It stinks to be ripped off but when someone rips you off and does so promoting honor and trust it makes it even worse. Meet Two Marines And A Truck: www.twomarinesandatruck.com. When you think Marines you envision strength but more importantly honor. Honor is everything to a Marine. Here’s the Marines pledge to honor: Honor requires each Marine to exemplify the ultimate standard in ethical and moral conduct. Honor is many things; honor requires many things. A U.S. Marine must never lie, never cheat, never steal, but that is not enough. Much more is required. Each Marine must…
Branding
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The BIG Kahuna
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Two Unhonorable Marines And A Truck?
27 Jan 2010 | 5:27 am -
The BIG Kahuna Tells It Like It Is With Ai
12 Jan 2010 | 6:03 amCheck out my interview in the Art Institutes newest article “Great Design Key To Building Brands“. Here’s a snippet: Today’s marketplace makes building brands more challenging for companies because the Internet has removed most buying limitations and exponentially increased consumer choices. Brand Identity Guru All that competition makes it more important than ever to shore up a brand’s identity. In the best cases, brand identity corresponds to the soul of a company, says Scott White, a branding expert who goes by the title Big Kahuna at When building brands,… -
The Bachelor and Bachelorette Brands Can’t Be More Racist
4 Jan 2010 | 5:46 pmMy wife loves both the Bachelor and Bachelorette and she MAKES me watch them. As I’ve watched these reality shows I’ve come to notice there are no minorities to speak of. None. Well maybe a token here and there. Why? Why so white? Here is the cast for this years new Bachelor: And the lucky guy: And last years Bachelorette and cast: That’s a lot of white. So why the obvious discrimination? In 17 total seasons, neither show’s main role has ever been filled with a person of color. ABC representatives say they are “exploring” the issue for upcoming seasons. How… -
President Patrick Doyle Of Domino’s Pizza Says Their Pizza Stunk
28 Dec 2009 | 5:46 pmAccording to Domino’s Pizza’s latest TV commercial they think their pizza is pretty bad. The commercial features some feedback from clients stating “the crust tastes like cardboard” and “the sauce tastes like ketchup”. Ouch. Click here to view the embedded video. I have to agree, but does their target market really expect more for the money? After all they’ll give you two medium pizzas for like $5. They’ve been the low cost provider for decades. Do people really buy it for the quality? Or was it because Domino’s built their brand identity… -
And that’s what people really want—affordable, safe air transport from A to B. It’s a commodity. It’s not some life-changing sexual experience, which is what the other high-fare airlines have tried to convince you that it is.
21 Dec 2009 | 7:50 pmSays Irish budget carrier Ryanair and their CEO Michael O’Leary who have cultivated a reputation for controversial innovations and colorful language. O’Leary says branding is dead. Good for him. Here are my thoughts. We all need the Walmart’s of the world which is exactly the brand you get in Ryanair. Their brand identity is cheap, no nonsense flights. Believe it or not O’Leary has done the thing he so openly despises, or does he? Walmart has been brilliant at being creative in cutting costs and delivering price value to the customer. And their niche to middle…
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Tom Asacker on unlocking hearts and minds
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What dat?
8 Feb 2010 | 5:51 amWhat a game! Who dat, indeed! And those Super Bowl commercials? What dat? A Doritos ninja? Men singing in an open field about wearing no pants? Men being men again through the purchase of muscle cars and big screen TVs?... -
Amazon, Macmillan, Apple and the future of books
3 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pmLast week a temporary cease-fire went into effect amidst a brewing battle between Amazon.com and Macmillan, a unit of Germany's Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GMBH and one of the largest publishers in the US. The battle was over the price... -
The Hole in the Soul of Business
31 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pmThat's the title of a recent blog post by management author and consultant Gary Hamel. He blames this hole, which "bleeds the vitality and enthusiasm out of people at work," on a "paucity of purpose." Near the end of his... -
Engagement and Apple's new iPad
28 Jan 2010 | 4:37 amThere wasn't any (engagement, that is). And that's not a problem. At least not in the short term. Engagement is the very first door that any business must open when attempting to unlock hearts and minds in today's idea economy.... -
Theater and substance
27 Jan 2010 | 5:18 amThere's a theater part to your work, and a substance part. Theater is about originality, intensity and passion. Theater engages people. It stirs the emotions and touches people's hearts. Substance is about planning and consistency. It's about managing the details...
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.think - A Brainstorm blog
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5 Focal Points for Brands in 2010
2 Feb 2010 | 12:13 pmWe’ve identified five focal points of opportunity for 2010. They’re not an end-all priority list for brands, nor predictions, but rather initiatives, items born of trending behavior and emergent technologies being embraced by consumers. 1. Mobile-based marketing Smartphones are fast becoming the center of consumer experience for work, home and play (see: Is Your Mobile Presence Brand Immobile?). A device capable of connecting people, places and things via text, voice, social networks, apps, tools, email, video, and images is a powerful medium. And the medium’s delivery… -
Seven Jars of Jam Awaiting
24 Dec 2009 | 10:11 amVoodoogoo Jam Perfecting Good Taste Friends from afar sent me not one but seven jars of assorted gelatinous delights for the holidays. Each homemade delectable is tastefully adorned with an elegant custom label and a short background regarding the origin of the harvested contents. Perfect. I can barely wait to taste them all. But await I will. The Assortment Include Grape Jam · Wild Plum Jam · Apricot Peach Jam · Banana Butter Chokecherry Jam · Black Raspberry Jam · Voodoogoo Jam -
Top 20 Favorite Friday Night Wind-Downs
17 Dec 2009 | 8:18 amPanic room, interesting video Our latest list of inane musings from the Brainstorm office white board: Top 20 Favorite Friday Night Wind-Downs A placid dip in the sensory deprivation tank Appointment with my masseur Brainstorming upcoming Top 20 board topics Watching 4 episodes of “24” back 2 back Pizza, wine, movie, couch Dining out Quiet room, good book A nice relaxing mosh pit! DANCE PAARTY! Panic room, interesting video I enjoying bathing in the blue glow of multiple computer screens. Family movie night A first class flight to a tropical island, or even a coach flight to a regular… -
Are You Wearing Patchouli?
14 Dec 2009 | 8:17 am“The reactions I’ve experienced confirm that it is a part of my personal brand.” A Scent of Brand Patchouli is my signature fragrance, it’s been my personal aromatherapy since I was a teenager. Visceral, exotic…not sure I can explain the magic it plays on me when I wear it. Of all the essential oil concoctions I’ve invented over the years, this distinctive scent is, at its base, ME. Ask anyone who knows me to shut their eyes, sniff an open vial of patchouli oil and say what comes to mind; I guarantee my name comes up every time. There are some interesting studies on the… -
Ad Impressions: Remote and User Controlled
4 Dec 2009 | 6:20 amMore than 30 percent of households with a TV now have a DVR device Impressions Less Control At more than double the price tag, CBS has very few 30-second Super Bowl spots left while NBC is struggling to sell 2010 Winter Olympic ads. Yes, the Super Bowl has a prestigious reputation for the most watched and talked about commercials, but the Olympics start just one week after Super Bowl Sunday. Advertisers invest so much in creating the commercials, why not rerun the same 30-second spots at half the price? Impressions Remotely Controlled More than 30 percent of households with a TV now have a…
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Brand Insight Blog
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Jargon vs. the branding power of plain english.
31 Jan 2010 | 9:16 pmI had an experience in a brewpub last fall that was inspiring and insulting at the same time. Keep in mind, this Oregon, where there are more brewpubs per capita than anywhere on earth. So brands are plentiful and the competition is stiff. If you don’t like the food or the service or the beer in one, just walk around block and try another one. So a buddy and I popped into this new brewpub for a burger and beer, après golf. We were parched. The beer menu offered “craft beers” in all the usual colors and categories… a blonde, a red, an amber, a black, a pale, an IPA, etc. etc. Each… -
Disruption as a branding discipline.
26 Jan 2010 | 2:21 pmThe word for the day is Disruption, with a capital D. In our society there’s a stigma against all things deemed disruptive. When you’re in elementary school you learn to not be disruptive in class. Sit still in church and don’t disrupt the service. By the 6th grade it’s “don’t cause a scene or call attention to yourself. Don’t be different. Be the same.” Write like everyone else. Dress like everyone else. Behave like everyone else and you’ll get along just fine. That’s the message we got, and it’s the message our kids are getting. Loud and clear. Maybe that’s why so… -
Back to Basics — A working definition of Brands and Branding.
13 Jan 2010 | 5:32 pmWelcome to the new-and-improved Brand Insight Blog. I’m moving forward this week by going back… back to fundamentals and to the most frequently asked questions of all: What exactly IS branding, anyway? And why should the average business owner care? No doubt, the semantics of marketing and branding can be very confusing. Every firm, consultant, author and marketing professor has a slightly different spin on the subject of branding, and it’s easy to fall into that classic, insider’s trap… So I’m attempting to aggregate the best of them, and boil it all down to something you can… -
Branding in a skeptical world — Two Trends For 2k10
3 Jan 2010 | 10:11 pmMagazine editors and TV journalists love year-end lists. And when it’s the end of a decade, there’s even more interest in rehashing the top 10 things in every category from celebrity scandals to the most trusted brands. I prefer to look forward, and I suspect many of you are with me on that. So here are two — not ten — branding trends that will help you, right now. • The crisis of confidence and the consumer’s ultra-sensitive, internal BS meter. The last two years have not been good for consumer confidence. The banking collapse. Bernie Madoff. AIG bonuses. The automotive… -
The difference between a new product launch and the birth of a brand.
27 Dec 2009 | 9:54 pmThe Mt. Bachelor ski report for December 20th was delightfully promising: Ten inches of new snow, 18 degrees, calm winds. Not only that, the storm was clearing. Blue skies beckoned. It was the kind of day ski bums live for. The kind where they’re queued up before the first lift and you hear a lot of hollering from the forest, the glades and the cone, where the hard-core hike for fresh tracks. But for intermediate skiers accustomed to the forgiving comfort of corduroy, it posed a bit of a problem. See, all 10 inches fell in the early morning hours — after the grooming machines had…
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Martin Lindstrom
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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
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Saints vs. Sinners: Super Bowl ad round-up
8 Feb 2010 | 7:29 amCongratulations to the Saints. A great game that provided a sometimes distracting backdrop to the real competition--the battle of the ads. I don't think that this year's collection of ads will be remembered as one of the best vintages. Hitting, pantlessness and emasculation were the predominant themes.1) Brand Bowl 2010 official winner: Doritos (consumer-generated)I enjoyed camping out at Brand Bowl 2010, designed by Mullen and Radian 6, looking at all the Twitter reactions to the Super Bowl spots. Doritos was the official winner of Brand Bowl 2010 as measured by the volume and sentiment of… -
Brand Bowl 2010: A handy guide to watching the game
7 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amIt's here again. Your chance to watch, rate and discuss the super and the not-so-super c.$3 million ads presented in a 3/4 hour show in between some boring football bits. (I wouldn't be saying that if the 49ers were playing, or even the Raiders, but both teams are still mired in failure.) Here's a handy guide to watching (either) game:1) Brand Bowl 2010: As reported by Mashable, Brand Bowl 2010 is a: "New Super Bowl advertiser tracking site from Mullen and Radian 6 — offers near real-time analysis for an immediate look at pre-, post- and in-game Twitter reactions to the Super Bowl spots… -
Six of the Best: The Facebook and social networking edition
6 Feb 2010 | 8:15 amGiven the number of things written about Facebook and social networking in any given week, I suppose I could devote every edition of Six of the Best to this topic. Might be a bit boring. But this week, there was enough critical mass of things that I "favorited," starred or otherwise remembered to warrant a special edition, starting with the excellent summary of social networking developments in The Economist. Plus its Facebook's 6th birthday and it just passed the 400 million user milestone. So, why not?1) A world of connections: The Economist Special Report (via subscription!)A comprehensive… -
Brand Mix: Meme of the week
5 Feb 2010 | 8:52 amA new feature. If it had started last week, the award would have definitely gone to the Doppelgänger pix on Facebook. But that's more or less over now, so the first official winner is:Winner: Urban Dictionary (Facebook Fans (as of 2/5): 279, 400)As The Christian Science Monitor sniffily says: "The user-submitted definitions on Urban Dictionary are often intentionally revolting passages that appeal to the lowest forms of scatalogical humor." But that's why this meme has taken off. To fully participate, you need to go urbandictionary.com, enter your first name in the look-up box, and then… -
Why a Tsiischili roller coaster ride is scarier than a Chunta: A question of naming
3 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amPhoto: Roller Coaster - Speed Mouse #1 by Stéfan (Flickr)Do people think that a roller coaster ride called Tsiichilli would be more exciting, more adventurous and more likely to make them sick than the much easier-to-pronounce Chunta? Yes, they do.Do companies with easy-to-pronounce ticker symbols (e.g. KAR) do better than companies with difficult-to-pronounce ticker symbols (e.g. RDO) in the first day (and even year) of trading after an IPO? Once again, yes they do.Earlier this week, I wrote about the work of Song & Schwarz who have been looking at the influence of what they call…
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Ruth Mortimer - Brand & Business Blog - Marketing Week
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The London Weekly: my verdict
5 Feb 2010 | 3:36 amThe London Weekly freesheet has launched (although it’s almost impossible to lay your hands on a copy). Even earlier this week, some were suggesting the freesheet could even be a hoax, suggesting that it might not even exist as potential advertisers had heard so little from the team. But no, it appears that it is not a hoax. Although the content seems so laughably bad to me that anyone associated should probably pretend immediately that the whole thing is an elaborate art project commenting on media in the modern age. Why am I being so harsh? Well, @jenniferesque posted a picture of the… -
Marketers and their money
2 Feb 2010 | 3:48 amA couple of weeks ago, we ran the Marketing Week/Ball & Hoolahan Salary Survey, which presented a comprehensive study into how marketers are paid and rewarded in 2010. (My particular fact of choice from the survey? A female marketing director earns £17,000 less than her male counterpart. So much for equality.) Now data from the Higher Education Careers Services and Graduate Prospects has produced their figures on what happens to young marketers at the start of their careers. It follows what those marketing graduates from 2008 did next. The split of graduates from the 2008 crop was 42%… -
An udder-ly lovely new design
1 Feb 2010 | 3:11 amThis is a lovely little piece of packaging for milk. Designed by Ashley Linnenbank, this udder-shaped design brings back the link between the source of the liquid and the end product to consumer minds. Not sure we’ll ever see this make it to the shelf as this seems to be a student prototype, but a nice idea really shaking up the design in the dairy category nevertheless. Via PSFK. -
Tesco buys into the movie business
25 Jan 2010 | 3:15 amSupermarket Tesco has moved into movie-making (sort of). Not content with opening its Fresh & Easy shops in California, it appears that a little of Hollywood has rubbed off on the firm. The retailer has formed a joint venture with US media firm Amber Productions to create a range of straight-to-DVD films that it will sell exclusively under the deal’s initial terms. The first movie is understood to be an adaption of Jackie Collins’ book Paris Connections. Other authors apparently under discussion for a Tesco release include Judy Blume and Philip Pullman. Tesco says its role… -
The 10 brands to watch over the next decade
19 Jan 2010 | 5:18 amDesign consultancy Further has released its predictions for which brands will be the ones to watch over the next decade. It nominates: 1. United Breweries Group. The Indian conglomerate markets everything from Kingfisher beer to Scotch brand Black Dog and bought Whyte & Mackay back in 2007. Headed up by Vijay Mallya, it looks set to grow over the next few years beyond its current size as one of the world’s largest spirits businesses. 2. Build your Dreams. Originally established as a battery maker, its new automotive division is taking this Chinese brand to new heights. It is aiming…
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brandflakesforbreakfast
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making tv more real
9 Feb 2010 | 5:09 amIf you're a fan of the Office, you know that Dunder Mifflin was just acquired on the show, and the characters are going through the typical process of a corporate acquisition.NBC has a great history of tying the on-screen fun to the internet world, and they haven't stopped with the acquisition. Check out the site for the new parent company, Sabre Corp. The employee welcome video featuring Christian Slater is especially heart warming. Thanks, RJ! -
winter olympic fun with samsung
9 Feb 2010 | 5:03 amSamsung just released a series of videos celebrating winter sports in a more fun way than the typical figure skating or half pipe riding. -
don't have a valentine? how about the meter maid?
9 Feb 2010 | 5:03 amSkittles has launched a promotion that's asking you to join their "mob the rainbow." A rainbow mob is like a flash mob, only it doesn't necessarily involve showing up to a particular place, and its goal is to spread happy rainbow goodness. (Like a flash mob for lazy people.)This particular rainbow mob is all about sending some random meter maid a valentine. If we all do it, she'll get a kabillion valentines and be the most loved meter maid in meter maid history. Or, she'll be really freaked out and give us all tickets.Nice idea, and great tie to the rainbow of deliciousness. -
mardi gras, without all of the drunken nakedness
9 Feb 2010 | 4:40 amThis year's Mardi Gras is more than likely going to be better than ever. If you've never experienced Mardi Gras, or - if you've only experienced it as a drunken tourist, you owe it to yourself to check out My Mardis Gras Experience.It's a blogger's experience of Mardis Gras for the first time as a local. They've also channeled in plenty of the typical social media streams, so there's plenty of content for all to see.It's brought us by Tabasco, and promises to be family friendly. So you can show your kids without fear of boobies or man spears. From @scottmonty. -
denny's: the series
9 Feb 2010 | 4:17 amAfter you're done with this morning's free Grand Slam at Denny's, you can enjoy more Denny's internet goodness.Because many people didn't believe that the chicken takeover of the SuperBowl was enough, they've created more. More chicken videos, served up like a second helping of flapjacks. Or another Moon over Miami. (You can actually call Janeth at Denny's too - which is a nice touch.)
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David Young | Branding Blog - Marketing Advice and Advertising Strategy for Local Business Owners
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Prosound: On-Hold Messaging for Smart Business Owners
8 Feb 2010 | 7:58 amWe launched a new client web site last week for ProsoundUSA.com, a company that specializes in improving the phone experience of your customers. Instead of just providing "on-hold messages" and those automated attendant systems that we've all come to hate, ProsoundUSA owner Chester Hull makes it his business to learn about yours BEFORE attempting to tell you what your message should be. In fact, he takes it one step further and will evaluate how your living, breathing, real-life staff is doing on the phones. His phone evaluation service costs just $149 and if it saves just one sale, would be… -
Car & Driver on the Toyota Recall
4 Feb 2010 | 10:17 pmThere's a great editorial in Car & Driver on the Toyota Recall. I love the headline: Scandal, Media Circus, and Stupid Drivers Mike Dushane takes on the screaming media, including a jab at 60 Minutes for their coverage of a similar situation with Audi in 1986. He also opens with a great piece of advice on personally dealing with the situation if it arises: First, What to Do if Your Car (Not Just a Toyota) Starts to Accelerate Uncontrollably If your car starts accelerating unexpectedly, hit the brake (it's the one to the left of the gas) and shift into neutral. After you do this, the… -
Web + Radio = Good Brand Strategy
28 Jan 2010 | 11:17 amFor a local business, optimizing a web site to compete against your local, regional, national and international competitors can seem a bit daunting, to say the least.Wouldn't it be great if your most valuable web traffic arrived at your site because they were looking for YOU and not your category? Trust me, it's great. In your town, your name is your brand. It is built on only two variables: Your reputation in the marketplace (built up by direct customer experience), and to a far lesser extent the anticipation of that experience that you PROMISED by your advertising. Those who think that a… -
WonderBranding: Michele Miller's Marketing to Women blog praised by Forbes!
25 Jan 2010 | 9:02 pmJust a quick note to congratulate marketing to women expert Michele Miller for being named to Forbe.com's list of the 20 Best Marketing and Social Media Blogs by Women. You should also check out a few of her way cool marketing to women videos. Be sure to watch the "meet Michele Miller" video. (It's a cool production from our friends at SunPop, the online video introduction guys.) -
Kia: Telling The Truth in a More Powerful Way
24 Jan 2010 | 8:50 pm"Our story began with a bicycle, back in 1951."It's the opening line of a Kia ad that has been airing the past few months. I like the ad. It makes you feel good. I like the Kia models that I've driven. My wife likes the ad. She suggested that I write about it. It works at making you feel good about Kia.The ad opens with a kid from the past. This helps us suspend disbelief when the announcer gets to the part about Kia. We're quickly ready for more because we've been instantly transported back to Mayberry. We're ready to feel good! When they tell us about the new Kia plant in Georgia, it all…
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Branding Strategy Insider
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Brand Messaging: Visual Over Verbal
7 Feb 2010 | 9:10 pmIn a song, what's more important, the words or the music? I think most people would agree that the music is more important. Take "Moon River," first sung by Audrey Hepburn in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's." The song itself won an Academy Award for composers Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, one of four won by Mercer. Later, Andy Williams adopted "Moon River" as his theme song. Here is the first verse. Moon river, wider than a mile I'm crossin' you in style some day Old dream maker, you heartbreaker Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way Johnny Mercer, in my opinion, was the best… -
Brand Naming Origins: Academy Awards 'Oscar'
4 Feb 2010 | 9:05 pmIt’s Academy Award season again, and movie buffs everywhere await the results of the annual competition. So how did Hollywood's beloved Oscar, the 8-pound gold statuette get its name? Most awards nicknames have obvious sources. For instance, The Tony Awards on Broadway are nicknamed in honor of actress/director Antoinette Perry, who died in 1946. The Tony Awards began the next year. The Grammy Awards, given by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, are a diminutive of "gramophone,” coined way back in 1887 to describe a device to record and reproduce sound. -
Legal Influence And Marketing Decisions
2 Feb 2010 | 9:26 pmLawyers are retained to minimize legal exposures and risks. Marketers are employed to sell more stuff. This is oversimplified but generally true. Lawyers can help marketers better understand trademark law, trade dress, copyright law, trade secrets and false or deceptive advertising.Companies vary quite a bit in the power afforded their attorneys. Most use them to deal with corporate legal issues and agreements and contracts. At Hallmark, I was advised by my boss, a corporate officer, that legal advice was just that, advice. He recommended that I seek legal advice when appropriate but that I… -
How Color And Flavor Names Affect Choice
1 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pmIs Moody Blue a better name for a flavor than Glacier Freeze? How will consumers react to a color named Razzmatazz instead of Bright Orange? And what’s wrong with good old Fire Engine Red? Two marketing professors have been studying these shades of meaning and publishing provocative papers on color-coding and what it does to buyers’ expectations. So we went to Barbara E. Kahn (at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania) and Elizabeth G. Miller (at Boston College) for some answers. Q: Is there anything wrong with good old “Fire Engine Red” to identify a nail polish? We find in… -
Leading Brands And Being First In The Mind
31 Jan 2010 | 9:08 pmMarketing people spend 95 percent of their time on brand maintenance when the real opportunities lie in brand creation. Look what the iPod has done for Apple Computer. In the first quarter of 2005, Apple sold 5.3 million iPods. This year alone, iPod sales should reach $5 billion. The iPod brand dominates its market segment, accounting for 91 percent of all MP3 players with disk drives. How do you create a brand like the iPod? It’s simple and at the same time difficult. You become the first brand in a new category. No other strategy is as effective as this fundamental law of brand…
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BrandDigital | BrandSimple: The Blog
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Leading brands are quick studies when it comes to the “double-click mentality”
4 Feb 2010 | 7:01 amThe toaster wasn’t toasting fast enough. No, it wasn’t broken. I was having a “double-click mentality” moment. You know, those moments during an ordinary day when the ordinary stuff we do seems to take too much time as a result of our being behavior modified by the instant gratification of digital activities. Downloading books, music, and movies. Scanning directions onto our mobile devices. Using QR codes to get exclusive access to discounts. Or, like Target has done in a recent non-digital promotion, sending coupons that are good for any brand of a whole bunch of… -
The best digital tools are those with obvious advantages
19 Jan 2010 | 6:21 amThe special effects are dazzling and the audience overwhelmed with sight, sound, and sensation. No, it’s not the award-winning film, “Avatar” I’m referring to, but the latest and greatest devices and apps presented at the recent Consumer Electronics Show. While many of these whiz-bag digital wonders are truly wonderfully welcome additions to our connected lives, many represent the glints in the eyes of the innovators who, yet again, managed to overestimate their necessity or utility to the general public. In my recent article in Forbes Online I write about why the most… -
Play by the rules and 2010 will not be as surprising for brands as some may think
4 Jan 2010 | 1:28 pmSome think chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Others, flight delays and crowded malls. Those in the brand business, myself included, think about trends we’re likely to see in the year ahead. Given that I had some time due to a flight delay of my own, I took the time to write down some of the things we’re likely to see in the marketplace in the year ahead, including which brands will most likely get stronger, and which might actually go south (not for the winter, but forever). While my record on some predictions is somewhat spotty (did you read what I wrote about Jay Leno?!), I… -
And the winners of the digital branding campaigns of the year are…
28 Dec 2009 | 11:50 amWell, the holiday gifts are unwrapped and according to polls, anecdotal and otherwise, the booty included lots of digital toys for good girls and boys of every age. Given that digital technology is an absolute given in our lives, I thought it might be interesting to look back at what I considered the top digitally-based marketing initiatives of 2009. While a red carpet and paparazzi were unnecessary in my conferral, like other award shows, there was more than one category in my determination of the best of the best. That’s because success in the digital arena is based on two key… -
Transparency and the multifaceted consumer
16 Dec 2009 | 11:04 amOne of the best things about my job is not only helping companies improve their business operations through branding, but simply having thought provoking conversations with professionals about the latest trends and challenges of the business. Saurabh Sharma, Strategic Planning Director at Ogilvy & Mather in Beijing, recently raised a great question about the role of transparency when communicating to a multifaceted consumer, and I thought it was worthwhile to share with you. Question: In BrandDigital, you have mentioned the need for brands to be honest and transparent. Last year,…
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Baskin Dim Bulb branding advertising social media business strategy
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The Top None
8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amI'd planned in all sincerity to write an essay about the three Super Bowl commercials that I thought wouldn't get the recognition in most "top ten" lists, but that I believed might actually do something business-wise down the road. I meant it. I wanted to be positive......but I just can't. I can't think of one spot that is going to matter after today's Monday morning ad quarterbacking is done.Sure, there were some funny ones -- I liked Betty White getting tackled in the Snicker's spot -- and predictable ones, such as the recurring sexploitation commercials from Go Daddy. Lots of them looked… -
An Overdose of the Olympics
4 Feb 2010 | 3:13 pmNBC has embraced a novel twist on the user-generated content phenomenon: it plans to broadcast more than a month's worth of athlete generated content, or "AGC," via Vancouver Olympics programming over its cable stations and web sites. I can't help but think such a decision comes from the same ideology that gave us a Jay Leno comedy show in primetime: unscripted programming is cheaper to produce than scripted entertainment, while ad rates are determined by viewing eyeballs, so the profit margin is potentially higher for shows that are even marginally based on reality. And since NBC paid $2… -
Asleep At The Wheel
31 Jan 2010 | 10:49 amToyota has announced a shockingly comprehensive response to relatively limited reports of a sticky gas pedal: it has suspended production and sales of nine models and recalled millions to replace the potentially offending part. Comparisons have been made to Johnson & Johnson's famous and much lauded reaction to its Tylenol product tampering crisis in the early 90s.I don't think anybody is going to write a textbook entry on Toyota's actions, however. And it's too bad: as the President's chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel said last year, a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.This event is likely… -
Tiger, We Hardly Knew Ya
26 Jan 2010 | 9:12 pmThe list of Tiger Woods' sexual conquests had barely reached the double digits when Accenture fired him as its celebrity spokesathlete because, as experts explained, it needed to go in a completely different direction. Detaching him from the company's brand would be painful and take time, but it was necessary.Have you seen Accenture's ads lately? Tiger has already been replaced by elephants, lizards, and fish in a $40-50 million annual branding spend that doesn't seem to have skipped a beat.Woods had been hired in 2003 "...because his golf game was a metaphor for 'high performance delivered'… -
There Is No Middle
23 Jan 2010 | 4:26 pmA presumption common to much of the political news coming out the U.S. these days is that voters have rejected party politics to be "independents," and that these voters represent a vast "middle" from which candidates must draw. Good luck with that.I'd argue that these voters have instead migrated to various extremes, and that the only thing they may share in common is an unredeemable distrust and impatience with government.A growing body of voters don't want our leaders to do anything; we elect them so they can oppose and undo what other politicians try to accomplish -- a proverbial Them…
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Biz Growth News
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Are you doing Great Work? In conversation with author and coach Michael Bungay Stanier
6 Feb 2010 | 2:07 amAre you doing great work? When I received an invitation to do a podcast interview with my internet friend Michael Bungay Stanier to talk about great work I was thrilled. Then he emailed me the questions he wanted to cover in the interview – well really thought starters for what he wanted to explore and my heart sank. Not they weren’t great questions. It’s just that Michael has this ability to make us think – to reflect – to self analyse. That is what makes him one of Canada’s leading coaches. Michael is on a mission to shake up peoples lives. He made me… -
Using Google Local Discount Vouchers and benefit from the iGoogle coupon gadget to boost your business results
3 Feb 2010 | 2:50 amIncreasingly we are looking for value for money in the purchases we make. I cover the subject of creating an irresistible offer in my digital marketing and social media workshops and without question, the attendees agree that they are also on the look out for great value offers. Last year Hitwise reported that in the UK, Internet searches for discount vouchers had increased by 47.5% over the last 12 months (reported in August 2009). In a recent video tutorial about using Google Local to boost your online visibility results, I mentioned how Google Local also allows you to add a discount… -
Google Local Business: How to get your business to appear at the top of the local search engine results at no cost
2 Feb 2010 | 12:31 amLast year I recorded and published a podcast about using the Google.com Local Business Centre to list your business and enhance your online visibility using this free tool. I was recently explaining it to my client – and decided to create a short video tutorial to explain the benefits and how to get started. And I thought I would also share it here. Your business can optimise your listing in Google Local for the key words you want to be found for when people are searching for services and products that you offer in your town or city. In this video I cover a case study of the Westbury… -
Life Lasting Success Workshop, Dublin, 5-7 February 2010: 20 Free Tickets To Give Away
31 Jan 2010 | 6:37 pmI receive many emails each day from entrepreneurs and PR professionals across the globe asking for me to share information about their product or service to my community here, on Facebook or through my newsletter. Most don’t consider reading my tips on how to pitch to me. I do try to respond to most emails, but many I just delete – I should probably keep a file of them as they would make a fun compendium of how not to pitch your story! One email that did catch my attention was from Gary McGeown who is organising an event in Dublin this next weekend called ‘Life Lasting… -
Coaches and Consultants – get more clients make more money: a podcast interview with Hannah McNamara
28 Jan 2010 | 3:45 pmIf you are finding the start of 2010 a little challenging and that you are not achieving the business growth with referrals and new clients that you want to achieve, today I have a content rich podcast for you with my friend and colleague Hannah McNamara (@coach_marketing) on Twitter) – you might recall I interviewed her last summer. I invited Hannah to join me for a conversation and a special edition podcast so we could discuss specific client attraction tips for coaches and consultants as I know a number of the Biz Growth Community are in that profession. You can either download the…
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make the logo bigger
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Super Bowl scraps.
8 Feb 2010 | 11:32 pmNot every part of the country saw the same ads, which is normal. Regional ad buys happen all the time, and Sunday’s game was no different. This series of :15 second CarMax.com spots from BooneOakley ran everywhere but the Northeast or Pacific NW. They feature the infamous prairie dog shock gag as part of their animal kingdom series. (2010 model also includes the optional Capuchin monkey, boxer or cockatoo sport packages.) Props to carmax for not releasing ahead of time. I would’ve rather seen these than a few of the ones I can no longer unsee now (*cough, cough* Skechers). -
I’ll get back to ya.
