have responded to every challenge so far. You have created a reputation for yourself with your co-workers as reliable, consistent and accountable. You have shown the ability to think strategically and have executed on all tasks that have been given to you. Because of your solid reputation, you were recently asked to work on a new project that will have manager level exposure and help determine the future vision for the company. You will have a very minor…

• How Book Titles Build Personal Brands, Pt. 1

  Roger Parker

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:14 pm

  Choosing the right title for your book is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. The right title does more than just sell the book, it can launch a personal brand that creates endless opportunities while pre-selling follow-up books and a wealth of other profitable products & services. One of best examples of this is Sarah Susanka, whose Not So Big House title launched a powerhouse personal brand that has taken her far beyond her origins as a residential architect. Sarah Susanka and her “Not So Big” title provide a perfect model of personal branding success…

• Reference: Impersonation Policies for Top Social Networks

  Jacob Share

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:15 am

  I hope you never have to worry about anyone trying to impersonate you online, but just in case, here’s a handy reference for the major social networks. Twitter From Twitter’s Impersonation Policy: “The best way to report impersonation submitting a web request from the Support home page–be sure to select impersonation from the dropdown box!  Once you’ve submitted your ticket, we’ll email you a ticket confirmation with more information. You can check on your ticket status anytime by visiting your Twitter Support home page and clicking on  “check on your…

• Building Relationships Organically – Part 4

  Liz Lynch

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:15 am

  Step 3: Convert All things being equal, we prefer to do business with those we know, like and trust. And all things not being equal, many of us would still prefer to do business with those we know, like and trust. I heard this said at a panel discussion recently and I couldn’t agree more. The question is: How can we allow that know, like and trust to happen effortlessly and automatically so that networking doesn’t seem forced, fake, or time-consuming? Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored how we can tap into the natural ability we each have to build relationships organically, letting…

• Twitter Introduces New Personal Branding Tool: Lists

  Heather Huhman

  4 Nov 2009 | 2:35 pm

  Within days of introducing Twitter lists into public beta, an estimated 6.5 million lists have already been created. This begs the question, which Dan Schawbel asked on Nov. 1, does it matter how many times you’re listed? As of this writing, I am on 96 lists. Impressive, right? Perhaps, if they were all in line with my personal brand. How do others perceive you? The sign of a strong personal brand is when others perceive you how you want to be perceived. I have a dual personal brand (which is absolutely my own fault): entry-level careers expert and public relations pro. So, I’m included…

• 
  The Personal Branding Blog: William Arruda and the Reach-Certified Personal Branding Strategists

• It’s Important to Act Green When You Are Green!

  William Arruda

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:01 am

  Practice what you preach. Many companies focus on green products or green aspects of business such as producing solar panels or designing green buildings. These companies market themselves as “green companies.” If you dig a little deeper you can find out if they act green too. • Do they recycle paper?• Do they brew coffee in house and use non-disposal mugs or paper cups?• Do they have lights that are operated by motion sensors?• What do they do with old office equipment?• How do they dispose of old computers and gadgets?• How are meetings…

• You Don’t Have to Leave to Get a Green Job – Become the Internal Environmental Champion!

  William Arruda

  4 Nov 2009 | 5:49 am

  The environment could be one of your passions, even a core value. The challenge is that you don’t see your current company doing anything about it. In fact, the majority of respondents to a Monster survey said that given the choice, they would leave their current employer for a “greener” one. But the great news is that you do not have to leave! In a similar survey, also for Monster, only 18% of respondents felt that their employer was being extremely green. The reason that most employers are not taking the first steps is due to a lack of information and the upfront cost of doing…

• Have a Clear Strategy and Go Green with Ease

  William Arruda

  3 Nov 2009 | 5:11 am

  In this economy where change is constant, perhaps you have thought about switching to a field with high growth potential. Many of my clients who have come out of high technology and telecommunications are seeking to transfer their skills to industries offering long-term career potential and opportunities for federal stimulus money. Two fields come to mind that meet these criteria: healthcare IT and alternative/green energy. Many alternative energy start-ups are getting increased financing from VCs and other lenders, which translates into staff hiring and increased sales and marketing…

• Going Green: Five Tips for Getting a Green Job

  William Arruda

  2 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  1. Understand why green matters. To those working towards sustainability, green isn’t a fad or trend—it’s a serious and critical shift in how to think about business, resources, and the planet. Study up on the origins of sustainable development; read leading books in the field like Biomimicry, Cradle to Cradle, and The Ecology of Commerce; and track the developments and trends in the industry by checking out websites like Treehugger, GreenBiz.com, and Greentech Media. 2. Get clear on your goals. Green jobs vary widely, from climate scientists studying air quality to engineers designing…

• When Does Appreciating Lead to Advocating?

  Maria Elena Duron

  31 Oct 2009 | 6:06 am

  Gratitude seems to be a rare or discounted commodity. In our time deprived, hyper-connected world, we may text a quick “thx” or smiley face and go on our way.  And, practices like that make us like everyone else – just average. How do you stand out in someone’s mind? How do you engage and inspire them to speak positively on your behalf?  You must be more than average for anyone to step out, risk their reputation and advocate for you.Today’s busy schedules often leave little time for enriching people’s lives – our own included. Connecting can occur because of a sense…

• 
  Chris Garrett on New Media

• Brilliant Free Stuff from Friends

  Chris Garrett

  30 Oct 2009 | 9:07 pm

  Auckland, New Zealand I’m sat taking some time out from our travels down under to let you know about a couple of great giveaways. Yes, I am on my travels again. This time touring the other side of the planet. We are down in Auckland, New Zealand right now, after a quick stop in Singapore and just before we head to Sydney, and then Melbourne Australia. Ordinarily I wouldn’t be updating my blog with a vacation update but this news is too good. How good? My friend Sean is giving away an entire audio course. Not only is he giving it away, it’s a course that he is currently…

• Gary Vaynerchuck Interview

  Chris Garrett

  13 Oct 2009 | 5:00 am

  Gary crushing it at Web 2.0 Expo NY Today I am happy (and more than a little relieved) to be able to share with you this quick and informal interview I grabbed last week with Gary Vay.Ner.Chuk. Gary has quickly become a fixture on the convention scene, TV celebrity and a media darling because of his larger than life energy and positive personality, and also his expertise in personal branding, social media and business. Right now he is in the process of the launch his brilliant new book, “Crush It“. I was fortunate to grab 30 technical gremlin frustrated minutes where I got to ask…

• Join Me For a Live Chat

  Chris Garrett

  12 Oct 2009 | 2:17 am

  Ask me social media and blogging questions and see me answer live As part of the launch of Social Media Examiner I will be doing a live video chat along with Mike Stelzner. It’s free and easy to join in, and should be good fun! 10:00 New York time 15:00 London time Check out the full details here. Also, while you are there, check out my first article for the site … “How to Create Headlines that Go Viral With Social Media“ Related Posts:Social Media Marketing Survey Results - Free PDFHow to Really Use Social Media Marketing as a Tool For BusinessI Want Your Social Media…

• Get My New Business-Blogging Book with $10 Off

  Chris Garrett

  8 Oct 2009 | 6:50 am

  Business Blogging Made Simple A real-world guide to creating, writing and promoting a successful blog Inside my new e-book “Business Blogging – 50 Steps to Building Traffic and Sales,” you’ll discover: Why your business needs a blog (yesterday!) The biggest pitfalls of blogging — and how to avoid them How to build a following of faithful blog subscribers Proven tips for converting your blog traffic into sales Order now and get instant access … Save $10 – offer ends 14th Today! (Offer extended) I am really proud of this new book, I think the Wordtracker folks have done a…

• Climb Inside Gary Vaynerchuk’s Brain and Crush It

  Chris Garrett

  1 Oct 2009 | 3:03 am

  Got personal branding or social media questions? How would you like to get answers from one of the biggest new media rockstars on the planet? Gary Vaynerchuk is one of my favorite people in social media and he is in crazy demand right now due to his massively successful business projects, his new book (Crush It), and the arrival of his child. I am pinching myself right now because he has given me a slot in his super-busy schedule. Frankly I am also a little cautious – I do not want to mess up this chance to get some GaryVee wisdom on record. This is where you come in! As well as giving…

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  Hard Knox Life - Dave Knox Brand Management blog

• The Virtual Goods Gold Rush

  Dave Knox

  31 Oct 2009 | 8:40 am

  I have to admit, I have been fascinated by the Virtual Good / Social Gaming market lately.  It is something I am going to be thinking / writing about more often in the coming weeks for sure.  In the meantime, here is a great presentation that was recently given at the Virtual Worlds Conference.   Great primer for those new to this space.  [presentation embedded below]. Virtual Goods in Asia View more documents from Benjamin Joffe.

• Digital Strangelove (Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Net)

  Dave Knox

  24 Oct 2009 | 2:28 pm

  Talk about a presentation getting some nice buzz.  First Fred Wilson posts about this new presentation he just saw and then Henry Blodget writes about the same presentation on Silicon Alley Insider.  Looks like David Gillespie knows how to catch the eye of the right folks in the marketing blog world. But then again, after taking a look at the presentation myself, I needed to jump on the bandwagon because it really is filled with some great insights.  Hands down my favorite quote is this: Advertising got really good at speaking in 30 second chunks to a captive audience… Then quickly…

• Mary Meeker’s Web 2.0 Summit thoughts on the Economy & Internet

  Dave Knox

  22 Oct 2009 | 5:04 am

  For the past 6 years, Morgan Stanley’s Mary Meeker has been one of the highlights of the Web 2.0 Summit.  Last year was the first time I saw her presentation in person but every year is a must read report / powerpoint.  This year is no exception as Meeker gives an overview of the economy and then dives deep into why the “Mobile Internet is and will be bigger than most think.”  The full PowerPoint is embedded below and filled more valuable nuggets than I could possibly hope to capture in a summary.  Take the time to read this thing all the way through…it is a must…

• Etsy shows the power of consumer co-creation

  Dave Knox

  21 Oct 2009 | 4:02 am

  Are your fans passionate enough about your brand that they would make your ads for you?  If you are Etsy, than the answer is yes thanks to their Handmade Moment contest. I don’t know about you, but if I saw this on TV, I would have never guessed it was “Handmade.”

• Can Cincinnati be the Silicon Valley of consumer marketing?

  Dave Knox

  20 Oct 2009 | 9:57 am

  News came out today of a national marketing campaign that aims to position Cincinnati as “the Silicon Valley of consumer marketing.”  As the Cincinnati Enquirer states, “the work grew out of the Agenda 360 community-wide plan sponsored by the Cincinnati USA Regional chamber, which set as one of its goals the creation of 50,000 jobs by 2020.” In support of that goal, this work will specifically “support entrepreneurial companies in consumer marketing in Cincinnati.” In this regard, the effort seeks to build on a substantial core of marketing talent already…

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  Girvin Strategic Branding Design Blog

• Empowering Brands to Win: Online Promotional Messaging

  Tim Girvin

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:29 am

  Internet Advertising Winning Formulae Working as a strategist and designer in theatrical advertising and branding, there’s an approach that’s linked to sequence and revelation of motion picture content that’s showing some proven measure in conventional online advertising. BLT That is simplicity. Face. Message. Story. Emotion. Logo. While the idea of simplifying the concept of online advertising to considering the promotional messaging for motion [...]

• Local is global: Mom & Popism Shops

  Tim Girvin

  1 Nov 2009 | 3:22 am

  Exploring tiny market communities and micro retail — small shopping is beautiful While I’ve (and the Girvin team) had the chance to work on some of the largest retail groups in the world, namely Sogo&Seibu Co., Ltd. (Millennium Retailing) and their expansions to (and by) Seven&I Holdings, and others like Nordstrom, Macy’s, Neiman, there’s something [...]

• Le Microsoft Windows Café à Paris

  Tim Girvin

  31 Oct 2009 | 4:35 am

  Better than a store, you can eat there: Microsoft Café Exploring a new conception from Microsoft, a café in Paris — to be short-lived, yet an interesting telling on the principles of relationship development. But, Windows 7? Imagery sources Like good storytelling, the message begins on the street. 47 Boulevard Sebastopol I’ve written about the new Microsoft retail concept. [...]

• Tom Ford | Grey Vetiver

  Tim Girvin

  30 Oct 2009 | 7:18 am

  Tom Ford in Tokyo. Photo By Akiko Sameshima Exploring the human brand, story, product development, scent and visioning. Obviously, I’ve got a thing with Tom Ford. There are layers there. One, meeting him, talking to him, interviewing him — and learning from him. And two, there’s his team — people that I’ve variously come in contact with, [...]

• Humanitarian Brand Development | Cause Related Marketing Development — it’s all about love.

  Tim Girvin

  26 Oct 2009 | 11:20 am

  What if your brand is about a cause? What if your brand is humanity? What if your real messaging reach is love? This is an overview of Girvin’s strategic thinking about the nature of humanitarian and cause-related branding strategy and tactics. There have been a series of talks and presentations offered that reach to this place [...]

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  Whiplash Design's Identity & Branding Blog

• Feel Like Giving Up? This Gives You Hope…

  We all have those moments in life and business where we just feel so down and out, that we just feel like giving up. Lately, there have been a few obstacles in my life that have pushed me in this direction. However, I just happened to take a look at ...

• Hope: Artist Shepard Fairey’s Obama Art Punch

  I have always enjoyed Andy Warhol's artwork - I can't explain it other than the bold blocks of color, rich tapestries of American pop culture. I also love Keith Harring, who had a more political edge than Warhol. My generation now has it's own artist, a rarity in my opinion. ...

• The New Pepsi Logo and the Empty Reason for Change

  Many in the identity and graphic design, branding and marketing community have “voted” on the new Pepsi logo. Voted with their critique, that is. Many hate it, some even say it looks like a plumber’s rear. Why did Pepsi do it? It is one of the most recognized symbols ...

• Is Print Dead? Not if he can help it…

  Some of us over at Biznik.com have been discussing the idea that print is dying. Jeff Fisher, a fellow designer, was among the respondents - and I noticed he posted the video below on Facebook.com It is a printing company's version of Steve Delahoyde's film "Regrets: Boxes" which can ...

• Vote for Whiplash Design!

  The clock is ticking and time is running out. The polls will be closing at the end of October for StartupNation's Top 100 Home-Based Businesses! What is StartUp Nation? Well, in their own words: StartupNation is a free service founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. We created this site to be your one-stop ...

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  EveryJoe » Marketing

• Book Review: Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps

  Becky Scott

  27 Oct 2009 | 6:26 pm

  Small business owners wear many hats. They have to be chief company officers, project managers, lead generators and much more. When budgets are tight, it can be hard to find the money to hire a quality copywriter. And if you’re going to promote your business, you need good copywriting. Many small businesses just slap some copy into an ad or brochure and call it good. But with the right copy, you can garner a lot more attention and sales for your business. And that’s where Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps by Susan Gunelius comes in. Step-by-step, Gunelius shows you how to…

• Ways To Extend Your Brand

  Kim Beasley

  27 Oct 2009 | 1:41 pm

  Has the economy hit your business hard to where your brand is suffering? Are you looking for ways to extend your brand so that you can grow your business? Then lets look at ways you can extend your brand. Brand extension is the process of using different avenue to promote your business. According to Wikipedia.org… Brand extension or brand stretching is a marketing strategy in which a firm marketing a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name in a different product category. So let’s look at a few example of companies who have been successful in creating a…

• Carpet Bombing

  Mark Jabo

  27 Oct 2009 | 7:25 am

  One of the problems created by the whole “politically correct” movement (other than that whole pesky First Amendment thing) is that by continually crying “three little domesticated porcine agrarian animals’ oppressor” every time someone makes fun of a particular group, we tend to become insensitive to real-life examples of racism, sexism and hack ethnic comedy. I was at home the other evening, lounging on the futon with my extremely liberated, psychology doctorate toting wife when an ad came on for a local carpet store. Normally, we might have done a fast channel surf. I say…

• 7 Good and Highly Effective Branding Habits

  Kim Beasley

  24 Oct 2009 | 12:45 pm

  Having good branding habits for your business is important. Good branding habits should be incorporated into your business to help communicate your brand message and increase brand awareness. Image: SXC.hu Being able to piece together how you will communicate your brand to your target customers is important. Just as the image to the right shows, every piece counts. In branding, good habits count and can help you successfully communicate your brand. Below are a list of good branding habits that can help as you communicate your brand message. Incorporate your brand message on all your…

• Branding A Business Partnership

  Kim Beasley

  23 Oct 2009 | 7:25 am

  Are you a business owner who decided to partner up with another business owner to create a business? Did you keep your original business or merge it into the new business? It’s interesting to hear the answers to these two questions because I have found that some business owners don’t keep a separate identity from the combined business. Image: SXC.hu What I mean by this is that when you develop a partnership by merging with another business owner that you should try to work into the agreement that you will keep some type of autonomy for your original business. You can view this…

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  Name Wire: The Product Naming Blog

• McDonald's Walks Into a Naming and Branding Lion's Den

  6 Nov 2009 | 7:40 am

  The Eden Prairie, Minnesota restaurant The Lion's Tap has settled its trademark suit with McDonald's over the fast-food giant's use of their slogan "Who's Your Patty." The Lion's Tap has been using the slogan since 2005. According to the Jordan Independent, "The phrase is on company T-shirts, newspaper ads and headlines the restaurant's Web site." The Lion's Tap probably will not financially benefit from this, as yesterday's filing says "All claims ... are dismissed with prejudice and without costs and disbursements of attorney's fees to either party." This is an interesting issue not least…

• Chrysler Gets New Brand Identity and Ram Dodges Criticism About Split

  5 Nov 2009 | 6:08 am

  So before Chrysler could even release their new logo yesterday, the blogosphere was flooded with reviews of the change. For one, Motor Authority described it as lovely retrospective of past logos:

• Vodka Naming Gets Buff with Devotion

  3 Nov 2009 | 6:37 am

  Vodka naming is now officially pretty darn weird. Not as weird as energy drink naming, but it's close. A new vodka from San Francisco is being named Devotion. Never mind that San Francisco is hardly a place you'd associate with vodka (I personably think of Poland, then Russia, then Sweden, then Finland), this vodka offers "the benefits of protein" and was created by a "dining aficionado and fitness buff." Because, as we all know, fitness and hard alcohol go together like salad and chocolate frosting. This drink was created when the creator decided to give us something that represented his two…

• Global Brand Name in the Dictionary: Nissan Leaf

  2 Nov 2009 | 7:58 am

  It's extremely rare these days to have a word in the dictionary that is trademarkable globally. Congratulations to Nissan for the Leaf brand name, for its first electric car. To develop a trademarkable brand these days usually means a coined name or combination of words from a language other than English. Technorati Tags: Nissan, Leaf, Electric Car

• Naming and Branding in 2010: Keep it Simple

  30 Oct 2009 | 7:40 am

  So the magic marketing word for 2010 is "simple" according to USA Today, and this is sure to have a major effect on naming and branding. Last year was all about "cheap" but consumers are now looking for simplicity in health and beauty items and most definitely in things they eat. Marketers now talk about how few ingredients there are in things you buy in the supermarket... this year there were ingredient decreases in 19 food product categories including pet food. And between 2005 and 2008 there was a whopping 64.7% increase in products using the word "simple" or "simply" in their brand name.

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  The Engaging Brand

• Show #269 - 3 Steps to Design Thinking

  Anna Farmery

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:57 am

  Show 269 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcastis ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post and don't forget GotoMeeting hold your meetings online for just $49/mo. Try GoToMeeting FREE for 30 days Today I am talking to one of my favourite authors - Roger Martin. Roger really makes me think about thinking! If you have listened to the podcast interview with him on how we need to learn to hold opposing thoughts together at the same time, then you can listen here. Tonight…

• Why bonfire night is so special to me

  Anna Farmery

  5 Nov 2009 | 3:15 pm

  Bonfire night is a wonderful night in the UK and one which brings families together. It will always be special as it was 6 years ago today we lost my Dad...so I thought I would share a little story... I asked him about how to decide whether to join a company, he said"Only join healthy companies, check if it has the dreaded CDAIC"Looking totally confused I said "That sounds awful what is it...something contagious?"He looked and said "Highly....and it needs to be guarded against at every turn...it stands for corporate diarrhea and idea constipation. ....some symptons are... When faced with…

• Who are you...you are a diamond?

  Anna Farmery

  4 Nov 2009 | 4:03 am

  Talking business with Dad was always....infuriating and exciting...both at the same time :)  I remember talking about "Work Anna" and "Home Anna" and wondering how much the two should overlap. We had a discussion about how core values have to apply to all parts of your world but then he said something which I think is as relevant to brands as it is to people....and very relevant in a world of social media. He said"You are a diamond"Clearly I started to smile and look very proud of myself because Dad then said"You are obviously a gem to me however that is not what I mean here., I mean  that…

• How do you spend your time?

  Anna Farmery

  3 Nov 2009 | 2:02 pm

  I am reading all about design thinking in a book by one of my favourite thinkers Roger Martin (can't wait to record The Engaging Podcast about thinking later this week) He has made me think about how we spend our thinking time and how we should use the outcomes of thinking time to find more thinking time! It is a continual investment program.Here are my thoughts on thinking!Thinking time is about freedom, the freedom to think of new ideas and to see how the world could be....Thinking is then about taking those ideas and turning them from concept to reality.Thinking is then learning about what…

• It's not what you know....

  Anna Farmery

  2 Nov 2009 | 12:14 pm

  ....it is how you use the knowledge that you have.... I have always been a learner, I just crave learning new things, going new places, meeting or connecting with new people. I never feel more alive than when I get the chance to connect new ideas, find new ways or learn from inspiring people.It is not necessarily the knowledge, it is the chance to use that knowledge to benefit others. For me, life is about taking that knowledge and applying it to your world and making the world a better place. 3 questions to ask yourself every nightWhat did you learn today? How can I use it to make the world…

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  Greteman Group Blog

• Write Right

  Deanna Harms

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:02 am

  Tomorrow I’m speaking at a daylong event designed for PR college students statewide. My fellow panelists and I will each share five tips on how to write in a way that gets your stuff used. Tell me what you think. Am I missing any key points? Rein it in. Journalists are pressed for time. Only interested in what they (and their audiences) want to know. And really don’t appreciate the interruption. Focus your writing. Write slowly. Reread your work and rewrite as necessary. Remember the old saying, “Measure twice and cut once.” Cut – i.e. submit – factual work ready to publish or…

• GG Costume Throwdown

  Todd Ramsey

  30 Oct 2009 | 8:31 am

  UPDATE: Thanks for your votes. In a nail-biter of a contest, the designers took 76% of the votes. The other teams are sure they were sympathy votes. (Posted by one of the losers.) At Greteman Group, we don’t really need an excuse to dress up and have a good time. So we’re all pretty big fans of a holiday that encourages such behavior. This year, for Halloween, we decided to split up into three teams – designers, account strategists and support – for a costume battle royale. And now, we turn to you, our faithful, dedicated, beautiful readers, to help us decide which team will…

• Marc’s Picks for Final Friday – October 2009

  Marc Bosworth

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:27 am

  This Final Friday converges with Halloween, and many will be prowling the streets in full costume. To help you plan your evening haunting Wichita’s galleries, I offer this list of must-see shows for October. Painting by David Friday Be sure to click the thumbnails for a larger view of the images. Elly Fitzig and David Friday at Commerce Street Gallery Candy colors and expressive marks unite the works by these artists, so expect a really fun show by two of Wichita’s nicest people. Commerce Gallery at the Go Away Garage 508 S. Commerce 7:00-10:00 p.m. Visit the Go Away Garage website.

• Halloween: Keepin’ it Healthy

  Shelley Downs

  28 Oct 2009 | 3:20 pm

  Farmer Shelley gets ready to pick some carrots for her trick-or-treaters. I do a pretty good job controlling my obsession with sweets, but this time each year – with Halloween just around the corner and the holidays quickly approaching – I find it’s difficult to escape the temptations around us. And it never fails that I’ll end up with a bowl full of Halloween snacks that didn’t get handed out. I’m trying to hold fast to the mantra of moderation when it comes to enjoying these holiday sweets. If not, I’ll at least be partaking in options from this list of healthier food choices…

• Not as Easy as It Looks

  Rachel Groene

  27 Oct 2009 | 2:53 pm

  Although I still have another month until I enter my 20s, I’m getting a taste of what the rest of my corporate life will look like, or so I think. What started out as an unsure group of 14 students has turned into an evolutionary student-led company, never-failing recruitment tool and an ample amount of networking. Being able to be joint-CEO of the Barton International Group at Wichita State University has allowed me to partake in all of these outcomes, but any member you ask won’t say it was a cake walk to get to them. Everyone understood going in that we would be forming, storming,…

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       .

• DAY FOUR: Brand Booster 21

  Ed Roach

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:42 pm

  Today's session is about determining your brand's personality.

• When To Know When It's Time To Re-Brand.

  Ed Roach

  4 Nov 2009 | 10:26 am

  Re-branding. It's a term that you hear a lot these days. When you hear the term in relation to changing one's logo, this is an incorrect use of the term. Changing the logo won't re-brand anything. If you understand that your brand is essentially your reputation and is the result of every touch point in your company. If you’re merely change your logo without addressing the core issues for the

• DAY THREE:Brand Booster 21

  Ed Roach

  4 Nov 2009 | 10:24 am

  Today's session article is about Brand Values.

• DAY TWO:Brand Booster 21

  Ed Roach

  3 Nov 2009 | 2:28 pm

  Today's session article is about assembling your branding team.

