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The BIG Kahuna
Why Taglines Get A Bed Reputation - Bridgestone Tire

BIG Kahuna

2 Jul 2009 | 6:49 am

Look at Bridgestone Tire’s Tagline… How generic can this be? What’s the benefit to a Bridgestone customer? What company doesn’t strive for excellence? Imagine a company the size of Bridgestone with all their uniqueness coming up with this for a positioning? This is what fuels marketing people to say a tagline is not necessary. Yet when done right it works masterfully. A tagline is a company’s one chance to differentiate themselves from the competition. To stand out and apart. It should leverage your brand identity. What’s Bridgestone’s brand identity?
Burger King Targets Sluts Across America

BIG Kahuna

25 Jun 2009 | 3:52 am

In an effort to keep making horrible ads that have nothing to do with whatever Burger King’s brand identity is they’ve come out with this pile of crap: Let’s not forget their past insulting work here, Mexican get sizzled, and here, Slap that booty. Obviously the only branding strategy Burger King can come up with is to be controversial. Brilliant. So I’m out of the Burger King loop. They obviously want people in the business to write negatively about them because what women is gonna run out and buy this sandwich now? And do men really think they’ll get a blow…
The American Auto Industry Still Doesn’t Understand Branding

BIG Kahuna

23 Jun 2009 | 4:53 am

I saw two new commercials yesterday. Ford came out with their new branding. Here it is: Our cars are quality and as reliable as Toyota or Honda. Brilliant huh? I’ll bet my yearly paycheck that if I went out and asked 100 regular Americans where they thought Ford’s quality rated amongst Honda, Toyota and a few others they would rank near the bottom. Why does Ford persist on trying to change their poor brand image? They should focus on core strengths not weaknesses. But they can’t focus (pardon the pun) on strengths because they have absolutely no brand identity! Volvo owns…
The Types Of Clients We Avoid

BIG Kahuna

4 Jun 2009 | 5:58 am

We don’t participate in RFP’s. We don’t do spec work. We often lose business because of it. Good riddance, it wasn’t business worth having. Here’s a really funny video of the things prospects try and pull over on agencies. The sad thing is agencies often cave. Click here to view the embedded video.
Jumpline Hosting Shows How Crappy Their Brand Really Is

BIG Kahuna

28 May 2009 | 7:33 am

My company has been with Jumpline Hosting for over 9 years. We’ve had our share of problems but never switched because it was a pain in the butt. Their service is slightly above awful at best. Lately things have really become bad and our website has gone down too many times to count. I emailed them today with this question: 2nd time today the site has “went down”. Earlier it was restarted which seemed to get it going again but now it’s back down. Here’s the response from them: Dear Scott White, This account was disabled earlier by one of our System Administrators because of the high…

acleareye.com
How to end the Catch-22

Tom Asacker

2 Jul 2009 | 2:00 am

I hear it all the time: "How do I get my people to embrace these brand concepts? To live these brand principles?" Here's the simple answer: The same way you get customers to respond to your brand. First, by appealing...
Branding is a dance

Tom Asacker

1 Jul 2009 | 1:00 am

We like the reassurance of a familiar face, don't we? Of course we do. But we also want to be surprised and to laugh. Yes, we want order, but we also want some randomness -- an adventure. Yes, we love...
Change leads to insight

Tom Asacker

30 Jun 2009 | 12:54 am

Creating an enduring brand is a huge challenge in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace. It’s similar to raising a child: it requires focused attention, intuition, and a lot of patience. It also requires a desire to change and adapt. Our natural...
Beware (be aware) of abstruse ideas

Tom Asacker

29 Jun 2009 | 12:23 am

I once read about a psychological study designed to see how people would react to flawed reasoning, even when it flew in the face of their own very sensible judgment. It was quite revealing. In the study two people, A...
Interesting Week 26 of 2009

Tom Asacker

26 Jun 2009 | 1:27 am

1. Hyatt’s Random Acts of Generosity Loyalty is one thing, but the Hyatt hotel chain wants to engender something even stronger in its guests: gratitude. This summer, the company will bestow free drinks, room service and so forth on random...

.think - A Brainstorm blog » Featured
ShirtPizza.com Tees One Up; Unboxing the Fish

illig

9 Jun 2009 | 2:58 pm

“Ah, a sea bass repast.” A Tasty Tweet This spring I broadcast a Tweet expressing my unmitigated joy over a delectable dish of fish - sea bass to be exact. Moved to the point of illustration, I added a hieroglyph depicting my meal - a fish graphic fashioned from alphanumeric characters: Ah, a sea bass repast. < •)||/>< Turns out Paul Ocepek (@paulocepek), founder of ShirtPizza.com (@shirtpizza), was fishing in my Twitter stream just then. An Unexpected Treat Paul Tweeted a hint that he might add the typographic fish to the ShirtPizza product line. When he did so, he sent me a sample…
Top 20 Reasons Why Hiroki Should Be Employee Of The Month

illig

5 Jun 2009 | 1:44 pm

His mom sends oranges(and off brand fig bars) Yum! Our latest list of inane musings from the Brainstorm office white board: Top 20 Reasons Why Hiroki Should Be Employee Of The Month He is not data, he is action His heart is not that of a procrastinator but rather a concatenator He’s a real gem, a hep cat and a mod perl I’m the most humble (Just a month?) Because Linda declined the honor It’s logical He always washes his hands after using the office washrooms Because he represents all nationalities He’s the server savant He could use the $1,000,000 bonus check He’s AWESOME He’s my…
Drive Decision Trees for Definitive Feedback

illig

26 May 2009 | 5:47 am

“No great marketing decisions have ever been made on quantitative data.” John Scully Former PepsiCo president, former Apple CEO The Tree of Knowledge Marketers commonly use decision trees to assess features and benefits to determine what is most important to consumers. Quantitative results can be obtained by asking respondents a sequence of very specific questions that branch out using if/then methodology. Unreasoned Response In a focus group years ago, an outspoken man was asserting himself by speaking out of turn, disparaging the process, and scoffing at the premise that brand had any…
Top 20 Favorite Things To Do While Bob is Gone on Break

illig

22 May 2009 | 6:11 am

Wash our socks in his oatmeal bowl Our latest list of inane musings from the Brainstorm office white board: Top 20 Favorite Things To Do While Bob is Gone on Break Lunch, on Brainstorm! Come up with 20 favorite things to do while Bob is gone on break Give his XM Radio some much-deserved downtime Play Baggo in the back hallway Disorient him, organize his desk Eat out of his oatmeal bowl Sit in his chair, sleep in his bed until you find the one that’s just right Enjoy coffee in liquid form, not solid Bob was gone? Everyone pick a red PMS chip (or hexadecimal equivalent) - whoever’s is…
Bagging a BBP; An Unsleeving

illig

27 Apr 2009 | 1:28 pm

Unbox (tr.v.) To remove from a box. Unboxing my Unsleeving Top Canadian digital marketer and social media maven Kate Trgovac introduced me to “Unboxing,” the practice of recording and sharing online the opening of a package arriving via post. In addition to her roles as President of LintBucket Media, Publisher of Canada’s One Degree and the ever-popular My Name is Kate blogs, Kate maintains a top-ranked Squidoo lense that reviews laptop bags, sleeves and backpacks. Inadvertent Angling So, in the spirit of unboxed reciprocation, I’m posting this picture of the BBP Bags…

Brand Insight Blog
A branding lesson from Camp Wannalogo.

johnfurgurson

26 Jun 2009 | 12:26 pm

by John Furgurson Roll up the sleeping bag. Pack the bug spray and the spf 30. It’s time for camp… an annual summer ritual, for parents and kids alike. Every year, when I part with my kids for two weeks, the memories come flooding back. Like the lyrics of my favorite old campfire song… There’s a hole in the bottom of the sea. There’s a hole, there’s a hole, there’s a hole in the bottom of the sea. There’s log in the hole in the bottom of the sea. There’s log in the hole in the bottom of the sea. There’s a hole, there’s a hole, there’s a hole in the bottom of the sea.
Is your brand message too generic?

johnfurgurson

11 Jun 2009 | 7:53 pm

by John Furgurson Golf is one of those categories where differentiation is difficult. Clubheads are as big as they’re going to get, and every brand promises the same thing… Longer, straighter drives. High technology. And distance above all else. This headline from an ad for Cobra Drivers sum it up: “Scientifically engineered for insanely long, straight drives.” Sounds insanely generic to me. Why pay $50,000 to convey a message that applies to the entire category? You could literally insert the photo of any driver and no one would know the difference. Seems like a high…
A new spin on the Pepsi logo.

johnfurgurson

5 Jun 2009 | 11:54 am

by John Furgurson The new Pepsi logo is generating hives of buzz in branding and design circles. It’s not surprising… whenever you start messing around with one of the world’s most recognized commercial icons, people are going to talk. But it’s not like grocery carts are piling up in the beverage isle while soccer moms wax eloquent about the new design aesthetic. The general public could care less. Nope, the initial armchair quarterbacking was limited to graphic design forums and beverage industry trade pubs. “I love it.” “I hate it.” “It looks like the Obama logo.”…
The heart of personal branding.

johnfurgurson

27 May 2009 | 3:55 pm

by John Furgurson. Personal branding is a hot topic these days. Seems a lot of people are rethinking their options, reevaluating their skill sets and reinventing themselves completely. An advertising executive goes back to school and turns to teaching. A mid-level manager becomes a business owner. An accomplished professional becomes a resort-course caddy. The transitions are dramatic. Career paths don’t follow the comfortable, upward path of our fathers. They zig and zag all over the place, often rising radically for a period of time, only to plateau, fall, and rise again. It’s the…
One tough mother, two marketing objectives.

johnfurgurson

11 May 2009 | 9:13 am

By John Furgurson It’s an old debate… can brand advertising actually move the needle on bottom-line business objectives? Ad agency execs say yes, but direct response guys don’t concur. Marketing Directors and C-level execs are often skeptical. My humble opinion… absolutely. When it’s done well, an “image” ad campaign certainly can move product, and I have a case study that proves it. Meet Gert Boyle, the iconic matriarch of Columbia Sportswear, and a face only a mother could love. Gert’s story is an inspiration and a testament to the power of well-executed…