8 Feb 2010 | 10:17 pmAs real ya think it is. According to one blogger, this Wyoming, MN outdoor really is, even though nobody has claimed ownership. No Photoshop here under penalty of swear to God on a stack of bibles. But, since we’re asking a past POTUS hypothetical, screw Bush, I’d vote to bring Teddy Roosevelt back. See what he could do with Mr. VW Punch The West. Harness nuclear energy? HA! We’ve harnessed Jurassic Park™ technology and are currently homegrowing old school Real Man™ leadership somewhere in a secret lab.*(Via.)*Just need to hurry up and invent the super speedy DNA > grows to adult in… -
I’ll have what she’s having.
8 Feb 2010 | 10:06 pmI already do. Eggs. Six of them in an omelette every day, and I still can’t do what she does. (Yes, eggs have their own Egg Board as well as a commercial.) I watched this thing over and over at first trying to spot the cgi, but then after someone claiming to be Lucy Romberg commented there that it was all real and no cgi, I watched in awe. Eggs—it’s what’s for breakfast. -
The 3six5 Project, Super Bowl edition.
8 Feb 2010 | 11:10 amLen Kendall along with cofounder Daniel Honigman have had a project going that I’ve been pushing called The 3six5. They’ve gotten people from anywhere in social media and advertising to sign up and contribute a journal entry for a given day comprised of 365 words. Down the road all the essays will be gathered into book form at some point. Yeah, I know, you’re thinking at this point *another* book full of crowd sore wisdom, right? Well, my blog, my rules so stfu because I like Len’s overall approach to PR in social media and where this is all going. *This* being whatever advertising is… -
Super Bowl 44 leftovers anyone?
7 Feb 2010 | 10:29 pmDon’t worry, there’s enough here for a few meals. Look at the linkaganza post to see who has what ad or how crazed Twitter got. Bottom line as it usually is when it comes to the ads: I’m right—you’re right. Neither view better than the other.Skipping a review of every spot, here are the main things that jumped out at me:– Overall trend? Yea sexism! Yea end of metrosexual 1.0! It’s been yanked off the shelves apparently in a massive advertising industry recall. Budweiser Book Club now comes equipped with dick jokes. (Autotune only available with white hipsters.)– Best spot?
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ZackBrandit
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GET YOUR ZACK PLUSH FREE!!
15 Jan 2010 | 2:09 amDear Friends, ZackBrandit would like to offer you in a gesture of appreciation, A FREE FAN ZILHOUETTE PLUSH. If you live in Europe Just click on the Widget “My... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Happy Winter Holidays
23 Dec 2009 | 9:32 am[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Guess what ?? Guess what ?? Guess what ??
4 Dec 2009 | 1:42 amI have a super exciting announcement for you!! We are launching our e-commerce platform this week! I know eh? I’m so excited to start my holiday shopping on the siteJ. We added so many... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
The Word of Mouth Concept… Return to the Sources, Part 1
28 Oct 2009 | 7:14 amCenturies 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 amOnce 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! ]]
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The Marketing Minute
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Examples of social media policies
8 Feb 2010 | 5:35 amIn corporate America (and probably corporate World), rules get created when people make bad choices. It's how child labor laws came to be and why we now have sexual harassment policies. The few and the stupid are the catalyst to regulation.Which is why it's not a shock that companies big and small are beginning to institute social media policies. After the Dominos pizza incident and the world famous FedEx tweet -- who can blame business leaders from wanting to protect themselves by setting down some rules?I've put together a long list of social media policy… -
Have you built a rock solid foundation for your personal brand?
5 Feb 2010 | 3:10 amWhether you work for someone else, are a serial entrepreneur or anything in between -- in today's world, you can't afford to ignore the idea of personal branding.A generation ago, employees often stayed with one employer for the lion's share of their career. Today, most professionals will not work for several companies -- but they will most likely change their entire profession.And even in the unlikely case that you do find the employer of your dreams right off the bat -- you still want to distinguish yourself by standing out from the crowd.Enter personal branding. -
Nuggets of smart
2 Feb 2010 | 6:21 amI don't know about you, but one of my struggles is sifting through all the information out there to find the real nuggets of smart. I thought, from time to time, I might point out some of the really smart stuff out there so you don't have to go digging for it. I'd love to know if you find value in this sort of post. (Just click on the bolded text to get to each offering) New study on customer gratitude: Elaine Fogel talks about a new study done by the American Marketing Association that looks at the sales impact of generating a sense of gratitude in… -
The best Superbowl commercial of 2010
31 Jan 2010 | 7:43 pmRemember when the Superbowl was about the game? Now it's the halftime show wardrobe malfunctions and of course, the commercials. Here's one of my favorites from last year, to get you in the mood! (e-mail subscribers, click here to view) Want to get a jump on Sunday's new spots? Don't want to have to wade through 60 minutes of football just to see what Budweiser, GoDaddy and Doritos have in store for us?Head over to MSNBC's site where they are hosting an Ad Showdown. You can watch each and every spot and then in a nod to the NCAA tourney… -
Extinction is right around the corner...
27 Jan 2010 | 7:22 pmFor getting lost, desktop computers and glaciers. At least according to The Future Trends book called Future Files by Richard Watson. (buy it by clicking here) As part of the promotion of the book, the author released the chart below. It's an extinction timeline...predicting that newspaper delivery will be gone by 2012 and FM radio by 2027. I promise you...you'll find this fascinating and its content will be your conversation starter for at least a week. If you're having trouble reading the timeline, you can click on the chart to open a…
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Ries' Pieces
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Super Bowl Ads 2010
8 Feb 2010 | 12:49 pmBest ads of the game Google: Google transformed how we think about search and now Google has transformed how we think about Super Bowl ads. Without any celebrities, special effects or juvenile jokes, Google did what Google does best. It showed us in a simple clear how Google had changed the world. The ad is unlikely to win any creativity awards but unlike most ads I think it made a powerful, lasting impact in the mind on consumers. Doritos: Who needs a fancy award-winning agency when you can hold a contest and get your ads for free? Doritos showed us again that there are a lot of aspiring… -
Verizon and its Atomic Bomb
27 Jan 2010 | 11:02 amMarketing wars are fought with lots of words, but wars are won when you combine your words with a visual. We have seen several epic marketing wars: The Cola War of Coke vs. Pepsi, The Beer War of Budweiser vs. Miller, The Mouthwash War of Listerine vs. Scope and The Battery War of Duracell vs. Energizer. But they all fail in comparison to the money and firepower currently being expended in the Cellphone War between AT&T and arch-rival Verizon Wireless. -
Domino's Should Apologize
12 Jan 2010 | 10:53 amEverybody knows the rule. When you do something wrong, you say you are sorry. As a society we love to scold but we also love to forgive. And the simple act of just “saying” sorry goes a long way in righting many wrongs. But how, when and why you say you are sorry also matters. Say it too often and nobody will believe you anymore. Detroit has been begging for forgiveness for decades. Say it with advertising instead of PR and it looks phony. JetBlue… -
It's what Tiger does next that counts
8 Dec 2009 | 2:02 pmTiger Woods was a rare breed. A phenomenal athlete who delivered consistent record-shattering victories on and off the course with style, grace and integrity. In an intense game like golf, Tiger built his reputation by performing under pressure. And like his idol Jack Nicklaus, Tiger transcended from being one of the best athletes ever to being one of the best celebrity brands ever. The latest Forbes Celebrity 100 list put Tiger at number five just behind Angelina, Oprah, Madonna and Beyonce. And ahead of… -
Under Armour: Too Big for its Shirt?
4 Nov 2009 | 12:19 pmIt'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…
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The Fifth P...
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business changed in the noughties
12 Jan 2010 | 5:13 pmThis is a truly great article by Kevin Ellis over at PWC that captures poignantly the changes we saw in business in the noughties…in summary, they are; 1. The rise of the customer-centric organisation Businesses have been transformed and reassembled themselves around the individual customer. 2. Search, and the rise of the knowledge manager Search engines have delivered the sum of all human knowledge to the fingertips of anyone and everyone. 3. The Eastward migration of economic power and influence China is engaging and facing the outside world for the benefits it brings its own… -
The Most Influential Brands in 2009?
6 Jan 2010 | 5:56 pmIf you haven’t had a look at Klout, and you are intrigued by ‘influence’ and who has it (or not) online – then it could be worth having a look at their latest Lists of 2009 Klout analysze the content posted on Twitter, and analyse the trends, producing lists such as ‘The most Influential Companies in 2009′ This list is a capture of all the conversations around the related brands…and not all of it is good. As noted by the team at Klout “AT&T made the list through other means–by consistently aggravating the… -
Digital Detox
20 Dec 2009 | 2:15 amChristmas is almost upon us, and 2010 approaches! Every now and then, the family and I retreat to the country. This year, we will be heading up to our 10,000acre farm in Central Queensland to enjoy some much needed rest and recovery. The children love the space and adventure, and my wife and I enjoy the tranquility… One of the other benefits (if you see it this way) of the remoteness of our property, is that we have nil internet (we have satellite internet, but the price makes its use prohibitive for anything other than emergency). So how am I going to cope? In a way, I am looking… -
Merry Christmas
18 Dec 2009 | 5:54 pmWishing you all a very Merry and safe Christmas… Thank you to everyone for your support and friendship in 2009. Here’s to a more social and successful 2010… Posted via email from being social Bookmark It Hide Sites -
Gus the Boxer…keeping social media REAL
4 Dec 2009 | 1:40 pmAustralia’s leading brands may be (or not be) using social media well, but what about the host of (soon to be leading) Australian brands creating some real magic using social media? Take for instance Gus the Boxer (@gustheboxer) Gus has been featured on the front page of major newspapers, hangs out with celebrities, and now even has his own calendar?? For Gus, life is pretty good…hanging out at Haul in Melbourne (He has even put his creative talents to use, helping Haul create a stunning range of recycled dog collars), meeting celebrities, and doing press…
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Tom Fishburne: this one time at Brand Camp
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influencer stalking
7 Feb 2010 | 8:32 amI doubt there's a marketing plan in the world nowadays without some form of influencer marketing focus. Reaching influencers is part of every agency pitch. With mainstream media becoming less effective over time and widespread recognition that influencers play a big role in buying decisions, the influencer hunt is on. The challenge is how to do it right. How do you identify who is really an influencer? How do you reach them? And with everyone else targeting influencers, how do you break through the clutter? Many brands apply the same heavy-handed approach to… -
communication etiquette
31 Jan 2010 | 2:54 pmI was struck by a recent Joel Spolsky column in Inc. magazine on dysfunctional communication in growing companies. “What used to work with three people in a garage all talking to one another about everything just doesn’t work when your head count reaches 10 or 20 people. Everybody who doesn’t need to be in that meeting is killing productivity.” Joel goes further by describing Brook’s Law: “Adding people to a late project tends to make it run later still.” This counter-intuitive observation highlights a serious business problem: well-intended over-communication. Each… -
the career trapeze
24 Jan 2010 | 5:54 pmMy mentor Jim Lawrence inspired this cartoon with an insight he shared recently that a career is more like riding a trapeze than climbing a ladder. Most careers are not rung-by-rung linear paths. Instead, they involve a series of flying leaps, not knowing whether those leaps will take you up, down, or sideways. Or if you'll miss the trapeze altogether. Or if there's even a net. It takes courage to take each leap. And patience when you're not headed the direction you'd like. When I started at General Mills after business school, there was too much focus on the… -
the six types of ideas
18 Jan 2010 | 6:00 pmMissy Carvin emailed me this week asking if I had any cartoons about Zombie ideas, "those terrible ideas that exist within an organization that never, ever die, just resurface every few years". It struck me that there are different types of ideas in organizations. Most time is spent chasing the elusive "Eureka" moment, where the clouds part and an idea appears fully formed. Ideations are staged to encourage this type of idea. Yet, not only are these "Eureka" moments few and far between, they don't appear in an orderly fashion, just because 90 minutes… -
the critical path
10 Jan 2010 | 8:53 pmI'm gearing up to talk at SXSW in Austin in March. My topic is titled "Drawing Board: Innovation Lessons from Cartooning" and it's loosely based on a few talks I gave last year about cartooning as a metaphor for innovation. Both activities involve coming up with ideas and bringing them to life.As I prepare for the talk, I've been thinking a lot about why so many new products are mediocre and uninspiring. I don't think they result from a shortage of ideas. Instead, I think that the blame falls on the innovation process itself. Far…
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Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel
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Personal Brands: Be Ready to Answer This
9 Feb 2010 | 4:30 amIn Sunday’s New York Times, the least likely person in American business is interviewed in the Corner Office column. She’s Susan Docherty, who “leads” General Motor’s US sales, service and marketing team. In case you don’t get the joke, GM is one of the more famous bankrupt companies in the US, based on its resistance to building cars that Americans want to drive. If it weren’t for their pesky rebuke of its target market, GM’s sales, service and marketing team would be doing just fine. You might expect Ms. Docherty to be keeping a low profile, since GM has reported record… -
3 Reasons Why Personal Branding is Essential For Networking
8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amWhen I was in college, I was always told that it’s all about who you know. I heard this common saying from teachers, my parents, older friends and managers at my internships. It was very hard to disagree with this phrase because I had spent months interviewing to get a job upon graduation because I wasn’t comfortable networking. There were many opportunities for me to attend events, meet alumni and connect with friends, but I felt introverted and didn’t have the confidence back then to take the “networking leap.” By disregarding networking from my job search, I… -
Personal Branding Interview: J.D. Roth
7 Feb 2010 | 12:02 pmToday, I spoke to J.D. Roth, who is one of the blogospheres most beloved personal finance experts (Get Rich Slowly) and the author of Your Money: The Missing Manual. In this interview, J.D. talks about his new book, how he got the idea of it, how he’s differentiated himself in his niche, how his blog led to his book deal and more. How did you get the idea for writing “Your Money”? It wasn’t actually my idea. I started Get Rich Slowly in 2006, and by the end of 2007, I was being approached by agents and publishers. I explored the book idea a little bit, but never… -
Two Breakthrough Ideas That Changed My Life
7 Feb 2010 | 4:30 amKeeping up with information these days is like sipping through the proverbial fire hydrant. You don’t need to check your Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, etc…..you already know what’s building up on the other side. An avalanche of knowledge That’s right, when the circle stops spinning or the screen is fully loaded – BAM – the constant avalanche of knowledge, hypothesis, and musings from real experts, pseudo-experts, and everyone in between begins again. Even junkies like me who actually thrive on the continuous info-stream can get a bit numb to the never-ending pitches, articles,… -
Personal Branding Interview: Susan Whitcomb
6 Feb 2010 | 6:03 pmToday, I spoke to Susan Whitcomb, who is the founder and president of The Academies and author of the new book, The Twitter Job Search Guide. In this interview, Susan explains what her own branding model is as a career coach, what you should and shouldn’t include on a resume, and brand consistency for job seekers. If someone is unclear about their own brand, what are a few things he or she can do to establish it? Start by getting clear on these three “A’s”: Authentic Image: This is “the genuine you”—not costumed to play the part of someone else, but cast in the right…
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The Personal Branding Blog: William Arruda and the Reach-Certified Personal Branding Strategists
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Wherever. Whatever.
8 Feb 2010 | 7:30 amFor years, it’s been said that the only constant is change, an idea that goes way back to Greek philosopher Heraclitus. And while it may be true that change is always with us, there is a truer idea that has even more relevance to our lives and careers: “No matter where you go, there you are.” The title of a mediation book by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and variously used and attributed as a quote, this idea came to mind, today, as I watched this great video, by William Arruda at personalbranding.TV. Why Personal Branding? from William Arruda on Vimeo. Sure, the opening seconds… -
Start Being Visible and Valuable in One Minute
6 Feb 2010 | 9:25 amTime is a scarcity. We’re moving, receiving, listening, answering and engaging at speeds faster than ever before. Have you ever watched a video longer than one minute and become impatient? Proof positive that we must accelerate to even participate!The Value of One MinuteTo realizeThe value of one minute:Ask a personWho has missed the train, bus or plane.In less than one minute, we make a lasting first impression. The AICI (Association of Image Consultants International) publishes that it happens in the first 7 to 15 seconds. We make judgments on… -
Strong Brands Are So Resilient
28 Jan 2010 | 9:41 amWhen I was enrolled in numerous Reach certification training courses, Kirsten Dixon and William Arruda always would emphasize how strong brands would be able to charge more for their products and services and also survive economic downturns. During the past 18 months, as the economy has tanked, I have repeatedly watched Apple Computer not only thrive but soar in revenues and profits. This week, The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled “Demand for Macs, iPhones Fuels Apple: Quarterly Profit and Revenue Surge: Steve Jobs Touts Upcoming Device a Major New Product.”How is that… -
Credibility and Profitability Start with Visibility
23 Jan 2010 | 6:26 amClassy. Conan O’Brien’s final evening with NBC he spoke directly to the audience sharing with them that on this last night he could speak in whatever manner he wanted to about the network with no ramifications. After the last show, he was then in a legal agreement to not say any disparaging remarks about the network. He literally had a “get out of jail free” card to say whatever nasty, anger felt, ugly remark he wanted to say about the network and this huge debacle they created.Instead, he shared how he had spent most of his adult working life with the network. From… -
Business Manners and Etiquette for Job Search and Business Relations
19 Jan 2010 | 5:07 pmLanding a job offer against highly competitive odds has gotten much tougher. So has attracting and keeping customers for businesses both large and small. You may mistakenly think it is all about having the best qualifications for the job or the best business product/service. If the world operated by completely objective standards, that might be sufficient.But there is more to the equation because the world is inhabited by seemingly fickle human beings, who often make hiring and who-to-do-business-with decisions based on subjective input, including social and business manners. Sloppy or…
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Chris Garrett on New Media
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How to Sell More From Your Blog (Blog Critique: Steven Aitchison)
15 Jan 2010 | 3:54 amSteven Aitchison has a strong blog. Most people would regard his site as a success (in fact he claims it as the “biggest personal development blog in the UK) .. It looks good (using a slightly customized Thesis install) Steven is a good writer therefore the articles are excellent (in fact freelance writing is one of the services Steven offers) He has a large blog and email audience, with nearly 7k RSS subscribers alone (dwarfing some blogging and internet marketing blogs) Traffic is very healthy, and growing (again, dwarfing some blogs that provide traffic advice) Comments are plentiful… -
Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work for You and How to Fix it
11 Jan 2010 | 10:42 amI was reminded on Twitter by a quote how life coaches and gurus often talk about how sports people visualize victory. They say if you use positive visualization, then your outcome will improve. Then there are the people who tell you that if you use the “Law of Attraction”, that is if you ask the universe for something, and you believe, then what you ask for will come to you. The problem is, for most people, experience does not match what they are taught. And that sucks. In the headline I make a promise that you can make positive thinking work. How? Let’s look at this… -
Defeating Procrastination: Become a Finisher
6 Jan 2010 | 3:58 amAnalysis paralysis is just one of my procrastination challenges. A couple of other things have caused me to have to make an effort with my productivity. See if they are familiar to you and your own productivity issues: I have a compulsion to fix things I never think I have done enough Do you have the same problems? The mission here is to go from someone who is never happy with their work, never quite complete, to being someone who finishes and moves on. I have managed it (with a great deal of effort on occasion), and so can you. My big ah-ha moment came when I realized what I was seeing when… -
Go Beyond Blogging in 2010
31 Dec 2009 | 5:16 amYou might have already seen some of my fellow bloggers talking about this product. So much that I actually avoided posting about it because I felt with my Authority Blogger launch you might have gotten sick of hearing me toot my horn, until Michelle gave me an email bottom-kicking … So here I am telling you about it. beyond-blogging is an ebook by two friends from the blogosphere, Mike and Nathan. Both very cool guys, and judging from the names they managed to get to agree to interviews, very persuasive. What they have done is grilled a whole bunch of successful bloggers to find out why… -
Win SEO Audits and Advice from DynamoAsh
4 Dec 2009 | 1:55 amWin Free SEO Consulting If you want lots of free traffic then you are going to need to get your Search Engine Optimization sorted. Most of us are not SEO gurus so we try our best and see what happens. That can never compare with the advice of a true “battle hardened” SEO veteran. Good news everyone! DynamoAsh is offering chrisg.com readers a great set of SEO consulting prizes One grand prize winner will get a full Advanced SEO Audit where Ash will analyze your site and then give you all the advice you need to get your Google on! Two randomly selected blog commenters or Twitter…
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Igor
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“Boogie Board” and “Improv” debut, both named by Igor
26 Jan 2010 | 2:38 pmWe named a new consumer product company “Improv Electronics”. We also named Improv’s first product, “Boogie Board“, which went on sale last week. Via Gizmodo: If you thought a boogie board was a salt-water vessel that lets you skim the waves, think again. Improv Electronics’ Boogie Board is a pressure-sensitive tablet that uses a watch battery for power. It’s like a digital blackboard! The Reflex LCD doesn’t need any power to keep the scribbles and drawings on the screen, with the watch battery only being put into use when the screen is erased. -
The Igor-named “Aria” resort and casino opens its doors
15 Dec 2009 | 11:17 amIgor’s latest naming work, The MGM / Dubai World hotel and casino “Aria”, has its grand opening in Las Vegas today. This marks the fifth hotel thus far in Igor’s naming portfolio. MGM Aria, Las Vegas Via The Las Vegas Sun: The centerpiece of CityCenter — the Aria Resort & Casino — will open Wednesday, marking a day of grand opening celebrations for the $8.5 billion project… …The 4,004-room resort and casino will feature more than 150,000 square feet of gaming space, a 215,000-square-foot pool area with 50 cabanas and an 80,000-square-foot spa, the… -
Richard Branson launches the Igor-named “gogo” in-flight WiFi service
9 Nov 2009 | 11:49 amIgor named the new in-flight wifi service gogo (case study here). Below, Richard Branson officially launches gogo service aboard Virgin America. -
The Color of Money is…Changeable
9 Sep 2009 | 11:51 amOne 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… -
Free company and product naming
1 Aug 2009 | 1:21 pmAre your company or product name brainstorming attempts long on storm and short on brains? Igor has over 18,000 brains in stock, ready to help you name whatever needs naming — most have very low mileage, are hardly ever driven during the week, and are used only sparingly on weekends to scan refrigerator contents and such. Our collection of brains can be picked through at the Wordlab Wordboard, our free naming and branding brainstorming forum. Jump in and pick the brains! Tips for picking a brain: 1. Do not pick if the skin is too green–it’s not ripe yet. 2. The brain should…
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Hard Knox Life - Dave Knox Brand Management blog
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Super Bowl Ad shows Google’s move from Tech to Consumer Marketer
7 Feb 2010 | 6:43 pmBack in 2006, Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt infamously said that brand advertising was “The last bastion of unaccountable spending in corporate America.” Yet during the 2010 Super Bowl, Google did what many would have called unthinkable just a few years ago… they ran a piece of brand advertising on the largest advertising stage in the world. Supporting their Search Stories campaign, Google ran their “Parisian Love” television ad during the 3rd Quarter of the Saints / Colts Super Bowl. Of course Internet companies have a long history of running ads during the… -
Is it wrong to “aim out of the ball park?”
1 Feb 2010 | 4:16 amThe other day, Miles Nadal, Chairman and CEO of MDC Partners, shared this quote from David Ogilvy, which I promptly retweeted: “Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals.” The quote really resonated with me because it is the type of gusto we don’t see all that often in business any more, especially in the world of Consumer Packaged Goods. After all, when your sales are measured in $ Billions, Wall Street is going to reward you for consistency. But with that said, I was still surprised by some of the responses that I received when I sent… -
“Hack vs Flack”…a social media point / counterpoint
28 Jan 2010 | 10:36 amIt has been awhile since I posted a presentation up on Hard Knox Life. Luckily my friend Kevin Dugan is helping me put an end to that drought with this great presentation on the state of media relations in regards to the impact of social media. Provocatively called “Hack vs Flack“, I wish I had a chance to see him present this in person. Hack vs. Flack…a social media point/counterpoint -
How a Brand Manager can make a big difference
25 Jan 2010 | 4:19 amRight before the holidays, a colleague gave me a copy of Paul Arden’s “It’s Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be.” Even though the book is a quick read, it is packed with thought-provoking points. In particular, I was inspired by three essays that talked about how a Senior Agency Manager, Junior Ad Account Handler and Media Buyer “can make a big difference” in the world of agency work (pages 98 – 101 in the book). In fact, I thought the points were so powerful that I wanted to do my own riff on: How a Brand Manager can make a big… -
Don’t make the mistake of giving up the Voice of the Brand
21 Jan 2010 | 6:06 amIn the halls of Brand Management, Tom Fishburne is easily more popular than Dilbert. After all, he’s one of us. So it is no surprise that Tom perfectly captured one of today’s most debated brand management questions: “Who should represent a brand in Social Media?” It is the same question that was posed on the American Express OPEN Forum, when Ann Handley wrote an article entitled “The Right Voice for Your Brand Online is…?“ In the post, Ann suggested the right “person” could be: The CEO (or other high-level executive). The marketing…
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Girvin Strategic Branding Design Blog
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The idea of attention
8 Feb 2010 | 4:05 amExploring the concept of storytelling, and the nature of attentive reception: brand, life and design. If you’re telling a story, brand related or otherwise, who’s paying attention? Returning from a design summit, in Florida, there was a series of conversations about passion, commitment, brand drive. And the work of design. Connecting with the students, that idea drilled in — what passion will, shall, must drive them, in relation to the work? In telling a story to someone, any kind of person, any kind of company, it’s about attention. What are you paying attention to? -
Principled brands that die: Phi
5 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pmAttitude, growth, solutions, strategy, design, charisma, trend leadership and responsiveness. Brands that live and brands that die. There’s a curious challenge in the realm of celebrity brand development. Some evolve happily, growing, selling up, selling out and moving onwards into their own reach of market place. Working with the founding team of Urban Decay, Wende Zomnir and Sandy Lerner (the cofounder of Cisco Systems). The visionary character there is about creating something — a certain shade of color, for example — that before that time hadn’t… -
The Signature of a Brand | Human Handwriting and Character
3 Feb 2010 | 3:49 amExamining the idea of brand, signature and personality I was thinking about the idea of hand-writing and the character of the person. By a typical extrapolation, I’d liken the brand to the human — in the warmed sense that brand is more than merely the skin of enterprise, but rather a more soulful, even psychic propositioning. And, as that skin might relate to the brand’s superficial distinctions of marketing and communications gear, so too might the signature be emblematic of the person. In reading a recent piece in the New York Times, I reflected on the nature of the… -
Modernist Type Design | Signing, Messaging and Way Finding
2 Feb 2010 | 10:22 amThe right type — communicating simple, elegant pathways in environmental graphic design. I was standing in the subway, NY Transit Authority (MTA) — the proverbial NYC subway system and thinking about the complexity of the way-finding system there. Frankly, it doesn’t always work. More than once (probably more than a dozen times, actually) I’ve headed down one corridor, and ended uptown express when really I was looking for a downtown local. Who hasn’t? But the real consideration relates to the complex science of moving people around. Way-finding. The idea to the… -
The sense of the book: iPad / eBook interface
1 Feb 2010 | 4:07 amThe sentience of reading experience: Kindle vs. iPad, an exploration of dimensionality. This from GadgetLab: “But some die-hard e-reader fans like Len Edgerly, who hosts the weekly Kindle Chronicles podcast, say pretty e-books aren’t as big a draw as some would think. “When I am reading, I don’t want to be too distracted,” he says. “It’s about the words, and when I read the Kindle, it seems to bring me closer to the author’s words. That’s essence of reading to me.” I’d challenge that proposition. The curious positioning represents a kind of sensible split —…
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Whiplash Design's Identity & Branding Blog
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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
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Social Media Offers Revenue Insights
27 Jan 2010 | 10:02 amNew technology is providing a wide range of ways for people to make money. Social media is offering a special challenge, though, since it can be difficult to measure revenues and return on investment. This is precisely why three of the major social media companies, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, are offering new tools and features that focus on revenue implications. The idea is that you can measure — sort of — the financial benefit of some social media networks. And these three social media sites are chomping at the bit to prove themselves worth an investment, since they are… -
Sony Commercial: Watching Sports
29 Nov 2009 | 8:42 amWhen my husband and I go shopping for anything — especially expensive items — we like to do our homework. We are looking for more than the lowest price; we are also looking for good quality. So when we decided to buy an HD LCD TV, we looked around, read reviews, and went to my husband’s buying Bible, Consumer Reports. And, ultimately, we settled on a Sony Bravia. (Disclosure: Neither Sony, nor Consumer Reports pays me to say any of this.)It’s been good to us. We’ve had it for three years now, and not had any problems. Friends of ours who went for a cheaper model… -
Cyber Monday Deals via Text
25 Nov 2009 | 7:32 amAs consumer spending rises, and as people feel better about the stability being shown in the jobs market, this holiday shopping season is shaping up to be fairly solid. And online retailers are hoping to get in on the action come the Monday after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday is the biggest online shopping day of the year, and now you can stay fully alerted to hourly and daily deals with a little help from your cell phone. SoundBite sent me a press release about this service (which I do not intend to use): Americans send 50,000 text messages per second. Ninety-five percent of those messages are… -
Book Review: Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps
27 Oct 2009 | 6:26 pmSmall 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
27 Oct 2009 | 1:41 pmHas 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…
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Name Wire: The Product Naming Blog
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Heinz Dips and Squeezes its Naming and Branding On User Friendly Packets
8 Feb 2010 | 7:02 amKetchup packets have announced their first revamp in 42 years with the new Heinz "Dip and Squeeze." They are engineered to allow users to either squeeze out three times more ketchup on their fries, or else dip them. One blog points out that when Heinz put out the first ketchup packet in 1968, the "hate began immediately," with people kvetching that "You need like seven of them just to get something done" and "They're a pain to open. They're hard to open and they squirt everywhere." This is a huge day for anyone who has struggled with these things at least one of our staff admits to biting… -
Wine Naming and Branding For the Down and Out
5 Feb 2010 | 6:40 amIf you haven't noticed, wine naming has gone downmarket in a big way. And I mean a big way. The recession has affected winemakers as well as everyone else and there is a rush on to rename and repackage wine for the thrifty consumer. Which has led to some interesting (read funny) crossover into the brown bag booze branding brigade. The New York Times has identified the lowest of the low and it's (drum roll, please) reviews it thus: "Seriously, if given the choice between living under a bridge and having Irish Rosie to look forward to every night or simply hanging myself, I'd choose suicide… -
Is Comcast's Xfinity Brand Name Xcellent or Xcrement?