• DAY ONE: Brand Booster 21!

  Ed Roach

  2 Nov 2009 | 8:32 am

  Today is day one of Brand Booster 21 over at Small Business branding.com. Authored by Vera Raposo and I to help small to medium sized business to focus their brands and give them a leg up on their competiton. It's free and and new step appears every day for the next 21 days.

• 
  Guy Richards - Ordinary life with a brand strategist

• Thought Process / Your Market

  Guy Richards

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:31 am

  Most people make balanced decisions based on their past experiences, current situations and what they hope to happen in the future. The challenge as an organization leader is trying to understand which one of the three your market bases the majority of their decision on. Advertising agencies, PR firms and internal marketing directors commonly make the mistake of misjudging the clients/donors thinking process when positioning their brand and offering. Which sends the message to the market… “We are out of touch!” And leads to a high price tag per conversion (divide marketing budget, by…

• The Mask

  Guy Richards

  5 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am

  You may have noticed the General Mills commercials ripping on Kashi. If you are like me, you laugh at the commercials because you can’t believe that anything General Mills sells could be healthier than Kashi, regardless of what they say. Let me share some disappointing news, Kashi is owned by Kellogg. Yes, the same people who make Frosted Flakes. For Kellogg to communicate through Kashi a passion for an organic lifestyle while they pump sugary flakes through their other brand is a value issue. Kellogg would never be believable if they came out with the same wholegrain options they sell…

• Be clear about your brand promise

  Guy Richards

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:04 am

  Most leaders understand what a brand promise is, but for a recap. A brand promise is the claim of distinction made to the market. The more value the promise has, the harder it is to deliver, but the more market favor your organization will given in comparison to your competitors. Example: Fedex - The world on Time Toms - One for One BMW - The ultimate driving machine Target - Expect more. Pay less.Compassion - Helping release children from poverty in Jesus' name These brands have stuck their neck out with their claims. They have connected with the market and have been able to deliver on…

• The passion of the leader’s vision

  Guy Richards

  3 Nov 2009 | 6:05 am

  How a leader views the cause of the organization greatly determines its success. I have found when a leader has passion and urgency to reach the brand goal and his/her lifestyle and actions align with the cause, it creates an organizational rally. The excitement motivates the leadership that motivates the employees, which over flows to the clients/donor base. Your brands loyalty, both internally and externally will always be a direct reflection of how the leaders portrays the cause... good or bad. 

• Seed Planter / Market Place Ministry

  Guy Richards

  2 Nov 2009 | 8:02 am

  This post is for the Christian business owner. What if you decided to use your business to make eternal impact? Ok, so you sell pizzas, car parts or widgets. That means you have resources, customers, vendors and maybe employees that you have influence with. You are a steward of something that is unique, special and rare. For business owners who are based in the US, you make up about *1.4% of the population. And being a “Christian” business owner you probably make up .25% of the population. Being rare is good. Because God is always on the look out to use the unseemly who want His agenda to…

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  Orange Element Insights

• Freebie Friday: 5 Secrets to Problem Solving

  Andy Bonner

  6 Nov 2009 | 2:56 pm

  Here’s a wallpaper to use as a reminder of Michael Bierut’s 5 Secrets to Problem Solving, featured in EJ’s blog post yesterday, which you can read here. Click a link below to download! 1024×768 (best for standard) 1680×1050 (best for widescreen) Andy www.orange-element.com

• Art Chantry says “Take a Nap!”

  EJ Hall

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:59 pm

  Jumping right on the heels of yesterday’s post about problem solving I wanted to share some design advice I received from punk designer Art Chantry a few years ago. When I was in school I had the opportunity to participate in a visiting designers workshop that was run by a selection of noteworthy designers with unique experiences and individual project assignments. The particular course I took was traded off between designers including Alexander Isley, Laurie Rosenwald, and Art Chantry. Each designer’s portion was set up over three days: a day for lecturing, a day for designing…

• Michael Bierut: 5 Secrets to Problem Solving

  EJ Hall

  5 Nov 2009 | 7:35 am

  How does the designer solve a problem? Michael Bierut of Pentagam says that he doesn’t consider himself creative but he is someone who people come to for solutions to problems. He works out these problems in his notebooks, which are filled not with paintings, or cartoons but problem notes, requirements and free-flowing ideas. After 86 notebooks of problem solving, he has narrowed his process to the 5 simple secrets listed below. The video is only about 19 minutes long but his words are packed with experiential knowledge and practical application throughout his esteemed career. 1.

• TEDx comes to Baltimore

  Andrea Campbell

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:16 am

  If you’ve even be half way awake in the last year, you’ve probably noticed a flurry of new ideas being generated, discussed and shared. Regardless of the economic climate, or maybe because of it (thoughts?), it is more apparent than ever that we as a culture have turned a corner. The era of idea sharing is greatly upon us. On the eve of TEDx MidAtlantic’s decent on Baltimore, I thought I would take a moment to build a bit of excitement and share this overview video. Can’t attend? Check out this link tomorrow for live streaming starting at 8:30 a.m.:…

• Stages 09: Design for Cause

  Andy Bonner

  3 Nov 2009 | 8:34 am

  STAGES is a global art exhibition to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer. It is a partnership between Lance Armstrong and Nike, and all of the work in the show is available for purchase with proceeds directly benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. STAGES features work by Shepard Fairey, Damien Hirst, Ed Ruscha, KAWS, Kenny Scharf, Geoff McFetridge, and many other influential artists from around the world. In support of STAGES, Trek has teamed up with Lance, Nike, and the artists of STAGES to create a series of custom-painted bikes that were ridden by Lance in his return…

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  Brandweek - News and Features

• Mother's Cookies Getting a Rebirth Under Kellogg

  7 Nov 2009 | 9:01 am

  Food giant uses social media in hopes of bringing a once-regional brand national.

• Amid Transition, Rivals Are Descending on Apple

  7 Nov 2009 | 9:01 am

  Has the iPhone maker lost a bit of its edge? And what can it do about it?

• Yes, Virginia, Macy's Will Bring Back That Campaign

  7 Nov 2009 | 9:01 am

  Evp-marketing Martine Reardon on why the chain is exhuming last year's campaign.

• The Mayo Clinic

  7 Nov 2009 | 9:01 am

  Hellmann’s wants to change mayo from an ordinary condiment into a culinary staple. Are they laying it on too thick?

• Social Media Users Talk Brands

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:26 am

  Almost half of Facebookers, Tweeters use networks to share product information.

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  The BrandBuilder Blog

• Before you can truly talk about Change Management, you have to focus on achieving clear vision

  Olivier Blanchard

  5 Nov 2009 | 12:39 pm

  I love the fact that the comments my readers leave on the BrandBuilder blog are an endless source of topics for me to write about. I am seriously considering devoting one or two posts per week to either giving your brilliant opinions more exposure and/or answering your questions. And in that vein, why not start today, right now? Here’s an astute question from Sonny Gill: in regards to characteristic n.8 in my post about “Becoming P2P: Principal characteristics of the new social business“: Company/organizational culture is something I love getting into and am still learning a…

• Thoughts on the sorry state of Social Media Conferences – comments from readers

  Olivier Blanchard

  3 Nov 2009 | 8:31 am

  Yesterday, I talked about the disappointment (to put it mildly) I feel whenever I run into a pointless social-media related conference. Particularly the kind that charges significantly more than the value it actually delivers, and essentially serves no purpose other than to further inflate the social media hype bubble instead of actually advancing the discipline. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, click here to go read it now. Judging from the comments the post generated, this topic evidently struck a nerve with more than a few of you. Some of the comments were so good that I…

• 3 Conferences and a Funeral – Part 1: Good conferences vs. pointless conferences

  Olivier Blanchard

  2 Nov 2009 | 10:56 am

  As I watched Scott Gould, Drew Ellis, Trey Pennington, Daren Forsyth and Maz Nadjm address a capacity crowd at Exeter’s  #LikeMinds conference two weeks ago, it occurred to me that not all conferences are created equal. In fact, I realized that conferences tend to fall into two very distinct categories: Conferences that provide real value, and conferences that provide very little value. Before I go on, let it be said that #LikeMinds falls squarely into the first category. Since I was one of the speakers at #LikeMinds, it’s natural for some of you to assume that I might be……

• Becoming P2P: Principal characteristics of the new Social Business

  Olivier Blanchard

  29 Oct 2009 | 10:41 am

  Skip this indented part if you’re in a hurry and you already know how the term P2P came to be: Though I am sure that someone thought of it long before I did, I coined the term P2P in 2008 in response to a question someone asked me about the evolution of business. The individual was asking about differences between B2B and B2C (business-to-business vs. business-to-consumer for the uninitiated) and it occurred to me that the context of the question required that I remove those two categories from his line of thinking. I suggested that he might want to look at the way businesses…

• First things first: The Social Media ROI presentation from the #LikeMinds conference

  Olivier Blanchard

  27 Oct 2009 | 6:10 pm

  Answering questions at #LikeMinds -Exter, Devon, UK If you’ve missed seeing videos on the blog these past last few weeks, you’re in luck: I have some video for you today. By now, you’ve probably seen the full version of the “intro to Social Media R.O.I.” deck I presented at SoFresh this summer, right? (If not, go check it out here.) You can also browse through most of the videos from my F.R.Y. and R.O.I. blog posts on www.smroi.net (which puts everything in one convenient place for you). And then there’s this recent piece by Mashable on the subject (which I…

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  Brand Champions

• Managing a Brand is a Lifetime of Work

  Rex Whisman

  7 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  That is a quote that I often use and cite from the source, Howard Schultz, Chairman, Starbucks. I thought about that appropriate comment yesterday as I was reading about Starbucks' performance this year vs. last year. Starbucks reportedly earned $150 million during the quarter that ended in September. Last year it earned $5.4 million.Starbucks is a great example of an international brand that is in it for the long haul. yes, they have their peaks and valleys just like any other brand. But, unlike most, they understand that a brand is only as important as how you engage your employees in…

• Brand Champion of the Day- Stephanie Johnson, Special Sections Editor, Tri-State Neighbor

  Rex Whisman

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  Two weeks ago I read a wonderfully written story in the October 23, 2009 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Entitled, The Cursed Class of 2009, the piece captures the challenges faced by college seniors who graduated last spring. The majority have not yet found jobs and those who have landed positions, have in many cases had to settle for salaries significant less than previous graduating classes. After reading the compelling story about the class of 2009 and the author's own experiences, I thought it would be appropriate to reach out to her and ask her to share some additional…

• Brand Book vs. Graphic Standards Manuel

  Rex Whisman

  5 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  Tonight I will be engaged in a discussion on this topic as the next step in the brand development process for an organization that I have been working with for the past year. I look forward to conversations about how best to create standards that helps ensure consistence use of graphic standards and a guide for delivering the organization's brand promise, as well as developing a culture to support the mission and core values.In the 20th century most companies approached this critical step by limiting their view and execution to a standards manual that contained ways to use or not use the…

• Brand Strategy- Getting Your Ducks in a Row

  Rex Whisman

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  When I talk to others about the process of developing a brand strategy I explain that it is the methodology of aligning an organization's internal culture with its external reputation. In other words it is about getting our ducks in a row. Ideally we want our internal stakeholders (employees and others) and our external stakeholders (prospective customers and others) to be in sync with our strategic plan. When this occurs we have a great chance of creating a sustainable brand strategy.That sounds cool to most people. Then I tell them that the process takes time. All of a sudden that does…

• Is Obama Delivering on His Brand Promise?

  Rex Whisman

  3 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  Now that we are at the one year anniversary of the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States many are asking themselves and others, is Obama delivering on his brand promise?. As you know, many voted for him because he promised to deliver change and hope. That promise related to the war, the economy, international relations, health care, bi-partisan politics and more. So have things changed? Is there still hope? I think it too early to call.When I work with organizations to help them develop a promise statement as part of their brand platform, I tell them that it will probably…

• 
  BRANDING NEWS - Google News

• Business Profiles for Online Marketing and Branding Complete with Unique URL ... - TransWorldNews (press release)

  7 Nov 2009 | 2:51 am

  Business Profiles for Online Marketing and Branding Complete with Unique URL TransWorldNews (press release)Business and individuals can spend hundreds to thousands of hours uploading content to various sites on the Internet as a means of creating online marketing and more »

• Brand-new branding - Philadelphia Inquirer

  7 Nov 2009 | 12:09 am

  Brand-new brandingPhiladelphia InquirerThe brand-hopping can confuse shoppers who can't find their favorite label. But in some cases it means shoppers will be able to get a taste of designer and more »

• Never Mind Virginia or Jersey. What Does Twitter Think About Brand Obama? - AdAge.com

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:23 pm

  Never Mind Virginia or Jersey. What Does Twitter Think About Brand Obama?AdAge.comThis week was all about political branding -- and the effect that a certain national political brand may or may not have had on certain

• Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. Q3 2009 Earnings Call Transcript - Seeking Alpha (blog)

  6 Nov 2009 | 2:47 pm

  Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. Q3 2009 Earnings Call TranscriptSeeking Alpha (blog)As for the cooking channel, while we have named a new general manager and we are on track to complete the re-branding about midway though the third quarter and more »

• The Eclipse Group Announces New Branding Initiatives and Expansion of Key ... - Business Wire (press release)

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:17 am

  The Eclipse Group Announces New Branding Initiatives and Expansion of Key Business Wire (press release) announces its new brand and market positioning initiatives through the launch of a new website and a significant expansion of their key practice areas. and more »

• 
  Snark Hunting

• Microsoft finds perfect Windows 7 metaphor with a 7-patty Whopper

  Steve

  23 Oct 2009 | 8:04 am

  Via the Daily Mail: Burger King has released a gut-busting seven-patty Whopper to mark the release of Windows 7. In what may be the most bizarre cross-promotional campaign ever, Microsoft linked up with the fast-food chain to create the ‘Windows 7 Whopper.’ I guess they figure anyone dumb enough to eat this will also buy Windows 7.

• Smart & Final

  Steve

  16 Oct 2009 | 7:44 am

  For those of us who toil in a nerdly field, the presence of a maverick who stomps on the terra, chokes every bead of bile from life’s clogged ducts, and then vaporizes in a defiant, atavistic lunge, elevates us all. In the Name Game, that man was John Smart of Interbrand. This month marks the eleventh anniversary of Agent Smart’s death, and consequently the ninth anniversary of when “schwing” stopped being associated with namers. He was our Austin Powers, our Keith Richards, our Richard Branson. Most of the official record seems to have disappeared from the Web. We…

• Disney’s not-so-secret gay agenda?

  Steve

  9 Oct 2009 | 8:53 am

  I personally blame this cover art for a youthful indiscretion of mine at a Boy Scout Jamboree in the ’70s, but that’s a post for a different day. What say we send this to the real tea baggers, give them something to rant about? Brokeback Mountain Prequel

• Client V. Creative

  Steve

  24 Sep 2009 | 1:23 pm

  I have had the experience of the blue robot more times than I want to know. Although usually I just think what he is saying. Usually.

• The Color of Money is…Changeable

  Steve

  9 Sep 2009 | 11:51 am

  One of the funniest aspects of alleged naming & branding firm Landor, is the ridiculous rationale they cite for the work they produce. Oftentimes they will, with capricious authority, justify a design based on what certain colors “mean” or “communicate”. These “reasons” become all the more comical when parroted by the officers of their most recent victim. Landor’s latest for a financial company is a re-worked logo. Fiserve’s Chief Executive Jeffery Yabuki, performs the squawk of shame for the Journal Sentinel: The new logo, which is the word fiserv. – with a…

• 
  MisEntropy

• ten things i didn't know until last week

  blaiq

  1 Nov 2009 | 12:18 am

  1. In the Biblical account of Genesis, the first task God entrusted to Adam was to give names to all the animals.More details2. Password aging is a feature in software that forces users to change their passwords after a specified period of time.More details3. According to long-standing protocol, Brazil always speaks first at the UN General Assembly and is followed by the host country.More details4. Jazz musician Stan Getz's real name is Stanley Gayetsky.More details5. Silent movie superstar Clara Bow was the original 'It' girl - heralded as such in 1927 for appearing, appropiately enough, in…

• Plannersphere Top 20 - October 2009

  blaiq

  6 Oct 2009 | 5:04 am

  The top 20 blogs in the plannersphere as of 6th October 2009 are: 01. Noah Brier dot Com 02. Nick Burcher 03. russell davies 04. advertising lab 05. We Are Social 06. adliterate 07. Only Dead Fish 08. News from the Herd 09. Influxinsights 10. Adspace Pioneers 11. paul isakson 12. Life Moves Pretty Fast 13. Herd - the hidden truth about who we are 14. brand new 15. Servant of Chaos 16. Mike Arauz 17. The Hidden Persuader 18. livingbrands 19. From The Head Of Zeus Jones 20. Talent imitates, genius steals a. The top 20 blog list winnows out the planning/strategy blogs from the AdAge Power 150…

• Why scam ads are like pedigree dogs

  blaiq

  10 Sep 2009 | 5:19 am

  Leafing through an old issue of New Scientist magazine, I came upon this op-ed column that expresses outrage at the cruelty and insensitivity inherent in breeding pedigree dogs.It seems that pedigree dogs are so efficiently bred for narrow award-winning characteristics that as a result they often end up suffering grave ill-health and a greatly reduced quality of life.That immediately struck me as an appropriate way to describe something closer home - a scam ad. After we are done condemning the creatives and agencies behind scam ads (whenever that would be), it isn't too difficult to see the…

• Plannersphere Top 20/20 - September 2009

  blaiq

  5 Sep 2009 | 10:44 am

  The top 20 blogs in the plannersphere as of 5th September 2009 are:01. advertising lab02. Noah Brier dot Com03. Nick Burcher04. russell davies05. Adspace Pioneers06. Only Dead Fish07. We Are Social08. News from the Herd09. paul isakson10. Mike Arauz11. adliterate12. Influxinsights13. The Hidden Persuader14. Servant of Chaos15. The Hidden Persuader16. From The Head Of Zeus Jones17. Make Marketing History18. brand new19. Get Shouty20. Interactive Marketing TrendsThe top 20 posts from the plannersphere in August 2009 (actually top 27, as that's how many are tied with the same score) as ranked by…

• How to backup and search all the planners' tweets using Google Reader

  blaiq

  3 Sep 2009 | 4:36 am

  First, why would would you want to do that? Probably because you're looking to retrieve/ retrace a Twitter conversation you were part of (or one you overhead) from a while ago. Or because you're interested in unearthing other planners' thoughts on some past event of note, say, the Tropicana redesign fiasco. Or probably to search for all '@' replies to you from folks in the plannersphere.The thing is, Twitter Search has a tunnel vision of just over a week and half. And anything over that is just as out of reach as your own imagination and memory is within reach.But after reading a recent post…

• 
  Bringing Brands to Life!

• Employee Engagement Lessons from Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” Part 1

  Thomas R. Clifford

  4 Nov 2009 | 6:04 am

  I’m a big fan of Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” site. The minute it launched, I felt it offered a simple yet highly effective way for organizations to integrate social media concepts into their internal communication strategies. I wanted to know more. So I asked Ellen McGirt, the Senior Writer and Dean of “30 Second MBA,” a few questions about her experiences in launching the site. I was particularly interested in seeing how the “30 Second MBA” framework could be adapted for internal communication purposes. Here’s part one of the interview. And many thanks, Ellen, for…

• 5 Big Ideas: What Honda’s Mini-Documentaries Can Teach Non-Filmmakers

  Thomas R. Clifford

  21 Oct 2009 | 7:05 pm

  Here are five ideas from Honda’s new corporate documentary, “Racing Against Time,” to help you take your videos from talking heads to interesting and believable stories. (RSS readers click thru to see the video.) Have you checked out Honda’s “Dream the Impossible” mini-documentary series? The video series features several big ideas in a series of mini-documentaries. And yes, they’re beautifully produced. But here’s the thing. If you deconstruct Honda’s new documentary, “Racing Against Time,” you’ll find five big ideas you can use to make your own videos just as…

• Tom's SpeedLink #12

  Thomas R. Clifford

  20 Oct 2009 | 5:52 am

  Time to share some pretty cool links... 1. New book: "Believe Me: Why Your Vision, Brand, and Leadership Need a Bigger Story." Michael Margolis, my friend and remarkable business storyteller, just released his first book yesterday entitled, "Believe Me: Why Your Vision, Brand, and Leadership Need a Bigger Story." It's a "storytelling manifesto for change-makers and innovators." Yes, I ordered my copy and can't wait to dive in to it! 2. Honda Launches New Docu-Series On Twitter Honda's corporate mini-documentaries are some of my favorite programs. I'll have a full article on this new video…

• 9 Super Simple Ways to Rock Your Company Video

  Thomas R. Clifford

  7 Oct 2009 | 7:18 pm

  It’s the small things that can make a big difference. Anyone can implement these ideas. And the cool part? They’re free or next to free. See if you can sneak a few of these tricks into your next project. It will help your video story feel more believable and interesting. And rockin'. 1. Talk first. Your best storytellers are hiding right under your nose– your employees. Figure our what your video is about. Pull up a chair and get talking. Ask lots of different questions. Employees rarely get this kind of chance to be heard and recognized. You’ll be amazed at what you hear and capture.

• 7 Fascinating Filmmakers to Follow on Twitter

  Thomas R. Clifford

  23 Sep 2009 | 6:00 am

  Think today’s filmmakers are stuck behind the camera? Or the edit room? Think again. Many filmmakers are harnessing the power of the web to tell another side of the story– their story. Readers enjoyed my earlier post, “7 Interesting Storytellers to Follow on Twitter,” so let’s continue this series with some interesting filmmakers. Keeping in the spirit of Twitter, the following “tweets” are 140 characters or less. 7 Fascinating Filmmakers to Follow on Twitter 1. Errol Morris @errolmorris The Oscar-winning director of ‘Fog of War” often tweets zen-like koans. Witty and always…

• 
  Brains On Fire Blog

• Ideas VS the opportunity to make them happen

  Eric

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:21 am

  I’m sure that in our relentless pursuit of internet wandering and entertainment (er, inspiration), that many of of us have already seen the Volkswagen sponsored Fun Theory project. If you’re not familiar, they have a simple and powerful idea: This site [thefuntheory.com] is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better. And that idea looks like this: It is always refreshing to see creative and talented people use a unique lens to look at and re-think conventional activity. It’s even more encouraging…

• Writing inspires thinking.

  Robbin

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:40 am

  Scott, the name tag guy, gave me this great line awhile back. I use it often. “Writing is basis for the creation of all wealth.” Sorry, Scott I can’t remember who said that but I love it. Love it! Think about that sentence and let it sink in for just a moment. “Writing is basis for the creation of all wealth.” There is an enormous amount of writing going on in our industry, so much so that it sometimes makes my head hurt. But perhaps more important than writing, we have a mountain of learning going on. I am learning from everyone who takes even one minute to respond to my occasional…

• Dear Creatives, co-created tools are the ones that get implemented

  Spike

  4 Nov 2009 | 9:01 am

  Greg came back from a talk he gave a couple of weeks ago where he presented about bringing word of mouth marketing and identity development together. Having world-class designers in our midst (I’m not one of them, so I can brag on them, okay?), we’re always curious to see how other creatives react to the idea of co-creating online and offline materials/tools for a word of mouth movement. And, ultimately, the question arises: “How much of what you present gets actually implemented and produced?” Creatives ask this question because most traditional shops are used to…

• Paranormal Word of Mouth

  Geno

  3 Nov 2009 | 7:46 am

  Another Halloween has come and gone and sadly with it goes the yearly bubble of scary movies. It was refreshing this year to see a surprise movie come forward “Paranormal Activity” and have huge success. A couple of us BOFers are wanna-be ghost hunters, so we were attracted very early on with Paranormal’s trailers and the indie feel, and the limited release. Blair Witch here we come… Paramount/Dreamworks bought the $12,000 movie after a few movie festivals a year ago. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that a giant like Paramount would do a smart slow it down marketing campaign with…

• Why You Don’t Need Social Media Consultants

  Spike

  2 Nov 2009 | 7:45 am

  You can’t swing a tweet these days without hitting a social media consultant. Those kids are EVERYwhere. You can usually find them traveling in packs and holding events where they talk to one another and tell each other how great they are. Good times. Good times. But you know what? If you listen REALLY closely to their advice, you start to realize that most of it you already know. Because you have all the basic tools you need: Your humanity. Your ability to communicate with people around you. And your intuition. Because when you think about it, using social media is just a natural…

• 
  Unbound Edition

• After a Brutal Year, Marketers Regroup to Share War Stories and Ideas

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:25 pm

  A year ago, 1,200 executives in marketing, advertising and the media attended an annual conference that by coincidence took place a month after the financial crisis began. Together, they stared into the abyss, wondering what conditions would be when — or if — they met again. The sky has not fallen, at least so far, and most of those executives are now gathering for the 2009 conference. Many of them are saying, “What a difference a year makes.” Others, however, are wondering, “What difference does a year make?”

• The Decade of Steve

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:21 pm

  How's this for a gripping corporate story line: Youthful founder gets booted from his company in the 1980s, returns in the 1990s, and in the following decade survives two brushes with death, one securities-law scandal, an also-ran product lineup, and his own often unpleasant demeanor to become the dominant personality in four distinct industries, a billionaire many times over, and CEO of the most valuable company in Silicon Valley. Sound too far-fetched to be true? Perhaps. Yet it happens to be the real-life story of Steve Jobs and his outsize impact on everything he touches. The past decade…

• How Business Is Adopting Design Thinking

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:06 pm

  At GE, P&G, and other companies, a design perspective is a problem-solving apparatus that can be applied companywide.