Brand Mix
100 calorie meltdown

29 Jun 2009 | 7:44 am

Photo: meAre the days for 100 calorie packs numbered? Brandweek reports that sales of most 100-calorie packs are down. Oreo Thin Crisps, for example, are off 31% vs last year. The "mini munchie" craze started back in 2004 with Kraft launch of Oreo Thin crisps as well as Wheat Thin Minis and Nabisco Mixed Berry Fruit Snacks and, seeing the success, General Mills, Frito-Lay and others all jumped in with their own products.The article points to several possible reasons why: The recession in general as well as issues with taste and wasteful packaging. "The Supermarket Guru" Phil Lempert is quoted…
Simple abuse and the shallow kiss

24 Jun 2009 | 7:39 am

Photo: jeffk Flickr CCThere's a big difference between simplicity and simplistic. Simplicity is good, it's important and according to da Vinci it's: "The ultimate sophistication." Simplistic is bad, shallow and lazy.When someone throws out a K.I.S.S. (as in: Keep it Simple, Stupid) do they mean that you've got to work harder to make something less complicated, more uncluttered and more useful for others or do they mean that you can get away without much effort or attention to detail, making it easier for them? It's important that you don't fall into the trap of using the pursuit of simple be…
The Twitter dilemma: How to embrace without touching

22 Jun 2009 | 8:10 am

Back a long, long time ago when I was at school, we had a teacher who stood in as school nurse for a while. He had no medical training and, whatever our ailment, he prescribed a Strepsil throat lozenge. He had a big tub of them so it was very efficient and great as long as we weren't actually that sick.I was reminded of that story when I received this tweet from Nescafé after my post about its latest advertising campaign:NescafeUSA @martinjbishop We liked your blog post! Have you gotten a chance to try the Nescafe stick packs yet? 10:50 AM Jun 10th from web in reply to martinjbishopA…
SOTB: Summer edition

20 Jun 2009 | 7:00 am

Yes. Summer is officially here as of Sunday. But I gave up trying to find a full slate of sunny, cheery stories for the week:1) Obama and the Fly: CNBCYikes! No bugs in the White House. Everyone had a field day with this. Colbert called it "a shocking abuse of executive power." PETA didn't like it either and is selling a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher for those who would never harm a fly. Really.2) Hit the Hut, or hit the depths of desperation : John Lyle's New Brand Thinking Pizza Hut is at it again. Last year, it was experimenting with Pasta Hut. Now it's looking at The Hut. What's wrong…
Canvas tops, rubber soles, Southern Californian lifestlye: The secrets of Vans success

16 Jun 2009 | 8:04 am

Photo: Nicole90 Flickr CCKai Ryssdal, of NPR's Marketplace, interviewed Doug Palladini, Vans Vice President of Marketing about the secret of his brand's success. It's a classic story of a niche brand sticking to what it knows best, in this case for 40 years.After receiving a huge early boost when Sean Penn wore his own pair of Vans playing the character Spicoli in the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," Vans has mainly kept its focus on its thick, rubber-soled, canvas-topped, cool shoes. Whenever it wandered too far from its home base it got burned. This was the key exchange:RYSSDAL: How do…

Ruth Mortimer - Brand & Business Blog - Marketing Week
A break from blogging! I’m away until July 6th 2009

brandstrategy

10 Jun 2009 | 2:47 pm

I’m taking a short break from blogging as I’m away on holiday for three weeks from Friday 12 June, leaving my colleagues at Marketing Week to provide the insight, opinion and analysis for you. I will be back at work on July 6th and back to blogging again. In the meantime, if you get bored, I suggest you check out the main Marketing Week website, which is constantly being updated or my colleague Stuart Smith, who is back from his own holiday on June 22. In the language of Terminator (once again hitting box offices around the world), “I’ll be back”. But not till…
Why Kaka is worth $100m to Real Madrid

brandstrategy

9 Jun 2009 | 6:29 am

It seems that while bankers are busy taking abuse for sky-high salaries and bonuses, footballers are escaping the economic gloom. Or at least that’s true for Kaka, who has left Milan to join Real Madrid for around £56m. But why are these deals, which seem extraordinarily enormous in cash terms, still so popular with clubs? Well, according to Professor Simon Chadwick, who was commissioned by Weber Shandwick Sport to run the figures, the Kaka deal could be worth as much as $100m per year to Real Madrid. This is because the signing is likely to boost shirt sales, sponsorship revenue,…
Microsoft’s Bing – does it have any bang?

brandstrategy

9 Jun 2009 | 5:22 am

Up until now, I haven’t blogged about Microsoft’s new search engine Bing because I hadn’t quite made up my mind about it. I went to Google’s Zeitgeist event earlier this year where the company premiered some of its new tools to help people search more effectively and in different ways but I was still waiting to spend some proper time on Microsoft’s Bing. (It is worrying that Bing still makes me think of Friends’ Chandler Bing every time it crops up in coversation. I’m sure I’m not the only one.) Paidcontent (via The Guardian) had an interesting…
Marks & Spencer celebrates staying in fashion for 125 years

brandstrategy

9 Jun 2009 | 4:34 am

Spent a great evening last night with Marks & Spencer, celebrating the brand turning 125. It was good to catch up with some of the executives there, including Stuart Rose and Steve Sharp, to hear all about the company’s plans for the year ahead (…can’t give anything away here, sadly…). Steve Sharp, the marketing director for M&S, was talking about a charity bikeride he is undertaking this week on behalf of the store’s 125 year anniversary. Lots of the retailer’s activities this year go towards its 125 Charity Challenge, which aims to raise £1.25m…
Will users Digg the social media site’s new ad model?

brandstrategy

5 Jun 2009 | 9:31 am

Last year, our friends over at Facebook were talking about “engagement ads“. These are essentially ads that try to mimic the way that people actually use the site. In other words, people can comment on them in the same way they comment on their friends’ profiles and so on. Now Digg is following the same strategy by planning “social ads” which follow how users interact with the website. Digg ads will appear in the stream of headlines on the homepage and provide the same chance for users to “digg” or “bury” the links as they choose. While…

brandflakesforbreakfast
a micro niche audience that's totally hot

darryl ohrt

2 Jul 2009 | 4:47 am

So the people at Vans are doing something a little different. They've opened a Model Lounge at the Delicatessen Restaurant in NYC. Here's how it works: Access is limited to female fashion models at invited Top 10 Agencies. They get an all-access card. They get to hang with other beautious types between casting calls, shoots and cigarettes. They get a bunch of cool gifts (and Vans gear) that they could totally afford to buy on their own. They see the entire Vans Girls line.And just maybe, hot models start wearing the Vans Girls product. And then other girls follow suit. And guys like hot girls…
coke and pepsi fall in love on twitter

darryl ohrt

2 Jul 2009 | 4:36 am

After years of sitting side by side on grocery store shelves and 7-11 coolers, you kind of wonder how they didn't fall in love before. It took the magic of social media to bring to opposites together, and romance has blossomed. Here's how it went down:Coke sends Pepsi a tweet. Pepsi responds. And then the Twitterverse suggests that they end the war and follow each other. And now Coke follows Pepsi. And Pepsi follow Coke. World peace is certainly next. Twitter: turning hate into love since 2009.
people are tweeting about you

darryl ohrt

1 Jul 2009 | 5:00 am

We've posted before about Convo Monitor and other useful Twitter tools. Steve Rubel points to another one: Backtweets.When people post urls on Twitter, they're usually shortened and therefore not picked up using normal Twitter search. So how do you know if people are tweeting up your site?The folks at Backtweets have figured out some secret magic to search through the actual urls of tweets. I found a bunch on BrandFlakes that I didn't know about before. Genius. And useful.
finally, you'll know where the emergency exits are

darryl ohrt

1 Jul 2009 | 4:52 am

Air New Zealand has a fun new ad campaign featuring painted bodies. They've taken it even a step further and produced their in-flight safety videos using the same theme. Really smart. We're pretty sure that you'll pay attention now.(What would be fun: get a bunch of sloppier looking people, paint their bodies, and then try to board an Air New Zealand flight.)
what to do with that big jar of pennies

darryl ohrt

1 Jul 2009 | 4:42 am

Maybe you've thought about staying at the Standard Hotel, but now there's a reason to eat there, too. The Standard Grill, inside the Standard Hotel, has a floor made from pennies. Finally, our currency system being put to a good use.

Branding Blog - Marketing Advice and Advertising Strategy for Small Business Owners
Cool Flashbacks from an Airline Mag

Dave Young

1 Jul 2009 | 3:13 pm

With 4 flights on United last week, it was easy to read the in-flight Hemispheres Magazine from cover to cover. Two stories that caught my attention were flashback pieces. First, "Remembrance of Cocoa Puffs Past," a story about retro marketing. It's a cool read and it makes the case that especially during a recession, we like to touch the comforts of the past. The other flashback piece, "Bunker Mentality," was about Norman Lear and his 1970s and 1980s TV dynasty. The story talked about how Lear altered the national conversation with his provocative shows. Coming out last month was the Norman…
First Mental Image should draw you in!

Dave Young

30 Jun 2009 | 7:14 am

I shot these pictures yesterday at Phoenix Skyharbor's modern Terminal 4. It was such a striking difference between two ADJACENT food service outlets. At any busy walk-by location your First Mental Image (FMI) is just about the only tool you have available to draw in customers. Your reputation will help with repeat business and word of mouth, but for a hungry traveler in a strange city you'd better be putting your best food/foot forward.I didn't walk more than 5 steps to shoot these two pictures. Oaxaca is just to the left of Paradise Bakery. If you click on the images, you'll see a few…
Working on My Own Business: Recharging, Reconnecting, Refocusing

Dave Young

23 Jun 2009 | 9:28 am

Big things are happening for clients. Big plans are being made for new services and channels.Spending the week with some great partners and friends. Stay tuned.
Meet Dave Young

Dave Young

29 May 2009 | 8:14 pm
Friday news: New Wonderbranding site launched

Dave Young

22 May 2009 | 5:42 pm

Wanna see something cool? Check out Michele Miller's new Wonderbranding site for her marketing to women consultancy. Very nice!On an unrelated topic, I've been featured on the Bootstrap Business blog. You might remember that I reviewed their book a few weeks ago. They've just started a new feature where they will be profiling businesses each week and my small business marketing consulting biz is the first feature! Thanks Rich and Ron!