4 Feb 2010 | 12:51 pmSince the news of Comcast's name change to Xfinity broke, Twitter's been all a 'tweet' with opinions on the new name. Unfortunately for Comcast, many of these virtual birds weren't singing a happy song about the naming switch. In order to quantify those negative Xfinity tweets, we quickly surveyed a 511 U.S. consumers, at 95% confidence. In plain English this means the data are projectable nationally. Although 30% of respondents did associate the Xfinity name with an Internet/Cable Service, significantly more consumers, 38%, thought the name was better suited for a Gaming Console. Moreover,… -
Comcast's New Brand Naming Goes to Xfinity and Beyond With Irritated Bloggers
4 Feb 2010 | 7:20 amI am always interested in the emotions that are often unleashed when a high profile company changes its name. Comcast's decision to change its name to notes that "it's a bit of a risk to surrender a very well-known brand in the hopes of sounding like a new, cutting-edge player in the game." In other words, there's an immediate authenticity issue here. Second, it's the Xfinity the name itself. Today the "Xfinity and beyond" jokes are Xfinity name "strange" and "harsh." Gizmodo really rolls up its sleeves and -
Satanic Naming, Gipper Haunt Contra Costa Mt. Diablo
3 Feb 2010 | 7:41 amWhat happens when your local mountain has a Satanic name? Some Contra Costa residents in California are trying to change the name of Mt. Diablo because it is "profane and derogatory." The effort is spearheaded by Oakley resident Arthur Mijares, who has suggested the mountain be renamed "Mt. Reagan" after former President Ronald Reagan. Now, I have to wonder, is having a mountain renamed after you a good or bad thing? Would the Reagans see this as kind of a backhanded compliment? As in, the first person this guy thought of when he wanted to give a better name to "Devil Mountain" was The…
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The Engaging Brand
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Show 283 - Social Media and Customer Retention
8 Feb 2010 | 6:49 amShow 283 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is 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 brought by our sponsor: GotoMeeting Hold your meetings online for just $49/mo. Try GoToMeeting FREE for 30 days. On today's podcast we talk to the brilliant Joseph Jaffe. He was written a fabulous new book called Flip the Funnel and we talk about Motivation behind flip the channel How retaining the customer should be at the core of your business strategy The need to fuse… -
4 Steps to Recovery
5 Feb 2010 | 12:28 pmFollowers in twitter or facebook will know that I broke my foot this week - and I have to say I am not the best patient there has ever been! I was thinking that businesses could learn a lot from my experience.When your strategy is "broken" or your business needs "mending" then try a C.A.S.TC = Create a culture which diagnoses the problem quickly. Realizing the problem too late just makes the recovery so much harder...create warning systems to diagnose quickly - trend reporting, constant conversation, constant challenge, listening for pressure pointsA = Articulate simply the recovery process. -
3 Ways to Tap into People's Emotions
3 Feb 2010 | 3:46 amThe social in the phrase social media gives you a clue on what people are looking for....When people get their social media strategy right, they tap into the emotional element of people's lives.But how can you tap into that emotional element? I think there are 3 key ways with social mediaTap into memories. Memories can be long term or short term. There is a huge difference in selling say 'Basic finanical training' and 'Ever looked at a set of numbers and thought I have no idea what they mean?'. Your product is the solution to a fear or an experience which that existing or potential customer… -
Your brand is social whether you like it or not!
1 Feb 2010 | 1:40 pmThe web has many conversations about brands each day. I often have conversations with people who say "I fear social media, I fear the negative aspect for the brand"What I think is important, is that brands realize that the web is social by nature......and if you don't give your customers something to share, or if you don't give them something to talk positively about.......then your brand still remains talked about, but with you on the outside of the conversation. Your inactivity does not stop the social web, it may even increase the negative aspects of the social web...because people feel… -
Show 282 - How to manage your energy through thoughts
29 Jan 2010 | 12:58 pmShow 281 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is 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 brought by our sponsor: GotoMeeting Hold your meetings online for just $49/mo. Try GoToMeeting FREE for 30 days. On today's podcast we talk to Janet Richmond about how to manage your thoughts, we discuss What is energy of thought? Are thoughts contagious? How you can manage your thought process Are negative thoughts more powerful than positive thoughts? How to neutralize…
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Liquid Agency Brand Exchange
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The Plastiki Expedition: An amazing adventure for a great cause.
5 Feb 2010 | 6:37 amDuring a meeting with HP we learned that they were involved with The Plastiki Expedition – and we hoped very much that we’d have an opportunity to work on the initiative. After all, this is about a nautical adventure and our name is Liquid! Lucky for us, a few weeks later we got the call, and we’ve not been able to get it off our minds since. In fact, I have been personally more excited about this project than anything else I’ve done in the last 20 years….and I’m not alone – our staff thinks this is a super cool project. It is really nice to have the whole studio inspired and… -
Liquid Agency is profiled in the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
14 Dec 2009 | 4:50 pmThe Silicon Valley Business Journal is San Jose’s leading source of comprehensive business news and in-depth analysis….and we are very happy that this week they decided to feature Liquid Agency in the Small Business profile section. The article mentions a bit of our history and some of the work we’ve been doing for HP. In fact, the campaign we’ve been designing should launch next week in the highly anticipated “Person of the Year” issue – and will also appear on the online version in the form of a highly interactive digital campaign. Here’s an excerpt from the article:… -
Great design from our friends at WSDIA in NY.
27 Nov 2009 | 3:06 pmWSDIA: A very talented group of people that take design seriously. On a recent trip to New York I was introduced to a small, but very talented firm: WSDIA.According to their website: “Our name WeShouldDoItAll (WSDIA) is simply a goal. Designers and all other professionals alike should not feel constrained to some singular expertise. To survive our own creative game, it is imperative to know that there is not one absolute solution to a given problem. To immerse oneself within different avenues of creative production and mediums forces you to consider the otherwise unconsidered. -
What do you think about the new AOL brand?
23 Nov 2009 | 9:09 amAOL turns into Aol. The company that used to be called AOL, and was recently spun off from Time Warner, is shrinking in size in order to survive…and now its name and logo are shrinking as well. Perhaps as a reflection of its intention to cut about 2,500 jobs, AOL has changed the UC treatment of the acronym to one that includes an upper case “A” and lower case “ol”. And, in an attempt to communicate that the company is in the internet space, it is adding a “.” after its moniker. “AOL” is now “Aol.” Brand identities need to be… -
The Design Thinking Lecture Series
13 Nov 2009 | 9:02 amTalking and Thinking about Design Thinking. On Wednesday night I attended an event at the Thomson Reuters center in NY featuring Roger Martin, the dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto; Tim Brown, the CEO of IDEO; and Will Setliff, VP of Strategy, Insights and Innovation at Target. The three panelists were joined by Bruce Nussbaum, from BusinessWeek – who helped moderate the conversation, often making it more interesting through humor and memorable anecdotes. The conversation centered around the topic of “Design Thinking” - which is also the subject of a…
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Greteman Group Blog
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Marc’s Pick for Final Friday – January 2010
26 Jan 2010 | 2:45 pmTo cap off a dreary January, perk yourself up with some cheerful hues this Final Friday. Mary Werner and Brenda Jones at Steckline Gallery Mary Werner joined Newman University in 2003 as Director of Visual Arts, where she has been building a vital program by employing her wisdom, charm and dedication to her work. Her colorful paintings combine animated dresses, floral and plant patterns and journal entries. For this show, Mary is joined by fabric artist Brenda Jones, who often sews dresses and aprons from maps and other found materials. Shown together, their works will transport you to a… -
How Best to Help Haiti?
22 Jan 2010 | 8:11 amTragedy in Haiti Sparks Memories, and Raises the Question – How Best to Help? Vivid pictures keep flashing through my head. Images of the riotous ruin that was Port au Prince, Haiti, in what were relatively good times during my visit there 10 years ago. Mental portraits of the many good people I met, hoping they are OK. Knowing that some, perhaps many, are not. My thoughts return most often to the neighborhood where my new friend and interpreter Richard grew up, and where his family still lived. The best buildings there would be targets for a bulldozer here – the rest were leaking hulks… -
Doing the Deed On Air
12 Jan 2010 | 11:48 amThis morning, I had the opportunity to go on KNSS NewsRadio to talk with Steve McIntosh about Do the Deed. For four whole minutes, the Wichita airwaves filled with talk of acts of kindness. If you missed the interview, no worries. We’ve got it below. Have a listen and then head over to the site. While you’re there, be sure to log a deed suggestion or vote on your favorites. Also, we’re launching the next phase of the campaign in the coming weeks. Our new ads and the website will start to feature the most popular deed ideas, as voted on by the community. So, once you submit a deed, be… -
Successful Opening Night
11 Jan 2010 | 1:37 pmThe Brad Paisley concert served as a successful inaugural event for the Intrust Bank Arena. My husband and I attended the inaugural event at Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena on Saturday evening – the Brad Paisley concert. For those of you who don’t live in Wichita, there was great debate several years ago about building the arena given its downtown location and potential parking issues. I’d venture to say that any former naysayers who attended the concert have changed their minds. Parking was a breeze. No lines when we walked up to the door 30 minutes before the show. Food and beverage… -
A Powerful Present
23 Dec 2009 | 11:01 amThis year, my colleagues gave me the best gift ever. Instead of buying me a present, GGers took our Do The Deed campaign as inspiration and pledged to do small acts of kindness on my behalf. Each team member wrote down his or her commitment and bound them together, creating a book of deeds for 2010. The ideas range from little daily things (smiling more, communicating better, ordering the six-inch sub sandwich rather than the foot-long) to larger, life-changing commitments (quitting smoking, eating less meat, exercising regularly). Others are donating funds and efforts to causes that hold a…
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Watch ALL the Superbowl Ads In One Place!
8 Feb 2010 | 6:36 amAdvertising Age has assembled ALL of yesterday's Super Bowl XLIV ads in one resource on their website for your viewing pleasure. I didn't realize there were so many of them. ENJOY! -
Their Mad, They've said So & They love You!
3 Feb 2010 | 7:28 amCustomer complaints! We've all been there - we're in a restaurant or store and we have a complaint about something. What do you do about it? A good many people just suck it up and leave. Others say something. Which customer do you prefer? Does your business make customers jump through several hoops to voice a complaint. Do they have to fill out a long form? Do you make them call a 1-800 number or -
How To Keep A Secret & Increase Sales!
31 Jan 2010 | 9:46 amA key strategy in branding is differentiation. All businesses think they are different from the other fellow, but the fact is; most businesses follow - they do not lead. If you're comfortable in this slot, then chances are your business is lost in a sea of sameness. You are only one of many and chances are good that you are competing solely on price. It takes a confident leader to step out from -
Guest Posting Reel's 'em In.
25 Jan 2010 | 4:40 pmI've probably said it a thousand times that blogging is a great way to build your "Personal Brand". Expressing your opinion to a vast audience and providing information that they can use right now is priceless. For me, it's a great way to market my expertise.One key aspect of blogging is to build your audience. It is not enough to just build it, you have to work at getting them to come. One very -
How Rude! (GUEST POST)
18 Jan 2010 | 12:16 pmFor most of us obligated to attend business meetings and/or workshops, these events can be looked on as somewhat unproductive, lengthy, wordy and generally boring, but in this age of technology we are now able to add another negative aspect to these meetings/workshops… the rudeness of ‘Texting.’How many times have you sat with people whose heads are down, thumbs going a mile a minute, mobile
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Guy Richards / 6-Days Brand, 1-Day Ministry
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Two outcomes, one choice
8 Feb 2010 | 4:50 pmA wise man (or women) listens to the counsel of his friends and adjusts accordingly. A foolish man (or women) despises change and wrinkles up. -
I got this! (Sunday Insight #17)
7 Feb 2010 | 2:40 amI was working on my quad (that hasn’t run in about a year) at my friend’s house. I knew it was a carburetor problem, so I felt very confident that it was going to be an easy job. My friend Franky thought other wise. I began to aggressively joke with him how easy it was going to be. We cleaned the carburetor, put it back together… and it didn’t start. Yes, my friend gave it to me. I then asked God to forgive me of my pride and asked Him to show me how to fix it. By 1:30 am I was riding it home in about a foot of snow. God is serious about pride. "When pride comes, then… -
The small guy
6 Feb 2010 | 10:51 amThe car and the ATV love to compete for their driver’s heart. The car has luxury seats, heat, air-condition and a great sound system that the ATV can’t compare with. In almost every situation the car wins… handling, storage, comfort, speed and fuel capacity. But there is one situation where the ATV thrives. And that is in snowstorms. The ATV is light, nimble and has the traction to navigate the deep snow. The car can’t do much in snowstorms but wait for help from the local plow and an ice scraper. Small businesses are similar to ATVs. Our economy is now in the middle of a snowstorm. -
This is interesting / Positioning Statements
5 Feb 2010 | 9:47 amDo you know the best way to come up with a positioning statement? Get groups of average people in a room and observe how they communicate with each other about a specific product, service or brand. Once you find common themes that describe value in down-to-earth terms, you can boil the information into a short statement. That's how The Richards Group came up with The Salvation Army’s new “DOING THE MOST GOOD” campaign that helped them increase their budget in a down economy and how H&R Block became a hit a few years back with the “I got people” campaign. -
Conquering Passion
4 Feb 2010 | 2:04 pmI heard an insightful statement from Lloyd Pulley that I would love to share. “You can only conquer a passion with a greater passion.”It can be a negative passion for a positive passion. Or, a positive for a negative.I working towards conquering my negatives for the positives.
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Orange Element Insights
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Orange Element welcomes MAP!
4 Feb 2010 | 11:26 amOrange Element is very proud to announce the start of a new brand identity for our friends and colleagues at Maryland Art Place (MAP). Established in 1981, MAP is a not-for-profit center for contemporary art that energizes encounters between artists and the public through networking, educational leadership and outreach. MAP averages eight amazing exhibitions annually in their downtown Baltimore gallery space, organizes traveling exhibitions, maintains a regional visual artists’ registry and offers a spectrum of educational and performance opportunities to thousands of participants… -
Lemonade
3 Feb 2010 | 10:09 pmUPDATE: DUE TO THE WEATHER, THE SCREENING OF LEMONADE WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR SOME TIME IN MARCH. WE WILL UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Orange Element is very pleased to be a sponsor for a screening of the film, Lemonade, brought to Baltimore and presented by Second Shore, the new public programming series created by Slant Six and the Contemporary Museum. Also, thank you to our co-sponsors, Novak Birch and Vitamin, for their assistance in making this event possible. Orange Element is sponsoring this film to support the idea that everyone should find a way to live a fulfilling life, take chances… -
“Start Fresh” today, tomorrow, everyday!
21 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pmWell… we’re just about a month into the new year and we want to ask ”how have you started off your year?” This year at Orange Element we have kicked off 2010 with the theme of starting fresh. A fresh year, a fresh decade, a fresh attitude towards a year full of fresh new creative ideas! That “01″ date on the calendar offers a refreshing starting point — but a motived attitude is something that can be adopted any day of the year! Taking a first step in a fresh direction may give you the feeling of conquer all power in the start, but it’s the… -
Happy Holidays and a Fresh New Year!
23 Dec 2009 | 10:24 amFrom everyone at Orange Element to you: -
Objectified
17 Dec 2009 | 6:46 amIf you are in Baltimore tonight, be sure to attend Shag’s screening of Gary Hustwit’s Objectified. Gary, the director of Helvetica, covers the world of industrial design in this feature-length documentary. ande www.orange-element.com
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Brandweek - News and Features
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Dove Super Bowl Spot Scores Initial Points With Men
9 Feb 2010 | 5:31 amIndustry experts say Unilever's effort to extend the beauty brand to male consumers was the right move. -
Doritos Wins Super Bowl Web Buzz Battle
8 Feb 2010 | 9:42 amFrom tweets to texts, consumers weighed in on which ads were the best. -
Display Ads Aim for a Banner Year
8 Feb 2010 | 9:37 amCan new developments in real-time bidding give search a run for its money? -
New Hormel Campaign Beefs Up Portfolio Strength
8 Feb 2010 | 6:01 amThe effort, tagged 'Life Better Served,' introduces consumers to a variety of meal options. -
Unilever Keeps Mindshare
8 Feb 2010 | 1:37 amThe packaged goods giant will continue using the agency for media planning, buying.
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The BrandBuilder Blog
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Back by popular demand: Is Your Social Media Director Qualified?
8 Feb 2010 | 7:57 pmYou guys asked for me to re-post this piece, and your wish is my command. Share this with hiring managers, your CMO, and everyone looking into considering either creating or filling a position requiring Social Media management skills: Tip #1: Social Media Directors should know how to do their jobs without having to ask for help every five minutes: So I look down and the (twitter) DM reads: “Hey, can you help me out? Not sure how to do this. How do I use Twitter to gain traction for my company? Thanks!” I stare at it for a while and decide to blow it off for now, not because I have… -
My Ode to Nutella – Part 2
4 Feb 2010 | 10:21 pmIf you missed Part 1, click here. In honor of World Nutella Day (today is #NutellaDay) and by special request, here is some completely unauthorized Nutella-inspired nonsense. For extra credit, see if you can figure out what brands those ads were originally for. And last but not least… Have a great World Nutella Day, everyone. Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: nutella -
Where Do Brands Go To Die? Part 2: The Diagnosis
27 Jan 2010 | 4:01 amIn Part 1 of this series, we looked at what it takes for business managers and CMOs to come to accept that their brand is in trouble. We also discussed why it is often difficult for them to admit that they need help, and how to get over that fear-driven reflex. Today, we are going to look at the next step in fixing a broken or distressed brand: Diagnosing the problem – which usually involves hiring a specialized firm, agency or individual with the skills, insight and experience to help you navigate through this crucial step. (If you screw this one up, everything that comes later is… -
Where Do Brands Go To Die? Part 1: Accepting Reality
25 Jan 2010 | 4:26 pmFrom Brand Building to Brand Rescue: What to do when things go very wrong. Back in late 2008, Valeria Maltoni posed a great question on Conversation Agent: What happens when brands die? It was a fascinating question, and one that frankly doesn’t get enough coverage. Even now, in the middle of a global recession that may have already cost us several: Saturn, Circuit City, and perhaps even Saab, for starters. As companies continue to bleed jobs, sales, profits, liquidity and funding, perhaps this is as good a time as any to start discussing the topic of… well, the specter of brand… -
Bringing operational wisdom to Enterprise 2.0. Maybe.
18 Jan 2010 | 9:21 amJacob Morgan and I want to bring our wisdom and know-how to the #e2conf in Boston this spring, but we need your help. To be clear, there’s really nothing in it for us: I speak at conferences pretty regularly, so I don’t need the exposure, and as far as I can tell, #e2conf doesn’t pay its session speakers, so Jacob and I aren’t looking for a payday. We want to be there because we feel that what we already teach companies behind closed doors is well worth sharing with the enterprise community at large, especially in the context of enterprise business planning. Not being…
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Brand Champions
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Recognizing Brand Leadership
9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amYesterday and today I have the pleasure of facilitating a number of meetings on the campus of Manhattan College as part of a national education brand initiative that will connect over 40 secondary schools and six colleges and universities throughout the United States and Toronto. All schools are a part of an international network of Lasallian institutions. These schools and the Christian Brothers order were founded by St. John Baptist de La Salle, the Catholic Patron Saint of Teachers. Just outside of our meeting spaces here at Manhattan, hang a number of banners that includes De La Salle and… -
Brand Champion of the Day- Stage Deli, New York City
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amLast night I had an opportunity to eat dinner at one of the most famous restaurants in the world, the Stage Deli in New York City. I had not been there for a number of years, so it was great when I realized that my hotel was just down the street and I could attempt to eat one of the overstuffed sandwiches that the Stage is so famous for.Seventy years ago Max Asnas a Russian emigrant opened up the Stage Deli. Over the years the famous and not so famous, including me have entered the doors and walked into one of New York City's must see, and eat, locations. This year the Stage Deli… -
UCDA Understands What it Means to be a Brand Champion
7 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amYesterday I received my copy of the Winter 2009 edition of Designer magazine in the mail, a publication of the University & College Designers Association. Much of the publication was devoted to branding, which of course caught my eye. I was flattered that there was reference to my keynote address last October at their annual conference in Seattle. Thanks UCDA.As some of you know, I am a champion of the UCDA brand. I have had the pleasure of presenting at two of their annual conferences and met many wonderful people during those experiences. I have featured some of them as Brand Champions… -
Your Brand Must Stand for Something
6 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amIn my view there are three forces happening now that will require all brands to stand for something. First of all the economy. Everyone and every organization is going through a self-analysis to determine what is important. For many this is the first time that they have realized their mission and core values. For others they are rediscovering their mission and core values. Second is Generation Y. This young group of up and comers have mission and core values wired into their systems. They have no problem understanding the importance of both, and you better too if you want to do business with… -
Brand Champions of the Day- Human Resources Professionals
5 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amOn Mondays and Fridays I recognize people and places that understand what it means to be a brand champion. Those individuals and groups who know the mission and core values of the organization that they represent. Those individuals or groups who are responsible for recruiting and retaining brand champions within and outside the organization. Often those people are human resources professionals.As often those are people who are left out of the brand building process. Too many times the brand development efforts are limited to the marketing and communications departments. It is fine, and…
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Snark Hunting
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Successful marketing in one million adjectives or less
1 Feb 2010 | 10:28 amThis is a really great, amazing, wonderfully compelling, fantastic video summation of last week’s iPad lovefest: -
iPad v. iPod
30 Jan 2010 | 7:38 amIn the Boston Apple store, how will they know if people are asking for an iPad or an iPod? -
Revamped Igor Portfolio and new case studies
15 Jan 2010 | 1:05 pmWe’ve just overhauled the Portfolio section of the Igor website, improving the navigation and adding eight (!) case studies of recent naming projects: Aria, Boogie Board, Improv, Pulsar, Affinity, Firefly, Anthem, and Palo Alto University. -
Here comes the Judge
6 Jan 2010 | 11:45 amPaul Revere and the Raiders schilling for the ‘69 Pontiac GTO Judge. The “Judge” name came from the popularity of “Here comes da judge!”, a cultural catch phrase made popular on “Laugh-In”. -
The Igor-named “Aria” resort and casino opens its doors
15 Dec 2009 | 11:22 amIgor’s latest naming work, The MGM / Dubai World hotel and casino “Aria”, has its grand opening in Las Vegas tomorrow. This marks the fifth hotel thus far in Igor’s naming portfolio. MGM Aria, Las Vegas Via The Las Vegas Sun: The centerpiece of CityCenter — the Aria Resort & Casino — will open Wednesday, marking a day of grand opening celebrations for the $8.5 billion project… …The 4,004-room resort and casino will feature more than 150,000 square feet of gaming space, a 215,000-square-foot pool area with 50 cabanas and an 80,000-square-foot spa,…
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MisEntropy
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Plannersphere Top 20 - February 2010
9 Feb 2010 | 4:32 am[I have accumulated a pile of requests for blogs to be added to the plannersphere list and to be indexed on the Plannersphere Search Engine. To everyone who has written to me, apologies for the delay; I'm working towards clearing the backlist soon.]The top 20 blogs in the plannersphere as of 9th February 2010 are: 01. Noah Brier dot Com 02. Nick Burcher 03. We Are Social 04. advertising lab 05. Only Dead Fish 06. The Musings of An Opinionated Sod 07. Herd - the hidden truth about who we are 08. adliterate 09. Mike Arauz 10. russell davies 11. Adspace Pioneers 12. Trendsspotting 13. -
Facebook and the myth of QWERTY's inferiority
8 Feb 2010 | 11:28 amWriting about the impending 'technological lock-in' of the social operating system space by Facebook, Reuters in a recent article compared the site to the QWERTY keyboard layout. (Via Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics.)In the words of Reuters, technological lock-in is "the reason why the QWERTY keyboard layout, devised for typewriters in the 1870s, is still the standard despite the development of several more logical configurations. And Facebook, which has more than 100 million users in the United States and 350 million worldwide, appears to have nearly achieved technological lock-in,… -
How to forge a top-of-the-line cyborg planner
3 Feb 2010 | 9:53 amClive Thompson points to this wonderful essay on computer chess by Garri Kasparov and draws our attention to an intriguing experiment in human chess-machine diplomacy.Undone by the brute calculative power of IBM's Deep Blue in 1997, Garri came upon a wonderful way to juxtapose the deep calculative method of chess computers with the intuitive and strategic approach of human chess players.He put together a tournament where humans and chess computers play together against other such 'cyborg' tag teams instead of against each other. Human and computer both would collaborate to play the perfect… -
A Venn Diagram of the Good Stuff
1 Feb 2010 | 8:26 amVia -
Plannersphere Top 20 - January 2010
10 Jan 2010 | 10:35 pmThe top 20 blogs in the plannersphere as of 11th January 2010 are: 01. Noah Brier dot Com 02. We Are Social 03. Nick Burcher 04. advertising lab 05. Trendsspotting 06. Only Dead Fish 07. Talent imitates, genius steals 08. Herd - the hidden truth about who we are 09. The Musings of An Opinionated Sod 10. adliterate 11. russell davies 12. brand new 13. Make Marketing History 14. Mike Arauz 15. Servant of Chaos 16. positive disruption by: Tom Martin 17. livingbrands 18. Life Moves Pretty Fast 19. Adspace Pioneers 20. The Hidden Persuader a. The top 20 blog list winnows out the…
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Bringing Brands to Life!
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Strategic Incubator Interviews Me
31 Jan 2010 | 4:58 pmI recently had a fun and interesting interview with Matthew Ray Scott, Managing Director of The Strategic Incubator, about using documentary storytelling for businesses. The interview is 43 minutes long and takes a different angle (no pun intended!) than previous interviews I've given. Here are a few things we covered: How I discovered filmmaking from a busted rock 'n' roll dream. What is the most important thing about creating believable video stories? What is the greatest challenge facing companies in sharing their marketing stories? How has social media changed how companies share their… -
What is Our Company’s Purpose? The R-O-I Method
27 Jan 2010 | 6:05 amHave you read Daniel Pink’s new book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us?” If you haven’t picked it up yet, don’t wait too long; this book will forever change how you think about motivating individuals (hint: it’s usually not carrots and sticks). Pink definitely motivated me to rethink how organizations might use multimedia in ways beyond traditional corporate communication methods. Let’s look at one idea from the book and adapt it for our purposes. Closing the gap One of the exercises included at the end of Pink’s book is… -
Tom's SpeedLink #16
26 Jan 2010 | 5:23 amEnjoy today's roundup... 1. In between frames Absolutely brilliant little riff from Seth Godin. "Consumers are too smart for the frames. It's the in-between frame stuff that matters. And yet marketers spend 103% of our time on the frames." 2. Why write a book? And speaking of Seth, his new book, Linchpin, launches today. I finished my advance copy yesterday and it's Seth's finest, IMHO. 3. The basic principles of nonverbal communication -1 Communications master Nick Morgan has a great series on nonverbal communications. 4. 10 Documentaries to look out for in 2010 The Documentary Blog has a… -
Impersonal Communications: 7 Costly Glitches
20 Jan 2010 | 6:13 am1. They can appear unbelievable. 2. They can feel distant. 3. They can feel unemotional. 4. They can appear uncaring. 5. They can feel meaningless. 6. They can appear wasteful. 7. They can feel uninspiring. Why not consider humanizing communications so it connects us to something beyond ourselves? Something to think about. --Tom P.S. Inspired by Daniel Pink's new book "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us." -
Engagement in 4 Minutes
14 Jan 2010 | 6:56 pmThe narrative "sweet spot." --Tom P.S. Inspired by Indexed.
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Brains On Fire Blog
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Doodle Book…
8 Feb 2010 | 7:55 amIf I’m sitting in a meeting, or an airplane, or at dinner… I’m usually doodling. I’ve kinda refined my doodle’s to be a personal gathering spot for ideas, reflection, and fears. Last week I was traveling with Robbin Phillips to Austin, Texas and she spied on one my doodles. Robbin thought it was worth posting. This particular doodle is a continuous doodle thought… -
Twitter. A love story.
5 Feb 2010 | 7:37 amPhoto by the Hotel Saint Cecilia pool via Geno Church and his trusty iphone Okay. I woke up this morning – a gray day in Green Vegas – but the sun was shining in my heart. Can’t explain it really. Maybe it is because I am getting out of town. Austin. One of my favorite cities. And I have decided I might stay the weekend and play around. With that smile in my heart, I read this direct message from someone on Twitter. I won’t give his name but I want to share. Indulge me: yrs ago, i sent my wife a link to your site and said, one day i’m going to build my company like that:… -
On anthropology and what you are doing for your closest fans
4 Feb 2010 | 7:56 amWho’s heard of Robin Dunbar? For those of you who haven’t, his most widely known work as an anthropologist is called “Dunbar’s Number,” which proposes that the ceiling of ’stable interpersonal relationships’ that the average person can maintain is 150. Though his initial work studied groups of people offline, he has recently moved his research online to study the same principle in social networks. Aside from being thought-provoking in and of itself, the variety of responses that Dunbar’s research has drawn is also interesting. Some people use… -
Invoulntary ambassador
3 Feb 2010 | 8:53 amMaybe you’re not in a formal ambassador program or even consider yourself an ambassador of, well, anything really. But when you start thinking about it, you might be surprised that you choose or not choose to be an ambassador every day. Case in point, if you’re a runner and like to run outside in public places (like downtown), more than likely you’ve been stopped and asked directions by pedestrians or even drivers. At that moment, you have a decision to make. Because in that moment, you can choose to be an ambassador for your city. You can choose to take the time to stop and… -
Thinking.
2 Feb 2010 | 6:39 amI have been thinking a lot lately. Maybe it’s the weather. I’ve been thinking about my life. My family. And how I choose to spend my time. I have been thinking about Brains on Fire and what success really looks like for us. About how on earth can you fairly compensate such a wildly talented group of people who see Brains on Fire as a passionate cause and not a job. I have been thinking about the work we do and the big opportunities in front of us. It’s all sort of been running together for some reason. So, yesterday I had an interview. (Yes, we have are considering a new hire and that…
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Unbound Edition
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Why Brands Should Strive for Imperfection
9 Feb 2010 | 6:34 amWe've seen and heard this commercial a thousand times, the one with the flawless model posing in an ad for facial-blemish cream... an extremely powerful cleaner that removes every trace of dirt in one effortless wipe... the picture-perfect baby modeling the 100% waterproof diaper. In these scenarios, there's not even a hint of a single red spot, a stubborn stain, or a bedraggled mother. This is the story of the past 50 years of commercials, and they all have one thing in common: perfect brands in perfect environments. But there is a strong case to be made for imperfection. Nothing is ever… -
Do-It-Yourself Super Ads
9 Feb 2010 | 6:33 amBe afraid, Madison Avenue. Be very afraid. That seems to be the message in the aftermath of the crowded, frenetic advertising bowl that took place inside Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday. Among those commercials consistently deemed most effective, memorable and talked-about, many were created or suggested by consumers — or produced internally by the sponsors — rather than the work of agency professionals. -
Foursquare Inks Deals With Major Media and Entertainment Brands
9 Feb 2010 | 6:33 amHello, Hollywood. On the heels of the Foursquare-Bravo TV deal, news of several additional major media partnerships involving the location-based social networking app have dropped this evening. According to various reports, Zagat, Warner Bros., HBO, the History Channel and ExploreChicago have all been added to Foursquare’s media and entertainment mix. Here are the partnerships that appear to be live or coming very soon: -
Microsoft Seals Ad Deal With Interpublic
9 Feb 2010 | 6:33 amMicrosoft is getting cozier with Madison Avenue. The software company is partnering with advertising holding company Interpublic Group in a deal that will make Microsoft the go-to ad technology provider for the U.S. offices of ad giant's agencies, including McCann-Erickson, Deutsch, Hill Holliday and The Martin Agency. Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., slashed its undisclosed rates, so that its ad server Atlas will become the default technology to deliver ads and analyze their performance. -
One Word: Networks
9 Feb 2010 | 6:32 amRead Bud Caddell's latest addition to The Library of Agency-of-the-Future-Prognostications: Who says the future needs an advertising agency? Between the post and the 50-some comments it's one of the most clear, comprehensive, and thoughtful summations of the industry's evolution that I've come across. After I read it, one word was echoing in my brain: Networks. The difference between what everyone has been doing, and what everyone needs to do is networks. We no longer create messages and experiences for groups of individuals; rather we create integrated experiences across all media…
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Expert in the Rough, Brian Monahan
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3 Point Inspiration
7 Feb 2010 | 2:50 pmI attend one of those “Megachurches,” …..The Cincinnati Vineyard Community Church. Besides their mission “To Love the people of Cincinnati into a relationship with God,” the Vineyard strives to be a relevant source for people to develop their faith. I had an inkling todays message would tie into Super Bowl Sunday. I was right today’s message “Get in the Game” was woven with numerous sports themes. Although their message was about volunteering at the church, the message I received was to “Get In the Game” of sharing what touches… -
The ERfect Success Strategy
31 Jan 2010 | 4:27 pmIs perfection holding you back. I propose the “ERfect” Strategy. Whatever your goal add “ER” to it. In 2010 I am going to be: Healthier Slimmer Calmer Quieter Greener You get the idea. Instead of focusing on perfection focus on ERfection. -
Thought Provoking
24 Jan 2010 | 2:40 pmA self proclaimed “Self Help Junkie,” I have read just about every “self help” book under the sun. You know, the classics….Think and Grow Rich, PsychoCybernetics, The Road Less Traveled, The Power of Positive Thinking and don’t get me started with “self help crack” Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. Yes, I think I have read them all and I am looking for a new drug, I mean type of book. I thought you might be burnt out as well on the “self help” craze and looking for a new direction. I have a new book category for you… -
What is Your Story…..Dreams, Goals, Life in 2010
28 Dec 2009 | 2:21 pmWhat is Your Story? As many of you approach the new year you might be inclined to take on a tradition suspect in its success… “New Year’s Resolutions.” I am a huge fan of the “MashUp” and thought we could team up a tradition with a technique. The art of storytelling is a technique of master public speakers. Just as pictures are worth a thousand words a story or a tale is worth a thousand graphs and bullet points. A story allows us to relate to a message and data. So I propose a new tradition . A New Year’s Story. I challenge you to take your… -
What I Have Learned in 2009
8 Dec 2009 | 7:22 pmWhenever I find myself with writers block or “judgmental blog post syndrome” I remind myself to just write about something simple and true. What can be more true than just sharing an experience, opinion or observation? I will save you an exhaustive list but here is what comes to mind tonight. Raising a baby does get easier (don’t tell me about how it gets worse, I need hope right now). Men and Women and more specifically me and my wife don’t even come close to thinking or feeling or experiencing the world in the same fashion (how did I miss this for 38 years). What…
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ID-ology
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Curiosity never killed nothing
28 Jan 2010 | 11:02 amThe difference, I have finally learned, between a good agency-client relationship and a bad one, is curiosity. How often have you been in a meeting when work gets presented (whether that be a creative brief, a brand platform, a logo, or a full-blown campaign) and immediately people start talking about what they don’t like? They attack it under the guise of giving the agency “feedback.” How often have you been in the same kind of meeting when people started off by asking questions about why this, what is your thought behind that, explain to me how this part works again? -
Smile! (Go die.)