• What Employee Communications Looks Like in the Networked Company

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:04 pm

  Awareness is rising of the impact on business of networked employees—those workers who are continuously connected to their social circles and can tap into them at will. The discussion seems to be shifting, ever so slowly, to the characteristics of companies that, rather than inhibiting these traits, want to reap the benefits of a networked workforce. Recent posts by Olivier Blanchard and Valeria Maltoni have speculated on the nature of these companies. Olivier calls them P2P companies; Valeria refers to them as connected companies. They both see the recruiting process changing, for example,…

• Starbucks Books Solid Quarter, Decides to Become a Fast-Food Player After All

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pm

  Starbucks is backing away from its long-held dislike of fast food to partner nationally with Subway. Its Seattle's Best Coffee brand will be in 9,000 Subway stores in the U.S. by the end of this year, and will move into more of the sandwich shops next year, CEO Howard Schultz told analysts during a conference call about its quarterly results Thursday. "Candidly, given the fact that fast-food players have gone after the breakfast business — specifically McDonald's — in such a big way, and made such a big push into coffee, their core competitors want to compete directly with them in that…

• 
  Expert in the Rough, Brian Monahan

• Inspirational Spring Cleaning

  Brian Monahan

  12 Oct 2009 | 12:45 pm

  Blogging is an interesting recipe.  One part inspiration, one part obligation, one part guilt and a whole lot more work than you could ever imagine. The thing I like most about blogging is following an inspiration.  The part I hate is following inspiration and not being able to fully cook my inspiration.  The results of my half baked inspirations lay dormant in my Wordpress and Google Docs as drafts or unfinished inspirations. Over the weekend I was inspired to share these half baked ideas as cliff notes if you will, a title and a 2-3 sentence explanations of what the blog post was…

• Brass Balls

  Brian Monahan

  7 Sep 2009 | 9:07 am

  You bet, I am headed in the direction you are thinking? What is wrong with you anyway. Get your head out of the gutter! I said it, “Brass Balls,” like in reference to a pair. Paul Coulter a great friend and mentor of mine has a pair of Brass Balls, literally a pair suspended in plastic he has on display in his office. Sometimes he takes them on the road when presenting or speaking at business meetings. It’s been a number of years since I heard the story of the Brass Balls but the message behind the balls, still impacts my approach to life. In fact, I bet you are still…

• Brian’s Expert Picks

  Brian Monahan

  2 Sep 2009 | 2:18 pm

  A Book, a Movie,a DVD and  a Museum, I hope you enjoy! A Book Ignore Everybody and buy this book.  Hugh MacLeod the artist behind the Gaping Void “cartoons on the back of business cards” takes his stab at how to be creative.  I find the book more of a manifesto for those who are following their dreams.  This book is a fast read.  If you don’t mind reading online you can see the online version by visiting his site.  Click Here. Or you can buy it on Amazon: A Movie 500 Days of Summer is a fun chick flick but hotty Zooey Deschanel will save your “Man Card” if…

• Call it an Experiment

  Brian Monahan

  25 Aug 2009 | 7:47 pm

  Have you ever been stuck getting a project off the ground? I have a solution for you. Call it an experiment. If you treat it like an experiment there is no wrong way to get started.  You are merely testing. Once started you can make adjustments to your approach. Most projects fail because they never see the light of day. What experiment can you launch today?

• The Real Risk and Reward

  Brian Monahan

  23 Aug 2009 | 2:42 pm

  Have you ever been REAL? It is my belief the biggest risk you will ever take in your life is not being real. So many people I know are trapped living someone else’s life or vision. People do this for various reasons, peer pressure, fear of rejection, family values or other social reasons.  I can understand why this happens, maybe you have been made fun of or felt the disappointment in you by a parent or spouse, but is it really worth it?  Do you really want to live somebody else’s life? I have attended numerous retreats and seminars where people have had the opportunity to be…

• 
  ID-ology

• Rebranding the Mercenary

  joshuaberger

  26 Oct 2009 | 11:01 am

  Cloaks and Daggers Blackwater, the notorious private army, contracted by the Bush administration to protect “high value” military personnel, and accused of numerous crimes against Iraqi civilians, has recently undertaken an extensive brand repositioning. The corporate name itself, Blackwater, had become a public relations liability, a toxic asset if you will. The company spent more than a year in an internal search to develop the new name, “Xe” (pronounced “Zee”). Following this arduous renaming and rebranding process, company spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell…

• News about the market is down, therefore the market is up

  joshuaberger

  22 Oct 2009 | 10:04 am

  Dow performance vs. news coverage An interesting story this week covering the Pew Research Center’s analysis of media coverage during the Great Recession. The more we hear about the recession, the worse the market gets. The less we hear, the better it gets. Much of the data was sourced using MemeTracker, which builds maps of the daily news cycle by analyzing around 900,000 news stories and blog posts per day from 1 million online sources, ranging from mass media to personal blogs. The interactive graphs there are worth checking out. MemeTracker

• Tom Cramer speaks Saturday

  douglaslowell

  16 Oct 2009 | 12:40 pm

  For those of you in Portland, one of our city’s most interesting mid-career artists, Tom Cramer, is speaking at the Laura Russo Gallery tomorrow at 11am. I’ll be there. - Doug

• Email out, direct mail back in

  douglaslowell

  5 Oct 2009 | 7:31 am

  OK, for those photographers out there who didn’t believe me when I said creatives hated email blasts from Adbase and preferred a postcard with an image, here’s a recent post on the subject. - Doug

• Requiem for Saturn

  douglaslowell

  1 Oct 2009 | 10:40 am

  Farewell, brave effort. The last of Detroit’s idealism. A response to what people were asking for, both in a car that met their needs and in a car company that could restore American pride. Different has a way of being whittled down to same. I guess we’ll have to look to meet our needs, and our heroes, elsewhere. - Doug

• 
  Bhatnaturally

• 10 ads of 20-seconds or under: short is sweet

  bhatnaturally

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:31 pm

  How to tell a compelling story, that affects the viewer in some way… in 30 seconds. That’s the challenge and the beauty of TV commercials. Even feature film directors who are used to 2-3 hour epics find this aspect of ‘cinema’ fascinating. The longer duration commercials have their merit – they can keep you spell bound, dazzle you with special effects and more. When it comes to story telling, I have particularly enjoyed the shorter duration commercials – the ones that are 20 seconds or under. Here are a few that have caught my eye. Not all can be bracketed…

• Website watch: Trivial Pursuit

  bhatnaturally

  6 Nov 2009 | 2:17 am

  Trivia lovers like yours truly, would remember the shameful feeling when we ended up on the losing side while playing Trivial Pursuit. An online version of the game could easily have ben a multi-player game between individuals. But Hasbro has taken the concept to a higher level: from mere trivia to a battle of the sexes. So there’s even more at stake. A new website Trivial Pursuit Experiment, pits men against women to figure out who is smarter. So when you play, you play on behalf of your gender, um er..globally. The campaign video – a stock footage collection of booboos –…

• The BS around ‘conversations’ and social media

  bhatnaturally

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:02 am

  There isn’t a dearth of social media experts nowadays. Their key target audience logically are the CEOs and CMOs who control the purse strings on marketing spends. Since social media and technology is unfamiliar territory for many, it is natural to look for people who can guide them through it. The byproduct of all this is a lot of jargon, BS and drivel.  It isn’t just from the experts – there are several others in the business, on the periphery who want to come across as knowledgeable about the topic. All this came alive in a recent article in AdAge (subscription required)…

• Wait, Guinness gets a new tagline

  bhatnaturally

  5 Nov 2009 | 12:34 am

  Guinness has dropped the classic, ‘good things come to those who wait’ tagline, after using it for 10 years. A new spot, just as mega as some of the earlier ones, shows a bunch of guys bring ‘things’ to life – a barren landscape, dragging fields of grass and such like. It’s got the scale alright –  but what it has to do with Guinness is a bit tenuous. According to this article, ‘as the 90-second commercial unfolds Guinness aims to draw a parallel with the famous “surge and settle” motion that typifies the pouring of a pint and…

• Mao Bao creative work: take a bow

  bhatnaturally

  3 Nov 2009 | 7:10 pm

  Regulars to the Ads of the World site (which must include pretty much everyone in the Creative team of an agency) would have the seen the work for Mao Bao Dishwashing Liquid. Even at first glance it impacts you – I said ‘Wow!’ out loud. The simplicity of conveying the variant (shown below: Camellia essence) and the category in an instant is laudable. Loved it. Advertising Agency: Bates 141, Taiwan. Just the kind of work that conveys the message elegantly, keeps both the client and creative happy. Or at least I think so. Rest of the ads here. Post Footer automatically…

• 
  Integrated Branding Blog | Movéo

• Just because your email was not opened does not mean it was not effective

  Moveo

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:28 am

  For years now, many of us e-marketers have worked under the assumption that an unopened email means your subscriber is disengaged and uninterested-- until now. A recent study by Alchemy Worx has revealed that unopened email communications have measurable impact on brand awareness and can lead to increased conversion activity (sales) across other communication channels. How you ask? Through the "Nudge Effect." What is the Nudge Effect and how does it work? The Nudge Effect is a way of influencing people's behavior without telling them exactly what to do. Alchemy Worx puts it…

• Nonprofit social media marketing on Facebook

  Jeff Swanson

  27 Oct 2009 | 12:37 pm

  Because of the valiant deeds that many non-profits perform, it's no surprise that people can have a strong emotional bond with a particular organization that may have helped one of their friends or family members in the past. Because of this affinity, it's reasonable to believe that a non-profit can successfully find friends to follow them on Facebook. Just think about the number of people involved with a non-profit organization. It's very likely that many of them have Facebook accounts, simply considering the number of people that use this platform. It is free to setup a Facebook fan page.

• A brand roundtable discussion for Amazon Basics

  Jeff Swanson

  1 Oct 2009 | 1:53 pm

  Image courtesy of FastCompany Our branding guru, Kevin Randall, recently assembled a roundtable of branding experts to share thoughts on Amazon's newest venture - Amazon Basics. Kevin's colleagues included professors from Stanford, Harvard, MIT and Northwestern, along with strategists from Interbrand. The full list is below: Jennifer Aaker - Professor of Marketing at Stanford's Graduate School of Business David Martin - President of Interbrand New York John Quelch - Professor of Marketing at Harvard Business School Mark Ritson - Associate Professor of Marketing at MIT Sloan…

• Integrated search engine marketing campaigns

  Jeff Swanson

  30 Sep 2009 | 7:57 am

  Pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) marketing can benefit from each other when integrated. If you are currently running campaigns in both channels, or considering doing so, it is important to know how the two can feed off of each other to create a successful integrated search engine marketing campaign.SEO is a process, just like PPC. One difference, however, is that PPC campaigns generally draw traffic to your site immediately, whereas an SEO effort can take some time. One way to jump start your SEO keyword research is to test out keywords on particular pages using PPC to…

• Customer service monitoring online

  Jeff Swanson

  21 Sep 2009 | 10:51 am

  image courtesy of Patrick Thibodeau Online discussions have revolutionized how businesses must serve their current and potential customers. Through savvy tools, companies can monitor what people are saying about their brand, which puts them in a position to have customer service representatives react. One such tool is a product from Salesforce appropritately named Salesforce for Twitter. An interesting function of this program allows you to automatically turn Twitter mentions (@ replies that include your Twitter handle) into customer service tickets. Rich Cherecwich explains this well in an…

• 
  spatially relevant

• Relevant Reading – November 2nd to November 5th

  Jon Gatrell

  5 Nov 2009 | 3:04 am

  here you go, been slacking for a couple of days or more: Amex Embraces Social Media…IN PRINT! Need Your Help (Biz of SW 2009) Las Vegas as a Model for Product 500 Internal Server Error

• My big fat wallet sucks! There’s an App for that – Scanaroo

  Jon Gatrell

  4 Nov 2009 | 3:57 am

  So I’m not the real loyalty card person in my house, I’ve got the Kroger’s card on my key chain and that’s about it.  I do however have all those healthcare cards which never seem to be in my wallet when I need them, so Chris Carfi’s latest foray into application development is a better way to manage your loyalty cards without the big fat wallet. I did get the opportunity to synch with Chris on Scanaroo and get his insights around the app.  This iPhone app isn’t his first one, the Ventana platform continues to grow for a consolidated mobile view into…

• Sharing your company IP with Kindess and Love. Who’s got my metadata?

  Jon Gatrell

  3 Nov 2009 | 3:41 am

  Image by gurdonark via Flickr Competitive intelligence continues to get easier with social networking, everyone’s got a piece of content to share and concept to improve upon. This presentation speaks to brand and IP monitoring, but you can use the concepts and monitoring ideas for competitive intelligence. Might not be a bad idea to watch your products and company as well.  Thanks to agentOxO for creating the preso, since we all need to be aware of the trends and how to leverage them to our advantage, although I’m not sure that is why he created the presentation, but we all view…

• The Obama Adminstration Lacks Internal Process and System’s Controls

  Jon Gatrell

  1 Nov 2009 | 6:17 am

  The recent release of white house visitor information indicates process and quality breakdowns for the Obama administration.  The data always tells a story.   Here’s my take on Obama’s data quality controls, which could be right… Regardless, they have data stewardship issues.  Data stewardship is no joke. White House Process and Data Concerns View more documents from spatiallyrelevant.

• Relevant Reading – November 1st

  Jon Gatrell

  1 Nov 2009 | 4:02 am

  Sharing the the things I found for the day: 2009 Green Rankings for US Companies Leaping the sustainability divide Will Interest in Secondhand Goods Outlive the Recession? Re-Brand Public Option Authority vs. Influence Microsoft and the Market for "Everything"

• 
  Lies, damned lies and statistics

• Social networks and mobile phones, a round-up

  liesdamnedlies

  5 Nov 2009 | 1:18 pm

  NMA has a piece on ‘social networks ignore mobile at their peril.‘ Though most of it is behind a pay-wall, the gist of it is that social media is being accessed more and more via cellphones. In particular, NMA talks about specially commissioned research for Nielsen and the fact that 65 million Facebook users - so more than 1/5 of the total - now access their social networks from their mobiles. These users are apparently 50% more active than purely web based users, my guess is that this is so due to the fact that purpose built apps make accessing social media via your phone fairly…

• The end of the press release? Or a necessary evil?

  liesdamnedlies

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:32 pm

  Now here’s a subject close to my heart, the continued usefulness or otherwise of the age old press release. Publisher Ragan Communications and PollStream carried out a survey in the States, which found that only 49% of PRs think ‘it’s as useful as ever’, while 33% thought it was a ‘necessary evil.’ Ragan’s Lindsey Miller says press releases are becoming ever less useful due to - yep, you guessed it - social media. According to Marketing Charts, Ragan’s take is that communicators are using social media to get around ‘canned’…

• Tuesday lunchtime best day for online video

  liesdamnedlies

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:29 pm

  Research firm Sysosmos (the people who recently published stats on Twitter ‘power users’) has come out with a study on online video. However, rather than recycling the old line about how much online video is growing, Syomos looked at the extent to which bloggers use online video.   That’s obviously important for the simple reason that if your viral is going to go anywhere, bloggers will have a great deal to do with it. Not surprisingly, You Tube leads in terms of bloggers embedding videos into their blogs, with 84% using it.   However, Vimeo is ahead of Daily Motion and…

• The next time your kid says ‘everyone has one’, s/he may be right!

  dirkthecow

  3 Nov 2009 | 3:14 am

  Nielsen has published a ‘pocket guide to social media and kids’ (thanks to Erin Lamberty for sending it to me), it’s a US stats digest, and one that mirrors a lot of what’s been published in the UK, Australia et al. In particular, Nielsen looks at the theme that “to adults, cell phones are a communications device. To children, they are a lifelines” - or as Synovate found out recently in a global study, they are increasingly ‘remote controls for life.’ The following chart shows that 13-17 year olds significantly over-index in mobile Internet use…

• People will watch TV on their PCs…so long as it really is TV

  dirkthecow

  2 Nov 2009 | 5:44 am

  I’m coming to this a few days late due to being in transit to Cow Africa, but UK comms regulator OFCOM has published it’s regular digest of facts and stats. Among other things, the look at adult media literacy reveals that online TV watching is relatively high in the UK. In particular, 29% of Internet users, watch TV online or download programmes or films. This is largely driven by broadcasters such as the BBC and its iPlayer service, but it means that with 73% of the UK population online, over one in five adults (21%) watch TV over the Internet. The research also shows that…

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  Does Your Business...have a branding strategy that works?

• Is Disney messing with its story?

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:10 am

  It looks like Mickey Mouse is going under the knife for a makeover. Some would argue that changing this icon is the worst thing Disney could possibly do. I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea, but unfortunately, when change like this happens it tends to be over the top. Eventually it usually backfires.Change may be necessary, but they just need to be careful. According to this New York Times article , only 20% of the $5 billion spent globally on Mickey Mouse merchandise was forked over in the United States. That seems like a pretty low number to me and a figure that would require the…

• Automotive Hall of Fame recognizes SOZO | Pivotal client

  13 Oct 2009 | 7:54 am

  We say it a lot, but the best clients and greatest success stories are with those who are passionate about their business. Without exception that is always the case. So it's pretty exciting to see a client and entrepreneur who is extremely energetic and passionate about his companies be recognized for his outstanding efforts and achievements.Last week, Jesse Berger, President of Eastern Michigan Kenworth, received the Young Leadership & Excellence Award from the Automotive Hall of Fame.SOZO | Pivotal has had the pleasure of working with Berger for over five years. When we started he…

• No you're not!

  14 Sep 2009 | 4:34 am

  The worst thing you can do in a branding campaign is tell someone you're something that you're not. So with that in mind when was the last time you thought Yahoo! as the "home on the web"?Exactly.It appears as though the online business is preparing to launch an aggressive brand strategy with the intent to position the website as the "end all, be all" on the web.Unfortunately, things have changed. Yahoo! may have once been the home on the web. Heck, it was the mansion until Google came out of nowhere only a few years back. When crafting a new marketing message you can't make bold claims that…

• Typecast typefaces

  2 Sep 2009 | 10:01 am

  I must admit that I noticed it immediately. It was probably a week or so before my RSS feeder blew up from all the hysteria: IKEA's decision to drop the use of Futura in favor of Verdana in its recently shipped Fall catalog.I'm certainly not trying to brag. In fact, I'm not all that proud of myself that I notice these things sometimes. I literally walked past the stack of mail in the office, saw the catalog and thought what happened to Futura?So why all the hoopla over a stupid typeface? Well, just like the design of logos, typefaces garner a lot of attention in the design community. Without…

• Be the competition

  15 Aug 2009 | 4:32 am

  Have you heard about Starbucks' new concept store called 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea? When I first learned about the initiative a few months back I thought it was another shot at trying to regain a shine that's lost its luster over the past couple of years.However, after reading Starbucks: Howard Schultz vs. Howard Schultz in BusinessWeek, I realized how brilliant of a move this is. Schultz basically pulled together a team of Starbucks employees, gave them a small budget and challenged them to create a coffee shop that could compete with Starbucks. Oh yeah, as the Starbucks' brass stayed out…

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  Tungsten Branding -- Company Naming and Branding Blog

• Is Your Company Having an Identity Crises?

  puretungsten

  26 Oct 2009 | 12:59 pm

  In speaking to various business and trade groups this past summer and early fall, one theme rang loud and clear. In an effort to stay afloat, many business owners made significant changes to their business models. And these changes, while necessary in the short term, had left confusion amongst the rank and file. The common question was “Just what have we become?” Many of these companies had identities based on their industry, or their products and services. But as these industries struggled, so did the businesses that served them. Adapting to meet the sea change in the economy and…

• Radio Shack - The Problem With Product Identified Brand Names

  puretungsten

  7 Aug 2009 | 11:53 am

  The irony of naming a new company is that the quickest fix (giving the company a literal/descriptive name) creates the most enduring problem. Witness the latest iteration in “fixing” the Radio Shack brand. To bring it current, make it relevant, and shed its legacy image of radio/transistor/gadgetry, it’s now going to advertise itself as simply “The Shack.” This is similar to Pizza Hut’s attempts at rebranding itself as “The Hut.” The problem is systemic… the whole positioning itself is based on a product (radios) and a place (a…

• We Let The DAWGS Out! (Naming a Business So It Gets Noticed)

  puretungsten

  6 Jul 2009 | 8:13 am

  Door and Window Guard Systems When Jim Heagney came to us with a great new product, we knew he needed a great new name to match. Jim and partners manufacture metal security panels that bolt into the windows and doorways of empty, abandoned or foreclosed homes, as well as new construction and properties undergoing rehab. This type of home protection can save tens of thousands of dollars from break-ins, theft and vandalism. With foreclosures at an all time high, there was never a better time to launch… but what to call them? The few competitors in the field had bland, generic names for…

• Is BING the new thing? Rebranding Microsoft Live Search

  admin

  1 Jun 2009 | 2:19 pm

  Let’s face it… Microsoft has never been the leader when it comes to cool brand names. But that might be changing. This past week, the folks in Redmond, WA announced the new name for their improved search engine… Bing! You might say Bing has a ring to it, and it’s a heck of a lot better than their previous literal/descriptive name, Live Search (as in, “Could you ‘Live Search’ that for me?”) Or Kumo, their stealth code name, which sounded more like an Alaskan sled dog. Bing is short and (like the cherry) sweet. It has has verb potential, almost…

• Swine Flu and the Power of Naming

  admin

  3 May 2009 | 9:49 pm

  For those who don’t believe that naming is powerful stuff, look no further than the latest pending pandemic, now known as the H1N1 virus. As humans, we have an inherent need to label things. It makes us feel safer if we can name something, identify it, box it in, put a handle on it. The problem comes when the need for that label becomes more important than the facts. According to the CDC, “It (”Swine Flu”) has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and avian genes and human genes.” In other words, it’s a swine, bird,…

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  The Brand Chef

• YAY, Twitter Lists… Now What?

  Andrew

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:03 pm

  What does the recent addition of  Twitter Lists mean to you?  It’s another enhancement for Twitter, sure, but what does it mean to your daily social media routine?  That question was asked at the Central Iowa Blogger’s (#CIB) meet-up this morning. At #CIB, the conversations revolve around everything from the impact of social media on our local economy to the impact of Dallas J. Moore’s beard on the local lady-folk.  But today’s group of 20 to 30 die-hard, as well as a handful of new faces, got into a pretty vibrant conversation about how Twitter Lists will affect…

• 3 Questions You Need To Ask

  Andrew

  5 Nov 2009 | 2:23 pm

  Social media tools are easy to acquire…  Sure.  But just like a sharp knife, you may not want to hand it over to any shlub that walks into the kitchen.  If your company wants to start cooking up some social media marketing, you’d better be ready to do some serious planning. If social media is like a big cocktail party, let’s think of social media MARKETING this way… When gathering recipes for your next big shindig, you probably don’t want to mingle the sushi with the snow cones (only at my parties).  So, in the same spirit, why would companies insist on…

• Competition, Cooperation In Social Media - What A Week!

  Andrew

  1 Nov 2009 | 10:38 am

  When it comes to a little friendly competition, I’m all game.  I love the challenge.  I love the strategy.  And obviously, my friends over at Lessing Flynn advertising agency, think the same way. At the end of what was an extremely busy social media week for Central Iowa, we were made aware of a little competition brewing in the advertising agency social media ring. The competition? In short, there was a Michael Glass poll created asking, of 45 ad agencies listed, who had better social media reach?  Who had true social media skills? (click the image below to go to the poll) As the…

• Are You Listening?

  Andrew

  29 Oct 2009 | 6:00 am

  How do social media tools work within your marketing plan?  Have you thought of how to integrate Twitter into your public relations strategy?  Is your employer brand reflected properly on LinkedIn?  Can social media augment all of these practices? All very valid questions… At this week’s Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau Social Media Marketing Workshop hosted by Love Scott and Associates, I led off the discussion with an overview of social media tools and how they integrate into a well planned marketing strategy.  Two other speakers, Claire Celsi ( @ClaireCelsi…

• Inbound Marketing 101 - Picking The Brains!

  Andrew

  17 Oct 2009 | 8:32 am

  Search engine optimization (SEO) is a sticky wicket, especially for me - basically a “marketing/branding guy.”  I’m still very green, but I’ve learned quite a bit from the HUGE brains of local developers (and friends), as well as those I follow through blogs and other sites. One of the things that always confused me about achieving a good web ranking (see WebsiteGrader.com) is the number of inbound links you have to your Web site or blog.  One of the items that they score for“marketing effectiveness” are the inbound links to your Web site. I realized the…

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  The semantic blog

• WOW 2.0 | From activity to experience

  14 Oct 2009 | 8:54 am

  Place, people and part of the Allegro 234 BA team This year in the Modena Design of Buenos Aires, Argentina [BTW... a very cool place!], we were talking about people, tribes and behaviours. Almost 70 marketing executives participated of this event... The key points shared during this meeting could be summarized as follow: Brands establish a dialogue with people who are sharing values and behaviours The brand experiences go beyong communication and the brands themselves Companies need (actually, must have) attitude. Those are the ones that trascend their owners and leaders over time Loyalty is…

• The ten steps to become a guru and some thoughts about Seth Godin

  22 Sep 2009 | 8:43 am

  Two different stories, some points in common... Do you want to become a Guru?... Here are ten basic steps (an incompleted list which welcome your ideas): Your head should look like a billiard ball ... or, you know, Philips Shave However, if you like your hair, then forget the comb You have to talk fast and emphatically Every 5 minutes you have to make a joke The jokes must be accompanied by real images, even ridiculous Look for complicity wiht your audience and make them responsible for something they can forget in almost half an hour   Use phrases like "You can",…

• Burger King Whopper Virgin Experience

  15 Sep 2009 | 5:13 am

  Great experience to see, share and think about!   I would like to thank Tian Gerbach for sending me the link to this video!