Branding Strategy Insider
When The Brand Appeal Just Isn't There

Mark Ritson

30 Jun 2009 | 9:10 pm

This weekend, if the papers are to be believed, we might see the first British men's finalist at Wimbledon for more than 70 years. I am not convinced that Andy Murray will make it to an apparently inevitable final against Federer on Sunday, but, irrespective of his performance on the courts this week, the bigger marketing question relates to the potential appeal of 'Brand Murray'.The concept has reached a peak in recent months, fuelled by both the player's short odds to win Wimbledon and his decision earlier this year to join 19 Entertainment, David Beckham's agency, which is widely portrayed…
What Are Brand Attributes?

Brad VanAuken

29 Jun 2009 | 9:10 pm

Today we're taking another branding question. Feyza, a marketer in Istanbul, Turkey asks... What are brand attributes? Please describe the difference between brand essence and brand attributes!"Feyza thanks for your question. Attributes are more often used when referring to products than brands. A product's attribute might be a function or a feature. These functions and features often lead to consumer benefits. However, brands can have attributes too. The attributes may be personality attributes or they may be derived from the brand's products' attributes.A brand's essence, on the other hand,…
Creative Debate: London's 2012 Olympic Logo

Derrick Daye

28 Jun 2009 | 9:05 pm

Creative debates come and go. Some, like that of Tropicana's new packaging and London's 2012 Olympic logo are sure to have a long shelf-life. As Wolff Olins’ work on the 2012 logo continues to be scrutinized, we would like to gauge your reaction to the design above. To begin, two marketers share their opposing views.Loves it: Bryan Bedell Just like most people, our first reaction to the London 2012 logo was shock. But we talked about it all morning, and by 3pm, we decided we love it. And here’s why you should, too:It’s not boring. The bright colours and distinctive design definitely do…
Digital Marketing and the New Push / Pull Dynamic

Derrick Daye

27 Jun 2009 | 9:10 pm

Consumers are bombarded with more messages than ever before. Refining and clarifying your target segment is becoming evermore important as mass-messages are falling upon deaf ears. Specific, tailored and relevant messages, combined with consumer engagement and empowerment are elemental in the new marketing era. Less and less are market leaders dictating consumer needs through “push” advertising. By way of digital networking and publishing tools, consumers are creating consumer needs. To identify the key forces driving this marketing shift, we synthesized insights from over 40 industry…
The Metrics of Branding

Martin Roll

26 Jun 2009 | 9:10 pm

By 2020, branding will become the most significant value driver for boardrooms. Branding is already a very effective catalyst for better leadership; and branding helps the boardroom drive its shared vision. The primary objective of boardrooms is to build and sustain shareholder value and deliver competitive returns to shareholders. They must therefore manage by metrics, and balance short and long-term perspectives and performance. Brand equity is the combined measure of brand strength and consists of knowledge, preferences and financial considerations. Each of the measures under these three…

BrandDigital | BrandSimple: The Blog
Utility versus diversion: What consumers are doing online is critical to branding success

Allen Adamson

23 Jun 2009 | 7:07 am

Most of us have heard about Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs - you know, the need to gratify hunger, thirst, shelter before moving up to less elemental things. But a hierarchy of human needs relative to our digital life? Absolutely. People divide online pursuits into several tiers, the bottom, or most elemental, being the utilitarian stuff like checking emails, looking up addresses, chatting with friends, and the higher tiers being the more diversionary, like watching favorite shows on Hulu. It’s become apparent to me and many other branding professionals that when trying to…
Social networking inside the company helps employees act appropriately on-brand outside

Allen Adamson

2 Jun 2009 | 1:34 pm

(image courtesy of M. Keefe via Flickr) Tweeting, texting, posting , poking - we all know that social networking helps us keep in touch with what’s going on out there. It’s been my observation that many companies are using the same digital tactics and techniques to help its employees keep in touch with what’s going on in there - inside the organization, that is. As brands become increasingly “humanized” by digital technology that both connects everyone and makes everything transparent, smart companies are helping their employees better understand…
My interview with Dan Schwabel

Allen Adamson

19 May 2009 | 12:56 pm

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dan Schwabel, the leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y, and founder of the popular site, PersonalBrandingBlog.com. During our conversation, he asked me questions about both the basics of building strong brands, and the changing dynamics of branding in a digital world. It’s a quick read that nonetheless covers lots of interesting ground. It was a fun interview. Here’s the link. Interview with Dan Schwabel
My interview with the American Marketing Association

Allen Adamson

9 May 2009 | 7:43 pm

Thought you might enjoy my interview for theAmerican Marketing Associationwith John Frank,Editor and Director of Marketing News, in which I discuss why I wrote BrandDigital and some of the key points in the book. BrandDigital MarketingPower Podcast
The right question is not whether it’s Twitter OR Facebook

Allen Adamson

7 May 2009 | 11:39 am

Will Twitter soon replace Facebook as the online social connector of choice? As the number of news stories about who’s tweeting whom seems to increase with the number of Twitter users, it’s a question being asked by marketers who use social networks as part of their branding initiatives. But this isn’t the question they should be asking. Instead, the question, or rather, questions, that smart companies are asking are: What’s the difference in how consumers are using these social sites and how should branding strategies be built, as a result? I address these questions…

Baskin Dim Bulb branding advertising social media business strategy
Crime & Punishment

Jonathan

2 Jul 2009 | 4:48 am

So Bernie Madoff gets sentenced to 150 years in prison for his swindle, and the judge says that the verdict sends a message "that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil."No, it doesn't.A 150 year prison sentence is incomprehensible. It's a number that you just can't compute; it doesn't fit into any reasonable comparison or equation. We don't measure anything in 150 year increments, let alone a human life. Prison itself is hard to understand, especially the sort of place that a white-collar criminal auteur like Madoff might call home. Will his minimum-security apartment lack a…
Evolution Is A Lie, Too

Jonathan

1 Jul 2009 | 4:46 am

A Burger King franchisee recently chose to market its outlets by taking a position on a contentious issue. It would be a brilliant move if it wasn't so utterly stupid.I guess they presume their customers are suspicious of the theory of global warming, so declaring the sentiment would 1) get folks' attention, and 2) make them want to buy a Whopper.It's no more dumb than any of the social media nonsense BK has initiated over the past few years. The company prides itself on doing things that insult, offend, or otherwise amuse people with campaigns that it says "participate in the…
The Yahoos At Yahoo

Jonathan

30 Jun 2009 | 12:00 am

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.Word has it that Yahoo is going to debut new branding in the fall, courtesy of a newly-hired CMO who has a newly hired coterie of her favorite branding gurus. There's nothing surprising about this news: one of the first things new top marketers usually do is hire new vendors to reinvigorate or change the brand. It's what they do.Here's what usually happens next: Within about 18 months or so, she or he gets fired because the beautiful new branding didn't have any measurable impact on the business The exec…
All Your Base Are Belong To Us

Jonathan

29 Jun 2009 | 12:00 am

Nutcase Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is trying to connect unrest to Obama and America, after so vociferously accusing the Brits of meddling that they've pretty much quit the country (we've not been there officially since Iran's "students" gave our embassy staff the invitation to stay indefinitely).He has no other choice, really. As the spokesmodel for a totalitarian theocracy, his job is to keep the people in a constant state of fear, and thus the state constantly at war. There's just no good explanation for the direct experiences and subsequent posts, tweets, and vids of violent…
Are We Serving Conversation?

Jonathan

26 Jun 2009 | 12:00 am

Consider this: conversation is to selling what cooking is to eating. Process. Not ingredients, nor consumption. How, not what. You wouldn't know it from the hype and confusion that surrounds the social media space, though. Conversation is an absolute good, an ideal that, once achieved, spins off numerous lesser benefits. It's a synonym for selling. If only our businesses talked to consumers more often, the brands would be strengthened, and the bottom-lines improved.Well, I've had some conversations in the last week with marketers -- my consumers -- that really made my stomach…

Biz Growth News
Guidelines For Blogger Outreach: Gary Vaynerchuck Case Study

Krishna De

26 Jun 2009 | 12:36 pm

How do you connect with influencers online? And does it matter if that person influences just 2 people or 20,000 people? Well that was the subject discussed today on the For Immediate Release live show hosted by Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz. The following article summaries the live conversation. If you just want to read my summary guidelines for blogger outreach go to the end of the article. This is a very long article and for the benefit of some readers who may not be interested in the full story, I have split the post - so click on ‘continue reading’ if you want to access the…
SEO Blogger From Wordtracker: Key Word Research For Your Blog Posts Just Got Easier

Krishna De

24 Jun 2009 | 4:56 am

Many businesses are discovering the benefits of business blogging to help them get found in the search engines. And increasingly more and more customers and consumers are turning to the search engines to research products and services before they make a decision to purchase. When we write our articles so that we increase the chance of being found online we need to consider the key words what we use. From today, determining those key words when blogging just got a whole lot easier thanks to Wordtracker who have just released a plug in for Firefox called SEO Blogger. It is free to install and…
Music, Art, Dance And Drama At Waddesdon Manor, 28-29 June 2009

Krishna De

24 Jun 2009 | 4:24 am

Note: This blog post is relevant if you’re in the south of England and is being posted as a favour to my good friend and colleague Mark White. My children love to sing and dance and I am always on the look out for new places to visit and activities for them. Recently they enjoyed a great afternoon learning circus skills – here you can see my youngest learning how to spin plates which is a life skill I think we all need! One event that I wish I could take the children to on the 28 and 29 June 2009 is taking place at Waddesdon Manor near Oxford (England). The Manor itself is a National…
LinkedIn Referrals: When Do You Reject A Request To Connect?