26 Jan 2010 | 6:23 pmI remember one of the lasts straws working in retail. I was selling men’s ties, shirts, and suits at Nordstrom and I was heading back onto the floor when a manager walked past me and said with total seriousness and not a mote of irony, “Smile!” Snap. I could smell the marrow oozing out of the camel’s back. I wanted more than anything to work in a place where I could totally be myself and not have Happy Hilda’s running around telling me how to feel. I wanted to work in…advertising! As a copywriter. Where I could be weird. And I didn’t have to smile. -
Brand Meaning in a Character
21 Jan 2010 | 3:55 pmBefore and After; Illustration as Brand Meaning Back in August when Disney acquired Marvel Comics and its portfolio of over 5,000 characters I began to wonder what would happen to all of those iconic characters. Stories (and the characters that populate them) are such an integral part of culture, collections of words and images that take us outside of ourselves, outside of our day-to-day lives. Stories are most certainly one of the important things that bring meaning to our lives. So, how does the voice of a brand inform those stories when they have been told and retold in one way? Not that a… -
Stupid words
21 Jan 2010 | 1:45 pmWe’re having a most interesting challenge. We’re struggling with a term for our agency. As written here earlier, we’re not exactly a design firm (despite our past), or an interactive firm (despite our capabilities), or an advertising agency (despite all our experience), or a branding firm (despite our name). In fact, we’re pulling people from all four of those fields to come here and work together in new ways – ways which are not exactly comfortable or familiar to any of us. Not that we’re alone in this endeavor. Witness such marvelous places as Mother,… -
Stats poetry
20 Jan 2010 | 6:03 pmGlancing at the wordpress report on the search terms people used the most to reach our blog, I found poetry. buddha egg worm neanderthal sky newton isaac newton sir isaac newton coke logo el lissitzky
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Bhatnaturally
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Super Bowl ads: it’s time to get back to advertising
8 Feb 2010 | 10:56 amThe best known Super Bowl spot of all time is perhaps the Apple 1984 one. For that era, it was the equivalent of ’shock and awe’, I guess. Over time, advertising during the event has been a subject of increasing public & media attention. The result: advertisers wanted to outdo each other in getting attention. For a while it was funny. The early spots for EDS, E*Trade, Budweiser (frog), Monster.com (‘When I grow up’), Tabasco (‘Mosquito’) were genuinely funny and memorable. Over the years, things have become repetitive. Being bizarre, outrageous and… -
TBWA appoints Chief Compensation Officer: sign of things to come?
8 Feb 2010 | 10:14 amAd Age reports that ‘Omnicom Group’s TBWA/Chiat/Day has appointed Neal Grossman, a one-time certified public accountant who over 25 years at TBWA has served in various financial and strategy positions, as its first global chief compensation officer‘. This new position is over and above the Chief Financial Officer is meant to lead contract renegotiations with clients and procurement officers, and overseeing fee discussions during new-business pitches. He will develop value-based compensation models that are mutually beneficial to the agency and its clients. Phew. About time. -
Tooheys New: for the love of integrated advertising
7 Feb 2010 | 4:02 amSaatchi & Saatchi, Australia has developed a new integrated campaign for Toohey’s NEW beer (yes, the brand name is NEW). I simply loved the central creative idea, the executions and the potential for creating integrated stuff. According to Campaign Brief, the fully integrated campaign explores the truth that in Australia, beer is constantly used as currency. Whether it’s helping a mate move house or installing a dishwasher, you can always get things done with a case of beer. But the beauty lies in converting it to a Beer Economy idea – Toohey’s NEW is the… -
Cape Times: good from every angle
4 Feb 2010 | 5:55 pmOver the years, ‘newspapers, periodicals and’ as a category has seen some memorable creative work – Veja (Dead vs Alive), The Economist, SKY television and several others come to mind. Among the common themes covered, ‘transporting you to the place of action’ and ‘presenting an in-depth coverage of world events feature right up there. In this context, came across an interesting execution for Cape Times, South Africa. Agency: Lowe Bull, Cape Town, South Africa. Via: Ads of the World Interesting twist to an otherwise familiar theme. Take a look at the… -
Of Parle Hippo and cohesive brand ideas
4 Feb 2010 | 10:12 amThe new TVC for Parle Agro’s baked munchies, Hippo, is creating some buzz. A majority of people have reacted with positive comments. In a highly competitive category, the ‘root cause of all evil is hunger – appease hunger with Hippo’ proposition is being seen as unique. Agency: Creativeland Asia The brand name Hippo, the packaging, communication and the planned surround ideas seem to follow a similar pattern seen in the earlier work from the Parle Agro-Creativeland Asia combination: a focused brand idea which then permeates across the brand name, packaging and the…
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Integrated Branding Blog | Movéo
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B2B Customer Loyalty
27 Jan 2010 | 8:18 amBrand loyalty is often associated with B2C companies, although it can be argued that customer retention is just as important (if not more) in the B2B realm.In the past, we've discussed some of the differences between B2B and B2C in the buying cycle. More often than not, a B2B purchase is much more involved because of technical aspects of the product, higher price and multiple people involved in the decision process. Consider this and that the market for B2B products and services are smaller and you see that retaining customers is a critical component in B2B marketing.We've recently… -
B2B Videos for Search are More Important than Ever
20 Nov 2009 | 12:02 pmImage courtesy of Search Engine Land As search engines and social media continue to evolve, it has become more important than ever for B2B companies to use videos for search. What does this have to do with search engines?In today’s world, which is heavily influenced by social media, search engines return results that include Web pages, blogs, products, images, videos, maps, local businesses and more. It’s called social, universal or blended search. Because of this, it’s important for companies to create content in these ways so that they might have more visibility. Not every form of… -
Just because your email was not opened does not mean it was not effective
6 Nov 2009 | 9:28 amFor 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
27 Oct 2009 | 12:37 pmBecause 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
1 Oct 2009 | 1:53 pmImage 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…
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spatially relevant
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Frost and Sullivan: Mobile and Wireless Market Outlook 2010
7 Feb 2010 | 1:50 pm2010 Outlook & Forecast: Mobile & Wireless Communications View more presentations from Frost & Sullivan . -
Relevant Reading – February 2nd to February 7th
7 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amhere you go, been slacking for a couple of days or more: An Overdose of the Olympics Being Remarkable is never out of style -
PCAMPATL: Learning, Sharing and Discussions
6 Feb 2010 | 10:13 amPCampATL has been a great time. Good discussion, networking and session facilitation. Great job by @jbrett and the rest of the volunteers. Many thanks to the folks that attended the session and provided your insights on the things we get bogged down on. Based on the discussion, it is clear we all get bogged down in the daily noise, the tactical and the stupid things which stop us from doing the right things for the business. Stupid Things In Product Management View more presentations from Jon Gatrell. Related Product Management Articles: Not everyone’s strategic and 4 other things… -
Relevant Reading – February 1st
1 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amSharing the the things I found for the day: Anybody, As Long As It’s Not You The Experience is the Product Product Management in Pictures #2- Feature Requests from Sales Reps Are You Listening To Your Customers Product Manager? definition: what is a product? Setting priorities… -
Hertz Gold Members Assured: No Toyotas in Your Future…
31 Jan 2010 | 3:26 pmImage by Getty Images via Daylife I really wouldn’t want one of my customers sending emails like this one I got today from Hertz. As if being on the news wasn’t enough for Toyota on this recall and major rental companies choosing to opt out on Toyota until addressed, now one of their larger fleet customers is letting their customer base know – “we will make every effort to switch you to another brand (e.g., Nissan, Ford, GM) as quickly as possible.” This note also makes for great customer service by Hertz. I really hope similar notes went out to all email…
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Lies, damned lies and statistics
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A lesson from Vodafone: How one tweet can get magnified almost 100x
7 Feb 2010 | 3:34 amA cautionary tale comes from mobile phone operator Vodafone, who on Friday broadcast the following message out to its (at the time) 8663 Twitter followers: Needless to say, despite being quickly deleted, it was captured for posterity and the damage is done. Initial speculation was that the feed had been hacked, but it turns out it was a member of staff, who for whatever reason decided to mess around with the corporate feed. Think we can safely assume that guy (assuming it’s a he) is so getting fired… Vodafone had 8600+ followers on Friday, but how many did Vodafone really… -
Another report predicts a tough year for print media, radio
7 Feb 2010 | 1:36 amThis one is from ExactTarget, which worked with Econsultancy to survey 1000 marketers (both in house and agency) worldwide. It mirrors other reports over the past few months, for example this one by the IAB, by showing that 28% of marketers will shift their budgets from traditional towards digital in 2010, with 66% increasing their digital marketing spend overall. At the moment, digital accounts for 24% of the total, though last year’s IAB survey said that in the UK at least, online spend had overtaken TV for the first time. Though 70% of marketers planned to increase social media… -
foursquare the next Twitter? Maybe not yet, but Harvard is showing a way forward
31 Jan 2010 | 2:00 pmLast year Pete Cashmore of A-List tech blog Mashable predicted that the location based social network foursquare would be the Twitter of 2010. That seems an ambitious prediction given that, (at least in the UK) as anyone who has signed up will know, even the early adopters are still making patchy use of it. For example the other month blogger Malcolm Coles checked into (London football club) Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and found that only three others out of the 60,103 in attendance had also registered their presence via the network. Similarly last week, fellow Rabbit Louise… -
Australians the most sociable online
31 Jan 2010 | 12:27 amTwo charts from the current Economist special report on social networking. First of all, according to Nielsen, “measured by hours spent on them per social-network user, the most avid online networkers are in Australia, followed by those in Britain and Italy.” By comparison, Americans spent on average six hours a month on social networks in October, almost 3x as much as in October 2007. Secondly, a chart that again confirms the dominance of Facebook as being for social media what Google is for search. The other day I mentioned a Reuters article questioning whether Facebook was… -
iPhones and apps, how many do we actually use?
30 Jan 2010 | 12:35 pmNot very many according to an article in today’s New York Times (‘When Phones Are Just Too Smart’). A summary of stats from the piece: The average iPhone or iPod Touch owner uses 5-10 apps regularly according to Flurry Research, despite there being 140,000+ available According to AdMob, people browse only the most popular items in the apps stores rather than delve into less well known offerings. This creates a bit of a chicken and egg situation for app developers. Says Stewart Putney, the CEO of Moblyng, “for all the tens of thousands of apps out there, the…
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Does Your Business...have a branding strategy that works?
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Xfinity: The next new name you'll hate?
4 Feb 2010 | 12:41 pmWhy would a company like Comcast — one that holds such enormous marketshare in the cable television industry — change its name?I laugh as I ask that question, because it's pretty obvious to everyone who's ever had to deal with one of Comcast's horrendous customer service representatives. You know what I'm talking about if you've ever opened the door to a sleepy, perpetually-late cable installer. You can also feel my frustration if you've ever opened up a bill to find your rates jump 100% for no apparent reason. Whatever the case may be, there isn't much love out there for Comcast.And now… -
Game Changers
26 Jan 2010 | 5:52 amOne of the biggest starting points for any successful brand strategy is identifying what differentiates you from the competition — especially in a busy industry. It's a tough question and one that people don't think too much about until pressed for an answer.While we all strive to be different and many companies can successfully showcase the ways that make them stand out in their industry, only a small percentage actually are destined to be game changers.I recently asked folks on Twitter to take five seconds and list as many game changers as they could. The exercise wasn't only to come up… -
Protecting your brand name and identity
22 Jan 2010 | 2:46 amOne action that is often dusted under the carpet during the excitement of creating and rolling out a new name or corporate identity is the very necessary step of legally protecting that which is yours as well as ensuring you're not unintentionally infringing on someone else's trademark.No matter how unique or creative the identity, we strongly advise clients to consult with a trademark or intellectual property attorney before getting too deep into a project. At SOZO | Pivotal we typically conduct a cursory search on Google and at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These are… -
Happy New Year...
20 Jan 2010 | 1:11 pmIt's probably a bit late to do a Happy New Year post, but I'll give it a shot. As you may have noticed it's been a little quiet here on the SOZO | Pivotal blog front. Let's just say we've been wrapping up 2009 and settling in to 2010. Heck, the real reason is we're extremely busy with some outstanding client projects and initiatives; all of which we can't wait to share here once they're launched. There's never a dull moment at SOZO | Pivotal and we're quite thankful to be blazing forward in a time when many are questioning what's next.So what's next for you? Now that we're more than half way… -
Celebrity Sponsorships Have Never Made Sense to Me
5 Dec 2009 | 3:41 amWhat if all this media hysteria surrounding Tiger Woods isn't necessarily true? What if it was a Buick Enclave that bumped into the tree and fire hydrant? And what if it all happened while he was trying to drive, shave with a Gillette razor and talk on his cell phone using AT&T minutes?What a great way to promote your product using a celebrity frontman!The sidebar to all this craziness has been what this will mean for Woods' endorsement deals? My question, is why do companies tie their brands to celebrities — with good or bad reputations — in the first place?Some endorsement deals do…
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Tungsten Branding -- Company Naming and Branding Blog
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Strategic Branding: Has Apple Found Its New “Pivot Point?”
3 Feb 2010 | 7:57 amIn my branding presentations, I frequently discuss the importance of knowing your company’s “pivot point,” the common thread that runs through all your products and service offerings. Without that knowledge, companies tend to behave as commodities, and eventually get priced that way. In the big picture, Apple has succeeded in walking to the beat of a different drummer. They have never really behaved as a “computer company,” although until just a year ago, that was their official name… Apple Computer. At the iPad unveiling this past week, Steve Job reported… -
Apple’s iPad - Only One Chance to Make a First Impression
28 Jan 2010 | 9:55 amWhen the much anticipated, must-have, Apple gadget debuted this week it was met with a collective “huh?” Part of it was due to the branding. Instead of choosing a unique name that creates and/or redefines the category (like the iPod did), they went with a generic… a “pad,” as in notepad, pad of paper, ink pad, or worse (we’ll get to that later.) The problem with generic brand names is that they tend to minimize the product, and limit it to a predefined category. It’s as if people were saying “Oh, I get it… it’s some sort of… -
Branding Basics… Should you “Google-ize” Your Logo for the Holidays?
15 Dec 2009 | 12:15 pmThe mantra in branding has always been consistency, consistency, consistency. But of late, I’ve been asked about logo updates, thanks in large part to the ever changing look of the iconic Google logo. Google will update their brand image for holidays, important events and historic anniversaries. Recently they had the Sesame Street characters adorning their famed font face. So is this something your company should undertake? The answer is maybe yes… and most likely no. The maybe yes answer depends on the amount of repeat customers you have. If your client base is a die-hard… -
Is 2010 “the year” to expand your brand?
14 Dec 2009 | 8:42 amAccording to a number of economists, the coming year should usher in the much promised turnaround. One of the fears, expressed by our president and a number of leaders, is that businesses will have become so efficient and risk adverse, that they will resist new hiring and expansion. That would seem prudent but could prove harmful in the long run. The reluctance to grow when the economy begins to improve is the equivalent to timing the stock market. By the time you realize that your customers are back, and buying, it may be too late to regain them. In other words, you might not have enough… -
Is Your Brand Promise Too Big?
25 Nov 2009 | 9:35 amDriving home the other day I noticed an approaching billboard with a striking statement… “BELIEVE IN Something BETTER.” The letters were all caps except for the word “something” which was underscored for added emphasis. Intrigued, I couldn’t wait to move forward to discover what, or who, was behind the message. Was it The Church of Latter Day Saints? The Boys and Girls Club? A new “Say no to drugs” campaign? No… it was a cell phone company. U.S. Cellular to be exact. You know when a brand promises too much when you feel that let down in…
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The Brand Chef
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Stand Proud
1 Feb 2010 | 12:51 pmIt was never my intention to make this a post on The Brand Chef. A sudden turn of events made me reconsider. A friend - no, really, a guy I’ve met a handful of times - died yesterday. While driving to see his mother in a rural area of Iowa, he had a heart attack and crashed his car. I always admired Ray. From what I could tell, he was a good man. He was infectious and passionate. He spent true, quality-time with his family. He gave back to his community - so much so that they elected him Mayor. He raised what I consider to be great children (My daughter goes to school with his… -
ONE Nation… ?
28 Jan 2010 | 9:40 amOur pledge of allegiance mentions something about being “One Nation,” and being, “Indivisible,” right? Unfortunately, it’s been so long since I’ve heard it, I may have to check my facts on that. After watching the State of the Union address, I had to reflect on how, with ironic timing, President Obama’s points called out the divisiveness and partisan wrangling that has burdened our government. Opening his speech, he offered a basic testimony to the past struggles our nation faced and how solutions were made: “And despite all our divisions and disagreements, our hesitations… -
Good Branding… It’s In The Eye Of The Beholder
15 Jan 2010 | 12:39 pm(or… lighten up already) Tell me, just who does your brand relate to? Good branding is subjective. “A good brand” is completely based on the perspective of its target audience. One group of people can stand in a room and rip a brand from head-to-toe for everything from disconnected positioning, to poor logo design to poor packaging design. While, at the same time, another group standing the room next door, can praise the brand for touching some place in their hearts - moving them to tears, changing their lives for ever. Understanding that, shouldn’t we really be… -
Are You Good, Or Are You DAMN Good?
8 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pmA thought came to my mind this morning. It was in relation to a “Get-Going Groove of the day” post I made about Jaco Pastorius. “Are you good or are you damn good?” He was a troubled musician that had a talent that was second to none. He changed the world of music. He changed electric bass. He completely altered jazz for ever because he was DAMN good. He embodied unmatched creative innovation. (All before the age of 35.) Take a look / listen here (from the early 1980’s & well worth the 9:41): (Facebookers and feed readers, click on this link to see the… -
You Not Expendable…
30 Dec 2009 | 7:38 pmWho says Rambo offers nothing more than some ripped deltoids and a glistening chest bathed in baby oil? Who says Rambo, the American military anti-hero of the 1980’s and beyond, offers nothing of importance — or remotely educational? Who ever said he would never give us anything good for branding fodder? Okay, probably a lot of us… But, I was watching “Rambo: First Blood Part II” this afternoon and a powerful, yet understated scene caught my branding eye. It was meant to build some romantic foreshadowing, but in an (almost) unexpected tender moment, I…
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Brand 3.0 activities
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cristian.saracco and lucas_pelissero posted 2 comments on El tendencioso Dr. Utterson está de vuelta | Capítulo 1
9 Feb 2010 | 5:15 amcristian.saracco and lucas_pelissero posted 2 comments on El tendencioso Dr. Utterson está de vuelta | Capítulo 1 -
cristian.saracco posted a comment on The tendentious Dr. Utterson | The 'Generosity' trend & Branding | Chapter 2
9 Feb 2010 | 5:09 amcristian.saracco posted a comment on The tendentious Dr. Utterson | The 'Generosity' trend & Branding | Chapter 2 -
lucas_pelissero and Juhoeemeli became a member of Brand 3.0
8 Feb 2010 | 6:41 amlucas_pelissero and Juhoeemeli became a member of Brand 3.0 -
relaxxx became a member of Brand 3.0
7 Feb 2010 | 1:28 amrelaxxx became a member of Brand 3.0 -
janem became a member of Brand 3.0
5 Feb 2010 | 10:08 amjanem became a member of Brand 3.0
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StickyFigure
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Holistic Common Sense and Social Networking
3 Feb 2010 | 1:52 pmI enjoyed reading my friend Amber Naslund’s post recently entitled The Taboo (but critical) Community Skill. Essentially, what Amber says is that we should not neglect the importance of selling skills – after all, all of this community engagement needs to lead us to some kind of business outcome. As Amber put it: When we talk about community or social media people in business roles, we talk about a lot of things. Their ability to communicate, to interact. To be helpful. To be a diplomat and a conversationalist and a steward of the brand. But because it’s so often a taboo subject… -
The Voice behind the Avatar
2 Feb 2010 | 7:51 amI recently had the privilege of being interviewed by Matthew Ray Scott for his Marketing Story Podcast series. Matthew is an excellent interviewer. I, however, have ordered a new USB microphone/headset after listening to the audio. My current setup is not totally up to par (ooops!). Much of the interview focuses on small business use of social media. However, somewhat unexpectedly, I kinda spilled the beans on some of my long-term dreams, and my growing vision about how I want to see us use social networking in order to fundamentally change how we approach business. So – what’s… -
Fun for Some, and Some for Fun
29 Jan 2010 | 5:49 amIn the Harvard Business Review this week, Grant McCracken takes on the concept of “forced fun” in a corporation, using the way Zappo’s treats visitors as an example. Here’s an extract of Mr. McCracken’s post: Visitors touring the Zappos headquarters in Las Vegas are greeted noisily. Staffers blow horns and ring cowbells to bid them welcome. This sort of thing puts my teeth on edge. Call me a grinch. Call me a humorless, life-hating, stick in the mud, but commandeering personal emotions in the interest of forced conviviality seems to me wrong. I believe emotions… -
Steve Jobs to Unveil Apple’s new iPants
27 Jan 2010 | 5:15 amAll the hullabaloo about a new tablet has been a carefully orchestrated hoax, according to a source inside Apple who leaked plans for the elaborate announcement of a brand new platform from the stylish technology company – iPants. Reportedly, Steve Jobs was behind an elaborately planned launch that included a 7-figure payoff to American Idol to feature General Larry Platt singing what will be the theme song for the new product, “Pants on the Ground.” This YouTube meme went viral just before the big Apple unveiling in order to generate awareness of a major cultural problem in… -
The Twitter Help Desk
26 Jan 2010 | 4:03 amI have the best Help Desk in the world. It’s called my network of smart people on Twitter. Just yesterday, one of my partners (my biz model is operating as the eHarmony of pharma training and e-marketing – matching up my business partners with client needs) asked me about a need they have to control distribution of .pdf files. How to limit the viewing/copying of files to a set number of licenses? I was clueless, but I turned to my network on Twitter. In short order, four responses (so far) came back: Jay Bryant linked to FileOpen, and suggested a Google search on “acrobat…
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Branding Matters
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Big Announcements for 2010
12 Jan 2010 | 2:48 pmBranding Matters The Book Based on feedback I’ve received from readers, clients, and colleagues, I’ve decided to expand the blog into other mediums. I’m thrilled to announce that I will be publishing Branding Matters the book sometime in the first quarter of 2010. I will be pulling content from the blog as well as developing new content. I am very excited about this new venture. I will be publishing the book initially in E-Book format, and am planning on launching a hard-cover version of the book in late 2010. You can sign up for the e-list to receive ongoing information about the book… -
Applicious - A Brief Review of iTunes 9
9 Sep 2009 | 2:18 pmThe Good: The bulk of the interface changes were made to the iTunes store, and Apple's design team really hit a home run here. Most of these changes were a long time coming, as Apple hadn't made serious updates to their store interface for quite some time. Here are 5 positive design and usability features that Apple added to the iTunes 9 store: 1. Slider Function - Apple added a rotating slider feature as the main promo element to the store homepage. This is a great way (and a better way than the previous version) to feature new content. 2. Icon Lists - The previous version of the iTunes… -
We’ve All Been Here…
2 Sep 2009 | 10:29 am -
Facebook 3.0 - A Lesson in Usability (and what we can learn from it)
28 Aug 2009 | 8:25 amMost of Facebook's users wouldn't understand or frankly care about the strategy and design that went behind the update - but the bottom line is the average Facebook user is more satisfied with the application today than they were a few days ago. Why? The answer is usability. The new Facebook 3.0 is a lesson in usability and we can learn from it. And you don't just have to be a designer, developer, or in the "creative" industry either - there are lessons that can be applied across all aspects of business. Let's look at 3 ways that the Facebook mobile application has improved, and 3 additional… -
Why Social Media Matters And How to Use It - Part 2 (Service Brands)
21 Jul 2009 | 7:30 amI mentioned in the first part of this series that social media isn't just social media platforms. Social media is the interactive, ongoing conversation you (or your brand) is having with your customers. Remember you're always branding - your customers are always forming an identity of your brand in their minds - the question is what identity are they forming. The same is true of social media. Social media isn't just social media platforms. I also noted that every social media platform is not for everyone. Though I am a believer that every business should embrace social media initiatives, I…
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BrandDigital | BrandSimple
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Leading brands are quick studies when it comes to the “double-click mentality”
4 Feb 2010 | 7:01 amThe toaster wasn’t toasting fast enough. No, it wasn’t broken. I was having a “double-click mentality” moment. You know, those moments during an ordinary day when the ordinary stuff we do seems to take too much time as a result of our being behavior modified by the instant gratification of digital activities. Downloading books, music, and movies. Scanning directions onto our mobile devices. Using QR codes to get exclusive access to discounts. Or, like Target has done in a recent non-digital promotion, sending coupons that are good for any brand of a whole bunch of… -
The best digital tools are those with obvious advantages
19 Jan 2010 | 6:21 amThe special effects are dazzling and the audience overwhelmed with sight, sound, and sensation. No, it’s not the award-winning film, “Avatar” I’m referring to, but the latest and greatest devices and apps presented at the recent Consumer Electronics Show. While many of these whiz-bag digital wonders are truly wonderfully welcome additions to our connected lives, many represent the glints in the eyes of the innovators who, yet again, managed to overestimate their necessity or utility to the general public. In my recent article in Forbes Online I write about why the most… -
Play by the rules and 2010 will not be as surprising for brands as some may think
4 Jan 2010 | 1:28 pmSome think chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Others, flight delays and crowded malls. Those in the brand business, myself included, think about trends we’re likely to see in the year ahead. Given that I had some time due to a flight delay of my own, I took the time to write down some of the things we’re likely to see in the marketplace in the year ahead, including which brands will most likely get stronger, and which might actually go south (not for the winter, but forever). While my record on some predictions is somewhat spotty (did you read what I wrote about Jay Leno?!), I… -
And the winners of the digital branding campaigns of the year are…
28 Dec 2009 | 11:50 amWell, the holiday gifts are unwrapped and according to polls, anecdotal and otherwise, the booty included lots of digital toys for good girls and boys of every age. Given that digital technology is an absolute given in our lives, I thought it might be interesting to look back at what I considered the top digitally-based marketing initiatives of 2009. While a red carpet and paparazzi were unnecessary in my conferral, like other award shows, there was more than one category in my determination of the best of the best. That’s because success in the digital arena is based on two key… -
Transparency and the multifaceted consumer
16 Dec 2009 | 11:04 amOne of the best things about my job is not only helping companies improve their business operations through branding, but simply having thought provoking conversations with professionals about the latest trends and challenges of the business. Saurabh Sharma, Strategic Planning Director at Ogilvy & Mather in Beijing, recently raised a great question about the role of transparency when communicating to a multifaceted consumer, and I thought it was worthwhile to share with you. Question: In BrandDigital, you have mentioned the need for brands to be honest and transparent. Last year,…
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The Brand Show
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Advertisers change the playbook for Super Bowl XLIV
4 Feb 2010 | 2:11 pmDerek Rucker will lead the Sixth Annual Super Bowl Advertising review on Monday, Feb. 8.Over the last two decades, the Super Bowl has become the holy grail for brands willing to shell out millions of dollars for a 30-second spot. With a projected 100 million viewers worldwide, Super Bowl XLIV is poised to deliver the game's biggest TV audience ever. But has advertising's hail-mary play lost its impact on consumers? Or, will this year's commercial lineup emerge victorious over a fragmented, post-recession mediascape.Derek Rucker, assistant professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of… -
The can with the can-do brand: WD-40
28 Jan 2010 | 3:27 pmThe WD-40 social networking site lets brand loyalists share stories, photos and videos of the multi-purpose product's 2,000+ uses.More popular than dental floss and more ubiquitous than Kleenex, WD-40 can be found under sinks and inside toolboxes in four out of five American homes. Not to mention the other 160+ other countries that use it worldwide. Shannon Edwards, Assistant Brand Manager at WD-40, joins us to talk about the brand's nearly 60-year legacy of legendary customer loyalty. Since joining WD-40 in 2000, Shannon has contributed to the brand’s success by working with its largest… -
Eco-luxury redefines an industry
21 Jan 2010 | 3:40 pmLaura McHolm's company turns moves into moving experiences for individuals as well as brands, including NBC Universal Studios, The Jim Henson Company and Soho House.Laura McHolm, packs a punch as she packs up the lives of the NorthStar Moving Corporation's diverse clientele. As founder, chief executive officer and chief marketing officer of the first moving company to offer eco-luxury moving services, Laura helps clients conquer a move through premium service with a hint of panache. Laura joins the show to share how her lean, green packing team has become the company of choice for… -
Donald Trump: The Man. The Myth. The Brand
15 Jan 2010 | 1:24 pmCathy Hoffman Glosser leads product licensing for the Trump Organization.Real estate tycoon. TV star. Brand mogul. Donald Trump seems to be everywhere. And, if our guest has anything to do with it, his next stop is your house.Cathy Hoffman Glosser, Executive Vice President of Global Licensing for the Trump Organization, joins The Brand Show to talk about Donald Trump: the man, the myth and the brand. Since joining team Trump in 2004, Cathy has expanded the brand's product line to include clothing, mattresses, and most recently, home furnishings. Cathy shares how this larger-than-life brand… -
Jack Trout on Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis
7 Jan 2010 | 7:28 amJack Trout is president of Trout & Partners, an international marketing consultancy with offices in 13 countries.Recognized as the world's foremost marketing strategist, Jack Trout has brought us groundbreaking books such as Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind and In Search of Obvious: The Antidote for Today’s Marketing Mess. He is responsible for some of the most innovative ideas in marketing in the last twenty years and his concept of positioning has become the world's #1 business strategy. Jack joins The Brand Show to talk about his recently released book, Repositioning: Marketing in…
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Landor.com: Blog
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Lessons from the Super Bowl
8 Feb 2010 | 5:52 amThe Super Bowl victory of the New Orleans Saints over the Indianapolis Colts offers some lessons we can all apply about how individuals, teams, and corporations create success from adversity. As has been widely written in 2005, following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina there was some momentary consideration given to moving the Saints team away from New Orleans into a more lucrative franchise city. Instead, the owners chose to recommit to the city and the players took on a mission of engaging with it, becoming a symbol for its rebuilding. Drew Brees coincidentally was in a similar state… -
Telcos: time to pull up your socks!