• WOW 2.0! | Allegro 234 - VI Annual Event with the participation of Webjam

  10 Sep 2009 | 7:09 am

  Allegro 234 - VI Annual Meeting WOW 2.0!Why and how to create a brand experience in Web 2.0Madrid | 29.09.09 | Hotel Orfila Barcelona | 30.09.09 | Hotel ClarisUnder the name of WOW 2.0! [Why + How = WOW!], Allegro 234 will hold its sixth annual meeting in Madrid and Barcelona on the 29th and 30th, September 2009.During the event, we will address qestions such as:Waht does it mean to create a relevant and unique brand experience in the online world? What does Web 2.0 mean for your business? What is it good for? What are the differences between a corporate blog from a social network? What is…

• Thinking of strategic marketing

  3 Sep 2009 | 11:13 am

  What I read Some days ago I was reading and article published in the McKinsey Quaterly talking about marketing. The tittle was "The consumer decision journey".Although that the article is not saying anything new, the way the authors (David Court, Dave Elzinga, Susan Mulder and Ole Jørgen Vetvik) stressed the new marketing problematic is quite interesting.There were four points which arose my attention:Marketing's goal is to reach consumers at the moments that most influence their decisionsDue to the explosion of product choices and digital channels, plus the emergence of an…

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  StickyFigure

• Are You a Kool-Aid Drinker?

  Steve Woodruff

  5 Nov 2009 | 5:53 am

  I am. Let me explain. We tend to talk about “true believers” as those who have drunk the Kool-Aid, with the obvious tie-in to Jim Jones and his followers. It’s an apt analogy, however unfortunate the original incident – one who has drunk the Kool-Aid actually, in this sense, is so convinced of something, that they move forward with conviction where others would hold back. Now there are people who abandon all common sense and do ridiculous and harmful things because of “true belief.” No matter how much Kool-Aid you drink and how sincere your belief that…

• Shaking Things Up

  Steve Woodruff

  3 Nov 2009 | 10:39 am

  <rant> Over the years, I’ve attended many, many conferences – some awful, some forgettable, and a few outstanding. I’m getting impatient. I’m impatient with thinly-veiled sales pitches from sponsoring companies during sessions. If you’re going to have sponsoring companies, set aside a specific time in the event when they can present their solutions openly to the audience. I’m impatient with speakers who think their role is to walk through a series of slides and do a verbal data dump. If you cannot spark interest, tell engaging stories, use helpful…

• When Statistics Have Faces

  Steve Woodruff

  30 Oct 2009 | 4:11 am

  I’ve had my heart stirred in very unexpected ways this week. I’m used to having my mind moved – I often gravitate toward ideas, facts, and numbers. But sometimes you’re confronted with human faces, and the statistics fade into obscurity, where they often belong. As with many others in the social media community, I was profoundly moved this week by the tragic death of a young mother (Jamie Loveless) who died of multiple organ failure after pneumonia triggered, most likely, by the H1N1 virus. Please read the story here. I’m a husband and a parent, and I cannot even…

• Hitting the Pinnacle of Buzzwords

  Steve Woodruff

  28 Oct 2009 | 5:50 am

  I freely confess to hating business buzzwords and jargon. Like David Meerman Scott and many others, I find the practice of repeating technical-sounding phrases in an effort to appear knowledgeable to be pompous and counter-productive. It’s an over-leveraging of verbal resources. Yes, I went there. Now, at the same time, I love a broad and deep vocabulary. Words like “obfuscation” (which means, if you’re not familiar with it, the use of words to obscure rather than clarify meaning). Obfuscation is a great word that actually nicely describes what buzz-jargon does. I have…

• Small Talk

  Steve Woodruff

  24 Oct 2009 | 5:01 am

  Many people who don’t actually “get” Twitter find it easy to dismiss it as a bunch of not-very-social people exchanging useless trivia with fellow avatars. We know better, of course. But the fact is, that we DO often share a lot of stuff that is, in itself, seemingly trivial. And here’s why I LIKE that: We’re simply doing what friends, neighbors, and co-workers have done forever. It’s small talk. And it helps build relationships. You see, I’m involved in these networks, not just to mine professional information (in which case the discussion I just had…

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  BrandDigital | BrandSimple

• In the pink is an understatement for this branding story

  Allen Adamson

  26 Oct 2009 | 6:49 am

  Colors as power apps are pretty hard to own. Yes, there’s the Gatorade green and orange and the FedEx purple and orange and the Coca-Cola red. But of the thousands of brands in existence there is one, in particular, for which a color has become almost unmatched in its power and ubiquity as a key branding element – pink and breast cancer awareness. In my most recent column in Forbes online I write about how breast cancer awareness has become one of the most successful brand stories in recent branding history, and certainly in the category of cause-related marketing. The plot line…

• Stop arguing. Rio’s win to host the Olympics was a won on branding know-how

  Allen Adamson

  14 Oct 2009 | 10:31 am

  What do cities vying for Olympics hosting rights have in common with shampoo? Or cookies? Cars? How about sneakers? Like any brand, which, yes, cities and countries are, they have to identify something to represent to consumers that’s different and better than any competitive claims. More so, this difference has to be genuinely meaningful to those whose attention these brands are trying to grab. While millions of people worldwide followed the competition among cities bidding for a chance to host the 2016 Olympic games, I watched with the perspective of a branding guy. Given the…

• The terms “good brand, bad brand” have taken on new meaning for the hyper-vigilant consumer

  Allen Adamson

  25 Sep 2009 | 6:54 am

  I wasn’t invited to the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, where leaders representing over 85% of the world’s economy are meeting to tackle world issues. I was, however, invited to write a column for Ad Age about the fact that consumers are more motivated than ever to choose brands that improve lives beyond their own. More so, that the very meaning of the terms “good brand or bad brand” have taken on entirely new meaning in a marketplace where corporate environmental and social responsibility is matched in interest only by the digital technology that makes it so easy to track…

• Jay Leno’s new show may not win the ratings game, but it’s still an interesting play on branding

  Allen Adamson

  23 Sep 2009 | 10:01 am

  The jury may have weighed in on this year’s Emmy winners, but it’s definitely still out on the newest iteration of Jay Leno’s presence. While many herald?”The Jay Leno Show,” airing weeknights at 10 P.M., as the next wave of broadcast television – lower cost, easier to produce, and more personal than sit-coms and hour-long dramas – others say it’s not quite living up the expectations set by the weeks of PR and advertising that preceded it. While I’m not a TV critic, a professional one, that is, I do know an interesting branding idea when I…

• Something Good for Free

  Allen Adamson

  22 Sep 2009 | 8:21 am

  Macmillan, the Parent company of my publisher Palgrave, has invited me to participate in a promotion to celebrate the paperback release of my new book, BrandDigital. They’ve set up a three-book prize giveaway, which includes BrandDigital, my first book, BrandSimple, and a book by Erika Andersen entitled, Being Strategic. Here’s how to win: Write a comment on this post naming a company any size or industry that you think is being strategic about their brand; approaching branding in ways that are both innovative and powerfully focused on the future. Erika will be posting this on her…

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  The Brand Show

• Survey reveals budding future for green brands

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:20 pm

  Landor's Russ Meyer is a frequent commentator and lecturer on brands, business, and sustainability.Sustainable and globally conscious consumer brands are here to stay, according to the recently released U.S. ImagePower Green Brands Survey by Landor Associates. Russ Meyer, Chief Strategy Officer with Landor, joins The Brand Show to share his company’s findings and discuss how brands can cash in on this booming business.During our conversation, Russ addresses:Why consumers spend more on globally conscious brands.How companies can overcome the green market's barriers to entry.The five biggest…

• Conversions are king in online marketing

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:37 am

  Bryan Eisenberg's Persuasian Architecture® model helps companies improve sales by matching marketing messages to buyer behavior.Bryan Eisenberg, 2009 Bolo keynote speaker, joins The Brand Show to talk about converting consumer interest into sales. Co-author of bestselling books “Call to Action,” “Waiting For Your Cat to Bark?” and “Always Be Testing,” Bryan shares how he has helped clients such as Hewlett Packard, NBC Universal, General Electric, WebEx, Overstock and Dell increase sales through Persuasion Architecture®, an original approach to mapping customer purchase behavior.

• The Future of Social Media: Outsourcing and Government Regulation

  29 Oct 2009 | 10:17 am

  Amanda Vega has helped clients including Banana Republic and Eli Lily launch brands through social media and direct marketing.*CLICK HERE FOR ALL INTERVIEWS FROM 2009 BOLO*At fifteen years old, Amanda Vega worked at the forefront of social media before the term even existed. Her first job was to spot emerging trends in AOL chatrooms. More than a decade later, Amanda continues to apply the basic principles she learned at AOL to help leading brands establish valuable online social strategies. We caught up with Amanda, now CEO of Amanda Vega Consulting and author of PR in a Jar, at BOLO 2009 to…

• Solving for Social Media ROI

  22 Oct 2009 | 10:31 am

  Matt O’Brien started Mint Social to help brands unlock the secrets of social media.*CLICK HERE FOR ALL INTERVIEWS FROM THE 2009 BOLO CONFERENCE* With more than twelve years of digital marketing experience, Matt O’Brien, founder of Mint Social, shares his "five-by-five" model for social media as well as his insights on social media's holy grail: return on investment. Also on The Brand Show, Matt explains:How to establish goals for a social media campaign.Why social media delivers short-term gains but works best as a long-term investment.Which brands can benefit the most from social media.

• Google reveals marketing strategies for the new "Info Shopper"

  20 Oct 2009 | 4:08 pm

  Jim Lecinski oversees global sales and service for Google's Fortune 500 and 1,000 customers.*CLICK HERE FOR ALL INTERVIEWS FROM THE 2009 BOLO CONFERENCE*Earlier this month, The Brand Show headed to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the 2009 BOLO annual conference presented by agencyside. With three days chock-full of technology labs, hands-on training and break-out sessions, the conference offered smaller independent agencies a front-row seat on the leading edge of online and digital marketing.The Brand Show took the opportunity to catch up with a number of BOLO's speakers and session leaders, including…

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  Landor.com: Blog

• Less look, more feel

  6 Nov 2009 | 3:52 am

  The other morning on my way to work, I had a song stuck in my head while I was on the subway. Don’t you just hate that? It was a little peppy melody that was really familiar but I couldn’t quite place it because it was so specific. By the time I got to my stop a picture had formed in my head that went with the a cappella music: a changing landscape, fields of flowers and waterfalls, but made up of people in acrobatic movement—and then, alas, a Prius moving through. It took under ten minutes for me to put all the pieces together, and when I did I remembered, of course, how…

• A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet to Rachel, and definitely not to Rosemary

  5 Nov 2009 | 3:52 am

  Image courtesy of mzb-usa.com.   A few years ago, by what I considered at the time to be an interesting fluke, I, Martin John Bishop, managed the MJB coffee brand. According to new work reported in Kellogg Insight, this was not a fluke. It was destiny! In yet another example that we humans are just completely hopeless really, a team of marketing academics has shown that your name can influence your everyday choices and even life-shaping decisions. As Professor Miguel Brendl, one of the authors of the research says: “It’s a bizarre idea, but your liking for the letters of your…

• Examples of web fonts in the wild

  4 Nov 2009 | 3:52 am

  This header on nicewebtype.com was made from live HTML type. Image courtesy of nicewebtype.com; permission being requested.   Following up further on my article and blog posts (one, two) here are some great examples of the @font-face rule in use. + Typotheque has a sample layout, using six different fonts from their Greta and Fedra families. The link at the top of the page goes to an image file showing what the page should look like. + Nice Web Type has published some online type specimens built with the @font-face rule. The Bello and Proxima Nova specimen page also gives a first-hand…

• iPhone trick or treat launch in China

  3 Nov 2009 | 3:52 am

  Images courtesy of Ray Ally, Landor Associates.   Apple’s long awaited official iPhone finally launched last Friday in China. The phone is only available to work with China Unicom’s network, which is compatible with Apple’s 3G and 3GS phones. The iPhone handsets start at RMB 4,999 (U.S. $730) with the top of the range 3GS 32 GB costing RMB 6,999 (US $1,025), which is U.S. $300 more than it costs in the U.S. China Unicom’s version also has no wi-fi as this was banned in China at the time of production. This ban has now been lifted, but too late for the first…

• Me, my, I—living the iLife

  2 Nov 2009 | 3:52 am

  Image courtesy of nattu (flickr); permission being requested.   Names are a fascinating window into popular culture and our deeper motivations. One manifestation of this is the frequent client request for Landor to create product family names with a cool prefix, “you know, something like iPod.” What they really mean is “don’t bother looking for anything else, just help us apply the i-convention to everything we sell.” Granted, this approach perfectly complemented Apple’s hugely successful personal computers, media players, and related services, which…

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  cometbrandingblog

• Comet Branding Radio [Favorites] Scott Monty and Ford’s approach to leveraging social media

  Al Krueger

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:58 am

  On Wednesday, November 4th at 11am Central, Comet Branding Radio will revisit a show from earlier this year with Scott Monty the Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager for the Ford Motor Co. Scott provided some great insight into Ford’s approach to social media and leveraging it throughout the company. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN. Scott Monty has achieved a level of status in the halls of social media that few others have been able to match. But, in the end, that’s not really the point and we are sure that this wasn’t Scott’s ambition, either. We are very…

• 7 Surefire Ways to Sabotage Your Professional Brand in Social Media

  Sara Meaney

  2 Nov 2009 | 1:18 pm

  Okay, okay. So this isn’t exactly an original thought. But I’m still a bit amazed at the lack of discretion demonstrated by people who mix their personal and professional brands in social media. It’s not the mixing of personal and professional that is the problem, though. The problem lies in doing it poorly and failing to realize the consequences of unprofessional personal actions in an increasingly public information environment. Here are seven ways to make sure you ruin your chances of maintaining an image of professionalism online. 1. Contact a potential employer from an…

• Math skills? There’s an App for that.

  Sara Meaney

  27 Oct 2009 | 9:48 am

  On Wednesday, October 28th at 11 a.m. Central, Comet Branding Radio will be talking with Steve Glinberg, developer of top-ranked iPhone App, KidCalc. Steve has an interesting story that we think you will find inspiring and informative, so we hope you will join us by listening in. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN. One day not too long ago, Steve Glinberg watched his 2 1/2 year old daughter, Mara, pick up his iPhone and use it without any instruction. Rather than snatch away the precious machine that connects him to the rest of the mobile world (as I may have been tempted to do…), Steve drew…

• Public Relations + Social Media Summit: Recap and Presentations

  Al Krueger

  25 Oct 2009 | 6:39 pm

  On Wed., October 14th Comet Branding + PR was happy to co-host the first PR+Social Media Summit at UW-Whitewater with Ann Knabe and the Social Media Club of Milwaukee. The event was well attended and featured great speakers who offered valuable insight into PR 2.0, social media, job search, SEO, conversion and other great topics. We are sharing a recap and list of some of the presentations below. Developing this summit was an interesting case study into leveraging to social media as part of PR right from the beginning. For the event to be a success we knew it had to be packed with great…

• Comet Branding visits BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2009

  Al Krueger

  22 Oct 2009 | 3:27 pm

  Last week, Sara Meaney and I took some time to travel out to Las Vegas for BlogWorld. It was an interesting trip to say the least. For starters, we had the opportunity to meet many of the PR and social media thought leaders that have been on the Comet Branding Radio Show in the past. We also had the chance to meet a bunch of other smart people. If you have never heard of BlogWorld before or missed it this year, we highly recommend making the time for it in 2010. We had the chance to sit in on many great sessions and presentations. However, the most exciting part was the opportunity to sit (or…

• 
  Brand Experience 360

• Measures Matter

  David Rich

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:33 am

  Everybody wants to improve customer service. Some pay it lip service and others take definitive steps to improve the customer experience. However, even well intentioned managers can miss the mark if they merely employ tactics without setting achievable and measureable goals and then employ a method for applying the learning. A recent article provides a vivid example by breaking customer service down into primary elements of greeting the customer, responding quickly to their requests, fulfilling their orders in a timely manner and dealing with problems. For example, you can set a goal of…

• Souping Up Product Position

  David Rich

  4 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm

  An amazing image appears in Drew’s Marketing Minute. Author Drew McLellan shares the result of what happens when BBDO asked grocery stores if they would be willing to place chicken noodle soup in the cold medication aisle. Not only does this tactic seem incredibly smart, but it also makes a consumer connection by offering a choice in a direct, and yet entertaining and informative way. Most brands spend millions on new campaigns. But sometimes a little creativity goes a long way. The very intuitive placement of chicken soup in the cold remedy aisle differentiates the brand from its…

• A Ballad of Bad Service

  David Rich

  2 Nov 2009 | 1:13 pm

  There is no shortage of stories that chronicle a truly bad customer experience, but not many reach almost mythical status. The application of social media makes this possibility stronger than ever. Case in point: “United Breaks Guitars.” To make a long story short, a band was traveling on United Airlines when one of the members noticed baggage handlers throwing their musical instruments as they unloaded the aircraft. After trying to get immediate help followed by nine months of trying to get some satisfaction from airline customer service representatives, the band pledged to write a…

• Is The Customer Always Right?

  David Rich

  28 Oct 2009 | 6:17 pm

  In an article that appeared in Progressive Grocer, columnist David Diamond vents about an unbelievable series of events that happened to him on a recent trip to the drug store. He is quick to point out that the actions he describes don’t necessarily define a corporate culture, but uses the isolated incident to make a point. In short, Diamond spent 30 minutes running an errand that he had done many times before. But this time he left without the goods and was called a liar and a thief. The fact that this was not a good customer experience or good customer service is obvious. Instead, it…

• The Great Differentiation

  David Rich

  28 Oct 2009 | 4:30 am

  Is it the great depression, the great recession or the great differentiation? A recent article by Mike Wittenstein spells out the differences and what that might mean to new opportunities to enhance the customer experience for your store or your brand. The point of the article is that customers are not choosing to not to buy items. They are, in fact, still buying items. Walmart and the dollar stores are not hurting. What they are doing is trading down to the next level of brand or retail outlet to fit their new economic reality. Because of this, we might see a different kind of shopper in our…

• 
  Kristian Andersen + Associates

• Redbox: The $1 Experience

  Clay Reinken

  5 Nov 2009 | 10:21 am

  Five years ago, if you wanted to rent a movie, you’d get in your car, drive to the nearest Blockbuster and spend 15 minutes browsing the movies on the walls, make your selection, and then proceed through the aisle of candy and popcorn to the next eager & available checkout clerk who would scan your membership card and take your money. Today, if you want to rent a movie, you probably add it to your Netflix queue and wait a day or two for it to arrive in your mailbox, or you visit a big giant vending machine robot called Redbox. Redbox seems to be all the rage these days (from what I…

• Anti-Energy Nowism

  Janneane Blomenberg

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:41 pm

  Trendwatching.com, one of the world’s leading consumer trends firms, released their report on NOWISM this month. As a consumer, I can certainly understand the urge to have everything right now. But as a provider of a service, I’ve learned that there are benefits to those who wait. Here at KA+A, we serve a bevy of clients whose jobs are to fulfill customers who need their product or service on-demand: they need the latest data on their customers right now; they needed a new feature of the product yesterday; and they need to get the software rolled out in their company with little or no…

• Bigger Ideas Conference Video Available

  Kristian Andersen

  4 Nov 2009 | 7:49 am

  The gang over at SmallerIndiana, have posted all of the video content from the Bigger Ideas Conference. If you missed the event, head on over here, to catch-up on what you missed out on. Kristian Andersen from Smaller Indiana, Bigger Ideas on Vimeo.

• Design & Performance-Based Business Models

  Nathan Sinsabaugh

  2 Nov 2009 | 8:02 am

  A recent BusinessWeek podcast featured an interview with Fahrenheit 212 founder and CEO Geoff Vuleta. Fahrenheit 212 is an innovation consultancy that engages their clients in a unique way by subjecting two thirds of their fees to agreed upon commercial milestones. If they don’t meet those milestones, they lose those fees. As a result the consultancy has a tangible interest in whether or not an initiative succeeds. KA+A’s VentureSpring program produces similar results. When commercial interests are aligned a truer partnership, with all the honesty and transparency that necessarily goes…

• Coke’s Prize in Disguise

  Cullen Nance

  30 Oct 2009 | 10:48 am

  Coca-Cola recently unveiled their all new state of the art, “world-changing” Freestyle Fountain soft-drink dispensers. Just to preface the rest of the post, I’m a bit put off by the freewheeling tendencies that come with this machine. The hype, the calories, the promises – all seem empty to me. It all sort of bubbled to the surface when I read a recently posted BusinessWeek article that featured the new dispensers. The piece opened by saying “The inventor of life-saving medical devices (Dean Kamen) sees Coca-Cola’s new Freestyle fountain as a way to make progress on…

• 
  Wheatley Timmons: BrandTrailblazers

• THE FORMULA FOR BUILDING A TRAILBLAZER BRAND

  Bob Wheatley

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:33 am

• SOCIAL MEDIA DRIVING SHOPPERS TO SHOP

  Bob Wheatley

  26 Oct 2009 | 3:06 pm

  Buying behaviors gaining momentum among the socially inclined By Robert Wheatley According to a recent Marketing Daily article on holiday shopping trends, social media engagement will top search engines and shopper review sites this year for bargain hunting. “Social media is influencing search behavior and affecting the purchases a consumer makes,” reports Oneupweb, a Traverse-City, Michigan research firm who compiled the report. The story goes on to reveal that in a recent Penn State study, one in five tweets now mention a specific brand or service. While the Luxury Institute found among…

• NEW FTC BLOGGER GUIDELINES FUEL CONFUSION

  Bob Wheatley

  16 Oct 2009 | 9:52 am

  Mom test still prevails… By Robert Wheatley Probably to be expected that new Guidelines on disclosure policies released by the Federal Trade Commission would lead to a rash of articles about dos, don’ts and watch-outs. Some of it accurate and of course some not. This story continues to evolve and we will continue to report on it. Like anything new as the information continues to travel down the funnel, we reach new levels of clarity along the path, so today we invite you to inch a bit closer to accurate understanding of what this all means. In the end, we can say with much confidence that…

• How Pet Brands Become Leader of the Crowded Pack

  Lauren Svoboda

  15 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am

  A Stroll Through a Pet Trade Show Can Be Eye Opening By Kerri Erb Can you believe I love going to a trade show? At least when it comes to the H.H. Backer Annual Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show and Educational Conference in Chicago. It’s a trade show I look forward to every year, because as a pet parent I am passionate about my beagles, Frankie and Flora, and pretty weak when it comes to spoiling  them with toys and treats. I’m apparently not the only one, since the pet industry is still growing and set to generate $51.6 billion in sales this year according to a recent report in Petage.