Krishna De

22 Jun 2009 | 8:53 am

As your network grows on social networking sites, you will no doubt find that your time online will increase if for no other reason than responding to the requests to connect and answering questions from people in your network. Within LinkedIn one of the requests you may find is that people ask you to connect them to people in your network or even people one or two degrees of separation away from you. In my LinkedIn for Business workshops we discuss case studies of what makes for an effective connection and referral request. I am noticing however that I have had an increase in the number of…
Greenhouse Limerick Social Media Workshop Review By Mary New of Papercocktail.com

Krishna De

21 Jun 2009 | 10:39 pm

Earlier this month I was delighted to gift a free scholarship to the the Greenhouse Limerick Social Media workshop. The winner of the scholarship was Mary New of PaperCocktail.com Wedding Stationery Specialists based in County Wicklow. Her business was established just 5 months ago. Here is Mary’s guest blog post and a review of the event: As someone new to the world of social media, I was delighted to receive Krishna’s De’s scholarship to the Greenhouse Blogging and Social Media for Business Seminar at The Absolute Hotel in Limerick on Saturday 13th June 2009. The event was organised…

make the logo bigger
Wife saves husband with blogger’s worst nightmare.

mtlb

2 Jul 2009 | 2:10 pm

Guess that’s the power of advertising because who knew the Bee Gees were the perfect beat when it came to current CPR standards. Apparently she did. I can’t keep this stuff straight though. 5:2. 15:1. 30:2. 3:16. WTF? Now it’s HANDS ONLY. (No tongues.) If someone drops, just keep them stayin’ alive by pressing non-stop. [Insert other 100 beats per minute songs like Another One Bites the Dust, etc.] Which means that We Built This City might actually save a life to make up for all the ones its taken.
?

mtlb

2 Jul 2009 | 1:59 pm
Buy this razor and you will look, walk and hit like Jeter.

mtlb

1 Jul 2009 | 11:11 pm

*shakes head in frustration.**and at this one too.*
It’s not that they’re naked...

mtlb

1 Jul 2009 | 10:36 pm

(heynd = “hand” Just in case you need translation.)It’s that Air New Zealand shot a bunch of robots really close up.
Best of all?

mtlb

1 Jul 2009 | 11:48 am

I promise, more long-winded rants on branding experts and social media soon, but for now, while duty calls, enjoy this lovely banner for my Gov Jon Corzine. The little thing most interesting about it though? The Produced in-house sign-off. Saving the taxpayer even more money by shunning agency fees. I might vote for him on that alone.

ZackBrandit
Word-of-Mouth or Personal Relationship?

29 Jun 2009 | 12:52 am

Brand-advocate, evangelist, ambassador, aficionado, etc.That’s a lot of names for one who tries to influence our purchase decisions. We listen to them, we sometimes trust... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Blank Page Syndrome and Falling trees

23 Jun 2009 | 3:43 pm

I’ve been wondering for a while now, do bloggers experience the Blank Page Syndrome the same way other writers do? It’s not easy to maintain a decent blog with quality... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Chameleon Management - or improved Community Management

27 May 2009 | 8:35 am

In my previous post I used a few examples in order to show how difficult it is for marketing professionals to identify an adequate and sustainable approach when using social media... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
True or False: Social Media is not for Marketing Professionals

18 May 2009 | 10:05 am

As social media evolves, we see more and more companies converge, bringing more or less the same experience to their users. The online environment is very fluid and perhaps... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
The 6th Era of Social Web: The Brandit Era

29 Apr 2009 | 6:52 am

Today I read a blog written by Forrester’s analyst Jeremiah Owyang called: “The Future of the Social Web: In Five Eras”. Jeremiah and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

The Marketing Minute
Fear Factor

Drew McLellan

1 Jul 2009 | 6:44 pm

Want to know what sabotages most marketing efforts? It’s not the competition, the small budget or too much work, so you can’t be proactive. So what is?Fear.There is a sweeping attitude (although many who have it won’t even see that they’ve been infected.) that it’s better to be safe, bland and expected when marketing. Many marketing execs and even some agencies are just not willing to stick their proverbial neck out and risk being bold or different.What is there to be afraid of? You might get noticed? You might inspire reaction from your consumers? You…
Protect your privacy on Facebook -10 privacy settings you should consider

Drew McLellan

28 Jun 2009 | 6:43 am

As Facebook and other social networking sites continue to grow by leaps and bounds... many privacy issues are also cropping up. Most of us end up blending our personal and professional lives on Facebook and sometimes that can get a bit uncomfortable.We've talked about the issue of whether or not you get to have a private life anymore, if you're active in social networking. But, there are some things you can do to protect your own privacy and also, the privacy of the people you are linked to/friended.This has been a growing concern of mine, so those of you who are my…
This is a brilliant idea

Drew McLellan

27 Jun 2009 | 7:32 am

You know those cheesy air fresheners that people hang off their rear view mirror in the shape of a pine tree or a piece of fruit? Why not let people personalize them with family photos like they do with credit cards? Maybe someone like Snapfish could work on this idea a bit?Who wouldn't be happier with a picture of the grandbaby dangling from the mirror and smelling piney fresh?That's it. Just that random idea. If you make a million, you owe me a cup of coffee or something.I feel a little like Bill Blazejowski from the movie Night Shift. "This is Bill.
Social media isn't all that (is that how the kids say it?)

Drew McLellan

26 Jun 2009 | 4:58 am

I've often said social media isn't for everyone. Not every company should have a blog. No one on Twitter really cares what you had for dinner (unless you ate chocolate grasshoppers) and you don't have to possess a single friend on Facebook.Social media is a collection of great tools that hopefully bring out the best in us as people and companies. It gives us the ability to connect, collaborate and create communities.But that doesn't mean it's all that. (pretty sure that's the hip phrase these days!)Eric Karjaluoto from smashLAB wrote a very…
Keep topping it off

Drew McLellan

24 Jun 2009 | 3:23 am

I drink a lot of water. This can be directly linked to 30+ kidney stones. The more water, the fewer stones.I like water cold. Really cold. I'm talking seriously ice cold water, please. When I am at home, I almost always have a huge insulated glass nearby, filled to the brim with ice water. Because I prefer the water to be frigid cold, I don't let the level in the glass get too low before I re-fill it.(I can hear you...what in the heck does this have to do with marketing?? Stay with me....)I've discovered if I keep topping off the…

Ries' Pieces
The Classic Mistake

Laura

30 Jun 2009 | 10:03 am

Pizza Hut is now selling chicken wings and pasta as well as pizza. Kentucky Fried Chicken is now selling grilled chicken as well as fried chicken. Boston Chicken was once focused on rotisserie chicken, but then they wanted to expand, so they added turkey, meatloaf and ham to the menu. Then to explain the expanded menu to consumers, they changed the name of their restaurants to “Boston Market.”And promptly went bankrupt. It’s logical, isn’t it? If you want to grow your business then you need to expand your product line to sell more things to more people. And if your existing category…
Can 17 million iPhone users be crazy?

Laura

3 Jun 2009 | 1:44 pm

Can 17 million iPhone users be crazy? Probably not. Was I wrong? Probably so. The iPhone has developed a loyal, vocal and proselytizing fan base. But 17 iPhone users are not jumping for joy over convergence. Because as it turns out, convergence is not what the iPhone is really about. Initially, convergence is what Apple touted as the main benefit of the device. Convergence is what drives me crazy. And if the iPhone was selling convergence then I had serious doubts about its universal appeal. That was the argument I had during the launch. The much-hyped convergence of the tv/pc, car/plane, and…
The Strategy for Swift

Laura

13 May 2009 | 3:00 am

The Swift School The current mission of the Swift School is “to prepare children with dyslexia and related language-based learning differences to be successful in life. We will strive to accomplish this mission by teaching them specific learning strategies and skills and by identifying and fully developing their talents. To do so, we will create an environment that is exciting, challenging and supportive.” A mouthful and not very memorable. Even the director has trouble remembering it word for word. The first step is to focus on a word. While the Swift School helps…
The Situation at Swift

Laura

11 May 2009 | 6:42 am

The story of Swift. The Swift School is a non-profit school in Roswell Georgia that teaches students in 1st thru 6th grades with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. The school was founded in 1998 by Gail Swift a long-time teacher at The Schenck School in Atlanta. When Gail wanted to retire from Schenck parents urged the beloved teacher to continue teaching privately. She accepted and in one room in her church Gail began teaching five students. In 2000, a two room modular building was leased and the schools enrollment was up to twenty-two students. The school…
When the going gets tough, get giving

Laura

1 May 2009 | 11:39 am

When the going gets tough, get giving. These are tough economic times for everybody, especially marketing agencies and consultants. When things were quiet for us back in January, I booked some events, made some contacts and looked for some ways to give back. Giving your services away with coupons and deals just undermines your value. But giving it away completely to companies in need not only feels good it helps your community and builds your brand.I choose to team up with other successful Atlanta companies so we could give an entire package of services to a local non-profit. One great…

Tom Fishburne: The Management Cartoonist
goliath envy

Tom Fishburne

28 Jun 2009 | 4:06 am

I gave a talk last week on challenger brand thinking, so I've had David and Goliath on my mind. I talked about the importance of changing the game when you're the little guy so that you're not playing by the rules of Goliath. Changing the game can level the playing field. Last month, I read a fascinating article from Malcolm Gladwell on "How David Beats Goliath". Malcolm researched classic David versus Goliath match-ups in history and confirmed statistically that David triumphs over Goliath much more frequently when they change the game. "In the Biblical story of…
where's waldo marketing

Tom Fishburne

21 Jun 2009 | 9:44 am

My friend Jon at online grocer Ocado nicely invited me to give a talk at their supplier conference this week. I'm talking about how Ocado helps enable challenger brands because they break the rules of traditional retail. To help prove my point, I'm showing this photo from a typical British grocery store. I call this "Where's Waldo" merchandising because it's so hard to shop (particularly for a master brand like method because the store puts window cleaners in one section and bathroom cleaners in another, etc.) "Where's Waldo" (known…
twitter tooning

Tom Fishburne

20 Jun 2009 | 9:55 am

I always carry around a sketchpad and a pencil in my pocket to jot down cartoon ideas as they happen. Sometimes just a quote I like. Sometimes a situation I want to lampoon later. These sketchpads are my foundation. I flip through them later and ideas start to surface. I always try to have a few cartoon ideas percolating in my sketchpads.I've been a little reluctant to try twitter, because I worried I would lose all self control. Like when my wife and I thought we would casually watch "24" and then found ourselves at 2 in the morning…
the tension of glocalization