8 Feb 2010 | 5:52 amTelecom in India is the most exciting sector today for brands and consumers alike. Prices are at an all time low and choice is between seven or eight key players. Cell phone penetration has increased so much that call rates which started out at prices as high as Rs 20 per minute, are now as low as 1 paisa per second. Tata Docomo, a new entrant in the telco market, pioneered this pricing strategy that changed the market. All service providers followed suit. The newest kid on the block is service provider MTS. MTS has reduced its rates even lower to offer 1p for two seconds! Service and… -
Paradise lost and found: a tropical color direction for spring and summer 2010
4 Feb 2010 | 5:52 amIt’s a new year and everyone wants to know what the hot new hues are for 2010. Well, it seems that the fashion icons of the entertainment industry are finally tired of neutrals and cleansing the palette with classic black, white, and gray. The red carpets are now blooming in tropical hues! In the visual below I have tracked the most popular hues being paraded at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Global blue continues to gain power as the driving unifying hue. See my article “Blue is the new Green.” But, get ready for a blending of blue and green. -
iPad: live long and prosper
3 Feb 2010 | 5:52 amPrompted by the journalistic column-yards about the new Apple iPad we got to thinking about what we thought about what they thought. If we summarized the responses into a single phrase, it would be one of two: a phrase over-laded with technicalisms or a distancing born of the need to avoid the bandwagon. Some market analysts have brushed off the hype: “Let’s be clear; this is an iPod Touch on steroids,” James McQuivey Forrester Analysts, said. “That is not a new category,” Ashok Kumar, Analyst at Northeast, said. “It’s clearly not a game… -
In questions of perception and behavior, font matters
3 Feb 2010 | 5:52 amImage courtesy of Nick Douglas (flickr); permission being requested. Behold, the power of font to influence perception and change behavior! An article by Hyunjin Song and Norbert Schwarz in the February edition of The Psychologist shows that fonts can significantly influence people's assessment about how easy or difficult things are to do. Take a look at this example: When Song and Schwarz presented these exercise instructions in Arial, readers guessed that the exercise would take 8.2 minutes to complete. When presented the identical instructions in Brush Script MT (which wasn't…
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Metropolis Creative
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5-Step Web Design Process
8 Feb 2010 | 8:58 pmI'm constantly asked what my process is for web site design. There's actually a lot of thought that should go into a new design, before the "design" actually happens. This usually involves a lot of listening to the client, and a bit of research on our own.Brand DefinitionBefore starting the design, it is important that everyone on the redesign team understands your brand. Because brands evolve over time, this is also a great opportunity for self rediscovery. Brand is perception. And every outward message and image shapes perception, from your tagline to the person who answers the phone. Once… -
Learning to Skate
18 Jan 2010 | 9:15 amI've skated all my life, but have never been particularly good or comfortable with it. This year, rather than freezing on the sidelines while watching my daughter's lesson, I decided to get on the ice too. I'm actually in a different group from her — I'm learning hockey skating. In just ten weeks, I'm amazed at how I've progressed. I'm doing crossovers to the right and left, forwards and backwards. I can stop on a dime from my right or left side (well, a very large dime) and reverse direction quickly. And its a lot of fun.So I wondered, why is it that after just ten 25-minute lessons, I… -
5 Easy and Scalable Marketing Tips for 2010
11 Jan 2010 | 5:00 amThis should be the big year where we all take a turn for the better. The ideas below are all scalable — each one could take as little as a day, or could be a long-term project. Take a moment to review your company's marketing strategy for 2010. With a little effort, you could make a big impact.Re-assess Your BrandIs your brand still on target? Does it resonate with prospects and your community like it did when you first created your logo, website, sales materials? Send an informal survey to colleagues, friends, family, customers, etc. Get feedback. User experience is key to good graphic… -
Color Envy: Does Your Website Have It?
16 Dec 2009 | 6:56 amColor is a powerful web design tool, and it should be harnessed wisely or your website may lose potential customers. Color can talk to your readers before your content has a chance to speak. What is it saying?Find the meaning. Colors hold certain meanings and emotions. Look at how your culture, state, community, etc. uses and thinks of color. Use this for your own means and incorporate them through your color palette.Use color intentionally. At first glance your webpage should convey your brand clearly and not create confusion as if you landed on your page by accident. Well-known brands use… -
Tickle Pink with Colorful CTA’s and You’ll Stimulate Leads
13 Sep 2009 | 11:50 amForce yourself to design each and every page with one and only one primary objective.- Seth GodinThat’s right! At a quick glance, your website visitors should know what you are selling (or service you’re providing) and take action. A call to action (CTA) is a simple and clear step to tell your web guests what they can expect and what you want them to do.Done right, CTA’s work 24/7 and deliver leads. Every visit to your website could be a lead. Without well positioned, consistent, specific and engaging CTAs, your website could be turning away business.Does your website have at least one…
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cometbrandingblog
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Will it Blend? George Wright of @Blendtec knows the answer.
8 Feb 2010 | 7:17 pmWhat do smoothies, iPhones, Ford Fiestas and BB guns have in common? Just one thing: they all blend. George Wright, the marketing brains behind Will it Blend?, changed the game for Blendtec and brands everywhere. Join us on Comet Radio on Wednesday, February 10th at 11 a.m. Central to hear the inside scoop from the man who knows. LISTEN NOW. I have the coolest job in the world. Seriously. As co-host of Comet Radio, I get to talk to some of my biggest heroes in the profession. George Wright, VP of Marketing and Sales for Blendtec, is one of those heroes. If you haven’t seen Will it… -
RIP Traditional PR?
8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 amPublic Relations has had a really good go of it. It really has. Since Edward Bernays got things rolling in the early 1900s many great things have been accomplished with the help of PR. Great leaders have been lifted to power. Tiny companies have been built into incredible empires. But the traditional application of PR has lived a full enough life and it’s time for it to be put to rest. Now, I’m not here to say that PR is dead. Far from it actually. But the old school version of it has to be put out of its misery. It is simply no longer relevant. If your company is still only… -
What PR pros can learn from waiting tables: the first impression
5 Feb 2010 | 1:47 pmAs a recent graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a degree in Business and Communications, my resume is in the process of being built. A majority of my work experience has been in a restaurant. From washing dishes and making pizzas to pouring fancy wines and serving intricate chef’s tastings, I’ve certainly had my fair share of hospitality experience over the past six years. As I make my transition into a professional career (finishing up week four) it is clear to me how closely the world of hospitality fits in with the world of public relations. That being said, It all starts… -
Facebook for Business
4 Feb 2010 | 11:18 amAs Facebook celebrates its sixth birthday today, it’s a reminder of what the platform started out as compared to what it it is today. Originally a network for college students that later opened up to everybody, Facebook became the entry-point into social media for many businesses. With that in mind, Facebook is beginning to react to this trend by trying to regulate how businesses interact with their fans. More specifically, they’ve added guidelines for conducting promotions on Facebook, a popular tactic for building a presence on this platform. However, no official announcement… -
Homemade cookies for Chris Brogan
2 Feb 2010 | 8:34 amWe caught up with Chris Brogan recently at a morning Tweetup in Milwaukee, WI. Chris was kind enough to take some time out to chat with Comet’s roving camera about the random things people give him when they meet him. Like cookies, for example. Being a New York Times Best Selling Author (Trust Agents) and social media powerhouse, Chris Brogan meets a lot of people. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure to meet him yourself, then you haven’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing his true authenticity. Chris is simply Chris. And that’s what makes him so great at what he…
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Brand Experience 360
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Customer Experience Synonymous with Operating Strategy
18 Jan 2010 | 7:30 amWhen you hear the term “customer experience”, what is the first thing you think of? Many think of marketing or sales, but how many think of operating strategy? Others immediately think of the expense of running a customer service department. What is often missed is the growth potential and stability of adopting the customer experience into every operational function and decision. This story on CRM.com discusses the subtle, but very important differences achieved in giving the customer experience a high profile in your day-to-day operations. Here are a few of the major points: It is true… -
Making the Promises Real in 2010
11 Jan 2010 | 3:25 amMany are seeing 2009 as a breakthrough year for efforts designed to raise the profile of the customer experience. There is growing evidence that the everlasting pledge to put the customer first actually got beyond lip service and into real and actionable tactics. With the progress made last year, even in very tough economic circumstances, 2010 should see the movement gain even more momentum. An article on retailcustomerexperience.com offers the following advice as brand marketers and retailers continue to travel down this road: “Drop the executive commitment facade.” Executives need to… -
One Size Does Not Fit All
4 Jan 2010 | 1:25 amOpinions are being weighed from all over the globe as brand marketers and retailers look forward to the economic upturn in 2010 and beyond. The big question seems to revolve around the customer experience. Is price the driving factor or is there value in truly great service? The answer is that “it depends.” In his opinion column in the Times of London, Accenture executive Neil Miller say there is no one model that will fit all and that approaches must be targeted to fit individual channels and markets. His company reports that nearly all UK businesses have invested in improving the… -
Social Marketing, The Perfect Storm
28 Dec 2009 | 3:56 amSocial networking has enabled consumers to move faster than the brands that they shop for. Mark down 2009 as the year when brand marketers experienced a full frontal realization that social networks are, in fact, a mass communications medium. With this realization comes another wake up call, Social Marketing must play a big role in the overall marketing mix. As Jeremiah Owayang writes in a recent Forbes article, “Brands need to develop a strategy and a plan to respond–not simply react–to the latest technology.” Like many others in recent days, Owyang takes a look at the trends… -
Customer Experience Stories of the Year
24 Dec 2009 | 8:56 amIn our last entry we warned you about the coming onslaught in this, the season of lists. Today, we look at another one on retailcustomerexperience.com called the, “The 5 biggest retail customer experience stories of 2009.” This list is predicated on the observation that consumers’ relationships with brands has changed significantly in 2009. Only in the New Year will we find out if these changes are permanent. Here are the stories offered up in the list. “An emphasis on value.” Walmart was the big winner in 2009. Their approach defined the term “value” as being synonymous…
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Adam Salamon
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Adventure
22 Jan 2010 | 8:51 pmAdventure is not an activity, it is a state of mind -
Leaders & Honesty
6 Jan 2010 | 12:24 pmLeaders must not merely tell the truth. They must find the truth. -
The Changing Face of Retail
15 Feb 2009 | 1:40 pmI wrote an article last year predicting that more and more manufacturers were going to begin to sell direct in response to a few different converging trends, mainly pointed on the fact that information is so accessible that the idea of a middleman is becoming extinct. Retail is an outdated concept. The old model of a [...] -
The Problem With Experts
5 Feb 2009 | 8:59 pmWe can all agree that it’s important to distinguish between real experts and those posing to be experts. People look to experts for advice on any number of subjects. I remember sitting in class at the University of Texas where I majored in Government, and looked over one of my professor’s accomplishments. He was [...] -
Cut Through The Clutter
2 Feb 2009 | 7:56 pmHave it your way. Talk all you want. Converse on Twitter. I do it too. But at the end of the day, results speak for themselves. Networking by conversing on Twitter is plain and simple, a terrible way to network. Look at the top people on Twitter based on followers. The majority of [...]
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Kristian Andersen + Associates
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Typographic Literacy: Part Two
4 Feb 2010 | 1:46 pmTypographic literacy is on the decline, and subsequently a whole host of errors are now accepted as ‘the norm’. Below is an exploration of some of the biggest typographic faux pas, and the ways each should be corrected. Double Spacing This convention harks back to the days of monospaced typewriters where it was common practice to insert a double space to distinguish the beginning of a sentence from the surrounding single word spaces. When using proportional fonts this really isn’t necessary, and is, to be brutally honest, just plain ugly. ‘Dumb’ Quotes Typewriters are also… -
Typographic Literacy: Part One
29 Jan 2010 | 2:48 pmCan you see what’s wrong with the statement above? Bad typography is everywhere. It can be found in magazine articles, outdoor signage, restaurant menus, billboards, newspaper and TV advertisements and all over the internet. Spend just 30 seconds looking it’s easy to find a whole host of typographic faux pas—incorrect hyphenation, ‘dumb’ quotes, double-spacing, widows, orphans, poor kerning… the list goes on. Typography is something every designer should deeply care about, which is why it pains me to see it abused so profusely. Typographic literacy seems to be on the decline, and… -
Radical Redesign: thesixtyone
26 Jan 2010 | 7:55 amthesixtyone, a Y-Combinator funded music exploration community, launched in early 2008. The service began life as a pretty typical web-based social networking site. Over the last couple of years, it has gone through some interface updates and improvements, but for the most part it seemed to toe the social network line with its user interface. The image below shows the service immediately before the latest redesign. It was definitely clean, well organized, and functional. There are even some sweet keyboard shortcuts to make controlling the music easier! Last week thesixtyone distinguished… -
France & Germany Break Up With Internet Explorer
25 Jan 2010 | 9:48 amSurprise, surprise. IE6 is back in the news. After hackers exploiting a weakness in IE6 launched an attack on Google and at least twenty other companies in China last week, Microsoft has issued a “critical” patch for it’s dated web browser. Actually, this isn’t so much news or a surprise really. When is Microsoft not fixing vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer 6? We can probably expect this sort of thing to happen for the next 4 years, until Microsoft stops supporting its abomination in 2014 The reason this specific incident is making headlines this week is because… -
Intuitiveness & Familiarity: iPhone App Interfaces
23 Jan 2010 | 2:06 pmIn the last few months here at Kristian Andersen + Associates, we have become increasingly more involved in iPhone application user experience/user interface design. Our existing experience with UX/UI design for the web was a great jumping-off point, plus we’re all day-one iPhone users and are virtually tethered to them right throughout the day. Our most recent app engagement began in the usual way, collaborating with the client on multiple rounds of wireframes and process maps, dialing in the inner workings and structure of the app itself. When we started to move forward into the…
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Wheatley Timmons: BrandTrailblazers
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THE REALLY BIG TWIST: APPLE AND USER-NEED RELIGION
2 Feb 2010 | 7:06 amHovering above the technology “feature” weeds… By Robert Wheatley Wow, last week was “Apple Land in America,” with all of the online and mainstream media conversation around iPad. Marketing sites did comparisons of buzz-metrics between Jobs and President Obama’s State of the Union message, with Apple winning on most scorecards. Apple continues to blaze new trails, even in their deft handling of the sales message. Brands look at the Apple phenomenon with envy. Wouldn’t we all want our brands to glow with similar outsized levels of consumer devotion and enthusiasm? Truckloads of… -
HOW A COOKIE CAN IGNITE IMAGINATION AND EMOTION
29 Jan 2010 | 2:23 pmGirl Scouts effectively tap social media engagement By Robert Wheatley Social media can be powerful — when deployed effectively. YouTube provides a readily accessible platform where video can engage a broad and diverse audience — but only if it’s done right. Meaning, the content thus is initially more important than the medium. In the absence of compelling content, social media is just a distribution platform. The viral rubber meets the road when the communication itself is relevant, interesting and thought provoking. So today we have a living example of “right” from the… -
EMOTIONAL RELEVANCE: THE CLOSER ITS GETS THE MORE POWERFUL IT IS
28 Jan 2010 | 6:48 amImages can evoke memories and feelings By Robert Wheatley In the marketing communications business we’re called upon to help brands build relationships with current users and attract new ones. Clients retain agencies like ours to do this with skill and result. Hence it requires us to understand the difference between effective communication and anything that’s less than that. What we’ve learned in the age of consumer control is that relevance precedes engagement. Push oriented messaging generally is brands talking about themselves, usually focused on features and benefits. So its… -
FANCY FOOD SHOWCASES WHAT’S NEW AND NEED FOR BRAND INVESTMENT
26 Jan 2010 | 9:43 amSea of sameness interrupted here and there with unique ideas By Robert Wheatley The National Fancy Food Show in San Francisco started last Sunday with a bang as 17,000 retailers, distributors and brand minders came together at the Moscone Center to see and taste what’s new in specialty foods. The convention is remarkable in its fantastic array of vendors from around the globe who showcase their products for US retail distribution. Especially cheese, cheese and more cheese that populated both exhibit halls. The air was heavy with the zesty pungent dairy-air of hard and soft varietals mostly… -
14 Jan 2010 | 4:03 pm
14 Jan 2010 | 4:03 pmFROM MEDIA COURTIERS TO MEDIA MAKERS PR now feeding the content creation engine By Robert Wheatley Clients have long viewed Public Relations as a source of credible, believe-able communication. Even so I’ve heard more than a few express lingering concerns about their perception of uncertainty built in to earned versus transactional media. The argument in favor: third party sourcing and separation from commerce infuses editorial media with its power to persuasively recommend brands and businesses. The argument against: you ultimately can’t fully control the messaging outcome, it’s timing…
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BenjaminWarsinske.com
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Secret Sauces: Does Your Company Have Them?
27 Jan 2010 | 10:10 amImage by StreetFly JZ via Flickr Strong, well known companies all have secret sauces, formulas, and methods which allow them to compete and win against their known competitors. This is not something new, however it is something that is often missing within the service industry, particularly small businesses who get up and running fast. The Missing Formula [...]Post from: Benjamin's BlogSecret Sauces: Does Your Company Have Them? Related posts:Top Performing Articles from EzineArticles.com Based on the latest statistics from June, here are three... Secret Ingredients: How Selling Hours Can… -
Help Haiti
23 Jan 2010 | 12:41 amImage by United Nations Development Programme via Flickr We all know what has happened in Haiti and have seen the aftermath. There is not much else to say, except if you can please donate to help the people of Haiti. You can donate here: Hope for Haiti Now Great Content to Check Out: Haiti Quake: First Seismic Aftershocks, Then Economic [...]Post from: Benjamin's BlogHelp Haiti No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
Business from 30,000 Feet: What You Need To Know
11 Dec 2009 | 11:15 amImage by Denis Collette…!!! via Flickr Have you ever stopped to step back away from the company with which you are molding and shaping to really see what is going on? To get above the trees so to speak? Is the company headed in the right direction? What is the financial statement really telling you? Are [...]Post from: Benjamin's BlogBusiness from 30,000 Feet: What You Need To Know Related posts:Strategy As Advocacy Re-position Your Firm By Focusing On Your Mission Statement What... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
Business Ethics And The Role It Plays
25 Nov 2009 | 1:15 pmImage via Wikipedia With everything that has been happening in the world lately, business is being looked at closer than ever. And that is not a bad thing. Ethics play a major role in business and the discussion of what is ethical versus what is not often causes people take strong opinions to one side or [...]Post from: Benjamin's BlogBusiness Ethics And The Role It Plays Related posts:Strategy As Advocacy Re-position Your Firm By Focusing On Your Mission Statement What... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
Get Involved…Help Out The Orangutans!
23 Nov 2009 | 1:15 pmImage via Wikipedia Thanks for visiting my blog. The focus of my blog is and has been for nearly the last year business development for the service industry. While that is the focus and mission of the blog, I also have a passion for giving back and for helping the environment as much as possible. One of [...]Post from: Benjamin's BlogGet Involved…Help Out The Orangutans! Related posts:Grapes For Apes I absolutely love orangutans and want to help them as... Orangutans Take A Swim in Rungan River, Borneo I came across an article about 12 orangutans who were... Past Posts Worth Reading…
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Bulletproof
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The Fake News Gets More Real Everyday
8 Feb 2010 | 12:13 pmIt’s funny because it’s true. While this cliché has been so overused that it’s nearly lost its meaning, there’s no better way to describe a media evolution that is fundamentally changing the way that Americans get their news. Today, a comedic “fake news” program, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, is rivaling the mainstays of television journalism in terms of reach, audience sophistication, and, above all, trust. By April of last year, The Daily Show was already attracting more eyeballs than the USA Today and one-third as many as the CBS Nightly News. Back in… -
Bulletproof Interview Special – Global Compliance Challenges in 2010: Sulaksh Shah on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in India and the Middle East
8 Feb 2010 | 7:35 amAs companies begin to successfully navigate the myriad of reputational challenges inherent in the increasingly global regulatory infrastructure, Bulletproof Blog™ presents the next in a series of video interviews with leading regulatory and compliance strategists. In today’s installment, Sulaksh Shah, a Director in Forensic Services practice, specializing in FCPA matters, outlines the wide range of anti-corruption challenges that companies face in India as well as the Middle East. Mr. Shah grew up in India and has lived in the Middle East. As an FCPA expert who has led or supervised… -
Weekly Web Wrap-Up for February 5, 2010
5 Feb 2010 | 10:30 amBulletproof’s Weekly Web Wrap-Up offers a compilation of key discussions regarding social media’s increasing relevance to business. One of social media’s greatest potential pitfalls also represents an unprecedented opportunity for companies: employee activity in the online space. We’ve all heard the stories of how a distasteful Facebook update or Twitter post from an employee can have detrimental impacts on the brands they are supposed to be protecting. But as simple as it may seem, the solution is not to ban employee social media use; in fact, when managed appropriately, employees… -
For Embattled CEOs, Davos Wasn’t the Place to Be
5 Feb 2010 | 5:11 amIn years past, the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos, Switzerland was a chance for CEOs to hit the slopes and hobnob with movie stars, musicians, and supermodels. Last year, in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, that changed. With Congress, investors, and the public at large up in arms over the luxuries that defined excess, many corporate leaders wisely chose to stay home. How soon they forget. While this year’s gathering in the Swiss Alps ended on Sunday, the reputational costs for bigwigs in financial services and other industries that made the trip… -
SEC To Focus on What’s Coming Next
4 Feb 2010 | 7:55 amPresident John F. Kennedy once said that “the time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” While this is indeed sage advice, it is unfortunately seldom followed by legislators and regulators who are often too preoccupied with investigating the problems of the past to focus their attention on the dangers that lurk ahead. At the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), however, Chairman Mary Schapiro is seeking to change that dynamic. The Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation, or RiskFin, as it has come to be known, is the first new division established at the SEC in…
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The Marketing Fresh Peel
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I’ve Joined Fleishman-Hillard’s Dallas Digital Team
1 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amThis is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel It’s official! I’ve joined Fleishman-Hillard’s digital team in Dallas. This decision happened rather quickly, in fact I accepted the offer to join the talented FH Digital team right before the New Year and last week I rolled up my sleeves and joined the crew in Dallas. Fleishman-Hillard is a global public relations, public affairs and marketing communications company. The digital team in Dallas is guiding some of the world’s largest brands through the space where digital marketing, social media and mobile are converging. The opportunity… -
Cataloging Your 2010 Trends and Predictions
29 Dec 2009 | 9:40 amThis is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel I haven’t really been a fan when it comes to listing trends and predictions for the new year. After all, shouldn’t we always be looking forward? Especially with the rate of change that currently exists? That’s not to say that I haven’t contributed my thoughts as to what 2010 holds. Check out the 100 Social Media & Content Marketing Predictions for 2010, where I along with 60+ other marketing minds made our predictions. I find a lot of value in being able to see future through so many different lenses this time of the… -
Loose Connections: Ideas Connect Us More than Relationships
28 Dec 2009 | 10:58 amThis is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel This is a great series of thoughts from Brian Solis for the Ideas Project. He eloquently describes how we have unknowingly shifted in some areas to connecting around ideas and interests rather than just because of personal relationships. This is something I think we really started to see come to life with Twitter and the evolving network of connections it provides. We are able to maintain loose connections with large groups of people around a number of different interests. For example, I’m connected with people on Twitter around a very… -
Participate in the 2009 Coolest & Gaps Worldwide Branding Survey
2 Dec 2009 | 9:46 amThis is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel It’s time again for the Coolest & Gaps Branding Survey. This is your chance to take part in a worldwide branding survey conducted by Allegro 234 brand consultancy in Madrid. The survey is a unique initiative that looks at your personality and personal preferences in relation to brand experiences. This provides some very interesting perspectives and results. Heck, just participating in the questionnaire alone might give you some new ways to look at your brand. The survey will be open until 12/18/09 so you have two weeks to participate. -
Black Friday Campout
26 Nov 2009 | 9:08 pmThis is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel The eve of Black Friday is here. People around the country are forming their plans of attack for one of the biggest shopping days of the year. In fact, some have already pitched their tents on the sidewalks of select retailers so that they can be at the front of the line when the doors open. I’m still curious to see if any retailers have the guts to make Black Friday something more than a price war. More specifically, will any realize the day as an opportunity to create a positive brand experience and cultivate fans? After my recent post…
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BRANDOPIA
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Valentine's World: Top Ten Romantic Place Names - Worldwide!
8 Feb 2010 | 2:02 pmValentine's World: Top Ten Romantic Place Names - Worldwide! -
England's Vineyard: Nyetimber Wins Worldwide Sparkling Wines Contest
30 Jan 2010 | 8:06 amEngland's Vineyard: Nyetimber from Sussex wins worldwide sparkling wines contest -
Brand Madrid: Spanish Capital's Big Brand Idea
19 Jan 2010 | 6:36 amBrand Madrid; Spanish Capital's Big Brand Idea was found in the murky waters of the cultural collisions between the Hispanic Old and New Worlds -
Brand Australia: The Wines of Oz
16 Jan 2010 | 8:30 amBrand Australia: The Wines of Oz -
Destination DNA - Brand England's Cultural Source Code
16 Jan 2010 | 12:15 amDestination DNA - Brand England's Cultural Source Code
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brandSTOKE
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And the winner is … Google
8 Feb 2010 | 5:49 amIn its Super Bowl commercial, Google tells an engaging little story of romance with simplicity and elegance. Appropriately, it uses keywords and search results only. Its logo is onscreen almost the entire time, while it demonstrates several of its features and benefits. It effectively offsets Bing’s recent efforts at malignment. Not only was the spot inexpensive to produce, but it stood out from the sophomoric humor and over-the top production of the majority of the commercials. Erik Sherman, in his negative review of the spot at BNET, misses the point that by airing the spot in the… -
Advertising’s swimsuit competition: the Super Bowl
5 Feb 2010 | 8:42 amLet’s be honest. This week, when we chat online or around the water cooler about the Super Bowl commercials, we will not be judging them based upon which are most effective at doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is actually selling something. Instead, we will talk about which spots we “like,” which spots we find most entertaining. We’re judging style, not substance. In pursuit of being popular during and after the game, advertisers and their agencies push the limits to engage us. And we reward them with a couple of week’s worth of buzz. But how… -
The branding of electricity
2 Feb 2010 | 9:48 amElectricity is a commodity. And therefore, it sells on price alone. But in 1998, local electric cooperatives from around the country, all of which operate independently, got together to distinguish the electricity they serve from that served by investor-owned utilities. A brand was born. The catalyst: energy deregulation. Since the late 1990s, many states have rewritten the rules in order to increase competition among energy providers. Facing the prospect of competing head-to-head with large, well-financed utilities, electric co-ops decided to unite their individual brands under one banner. -
The rise of community bank brands
25 Jan 2010 | 9:55 amThe customers of George Bailey’s “wonderful old building and loan” rallied to defend it from the money-grubbing Mr. Potter in It’s A Wonderful Life. Although the circumstances are different, small banks across the country are attempting to arouse the same kind of passionate community support. Hoping to attract consumers angry and disgusted with big banks due to the Federal bailout, the huge bonuses, and the arrogance in general, community banks are urging big-bank customers to switch accounts to them. The New York Times reports a number of local uprisings: a credit… -
Warning: Your brand is being commoditized!
20 Jan 2010 | 5:00 amRemember the old days when coffee was a commodity? We may be headed there again. Starbucks, with its expansion in 1987, revolutionized how we drink and think about coffee. It convinced us to buy whole beans instead of grounds. It familiarized us with espresso, cappuccino and latte. It introduced us to an American version of the European café experience. Following Starbucks’ success, imitators, such as Caribou, The Coffee Beanery, and others, proliferated. McDonald’s, feeling the heat, changed its bean, ran a “Four bucks is dumb” campaign, and added its McCafé lineup.
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Fresh Thinking Starts Here
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Why We Should Replace Case Studies With Fairytales
25 Jan 2010 | 1:25 pmWhen I read fables or fairytales or princess stories to my daughters (ages 6 and 2.5) they are always able to separate the lessons/morals embedded in these stories from the context of the stories themselves. For instance, they understand that if the message of a story involving princesses and an evil witch is that you should be nice to each other, this doesn't just apply to princesses and witches. They never say: "Well that's all fine and good, but it clearly doesn't apply to me because I am neither a princess nor a witch and, quite frankly, I'm a little annoyed… -
The Case For Dumping Tiger
7 Dec 2009 | 1:28 pmLet's get this out of the way right from the start - I have no official opinion on the recent headlines surrounding Tiger Woods and his personal life. In my opinion, his private life ought to be private. He is a golfer who should be admired for his accomplishments on the golf course. But off the golf course, he's just another human being. I don't condone the activities he's being accused of, but I'm neither a friend nor relative of his and he owes me nothing (other than to put on a good show when he's in a golf tournament I've paid to watch). And… -
How a Home Run Idea Strikes Out
2 Dec 2009 | 6:41 amWas doing some catalog reading last night in anticipation of the holidays and came across the following product in the Brookstone catalog:Pretty neat idea, I thought, upon first glance. I definitely know some sports fans (not Red Sox fans, mind you, but I guess they had to choose one for the pic...) who might enjoy this.After taking a closer look, though, it dawned on me that this might not be the best gift after all... You see, by placing the Home score on the left and the Visitor score on the right, they have virtually guaranteed that for the majority of the day your team will be losing… -
Question Assumptions. Check Facts. Conclude Responsibly.
1 Dec 2009 | 7:29 amFaulty Assumptions + Inertia = Group Think Gone Bad.While I'm sure that this has always been a problem inherent to human nature, the relatively recent boon of social media has caused it to explode. Here's a quick synopsis of how it seems to work:1 - someone of relatively high esteem to a certain subgroup of the marketing community addresses a topic, provides his/her perspective of the relevant facts, and makes a bold and attention grabbing conclusion (usually about how ridiculous the actions of other marketers in a certain situation have been).2 - the subgroup of folks who hold… -
Amex Embraces Social Media...IN PRINT!