• INSIGHT MEETS CLARITY AND TIES THE KNOT

  Lauren Svoboda

  14 Oct 2009 | 9:13 am

  Happy couple now resides in Springfield, MO By Robert Wheatley From left to right — Andy Hopson, strategist and consultant to our firm and Noble, Bob Noble, CEO of his namesake agency and Rich Timmons, President of W&T standing in front of Noble’s 50-foot fork totem –an iconic nod to their firm’s heritage and expertise in food communications. Our agency, like many these days, is in a constant state of reinvention as we work to align ourselves with the changing media landscape and resulting client communication needs. Chief among the requirements of effective communications and…

• 
  Celebrity Branding You

• Behind the Scenes At Disney

  admin

  21 Oct 2009 | 12:07 pm

  Our Company does an event a couple of times per year and part of it is a “behind the scenes” look at Disney and an education on how they do the business magic they do so well. One segment of the tour is a visit to the “underground” part of the Magic Kingdom – the tunnels below. On tour, the very knowledgeable guides explain in detail some of the “insider” points of what Disney does and the thought process that goes with it. On this particular trip the guide told us about Disney’s Pin trading. For those of you who don’t know, Disney borrowed the idea of trading Pins from…

• Texas and Australia Collide!!…???

  admin

  27 Mar 2009 | 6:44 am

  It’s hard to believe that 1 week ago last night, Thursday night, I was in Austin at South By Southwest (SXSW), the biggest music festival in the U.S., rocking out to one of the bands I represent, “A Day to Remember.” These guys have been tearing it up recently. Their most recent release hit #21 on Billboard’s Top 200 records in February of this year. You can check out some video of them on youtube, there’s lots of them out there! Be forewarned, they rock pretty hard and heavy . But the story I’m going to tell you about actually happened exactly a week ago,…

• All You Need in a Video (Part II)

  admin

  5 Mar 2009 | 8:31 am

  In my previous post “All You Need in a Video” I talked about the fact that a heartfelt video that connects with your prospects and clients, regardless of production value, is all you need in order to connect with your audience. Well, here is an example of me taking my own advice (notice that the birds weren’t added sound effects! they were just part of the background, and I was still able to get my message across!) Here is a link to the video: http://www.celebritybrandingyou.com/cby-video/

• Celebrity Branding You™ – Isn’t He Just Talking About Personality Driven Marketing?

  admin

  11 Feb 2009 | 1:37 pm

  I was being interviewed on Inc. 500 CEO, Chris Hurn’s Small Business Success Strategies series, last week and he asked a question that I answer all too frequently in person, but I’m sure many of you have never heard my answer. What he essentially asked me is, “How is Celebrity Branding® different from personality branding, and the long-standing concept of a personality driven business?” While I can’t summarize everything that Celebrity Branding® includes in one short article, let me tell you one of the main differences. The main difference is in the magnitude of focus and…

• Somewhat like on American Idol, “I’m going to Hollywood!”

  admin

  6 Feb 2009 | 7:47 am

  I’m heading out to the GRAMMY’s with my wife and my business partners tomorrow. We’re really looking forward to it and we’re actually staying right across from the Kodak Theater where they film the Idol finals. We even got invited to Ne-Yo’s after-party. We’ll let you know how that goes… Anyhow, as I was packing, I was reminded of the last time I flew on a plane, a few weeks ago when I was coming back from France. I had so much time on the plane I actually ran out of things to do, watch, read etc, so I resorted to the airline’s shopping…

• 
  Bulletproof

• Weekly Web Wrap-Up for November 6, 2009

  Dallas Lawrence

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:47 pm

  Bulletproof’s Weekly Web Wrap-Up offers a compilation of key discussions regarding social media’s increasing relevance to business. As social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook continue to add new features at a feverish pace, it’s not always easy to keep up with the latest and greatest tools for protecting and enhancing your online reputation. But no matter what the shiny new feature the week may be, a few simple rules hold true across all social networks: Have a coordinated strategy, be authentic, and provide your audiences with ample reasons to come back. This week’s…

• Bulletproof Interview Special – Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on the Pay Czar, Healthcare Reform, and the Marquee Business Issues of the Day

  Larry Smith

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:25 am

  Each week, Bulletproof Blog features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. In this Bulletproof Interview exclusive, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich shares his thoughts on the most significant issues arising at the crossroads of government and business today. From healthcare reform to the new federal pay czar, Speaker Gingrich has his finger on the pulse of the latest legislative and regulatory developments coming out of Washington, D.C. – and, today, he provides Bulletproof™ readers with a his insights on how…

• A New Meaning to the Phrase “Media Placement”

  Sara Brown Meehan

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:46 pm

  As anyone who’s ever worked as a publicist can attest, influencing what a major newspaper chooses to cover isn’t always easy. But as the print journalism business continues to feel the financial squeeze of a media landscape that grows more competitive with each passing day, some companies are using a powerful and influential tool to dictate the news – their advertising dollars. According to a story in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, the print edition of the Detroit Free Press recently published a series of articles on Medicare open enrollment at the behest of Humana Inc., one of the…

• “Why We Can’t” – The Enemy of Leadership

  Richard Levick

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:55 pm

  Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the CEO Forum in Colorado Springs. At this gathering of top CEOs form across the country, I focused my remarks on one question: Why do crisis situations make the reputations of some countries and companies and break the reputations of others? From Beijing to Wall Street, we have found that there are three reasons why some companies fail in a crisis: The first is fear, which overwhelms the ability to make the right decisions at the right time. The second is that what got there won’t get you there – meaning that CEOs often fail to…

• What’s Next: The Plaintiff’s Perspective – New Ruling Allows Massive U.S. Support for Class Action Litigants in Canada

  Larry Smith

  4 Nov 2009 | 5:08 am

  In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs' attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to Won Kim, name partner at Toronto’s Kim Orr Barristers P.C., beneficiary of an October 29 ruling by the Ontario Supreme Court that permits U.S. plaintiffs’ firms a more direct collaborative role with Canadian firms in class actions brought in Canada. The court’s decision allows Milberg LLP to provide Kim Orr with investigative support and document review in a $520 million stock-drop suit against mining company…

• 
  The Marketing Fresh Peel

• Micro-Pulse: How Small Touches Impact the Heartbeat of Your Brand

  Chris Wilson

  5 Nov 2009 | 10:07 pm

  This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel Think about all the brands you interacted with today. Nearly everything you have done so far today involved a brand, was enabled by a brand or was accompanied by a brand. These interactions are just one of many touchpoints with a specific brand. Touchpoints, or touches for short, work in a way similar to that of how blood flows through our bodies. Your heart pumps blood through your body, providing it with the oxygen and nutrients it needs, but the heart alone isn’t solely responsible for enabling a steady, healthy heartbeat. Every vein,…

• Posterous: The Other Bucket for Things of Value

  Chris Wilson

  3 Nov 2009 | 1:15 pm

  This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel There is a lot great content on the web. (Understatement of the year.) Everyday I wade through piles of RSS feeds, funneling blog posts and the long list of various industry and client-related keywords that I track into one spot. And everyday I come across some really cool stuff, stuff that I find valuable in some way. Whether it be an interesting case study, a informational slide deck, or an original and creative marketing approach, I take it in, store it, if I think I might want to reference it later and then share it if I think you will find…

• Future of Work Redux

  Chris Wilson

  1 Nov 2009 | 6:53 pm

  This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel Jeff Brenman, of Apollo Ideas, adds his thoughts in a presentation about the future of work and they are a nice continuation to the future of work discussion. Here are a few key points from Jeff’s deck. The future of work is… Transparent – Your activities will be tracked, measured and tied to the bottom line. Flat – Location won’t matter. Competitive – No one is going to pay you for a degree. Performance matters. On Demand – There is no guarantee of a lifetime career. YOU. – Also, check out why…

• Micro-Pulse, An Introduction

  Chris Wilson

  26 Oct 2009 | 7:29 pm

  This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel Last week I was given the opportunity to participate in OpenBeta3, which is becoming quite the local Oklahoma City tech conference. In it’s third year running, OpenBeta delivered a great lineup stacked full of great speakers and content for anyone interested in startups and technology. This year featured an awesome collection of technology demos, most notably a soon to be released iPhone app called Audio Footnote, which lets users record and attach audio notes to podcasts and audiobooks. The keynote featured Josh Williams, the CEO and…

• FTC Guidelines: Finding Credible Interpretations

  Chris Wilson

  12 Oct 2009 | 12:22 pm

  This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel The FTC’s recent Guidelines on Endorsements and Testimonials has gained a lot of attention for such a dry, lengthy document at 81 pages long, emerging out of the fast, bite sized world we live in. The reason for this attention is well deserved because for the first time these guidelines will include blogs and other forms of digital publishing. Rather than give you my own opinions on the document and how I interpret the them (as some have done), I’ve decided it would be much more beneficial to round up some more qualified…

• 
  brandSTOKE

• Retail clinics vs. your doctor: it may come down to branding

  Kirk

  4 Nov 2009 | 6:06 am

  They treat cuts, burns, sprains, rashes, allergies, fevers, and infections. They are called MinuteClinic, Take Care Clinic, RediClinic, The Little Clinic, The Clinic at Walmart, and Target Clinic. They are located in the aisles of Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Target, and Kroger. There are more than 1,100 of them in the U.S., and more are on the way. (Find the one nearest you at Merchant Medicine.) They are retail-based medical clinics — and your doctor doesn’t like them. The primary advantage of retail clinics (also known as walk-in clinics and convenient care clinics) is convenience.

• Absolut Strategy.

  Kirk

  2 Nov 2009 | 7:55 am

  BrandSTOKE Book Review: ♦♦♦ The Absolut Vodka ad campaign is so well established and formulaic that it now seems as if any art director could develop a new ad in the series. Even Richard W. Lewis, author and account director, says, “Some people say we had an easy time.” Which is to say the campaign is brilliant. What is obvious when reviewing the beautifully reproduced ads in Absolut Book.: The Absolut Vodka Advertising Story is how well crafted they are, featuring interpretations by renown artists (Warhol), photographers (Newton), fashion designers (Piccone), and many more.

• Brand loyalty … for all of eternity

  Kirk

  27 Oct 2009 | 1:07 pm

  In the spirit of Halloween, I share this personal story: A couple of years ago, my father died unexpectedly. While arranging the funeral, my brother and I found ourselves in a casket showroom adjacent to a funeral home. (My dad’s family favors caskets over urns.) If you’ve never shopped for a casket, trust me — it is an experience both sad and surreal. Despite the funeral director’s (read: sale representative’s) efforts to make the event comforting and meaningful, a casket showroom is not a place you ever want to be. I didn’t see that I had a choice, so I…

• What every non-marketer should know about branding

  Kirk

  26 Oct 2009 | 7:45 am

  The words “brand” and “branding” are thrown around in casual conversation so frequently now that I’m still surprised to find not every business person knows what they mean. (In fairness though, I don’t understand supply-chain logistics.) Some business managers refer to their products as brands, probably a carryover from the early P&G days. Some still think their logo, package or trademark is the brand. Some mistakenly believe they have total control of their customer’s brand experience. And many think branding is just another word for marketing.

• Apparently we care about cosmetics, not banks

  Kirk

  20 Oct 2009 | 11:33 am

  We care about cereal, not insurance. Vodka not water. Brand Keys, a research firm specializing in customer loyalty and brand engagement, recently released their 2009 Loyalty Engagement Index, a list of rankings of customer loyalty toward 440 brands in 63 categories. In the survey, 26,000 consumers were polled about the degree to which brands were able to meet or exceed their expectations within each category. The results reveal a number of interesting insights. First, loyalty and dominant market share are unrelated. JetBlue and Southwest, for example, tied for the lead in the airlines…

• 
  Jive From The Hive

• Legal Versus Social: 7 Steps To An Amicable Relationship

  Elizabeth Hannan

  25 Oct 2009 | 7:58 pm

  7 Steps to integrate your corporate legal department and an evolving social business model seamlessly.(This post is designed more for those deep in the corporate trenches, looking for guidance on how to plan out a new guidelines around social business practices policy).As social business communications become more prevalent in your marketing strategy, it should be expected that legal will also become more adamant about creating documents to lock down your companies brand message.Evolving integrations of social with current legal policies and communications can be difficult for many…

• How Do You Overcome Communication Obstacles?

  Elizabeth Hannan

  17 Oct 2009 | 12:36 pm

    Creating content that all of your network or community enjoys all of the time is nearly impossible. It is Fall and my favorite season of the year. Everything changes and abruptly. I'm taking advantage of this and I suggest you do as well. The way I communicate through specific mediums is changing. I usually communicate directly through twitter, text messages or through speaking gigs. Apparently, I do loose of connection points by not following through after the first touch point. Most often this happens after events and conferences. So in attempt to ignite new friendships and to…

• Re-Evaluating Your Strengths and Goals in Eleven Steps

  Elizabeth Hannan

  29 Sep 2009 | 3:54 pm

  Updating my Blog In the past month I've been terribly absent from my blog and my writing passion in general. Not for lack of love of my readers I needed to step back and address my own life goals and priorities and where I want to go. Thank you for all the emails I am still here:) I was just getting stuck on the small stuff and reevaluating how I can be better to my community and grow my own personal Business Blue Blazing Media. I stepped back and sought feedback from my inner circle of friends. I had lost my focus. After reading a significant post By @PamSlim I realized fall is just a time…

• Affiliate Summit East 09 NYC

  Elizabeth Hannan

  18 Aug 2009 | 7:00 am

     Affiliate Summit East 2009 My adventures at affiliate summit have been vast. I set out at any conference with set goals. To maximize my time and to grow my networks. This was primarily done in the blogger lounge. To meet influential individuals that have the potential to be game changers. Listening to the pros and perils of other people's experiences. Communicate with other like minded individuals and to discuss what processes are working and what processes are not working. To quantify and calculate my time and actions online and find algorithms in online success. Why Go? I…

• Digging Into the New "Trust Agents" Book

  Elizabeth Hannan

  17 Aug 2009 | 12:36 am

                                                                   I just received my copy of "Trust Agents" authored by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith last night. I am excited to dive into it. So far, I'm about 1/3 of the way through it and overwhelmed with just how applicable the content is across a variety of industries. With every page I read it inspires new thoughts of how trust is actually very visual in everyday business life.

• 
  Fresh Thinking Starts Here

• Amex Embraces Social Media...IN PRINT!

  Len

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:03 pm

  I was spending some time catching up on my Fortune Small Business magazines last night, when I came across the following ad for American Express: The really interesting thing?  When was the last time you saw a print ad that actually dedicated a significant amount of space to a NEGATIVE comment from a consumer?We spend a lot of time talking about how the world of Web 2.0 requires for brands to give up some control over the conversation and develop the necessary thick skin that allows for open and honest dialogue - not all of which will be positive.  It's one thing, however, to be ok…

• Brand ManageCamp 2009 - Recap and Slideshow

  Len

  15 Oct 2009 | 8:14 am

  via www.flickr.com OK - so it's been over a week since Brand ManageCamp 2009 ended...but it's never too late for a recap, right???? What a fantastic couple of days we had in Las Vegas. The weather was perfect, the hotel (The Signature at MGM Grand) was terrific and we had 220+ fun, intelligent, insightful brand marketers who had come together to learn from our speakers and each other.  The theme, as always, was Fresh Thinking Starts Here - and I have no doubt that most everyone left with at least a few Fresh Thoughts to get things moving in new and better directions upon returning…

• EXPLOITING CHAOS - free chapter download from BMC2009 speaker Jeremy Gutsche

  Len

  8 Sep 2009 | 8:14 am

  via www.exploitingchaos.com We love it when Brand ManageCamp speakers come out with new books right before the conference. It means we get to be among the first to hear about their new work right from the source! This one is even more special as BMC2009 speaker Jeremy Gutsche is making the first chapter of his new book - 'Exploiting Chaos' - available for FREE download! It's an amazing book that looks like none you've ever seen before and is filled with '150 ways to spark innovation during times of change.' I think you'll agree, this is the perfect time for…

• Fresh Thinking Moment #2 - Simon Bray (?What If! Innnovation)

  Len

  27 Aug 2009 | 7:49 am

  In this second installment of our Fresh Thinking Moment series, Simon Bray (Head of Capabilities for ?What If! Innovation and speaker at the upcoming Brand ManageCamp 2009) explains his views on 'Fresh Thinking.'  Highlights include: The need to get outside your comfort zone by going to new and different places for inspiration as well as the need to challenge existing rules and assumptions The 'Fresh Thinking' behind Hyundai's Assurance promotion How to generate inspiration by structuring new and different activities into your life.  Simon's own examples…

• Fresh Thinking Moment #1 - John Gerzema

  Len

  21 Aug 2009 | 10:04 am

  This is a new feature I am really excited to bring to the blog.  Through the Brand ManageCamp conferences, as well as our other activities, I am blessed to come into contact with so many brilliant thinkers.  Some of them are authors/speakers, others are just visionaries from the corporate world.Starting now, and recurring as often as I can, I am going to be posting short videos of these folks - all answering the same three questions:1 - What does "Fresh Thinking" mean to you?2 - What is a recent example you have seen of "Fresh Thinking?"3 - Where do you get the…

• 
  Celebrity Branding You

• Behind the Scenes At Disney

  admin

  21 Oct 2009 | 12:07 pm

  Our Company does an event a couple of times per year and part of it is a “behind the scenes” look at Disney and an education on how they do the business magic they do so well. One segment of the tour is a visit to the “underground” part of the Magic Kingdom – the tunnels below. On tour, the very knowledgeable guides explain in detail some of the “insider” points of what Disney does and the thought process that goes with it. On this particular trip the guide told us about Disney’s Pin trading. For those of you who don’t know, Disney borrowed the idea of trading Pins from…

• Texas and Australia Collide!!…???

  admin

  27 Mar 2009 | 6:44 am

  It’s hard to believe that 1 week ago last night, Thursday night, I was in Austin at South By Southwest (SXSW), the biggest music festival in the U.S., rocking out to one of the bands I represent, “A Day to Remember.” These guys have been tearing it up recently. Their most recent release hit #21 on Billboard’s Top 200 records in February of this year. You can check out some video of them on youtube, there’s lots of them out there! Be forewarned, they rock pretty hard and heavy . But the story I’m going to tell you about actually happened exactly a week ago,…

• All You Need in a Video (Part II)

  admin

  5 Mar 2009 | 8:31 am

  In my previous post “All You Need in a Video” I talked about the fact that a heartfelt video that connects with your prospects and clients, regardless of production value, is all you need in order to connect with your audience. Well, here is an example of me taking my own advice (notice that the birds weren’t added sound effects! they were just part of the background, and I was still able to get my message across!) Here is a link to the video: http://www.celebritybrandingyou.com/cby-video/

• Celebrity Branding You™ – Isn’t He Just Talking About Personality Driven Marketing?

  admin

  11 Feb 2009 | 1:37 pm

  I was being interviewed on Inc. 500 CEO, Chris Hurn’s Small Business Success Strategies series, last week and he asked a question that I answer all too frequently in person, but I’m sure many of you have never heard my answer. What he essentially asked me is, “How is Celebrity Branding® different from personality branding, and the long-standing concept of a personality driven business?” While I can’t summarize everything that Celebrity Branding® includes in one short article, let me tell you one of the main differences. The main difference is in the magnitude of focus and…

• Somewhat like on American Idol, “I’m going to Hollywood!”

  admin

  6 Feb 2009 | 7:47 am

  I’m heading out to the GRAMMY’s with my wife and my business partners tomorrow. We’re really looking forward to it and we’re actually staying right across from the Kodak Theater where they film the Idol finals. We even got invited to Ne-Yo’s after-party. We’ll let you know how that goes… Anyhow, as I was packing, I was reminded of the last time I flew on a plane, a few weeks ago when I was coming back from France. I had so much time on the plane I actually ran out of things to do, watch, read etc, so I resorted to the airline’s shopping…

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  Drew Schiller

• The New Biz

  Drew Schiller

  14 Oct 2009 | 6:54 am

  Many of you know that Crystal and I have recently started a business in our spare time (ha!), Gluten Free Basics, LLC. Crystal has been diagnosed with celiac disease for the last two years, and we started the business to provide educational and coaching products for people who must follow a strict gluten-free diet. The cat’s finally out of the bag on our new business, as we were interviewed and featured in an article today in Iowa City’s Press Citizen. Here are the products we currently offer: GlutenFreeHub.com - A gluten-free lifestyle website full of tips and how-to’s for…

• Gain Perspective On Business and Life By Taking a Hiatus

  Drew Schiller

  1 Sep 2009 | 11:32 am

  For those of you who read my blog regularly, you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t posted in a couple of months. In late June, I began to feel like the direction my business was taking was moving against my grain. Owning a business that fulfills me personally as well as financially is critical to how I want to live my life, so I took a business hiatus. I first began taking hiatuses back in college under completely different circumstances. My guy friends and I, when we became tired of playing games with the fairer sex, would go on a hiatus to reprioritize our lives. This usually came at…

• Advice: Consider the Source

  Drew Schiller

  1 Jul 2009 | 8:35 am

  I was speaking with someone last week who is starting her first business, and predictably she was a little overwhelmed by how many things she had to do. As we were talking, she said things like, “I heard that I should do this,” or, “So-and-so recommended that.” She was also actively looking for validation and answers to her questions, so she kept asking me, “What do you think?” I exclaimed, “Wow, it sounds like you’re receiving a lot of advice!” She agreed that everyone seemed to have an opinion as to what she should or shouldn’t do and why that’s the best move. “When…

• Best of the Blog (First Half of 2009)

  Drew Schiller

  30 Jun 2009 | 8:34 am

  Your Top Five (as viewed by the readers, ordered by date): How To Create A More Memorable Brand Nine ways to create a more memorable brand. I wrote this while examining the question, “Is it getting more difficult for people to remember your brand’s message?” What You Don’t Know About Branding Five important branding concepts you may not be thinking enough about. I was inspired to write this when an MBA professor mentioned to me that he only had six seconds worth of material to teach about branding. (Boy was he wrong!) 10 free do-it-yourself branding tips for businesses Some basic tips…

• Treat Customers Like Customers

  Drew Schiller

  29 Jun 2009 | 8:24 am

  We’ve all seen the commercials and heard the radio advertisements: At Bob’s Concrete and Lumber, we treat our customers like family. Wrong! Treating customers like family is a nice sentiment, but it doesn’t work in practice. This idea probably comes from the “family first” mantra we’re all familiar with, but let’s be honest, when things get hectic, many people (especially business owners) put family last. I have a wonderful family, and I enjoy spending time with them. What I love so much about them is, 1) they are incredibly understanding and forgiving, 2)…

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  BIG marketing for small business

• Banner Ads Are Better Than Clicks Suggest

  Rajan Sodhi

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:08 pm

  I attended the ad:tech Digital Marketing event in London back in September and sat in on an intriguing presentation by ComScore about online banner advertising and how more and more people are clicking on less and less of them. In fact, only 8% of Internet users account for 85% of all clicks according to their study. Compared to search engine marketing (SEM), click-through on banner ads seem pitiful and almost a waste of resources and money. But wait. Before you decide to kill your banner ad campaign, consider this: using just click-through to measure the performance of your banner ad…

• Cloud Hosting Still Cloudy for Many Businesses

  Rajan Sodhi

  26 Oct 2009 | 11:48 am

  Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison believes cloud is just water vapor. All the buzz in web hosting these days is around cloud hosting. From large providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) to the Rackspace Cloud, to a whole bunch of tiny providers, you can’t find a corner on the Internet that isn’t talking about or trying to offer up a cloud service. But what exactly is cloud? If you aren’t quite sure, you’re not alone. A recent independent cloud hosting study of 200 IT decision makers showed that 88 percent of them do not use cloud technologies, while 39 percent said that…

• Make Your Website Your Best Salesperson

  Ryan Kelly

  23 Oct 2009 | 12:35 pm

  While stacking up your sales department is a good way to drive inbound leads and sales, I find that many businesses are overlooking the potential for a rockstar salesperson: their website. Don’t be afraid to invest in your website just as you would a training and education budget for a salesperson. You may be tempted to throw a lot of money into paid search, but investing in organic search will last much longer, making it the most effective way to drive leads for your business. That means once the ad budget runs out, the leads and the traffic stops, but the work you put into organic…

• Early Bird Tickets Available for Malcolm Gladwell in Vancouver

  Rajan Sodhi

  6 Oct 2009 | 3:34 pm

  Lindsay Smith announced today on her blog that early bird tickets are now available for the F5 Expo featuring bestselling author of Tipping Point and Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell. As I mentioned in an earlier post, F5 Expo will focus on future trends in the online space including social media, digital media, SEO, and mobile apps. I’ve seen a preliminary list of additional speakers being added to the event, and it looks very impressive. Vancouver is starving for this type of an event. The first block of etickets released are available for $220 and includes: Malcolm Gladwell’s keynote…

• Google Wave Reinvents Email

  Rajan Sodhi

  5 Oct 2009 | 11:27 am

  Just watched the demonstration of the new Google Wave. Very impressive product that I can’t wait to try out! Does someone out there have an invite they can send me? (Thanks for the hook up Summit Media!) It takes the best features of online communication – social media, instant messaging, and email – and integrates them into a seamless stream of communication rather than the traditional back and forth, piling on of messages. Watch the video to see how it works.

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  LogoInn

• 5 Website Mistakes That Can Kill Your Brand Image

  Scott

  16 Oct 2009 | 11:30 pm

  No business in this day and age takes a change of not having a website that could reflect and enhance the brand image of a company. Unfortunately, many business websites lack in some important characteristics, which are not usually known by a business owner. Eventually, these mistakes impact negatively on the image of a business [...]

• You Will Like To Read Again These 10 Top Posts of LogoInn.net

  Scott

  9 Oct 2009 | 12:33 am

  I hope you will enjoy reading these 10 posts of this blog which were previously published. 8 Mistakes You Should Avoid In Your Business Card Who can deny the importance of a business card, even in this era where everything is digitized. A business card is your first impression to your prospective customer, which may become [...]

• Selecting a Logo Design Company: Hit the Bull’s-Eye

  Scott

  29 Sep 2009 | 1:17 am

  Having some good thoughts in your head, you start to look for a custom logo design company to design an out of the world logo for your business. This sound pretty good, but when you think to look for a design company, at first you open an internet browser, open a search engine, put any [...]

• 8 Elements of a Winning Business Website

  Scott

  19 Sep 2009 | 2:18 am

  Image from LogoInn.com Having a website is crucial for every business in this day and age, whether it is an online business or an offline venture. With immense competition in online world, loads and loads of websites are being developed every day. In this situation, a website for any new business should have a capability to [...]

• Let your logo be the talk of the town on every occasion!

  Scott

  10 Sep 2009 | 11:11 pm

  We live in a world of fierce competition, a world where it is very difficult to survive in any field of business. People who are aggressive and always come up with innovative ideas and creative strategies get success, whereas, people who wait for some miracle to happen, can never achieve great success. If you are [...]