Tom Fishburne

14 Jun 2009 | 3:25 am

I've thought a lot about "thinking global, acting local" since I moved to the UK to help launch an American brand two years ago.It's a constant tug-o-war between global consistency and local adaptation. Recently, I had coffee with Patrick Cairns, CEO of Plum Baby, who spent a lot of time in global roles with Unilever. He described the standard dichotomy as being either "mindlessly global" or "hopelessly local". Far too often, the global brand manager assumes one-size-fits-all and the local brand manager assumes his or her particular…
view from marketing

Tom Fishburne

7 Jun 2009 | 11:33 pm

I've always loved that classic Saul Steinberg painting "View of the World from 9th Avenue", which The New Yorker ran as its cover in 1976. I love the detail of the first few streets, and then Los Angeles as a tiny speck in the distance.This image popped to mind recently when I was thinking about the marketing ivory tower. It's really easy for a marketer (particularly in a large company) to start wearing blinders and only see the immediate stimulus of the office around them. There's such a steady diet of research reports, agency reviews, focus group results,…

Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel
The Power of Referral Partners, Part 2: Choosing the Right Ones

Liz Lynch

2 Jul 2009 | 5:15 am

While many of us who start our own businesses or who become solo professionals value our independence, we quickly find more value in having people at our side to give us extra strength, visibility and insight in the market. In last week’s post, I touched on the power of referral partnerships. These are collaborations you can create with other entrepreneurs, professional service providers or small businesses owners that can open up a whole pipeline of new business for the both of you and strengthen your respective brands. Picking the right referral partners Here are six criteria to consider:…
8 Ideas to Turn Your Successful Blog into a Book

Monica O'Brien

1 Jul 2009 | 5:15 am

If you currently have a successful blog with a moderate fan base of subscribers, you might be considering the benefits of having a book to expand your personal brand. One of the most difficult parts of getting started is figuring out how to market the ideas and blog content you have in book form, without republishing your blog posts or ideas in the same way. The more unique you can make your book content, the more likely your subscribers are to buy it. For an in-depth look at any of 8 the following methods to turn your blog into a book, you can sign up for my writer’s newsletter here. Here…
The Michael Jackson Brand

Beverly Macy

30 Jun 2009 | 5:15 am

Like millions of people around the world, I was shocked and saddened by Michael Jackson’s untimely death last Thursday. I found out on Twitter. And, it’s true, I’m a ‘closet’ Michael Jackson fan. I realized that as his music and videos filled the airwaves - he was the backdrop of my life for decades. And every song has memories - Beat It, Thriller, Bad, We Are The World….on and on. Setting aside his trials and tribulations, his brand is so strong and well defined that his legacy truly will be that of a genius artist and a true humanitarian. In fact,…
Personal Branding Interview: Bob Jennings

Dan Schawbel

29 Jun 2009 | 5:30 pm

Today, I spoke with Bob Jennings, who is the coauthor of The Adversity Paradox. Bob views the poor economy as a transformational opportunity—those who emerge stronger will be the success stories of the future. In this interview, Bob talks about key traits that he looks for when hiring new employees, and more information on why overcoming adversity is the key to success. Over your careers what were the key traits you looked for when hiring new employees? And why? Recruiting and retaining high performers is crucial for any organization, in any economic situation. We hired based on all the…
REPORT: Professional Networking Dominates Job Boards

Dan Schawbel

29 Jun 2009 | 3:42 am

As you a already well aware, I believe that job boards won’t exist in the future and that the transaction between hiring managers and applicants will be completely networked. Therefore, your network will become your only insurance policy and people will become the ultimate asset to your career. You won’t be conducting a job search because you won’t need to. Instead, you’ll be locating people who work for companies you’re actually interested in and they will process the “transaction” on your behalf. This saves companies a lot of money and creates…

The Personal Branding Blog: Reach-Certified Personal Branding Strategists
What Michael Jackson, The Brand Icon, Can Teach You About Personal Branding

Paul Copcutt

29 Jun 2009 | 1:55 pm

There was an article posted by on the Harvard Business Review How Michael Jackson Became a Brand Icon and interestingly it's author John Quelch kicked off with the following comment; "Countless books advise how to build your personal brand. Michael Jackson was so unique that he cannot realistically serve as anyone's role model in that effort" But, I beg to differ, the fact is Michael Jackson was a personal brand and countless thousands of fans looked to him for inspiration and direction. So let's take John's Top Ten Factors and see how Jackson's brand can…
Death of Three Personal Brands

WendyTerwelp

26 Jun 2009 | 2:11 pm

This week marked the death of three personal brands, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon.What do you remember about each? Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was one of the all-time chart-toppers and had a short resurgence from the movie, "13 Going on 30" with Jennifer Garner. Farrah ranked No. 1 in TV Guide's "TV's All-Time Sexiest Women" - based on her "Charlie's Angles" series and that 1976 swimsuit poster (12 million sold!). And Ed McMahon, the most famous "second banana" for his long-running role on the "Tonight…
Interesting Pre-Screening Tool

Kristen Jacoway

23 Jun 2009 | 7:41 am

As most of you who read my blog at Career Design Coach know, the company for which my husband worked has closed and we are in job search mode. I thought I'd share an interesting employment pre-screening tool that we recently saw. The company where my husband applied did not accept resumes. I was a little surprised, but decided that as we completed the online application there would be the opportunity to list his experience and achievements somewhere in the process. We got to the last page and realized that we had not been given the opportunity to do this. The company, instead, listed the…
You: Rock Star!

Walter Akana

23 Jun 2009 | 6:02 am

Do you typically think of your self as a rock star? Neither do I. Sure, we all have those exhilarating moments; and some of us even play Guitar Hero. Yet, when things settle down, we return to our own status quo – whatever that may be. Imagine though, that the very concept of rock star were to be reinvented, allowing us to be a rock star in whatever career we pursue. Well, this is precisely the premise behind a recent television ad for Intel. It features Intel Fellow Ajay V. Bhatt who is identified as co-inventor of Universal Serial Bus (USB), and “The Real USB Rock Star.” The…
The 5Ps of Marketing

Maria Elena Duron

22 Jun 2009 | 6:17 am

Marketing, by definition, is creating a positive environment for exchange. It could be exchange of goods and services. Yet, in today's economy, it also includes the exchange of human resources for financial resources. Viewing yourself as the product that you are marketing, might help you in wrapping your mind around the power and the necessity for personal branding. You could be transitioning to another position and look for positive exchange with a potential employer; it could be you as a referral partner looking for a positive exchange with someone who…

Chris Garrett on New Media
Creative Penn Blog Critique

Chris Garrett

30 Jun 2009 | 9:08 am

Joanna Penn describes The Creative Penn as a site … aimed at people who are interested in writing, self-publishing/print-on-demand and internet marketing for their books (in print/ebook or audio format). That is a great niche, there are thousands of people struggling to get their book written, published and sold. I know the pull of books very well myself. Joanna has self-published her print book using print on demand, and also e-books, along with marketing via clickbank, so she has practical hands on knowledge of what she writes about. She also has created an online course called…
Summer Traffic Blog Project

Chris Garrett

26 Jun 2009 | 8:01 am

Every year I get questions from people asking how they can fight the “summer slump” where traffic droops over the summer months. Also, who does not want more traffic any time of year, right? So this year I came up with a plan. Starting 1st July until the end of Summer, I will be posting tips, tutorials and exercises over at the Authority Blogger Forum. For your part I will want you to share your traffic generation questions, experiences, results and thoughts so we can all make the techniques and tactics even better. Here is the best bit for you. Anyone who participates will get…
Everyday Guide Blog Critique

Chris Garrett

22 Jun 2009 | 7:02 am

Everyday Guide First Impressions Wow these blog critiques have been popular lately - I hope you are getting as much out of them as I have fun writing them This critique is for Althaf Ahmed who runs a site called Everyday Guide which he described in his email to me as “an online repository of mini guides”. He also has the .net version of the domain which is due to be merged with the dotcom. What are these “mini guides” you might ask? Good question, I am glad you raised it. Here are some examples: How to start a home business What is a blog How to start an internet…
Spiritual River Blog Critique

Chris Garrett

17 Jun 2009 | 8:52 am

Spiritual River Patrick Meninga, aka skinnyninja to forum members, won this blog critique in the Blogger of the Month competition. If you would like to win a blog critique or Authority Blogger membership there is still time to win the June prize, you just need to participate in the forum by being friendly, asking excellent questions that spark discussion, or answering questions well. The blog is called Spiritual River and is about addiction, or rather I guess is more about sobriety by being more spiritual. By using the Thesis Theme, many of the techy things you need to do are handled already,…
Join Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett on a Live Call

Chris Garrett

2 Jun 2009 | 5:45 am

How would you like to ask Darren Rowse of Problogger fame a question? Next Tuesday Darren is joining me on the telephone where I will be asking him YOUR biggest questions about blogging, traffic, subscribers and how he makes so much money - and you can join us online. Windows users will be able to listen live from your computer speakers, no phone necessary. Due to scheduling issues and time zones the call will be at 11am UK time, which while fine for the rest of the world is early for our USA friends, but even if you can not make the call live, if you sign up below you will be able to still…

Igor
Richard Branson launches the Igor named “gogo” in-flight WiFi service

igor

14 Jun 2009 | 12:49 pm

Igor named the new in-flight wifi service gogo (case study here). Below, Richard Branson officially launches gogo service aboard Virgin America.
“HI! BILLY MAYS HERE FOR CARDIAC SURGERY! JUST PAY SHIPPING AND HANDLING!”

Steve

13 Jun 2009 | 9:00 am

Do we really have to explain why this is a bad idea? We didn’t think so.
Computer Tan finally launches, and it really works!