4 Nov 2009 | 12:03 pmI 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…
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Drew Schiller
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Brand Ownership Yields Repeat Business, Referrals, and Tons of Goodwill
3 Feb 2010 | 7:53 amAlmost a year ago I wrote an article detailing how my jeweler pays for his customer’s parking tickets and I compared his approach to the women’s clothing store across the street that rushed my wife out the door to feed the parking meter (effectively forcing her to drop the clothes she was going to try on and leave the store). The next time I saw him, my jeweler told me, “My favorite part of the whole article is that you called me your jeweler.” It’s true: he is my jeweler, and I don’t plan on going anywhere else for the shiny things I buy my wife. I “own” other companies as… -
Why Your Marketing Fails
18 Jan 2010 | 9:00 amOkay, I admit it: I’m writing this more for me than for you. But you might get something out of it anyway. We marketers are selfish, selfish beings. 99 times out of 100 we create new products and marketing campaigns because of what we want, rather than in response to what consumers need. Sure, as diligent, Seth Godin-trained marketers, we try to demonstrate how our product addresses consumer needs and desires by showing all of the benefits it provides, but usually only after we’ve created the product or at least defined our end goal. That is too late in the game. Successful marketing… -
9 Surefire Ways To Break Open Your Creative Ice Jam
14 Jan 2010 | 10:46 amJust a few minutes ago, I had the answers to all the world’s problems. Now all I can think of is the Big Mac ingredients song. So what happened? Where did all my wonderful ideas go? Will I ever get them back? Fortunately I’ve dealt with this situation enough through the years that I’ve developed a few methods of recapturing and retaining those creative thoughts. So without further ado, here are nine ways that will help you get back and keep that creative mojo: Take a few deep breaths. I often find that when I am feeling “creative,” I’m actually a bit manic. My brain is jumping… -
Run Your Business Like Andy Warhol Created Art
11 Jan 2010 | 10:53 am“The reason I’m painting this way is that I want to be a machine and I feel that whatever I do and do machine-like is what I want to do.” – Andy Warhol Over the weekend I saw what’s left of the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum (it’s a beautiful museum with a wonderful collection, if you haven’t seen it). When examining Warhol’s works, I was very intrigued by his affinity for mass production. He was obsessed with creating works of art with repetitive consistency, even referring to his studio as “The Factory.” Warhol had specific roles for each of his… -
Five Ways To Make Sure You Accomplish Your Goals in 2010
4 Jan 2010 | 9:19 amBreak it down — You’re not a super hero, but if you’re like me, your task list sure makes you look like one. Do yourself a favor and break down your goals into easily manageable chunks. Trust me, if you accomplish small objectives each day, you will reach that all-important, capital “G” Goal much quicker than if you have that one Goal on your “to do” list everyday. Delegate — I’m a classic do-it-yourselfer and I have a habit of micromanaging every aspect of every project. However, some things don’t require your expert attention and can easily be delegated to another person…
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BIG marketing for small business
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Sun Life Naming of Stadium Brilliantly Timed For Super Bowl
7 Feb 2010 | 2:30 pmI’ve become a fan of Tom Mayenknecht of The Sport Market. I catch his morning show on Team 1040 Radio almost every Sunday, and enjoy the business and marketing angle he brings to major league sports. Today, he talked about Toronto-based Sun Life Financial who, in a deal announced January 19th, acquired the 10-year naming rights for the Miami Dolphins’ football stadium for $40 million. The timing of the name change to Sun Life Stadium could not have been any better. Introduced last week as the stadium played host to the NFL Pro Bowl, it enjoyed a coming out party to the largest Pro… -
Cisco Rewards Heroes in Small Business
3 Feb 2010 | 3:27 pmNetwork and communications technology giant Cisco Systems has teamed up with Brickfish for a unique program called Heroes of the Human Network which celebrates and rewards small business operators. To enter the program, you’re asked to describe your small business and how technology has helped you to advance or how the right technology could help your small business advance. Your profile will then be posted on their site where it will be ranked amongst other profiles by site visitors. A winner will be drawn after March 3rd, and will be awarded over $10,000 worth of Cisco product in network… -
F5 Expo Launch Party Introduces Malcolm Gladwell to Packed Audience
27 Jan 2010 | 5:21 pmMalcolm Gladwell takes live questions through Mingleverse at F5 Expo Launch Party. I was in attendance at the F5 Expo Launch Party yesterday, January 26th. What a great turnout! The place was packed with over 200 people – and all eyeballs were fixated on the many screens around the V Lounge as Malcolm Gladwell appeared within the Mingleverse online universe (think Second Life) to take questions from the live audience. If this party was any indication of what we can expect of the main event on April 7th, the Vancouver business and tech scene is in for a special treat. F5 Expo is all… -
BIG Ideas For Your Small Business Website
26 Jan 2010 | 12:17 pmThe Internet, and the communications technology that has come with it, has handed small business owners an amazing marketing tool. No longer do middlemen wield a lot of control; instead, the small brands with remarkable products and services have the tools (namely search engines and social networks) to connect them with their ideal customer. But that means having a great website, because first impressions count. Here are a few BIG ideas for making your website a better marketing tool. Make it a One Stop Shop. You’re putting in a lot of work and effort to keep your brand top of mind with the… -
Find Out How Great Your Service Is By Asking This One Question
16 Jan 2010 | 12:23 pmAsk anyone running a small business or large enterprise, and chances are they will cite the quality of their customer service as one of the key reasons people buy from them – often based on verbal feedback they get from internal staff and customers. This is fine, but it lacks a universal measurement that would quantify just how great the customer service is, where it needs to improve, and how it stacks up against competitors. And you don’t need a 30-question survey to find out. In fact, you just need to ask one important question: “How likely are you to recommend <insert…
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LogoInn
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Logo Design Trends in 2009
21 Jan 2010 | 6:04 amThe global economy in general and the US economy in particular started to recover from the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Web and graphic design industries were also affected. But the new start ups and a growing trend of home based small businesses emerging throughout North America and Europe helped many medium sized design [...] -
Logo Design Review: Xerox Logo Revamped For The Future
7 Jan 2010 | 3:22 amXerox, the world’s leading document management enterprise has considered revamping its logo to meet the branding challenges (such as new media & intense competition) in the future. In diversified and dynamic markets, it has become critical to synchronize your brand with your innovations, upcoming products and marketing strategies that you have to introduce to your [...] -
Book Review: “Marks of Excellence” by Per Mollerup
24 Dec 2009 | 3:57 amToday, I have picked Per Mollerup’s “Marks of Excellence” for review. If you are a creative designer or a brand marketer, this book definitely deserves to be on your coffee table. With a deep insight into trademarks and its meanings, it has covered each and every aspect that deals with trademark’s history, its evolution and its [...] -
Logo Design Review: Wikipedia
14 Dec 2009 | 10:40 pmEverybody is quite familiar with Wikipedia, the world’s largest online resource for content about everything. On January 15, 2001 when it was officially launched, the founder Jimmy Wales used the American flag “Old Glory” as its logo; but it turned out to be a bad idea and attracted widespread criticism. People called it “Ethno centric” biased [...] -
Origins of Twitter Logo
7 Dec 2009 | 11:45 pmWe are sorry to announce that the bird we all love and recognize is not Twitter’s official logo. Yet, still we see the bird everywhere representing twitter. Just to clarify things, this is twitter’s official logo: So where did the bird come from? The story of Twitter bird begins when someone at Twitter spotted an illustration of [...]
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The Branding Gavel
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Brand’s online activities: how to get real value
2 Feb 2010 | 4:19 pmLast Saturday at a meeting with one of my protégés, I was asked ‘Are you sure you are getting correspondence result in your personal brand’s effort online’? I said, it all depends on what individual is measuring or comparing his result with. Every thing that is worth doing is worth measuring. If a brand can not measure progress in any endeavor, there is a cause for alarm. Being a digital citizen costs a lot-at least in term of time investment. I asked ‘why are many developing nations’ citizens struggling to ‘play’ the yearly American Visa lottery if they do not attach… -
Personal branding: make your efforts count
31 Jan 2010 | 4:10 pmEveryday gives me an opportunity to learn and observe people around me. I learn from people who have been successful and those who are still on the radar of success as well as from a complete fool. In fact there is no one on the surface of the Earth that qualifies for such appellation as ‘complete fool”. The more we dig deep the more we find the wisdom in the lifestyle of someone we call fool. The kind of wisdom we may learn may not necessarily be what works but what may not work so one can distance his ways from such lifestyle. In a recent chat with a group of individuals, someone asked… -
Brand marketing: the tsunami still rages
27 Jan 2010 | 2:27 pmPrior to the first tsunami in Asia, tsunami is just a word in the dictionary. Most people did not know what the word stands for, how it operates. All of us could not imagine the huge impact an occurrence can have on humanity. This was followed by ‘Hurricane Katrina’ which was the USA version under George Bush. Since the second outbreak, wise nations have trained experts and put structures in place to forestall further outbreak or minimize its effects. There are lots of ‘tsunamis’ happening right in front us today within marketing communications industry. The level of disruption has… -
Brand survival in a distressed economy
24 Jan 2010 | 11:59 amThe sign of stressed economy is here today. It is obvious that little fund is being programmed to accomplish many tasks. Many individuals who have been victims of lay off may not even have enough to go round either for their families or themselves. The recession effects though seemed declining in advanced countries; most developing countries are still confused on the way out. I want to believe also that this situation is applicable to many personal brands in developing economy. Because mine country seemed to be among developing countries, I can not but once in a while be concerned with the… -
Brand communication: need for adaptation
18 Jan 2010 | 11:38 pmChange is a constant thing in life. Any brand that refuses to change on time with trend will discover too late that it is already in the graveyard. We are in the age of adaptation. A cursory look around will show signs of this. Before, many people cherished eating at home. Then they had enough time to cook their meals. Today the pressure on people’s time had opened opportunity for quick service restaurants to provide a stop gap in- between to help them out. Despite these signs many big brands still cling to the old ways of doing marketing business. The need for adaptation has being nailed…
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SIMON MAINWARING: BRANDING, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA
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Sally Hogshead’s ‘Fascinate’: Book review and giveaway
8 Feb 2010 | 10:26 pmThis week’s giveaway book is Sally Hogshead’s newly released, Fascinate. Inside Sally does a fantastic job of articulating exactly how and why fascination works and how you can use it to your advantage. Sally divides fascination into seven universal triggers: lust, mystique, prestige, power, vice, and trust providing an in-depth study of each. She then explores the [...] -
The bonds that bind us and how brands win us over
8 Feb 2010 | 10:47 amOrdinarily I wouldn’t write about this sort of thing as it’s so close to home but it’s such a wonderful example of how a brand can use service to its advantage. At Christmas I went home to Australia to visit my family. At LAX, my daughter was wandering through a store while waiting to board our [...] -
Guest interview: Sean Rad, CEO of Ad.ly on in-stream advertising, analytics and the future
3 Feb 2010 | 9:05 amFew companies launched on twitter with more bang than ad.ly. As an in-stream advertising platform that enables users to publish content and be paid for it, their arrival attracted a lot of discussion and exponential success. Sean kindly shares what they’re up to now, their new analytics tools for publishers and their plans for the future. Big [...] -
Brands beware: With the iPad things just got more confusing
1 Feb 2010 | 10:41 amSteve Jobs didn’t just launch the latest ‘must have’ consumer accessory last week. He unleashed the latest assault on everything we thought we knew as marketers. Faris Yacob responded the iPad launch with a great post about its impact on languaging. Appropriately entitled ‘The Medium Isn’t the Message’, he questioned – to paraphrase him – that when [...] -
Shel Israel’s, Twitterville: Book review and Giveaway
29 Jan 2010 | 9:10 amTwitterville is the first book in my new giveaway-extravaganza-bonanza-athon. Now I hear giveaways can get problematic so I’ll post some guidelines on my site shortly. But the goal here is just to keep going ideas flowing among us and to say thanks for your support. Here’s how it works. Every two weeks I’ll review a book [...]
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The Cause Is The Habit Holistic Brand Strategy Group
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Acknowledging failure isnt a failure – fail hard, fail spectacularly
8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 pmWe only think of failure as a bad thing when in actuality it couldn’t be better. Failure is what drives us to reinvigorate, reinvent, renew, refresh, restart. The only true failure is if you choose not to try again. Failure is what allows us to take our game to the next level. The only way you can turn failure into a positive experience is if you have a winner’s mindset. Winning isn’t everything. In fact, it’s only a very small percentage of everything. Winners have to go through a lot of failure before “it” happens. Winners are not made over night;… -
Why people gather
31 Jan 2010 | 4:27 pmWhy do people gather? For that matter why does anything gather? To be around like minds? To not be alone. As much as someone says they want to be alone they don’t. We all need others to define ourselves. Online and offline you’ll see people gathering naturally: Chat rooms Discussion boards Social networks Microblogging platforms Special events Clubs Concerts Museums These are places where people naturally come together around one centralized topic. If you look closer there are overlapping subtopics that look like many Venn Diagrams overlaid at once. They may have differing… -
Are you willing to be laughed at?
31 Jan 2010 | 3:34 pmIf you thought people would laugh at you before you did something would you do it? Do you think that if you did that’s brave? I do. There’s a certain amount of chutzpah that a trailblazer needs. Innovators, entrepreneurs, activists, creators – they all regularly put themselves on the line to be critiqued. Why do they allow themselves to be emotionally ripped apart day in an day out? The benefits outweigh the bruises. If you’re willing to risk humiliation for a huge reward you may just be one of them. Know this: it probably won’t come easy, there will be a lot of… -
Routines don’t give rise to revolutions (Albert Einstein’s bold move)
31 Jan 2010 | 12:48 pm“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” -Albert Einstein Albert Einstein started out working in a patent office [1] but clearly didn’t end up known as the best patent clerk in the world (although I can argue he was the most notorious). He changed his routine. He changed his world. Which brings me to a larger point – everything doesn’t last forever and will ultimately change. If you’re working at your job and have been for years in the same 9-5 Monday to Friday path look at it on two levels: macro and micro. On… -
What If Martin Luther King Jr and Gandhi Didnt? What If You Didnt?
30 Jan 2010 | 2:41 pmWhat if Martin Luther King Jr. never visited Gandhi? He may have not been affected “in a profound way, deepening his understanding of non-violent resistance and his commitment to America’s struggle for civil rights.” [1] What if Gandhi never faced discrimination in South Africa? (being thrown off a train, beaten by a stagecoach driver and barred by hotels) He may have not had the same experience as these “events were a turning point in his life, awakening him to social injustice and influencing his subsequent social activism.” [2] What if you don’t stand up…
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Art & Business of Motion
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Latest Sky 1 Ident Takes Shape for “24″
5 Feb 2010 | 3:16 amQuick bit of creative to share with your morning coffee. The new :30 ident comes to us from Sky and Director Jon Yeo featuring Annie Wersching from 24. They’ve provided me with some PreVis Comparison shots for those of you interested. Filed under: branding, ident Tagged: 24, ident, sky, sky 1 -
£500k London Rebrand Awarded to…
29 Jan 2010 | 5:34 amJust a quick followup from the (dramatic) review for a new brand consultancy to handle Greater London Authority’s (GLA) £500,000 rebrand of the city of London, which includes a new image and logo for the capital. The coveted rebrand has been awarded to Saffron. If you haven’t heard of them before, you might recognize Saffron’s chairman- Wally Olins (previously co-founded Wolff Olins), the consultancy behind the jagged 2012 Olympics Logo and AOL’s recent rebrand. The trend of working internationally with branding firms is an increasingly popular and persuasive… -
BBC Sport- Winter Olympics 2010 Animated Film
26 Jan 2010 | 7:00 amThe BBC has released an epic animated commercial (:40) to celebrate the upcoming coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The film was set around a legendary quest, “whereby an Inuit hero has to retrieve a spiritual stone that has been taken by a giant Bear from a mystical totem. In the process of his mission our hero draws on his skills in a series of challenging & physically brutal Olympic style sports to recover the precious ice locked stone, thus restoring light and peace to his dark and troubled world”. BBC Winter Olympics 2010 film, commissioned by BBC /… -
More from Al Jazeera’s 2009/2010 Rebrand
25 Jan 2010 | 12:28 amQatar: A pretty exclusive look at a bit more creative (including some original concept copy) from Al Jazeera and their latest rebrand. You can catch up with the earlier part of the campaign here. Al Jazeera Main Ident Original Creative Concept: “Water is an essential element for Al Jazeera. The ident starts with a globe filled with news information dropping into the ocean. Unlike the impression of the ocean we have, the world below is bright and warm from where countless particles emerge and spread. Every particle represents something that’s going on in the world. These particles… -
ESPN’s College Sports Network, ESPNU, Gets New Look
21 Jan 2010 | 7:22 amJust In: Launched nearly 5 years ago, ESPNU, the popular 24 hour college sports television network, has rebranded. The Charlotte, NC based channel was launched initially as a response to upstart CSTV (now CBS College Sports Network) and is now in approximately 46 million US homes. The 2010 ESPNU rebrand was developed by National Television, and extends the tagline “Never Graduate”. ESPN launched its fourth HD service on August 28, 2008, with the start of the college football season with ESPNU HD. Posted in branding, channel identity, ident, marketing Tagged: espn, espnu, rebrand
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Executive Resume Branding Blog
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100 Best CEOs in the World
4 Feb 2010 | 5:52 am100 Best CEOs in the World is a post from: Executive Resume Branding Based on various criteria defined through data collected on nearly 2,000 CEOs worldwide, Harvard Business Review ranked the top 100 CEOs who have done the best job running their companies over their entire time in office, or for those still on the job, up until September 30, 2009. Criteria used included: During their tenures, the CEOs had to post a total shareholder return of 997 percent (adjusted for exchange-rate effects). They had to raise company shareholder wealth by $48.2 billion (adjusted for inflation, dividends,… -
Sundays Without Social Media?
29 Jan 2010 | 7:55 amSundays Without Social Media? is a post from: Executive Resume Branding Are you semi-addicted to social media like I am? Can’t seem to disconnect for even one day a week? You know how it is. Portable devices like netbooks and Blackberries make it so easy to happily stay connected . . . endlessly. But is it really necessary to check emails on Sunday, when you know you won’t respond until Monday . . . or keep up with social networking, when nothing happening there will be so critical it can’t wait until Monday? Read about the goal I set for myself at Executive Career Brand. -
Dan Schawbel Interviews Seth Godin
25 Jan 2010 | 10:25 amDan Schawbel Interviews Seth Godin is a post from: Executive Resume Branding The February 2010 issue of Personal Branding Magazine will be on the digital stands on February 1. But you can get a free sample issue now! Volume 3, Issue 3 is about becoming so important to your company, your customers and the people around you, that they can’t live without you. When you’re valued in the marketplace, you’re wielding a powerful personal brand. Seth Godin reveals his hope for career revolutionaries who want to remain relevant in a world that is being transformed by the internet. -
Is Your Job Search Green?
22 Jan 2010 | 5:50 amIs Your Job Search Green? is a post from: Executive Resume Branding If you’re like a friend of mine, you need to print out every email sent to you to make it “real”. You can’t manage all those communications unless they’re in a pile in front of you. How seriously do you take the suggestion “Think before you print”, that we’re seeing more often at the bottom of environmentally-conscious emailers’ messages? Get some tips on greening your job search and home office in my blog post over at Executive Career Brand. -
Best Executive Networking Strategies
19 Jan 2010 | 8:14 amBest Executive Networking Strategies is a post from: Executive Resume Branding You probably hear it all the time if you’re job-hunting. Networking is the best way to identify and position yourself for new job opportunities. Reconnecting with your existing network and connecting with new people can help you tap into the “hidden job market” of unadvertised positions and new opportunities created around your unique promise of value. It’s okay to circle back to your neglected network and re-build. You also need to cast a far-reaching net to connect with people at your…
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SimpliFlying
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South Africa’s Kulula Airlines goes back to basics with Flying 101 re-branding
9 Feb 2010 | 2:08 amDid you ever know where the black box is located on a plane? Did you know what A.P.U stands for? Probably not, unless you’re a geek. Kulula Airlines of South Africa, which is known for its quirky branding, has come up with a solution – an airplane painted with facts about…the plane itself! Now here’s one plane that’s bound the become the kids’ favorite. In fact, I bet that adults would be intrigued too. I’d let the pictures do the talking, and you be the judge. Subscribe to the comments for this post? Tweet This! Share this on Facebook Share this on… -
Five Essential Imperatives For Your Airline’s Social Media Policy
8 Feb 2010 | 6:51 amSo you’ve got a sizeable social media presence for your airline over the past year. And now, the employees are starting to participate too. But there’s a constant tug of war, between Legal, Corp. Comms and Marketing – on how employees should and shouldn’t participate in social media. The solution? An airline-wide social media policy. What is a social media policy, you ask? Basically, it addresses the concerns that many airlines have when getting started in social media… What if an employee says something they shouldn’t? How do we respond to passenger… -
SimpliFlying in The Media: Reuters, CNBC, Channel News Asia, FlightGlobal, TODAY, Aviation Indian, Ole Kassow Inc, UpTake Travel Industry, Columbia Business School…
7 Feb 2010 | 8:37 amAIRSHOW-Quiet Singapore Airshow ends with fewer deals 5 Feb’10 || ReutersAviation IndiaIndian Business News Update … “It was disappointing, no commercial (aircraft) deals, everything was on MROs (maintenance, repair and overhaul). People even thought last year’s Dubai Airshow was disappointing,” said aviation analyst Shashank Nigam, who writes a blog on the industry… read more S’pore Airshow 2010 sees US$10b in deals, down 23% from 2008 show 5 Feb’10 || Channel News Asia … Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying, said: “I don’t… -
Social Media creates waves at the Singapore Airshow 2010
6 Feb 2010 | 6:38 amFor those who don’t follow aviation closely, the world’s third biggest airshow is taking place in Singapore right now. And there’re a number of things different about it. For one, there are no big plane orders expected, which is normally the most common at airshows. Also, unexpectedly, there’s a ton of social media infused into the happenings, which makes the airshow really hot. Here’s why. Journalism on steroids, powered by Social Media Generally at airshows, you get “daily digests” – thick printed booklets with a summary of all the happenings of the previous days at the… -
SimpliFlying recognized as one of the Top 3 aviation blogs at FlightGlobal Webbies
4 Feb 2010 | 5:49 pmThis is an awesome week for SimpliFlying: The Airshow social media campaign has been going very well and I’ve been featured on CNBC, Channel NewsAsia and a host of other media outlets, as far as Latvia! Amidst all the airshow excitement, SimpliFlying was announced as the world’s second best aviation blog by Reed Business Information’s head of Blogging, Adam Tinworth and Vice President Cabin Design Office at Airbus, Jonathan Norris in The Webbies 2009 – Flightglobal Aviation Web Awards. We’re really excited about this and it’s a great recognition of our continued…
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FluidMedia: Overflow
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Email Marketing: A Content Distribution Method That Works
26 Jan 2010 | 8:40 pmI have been co-hosting a weekly podcast called The Bella Buzz with the CEO of Bella Web Design, Desiree Scales. We have good conversations about topics related to online marketing. Thought it would be a good time to start replicating the programs here for the Overflow audience. This is episode 37. It is time to talk about Email Marketing as a topic on The Bella Buzz podcast. We take a look at the rationale for adding this distribution channel into the marketing strategy, some of the vendors who can provide the services, and even have a direct example of what email marketing can achieve. -
WordCamp Atlanta 2010 and The Use of the Wordpress Platform
12 Jan 2010 | 6:51 pmI have been co-hosting a weekly podcast called The Bella Buzz with the CEO of Bella Web Design, Desiree Scales. We have good conversations about topics related to online marketing. Thought it would be a good time to start replicating the programs here for the Overflow audience. This is episode 35. It’s all about Wordpress and the WordCamp Atlanta on this week’s episode of The Bella Buzz. Desiree braved the icy roads of Atlanta to attend the Conference on Saturday for a chance to network with over 200 attendees interested in hearing about best practices and upcoming… -
Bella Buzz: Collaboration on Predictions for the Online World in 2010
18 Dec 2009 | 7:57 amI have been co-hosting a weekly podcast called The Bella Buzz with the CEO of Bella Web Design, Desiree Scales. We have good conversations about topics related to online marketing. Thought it would be a good time to start replicating the programs here for the Overflow audience. This is episode 33. We have a lot of fun on this week’s edition of the Bella Buzz podcast, as Desiree and Joe roll out their predictions for 2010. We take a look at things we may be speaking about at this time next year, simply as a way to keep the radar up for things we should be following. We spoke… -
Be Fluid For Your Community
13 Oct 2009 | 9:21 pmThis 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
21 Sep 2009 | 7:34 pmThis 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…
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Fresh Thinking Starts Here
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Why We Should Replace Case Studies With Fairytales
25 Jan 2010 | 1:25 pmWhen I read fables or fairytales or princess stories to my daughters (ages 6 and 2.5) they are always able to separate the lessons/morals embedded in these stories from the context of the stories themselves. For instance, they understand that if the message of a story involving princesses and an evil witch is that you should be nice to each other, this doesn't just apply to princesses and witches. They never say: "Well that's all fine and good, but it clearly doesn't apply to me because I am neither a princess nor a witch and, quite frankly, I'm a little annoyed… -
The Case For Dumping Tiger
7 Dec 2009 | 1:28 pmLet's get this out of the way right from the start - I have no official opinion on the recent headlines surrounding Tiger Woods and his personal life. In my opinion, his private life ought to be private. He is a golfer who should be admired for his accomplishments on the golf course. But off the golf course, he's just another human being. I don't condone the activities he's being accused of, but I'm neither a friend nor relative of his and he owes me nothing (other than to put on a good show when he's in a golf tournament I've paid to watch). And… -
How a Home Run Idea Strikes Out
2 Dec 2009 | 6:41 amWas doing some catalog reading last night in anticipation of the holidays and came across the following product in the Brookstone catalog:Pretty neat idea, I thought, upon first glance. I definitely know some sports fans (not Red Sox fans, mind you, but I guess they had to choose one for the pic...) who might enjoy this.After taking a closer look, though, it dawned on me that this might not be the best gift after all... You see, by placing the Home score on the left and the Visitor score on the right, they have virtually guaranteed that for the majority of the day your team will be losing… -
Question Assumptions. Check Facts. Conclude Responsibly.
1 Dec 2009 | 7:29 amFaulty Assumptions + Inertia = Group Think Gone Bad.While I'm sure that this has always been a problem inherent to human nature, the relatively recent boon of social media has caused it to explode. Here's a quick synopsis of how it seems to work:1 - someone of relatively high esteem to a certain subgroup of the marketing community addresses a topic, provides his/her perspective of the relevant facts, and makes a bold and attention grabbing conclusion (usually about how ridiculous the actions of other marketers in a certain situation have been).2 - the subgroup of folks who hold… -
Amex Embraces Social Media...IN PRINT!
4 Nov 2009 | 12:03 pmI 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…
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Unbound Edition
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Why Brands Should Strive for Imperfection
9 Feb 2010 | 6:34 amWe've seen and heard this commercial a thousand times, the one with the flawless model posing in an ad for facial-blemish cream... an extremely powerful cleaner that removes every trace of dirt in one effortless wipe... the picture-perfect baby modeling the 100% waterproof diaper. In these scenarios, there's not even a hint of a single red spot, a stubborn stain, or a bedraggled mother. This is the story of the past 50 years of commercials, and they all have one thing in common: perfect brands in perfect environments. But there is a strong case to be made for imperfection. Nothing is ever… -
Do-It-Yourself Super Ads
9 Feb 2010 | 6:33 amBe afraid, Madison Avenue. Be very afraid. That seems to be the message in the aftermath of the crowded, frenetic advertising bowl that took place inside Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday. Among those commercials consistently deemed most effective, memorable and talked-about, many were created or suggested by consumers — or produced internally by the sponsors — rather than the work of agency professionals. -
Foursquare Inks Deals With Major Media and Entertainment Brands
9 Feb 2010 | 6:33 amHello, Hollywood. On the heels of the Foursquare-Bravo TV deal, news of several additional major media partnerships involving the location-based social networking app have dropped this evening. According to various reports, Zagat, Warner Bros., HBO, the History Channel and ExploreChicago have all been added to Foursquare’s media and entertainment mix. Here are the partnerships that appear to be live or coming very soon: -
Microsoft Seals Ad Deal With Interpublic
9 Feb 2010 | 6:33 amMicrosoft is getting cozier with Madison Avenue. The software company is partnering with advertising holding company Interpublic Group in a deal that will make Microsoft the go-to ad technology provider for the U.S. offices of ad giant's agencies, including McCann-Erickson, Deutsch, Hill Holliday and The Martin Agency. Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., slashed its undisclosed rates, so that its ad server Atlas will become the default technology to deliver ads and analyze their performance. -
One Word: Networks
9 Feb 2010 | 6:32 amRead Bud Caddell's latest addition to The Library of Agency-of-the-Future-Prognostications: Who says the future needs an advertising agency? Between the post and the 50-some comments it's one of the most clear, comprehensive, and thoughtful summations of the industry's evolution that I've come across. After I read it, one word was echoing in my brain: Networks. The difference between what everyone has been doing, and what everyone needs to do is networks. We no longer create messages and experiences for groups of individuals; rather we create integrated experiences across all media…
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JKR Blog
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Why copycats never prosper
9 Feb 2010 | 1:05 amLast month, Dyson launched legal action against rival Vax, accusing the brand of copying one of Dyson’s first ‘bagless’ inventions. While Dyson claim an infringement of its registered design, Vax are adamant that the new product is an evolution of the original design (produced 15 years ago). Dyson has vowed to “set a precedent on behalf of all designers” so it’s nice to see someone willing to stand up and fight for the integrity of their design. Whatever the courts decide, I think the styling of the Vax so closely mirrors Dyson’s that it can only feel like a pale imitation. -
Gucci recycle advertising
8 Feb 2010 | 12:42 amLast year’s recession-inspired fashion for brands to evoke nostalgia from their past glories shows no sign of abating. But Gucci’s re-use of classic campaigns from the 60’s to sell its new watch designs feels like a relevant and clever way to plunder the archives. The shots featuring model Veruschka could have been taken last week. At a time when a luxury brand purchase might seem frivolous, the sense of timeless style evoked here is a really smart move. Playing a similar trick, Schweppes has had plenty of publicity for these shrink-wrapped retro bottles which also recycle vintage… -
A safer pint glass – “designer” lager in the best sense
5 Feb 2010 | 2:22 amAt a recent talk, Anthony Rose, a key founder of BBC iPlayer, cautioned against backing innovations which were, in effect, solutions looking for supposed problems. Conversely, there are plenty of genuine problems which we live with daily yet never seem to get fixed. One is the use of pint glasses as weapons (87,000 violent incidents in the UK per year). Even set against the 126 million pints served in the UK weekly, it’s a ghastly figure. On behalf of the dauntingly named “Design & Technology Alliance Against Crime”, the Design Council and Design Bridge have collaborated to find a… -
The Toyota recall - How do you brand bad news?
4 Feb 2010 | 2:56 amThe answer, typically, seems to be “you don’t”. When the proverbial hits the fan for a brand, it’s common to hear criticism in the media that a corporate response is slow to arrive and fails to give appropriate clarity and reassurance. Obviously, crisis management for brands is broadly within the sphere of PR. Nevertheless, official releases are effectively branded communication. I guess the general principle is to keep things as bland as possible. This not only reflects the gravity of the situation, but makes the topic as visually unmemorable as possible. The corporation takes the… -
Want a cool brief? Make it happen!
3 Feb 2010 | 12:45 amBrooklyn agency The Rooster Design Group have hit on a neat idea. They asked a group of local culinary hopefuls (140 candidates winnowed down to 5) to enter their “The Next Big Small Brand Contest for Culinary Genius” competition. The prize? Free design consultancy to make a great product into a viable brand. Rooster’s founder (the wonderfully named) Fernando Music told the New York Times “(we) had some real head-scratchers. Insects as nutritional supplements, positioned as a food that was borderline vegetarian. The insect ingredient would either be ground or mixed into the food…
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Right Brain/Left Brain Marketing
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Cuban Calls Google a Vampire
4 Feb 2010 | 11:31 pmIf you haven’t already heard about Mark Cuban calling Google a “vampire” check out the story at Salon. I don’t think I have a ton to add here except. Hurray! Of course, that hurray might come at the cost of this site ever being found in a search on Google again. Nevertheless, hurray! Traditional media has been caving in for years now, when they should have been fighting back. As the Salon article states, this isn’t a new refrain, but it is a memorable one. And maybe it’s one the the industry can get behind in cooperation mode. Of course, it’s a crazy… -
In-Flight Safety Videos: Brand Communication?
21 Jan 2010 | 5:58 amOn a flight to Chicago recently I saw Delta/Northwest’s new in flight safety video. It looked great. Professionally shot. Attractive presenter. Even a little character. I actually found myself watching it instead of ignoring it. And lo and behold, like any good “brand communication” it made me feel better about the airline. Once I got home, I was happy to find out the Delta/Northwest wasn’t the only carrier expressing their brand and improving their experience in this way. Take a look at a few of the better ones. Delta/Northwest Air New Zealand Virgin America -
Social Media is part of your brand. Don’t let it stand alone.