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  The Branding Gavel

• Brand: measuring virtual world activities

  yinkaolaito

  5 Nov 2009 | 3:17 am

  Anything worth doing is worth measuring. Brand virtual effort is not a mirage. It should be measured. Talking of measurement, many are of the opinion that virtual effort is much more difficult than the traditional media activities. We must remember that when there is a new trend, possibility of measurement may seem overwhelming but that does not mean there is no headway. The goal of any endeavor should determine the measuring parameters. That is why I often encourage setting objectives before your brand engage in virtual world. The virtual world can become engaging and time consuming. There…

• Digital campaign: non-profit takes the lead in web 2.0

  yinkaolaito

  2 Nov 2009 | 6:47 am

  In one of my previous articles here I did mention that most of our brands efforts on the internet here are focused on social media abuse through web advertising in social media platforms. In recent times, we are pleased to note that changes are taking place from unexpected sources. The non-profits are taking the bull by the horns. A particular example is the social medial virtual effort to promote and create awareness for a leadership conference organized by a non denominational outfit named Daystar Christian Centre in Lagos. The first step taken in this regard is to hire a web designer who…

• Social media: how to up your game

  yinkaolaito

  28 Oct 2009 | 8:06 am

   Each day gives me opportunity to learn something new and I guess that should be individual approach to life. Finding right information is also dependent on where one is looking at. But if you ask me, you don’t get it wrong by associating with right people and reading great stuff. I do not have money is not enough excuse today if you have access to internet. This informed my concern for those millions of genuine people who do not have access to internet in my country. I consider how much they have to pay daily to get educated in cyber cafes. Having said that, I have come to the conclusion…

• Personal branding is an opportunity to influence

  yinkaolaito

  26 Oct 2009 | 8:23 am

  Recently an online personal branding expert from Iraq, Mohammed AL- Taee  asked for my opinion of what personal branding is? We have heard several definitions which include: it is personal uniqueness in the market place’, a weapon that one uses to market personal core competences and taking advantage of such in the marketplace, a way of selling one’s uniqueness and promoting self differentiation, the rush to re-apply the marketing process from products to people, to give them a beachhead in a million minds, is the great converging point of the modern world among many great definitions.

• Rebranding Nigeria: The missing link

  yinkaolaito

  26 Oct 2009 | 5:39 am

  While I do not lay claim to being a national branding expertise, as a concerned brand strategist and communicator, I can not but occasionally express my thoughts on happenings in my home country. Our community must have noticed our consistency in operating within the confinement of the mission behind this blog: which is to help brands perform maximally and become better. So today our focus will be on Nigeria Rebranding process, what I have noticed here, and I say that with a sense of responsibility is that those who know what to say often keep quiet and allow those who have nothing to say to…

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  RadiantBrands Blog

• Beer Labels Gone Bad

  Steven Donaldson

  28 Oct 2009 | 2:34 pm

  About six months ago the Pyramid Brewing Company of Seattle introduced new names, new labels and a new logo for their brand. They abandoned their old look and did a complete re-think of who they are and what they should look like. The result: well, in my opinion questionable. They changed the beer names from a generic category identification reflecting a specific style and taste—Hefeweizen, Red Ale and IPA—to names more evocative of a quartet of comic book superheroes– Haywire, Audacious, Juggernaut and Thunderhead. I’m not totally against this, but what kind of experience are…

• Brand behind the brand: Flickr is now from Yahoo

  Steven Donaldson

  1 Oct 2009 | 9:38 am

  Just a few weeks ago when I went to my Flickr account I notice that it’s now “brought to you” by Yahoo. Most of us know that Yahoo bought Flicker several years ago and that Yahoo retained the Flickr brand because of it’s huge loyalty. They actually shut down Yahoo Photos in 2007 in favor of Flickr. This was a step outside the box for Yahoo. They primarily focus on a one brand only approach. But what’s interesting is that they are now sneaking in the back door with the “brought to you by” impression of the Yahoo brand which really bothers many loyal Flickr users. Many folks…

• Apple’s Next Move and why it’s not a Netbook…

  Steven Donaldson

  10 Aug 2009 | 9:56 am

  With the massive proliferation of small, inexpensive laptops, now called netbooks selling lot hot cakes it’s easy to see why so many pc makers are jumping on the bandwagon. These little laptops are all about 7” x 10”, sell from $270 to $370 and are under 3 lbs. They are basic with no frills and make buying a computer a simple decision. So why can’t Apple jump into this market? It makes sense that they create something that appeals to their loyalists, like me, in this category, right? Not really. When you carefully look at Apple’s brand, what they represent in the market, it’s not…

• Smart Phone Wars, Why the iPhone Wins

  Steven Donaldson

  22 Jun 2009 | 6:30 pm

  With Palm announcing the new Pre, Apple announcing a new lower price iPhone 3G S, Google’s latest Android phone launch, the MyTouch 3G and the Blackberry Storm, where’s the smartphone world going? No question there’s a war out there. It seems to me that Apple, with its powerful brand presence and slavish consumer loyalty, will continue to be a strong leader. Yes, there’s no question that “Crackberry” users, primarily business-based customers, will continue to addictively support their brand (after all, our President has one, or is it two?). But I suggest that Apple will hold the…

• Why I love my Flip video camera

  Steven Donaldson

  27 May 2009 | 2:27 pm

  When I first heard about Flip, the simple video camera that literally plugs and plays, I realized this is a very unique brand in the digital video market. Unlike most of the digital video cameras it’s extremely simple, inexpensive and handy. It’s so simple, so inexpensive and so easy to use why didn’t someone think of this before? It’s only been around for about 3 years and it’s the number 3 video camera brand out there. Why?– because it was developed around a missing niche in the market. Unlike Sony and the other major electronics manufactures who are driven by features and…

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  SIMON MAINWARING: BRANDING, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA

• GUEST INTERVIEW: Lawrence Azerrad, LAD Design

  admin

  4 Nov 2009 | 10:27 am

  Here are few examples of Lawrence’s design work and you can always reach him here. Wilco Cover Art Red Hot Chili Peppers, Californication REM, Hollywood Bowl Related posts:October 12, 2009 -- If You Want Go Viral Get Out of the Way (3)September 30, 2009 -- How top brands build effective online communities: Part 2 (0)August 6, 2009 -- Ten things the JK Wedding taught us about social media (2)July 6, 2009 -- The Future of You as Advertising Space (7)June 17, 2009 -- Social Media Theory in Practice: Real Client, Limited Budget, No Time (0)June 9, 2009 -- Top ten things brands forget in…

• So-Me, Mo-Co, Uh-Oh! Social Media’s Hunger for Real Time Reductions

  admin

  2 Nov 2009 | 8:07 am

  Image: isteconnects.org In a world of 140 characters it’s hardly surprising that our appetite for snappy reductions is insatiable. So as SoMe (Social Media) gives way to MoCo (Mobile Community), I couldn’t help but wonder how far it will go and what the past might have looked like if it was boiled down to the same real time acronyms. So let’s “Start at the very beginning” and work our way forward. Smoke Signals: SmSi Carrier Pigeon: CaPi Morse Code: MoCo Transistor Radio: TrRa Fireside Chat: FiCh Walkie Talkie: WaTa Telephone Booth: TeBo Fax Machine: FaMa Mobile…

• GUEST INTERVIEW: Jesse Dylan, TEDMED speaker and film director

  admin

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:34 am

  Jesse Dylan is speaking today at TEDMED discussing his new healthcare non-profit, Lybba. It just received a coveted NIH grant and has enormous potential to transform the healthcare experience for millions of people around the world. Here’s a sneak peak at Lybba. Lybba Landing Page Related posts:No Related Posts

• My revealing first video (no, really)

  admin

  27 Oct 2009 | 8:37 am

  Starting this week, I’ll be sharing video interviews on my blog. There’ll also be a few other video options for you to choose from (just click on the red tabs under the video player to your right). There are five to choose from and I’ll be changing the content all the time. Here’s what they are: 1. WELCOME: Me saying hi and thanks. Your time and interest are valuable. 2. INTERVIEWS: In the course of my work I come across many talented artists including directors, writers, DP’s, editors, graphic designers, art directors, and digital/social media specialists. Each…

• When others needs bring out the best in ourselves and social media

  admin

  22 Oct 2009 | 10:45 am

  This week was the official launch of the national “iParticipate” campaign. As one of the team members that created the campaign, I wanted to thank the networks, talents agents and stars for doing something unprecedented – uniting all four networks around a single cause.  It’s yet one more milestone on the way to massive, positive social change for so many people in desperate need around the country. Here’s a look at how a few of the one hundred prime time shows are lending a hand: UGLY BETTY DANCING WITH THE STARS CASTLE KEVIN BACON/TODAY SHOW Anyone spy any…

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  The Cause Is The Habit Holistic Brand Strategy Group

• Social media networking basics for professionals

  damienbasile

  3 Nov 2009 | 1:27 pm

  Via http://www.intersectionconsulting.com/ What do you want out of social media? If you’re looking for fun then it doesn’t really matter where you begin. If you are looking to utilize it to network professionally in some capacity then there is a very specific place to start with it. Of course social media can and should be used as a reflection of your offline life, so more than likely you will have a good mixture of both pleasure and professional. That being said, here’s a great place to start if you’re looking to grow your professional network: Sign up to Facebook,…

• Nokia’s N97 mini iPhone clone is a branding disaster

  damienbasile

  28 Oct 2009 | 3:27 pm

  via engadget.com Big black block, silver lining, rounded edges, a line for an earhole and a central button at the bottom. No I’m not talking about the iPhone. I’m talking about the new Nokia N97 mini. Why innovate when you can just copy a surefire winner? Well because in the world of design and branding for products copycats are seen in a derisive light- especially for something as blatant as this. If Nokia copied any other phone it wouldn’t have been as bad. In this case the iPhone is so distinct from other mobile devices that even mimicking slight features are noticed.

• Nokia’s N97 mini iPhone clone is a branding disaster

  damienbasile

  28 Oct 2009 | 3:21 pm

  via engadget.com Big black block, silver lining, rounded edges, a line for an earhole and a central button at the bottom. No I’m not talking about the iPhone. I’m talking about the new Nokia N97 mini. Why innovate when you can just copy a surefire winner? Well because in the world of design and branding for products copycats are seen in a derisive light- especially for something as blatant as this. If Nokia copied any other phone it wouldn’t have been as bad. In this case the iPhone is so distinct from other mobile devices that even mimicking slight features are noticed.

• iTunes app store gets suggestions… just not the right ones

  damienbasile

  26 Oct 2009 | 1:04 pm

  A necessary and brilliant move, Apple has added suggestions to their receipt to give a valid call to action. The only problem is the suggestions are based on what others who bought my selections also bought. While this is helpful in giving more suggestions I’d actually like suggestions based on what I bought that’s relevant to me. Semantic technology may still be in it’s infancy but relevancy can be given based on many other factors. I personally don’t need an app to view my pet pictures on my Mac remotely (Clarus), a separate app to read a blog (Pali Research), and I…

• Facebook’s New Touchscreen Interface vs. Mobile Interface

  damienbasile

  23 Oct 2009 | 1:24 pm

  This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series FacebookFacebook recently released a touchscreen optimized interface for phones such as the iPhone and android models. It’s interesting that even though Facebook is one of the most downloaded social networking iPhone apps that Facebook is still continuing to optimize the mobile web on many different fronts. Considering they just launched their newly redesigned homepage in a more streamlined newsfeed focused way it makes me wonder if this addition is within their overall brand vision for their user interface and user experience. One thing I DO like…

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  Art & Business of Motion

• Australia’s 7Two Launches

  Denny

  2 Nov 2009 | 9:30 am

  Australia’s Seven Network yesterday launched it’s eagerly anticipated new broad entertainment channel 7Two. The new 24-hour channel, buoyed by heavy US and UK programming titles promises “more drama, more lifestyle, more reality, more comedy, more movies.”, includes nabbing favorites Ugly Betty, Heroes, 24, and Lost. Already the channel has enjoyed promotions on Seven ahead of its launch on Sunday with its politically-inspired “It’s Time” campaign song. Seven’s production & programming chief Tim Worner tips us in on a few secrets including a few red herrings,…

• First Look: Otherworldly Fringe Promo Featuring NIN/Trent Reznor

  Denny

  23 Oct 2009 | 12:10 am

  First Look: Fox’s sci-fi drama Fringe tonight released an eye-catching :60 promo (which I had been hearing bits about for the last few weeks) featuring NIN frontman Trent Reznor.  Reznor lends his song “Zero Sum” with specially recorded dialogue for the spot. After being asked by series EP Jeff Pinkner, co-creator JJ Abrams sent a single email to Reznor and got him on board for the unique collaboration. For those folks who might’ve missed it, here’s the promo, which has already lit up chatter on the Twittersphere. Also- I’m told Reznor embedded one of the…

• MTV, FX, NBC- Top Views September

  Denny

  21 Oct 2009 | 4:59 am

  It has been a very busy October. I’d like to give a bit of thanks to clients old and new who have given a bit of their personal & professional time to me this past month. This economic climate makes it even more important to reach out, spend valuable face to face time, and have focused, purposeful dialogue about our clients’ real world challenges. With that, here’s some work that caught your eye last month. In no particular order, (in case you missed it) five of the most viewed posts in September. Latest stats- 45% of Art & Business of Motion’s readers are in…

• Doctor Who 2010: The New Logo Finally Unveiled

  Denny

  14 Oct 2009 | 3:58 am

  Last week, the 11th logo in the 46 year history of the iconic show was finally revealed. For those unfamiliar with the show, Doctor Who is listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest science fiction television show in the world, and the “most successful” sci fi series of all time (based on overall broadcast ratings, dvd sales, book sales, and online downloads). Doctor Who’s army of faithful (and vocal) fans have shared their impressions of the new look online and throughout the blogosphere. The feedback thus far been largely positive, which can only help build…

• CCTV: “Believe in the Power of the Brand”

  Denny

  8 Oct 2009 | 8:19 am

  I had meant to get this newest :60 spot (titled “Ink”) up last week when it was breaking news, but a busy schedule (and travel) has kept me from my proper blog curation duties. Thanks to the folks at CCTV for contacting me and sending it my way. Fortunately, several years of Mandarin lessons and regular Chinese practice with family members meant I could almost speak without a noticable accent. Okay, well maybe not. You might find it surprising the amount of interest (based on searches) there is in the Asia/Australia channel branding market. Just a few years ago, chinese broadcast…

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  Executive Resume Branding Blog

• How To Nail Executive Job Interviews

  Meg Guiseppi

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:40 am

  How To Nail Executive Job Interviews is a post from: Executive Resume Branding Does the very thought of a job interview give you the jitters and make you cringe? You’re certainly not alone. Most people dread interviews because there’s no way of knowing just what questions you’ll be hit with. But if you practice and become comfortable with the classic questions and others you can expect to be asked, you’ll be way ahead of the game. Here are some resources and advice to help you prepare: Your Next Job Interview Should Be With Yourself, by author and consultant Martha I. Finney. 5…

• Personal Branding For Portability in Today’s Executive Job Market

  Meg Guiseppi

  3 Nov 2009 | 4:33 am

  Personal Branding For Portability in Today’s Executive Job Market is a post from: Executive Resume Branding The notion of a 10+ year gig with the same company may be sadly outdated, wishful thinking. What was considered job-hopping a few years ago is the norm today. So, how do top-tier executives keep themselves at-the-ready for the twists and turns we’re all coming to accept in the current job market? First, by defining their personal brand, differentiating their unique value proposition, and positioning themselves as subject matter experts for their niche. In her recent Forbes…

• Job Action Day 2009: Take Control of Your Executive Job Search

  Meg Guiseppi

  31 Oct 2009 | 4:34 am

  Job Action Day 2009: Take Control of Your Executive Job Search is a post from: Executive Resume Branding The second annual Job Action Day, spearheaded by Quintessential Careers, is set for November 2. The event addresses the jobless recovery by instigating a call to action for both job seekers and those not actively searching. For job seekers, it’s a day to step back, rethink your job search strategy, re-tool, and re-position yourself for employment opportunities. For people who are employed, it’s a day to evaluate your job and employer, assess their stability, determine whether…

• Free Personal Branding and Green Careers Advice Guide

  Meg Guiseppi

  30 Oct 2009 | 5:46 am

  Free Personal Branding and Green Careers Advice Guide is a post from: Executive Resume Branding Practical Advice for Advancing Your Personal Brand in the Green Industry, by Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategists The guide includes advice from several personal branding strategists (including me) and a good list of green career resources at the end. Just a few of the articles: →  Want to Transition to a Green Job? Research and Network Your Way In →  Do You Bleed Green? →  You Don’t Have to Leave to Get a Green Job - Become the Internal Environmental Champion! → …

• Twitter Personal Branding Strategy — The Beauty of a Re-Tweet

  Meg Guiseppi

  29 Oct 2009 | 4:14 am

  Twitter Personal Branding Strategy — The Beauty of a Re-Tweet is a post from: Executive Resume Branding Are you leveraging the value of strategic re-tweeting? Or are you content to just update your followers on what you had for lunch or what movie you saw last night? Re-tweeting affords opportunities to acknowledge people, give them credit for contributing, and let them know they’re being heard — inherent needs in all of us. Re-tweets can be a powerful way to build brand evangelism, a quality Twitter following, and possibly get under the radar of subject matter experts you want…

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  SimpliFlying

• Shashank Nigam awarded the Global Brand Leadership Award at World Brand Congress for airline branding

  Shashank Nigam

  4 Nov 2009 | 5:44 pm

  Dear SimpliFliers, It gives me great pleasure to share with you that I’ve been awarded the coveted Global Brand Leadership Award (Individual) by the World Brand Congress. The award ceremony was held at the Taj in Mumbai on November 4, 2009. Thanks to all of you who came down to support, in person or on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn! It was truly an evening to remember. The award is given to individuals who’re doing things differently in branding in a given industry and a distinguished jury decided on those who’d receive the award this year. I received it for SimpliFlying’s…

• How can legacy airlines, airports or hotels make an entry into social media? Start from within

  Shashank Nigam

  1 Nov 2009 | 8:26 pm

  In the past few weeks, I’ve interacted with senior executives leading Marketing/Digital Marketing at a number of legacy airlines. Most of these have hardly made baby steps into social media branding. The biggest hurdle they seem to face is not achieving success in their new initiatives, but proving themselves internally. And that’s only natural, since most monolithic organizations have more naysayers than doers. And the doers seldom have more clout than the naysayers. So, how to overcome this challenge? Look within – start from the inside My suggestion to these executives…

• Social media mogul Chris Brogan joins SimpliFlying’s Board of Advisors

  Shashank Nigam

  1 Nov 2009 | 5:19 pm

  Dear SimpliFliers, It gives me tremendous honor to announce that one of the biggest names in the social media world – Chris Brogan – is  the latest stalwart to join SimpliFlying’s star-studded Board of Advisors. He joins Patrick Murphy, the former Chairman of RyanAir and Donald Schenk, Managing Director of Airline Capital Associates, Inc who’ve already been offering tremendous mentorship to the SimpliFlying team. As we partner in the social media and branding success of airlines, airports, and even hotels globally, the stellar team of advisors asks us the tough…

• Southwest Airlines’ success secrets on social media revealed by Paula Berg

  Shashank Nigam

  29 Oct 2009 | 8:07 am

  When it comes to social media branding, Southwest Airlines has been the trendsetter for quite some time, and is looked upon by competition and even other industries. From their very successful blog, “Nuts about Southwest” to its over 700,000 followers on Twitter – they’ve got their act together. And behind these efforts is a very hardworking team led by Paula Berg. I had the pleasure of meeting Paula at the Inbound Marketing Summit in Boston, where she delivered a keynote on Southwest’s social media branding strategy and I led a session for airlines/airports in…

• Do you work for an airline? This five minute video on social media can change the way you do marketing

  Shashank Nigam

  24 Oct 2009 | 3:31 am

  I was sent this video at 1am last night, by Stuart Barwood. Even though I was in bed, I began watching it in bed on my iTouch. Not only did I watch it completely, I couldn’t sleep for quite some time afterwards. I couldn’t help but share it with my friends, clients and well-wishers who work with airlines. Because if there is something can help someone catalyze the social media branding efforts in his airline, it’s this video. At one point in the video, the screen flashes, “In the near future, we will not find products or services, they will find us“. A simple…

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  FluidMedia: Overflow

• Be Fluid For Your Community

  jmagennis@befluid.com

  13 Oct 2009 | 9:21 pm

  This week on the Overflow Podcast we take a look at a web community that Fluid Media has built called Baseballisms.com, as a way to demonstrate the need for adapting, organic, and of course Fluid approaches to your web presence. Based upon this real case study with our own baseball community, we can attest firsthand to the fact that no matter how great the original concept for a web site might be, it will end up morphing and changing to meet the needs of the audience.  If the site does not adapt, chances are the growth of the community will be severely limited. Baseballisms started as a site…

• Two Profiles Are Better Than One

  jmagennis@befluid.com

  21 Sep 2009 | 7:34 pm

  This week we dive into a topic that might be considered a little bit contradictory to something we have always espoused in the world of social media, establishing multiple profiles.  Demonstrating transparency and open communications has been a mantra towards establishing long term credibility in the new world order of marketing.  In today’s episode we talk about how having a different Twitter profile can keep the conversation nicely segmented. First we chat about our fine telephone and internet service provider here in Atlanta called Digital Agent.  Howard Hunter and the crew have…

• Speculating on Social Media Impact during 9/11

  jmagennis@befluid.com

  11 Sep 2009 | 3:34 pm

  What would have happened during the events of 9/11 had today’s social networks been in use eight years ago today? That is the question that Cameron and Joe address in this week’s Overflow Podcast on the anniversary of the attacks. During the podcast we recollect our actual whereabouts on that day, and what we were doing on the moment we first were made aware that the Trade Center had been hit. We try to make complete speculation about how we would have witnessed the scene if there had been Twitter, Facebook and probably most importantly YouTube on that day. In many cases we have…

• The Tattoo Argument

  jmagennis@befluid.com

  28 Aug 2009 | 1:25 pm

  For the second time this year, Cameron and I have presented to a classroom of students at the Art Institute of Atlanta. We are invited by our friend Larry Stultz, Department Chair at the Institute, to discuss real world implementation of Social Media Marketing. As much as we are able to provide information to the students during these discussions (btw, we always have the group re-arrange the furniture into a circle so that we are discussing, not presenting), we are able to get back just as much feedback on what is working for this particular demographic. This week on Overflow we discuss our…

• Skype For Virtual Communication

  jmagennis@befluid.com

  21 Aug 2009 | 6:00 am

  This week on the Overflow Podcast, we get into one of the tools of the trade.  We tend to talk about high level social media strategy or changes in the marketing landscape, but we don’t want to forget about how we are able to make this whole thing happen.  Cameron and Joe focus on using Skype for personal and business on this week’s episode. It also came up that  I recommend the use of the Plantronics 470 USB headset (paid link) for recording podcasts, and while we’re at it I’ll also throw in the recommendation for Logitech Quickcam MP (paid link). After our…

• 
  Fresh Thinking Starts Here

• Amex Embraces Social Media...IN PRINT!

  Len

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:03 pm

  I was spending some time catching up on my Fortune Small Business magazines last night, when I came across the following ad for American Express: The really interesting thing?  When was the last time you saw a print ad that actually dedicated a significant amount of space to a NEGATIVE comment from a consumer?We spend a lot of time talking about how the world of Web 2.0 requires for brands to give up some control over the conversation and develop the necessary thick skin that allows for open and honest dialogue - not all of which will be positive.  It's one thing, however, to be ok…

• Brand ManageCamp 2009 - Recap and Slideshow

  Len

  15 Oct 2009 | 8:14 am

  via www.flickr.com OK - so it's been over a week since Brand ManageCamp 2009 ended...but it's never too late for a recap, right???? What a fantastic couple of days we had in Las Vegas. The weather was perfect, the hotel (The Signature at MGM Grand) was terrific and we had 220+ fun, intelligent, insightful brand marketers who had come together to learn from our speakers and each other.  The theme, as always, was Fresh Thinking Starts Here - and I have no doubt that most everyone left with at least a few Fresh Thoughts to get things moving in new and better directions upon returning…

• EXPLOITING CHAOS - free chapter download from BMC2009 speaker Jeremy Gutsche

  Len

  8 Sep 2009 | 8:14 am

  via www.exploitingchaos.com We love it when Brand ManageCamp speakers come out with new books right before the conference. It means we get to be among the first to hear about their new work right from the source! This one is even more special as BMC2009 speaker Jeremy Gutsche is making the first chapter of his new book - 'Exploiting Chaos' - available for FREE download! It's an amazing book that looks like none you've ever seen before and is filled with '150 ways to spark innovation during times of change.' I think you'll agree, this is the perfect time for…

• Fresh Thinking Moment #2 - Simon Bray (?What If! Innnovation)

  Len

  27 Aug 2009 | 7:49 am

  In this second installment of our Fresh Thinking Moment series, Simon Bray (Head of Capabilities for ?What If! Innovation and speaker at the upcoming Brand ManageCamp 2009) explains his views on 'Fresh Thinking.'  Highlights include: The need to get outside your comfort zone by going to new and different places for inspiration as well as the need to challenge existing rules and assumptions The 'Fresh Thinking' behind Hyundai's Assurance promotion How to generate inspiration by structuring new and different activities into your life.  Simon's own examples…

• Fresh Thinking Moment #1 - John Gerzema

  Len

  21 Aug 2009 | 10:04 am

  This is a new feature I am really excited to bring to the blog.  Through the Brand ManageCamp conferences, as well as our other activities, I am blessed to come into contact with so many brilliant thinkers.  Some of them are authors/speakers, others are just visionaries from the corporate world.Starting now, and recurring as often as I can, I am going to be posting short videos of these folks - all answering the same three questions:1 - What does "Fresh Thinking" mean to you?2 - What is a recent example you have seen of "Fresh Thinking?"3 - Where do you get the…

• 
  Unbound Edition

• After a Brutal Year, Marketers Regroup to Share War Stories and Ideas

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:25 pm

  A year ago, 1,200 executives in marketing, advertising and the media attended an annual conference that by coincidence took place a month after the financial crisis began. Together, they stared into the abyss, wondering what conditions would be when — or if — they met again. The sky has not fallen, at least so far, and most of those executives are now gathering for the 2009 conference. Many of them are saying, “What a difference a year makes.” Others, however, are wondering, “What difference does a year make?”