Steve

12 Jun 2009 | 9:59 am

Download the app today at ComputerTan.com
Virus update: one million English words, and counting

Jay

10 Jun 2009 | 10:20 am

The English language received its official unofficial one millionth word this morning at 5:22 a.m. ET. And, just in time for the coming Web 3.0 phenomena, the one millionth word is...wait for it...Web 2.0.Of course, "Web 2.0" being crowned the One Millionth English Word, and having the coronation at exactly 5:22 this morning, is just an estimate, made buy a website called the Global Language Monitor, "a Web site that uses a math formula to estimate how often words are created." I like that: words used to describe a math formula used to estimate how many words there are that could be put to…
Search this: Bing is ping with a B (Zune is tune with a Z)

Jay

28 May 2009 | 2:28 pm

In what has become a recurring skit of rebranding theater, Microsoft is yet again relaunching its search service with a new name. This time around, until it is swept aside unceremoniously in a couple years, the name is Bing. In case you need a reminder of the history of Microsoft search names, here it is: Originally called MSN Search, Microsoft rebranded their search service as Windows Live Search. Eventually, that clunker was shortened to the generic Live Search. Now, apparently realizing that “live” and “search” are both basic expectations all users have of any…

Hard Knox Life - Dave Knox Brand Management blog
Brands I Love: Knob Creek tells the world “Thanks for Nothing”

Dave Knox

1 Jul 2009 | 10:16 am

I have to admit,this is one of my favorite print ads out there. But then again, I seem to have a soft spot for great liquor advertising. In the world of Consumer Packaged Goods, Knob Creek is going through what we call “allocation.” And allocation is usually a bad thing for a brand… a really bad thing. But the marketers at Knob Creek have taken the high road and used the shortage to reinforce their equity of “uncompromising quality.” It would have been easy for them to start using some product that hadn’t aged the “full 9 years”. But…
Don’t Count MySpace Out Just Yet

Dave Knox

30 Jun 2009 | 3:38 am

There is one constant when it comes to Digital Marketing: people are always looking for the “next big thing” while announcing the “end” of the last one. Lately, the digerati have been increasingly calling out “the end of MySpace” thanks to their latest restructuring and layoffs. And many are pointing to the visitor growth of Twitter and Facebook as rationale as well. But to paraphrase Mark Twain, I think: “the reports of MySpace’s death are greatly exaggerated.” This is a point I have been trying to make to many of my fellow…
Why Consumer Reviews Matter to Brand Managers

Dave Knox

29 Jun 2009 | 2:22 am

Over at AdAge, Abbey Klaasen just published a great story on “Your Best Marketing Tool Is the Humble Product Review.“ As the story states: …for all the ink spilled on the importance of Twitter and Facebook as feedback and customer-service channels, there’s another social-media tool marketers are increasingly finding useful, not just as an online-shopping tool but as an internal, culturally changing consumer-criticism channel: the humble product review. This is a great point that deserves reinforcement. While it is easy to get distracted by the latest “shiny…
Digital Weekly Round-Up: 6-28-09

Dave Knox

28 Jun 2009 | 11:53 am

While summer is upon us, there is plenty of news happening in the world of Digital Marketing. Here are some of the articles / pieces of news that jumped out to me in recent weeks: Team Wins Netflix $1 Million Crowdsourcing Prize: For several years, Netflix has had an open challenge that whoever improved their recommendation engine by 10% would win a prize of $1 million dollars. This has always been one of my favorite examples of Crowdsourcing in business and it looks like someone is finally going to claim the prize. Panera Adds Community Service: I love the simplicity of…
John Battelle’s Thoughts on Online Marketing

Dave Knox

23 Jun 2009 | 4:00 am

Every Brand Manager and Marketer should have a handful of go-to people who are guaranteed to stretch your thinking. I am talking about people that live and breath a topic and will put your mind into overdrive with their words and writing. For me, John Battelle is one of those guys, especially when it comes to the future of the Social Web and Online Marketing. As Chairman of Federated Media and co-founder of the Web 2.0 Summit, John is someone whose opinion I definitely trust about this space. At the most recent Federated CM Summit, John kicked off the event with a great opener where he…

Girvin Strategic Branding Design Blog
Human+Brand+Love | Michael Jackson

Tim Girvin

26 Jun 2009 | 5:13 pm

Loving the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. I’ve written about that idea of the human brand, which I might more effectively relate to the notion of the “human torch” — a fiery inspiration. Going back, thousands of years, into the mists of proto-history, the concept of brand and fire, spark and imagining, flame [...]
Human Brand | How about a hug?

Tim Girvin

21 Jun 2009 | 9:10 am

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times Warmth, affection, connection, community: physical social networks and emerging branding trends. It’s been suggested that the phenomenon of teenagers hugging has something to do with Michelle Obama. She hugs everyone. She’s even been decried for her supposed slip in royal protocol by [video] hugging the Queen of England, Royal Mother [...]
Who do you love? Google | Social Networks?

Tim Girvin

20 Jun 2009 | 2:30 pm

Who do you trust? Facebook search engine results? Your friend’s a brand. Google has long been the apex of search mechanisms, beating out the rivals of Yahoo, and still, so too, emergent entity bing.com. But Google has its sights on the social space, such as Facebook, according to the research team analyzing these results. People are looking [...]
Twitter-out | Twitter-in’

Tim Girvin

14 Jun 2009 | 1:30 pm

(Twitter founders: Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Evan Williams) Jessica B. Lifland | USA TODAY Who stays, who goes? I can’t push too hard on the proposition that I have anything truly ground breaking, in the context of twitterology, the new science of micro-blogging. My question is — who cares? I’ve noted some positioning on the content — that, [...]
The alphabet and the earth

Tim Girvin

13 Jun 2009 | 1:25 pm

Images credit The geography of the mind, mapped in place In a way, any drawing that we create, is a kind of signature. Designing is demarcation. And the origin of the alphabet, stretching back 3,500 to 4,000 years ago, to the proto-sinaitic beginnings is, in fact, a signing of “place” — a description, of sorts, to the [...]

Whiplash Design's Identity & Branding Blog
Feel Like Giving Up? This Gives You Hope…

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

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

Many in the identity and graphic design, branding and marketing community have “voted” on the new Pepsi logo. Voted with their critique, that is. Many hate it, some even say it looks like a plumber’s rear. Why did Pepsi do it? It is one of the most recognized symbols ...
Is Print Dead? Not if he can help it…

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

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

Brand Curve
Online Reputation Management and Andy Beal, part 2

Kim Beasley

2 Jul 2009 | 7:16 am

In part two of the interview with Andy Beal, you will learn more about online reputation management by using Trackur. According to Trackur.com, Trackur is an online reputation monitoring tool designed to assist you in tracking what is said about you on the internet. Trackur scans hundreds of millions of web pages–including news, blogs, video, images, and forums–and lets you know if it discovers anything that matches the keywords that interest you. Remember that online reputation management is the process of managing your business and personal identity online. This includes monitor…
Online Reputation Management and Andy Beal, part 1

Kim Beasley

1 Jul 2009 | 7:52 am

In a recent interview with Andy Beal, the topic of conversation was online reputation management for your business and personal name. This is a two-part interview where I will share my questions and his responses to me. Before I get to the interview questions and answers, I thought it would be good to explain the definition of online reputation management. It is the process of monitoring the internet for usage of your business name or personal name through different media such as social media, website or even forums. Now on to the interview. Question 1: Please introduce yourself and tell us…
Do You Need A Brand Package Makeover?

Kim Beasley

30 Jun 2009 | 7:16 am

The way your package your products and services speaks loudly about your business. Choosing the right colors, design and images can make or break the success of a business image. Developing a concise brand packaging program is ideal and important to your company. What is brand packaging and how does it affect your business? According to the article entitled, “What a Packaging Makeover Can Do For Your Company” which can be found on FastCompany.com and written by Saabira Chaudhuri…. Branding consists of a range of different but strongly interconnected activities that are all…
What Is An Innovative Business Brand?

Kim Beasley

27 Jun 2009 | 7:28 am

What does an innovative business brand look like? How can you tell that you have an innovative business brand? What are the key components of an innovative business brand? All of these are good questions that I plan to answer in this article. An innovative business brand should include cutting edge components that help your increase your marketshare for your industry. Some of the components that you can include would be: Incorporation of Web 2.0 into your website Integrating social media marketing into your business strategy Invigorating sales planning that include creative marketing…
Mobile Branding Your Business

Kim Beasley

26 Jun 2009 | 7:52 am

With all of the popularity of the iPhone, have you wondered if it was possible to brand your business on it? Maybe you’ve had thoughts about how you could receive your part of the market share for your industry regarding the mobile business branding? Then let’s take a look at what it takes to be successful in the mobile branding market. Image: SXC.hu According to the article entitled “Pandora: Unleashing Mobile Phone Ads” which can be found on BusinessWeek.com and was written by Tom Lowry, Since Pandora launched a mobile edition two years ago, it has signed up 6…

Name Wire: The Product Naming Blog
Can Brink's Company Name Change Maintain Its Brand Name Equity with Broadview Security?

2 Jul 2009 | 8:20 am

Brink's has spun off its home security unit from its very well-known armored truck division and renamed it "Broadview." This is a massive $120 million effort supported by a barrage of commercials featuring shady thugs breaking into suburban houses and being scared away by Broadview alarm systems. Their new tagline is "the next generation of Brink's Home Security," while their stock ticker will remain CFL, which stands for "Customers for Life." Apparently, holding on to the Brink's name had licensing and taxation implications that were fearsome enough to warrant this name change. A Broadview…
Hardee's Name Our Holes: Tasteless Product Naming or Modern Mobile Marketing?

30 Jun 2009 | 8:28 am

I am not going to pass judgment on Hardee's new brand naming effort with their "Biscuit Holes" promotion, but cannot help but submit my aversion to the idea. Now referring to food as "holes" has a long pedigree - donut holes were a staple of my childhood - but Hardee's is using the name "Biscuit Holes" as sort of a placeholder while they try to convince customers to better it. Hardee's has a mobile web site with the URL www.nameourholes.com which, to say the least, sounds a little strange. Fans have responded with names like "B-Holes" and "Heavenly Balls." You can see where this is going. The…
GM Struggles to Corral Popular Penske Naming With Saturn Brand

29 Jun 2009 | 7:41 am

Today's Wall Street Journal reminds me of the fact that sometimes two big names can be a mixed blessing. Here I am thinking of the Saturn and Penske combination that has been created by celebrity driver and businessman Roger Penske's Penske Automotive Group with its purchase of GM's Saturn brand name. An upsurge in interest in Saturn cars by Penske fans has been initially seen as a result of the deal, but GM is currently asking the (very relieved) Saturn dealers not to trumpet the name too loudly lest it dilute the beleaguered Saturn brand. GM still has a major interest here, as they will…
NY MTA Declares Open Season on Subway naming - Barclays Bags Brooklyn

26 Jun 2009 | 7:07 am

The New York Times seems a little anxious over the fact that London-based Barclay's Bank has attached its name to "the nexus of subway stops at Atlantic Avenue, Pacific Street and Flatbush Avenue" at a cost of $4 million. This is part of the new plan to create a Barclay's Center (the new sports stadium for the New Jersey Nets) in the area by Atlantic Yards and essentially declares open season on the New York subway when it comes to naming rights. The New York Times continues to state its amazement, writing "if a company can pay to get its name on any station, a New Yorker might wonder what's…
Back from the Auto Naming No-Man's Land, The Taurus Is Back!