17 Jan 2010 | 11:53 pmA brand is built of many things; advertising, promotions, PR, partnerships, history, customer service and corporate culture to name a few. When these things come together in just right way they form a strong brand. A strong brand provides consistent messaging, and a look, feel and tone that generally espouse the same promises and priorities to the customer. But what seems to be happening more and more today is the inadvertent weakening of corporate and product brands. And it’s being done in the name of social media. When a TV, radio or print ad is created the utmost attention is paid to… -
10 Marketing Predictions for 2010
7 Jan 2010 | 10:55 pmOk, so who the heck am I to make predictions? Well, I’ve never done this before, but this year I’m “feeling it”. So here it goes in no particular order. 1. Social Media will get bigger at the cost of Brand I realize that saying social media will grow is not a huge leap to take. But I think there is plenty of good and bad to go with this. Companies will be using SoMed to communicate better with their customer (the good) and in more ways (also good). But I fear that they will be sacrificing their brand integrity, (the bad) while doing it. Brand Expectation, what people expect from… -
Great Review of Marketing in 2009
3 Jan 2010 | 4:48 pmWelcome back! I hope everyone’s holidays were what you wanted them to be. But now, back to business. My favorite way to welcome in the new year is to review what we just went through. From a marketing standpoint, there are few better ways to do that than to check out Contagious Magazine’s “Most Contagious 2009″. Click below to download it, or follow the link to download it from Contagious’ website. MostContagious2009 http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/2009/12/most_contagious_2009.php
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Oculus
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Refresh your world
7 Feb 2010 | 6:56 pmGlobally Pepsi has a new look and it’s being promoted by the “refresh your world” campaign.In the run up to Chinese New Year there’s a poster campaign at bus stops in Singapore.The new campaign is supposed to make the brand younger and fresher.What’s missing are vending machines at the bus stops... -
Chocolate Sparkling
31 Jan 2010 | 6:31 pmCreative? Innovative? Or Weird?I’m having trouble getting my head round this Suntory Chocolate sparkling new beverage just launched in January.A clear soda with the taste of chocolate.Difficult to imagine that it will be around in 12 months time but it’s so easy to be wrong with new products like this; there is a lot of Twitter activity in Japanese which will certainly prompt a lot of trial purchase.Next up, dark chocolate sparkling? -
JR East buys Kinokuniya
25 Jan 2010 | 11:47 pmNews is coming out of Tokyo that JR East has agreed to buy Kinokuniya’s supermarket business.The deal will be effective from 1st April 2010, the start of the Japanese financial year.JR East has plans to raise its non transportation revenue streams dramatically particularly other from retailing and life style ventures.None of the reports I’ve seen so far quote any value on the deal.Kinokuniya supermarkets are most famous for their Aoyama store and they also have a nano-retailing fascia called Omo which can be found in some subway stations.Whether JR East, which boasts daily passenger… -
Social Media Statistics
24 Jan 2010 | 5:49 pmNielsen has published some fascinating data on the amount of time consumers spend on social media sites.For instance Facebook’s numbers surged in 2009, doubling their 2008 total.The data for LinkedIn shows room for improvement; their visitor numbers dropped marginally in 2009 from 2008.I found the country stats the most interesting. Aussies, Americans and Brits spend around 6 hours a month on these sites, whereas Japan’s numbers were significantly lower at around 2 hours.Is because Facebook and Twitter are less popular? What’s for sure is that these figures are averages and so we can… -
Tough times for global retailers?
17 Jan 2010 | 5:04 pmI sometimes visited Carrefour in Amagasaki near Kobe, which continued to be branded as Carrefour despite having been taken over by Aeon after the retailer exited Japan.Now this fascia is about to disappear.There was huge hype when Carrefour originally launched in Japan and I well recall visiting their first store in Makuhari near Tokyo; more of the customers were sales people from FMCG companies wondering what this foreign invasion would herald, rather than genuine buyers.Aeon’s success at globalisation has faced challenges too, strong in Japan, present in some parts of South East Asia and…
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On Brands
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Troubled Toyota
5 Feb 2010 | 10:38 amPhoto credit: angusw on FlickrI feel compelled to share some thoughts on Toyota’s brand troubles. Jim Lentz, president of U.S. Toyota sales, acknowledges that the situation is embarrassing, “but it doesn’t mean we (have) lost our edge on quality.” Maybe not. But here’s the problem. First we learned of the accelerator problem. And now we’re hearing about braking problems with the Lexus and Prius. If we just had the accelerator issue, consumers might be willing to give Toyota the benefit of the doubt. But with other problems coming to light, consumers may now… -
Brand Aid for Haiti
17 Jan 2010 | 9:22 pmI can’t imagine watching helplessly as my own daughter struggled for survival, pinned down by some steel bar, unable to escape the rubble of a major earthquake. I also can’t imagine hearing her cries, knowing I could do little to help. The very thought is unbearable. I came across this story on CNN. And, sadly, the story ended tragically. Though freed from the wreckage, this poor girl didn’t make it. Doctors couldn’t save her, devastating her family and all those involved in the rescue effort. So many heart wrenching, tragic stories are coming out of what was already one of the… -
When Asking for Fans or Followers, Be Remarkable
12 Jan 2010 | 1:19 pmI picked up skis for two of my kids last Monday. On that same day, I bought a sandwich. The next day, I became a Facebook fan of Boyne Country Sports, where I purchased the skis. And on that same next day, I had forgotten about the sandwich, which I’d found a bit too plain for my taste. Now, here’s a look at the design of the large banners I saw hanging from the ceiling of the Boyne Country Sports store as I bustled through with two pairs of skis in my arms. In contrast, take a look at the strip of roughly cut paper taped to the cash register at the sandwich shop. Now you answer me… -
Should Nike Drop Tiger?
15 Dec 2009 | 12:35 pmTo drop him or not to drop him? That is the question sponsors like Nike are facing in the ongoing drama of the Tiger Woods scandal. I was disappointed to hear about Tiger Woods’ transgressions. His behavior didn’t match with my image of him, of what I had come to expect from him. And without a doubt, I’m not the only one who feels let down! Tiger has disappointed hundreds of thousands of fans, supporter and partners. He’s promised to redeem himself, but certainly those efforts will take time. Accenture has chosen to drop Tiger. Nike, seemingly, is preparing to stand by… -
Life and Brand Reminders from the Pink Glove Dance
6 Dec 2009 | 10:29 amWow, I love the latest viral YouTube sensation: the Pink Glove Dance from the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, and Medline, a privately-held manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies and services. The video features more than 200 hospital employees, everyone from doctors, nurses, lab techs and administrators to kitchen and janitorial staff. Shot early in November, everyone in the video is wearing pink latex gloves (provided by Medline), and they dance and sing to Jay Sean’s R&B song “Down. Prepare to be inspired! See the video below. The…
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designdamage - Strategy + Design: Social Branding
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What Should You Consider When Integrating Social Media
9 Feb 2010 | 1:15 amAs we progress into 2010, the rapid growth of social media has allowed more access to information, consumers, communities, and experiences. This new medium has enabled a new way to communicate and share, from B2C to B2B marketers are all trying to figure out an edge. Many brands start to focus on the hybrid approach which I believe will be the next phase of digital and web marketing. The question is what role will it play in the marketing arsenal? Here are 3 steps to consider when integrating social media to your marketing practices: Brand Strategy Reassessment Understand the changing… -
B2C Social Media Marketing Tips To Kickoff 2010
31 Dec 2009 | 8:19 amI’ve been busy with end of the year work and now I’m back on track. For those of you that follow the designdamage blog since the beginning, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the support and hope I can continue to provide value for your time. Although no new entries were posted for the past weeks, I continue to follow industry trends and send out useful content via my Twitter account. You can follow me via @designdamage Now back to work. After reviewing some important data and content from 2009, I’ve come to these conclusions that in 2010 social media will follow the… -
3 Web Marketing Trends That Will Accelerate in 2010 – (Part 2)
22 Oct 2009 | 2:54 amIt 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
15 Oct 2009 | 1:19 amWhen 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
6 Oct 2009 | 12:21 amIn 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…
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Brandtelling
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What can we learn from the Black Eyed Peas about Brandtelling and inspiration?
31 Jan 2010 | 1:04 pmwill.i.am via last.fm The Black Eyed Peas are sure to win a Grammy Award tonight — likely more than one. And no wonder. The Black Eyed Peas are Brandtellers! They know their audience, they know themselves and they know their brand story. They also know a thing or two about inspiration. According to bandleader, Will.i.am: When inspiration calls, you pick up the phone and give it directions to your house. Pretty good advice for any business, I’d say. -
Can you write a killer case study?
3 Dec 2009 | 6:32 pmGet this as a downloadable PDF! A case study is an opportunity to tell your story – in your customer’s voice. It’s not a sales letter or a data sheet – it’s much more. Avoid “salesy” language and your internal terminology. Industry jargon is fine, but spell out first references. Remember to be as specific as possible. Whenever possible, use actual numbers, including cost savings, revenue gains, sales growth, return on investment ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) or life value. Don’t be afraid to include a strong customer quotes throughout your case study. You want to hear… -
How can you align marketing with the customer buying process?
28 Oct 2009 | 12:14 pmToday’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?
21 Oct 2009 | 8:06 pmWho 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?
8 Oct 2009 | 10:38 amI 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…
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Blackcoffee's Blog | Thoughts & Notions
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Change is Inevitable
1 Feb 2010 | 8:50 amChange is inevitable. The question is, how do you make it work in your favor? Early on in our business a client gave us some brilliant advice. He stated“If you find yourself in the same business you were in ten years ago, you’ll soon find yourself out of business.” His words are amplified by the fact that technology is eroding entire industries only to create new ones. This has, now doubt, caused everyone to re-evaluate who they are and where they stand. As you do so, we suggest that you ask yourself some questions: • What areas of our business will still be viable in ten years? •… -
A Product is NOT a Brand
18 Jan 2010 | 8:23 amHaving a great product is no longer a guarantee of success. A Bain & Co. survey notes that 80 percent of CEOs believe that their product is differentiated, but only 8 percent of consumers agree. To truly stand out in the market, a product must embody the characteristics of its brand. But, with all the hoopla around branding, it’s no wonder that companies are continually lured into believing that their brand is their product and their product is their brand. Many companies fail to achieve their branding goals because they mistake their brand for their product, service or technology. -
Branding & Social Media
28 Dec 2009 | 9:51 amAn overwhelming number of social media “experts” are calling for companies to surrender control of their brands to a social media empowered public. Even Forrester Research went as far as to suggest that the day of the “brand manager” is dead, calling for a complete overhaul of marketing, in which brand managers are replaced by “brand advocates.” Consumers and companies have always co-owned their brands. Remove either the company or the consumers from the equation and the brand ceases to exist. Brand managers simply manage the relationship, by managing expectations. So, what’s… -
Coca-Cola and Santa Claus
14 Dec 2009 | 9:30 amContrary to what some believe, Santa Claus was not created by the Coca-Cola Company, but rather was a combination of many myths and legends, cultures and influences. Snopes confirms that the myth is just that. However, in the spirit of the holiday we have provided a brief history of Jolly Old St Nick. The American version of Santa Claus was brought to New York by 17th century Dutch settlers. They called him “Sinter Klaas.” The name “St. A Claus” appeared in the American press as early as 1773. But it was Washington Irving who, in 1809, first popularized Saint Nicholas with his History… -
The “Value” of Brand
30 Nov 2009 | 12:22 pmMarketing and finance don’t always see eye to eye on the subject of branding (or should we say, the value of branding). Many creatives don’t fully understand the numbers and few finance people can quantify or qualify creative. These issues may stem from semantics, as each defines “value” quite differently. Depending on whether you’re on the marketing side or the financial side of the business, branding is either viewed as an investment or as an expense. Those who see it as an expense, are unlikely to see returns, and those who can’t articulate the value that branding can bring are…
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core
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Comments temporarily closed due to spam attack
4 Feb 2010 | 5:14 amSince last night, the amount of spam registered on this Web site has increased by 2000%. Because of these circumstances, I have closed the option to leave comments. If you would like to leave a comment for an article, please e-mail me your note and I will add the comment manually. This is a temporary solution until I have figured out a better way. -
Looking for a free project management tool
27 Dec 2009 | 10:07 amProject management seems to be the holy grail of collaboration software. There are dozens of products out there, some of them sharing the same approach of a task-based workflow. Some of these tools rely on the Scrum method, others just use tickets to burn down, or even more agile workflow principles. I did some research today, and most of the tools I encountered use monthly subscription models. In fact I could not find a single solution that would allow free usage beyond a 30 day trial limitation. I have three projects which I need to organize and restructure, and since Basecamp stopped its… -
My Web 2.0 Expo speech proposal
3 Dec 2009 | 4:21 amEver since my first attendance of the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco I wanted to be part of it. But it took me almost three years to find the right topic, with research to back it up, and of course enough time to actually write and send in a proposal to apply for participation. Here it is. There is no Social Media (Or, How Brands Will Survive The Internet) A great gap is opening right now. A separation between consumers and vendors, brands and the people living with them. In this changing era of media, one kind doesn’t know what drives the other, so it seems. While some companies are… -
Looking for Web developers
16 Nov 2009 | 4:36 pmI am currently looking for Web developers with the following skills: Extensive experience in Ruby on Rails or Python development HTML 4 (or HTML 5) experience CSS 3, JavaScript, AJAX Database experience such as MySQL or equivalent databases This is a freelance job for a startup project with an application idea, not a fixed position. It is ok if your skill set only covers a portion of these requirements. The idea is to form a small team and expand from there. Job applications should be sent by e-mail, containing a couple of URLs and a brief description of your experience. Feel free to comment… -
A broader view
14 Nov 2009 | 4:09 pmThe Core website just received an overhaul. Not much has changed, except for the overall page width, which is now 960 pixels wide — just below the mark of 1024 pixels width. The width of 960 pixels is used by many frameworks these days, for one because it makes calculations easy, allowing you to set up a grid pattern. Secondly, it still fits in a browser window with the scrollbar taking up to 20 pixels off. A few tweaks were necessary to match the new page width: slight changes in font sizes, padding and margin for some elements. There may be still a few glitches in the system, so…
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Girvin Strategic Branding Design Blog
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The idea of attention
8 Feb 2010 | 4:05 amExploring the concept of storytelling, and the nature of attentive reception: brand, life and design. If you’re telling a story, brand related or otherwise, who’s paying attention? Returning from a design summit, in Florida, there was a series of conversations about passion, commitment, brand drive. And the work of design. Connecting with the students, that idea drilled in — what passion will, shall, must drive them, in relation to the work? In telling a story to someone, any kind of person, any kind of company, it’s about attention. What are you paying attention to? -
Principled brands that die: Phi
5 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pmAttitude, growth, solutions, strategy, design, charisma, trend leadership and responsiveness. Brands that live and brands that die. There’s a curious challenge in the realm of celebrity brand development. Some evolve happily, growing, selling up, selling out and moving onwards into their own reach of market place. Working with the founding team of Urban Decay, Wende Zomnir and Sandy Lerner (the cofounder of Cisco Systems). The visionary character there is about creating something — a certain shade of color, for example — that before that time hadn’t… -
The Signature of a Brand | Human Handwriting and Character
3 Feb 2010 | 3:49 amExamining the idea of brand, signature and personality I was thinking about the idea of hand-writing and the character of the person. By a typical extrapolation, I’d liken the brand to the human — in the warmed sense that brand is more than merely the skin of enterprise, but rather a more soulful, even psychic propositioning. And, as that skin might relate to the brand’s superficial distinctions of marketing and communications gear, so too might the signature be emblematic of the person. In reading a recent piece in the New York Times, I reflected on the nature of the… -
Modernist Type Design | Signing, Messaging and Way Finding
2 Feb 2010 | 10:22 amThe right type — communicating simple, elegant pathways in environmental graphic design. I was standing in the subway, NY Transit Authority (MTA) — the proverbial NYC subway system and thinking about the complexity of the way-finding system there. Frankly, it doesn’t always work. More than once (probably more than a dozen times, actually) I’ve headed down one corridor, and ended uptown express when really I was looking for a downtown local. Who hasn’t? But the real consideration relates to the complex science of moving people around. Way-finding. The idea to the… -
The sense of the book: iPad / eBook interface
1 Feb 2010 | 4:07 amThe sentience of reading experience: Kindle vs. iPad, an exploration of dimensionality. This from GadgetLab: “But some die-hard e-reader fans like Len Edgerly, who hosts the weekly Kindle Chronicles podcast, say pretty e-books aren’t as big a draw as some would think. “When I am reading, I don’t want to be too distracted,” he says. “It’s about the words, and when I read the Kindle, it seems to bring me closer to the author’s words. That’s essence of reading to me.” I’d challenge that proposition. The curious positioning represents a kind of sensible split —…
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More Than A Logo
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Vision Dissemination
7 Feb 2010 | 2:34 pmI’m a fan of David Armano’s infographics, as they do a great job of visually explaining complex concepts. You can find these images here, or on David’s blog, Logic + Emotion.This week, I found a couple of Armano’s infographics on Flickr that I felt communicated the essence of branding.I particularly enjoy the above image because it illustrates how an organization’s vision is spread throughout the company, and how the products & services then reflect and influence the vision.Often, I refer to the vision as the brand purpose, which is the reason the organization is in business. -
Tiger: The Bad Boy of Golf?
31 Jan 2010 | 4:05 pmRecently, I read the Vanity Fair article on Tiger Woods. I think the cover shot by Annie Leibovitz perfectly depicts the new direction of the Woods brand - bad boy.Pre-scandal, Woods was the golden boy of golf - outstanding performance, control, integrity & grace. It was no wonder so many brands wanted to align with his personal brand - they wanted some of his golden boy magic associated with their image!But now, with the uncovering of Woods' infidelities, his reputation will never go back to its once squeaky clean self. It will be too hard for the public to trust him as a squeaky clean… -
Ferrari - The 599 or The T-shirt?
24 Jan 2010 | 9:08 pmA few weeks ago my boyfriend told me about an article he read in an EVO magazine around the Ferrari brand and how it is painting everything red and placing the company’s logo on it! I instantly thought – what a way to dilute your brand and begin to devalue it. But after reading the article, my opinion changed! Instead, I think this is a great way to continue to feed the aspiration for the brand!Ferrari is about performance and the passion for racing! Ferrari has been designing some of the most sought after vehicles for close to 60 years – engineering cars that give people the chance to… -
The Evolution of Brand
17 Jan 2010 | 8:00 pmThis past week, I read a great article by Paul Worthington, the head of strategy for Wolff Olins New York - a brand organization I greatly respect!His article talks about the evolution of brand moving from a unique selling proposition to an experience selling proposition. What I liked most about the article was its reference to the importance in brand consistency through actions (i.e. innovations, product development, services, etc.) in developing a strong brand in today's market.Because I feel this article should be shared, I have posted it below, with the permission of Paul, for you to… -
The New Aol.
16 Jan 2010 | 7:24 amIn December, AOL ended its relationship with Time Warner and became a publicly held company, and with that, came the launch of its new brand – identity and all! Wolff Olins was the mastermind consulting on this re-branding initiative! I was interested to see the response to the re-branding work: “What happened to branding having meaning and actually having set out rules. These are just as bad as the little logos- meaningless, and just look like someone playing around. Very pretty, but why not choose one 'look' and run with that, rather than doing loads and being vague?” “This new Aol…
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Healthy Conversations
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Inspiration for healthcare brand marketers who want to imagine and create new value
9 Feb 2010 | 6:36 amInspiration is often found where you least expect it. Looking at alternate categories far away from where you concentrate your sights each day often yields new ideas about how to create new and greater value for current customers, and how to create new demand among non-customers. On this kind of search for another client (based on criteria of digital channel, destination site, big following, passionate participants), we found www.legoclick.com. The meta description is “a little place on the Internet celebrating creativity and the everyday moments of inspiration that LEGO enthusiasts… -
Changing online priorities for healthcare marketers in 2010
8 Feb 2010 | 5:54 amFor ISITE Design’s 2010 Web Strategy Report, they surveyed 268 organizations (from startups to Fortune 100; executives, marketers and web experts) on their outlook and approach to the web. Here are the results of one of their key survey questions: Key insight is that organizations are placing more of a priority on interacting with their customers in ways they value and want versus merely talking at them. Results bear this out, as 73.5% of respondents indicated that “Social media” was either a new priority or more of a focus, followed by customer measures including user… -
Climbing the engagement ladder – how healthcare marketers can create greater value for their audiences
2 Feb 2010 | 7:56 amHow can your healthcare organization create new and greater value for patients and expand the role of your organization in their lives? Climb the engagement ladder. There are five steps: Step 1: Converse. Though it’s the first step, you’ve acknowledged that to engage a patient, you need to move away from what your organization wants to say to what they want to hear and achieve. You understand that it’s not your story that matters, but theirs. To this end, you’ve integrated social media platforms alongside your traditional (talking at them) media. Step 2: Transact. This… -
Healthcare marketers – are you still at the center of your attention?
29 Jan 2010 | 7:06 amThis article – Just Shut Up And Listen? – originally appeared in the October issue of Accenture’s Outlook. It contrasts the recent past when life for marketers was far more simple (i.e. we talk and you listen), with today’s conversation-based practices. The article also provides eight actions that you can take immediately to more meaningfully engage, and create more value for, your customers: 1. Monitor and measure sentiment. Gauge your customers’ needs, how they feel about you, their level of satisfaction, what competitors are up to. There’s absolutely no reason… -
How to drive transformation through your healthcare brands
24 Jan 2010 | 6:37 amHealthcare brands that are fueled by a powerful core idea, and managed with a delicate balance of imagination and precision, have the ability to transform both organizations and their audiences. Here are six tips for driving brand-led transformation: 1. Step outside of your box. Consider what you might be, and not what you are. Perpetuate the status quo and you’ll never see beyond what you already know. Question deeply held assumptions, consider the business from a new angle, and generate innovative ideas and ways to change consumer behavior. Consider Humana, a health insurance company…
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Brandlessons
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Disconnecting to Reconnect: 3 Lessons for the New “Brand” Manager.
8 Feb 2010 | 3:09 pmIt’s been almost 2 months since my last blog post and I know you “should” be doing this once a week. But something hit me before the Holiday break. I was up at 4 in the morning and the first thing I checked (instead of taking a Tylenol PM and going back to bed) was [...] -
The 3 Phases of Digital Branding: Phase One- Get to the Core!
14 Dec 2009 | 6:45 amOftentimes we run across avenues in our professional lives that lead us to accurately define our roles. Mine? I would consider myself a digital brand evangelist. I got my start designing websites and moved onto to creative direction and then brand management. This is the role that has been naturally carved for me. I didn’t [...] -
Brands That Are Thankful Are Brands That Are Still Alive: A Few Ways That Brands Should Give Thanks
24 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pmI have a motto in my house: “Before we recieve, we give thanks.” That’s it. Plain and simple. It drives my wife nuts, but the commercialization of the Holiday season drives me nuts! I mean, come on! Christmas music at the beginning of November! I haven’t got over my candy high from Halloween! Okay. Enough [...] -
This is Why Phillips is Still One of the Strongest Brands Out there!
12 Nov 2009 | 8:03 am -
What Mini Elvis Taught Me About Branding
23 Oct 2009 | 1:43 pmThe 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 [...]
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brandcowboy
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The assault on choice.
28 Jan 2010 | 11:30 amThis year, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Naomi Klein’s cannonball into the shallow end of capitalism’s swimming pool, I decided to reread No Logo. A decade later, it still amazes me. It’s deceptively unsurprising that I wouldn’t be a fan of a book that opposes the existence of brands. But the reason might surprise you a little. You see, I share her outrage at some of the conduct corporations have perpetrated in the name of profit, since the Industrial Revolution, frankly. My problem is not the observation of those things or the imperative to make them right. My problem is that… -
Redemption Road.
29 Dec 2009 | 4:57 pmThe little town where I spend part of my time is home to only about 1300 people. But today, for reasons best known to the mandarins of the organizing committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the Olympic torch paid a visit. If you look closely at the picture above, you’ll see it, held bravely aloft by 79 year-old Gertie Gowan, who walked it half the length of our main street grinning like a schoolgirl. It was a curiously reassuring end to a long, strange year. By any rational measure, 2009 has been a tough year for anybody who depends on the belief of others to sustain… -
All your base.
17 Dec 2009 | 10:55 amThis was written as a guest blog for a fascinating web project called 5brand, which was created by some very switched-on branding people in Brazil. You should visit them and see if you can answer their provocative question: Could you define yourself with only 5 brands? To me, 5brand was irresistible. I couldn’t wait to answer the question, and I did it with ease. But then, like most of the people who joined the 5brand party early, I am in the branding business. What reaction, I wondered, will this experiment get from a more typical mall-cruising consumer? Could they even perform the task? -
Begging to differ.
20 Nov 2009 | 2:51 pmAfter a week of forehead-smackingly circular debates, I would like to propose that we ban differentiation. I’d like to suggest that all brands immediately refrain from this dangerous and archaic practice, and that there be some sort of penalty for failing to do so. I’m thinking something like, say, being exclusively distributed by Walmart. Just spitballing , here. We can discuss this detail another time, but the issue is, I have suddenly realized, pressing. Like most evil things, it started out innocently enough. The idea that a brand has to be distinct from its competitors is hard to… -
Faith.
15 Oct 2009 | 10:12 amThroughout 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…
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Synergist
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Emotionally-engaging commercials
7 Feb 2010 | 10:08 amLast week, I listened to Dan Hill, expert on facial coding, speak on engaging radio commercials. The concept is fascinating. Hill refers to a study which shows that emotionally-engaging commercials deliver 8 times the ROI than non-engaging commercials. Hill’s firm, Sensory Logic, utilizes facial coding research to prove that successful advertising (engaging) is driven by emotion. And being on-emotion is more important than being on-message. What a powerful concept. Human beings are sensory emotional decision makers. The emotional response comes in 1/5th of the time the rational response… -
Save your logo
12 Jan 2010 | 4:21 amWhat do we have to look forward to in this new decade? Brands are now moving on from being ‘green’ to being ‘do-gooders’. Sportswear maker Lacoste will spend $500,0000 over the next three years to help preserve the endangered Gange gharial crocodile - the same crocodile branded on its shirts. They are the first company to support ‘Save Your Logo’, which is an initiative that helps brands protect the species represented in their logos by facilitating conservation efforts. The Global Environment Facility (GEF), together with the World Bank and IUCN, the… -
Color the new year
29 Dec 2009 | 8:24 amPantone, the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, proclaims the color of the year for 2010. Drumroll please…. PANTONE® 15-5519 Turquoise The company says that Pantone 15-5519, which is turquoise, conjures thoughts of a tropical paradise “while offering a sense of protection and healing.” Happy New Year! -
Branding at its best…The Santa Brand
20 Dec 2009 | 9:38 amThere are many different spiritual beliefs that have become part of the holiday season. Of the many seasonal icons that exist, the imaginary one that remains the strongest, most fun and most playful is the belief in Santa Claus. Let’s just pretend for a minute. We communicated this in our enews a few years ago so please excuse us for pulling it out of our sack again. All in fun, we share with you… The Santa Brand. -
Looking Back
15 Dec 2009 | 6:50 amAs we near the end of the year and look back, here is the longer view. I admit, I have a fascination with vintage advertising and find it very entertaining. A friend of mine stumbled upon this website while whittling away at the web. (I am convinced, she is single-handedly going to see everything there is to see on the internet before she passes on.) It appears someone has researched old magazines and created a database of ads and taglines. …And the best part is, you can look at all the old ads! Since we did a post on the Hertz rebranding recently, shown above is a picture of the Life…
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Thoughts & Notions | Blackcoffee
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Change is Inevitable
1 Feb 2010 | 8:50 amChange is inevitable. The question is, how do you make it work in your favor? Early on in our business a client gave us some brilliant advice. He stated“If you find yourself in the same business you were in ten years ago, you’ll soon find yourself out of business.” His words are amplified by the fact that technology is eroding entire industries only to create new ones. This has, now doubt, caused everyone to re-evaluate who they are and where they stand. As you do so, we suggest that you ask yourself some questions: • What areas of our business will still be viable in ten years? •… -
A Product is NOT a Brand
18 Jan 2010 | 8:23 amHaving a great product is no longer a guarantee of success. A Bain & Co. survey notes that 80 percent of CEOs believe that their product is differentiated, but only 8 percent of consumers agree. To truly stand out in the market, a product must embody the characteristics of its brand. But, with all the hoopla around branding, it’s no wonder that companies are continually lured into believing that their brand is their product and their product is their brand. Many companies fail to achieve their branding goals because they mistake their brand for their product, service or technology. -
Branding & Social Media
28 Dec 2009 | 9:51 amAn overwhelming number of social media “experts” are calling for companies to surrender control of their brands to a social media empowered public. Even Forrester Research went as far as to suggest that the day of the “brand manager” is dead, calling for a complete overhaul of marketing, in which brand managers are replaced by “brand advocates.” Consumers and companies have always co-owned their brands. Remove either the company or the consumers from the equation and the brand ceases to exist. Brand managers simply manage the relationship, by managing expectations. So, what’s… -
Coca-Cola and Santa Claus
14 Dec 2009 | 9:30 amContrary to what some believe, Santa Claus was not created by the Coca-Cola Company, but rather was a combination of many myths and legends, cultures and influences. Snopes confirms that the myth is just that. However, in the spirit of the holiday we have provided a brief history of Jolly Old St Nick. The American version of Santa Claus was brought to New York by 17th century Dutch settlers. They called him “Sinter Klaas.” The name “St. A Claus” appeared in the American press as early as 1773. But it was Washington Irving who, in 1809, first popularized Saint Nicholas with his History… -
The “Value” of Brand
30 Nov 2009 | 12:22 pmMarketing and finance don’t always see eye to eye on the subject of branding (or should we say, the value of branding). Many creatives don’t fully understand the numbers and few finance people can quantify or qualify creative. These issues may stem from semantics, as each defines “value” quite differently. Depending on whether you’re on the marketing side or the financial side of the business, branding is either viewed as an investment or as an expense. Those who see it as an expense, are unlikely to see returns, and those who can’t articulate the value that branding can bring are…
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Razor Branding Blog
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Search On
9 Feb 2010 | 4:42 amThere will be a lot of writing this week about the Super Bowl ads, maybe even a little writing about the game that was played in between the spots. Most of the articles will focus on the high end expensive spots - big budget and big production value. Some of the articles will analyze the spots geared towards men and built a house out of cans. Other articles will analyze the risque spots that use sex to sell. But it will be truly interesting, when the dirt has settled, to see which spots were effective. The spots that are considered successful because they actually made a connection with… -
Brand Buzz: Recruitment and Job Search
8 Feb 2010 | 1:20 pmBrand Buzz with Jaci Russo Tune in every Monday at 5:20pm to KPEL FM 105.1 on your radio or online at www.kpel1051.com for another installment of Brand Buzz. On this week’s episode of Brand Buzz we will be talking about how important branding is in the job market. Whether your company is looking to attract the best and brightest through a recruitment campaign or you personally or on the hunt for a new job, the principles of branding are the best, and only, way of ensuring success. If you would like additional information, please click here to download the free ebook and learn more about… -
We Believe
8 Feb 2010 | 4:29 amBrees and Son The state of Louisiana had a game changing play. The 44 year old Saints franchise won the Super Bowl. There are a lot of analysts on ESPN that will tell you about what this means to football. There will be discussion by the pundits for months to come about whether Brees is the greatest quarterback in the NFL right now. They seem committed to give that crown to Peyton Manning even though Brees has been ranked higher in completions and yards for the entire season. But that’s their conversation. For the Saints to have won their first ever Super Bowl championship is… -
Reputation Management Nightmare
5 Feb 2010 | 7:17 amimage via Flickr by nemesisnom Recently, Google implemented a new feature called “real time search”. With search engine optimization being the big prize that everyone is striving to maintain, this could really put a wrench in the works. Now Facebook and Twitter status updates are a part of that record. Google Real Time Search for Brand Think about what that could mean for your company or product. Now anyone that references you in a Facebook or Twitter post, posts that they think might be only seen by their friends, will now show up to the world. Inc. Magazine reported that 90%… -
Science or Art?