• The Decade of Steve

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:21 pm

  How's this for a gripping corporate story line: Youthful founder gets booted from his company in the 1980s, returns in the 1990s, and in the following decade survives two brushes with death, one securities-law scandal, an also-ran product lineup, and his own often unpleasant demeanor to become the dominant personality in four distinct industries, a billionaire many times over, and CEO of the most valuable company in Silicon Valley. Sound too far-fetched to be true? Perhaps. Yet it happens to be the real-life story of Steve Jobs and his outsize impact on everything he touches. The past decade…

• How Business Is Adopting Design Thinking

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:06 pm

  At GE, P&G, and other companies, a design perspective is a problem-solving apparatus that can be applied companywide.

• What Employee Communications Looks Like in the Networked Company

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:04 pm

  Awareness is rising of the impact on business of networked employees—those workers who are continuously connected to their social circles and can tap into them at will. The discussion seems to be shifting, ever so slowly, to the characteristics of companies that, rather than inhibiting these traits, want to reap the benefits of a networked workforce. Recent posts by Olivier Blanchard and Valeria Maltoni have speculated on the nature of these companies. Olivier calls them P2P companies; Valeria refers to them as connected companies. They both see the recruiting process changing, for example,…

• Starbucks Books Solid Quarter, Decides to Become a Fast-Food Player After All

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pm

  Starbucks is backing away from its long-held dislike of fast food to partner nationally with Subway. Its Seattle's Best Coffee brand will be in 9,000 Subway stores in the U.S. by the end of this year, and will move into more of the sandwich shops next year, CEO Howard Schultz told analysts during a conference call about its quarterly results Thursday. "Candidly, given the fact that fast-food players have gone after the breakfast business — specifically McDonald's — in such a big way, and made such a big push into coffee, their core competitors want to compete directly with them in that…

• 
  JKR Blog

• Augmented reality – what’s your Doritos’ Lover?

  JKR

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:39 am

  It’s not new, but over the last few months the concept of augmented reality (a type of virtual reality that presents the world’s environment merged with, or augmented by, computer-generated imagery) has really exploded. Despite the apparent obstacles - need for a webcam and willing consumers who have the time to understand the concept - more and more brands are using AR to engage with their audience. Is this just another gimmick or is the technology just being used in a gimmicky way? As with Apps, doing it is pointless unless there is a compelling idea or functional benefit attached.

• Being monumental is only a matter of ink

  JKR

  5 Nov 2009 | 1:49 am

  Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro are tipped to be teetering on the brink of the very big time. I’d never heard of them, but this poster caught my eye, and that is kind of the point. In a world of visually and sonically inter-changeable indie landfill bands, here is a declaration of intent written large. Visually it has the unmistakable fingerprint of Storm Thorgerson (creator of the album designs for Pink Floyd, below), and the tricolour motif has a hint of the Coldplay vibe about it. So, before I’ve heard a note I’m thinking “big band, anthemic sound – better check them out”. My…

• Something for nothing: is crowdsourcing a busted flush?

  JKR

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:08 am

  Crowdsourcing this, crowdsourcing that. In design terms, is it just a fancy name for online free pitching? There is now a host site for various crowd-source fuelled projects – Talenthouse. The Talenthouse “community” gets the chance to, for example, design and apply decoration to a pair of Adidas ski goggles. If they win then their reward is to see the goggles worn at the 2010 Winter Olympics. No mention of payment that I could see (although the site has a few open ended suggestions that compensation can be “negotiated”). Sound cynical to you? “This opportunity for all the…

• Jonathan Ive and the art of the soft sell

  JKR

  3 Nov 2009 | 2:45 am

  If you can’t view the video above go to www.wired.com to watch. It’s my experience that in design true talent is in inverse relationship to displays of ego. The humblest creative I ever briefed was Sir Peter Blake, who’s openness to suggestion was a little unsettling given that he was, after all, the maestro. Similarly this interview from the Wired blog with Apple design chief Jonathan Ive has no whiff of “the sell” about it. Rather he is straightforwardly excited about the work, the challenge and the elegance of the solution. Selling is a big part of agency life – the…

• Customising at a click – the NIKEiD App

  JKR

  2 Nov 2009 | 2:34 am

  Any App from Nike for the iPhone was always going to be exemplary of the format’s potential. The NIKEiD App allows users to take snaps of things they like, and convert the colours into a customisable shoe design. As a confluence of trends (customisation, consumer as creative, exploitation of online etc) the results form a pretty much perfect storm of signifiers for the hot branding approaches of 2009. But at the App’s heart is a single simple idea, and as always with new formats, it’s the clever thinking not the whistles and bells that make the initiative memorable.

• 
  Right Brain/Left Brain Marketing

• TED Talks: Rory Sutherland on value and perception

  Barry Vucsko

  1 Nov 2009 | 7:27 pm

  Check out this short but illuminating TED Talk by advertising executive Rory Sutherland. In it, he portrays consumer perception as an often manipulated and rarely common sense commodity. It gets to the heart of how the economy is dependent on where we place our values. Both funny and insightful.

• Brand in Japan: Why is brand strategy different here? Part 3

  Barry Vucsko

  25 Oct 2009 | 7:37 pm

  Brand on the Inside External focus on the corporate brand image is also mirrored inside the Japanese corporation. According to Tokyo marketing veteran, Mineo Kamiyama, most companies think “product brands should only be managed by people who know the product”. This is somewhat different from Western practices where Brand and Marketing managers are often marketing professionals first, and product experts second (with the exception of many B2B marketing and sales organizations, which would espouse the Japanese way). For better or worse, this means that the average Japanese Brand Manager,…

• Merging Physical and Digital: Livescribe’s Pulse Smartpen and Sketch + Save

  Barry Vucsko

  21 Oct 2009 | 11:56 pm

  I love these two ideas for combining standard communication tools (pens and markers) with digital applications. Look for this sort of thing to pop up more and more. By using tools that people are already familiar with, both physically and cognitively, these sorts of digital apps increase their chances at adoption as well as loyalty. The Pulse SmartPen, by LiveScribe, uses a pen with a built in mic, speaker and memory. By using special paper, you can record and replay whatever you hear when you are writing. An interesting solution at lectures, meetings or brainstorming sessions. The Sketch…

• The Convergence of Business and Design: Are you a Straddler?

  Barry Vucsko

  21 Oct 2009 | 12:29 am

  Idris Mootee recently commented on the topic of business strategy and design convergence, what he called “Integrative Creativity”, over at his Innovation Playground blog. Tempted to comment on his post, I opted to weigh in here instead, given the natural soapbox (right brain/left brain) this blog affords. Like two slow trains on two very long tracks, design and business strategy have been heading towards each other on intersecting paths for some time now. In the last 5-10 years they seem to be picking up speed and they are finally starting to get close. Some design schools are teaching…

• Brand in Japan: Why is brand strategy different here? Part 2

  Barry Vucsko

  18 Oct 2009 | 5:58 pm

  The Power of a Parent Another big difference between brand strategy in Japan lies in the typical brand portfolio structure. Western companies embrace the House of Brands model more, where many unique brands fall under one large corporate brand. In Japan, a Branded House, where the corporate brand and the product brand are often one and the same is far more prevalent. This structure was initiated post-WWII by keiretsu. A history lesson I won’t go into here. (But please feel free to read about it in the link) This structure, and the history that formed it, was one of the catalysts for placing…

• 
  Oculus

• M&S plan B

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:46 pm

  After a trial, M&S has decided to sell a limited number of (non competing) manufacturer brands in its UK stores.At a time when own label (at least in Europe and North America) continues to grow and against a background of troubled economies, rising unemployment and more, this is a significant decision.Whether this initiative would have taken place had M&S not had significant problems of its own, is debatable.I’m just not sure whether it was Plan A or Plan B.

• Harmonising Halal

  1 Nov 2009 | 8:10 pm

  Malaysia is publicly confident that a global Halal standard can be reached.Reuters is quoting its religious affairs minister Jamil Khir Baharom as saying:- “"Malaysia's Halal certification is recognised worldwide so perhaps we can play an important role in creating a global standard,"At the moment there are at least 17 different Halal standards in use around the world, plus there are some Muslim countries, for example in the Middle East, who have yet to agree a coherent approach to branding Halal.Malaysia has been successful at branding Halal, was a first mover in the field and is now busy…

• Nooks and Kindles

  29 Oct 2009 | 5:28 am

  Am I the only one to be totally uninspired by the names Barnes & Noble and Amazon have given to their electronic book readers?

• Coca Cola Plus Fiber

  25 Oct 2009 | 5:53 pm

  Coca Cola Japan launches today a new functional version of its iconic Coke brand: Coca Cola plus Fiber.The product contains 8.5g of fibre per 500ml pet bottle and has no calories.Targeted at females aged 20-30yrs, Coke is tapping into increasing consumer awareness of fibre and its benefits on digestion.It is of course another sign about how the market is shifting towards health and wellness. That said the Coke brand itself has never enjoyed the same relative success in Japan as internationally. We’re grateful to Beverage Japan’s editor Yoshihiko Hani for the heads up on this innovation.

• Dyson’s Fans

  20 Oct 2009 | 5:22 am

  Dyson has developed a new cooler - that doesn’t have blades.The product is to be launched in the southern hemisphere shortly, though I learnt about it from a launch event staged in Tokyo in advance of the 2010 season.Significantly, there are questions about whether Dyson’s latest innovation infringes a Japanese patent dating back to 1981. But Dyson doesn’t seem phased.After all this company has developed strong capabilities in self promotion and likely takes the view that any publicity is positive.Although I have never had anything to do with Dyson, it feels very similar to Apple;…

• 
  On Brands

• Meet the Boom and Y Online, or Bust!

  David Cameron

  28 Oct 2009 | 7:49 am

  I was reading from Kenneth Gronbach’s The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm, a work in which he argues that changes in marketing and business today are based on the size of the generations we are selling to. Based on his analysis, only the Baby Boomers and Gen Yers are attractive groups. Why? They’re huge. They represent the greatest opportunity, and they are, in their own ways, significant consuming forces. Gen Xers, he says, lack the critical mass to command marketers’ attention and dictate what will sell and not sell. This is fascinating stuff.

• Social Media: Where Negatives Are Positives?

  David Cameron

  27 Oct 2009 | 11:13 am

  If you read my previous post (What is Socialnomics?), then you know I had the chance to review the book Socialnomics, in which author Erik Qualman offers a number of insights and observations on social media. One of those insights I’d like to share is his counsel for individuals and businesses to accept negative comments originating from social media and, in fact, to “relish the critical feedback.” Qualman feels the way he does for various reasons, which he articulates in both the book and on his blog. See Negative Feedback Is Not So Bad. In sum, he says we have much more…

• What is Socialnomics?

  David Cameron

  26 Oct 2009 | 12:23 pm

  I had the opportunity to survey Erik Qualman’s book Socialnomics on the weekend. Overall, I liked what I saw. He presents a number of insights and observations about social media and it’s impact on our lives and, in particular, the changing relationship between marketers and consumers/buyers. Readers who will benefit the most are those who aren’t already immersed in social media and have not yet developed a full appreciation of social media’s impact and potential to affect change. Qualman has offered the following definition of socialnomics: The ability of social media…

• Windows 7 Breathing New Life into Microsoft Brand

  David Cameron

  22 Oct 2009 | 11:53 am

  Today is Windows 7 day, the launch of Microsoft’s latest iteration of its core operating system. The early reviews ahead of today were glowing, and today’s feeds from various sources across the Web are following suit. People like Windows 7. Imagine that! I suspect you’re thinking the same thing I am: Microsoft desperately needed this boost! And yes, I mean desperately. We all remember quite well the Windows Vista debacle. We all remember the hype around its launch. But things didn’t go as planned. As it turned out, Vista had more bugs than a 100-acre ant farm. The system was so poorly…

• Four Gen Y Marketing Tips from Gen BuY

  David Cameron

  21 Oct 2009 | 12:12 pm

  I haven’t had the chance to read through this piece yet, but I’m interested in taking a closer look. The book is Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail by Kit Yarrow and Jayne O’Donnell. As the title suggests, this book offers some analysis and insight into the buying patterns of Gen Yers. I happened to catch a glimpse at the book while at Borders. Later, I scanned the book’s Web site to learn more. The book description made me laugh: “[the authors] argue that this complex generation can best be reached through a deep…

• 
  designdamage - Strategy + Design: Social Branding

• 3 Web Marketing Trends That Will Accelerate in 2010 – (Part 2)

  Eric Tsai

  22 Oct 2009 | 2:54 am

  It will be increasingly difficult for brands to ignore the web when making marketing decisions. The brands that get ahead will be the ones that harness the web to work in conjunction with their existing offline campaigns while adopting more social marketing strategies to generating new consumer insights.  Customers will continue to increase their time spent online and they need to be reach where they prefer to be reached. Even for companies marketing entirely online or B2B businesses, the question will be how to benefit from blogs, social media and search engine to achieve the marketing…

• 3 Brand Marketing Trends That Will Continue in 2010

  Eric Tsai

  15 Oct 2009 | 1:19 am

  When you hear something enough times, it may be a fad.  But when you start to see email spam about it, you know it’s a trend.  That’s the case with marketing trends such as email marketing and social media.  The problem with trends is that it’s usually a lagging indicator which means to seize the opportunity you may need to be an early adopters to reap the rewards. If adopting new strategy and implementing fresh tactics sounds too risky, just take a look at the troubled newspaper and magazine companies and you’ll realize what I mean.  Similar to technology innovation, brand…

• A Social Media Marketing Handbook

  Eric Tsai

  6 Oct 2009 | 12:21 am

  In an effort to keep up with the rate of change in the marketing landscape, it’s important to understand the tools available to drive results.  Social media is the fastest growing tactic according to a survey by virtual events provider Unisfair, “Marketers’ top priorities for 2010 will be customer acquisition and retention and the most common tactics marketers plant to increase was social media, selected by three-quarters of marketers polled, followed by search (51%) and e-mail (49%).” It’s indicative as the internet gets more social, the speed at which information is shared…

• 5 Keys to Incorporate Social Media in Your Business

  Eric Tsai

  23 Sep 2009 | 3:16 am

  Last week BusinessWeek published its 100 Best Global Brands 2009 and to no surprise, financial brands were largely untrusted which dragged down all brands across the board with them.  Moving forward, brands are rethinking how they can win back the trust focusing on the psychological aspect of marketing and advertising in an attempt to rebuild its relationship with customers.  You can see from the gradual shift in magazine ads and TV commercials using regular everyday people to lead advertising campaigns instead of celebrities with messages such as the “we’re here for you in this…

• Bridging the Gap Between Brand Promise and Expectation

  Eric Tsai

  16 Sep 2009 | 5:56 am

  One of the first priorities in building your brand is to know who you areand why you matter before you uptake a brand strategy.  I received some feedback on the post “12 Principles of Brand Strategy” and thought it would be important to discussion how to utilize strategy to achieve business goals.  Whether you’re selling a product or a service you need to be able to articulate why you are doing what you set out to do. What’s the meaning behind your offer? Do you have a core belief in what it is that you do? Too often businesses jump on strategy and tactics but forget the real…

• 
  Brandtelling

• How can you align marketing with the customer buying process?

  Jeff Ogden

  28 Oct 2009 | 12:14 pm

  Today’s post is contributed by Jeff “the demand generation guru” Ogden, president of Find New Customers. Jeff is a friend and collaborator (we worked together to co-author “Prospect-Driven Marketing“) who truly understands where the rubber hits the road for sales. – Arthur Germain I’m please to share this information on lead nurturing with the readers of Brandtelling in this guest post. In this economic downturn, companies look for fresh ideas, so I hope you find this helpful. CSO Insights, after 17 years of studies, describes how sales needs to…

• Are you asking these 11 plus questions about your brand?

  Arthur Germain

  21 Oct 2009 | 8:06 pm

  Who or what is your brand? Could you describe it to a six year old? What makes your brand great? What do you tell people first? Who are your target buyers? Who are your targets for marketing? Are they the same people? Are you sure? What “mental real estate” are you able to own/rent/lease in the mind of your stakeholders? Can you connect emotionally with your stakeholders? What emotions are behind customer purchases of your brand’s products/services? What is your “brand vision”? What practical benefits are associated with your brand? How do you position your brand against…

• Have you read to a child today?

  Arthur Germain

  8 Oct 2009 | 10:38 am

  I like to dress up when I read! Today, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign is setting a new world record for the “largest shared reading experience” in an effort to raise awareness for the power of early childhood literacy and to raise funds funds for early education in low-income communities. It’s a fantastic idea and I encourage you to learn more here and by visiting the Jumpstart web site. I am a HUGE believer in the power of storytelling to forever alter the way we look at the world. The stories your parents read to you — and the stories you read to your…

• What is Prospect Driven Marketing and how can it help improve sales?

  Arthur Germain

  27 Sep 2009 | 11:03 pm

  Is any type of marketing collateral or activity appropriate to use when connecting with prospects? Of course not! Early in the buyer process, you might want to use more informative and educational materials, while later in the process you might want to become more specific about your solutions. The real question is how do you know when to use a specific type of collateral or engage in a specific activity? I’ve been working with demand generation guru Jeff Ogden, president of Find New Customers, on exactly that question.One thing we’ve determined is that, similar to the way end…

• Can you tell your brand story to the media?

  Arthur Germain

  15 Sep 2009 | 2:24 pm

  Arthur Germain, Principal & Chief Brandteller, Communication Strategy Group Just a quick note today. I was interviewed for two articles last week. The first appears in Newsday and discusses Social Media Marketing Mistakes to Avoid. In the article I note that “Failing to Engage” and worrying about “Collecting Followers and Friends” are areas destined for failure in social media marketing. The second article from Long Island Business News is called Wise Counsel and discusses the impact of the economy from the POV of consultants. In both articles, I was able to take…

• 
  Catalyst Advertising

• To Redesign Or Not To Redesign?

  27 Oct 2009 | 1:24 am

  One of the top Web sites in the U.S. just got a redesign and it’s impressive. CNN launched a radically different approach to the online news experience. And the most notable difference is the customizable information on the Site like weather and sports scores. The Site is also loaded with video.One key motivation for the redesign is that Site studies showed that very few visitors went beyond the homepagRead More...

• What Twitter Client Do You Use?

  27 Sep 2009 | 2:28 pm

   With the tremendous surge in Twitter usage, I'm curious what Twitter client(s) you find most useful and helpful when trying to Tweet, Retweet, Bookmark and Share, etc.Let's move this up a few more steps. Tell me what you use on when on your PC/Mac (Web/Desktop/AIR apps), iPhone/iTouch, BlackBerry, etc. Here's my list and trust me, I feel as though I've tried them all.Web:TwitterHootsRead More...

• Long & Winding Road of the Beatles logo

  13 Sep 2009 | 4:32 pm

  The British invasion has occurred again this past Wednesday with the entire Beatles music catalog released in a digitally remastered format. You can now play along with the "Fab Four" on the latest version of "Rock Band" on your gaming device. To no surprise "Beatlemania" still sells as copies of their latest venture are making accountants "Read More...

• I'm Not Loving The Shack

  22 Aug 2009 | 6:40 pm

  Radio Shack, which has a history of image problems has just added another to its list. Recently launching "The Shack"  at a time they needed to revive their 88-year-old business has resulted in one more failure for their brand image. A company spokesperson waRead More...

• Will "What is 230?" Create A Surge For GM?

  12 Aug 2009 | 3:19 pm

  I got a shock (or lack of) when the 230 campaign was finally revealed as an introduction of GM's new product Volt. The Chevrolet electric car claims to achieve a city fuel mileage of 230 miles per gallon. I won't dig through the fuel economy methodology leaving that examination for the environmental and automotive Bloggers. What I have found interesting was the timing of the campaign launchRead More...

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  Storytelling To Create Impact Brands

• Do You Measure Up

  Mark

  16 Oct 2009 | 11:05 pm

  I recently visited Vienna and saw St Stephens Church. A friend from Vienna showed me a round circle on the left-hand side of the main door. She explained that the circle was used to measure the size of the local bread sold in Vienna. It was the official bread measure for the city.  Local laws [...]

• Hiaku Poetry- Small but Perfectly Formed- Communication

  Mark

  14 Oct 2009 | 1:19 pm

  At a birthday party last night my friend Phil, asked if I had heard of Haiku (Japanese poetry) storytelling. I hadn’t but it sounded really interesting. It’s a poem or story told in 17 syllables broken up in to 3 lines  (in English) or groups of 5, 7 and 5 syllables.  There are lots of rules to this effective writing skill, the basics are [...]

• Don’t Swing At Everything

  Mark

  12 Oct 2009 | 2:19 pm

  As a Cricketer or baseball star, shot selection is key. You don’t swing at everything. If you do you strike out or get tired. Prospecting for customers is the same. Develop a sense for whom to talk to and how to find them.  Get better at knowing when to swing. [...]

• Deep Branding

  Mark

  16 Sep 2009 | 4:12 pm

  Deep Branding requires deep storytelling but how do we get there? Many of the previous post have focused on aspects of storytelling and it connection to customer attitudes and behaviours. Brand architects search for the best way to connect their brand with the intended audience. Sometimes this happens by chance, market fads often gain success by [...]

• Open Source Branding

  Mark

  9 Sep 2009 | 4:13 pm

  What do Lunix, Twitter. BBC, Google, Starbucks, Apple, Amazon and Innocent along with many other brands have in common? I think its open source branding that makes these stick out in today’s teams. In effect the company has “Let Go” on some of its brand but they generate greater authenticity, empathy with customers and sincerity, [...]

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  Blackcoffee's Blog | Thoughts & Notions

• Subtractive Thinking

  Mark Gallagher

  2 Nov 2009 | 7:56 am

  Few would argue with the statements: “Less is more” (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect), “Do more with less” (Buckminster Fuller, structural engineer), or “Less but better” (Dieter Rams, industrial designer). The list goes on. Each of these minimalists built through subtraction. You too can benefit from a minimalist approach. Most brands and businesses focus on adding value by adding functions. Yet, subtraction is more than just a way of reducing costs. Subtractive thinking can add real value, both by cutting cost and increasing usability. Additive +…

• RiP! A Remix Manifesto

  Laura Savard

  16 Oct 2009 | 9:28 am

  As business assets, “brands” are intellectual property. They are legally protected trademarks. Anyone working in the field of branding has a reasonable understanding of trademark and copyright law. But today, even the experts are confused as to who owns what. In his film, RiP! A Remix Manifesto, filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers. Thanks to Hulu we are able to share this full-length feature (1:26:23) with you. So bookmark it and watch it…

• Visualizing Brand Architecture

  Laura Savard

  5 Oct 2009 | 12:37 pm

  Brand architecture is yet another area within the discipline of branding that becomes more effective as strategy and aesthetic are practiced as one. Brand architecture provides a blueprint for growing and managing a company’s brand portfolio by defining relationships between sibling brands. However, those relationships are often lost within the context of a spreadsheet, and the result is inadvertent competition and market cannibalization. This can be avoided by ensuring that your brand architecture is depicted though visual maps that define each brand’s areas of focus and overall market…

• Merging Strategy and Execution

  Laura Savard

  21 Sep 2009 | 8:58 am

  There is no question that the traditional agency model is broken. However, the reason may not be due to a shift in how people consume media. The traditional assembly line mentality forces everyone to focus on their own part of the puzzle rather than the greater whole. This division of thinking simply doesn’t work in today’s world, because it leaves too much to be misinterpreted and works toward predetermined solutions. Here, R. Keith Sawyer, Washington University psychologist and author of Explaining Creativity, clearly illustrates the benefits of this approach in an interview…

• Out On The Edge

  Laura Savard

  9 Sep 2009 | 1:08 pm

  “I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.”—Kurt Vonnegut Mainstream culture is derived from sub-culture through a process of influence and refinement. Over the years we have seen numerous influences of sub-culture on mainstream fashion and music, even science and technology. But as these things that used to exist only out on the fringe are brought to the mainstream, they often become sterilized and refined losing all their character and appeal and eventually collapsing under…

• 
  core

• OnePage unifies your Web life in a single stream

  12 Oct 2009 | 5:11 am

  Contrary to popular belief, I don’t join every new Web service there is, and I don’t need to get an invite of everything Twitterati seem to have a blast with. I really don’t, for various reasons. For one, living on the island of Switzerland, I cannot access a service if it is relying on locality (Foursquare) or if it’s based on the entertainment industry’s content (Spotify, Pandora). These sites and services are blocked, depending on where your ass is located on this planet. Secondly, I want to invest my time wisely. Forementioned services appear to be excellent…

• The 10 most common Brand Stream misconceptions

  28 Aug 2009 | 1:37 pm

  The introduction of the idea of Brand Streams a couple of weeks ago caused a little stir in the scene. Interesting enough, both blog posts related to the topic didn't get any comments, but I got a few direct responses through Twitter and direct talks with brand experts and people who work in the marketing field. I think the Brand Streams theory divides them into two basic camps: Those who say "Yes, I can see this is how it actually works" and those who don't understand what I'm talking about. The latter are the people who promote a kind of branding that relies on concepts like "repeat your…

• Apple's Safari 4 doesn't care about your privacy

  25 Aug 2009 | 1:10 pm

  Note: Meanwhile this issue could be resolved using the command line (see comments). In February 2008, I wrote about Safari 4.0 when it was first launched as a beta. Back then, I focussed on the learnings Apple had made by being inspired by the innovations introduced with Google's previous release of Chrome. (Image by Apple Inc.) All that glitter I don't know how much Apple changed under the hood, but the most obvious rip-offs were the tabs which were now placed above the address bar. Apple changed that back to the original design with the release of Safari 4. The second UI copy-cat was what…

• The MacBook Helium

  21 Aug 2009 | 5:19 am

  Note: This is a repost of a longer article about the expected release of an Apple Tablet, which I published on Tumblr a while ago. Not all Core readers are aware of my life stream on Tumblr, so here is that post, in case you missed it. So the talk has been up again, coming back like a boomerang: Apple is expected to release a Mac Tablet-PC. Of course, a few fans hoping for this to happen and Apple-focussed magazines dreaming about it, doesn't make it any more real. Michael Scalisi from PCWorld believes, the hype about the much rumored Apple Tablet is simply ridiculous and based on unfounded…

• Find Core on Alltop

  21 Aug 2009 | 3:43 am

  Branding as a topic is not as big as marketing or advertising. People associate it with the same fields, but they don't regard branding as an important topic. At one side, that's pretty normal. It's actually how it should be, because regular people aren't actively thinking about brands, even though they are more influenced by them than they are aware of. On the other side, in this digital age, where the consumer power rises and the general model of business is beginning to change, it is quite astonishing that not a bigger number of people seems to be interested in brands. After all, this is…

• 
  Girvin Strategic Branding Design Blog

• Empowering Brands to Win: Online Promotional Messaging

  Tim Girvin

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:29 am

  Internet Advertising Winning Formulae Working as a strategist and designer in theatrical advertising and branding, there’s an approach that’s linked to sequence and revelation of motion picture content that’s showing some proven measure in conventional online advertising. BLT That is simplicity. Face. Message. Story. Emotion. Logo. While the idea of simplifying the concept of online advertising to considering the promotional messaging for motion [...]