25 Jun 2009 | 7:05 am

The Ford Taurus is back after the new CEO Alan Mulally decided to resurrect the name after asking Ford executives in 2006 "How many billions of dollars does it cost to build brand loyalty around a name?" This is exactly the question I would have liked to ask them! He instructed his engineers to go ahead and "make the coolest vehicle that you can possibly make (and name it the Taurus)," and the result is now on the road. The press likes it, as does pretty much anyone who sees it. But the interesting thing to note is that the car is not the mid-range, erstwhile "flying potato" of the early…

The Engaging Brand
Show 246 - Lessons From Fast Company Founder

Anna Farmery

1 Jul 2009 | 3:21 am

Show 246 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcastis ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post and don't forget to try GoToMeeting for your 30 day free trial.An interview with Alan Webber the founder of Fast Company and who has just written a fabulous new business book called Rules of Thumb. You can contribute your own thoughts on business at the Rule of Thumb site. Alan describes the book as"the world's first business hybrid book - the same way Fast…
Do you warm up your customers?

Anna Farmery

29 Jun 2009 | 2:06 pm

This weekend I was lucky enough to be a guest at a concert held by Guido's Orchestra - a hugely talented violinist from Holland. I watched as several thousand people went from being a seated, passive crowd to one that was dancing, singing and having a great time. It made me think....How much time do you spend on building the excitement? How much time do brands spend "warming up" their customers? How much time do you spend balancing the audio with the visual? (The talk with the words) What is your brands warm up act? Artists would never send a brochure and expect people to…
How Blogging Has Changed Me

Anna Farmery

26 Jun 2009 | 10:08 am

Air is something that we take for granted and yet is essential for life. I feel that way about ideas and words. Ideas are business. Words are our tools for communication. Yet, we can often pay lip service to both. If we needed air we would find it...the world needs ideas and communication and it is a pity we don't spend more time developing our supply line.Blogging has helped my own development. It has given me an appreciation for both ideas and words. Blogging makes me think about life, business, brands, social media, leadership in a way that I didn't do before....When I blog I…
The Wimbledon Brand - Game, Set and Match

Anna Farmery

25 Jun 2009 | 11:02 am

Wimbledon is one of the summer institutions here in Britain. I also love the Wimbledon brand..why? The way they own green and purple. They own their colours, they use the colours to express their brand. The love of tradition. They feed the brand by retaining their history. When you visit Wimbledon the brand ouzes its history. The history creates the brand story. As much as tradition is part of the brand, they keep the brand relevant to the modern world. Who would have thought years ago, a roof on the centre court? They don't compromise on the brand values. As much as people may look and…
Learning whilst living....

Anna Farmery

24 Jun 2009 | 10:09 am

Learning can happen in all walks of life and I am sad when people go through life without ever thinking about how they can learn from the general pain and happiness of life.Last weekend I went over and helped Mum by thinning out her trees on her driveway. It was really hard work - as my bad back now testifies! I wasn't sure that the trees needed cutting back but when we had finished you could see the benefit. Many of the branches were dead because they were restricted from light, many had been struggling to survive. It made me think that business so many times avoid the pain of cutting…

Greteman Group Blog
A rose by any other name…

Jen Wiley

29 Jun 2009 | 2:03 pm

I’ve been blissfully happy since my marriage a month ago. But that happy state is being challenged by the seemingly endless challenges that come from changing my last name from Gore to Wiley. Before the wedding, taking your husband’s surname seems romantic and endearing, but after the “I do’s”, it’s just a bunch of notarized paperwork, standing in lines and training everyone you know to stop calling you by the name they’ve known you by your whole life. Who’s Mrs. Wiley? At work, my new email address is active and the new business cards are on the way. I’ve updated my iChat…
Marc’s Picks for Final Friday – June

Marc Bosworth

24 Jun 2009 | 2:36 pm

It’s sweltering outside, and the gallery scene for this month shows no sign of cooling off either. To help you plan your Final Friday in Wichita, I offer this list of must-see shows for June. Linda K. Robinson at Center Gallery Linda K. Robinson at Jones Gallery See Linda – not just once, but twice – in two separate shows this Friday. You‘ll notice the influence of Linda’s minimalist approach in the works of many young local photographers. Attend these two great shows and you’ll understand why. Center Gallery, 111 S. Ellis, 6-10 p.m. Jones Gallery, 414 S. Commerce, 6–10 p.m.
Love Means Responsibility

Shelley Downs

12 Jun 2009 | 12:27 pm

One of my biggest passions in life is animals. My animal portfolio has included dogs, cats, parakeets, chickens (yes, pet chickens), and hamsters. There’s never been a time I’ve been without a pet companion. Recently, my husband and I welcomed an abandoned dog into our home (in addition to our two cats). The dog — a brown and tan mini dachshund we named Pronto Pup in honor of a Kansas State Fair food favorite — had been living on the streets in a friend’s neighborhood. We don’t know Pronto’s story, but too often animals are dumped on the streets. Perhaps financial…
The Wichita Aero Club Ball: An Affair to Remember

Ashley Bowen Cook

9 Jun 2009 | 10:02 am

Serving as co-chair of the recent Wichita Aero Club Ball reminded me of my wedding. Countless hours of planning. Meetings with vendors. Analyzing budgets. Determining the menu. Fretting over every detail. Wondering why people refuse to RSVP until the last minute. Waking up in the middle of the night the week before with checklist items running through my head. Then it’s time. The day arrives. When it’s over, you’re completely exhausted. But gratified. More than 200 members of the aviation community nationwide came together to attend this inaugural event. In addition to an evening of…
The Oprah Factor

Randy Bradbury

2 Jun 2009 | 1:33 pm

We were delighted to hear Oprah Winfrey happily, unabashedly telling Duke University graduates that she loves her private jet – a custom-built Bombardier Global Express XRS. Robert Frank, a Wall Street Journal blogger, went so far as to suggest that the aviation industry forget productivity and economic arguments and just run a picture of Oprah with the line, “It’s great to have a private jet.” It’s certainly true that having someone with Oprah’s influence weigh in on the topic does more than any conventional ad possibly could. We just hope that, as the debate continues, she has a…

Brand Corral
68 Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd.

Ed Roach

2 Jul 2009 | 9:54 am

Mike Michalowicz - the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur has a terrific post where he features the opinions of 68 individuals (myself included) on how to differentiate your business and stand out from the crowd. Bring a coffee, it's a generous read.
Things That Should Be On Your Radar!

Ed Roach

30 Jun 2009 | 6:44 pm

There are plenty of tools on the web that you should be investigating to better your business opportunities. I speak to groups of business professionals and what I thought was common knowledge is completely new information to many. That realization led to this week’s tip - put these on your radar:• Blogging - great for building your "expert profile" and reaching out to a global audience with
I Love Sales People.

Ed Roach

22 Jun 2009 | 7:43 pm

I can't tell you how many times I've been interrupted during my early evening hours by the voice of a telemarketer on the telephone trying to get me to purchase their wares. Being an entrepreneur and small business owner, I can appreciate how difficult it is to sell. It is my policy to listen to their pitch and then express my desire to purchase or not. Of course most times I will never purchase
4 FREE Issues of Business Week Magazine

Ed Roach

22 Jun 2009 | 1:47 pm

Business Week is offering 4 issues free to try them out. You'll also receive Power Plays, a digital playbook which reveals how some of the most influential business leaders get to the top of their game PLUS access to their online issues. If you want to keep receiving copies after that, you can continue subscription for up to 88% off newstand prices. Visit BusinessWeek to check for availability.
Increase Brand Recognition With An Icon

Ed Roach

16 Jun 2009 | 11:35 am

What do the MacDonald's, Nike, Apple, KFC and Allstate brands have in common?VISUAL BRAND ICONS.Brand icons are sensory symbols that represent the corporate brand. As they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." You are better able to remember visuals than even the spoken word. Many companies have even dropped the text part of their logos in favor of their icon. The most obvious of these is

Orange Element Insights
Visit Mexico Campaign

EJ Hall

15 Jun 2009 | 9:04 am

Minister of Tourism, Rodolfo Elizondo of CPTM (Consejo de Promocion Turistica de Mexico) has launched a multi-million dollar campaign to promote tourism back to Mexico. It is a massive campaign that involves several famous Mexican actors and actresses as spokespersons for Mexico. Comparable to the “visit California” Campaign we’ve been seeing on tv. This new Mexican tourism campaign is interesting because it brings a country together through visual media. Especially in this tough economy, it is good to know that there is help. Vive hoy literally means live now, but…
Goodbye Rabbit Ears

EJ Hall

12 Jun 2009 | 6:41 am

As today marks the official switch from analog to digital broadcasting, I figured a quick post of some of the old TVs we wont be seeing any more seemed fitting. From here on out things are looking flat screened, high contrasted, and “32, no 52, oh may as well go for the 72 inch!” Times are changing so here’s a farewell to remember those big old boxes, dials and rabbit ears. Enjoy the weekend! EJ www.orange-element.com
Engrave Your Book

Andy Bonner

5 Jun 2009 | 10:54 am

We recently discovered a really cool website called Engrave Your Book. Engrave Your Book curates an artist series of engraved leather covers for Moleskine® notebooks, and you can even get custom covers engraved for yourself or your company! There are some really cool designs available for purchase, including the one above by Option-G. Take a look at some of the cool images below: Andy www.orange-element.com
Welcome Irene

EJ Hall

1 Jun 2009 | 5:51 am

Hello out there, happy June! It has been a while since our last oed update post but alot of exciting things have been going on at orange element. One highlight is that we would like officially welcome Irene Carcache as our first summer intern. Irene comes to us as a Senior graphic design student with a strong portfolio from The College of Saint Rose in Albany New York. She is originally from El Salvador, living there 13 years, so we are lucky to enjoying not only her knowledge and passion for graphic design, but also her experience of spanish culture, language, and heritage as well. Irene…
Pop-up Video

Andrea Campbell

28 May 2009 | 7:02 am

Who said pop-up books were for children? Check out this video showcasing Marion Bataille’s brilliantly done ABC3D pop-up book. Marion is a graphic artist and illustrator living in France. Debuting in October of 2008, ABC3D is her first book published in the UK. You can find it online and at Target. While the video is great, I recommend getting your hands on the real thing to experience the true element of surprise. My favorite is the O, P to Q, R overlay and the mirror W to V. ande www.orange-element.com

Brandweek - News and Features
Unilever Launches Global Media Review

2 Jul 2009 | 8:59 am

Review encompasses almost all of the company's media business, including U.S. chores.
Bring on the Hot Dogs, Hold the Brat

2 Jul 2009 | 6:16 am

Nielsen report finds a reversal of sales trends in the food category this Fourth of July.
Sears Introduces Buyer Protection

2 Jul 2009 | 5:45 am

CMO Kevin Brown says it's the first program among nation’s appliance retailers offering consumers coverage in the event of job loss.
7-Eleven Offers Veterans Franchise Incentives

2 Jul 2009 | 1:48 am

Program provides veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces with discounted franchise fees.
Baskin-Robbins Whips Up Two Store Concepts

2 Jul 2009 | 1:37 am

Cafe BR to target more upscale consumers, while BR Express to use a low-cost model.