4 Feb 2010 | 6:51 amEasy to Read = Easy to Do A study by Hyunjin Song and Norbert Schwarz, released in the February edition of The Psychologist, analyzes how people react to the same information when it is presented in different fonts. Beyond just the language of the message, the typeface used to deliver the message can have great weight subconsciously for the reader deciding whether or not the task is achievable. As they explain, when people ponder a new exercise routine and whether it is going to be easy or difficult to do, the font used to describe the routine can determine the reader’s perception…
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Profitable Growth
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To Tweet or to Sell or If You’re Blogging How Can You Be Closing!
Five Tipping Points for You to Decide. There is a real divide between business people who swear by and swear at Web 2.0. To Social media “moguls”, even questioning Web 2.0 is so old-school! They say, “Unless you get known and seen on your blog, their blogs, tweet about it and post on LinkedIn and Facebook, you will [...] -
You Must Understand, We All Wear Many Hats Here
If you run or work with a small business, how many times have you said or heard the phrase, “We all wear several hats” to explain how work gets done? In these times, everyone is working harder and doing more with less. But in this ADD world of constant distractions, when are multiple hats more [...] -
Letter From The Editor: Trust Everyone; Trust No One; But Always Trust Yourself
In 1918 US Senator Hiram Warren Johnson said, “The first casualty of war is truth,” but in 2010 I say that the first casualty of our great recession is trust. In this dubious recovery, many business owners tell me they plan to expand their businesses if they could only trust: Their customers to pay on time Their [...] -
ModCloth: From fashion passion to profit
Andy in the news – a video case study. -
Time To Focus On Predictable, Profitable Growth: Open Letter To Credit Officers
An Open Letter To Chief Credit Officers Dear Chief Credit Officer: If your objective is to protect your bank’s assets while providing credit to stable companies with positive cash flow, then making good lending decisions right now must be very difficult. Certainly, your portfolio companies have cut direct costs and overhead to the bone. But how good are [...]
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BrandAscension: Business Branding Tips
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DARE TO BE YOUR OWN BRAND!
30 Jan 2010 | 9:12 pmOvercome the Common Stumbling Blocks to Executing a Winning Personal Brand Strategy Personal branding has become a widely popular topic. People from all walks of life are taking the idea more seriously. What about you? Do you want to make the most of what you have to offer and become more of what you visualize yourself to be? Are you asking, “What’s the right strategy for me?” and “How do I go about putting a personal brand strategy to work that will bring me greater success?” Implementing a personal brand strategy starts with a true desire to put a clearly defined strategy into… -
It’s Time to Think Differently About Brand Differentiation
25 Jan 2010 | 12:41 pmAs business owners, we know that differentiation is one of the key attributes that win and keep business. Unfortunately, many business look at their differentiators from a product feature standpoint; which means they are missing a hugh component to true brand differentiation. Remmeber, a brand is a perception. We all have a brand; good, bad or indifferent. So when we think about the perception that our brand brings to the minds of our customers (and employees), we must consider all the actions and behaviors that accompany our product or service. Great brands see themselves as holistic in how… -
CUSTOMER SERVICE MISHAPS – DO YOU HAVE A PROCESS FOR QUICK RECOVERY?
17 Jan 2010 | 7:17 pmService recovery is a big issue for many businesses. Service mishaps happen all the time, but how often do they happen in your business? Are you keeping track? When it does happen, you can’t mess around. Your employees need to be empowered to recover as quickly as possible, show the customer you care and make it right. When you recover quickly with concern, it will most definitely get the attention of your customers. They will understand you care and appreciate that you can deliver on what you promise and enhance their loyalty to your brand. Here are five simple tips to implement that will… -
It’s 2010 – Where is YOUR Brand Going?
2 Jan 2010 | 9:29 amI am watching an intriguing show on CNBC called ‘Keeping America Great’ featuring two prestigious American icons, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, while a host facilitates a town hall-style meeting with students from Columbia University asking them thought-provoking questions. One of the questions from a third year student was directed at Mr. Gates and asked something like this “Considering your level of success, what do you attribute to just sheer luck?” Bill Gates answered by stating that there were many incidences he attributed to his luck and success but the first two was being… -
Sensory Branding: It Makes $EN$E
8 Dec 2009 | 12:52 pmBy Carol Chapman, Principal & Co-founder, The Brand Ascension Group According to Martin Lindstrom, author of Brand Sense, there is a true correlation between the more sensory memories you activate within others, the stronger the bond you create with your brand. Organizations can build a powerful brand by leveraging all the senses within their business, however most businesses tend to leverage just sight and/or sound. Perhaps it is time to focus on more than these two senses—by appealing to all the 5 physical senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and the 6th sense: intuition. Sight…
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soundlounge sonic branding blog
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Brands & Bands: Enough Dating – Let’s Have Some Commitment.
29 Jan 2010 | 11:02 amSound Branding, Brand Alliances With Music, or Branded Entertainment, call it what you like, these are effectively a form of advertising disguised as: a game, event, sponsorship or hospitality. Midem, the largest international music convention dedicated several sessions to that almost Holy Grail, ‘How Can Bands and Brands Work Together?’ So it is not surprising that some serious players from the brands were invited to take the stage, from Nokia to Coca-Cola (‘Top Brands talk Music Strategy’ and ‘Converse, Pepsi and Cornerstone talk Music Marketing’). Music and… -
Finding the Right Soundtrack – the Real Value of Music Supervisors
13 Jan 2010 | 8:55 amImagine a commercial with music so alluring and contemporary that it draws thousands of YouTube visitors within weeks with comments like “can you tell me from where i can download the song please?” and “it’s really awesome!!!”. It must have used a hit song or a track from a new artist with Record Company marketing clout, and it probably cost tens of thousands of dollars to licence, right? Listen for yourself… In reality this track chosen for the new Canon commercial (”Blackbird Song” by Ben Cocks) was from a production music library. The truth… -
Sonic Logos: The First Sounds of Life
7 Jan 2010 | 4:49 pmThe very first sonic logo I heard was at 12 weeks gestation. It was my mother’s heartbeat. The second was her voice. These two simple sounds gave me a sense of self and my first, albeit hazy, understanding of the world outside. With these audio clues, I could tell not only where my mother was but also whether her surroundings were exciting or calm, happy or sad, dangerous or safe. I even heard my mother’s language and imitated it in my own cries. From the moment I was born, I was able to recognise like-minded spirits simply from the sounds that I heard. But I was no baby genius. -
What Every CMO Should Know About Music
5 Jan 2010 | 3:47 amMusic is one of the most valuable tools at an advertiser’s disposal. In 2006, the top 100 US advertisers splashed between $150 million and $2 billion just on sound-enabled media, such TV ads and the Internet, according to the Association of National Advertisers. In the UK, it is estimated that in 2008 the spend on acquiring copyright music for synchronization hit £60m ($98.8 million). But brands have worked to understand how a particular target group, with shared values and aspirations, forms a loyalty to a specific brand. They have figured out how to manage and measure how we respond… -
How a Song Sells in 30 Seconds – Tips from Music Supervisors
28 Dec 2009 | 3:37 pmThe iTunes store has changed the way listeners judge music by putting a 30-second time limit on their attention spans. Songwriters may cringe, but it’s now unavoidable. The hard truth is if a song doesn’t deliver in this short window of time, it simply won’t sell. Working out how to sell product with 30 seconds of sound has been our focus at soundlounge for nearly 3 decades. Since commercials rarely use more than 30 seconds of music, we have to find songs or parts of songs that “sell” (i.e. make a memorable, emotional impression) in a very short amount of time. How? 1.
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brandSTOKE
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And the winner is … Google
8 Feb 2010 | 5:49 amIn its Super Bowl commercial, Google tells an engaging little story of romance with simplicity and elegance. Appropriately, it uses keywords and search results only. Its logo is onscreen almost the entire time, while it demonstrates several of its features and benefits. It effectively offsets Bing’s recent efforts at malignment. Not only was the spot inexpensive to produce, but it stood out from the sophomoric humor and over-the top production of the majority of the commercials. Erik Sherman, in his negative review of the spot at BNET, misses the point that by airing the spot in the… -
Advertising’s swimsuit competition: the Super Bowl
5 Feb 2010 | 8:42 amLet’s be honest. This week, when we chat online or around the water cooler about the Super Bowl commercials, we will not be judging them based upon which are most effective at doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is actually selling something. Instead, we will talk about which spots we “like,” which spots we find most entertaining. We’re judging style, not substance. In pursuit of being popular during and after the game, advertisers and their agencies push the limits to engage us. And we reward them with a couple of week’s worth of buzz. But how… -
The branding of electricity
2 Feb 2010 | 9:48 amElectricity is a commodity. And therefore, it sells on price alone. But in 1998, local electric cooperatives from around the country, all of which operate independently, got together to distinguish the electricity they serve from that served by investor-owned utilities. A brand was born. The catalyst: energy deregulation. Since the late 1990s, many states have rewritten the rules in order to increase competition among energy providers. Facing the prospect of competing head-to-head with large, well-financed utilities, electric co-ops decided to unite their individual brands under one banner. -
The rise of community bank brands
25 Jan 2010 | 9:55 amThe customers of George Bailey’s “wonderful old building and loan” rallied to defend it from the money-grubbing Mr. Potter in It’s A Wonderful Life. Although the circumstances are different, small banks across the country are attempting to arouse the same kind of passionate community support. Hoping to attract consumers angry and disgusted with big banks due to the Federal bailout, the huge bonuses, and the arrogance in general, community banks are urging big-bank customers to switch accounts to them. The New York Times reports a number of local uprisings: a credit… -
Warning: Your brand is being commoditized!
20 Jan 2010 | 5:00 amRemember the old days when coffee was a commodity? We may be headed there again. Starbucks, with its expansion in 1987, revolutionized how we drink and think about coffee. It convinced us to buy whole beans instead of grounds. It familiarized us with espresso, cappuccino and latte. It introduced us to an American version of the European café experience. Following Starbucks’ success, imitators, such as Caribou, The Coffee Beanery, and others, proliferated. McDonald’s, feeling the heat, changed its bean, ran a “Four bucks is dumb” campaign, and added its McCafé lineup.
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Synaptic Branding
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Neuromarketing 101
8 Feb 2010 | 2:01 pmYou wanted an overview—here it is. Neuromarketing—using scientific measurements of brain and nervous system activity to encourage consumers to buy specific things—is still in its infancy. And like all new fields (the term was coined around 2002), it is being practiced not only by experts, but also by novices like me. So why give a hoot about neuromarketing, and what the hell do I have to contribute? One question at a time. Neuromarketing Rocks You should care because neuromarketing is the biggest thing to hit marketing research and development since focus groups. It may be a toddler,… -
Celebrity endorsements can be deadly
1 Feb 2010 | 8:06 amHarnessing a big name can be a big asset or a big problem. A few years back we worked on the Green Belt Movement’s fundraising materials. One of our goals was to manage founder and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Wangari Maathai’s growing celebrity presence vis-à-vis the organization. Maathai might inspire, but donors actually gave to the movement. As a result, we made Maathai’s presence secondary in importance to that of the movement’s participants, Kenyan women. Thus, Maathai’s face was not on the cover of Green Belt Movement materials, nor was her photo used everywhere, as you might… -
Shopper, Know Thyself
26 Jan 2010 | 10:26 amUncover “covert marketing” to shop smarter The same impulse behind my degree in religious studies is responsible for my interest in neuroscience and behaviorism in branding and marketing. I want to know what people believe, and what motivates them. I also believe that a deeper understanding of these things makes us better decision makers. (And I’m all for better decision making, since I’ve made some questionable choices in my lifetime.) Our local paper, the Daily Hampshire Gazette, ran a piece around the holidays on the importance of shoppers knowing themselves. It focused on the… -
We Must, We Must, We Must Improve Our Trust
19 Jan 2010 | 6:20 amBuild it and they will pay attention Scientists have discovered the “trust molecule”: oxytocin. One whiff of this hormone and even people you were specifically told aren’t trustworthy will suddenly seem like Boy Scouts. But until the day we can purchase Parfum de Confiance, we are left inducing trust the old-fashioned way: we have to earn it. This is no small challenge, especially for companies with no track record, such as start-ups or companies moving into new markets. I believe that trust is the most important thing you can cultivate as a business owner. Who cares if you sell the… -
Why The Usual Suspects—Focus Groups—Suck
11 Jan 2010 | 12:46 pmBetter market research through neuroscience. And the one number that will never change. Try as we might, marketing is still more a guessing game than anybody wants. Eighty percent of new products and services fail within their first six months. Most Hollywood films and TV pilots fail. And that includes those that were vetted by focus groups. “The correlation between stated intent and actual behavior is usually low and negative,” writes Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman. That’s why, although focus groups are good at identifying attitudes, they suck at predicting behavior.
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Samir Balwani - Internet Marketing Strategy
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Are You Marketing or Advertising?
2 Feb 2010 | 7:28 amLately, I’ve been thinking about how social media has been a part of our overall marketing program. I started to realize that our definition of marketing and advertising is slowly evolving. In my mind advertising was the driving force of a marketing campaign. The idea was to create something interesting and broadcast it with advertising. credit Advertising was more important than the actual campaign. If you spent enough money and as long as it was marginally interesting, you could be successful. Nowadays, there’s seems to be a tip in the scales. Marketing is becoming more… -
This is How You Measure Social Media ROI
28 Jan 2010 | 6:45 amMore talk about social media ROI and measurement? You know it. This time Mitch Joel of “Six Pixels of Separation” wrote a post about measurements and metrics. As much as I like Mitch (his articles are great and I highly recommend his blog), I really disagreed with his take on social media ROI. credit He states that… “Thinking about business objectives instead of ROI makes the whole strategy that much workable and doable. In the end, instead of looking for the ROI in Social Media, maybe the smarter thing to do is to focus on what the business objectives are, and then figure out if… -
Will Social Media Survive?
20 Jan 2010 | 6:44 amSocial media… what a buzzword. It’s grown, exploded, and ushered in a new paradigm in marketing. Kind of. It seems like everyday there’s a new social media guru, someone to tell you how to use your Facebook, when to Tweet, or berate you for not having a FourSquare. The social media industry, in its current form, is not sustainable. Why do I say that? Well, two main reasons stand out. First, it’s not easy to assign or forecast ROI from social media. Without being able to at least estimate return, managers have a hard time justifying investment. It’s not a large issue right now… -
Social Media Requires a Cultural Investment
13 Jan 2010 | 6:00 amInvestment is a word that rules business decisions. How much do I need to invest? It’s a question I hear on a near daily basis. So why is it that when it comes to social media, many focus on money and ignore the cultural investment? Everything you do has a cost, whether it is monetary, time, or some other abstract resource. Social media although not the most expensive, requires a cultural evolution. For many of the largest companies, a cultural investment can be greater than a monetary one. To change a business culture requires a form of dedication and collaboration rarely achieved. But… -
Welcome to 2010… Now Trim the Fat
11 Jan 2010 | 7:00 amIt’s January, the month where the gyms are packed, fitness rules, and ad campaigns take an odd turn towards diets. But as much as we’re trained to make weight loss resolutions, your business should be looking to lose excess baggage as well. credit I’ve written fairly extensively on how most brands tend to shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to social media. Almost always, the largest culprit to online marketing failure is bureaucracy. It’s the reason why small businesses can excel at social media, while adoption is slow for large brands. Online marketing requires a company be…
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PeakBiety branding + advertising
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Glen Peak Awarded Silver Medal by American Advertising Federation
4 Feb 2010 | 7:49 amTAMPA, FLORIDA—The American Advertising Federation—Tampa Bay (AAF-TB) will present its Silver Medal Award to local advertising agency founder Glen Peak in recognition of his contributions to advertising and commitment to actively furthering the industry. The Silver Medal Award is bestowed annually by American Advertising Federation (AAF) clubs throughout the country to outstanding members of their local advertising community. The award will be presented to Mr. Peak by last year’s winner, Senator Victor Crist (R–Tampa) at the 2009-2010 American Advertising Federation—Tampa Bay ADDY… -
Difference is the Essence of Marketing Success
2 Feb 2010 | 8:34 amPop quiz! What is the most common, yet most easily corrected, mistake small businesses make? A. Undercapitalization B. Marketing myopia C. Lack of branding D. Failure to diversify A recent article by Steve Strauss, one of the world’s leading small business experts, posed this question. Based on his experience, Strauss concluded that the answer was C, bad branding. “To understand why, try this little experiment: Think about a major street that you drive down every day, and think about the row upon row of businesses you see on that street. OK, now, quick, which ones do you actually… -
Announcing our Winter 2010 Art Interns
26 Jan 2010 | 8:19 amPeakBiety is pleased to welcome three art interns this quarter. Josue Franco is a senior in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Tampa, and compares himself to an octopus: “Ever changing, shifting and wafting in accordance to its environment, the octopus has a great ability to adapt to its surroundings meticulously. My designs are flexible and adaptable to various approaches, media and styles.” Alejandro Valdivia is also a senior in Graphic Design at the Art Institute. Alejandro describes himself as a creative problem solver, decision maker and team player, and has several years of… -
Tampa Bay Water renews partnership with PeakBiety
21 Jan 2010 | 11:27 amTAMPA, FL – PeakBiety branding + advertisingwill continue to serve as a creative communications partner with Tampa Bay Water. PeakBiety has assisted the water supply utility with various internal and external communications efforts since 2007. “We have enjoyed a very pleasant partnership with Tampa Bay Water for the past three years,” said Glen Peak, president of PeakBiety. “We hope to continue to assist Tampa Bay Water in whatever ways we can, as they work to meet their on-going commitment of providing high-quality drinking water to the Tampa Bay region.” Tampa Bay Water was… -
Marketers Need To Better Understand Creativity
19 Jan 2010 | 8:20 amby Dr. Bob Deutsch, Brain Sells via The Inspiration Room It can be said that creative advertising is like brain surgery. When advertising is artfully done it cures people of the status quo by activating neural circuitry. To be creative artfully requires a dynamic mix of imagination and understanding of how the world might work. This is not a matter of being correct, but rather a matter of making the audience wonder, provoking a self-referring reverie that elicits an expanded idea of ones-self and how the world works. As a result, we see anew. This, of course, flies in the face of traditional…
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Business Branding Tips
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DARE TO BE YOUR OWN BRAND!
30 Jan 2010 | 9:12 pmOvercome the Common Stumbling Blocks to Executing a Winning Personal Brand Strategy Personal branding has become a widely popular topic. People from all walks of life are taking the idea more seriously. What about you? Do you want to make the most of what you have to offer and become more of what you visualize yourself to be? Are you asking, “What’s the right strategy for me?” and “How do I go about putting a personal brand strategy to work that will bring me greater success?” Implementing a personal brand strategy starts with a true desire to put a clearly defined strategy into… -
It’s Time to Think Differently About Brand Differentiation
25 Jan 2010 | 12:41 pmAs business owners, we know that differentiation is one of the key attributes that win and keep business. Unfortunately, many business look at their differentiators from a product feature standpoint; which means they are missing a hugh component to true brand differentiation. Remmeber, a brand is a perception. We all have a brand; good, bad or indifferent. So when we think about the perception that our brand brings to the minds of our customers (and employees), we must consider all the actions and behaviors that accompany our product or service. Great brands see themselves as holistic in how… -
CUSTOMER SERVICE MISHAPS – DO YOU HAVE A PROCESS FOR QUICK RECOVERY?
17 Jan 2010 | 7:17 pmService recovery is a big issue for many businesses. Service mishaps happen all the time, but how often do they happen in your business? Are you keeping track? When it does happen, you can’t mess around. Your employees need to be empowered to recover as quickly as possible, show the customer you care and make it right. When you recover quickly with concern, it will most definitely get the attention of your customers. They will understand you care and appreciate that you can deliver on what you promise and enhance their loyalty to your brand. Here are five simple tips to implement that will… -
It’s 2010 – Where is YOUR Brand Going?
2 Jan 2010 | 9:29 amI am watching an intriguing show on CNBC called ‘Keeping America Great’ featuring two prestigious American icons, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, while a host facilitates a town hall-style meeting with students from Columbia University asking them thought-provoking questions. One of the questions from a third year student was directed at Mr. Gates and asked something like this “Considering your level of success, what do you attribute to just sheer luck?” Bill Gates answered by stating that there were many incidences he attributed to his luck and success but the first two was being… -
Sensory Branding: It Makes $EN$E
8 Dec 2009 | 12:52 pmBy Carol Chapman, Principal & Co-founder, The Brand Ascension Group According to Martin Lindstrom, author of Brand Sense, there is a true correlation between the more sensory memories you activate within others, the stronger the bond you create with your brand. Organizations can build a powerful brand by leveraging all the senses within their business, however most businesses tend to leverage just sight and/or sound. Perhaps it is time to focus on more than these two senses—by appealing to all the 5 physical senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and the 6th sense: intuition. Sight…
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The B2B Brand Debate
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Time Warner’s naming twavails
14 Jan 2010 | 2:04 pmby Alan Brew, originally published on www.namedroppings.com When it comes to name changes, the Time Warner organization has had its share of unfortunate events. The merger with AOL produced the misbegotten AOL Time Warner for a brief period before Time Warner executives regained their composure senses and dropped AOL from the corporate name. In this case the name was the least of Time Warner’s problems, however unlovely and humiliating it may have been. Its offspring, Time Warner Telecom, made much heavier weather of its naming challenge. Time Warner Telecom was created in 1993 by… -
What are the leading indicators of B2B brand success?
9 Dec 2009 | 9:38 amBy Ray Baird, RiechesBaird Do you know what predicts your brand’s success? Most marketing metrics only measure what has happened, using what could be called “lagging indicators.” But imagine the effectiveness of your marketing program if you could identify the “leading indicators” for your brand—the activities, buyer behaviors, and measurements that actually lead to sales and profits. Progressive marketers and their agencies are exploring this brave new frontier. Instead of just looking in the rear view mirror at historical measurements like sales and market share, they are… -
Adding UGC to B2B and turning communication into sales
16 Nov 2009 | 7:00 amBy Jimbeau Andrews, as part of the Guest Blogger Series At the heart of Social Media are Communities (SMC’s) that facilitate B2B communication in unique ways. B2B marketers that tap into powerful SMC groups can enhance their brand marketing objectives, establish Word of Mouth brand rapport and facilitate the resale of their client products. Social Media embodies the very spirit of B2B marketing by utilizing partner platforms to proliferate the use of their own products and in the process establishing a new virtual retail frontier. When Digg, a site for people to discover and share content… -
B2B branding: symbolism versus substance
9 Nov 2009 | 8:04 amBy Dean Crutchfield, as part of the Guest Blogger Series Brand is not marketing: It’s about who you are. The role of business is to create customers through marketing and innovation, but customers have often lost out in the relentless push to maximize shareholder value. As Neutron Jack (Welch) would tell you, “Shareholder value is a result not a strategy. Your main constituencies are your employees, products and customers.” Whether it’s a Business-to-Business (B2B) or a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) brand, it’s all about Business-to-People (B2P if you like). So as we reap the grim… -
Solar energy: commodity or branding opportunity?
2 Nov 2009 | 6:58 amBy Marc Cortez, as part of the Guest Blogger Series Spend any night waiting in line at Disneyland’s Adventure Ride and you’ll hear the usual stories of exploration, fame, and all those in search of treasures at the end of the rainbow. Standing in line this past Tuesday, however, those rainbows were turned up towards the sky, or more specifically, towards the sun. Ah yes, the solar industry convention is in town. Certainly solar energy’s time has come. Five years ago this event, the solar industry’s largest national convention, was held in a San Francisco office park…
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Rebranding Branding Blog
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Branding is Broken - A Call to Arms
2 Feb 2010 | 12:11 amBranding is ill-defined, usually vacuous, often expensive and totally unpredictable – Seth Godin in Seth's BlogIncomprehensible Voodoo – Guy Kawasaki in The Art of the StartWe are brand technologists. We love branding and believe in it. But we are here to say that branding is broken. Why would we say this? Brands seem bigger than ever. Everywhere we look, we see brands. Brand talk has hit the mainstream. We talk about personal brands, political brands, national brands - everything is a brand and every schoolchild a brand expert.But branding - the creation and development of… -
Toronto Branding Agency has Microsoft Surface?
22 Jan 2010 | 2:10 amToronto branding agency CEO Axle Davids gives a tour of our impressive secret office in the MaRS Discovery District. -
Brand Strategy Future - Visionary Words from P&G CEO
19 Jan 2010 | 4:46 amI'm pretty blown away by the Adage.com interview with P&G CEO Bob McDonald. His thoughts on brand strategy are in perfectly sync with those of Lisa Bradner. Lisa is the author of Forrester's "Adaptive Brand Marketing" we're big fans of hers. McDonald is taking it to another level here, and his talk about "visualization" and "virtualization" makes me weak in the knees. Here are some excerpts from the full interview. You start with the idea now before you even think about a medium, and you take the idea, which is rooted in consumer insight, and only then do you figure out how to use the… -
Toronto Branding Agency Distility, just like Google!
15 Jan 2010 | 12:54 amDistility prides itself on our innovative branding approach, but do you know about our daycare and self serve soda fountains? That's right! Coke Zero AND Diet Coke! Google only has diet and Yahoo doesn't have any fizz left at all! -
The End of aXle
16 Dec 2009 | 2:00 amThis post is especially for all of you that have helped aXle Branding (Now Distility Branding) over the years. It is to let you know that big changes are afoot... > aXle Branding has transformed into a new breed of branding firm - one with a technology twist. Our first patent for a brand development business method and software system is being prepared as you read this. > MaRS, Toronto's foremost technology center and incubator, invited us into their program. We moved in two months ago. > We've renamed the company "Distility" because we need a trademark that was unique worldwide.
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Social Media and New Markets
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Bring it On, Cricket TV | Advantage Sports
8 Feb 2010 | 11:10 pmSports Marketing can so easily be confused with selling the game on TV. In fact in its early days for the NFL and all that is American it used to be so true. Well, out here in Asia or for soccer, Europe, it is still very much true. Think of a game, and automatically you think of the TV stars that made the game. The Tendulkars and the Sehwags in Cricket, the Bhaichung Bhutias in Indian soccer have an umbilical cord link with the game, and for us marketing people that cord is the TV Remote. India’s fortunes in Cricket are directly linked with its revenues from TV advertising. Other… -
Royals make the first move | Advantage Sports
8 Feb 2010 | 6:30 amEven though the slight suffered by Pakis in not being bid may rankle sports lovers, the money train is here for the IPL. The Royals of Rajasthan, will now have the Cape Royals which could be as easy as $20 million, the Victoria Royals that could be a prize catch for $40 million, the TNT Royals and a couple more from England and Pakistan could go up for bidding for stakes from Manoj Badale and Lachlan Murdoch’s dream franchise in royal blue steed/. The Lion as mascot, btw, is Moochu singh and he may get a few avatars as well in each Na’vi land that the Emerging media team… -
Paper vs Plastic? | Advantage Audi
7 Feb 2010 | 2:48 pmThe Audi green police. We finally found the buzz hidden in that google ..thin.g :lol We still thik the Spyder should come on during the game..You think? Related Reading: Share/Bookmark on Linked in Related posts:The new Audi Spyder strikes! Those space frames look awesome. Again the adverts look stunning... Can the network raise the game? | Advantage Brands Can the network raise the bar, but it’s not that... The VW beachhead scores in the US | Advantage Brands Audi sold 82,716 cars in the US in 2009, no... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. -
Can the network raise the game? | Advantage Brands
7 Feb 2010 | 4:51 amCan the network raise the bar, but it’s not that Sprint stadium It’s okay, we know you didn’t come here just for the superbowl ads. Let’s tell you more, anyway. Analytics, and not the garden fly variety, are taking over the social world. When Twitter first started paining the game last year with billions of microbuzz d’drib’ molecules last year, it wasn’t early days but a lot of newbies like us built our franchise on it. This time, motorola is shooting for it. Also, there is the other USA today ad meter and hash tags like the #brandbowl #sbads and… -
Lifestyle foods and drink | Advantage Brands
5 Feb 2010 | 5:24 amMarketing Launch events no longer need be smaller POP promotions. Here is one where the not so new kids on the block Whole Foods Market get together with the others that followed them into the Health is Wealth niche. Whole Foods Market joined up with Function Drinks to organise this juicy outing for the food While the new Prius tackles the sensitive car market after some big recalls and recovery is distant, in the foods market, Coke and Pepsico spend quite a lot of effort in introducing health drinks and water to fight with the aura created by Whole Foods Market Function Drinks have defined a…
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Your Brand Plan - Blogs - Personal Brand Blog by David Sandusky
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Mari Smith Unmistakable Personal Brand
22 Jan 2010 | 2:11 pmYou don' have to follow Mari Smith long to see she is having a blast! Plenty of LOL and w0000Ting and other fun personality in 140 characters or less. :D Mari is best known online for adding significant value to social networking for fun and profits. Particularly with facebook. Her blog, why facebook, is a hit! The Mari Smith Fan Page is a great example of how to create a fan page for your business. I become aware of Mari when facebook started to become a professional relationship and business connecting playground. Her name and resources kept coming up when I would look for tips and… -
Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno Unmistakable Personal Brands
12 Jan 2010 | 9:17 amJay Leno is the center of NBC late night television drama, again. I am actually fascinated by what happens this time around because I think NBC is making mistakes left and right as it relates to the personal brand of both Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. The Jay Leno show and the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien are less relevant in context of this blog about unmistakable personal brands. In other words it does not matter what the writers and producers of the shows do, the popularity and future of each show, where ever they ultimately land, will be about the entertainer/show host and the behavior… -
The Barrel Man, Unmistakable Fan
7 Dec 2009 | 8:55 pmOne of the best examples of a brand champion is the fan who loves his team no matter what and proves it rain or shine. In Denver and the Pro Football Hall of Fame via the Hall of Fans, The Barrel Man (Tim McKernan) is an unmistakable personal brand. The Barrel Man is a super fan at every home game at Mile High Stadium (INVESCO Field at Mile High now) wearing nothing but an orange barrel that covered his mid-section, a cowboy hat and boots. The Barrel Man has been going to Broncos games since 1967 and started to become a staple in 1977. Story goes that he lost a bet with his brother over… -
Rush Limbaugh Brand Too Successful for NFL Brand?
15 Oct 2009 | 11:33 amCould the fact that Rush Limbaugh enjoys an unmistakable personal brand be the reason he is cut out of his desire to be a NFL franchise owner? How does the most listened to radio talk show in America, broadcasting on over 600 radio stations nationwide play? You know what you get from Limbaugh from commentary on his show whether you love or hate him. Would other team owners worry about the power of the blow horn and controversy - even those who agree with the politics? Generally fans do not hear much from professional sport team owners accept for maybe Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones certainly… -
"Most Trusted Man in America"
18 Jul 2009 | 10:19 amWith the passing of a legend, you hear the same thing over and over including the impact a person has on an individual by the individual. That consistent experience had by a population is the mark of an unmistakable personal brand. When Tim Russert died of a heart attack, we heard how he changed the standard of preparedness in interviewing for both journalist and guest on the popular show Meet the Press. We heard, and I felt, we would never see another Tim Russert. But we can be inspired by his passion and way of preparedness. That is a lasting impression doing it like Tim Russert. Yesterday…