• Local is global: Mom & Popism Shops

  Tim Girvin

  1 Nov 2009 | 3:22 am

  Exploring tiny market communities and micro retail — small shopping is beautiful While I’ve (and the Girvin team) had the chance to work on some of the largest retail groups in the world, namely Sogo&Seibu Co., Ltd. (Millennium Retailing) and their expansions to (and by) Seven&I Holdings, and others like Nordstrom, Macy’s, Neiman, there’s something [...]

• Le Microsoft Windows Café à Paris

  Tim Girvin

  31 Oct 2009 | 4:35 am

  Better than a store, you can eat there: Microsoft Café Exploring a new conception from Microsoft, a café in Paris — to be short-lived, yet an interesting telling on the principles of relationship development. But, Windows 7? Imagery sources Like good storytelling, the message begins on the street. 47 Boulevard Sebastopol I’ve written about the new Microsoft retail concept. [...]

• Tom Ford | Grey Vetiver

  Tim Girvin

  30 Oct 2009 | 7:18 am

  Tom Ford in Tokyo. Photo By Akiko Sameshima Exploring the human brand, story, product development, scent and visioning. Obviously, I’ve got a thing with Tom Ford. There are layers there. One, meeting him, talking to him, interviewing him — and learning from him. And two, there’s his team — people that I’ve variously come in contact with, [...]

• Humanitarian Brand Development | Cause Related Marketing Development — it’s all about love.

  Tim Girvin

  26 Oct 2009 | 11:20 am

  What if your brand is about a cause? What if your brand is humanity? What if your real messaging reach is love? This is an overview of Girvin’s strategic thinking about the nature of humanitarian and cause-related branding strategy and tactics. There have been a series of talks and presentations offered that reach to this place [...]

• 
  More Than A Logo

• VW's The Fun Theory

  1 Nov 2009 | 8:02 am

  Recently, I came across Volkswagen's 'The Fun Theory' program on Youtube. Essentially, this initiative is a contest to have people create fun ways to change behavior for the better. Here are some examples I came across on Youtube:What I like about this program, is how VW is finding fun ways to change behavior, and through these videos you can see how they have worked! But what also makes this so great, is that it suits the VW brand! VW is the people's car - so here they've found a way to help 'the people' by changing behavior for the betterment of 'the people' (i.e. becoming more active by…

• Big Ideal = Brand Purpose

  18 Oct 2009 | 10:34 am

  A few months ago, I came across The Big Ideal presentation by Ogilvy Group UK. I thoroughly liked the presentation as it talks about brands finding and maximizing their Big Ideal!The Big Ideal is an overarching aspirational thought that guides the decisions of an organization. In my case, I often refer to the Big Ideal as Brand Purpose! Here are a few examples of brands and their Brand Purpose/Big Ideal:The presentation talks about how great brands have big ideals! And it states that when big ideals are present ideas flow more easily. I completely agree with this statement! When there is…

• If it ain't broke, don't change it!

  13 Oct 2009 | 2:29 pm

  This week I'm in Arizona celebrating my birthday and enjoying some much needed dry heat! And every time I'm here, I have to find an In-n-Out Burger! I'm not a big fast food eater, but I do enjoy a good cheeseburger & fries at In-n-Out! Maybe it's because I'm partial to companies who are true to their brand - and In-n-Out is one of those brands!In-n-Out celebrated its 60th Birthday last year, and for the past 60 years, it has barely changed! It has stuck to its purpose of providing "Quality you can taste"! This has stemmed from the organization's philosophy to:"Give customers the freshest,…

• Branding for a Seamless World

  11 Oct 2009 | 8:05 pm

  Note: Image from OFF=ON Trendwatching ReportI believe in approaching all brand initiatives holistically - meaning what one business group does must be consistent with how the other groups act within an organization. For instance, when working on my clients' digital marketing initiatives, it's imperative we consider how these activities can be translated to the offline world.In fact, there was a trend featured on Trendwatching.com, called OFF=ON, which alludes to the idea that we are seeing the online world transfer into the offline world. When I was reading this, I was thinking, "Of course,…

• The Brand Experience Cycle

  29 Sep 2009 | 7:29 pm

  When we think about people's interactions with a brand, we think of all the various touch points where we can influence a person's perceptions of a brand and encourage purchase. Often, we think of these interactions in terms of a purchase funnel, which begins with fostering awareness and ends with a purchase, as shown below:Personally, I feel this is incomplete. In fact, I think the point of purchase is when a brand truly begins to prove itself - there has been a lot of talk but very little action. This is an extremely short-term view of customer interactions with a lack of long-term vision…

• 
  fyi : reactor - for your inspiration

• 3 Reason Print Design is Not Dead

  29 Oct 2009 | 3:16 pm

  Like the promise of a flying car and a cashless society, the invention of interactive technology (including the internet and all things digital) was supposed to eventually mark the end of print. All of these are dreams and haven't happened yet. The closest one to reality is the cashless society, but it'll probably never happen. I rarely carry cash anymore, but I still need it on occasion and it just doesn't seem feasible to create a money-charging technology for every single aspect of our lives. Tipping a bar tender or a coat check person at a party comes to mind. There is also a huge…

• Walmart Great Value Cereals

  29 Sep 2009 | 9:56 pm

  I've been watching the roll out of all-new design and packaging for Walmart's Great Value brand. So far, I have been impressed with the clarity and simple nature of the packaging. I don't think it works in ALL cases, but works quite nice in most. I just saw the new cereal boxes and love the playful nature and hand drawn illustrations. This is a great example of expanding a concept while still keeping the base of the design. It's still very recognizable as Great Value, but adds a fun touch for the kiddos. Even the names are fun. Kudos Walmart. Or shall I say "Fruity Sparkles".

• REACTOR Trivia 003 - Cars We've Owned

  14 Sep 2009 | 12:44 pm

  Chase has already owned five cars since he's worked at REACTOR, I have owned one. Here is the historical list of each of the cars we have owned:Chase:81 Mercury Capri86 Pontiac Fiero SE84Pontiac Fiero84 Pontiac Fiero94 Honda Civic02 Subaru Impreza01 Mazda Miata03 Subaru WRX05 Pontiac GTO (current)93 Ford F150 (current)# of accidents: 3 (all cars were totaled)Clifton:1980 Chevrolet Citation1988 Toyota Camry2003 Toyota Matrix# of accidents: 0Needless to say, we have very different patterns in car ownership and accidents!

• Restaurant freebies on your birthday

  25 Aug 2009 | 7:40 am

  Since Clifton just received a lot of free meals from various restaurants for his birthday, we thought it would be a great idea to let our readers in on the fun. We're not just talking a free scoop of ice cream (everyone does that). Most of these deals do not have to be redeemed on your actual birthday, which is handy, because that's a lot of food! Some of them make you sign-up for their email list, but we can attest, they don't bombard you, and they promise not to sell your email. Here are some restaurants where you can hook up to the free food:Famous Daves BBQ - Join the P.I.G. (Pretty…

• Alltop

  25 Aug 2009 | 6:46 am

  We're really excited to announce our blog has been added to Alltop.com - an "online magazine rack" of popular topics updated every hour. You just pick a topic by searching, news category, or name, and Alltop brings it to you 24x7. You can find our blog by searching Design or Branding. There's lots of other cool blogs there too!

• 
  Healthy Conversations

• The importance of “story” to health brand marketers and their customers

  admin

  5 Nov 2009 | 8:18 am

  I wrote a post yesterday providing ten tips to get your health brand engines going. One of the tips was “What’s Your Story.” This presentation from Kevin Dugan – What’s Your Story? Storytelling’s Link to Social Marketing Sucess – provides great insight into the power of story for health brand marketers. What's Your Story? View more documents from prblog. I think the most important takeaways from his presentation about the power of stories is that they: • are easier to remember than facts • are contagious • bring people together and build loyalty •…

• 10 tips for health brand marketers to restart their brand engines

  admin

  4 Nov 2009 | 5:59 am

  So you feel like the wind might finally be at your back (at least a few days out of the week). Your CFO is easing off the brake pedal. Competitors and customers are showing signs of life. The Board is once again focused on top-line growth rather than cost savings. It’s time to restart your brand engines. Here are 10 tips for how to proceed: 1. Revisit your customer. Listen unbiasedly to understand their pain points, priorities, practices and unmet needs. Spend time walking in their shoes. Don’t be you being them. Become them. 2. Sharpen your story. Use these insights to help…

• Insights for health brand marketers: borrow on the idea of Communities of Practice

  admin

  2 Nov 2009 | 8:51 am

  Are you leveraging your opportunity to become one community of practice? This video highlights the benefits of using collaborative tools to share best practices and expertise across the Rio Tinto group. According to Mark Bennett, principal advisor, a community of practice is a group of people who share a passion for something they know how to do, and who want to interact regularly to learn how to do that thing better. These collaborative forums are changing the way the company works. People aren’t scared to ask questions. A lot of people are willing to give answers. The end result is a…

• Advice for health brand marketers – engage customers with your gravity

  admin

  31 Oct 2009 | 12:24 pm

  Are audiences falling into your gravity? Though I’m paraphrasing the lyrics of a great song by Sarah Bareilles, they’re a wonderfully appropriate question to ask of your marketing. Though we tend to be pretty careless with our absolutes, there really never has been a more opportune time to engage customers with your gravity. Technology facilitates it. Trust (or lack thereof) compels it. Customers crave it, feed off of it and spread it. It’s simply the law of gravity at work. So, what are you doing to attract or bring your customers back to you? What are you doing to take…

• Tips for health brand marketers – from the world’s best project managers

  admin

  30 Oct 2009 | 7:49 am

  Most leaders agree that great execution, actually getting things done, is the key to success. Here’s some hindsight (”presight” for you) from the world’s best project managers, complements of Lindsay Blakely from BNET. Her article, Lessons From The World’s Best Project Managers, provides the most important lesson managers working on change initiatives at GM, Nokia, Facebook and Method learned from launching projects with maximum success. But don’t limit yourself to thinking that these lessons only apply to game-changing initiatives. Because for much of the…

• 
  Brandlessons

• What Mini Elvis Taught Me About Branding

  Kevin Williams

  23 Oct 2009 | 1:43 pm

  The 2009 Blogworld and New Media Expo was an amazing experience. From everyone I met, to listening to the Jermaine Dupri set at that Prive, I couldn’t have asked for a better time. My greatest experience was kicking it with Mini Elvis at the Pepermill. So what does a midget dressed up as Elvis have to [...]

• Social Marketing Compass by Brian Solis and JESS3

  Kevin Williams

  8 Oct 2009 | 11:38 am

  As always, I like the tools that JESS3 and Solis throw out. This is a really good tool to evaluate the potential of your brand strategy. Social Marketing Compass by Brian Solis and JESS3 Originally uploaded by b_d_solis If you haven’t already, check this innovative marketing tool out for your brand.

• Brand Visualization: It Really Does Matter

  Kevin Williams

  1 Oct 2009 | 3:31 pm

  I know that your brand isn’t your logo, but looking good does matter in branding. Same foes with how you present your data. I ran across this on Cool Hunting. It’s a news aggregator but the way it presents information is absolutely fascinating to me. With all the talk about strategy, data and trending, brand need [...]

• 2 Reasons Why the Brand Remix is Important

  Kevin Williams

  14 Sep 2009 | 3:28 pm

  I’ve spent over two weeks reading all I can about this story. My 3 year-old is beside himself! And as comic book guy and Disney dad, I think this could point in the right direction. Somewhat. Just in case you live under a rock somewhere, Disney bought the Marvel franchise for $4 billion. That’s right [...]

• The 6 M’s of a Social Media Brand Strategy

  Kevin Williams

  31 Aug 2009 | 7:31 pm

  Just in case you missed it, CHANGE literally graced Mashable’s Social Good conference this past week. From Cashmore to Kanter, we were all there for one purpose: To bare witness to the potential social media in the non-profit sector. During one of the breaks, I had the awesome opportunity to meet Toby Daniels the founder of [...]

• 
  brandcowboy

• Faith: An anti-social brand shows us why community matters.

  15 Oct 2009 | 10:12 am

  Throughout the twitchy world of modern marketing, social media is, of course, the new black. And by black, I mean overcrowded lifeboat. Marketers are falling all over themselves firing up Facebook fan pages, pimping themselves out to build Twitter followings, and uploading those bacterial video thingies to YouTube. It’s an orgy of ingratiation that smacks a bit of somebody’s tax auditor dad rocking a Hollister hoodie. And then someone comes along to show us the way. Someone German, arrogantly elitist, and resolutely stuck in the past. Someone named Porsche. Let me set this up for…

• Speak no evil.

  18 Sep 2009 | 9:48 am

  I am driving a dreary, abused little rental car today. And my lawn is deep enough to conceal ocelots. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been disappointed by a couple of very famous brands in which I’d invested both faith and cash. And I’m not just whining, here, about a lousy customer service experience or some random product quality deficiency. I’m talking about products that failed on precisely the terms in which their brands defined them (Land Rovers aren’t supposed to strand you in the middle of nowhere – routinely - whatever other quirks they may have. And John Deere tractors…

• WOM in sheep's clothing.

  27 Aug 2009 | 1:25 pm

  A couple of weeks ago, I gave a speech at a conference in Colorado Springs. My hosts graciously invited me to join the delegates at dinner the night before my keynote, and I – believing ardently that the words ‘sushi’ and ‘buffet’ are poetry together – gratefully accepted. It was a lovely evening, and I met lots of interesting, smart people. Including one patrician fellow who firmly gripped my hand, looked me straight in the eye like a gunslinger, and said, “So, what are you here to sell us?”On the plane for home, I thought up all sorts of witty answers. None, however, were…

• Raiders of the Lost Art.

  30 Jul 2009 | 6:45 pm

  It’s a classic, the ageless cinematic equivalent of a whoopee cushion: Having escaped certain doom by the skin of his teeth, Indy and the girl find refuge in a cave/cellar/catacomb/flaming biplane, only to discover that they have leapt into the certain jaws of a worse fate. And that’s where the real adventure begins. Thanks to a misspent youth, it’s this image rather than something more Homeric that popped into my head as I read Forbes’ piece last week on the explosion of spending in online media. It’s getting hard to argue that traditional advertising has seen its best days. By the…

• An inside job.

  3 Jul 2009 | 7:27 am

  There still walk among us ‘branding professionals’ who believe that the consumer will think, feel and do exactly what they’re told, no matter how pointless. This kind of totalitarian arrogance, you’d think, would mostly travel in herds up and down Madison Avenue. Only an overpaid, mojito-soaked, Chuck Taylor-wearing spawn of Don Draper could have the temerity to spend decades and millions teaching one thing to consumers, only to spend millions more changing it in a fit of whimsy worthy of Kim Jong Il. But no. Ad people, at the very least, are accustomed to listening to the…

• 
  Synergist

• Visual branding guidelines

  Cathy

  23 Oct 2009 | 6:54 am

  Every impression of your visual brand has value. Viewing it with consistency builds memorablity and brand recognition allowing you to get the most value from your advertising and promotional dollars. How is this done? Guidelines for visual styles can be developed. Essentially, these are the rules for ”here is what you can and cannot do visually”. Often ”do’s and don’ts” of copy elements and editorial style are included as well. The elements of a corporate identity guidelines (or sometimes referred to as a visual branding guide) include… Contents Introduction Company Values…

• Visually communicating with color

  Cathy

  8 Oct 2009 | 12:36 pm

  Your brand colors allow instant recognition and distinction for your company. Staying within a custom color palette used repeatedly and consistently will help instill your brand. Above, example of a color palette designed for Axela’s brand identity. Good use of color is very powerful and has many functions in the world of visual communications. Although color is subjective and people will always have their likes/dislikes in relation to it, here’s what is important. Color helps…. viewers filter out what is extraneous so they can get to the relevant information they need. attract…

• Visual communications in an infinitely busy world

  Cathy

  28 Sep 2009 | 8:15 am

  In a world filled with infinite information, how do we achieve mindshare? Visual communications. Designers seek to create clarity in their communications so viewers will accurately interpret the intended message. We work to guide the viewer’s eyes to where we want them to go. If the visual elements are all fighting for attention, there is a good chance we will lose our viewer. Through a thoughtful placement of elements we establish a visual hierarchy to direct the viewer’s eyes. The goal is always to attract and gain mindshare. How do we achieve this? We create: appropriate color schemes…

• A simple visual solution for your complex brand?

  Cathy

  16 Sep 2009 | 11:38 am

  Understanding how the mind synthesizes visual information is crucial in creating a visual that instills recognition. And recognition is everything in branding. The first thing we recognize is color. Then comes shape, symbol and finally words. These visual cues are important in conveying the subliminal underlying concept. Here are some things to keep in mind when developing a visual brand. Keep it simple. Simplicity builds recognition. When a visual is too busy it distracts the viewer from the overall visual, its message and the brand. Be identifiable. Simple shapes are easily identified. Be…

• 2016 Summer Olympic Logos

  Cathy

  2 Sep 2009 | 10:31 am

  On October 2 the location of the 2016 Summer Olympics will be revealed. For two years, cities around the world have been vying to be the events host. It is now down to Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo. Here are the “bid logos” for these cities. Chicago, United States Meaning behind the logo: The Chicago logo’s central element is the Chicago star, the symbol on the city flag. It is said that the six points on the star represent hope, respect, harmony, friendship, excellence and celebration. It has also been said that the logo’s six-pointed Chicago star represents a…

• 
  Thoughts & Notions | Blackcoffee

• Subtractive Thinking

  Mark Gallagher

  2 Nov 2009 | 7:56 am

  Few would argue with the statements: “Less is more” (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect), “Do more with less” (Buckminster Fuller, structural engineer), or “Less but better” (Dieter Rams, industrial designer). The list goes on. Each of these minimalists built through subtraction. You too can benefit from a minimalist approach. Most brands and businesses focus on adding value by adding functions. Yet, subtraction is more than just a way of reducing costs. Subtractive thinking can add real value, both by cutting cost and increasing usability. Additive +…

• RiP! A Remix Manifesto

  Laura Savard

  16 Oct 2009 | 9:28 am

  As business assets, “brands” are intellectual property. They are legally protected trademarks. Anyone working in the field of branding has a reasonable understanding of trademark and copyright law. But today, even the experts are confused as to who owns what. In his film, RiP! A Remix Manifesto, filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers. Thanks to Hulu we are able to share this full-length feature (1:26:23) with you. So bookmark it and watch it…

• Visualizing Brand Architecture

  Laura Savard

  5 Oct 2009 | 12:37 pm

  Brand architecture is yet another area within the discipline of branding that becomes more effective as strategy and aesthetic are practiced as one. Brand architecture provides a blueprint for growing and managing a company’s brand portfolio by defining relationships between sibling brands. However, those relationships are often lost within the context of a spreadsheet, and the result is inadvertent competition and market cannibalization. This can be avoided by ensuring that your brand architecture is depicted though visual maps that define each brand’s areas of focus and overall market…

• Merging Strategy and Execution

  Laura Savard

  21 Sep 2009 | 8:58 am

  There is no question that the traditional agency model is broken. However, the reason may not be due to a shift in how people consume media. The traditional assembly line mentality forces everyone to focus on their own part of the puzzle rather than the greater whole. This division of thinking simply doesn’t work in today’s world, because it leaves too much to be misinterpreted and works toward predetermined solutions. Here, R. Keith Sawyer, Washington University psychologist and author of Explaining Creativity, clearly illustrates the benefits of this approach in an interview…

• Out On The Edge

  Laura Savard

  9 Sep 2009 | 1:08 pm

  “I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.”—Kurt Vonnegut Mainstream culture is derived from sub-culture through a process of influence and refinement. Over the years we have seen numerous influences of sub-culture on mainstream fashion and music, even science and technology. But as these things that used to exist only out on the fringe are brought to the mainstream, they often become sterilized and refined losing all their character and appeal and eventually collapsing under…

• 
  Razor Branding Blog

• How Do You Sell More?

  jacirusso

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:06 pm

  money-change The first and best answer to the question, “How do you get them to buy more of your stuff?” is to have better stuff.  Seriously. If you are selling the same product or service as everyone else then why wouldn’t the consumer buy from someone else? Invest more money in research and development.  Find a way to do it better.  Then you won’t have to work so hard to sell it.  If you build something that people want (or at least think they can’t live without), then they will be waiting in line to buy it (see iphone for further proof of this concept).

• 7 Steps to Develop Advocates for Your Brand

  jacirusso

  3 Nov 2009 | 9:21 pm

  The ultimate goal of every company should be to develop Brand Advocates which are also referred to as members of the Brand Tribe.  Once you have a loyal community of Brand Advocates then you can rest assured that the word of mouth marketing will happen.  With a strong Brand Tribe, you don’t have to worry about informing your customers about new product launches, if anything you will have to ask them to keep it quiet until you are ready to spill the beans. There are 7 steps to developing advocates, each one building on the step before. Awareness Knowledge Consideration Selection…

• Are You Listening For Your Brand?

  jacirusso

  3 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  One of the greatest opportunities that social media has provided for companies is the ability to listen to the talk around the water cooler.  It is truly a modern miracle - not to overstate the point. Whether you are utilizing Google Alerts, tweetbeep or any of the other tools that are available you can be notified of what people are saying about your company, products and services. This opportunity to be a part of their conversation, thank them for their support and correct any mistakes they might have. Why wouldn’t companies want to know?  Quite simply, there is a belief, a hope,…

• Brand Buzz: Best Practices of Healthcare with Social Media

  Jaci Russo

  2 Nov 2009 | 2:18 pm

  On this week’s episode of Brand Buzz we will be talking about best practices of Healthcare and Social Media.  Tune in every Monday at 5:20pm to KPEL 105.1 on your radio or online at www.kpel1051.com for another installment of Brand Buzz. How are healthcare organizations extending their care by using Social Media? Why should should healthcare companies use Social Media? Are there any successful case studies? Tune in to Brand Buzz on KPEL FM 105.1 at 5:20pm on Monday or if you miss the show you can listen online to the podcast and we will talk about Healthcare and how social media…

• CMOs Need Operations to Keep Promise Behind Brand

  jacirusso

  2 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am

  Chief Marketing Officers can develop the greatest ad campaigns of all times but without Operations creating great products to sell and strong processes for customer service then those ad campaigns will do little more than win awards. The challenge seems to be that most companies today think that they just have to change their marketing efforts to adapt to these new marketing tools.  Their hope seems to be that if they just take a few dollars from the tv budget and put it into a YouTube budget then their advertising efforts will be up to date. Unfortunately, for them, it just doesn’t…

• 
  Profitable Growth

• Les Miserables, Life, Death And Small Business Ownership

  Last night I saw my favorite play, Les Miserables, again. [caption id="attachment_147" align="aligncenter" width="322" caption="Les Miserable"][/caption] In Victor Hugo’s epic story of good, evil, love and faith, the hero Jean Valjean saves the life of his nemesis, Inspector Javert. Javert had pursued him for years after Valjean steals bread to feed his ...

• Where Should I Start?

  Earlier today, I read a wonderful Small Business Trends blog post from Jason Cohen called “How To Work On Your Business Not In It.” Chock-full of great action steps, I wondered, where should I start? [caption id="attachment_142" align="aligncenter" width="388" caption=""Where Should I Start," asks Andy Birol."][/caption] The further I read the more my ...

• Three Ways To Create Profitable Payers

  The 2nd in my series of videos on profitable growth: Three Ways To Create Profitable Payers.

• First Way You Can Start To Ensure Profitable Growth

• Profitable Growth By Borrowing Less

  Is it possible for your business to create profitable growth without borrowing money? Most business owners and financial experts say no, but after this Great Recession and tight credit sure to continue, the less your business needs to borrow, the better. So let’s look at the following four questions: A. Why must ...