The BrandBuilder Blog
You are ALWAYS in Beta.

Olivier Blanchard

2 Jul 2009 | 5:01 am

You’re always in beta. Always. If you think you aren’t, you’re already falling behind and bleeding relevance. What does being in Beta mean? It means being in perpetual test mode. It means constantly asking “how could I do this better,” even when this worked just fine. How can I listen better? How could I improve customer service? How can I make my billing process smoother? How could we improve the UI/UX of our websites? How can I engage my user community even better? How could this brochure have been better? I know what you’re thinking: Poor kid. He’s…
Is your Social Media Director qualified?

Olivier Blanchard

1 Jul 2009 | 5:01 am

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 better things to do (which I do) and not because I don’t really have time to build a Twitter business plan for this person right this second (which I don’t), but because that DM comes from a newly minted Social Media Director at a…
Brandgroovin’

Olivier Blanchard

29 Jun 2009 | 5:01 am

Photo by Matt A. If brands start with people, great brands start with great people. Not great in the sense that they are wealthy or successful or influential (yet), but great in the sense that ego, self-righteousness and self-serving agendas aren’t part of the equation. Instead, these people are devoted to a cause. Infected with an idea. Motivated by success measured in other people’s smiles and excitement and ownership of the things they do for them. Need help getting into that kind of groove? Check out John Moore’s awesome post on Dan Sullivan’s Laws Of Lifetime…
Aventures Modernes: My trip to Boston

Olivier Blanchard

26 Jun 2009 | 5:01 am

Thanks to the awesome folks at Radian6 for inviting me to tag along Wednesday for their “Rock Stars of Social CRM” event held in Boston, Mass – which coincided perfectly with the #e2conf. Watching how Radian6 now integrates seamlessly with SalesForce.com, effectively merging Social Media monitoring and CRM, was kind of a strategic “wow” moment for a Marketing and Social Media geek like me. (Actually, I think my exact words were “Holy $#%&!!!! You can do that?!?!?”) Having been on the client side of the Marketing and Business Development world for…
Back in Greenville.

Olivier Blanchard

25 Jun 2009 | 10:17 am

I just flew in. Downloading video from my shenanigans in Boston. Posts on the way. Good grief… I just wrote a blog post like a Tweet. I’ve hit a new low. Posted in Uncategorized

Brand Champions
Do Your Multi-Sensory Branding Efforts Smell?

Rex Whisman

2 Jul 2009 | 12:00 am

That is the title of the next monthly session of the Brand Cafe in Denver. Last Monday we engaged in a dialogue about how to measure return on brand investment, and I look forward to a discussion about another emerging trend on July 27. As I have mentioned before, multi-sensory branding came onto my radar screen when I attended a symposium in Berlin led by international brand guru, Martin Lindstrom.During that conference I learned that approximately 80 percent of marketing is focused on what we see and hear. 20 percent of marketing is devoted to the other senses, what we touch, taste and…
Does the 2010 Camaro Enhance the Chevrolet Brand, and Can it Save the GM Brand?

Rex Whisman

1 Jul 2009 | 12:00 am

Last weekend I came out of a restaurant where I had dinner one evening and saw a brightly colored 2010 Chevrolet Camaro like the one pictured here. My first thought was that it looked like a bigger, badder version of the Corvette. My second thought was I would look really good behind the wheel of that car. My third thought was that other people would think I was going through a mid-life crisis.Apparently the 2010 Camaro is in the new Transformers movie where many viewers are having thoughts similar to my first two listed above. GM and Chevrolet are probably hoping that they can capture the…
Will American's Ever Embrace Futbol Brand?

Rex Whisman

30 Jun 2009 | 12:00 am

Last Sunday I watched the final match between the USA and Brasil in the FIFA Confederations Cup championship in South Africa. As you probably know this was the first time the the USA has advanced to a FIFA final. During the first half of the match I started making mental notes about what I would write for yesterday's brand champion of the day post. During the second half of the match the powerhouse Brasil team botched any chance for that post to happen.As an American I was pleased that our team made it to the finals. Like most, I have been critical of our team over the past few years.
Brand Champions of the Day- Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center Inmates

Rex Whisman

29 Jun 2009 | 12:00 am

On Mondays and Fridays I feature someone or some organization who understands what it means to be a brand champion. Those passionate advocates who enthusiastically support a brand. Last Friday I highlighted Meg Whitman from eBay. Others have included US President Barack Obama, Richard Branson from Virgin and others. Today I am devoting this space to a group of people who are obviously champions of the Michael Jackson brand. As you all know the king of pop passed last Thursday. In his honor the inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines paid…
Brand Champions Meet to Discuss Return on Brand Investment

Rex Whisman

28 Jun 2009 | 12:00 am

Once a month I facilitate a discussion on a topic related to brand at the Brand Cafe in Denver. While we have nearly 100 members, the session is limited to 20 people who engage in a dialogue that we are passionate about, brand. This month our topic is "How Do You Measure Return on Brand Investment?" For the past several years the business world has been obsessed with return on investment (ROI). Like many concepts that create buzz, some marketers have been quick to embrace ROI because they think that by so doing others will think they are "in the know." But, most have yet…

BRANDING NEWS - Google News
Color revolutions and political branding: A guide for the perplexed - TPMCafé

2 Jul 2009 | 3:35 pm

Color revolutions and political branding: A guide for the perplexedTPMCaféBut the use of the 'green' branding did seem like a bit of a master-move, regardless how things turn out. For me, it evoked first and foremost the great and more »
Yahoo hires executive to oversee rebranding - Seattle Post Intelligencer

2 Jul 2009 | 9:01 am

Seattle Post IntelligencerYahoo hires executive to oversee rebrandingSeattle Post IntelligencerLast week, I took a look at reports that Yahoo is planning a big re-branding of the company and its Web site. What that really means, no one on the outside Yahoo's Branding Push Gets New BloodMarketing PilgrimYahoo! appoints Baldwin as senior VP of marketing, brandingTelecompaperall 22 news articles »
Levi's 'pioneers' a global interactive campaign - PRWeek

2 Jul 2009 | 7:53 am

Levi's 'pioneers' a global interactive campaignPRWeekSAN FRANCISCO: Levi's launched “Go Forth,” a global branding campaign which focuses on a theme of the American pioneer, in an effort to reach its target of and more »
ZDNet: "Pink" could be a Microsoft-branded phone - Mobile Burn

2 Jul 2009 | 6:36 am

Techtree.comZDNet: "Pink" could be a Microsoft-branded phoneMobile BurnConsidering all of Microsoft's denials as to it having any plans to build its own phone, it seems more than possible that the "Microsoft branding" of this Microsoft Pink smartphone rumoursKnow Your Mobileall 27 news articles »
New Brand Model Designed to Drive Long-Term Profitability - PR Web (press release)

2 Jul 2009 | 12:12 am

New Brand Model Designed to Drive Long-Term ProfitabilityPR Web (press release)Brand models help marketers predict consumer behavior through quantitative analyses. A truly holistic brand model, however, must offer both quantitative and and more »

Snark Hunting
New buzz phrase, “Social Networthing”, debuts right here, right now

Steve

27 Jun 2009 | 11:22 am

Keith James Dunlap of Portland Maine (my very old friend, er, ex-bartender at the Great Jones Cafe) writes, via Facebook: Help me launch this phrase, social networthing, i.e. where the conversation is designed to allow everyone involved to drop enough hints about how much money they have or make, so that by the end, each knows exactly where he or she stands in terms of the income ladder. Keith would also like you to know that he is now a successful attorney and his wife is a famous novelist.
A leaner, more digestable cut of the Igor Naming Guide now available!

Steve

26 Jun 2009 | 5:39 pm

As we gleefully pranced and flounced about, celebrating the 250 thousandth download of the Igor Naming Guide; we got a complaint. At 115 pages, the ultimate free, how-to resource for naming companies and products, had gotten too long. As we’d nothing better to do, we responded. The naming guide is now available in two different lengths: soul-crushing (115 pages) and moderately-irritating (26 pages). Either version of the naming guide can be downloaded here.
My plastic covered Cuisinart toaster burst into flames

Steve

24 Jun 2009 | 10:47 am

Never buy a toaster made of plastic. On the computer last Monday morning, drinking coffee and eating toast, when I smelled the smell. My 6 month old Cuisinart had burst into flames. It wasn’t a toast fire, as I was eating the toast. When plastic covered toasters first hit the market, I remember having reservations and thinking, “Wait, plastic burns. And it gives off lots of toxic smoke when it does. Metal doesn’t burn. It would be smarter to buy a metal toaster. But they must be safe, otherwise they wouldn’t be allowed to sell them”. Wise up people; plastic…
“HI! BILLY MAYS HERE FOR CARDIAC SURGERY! JUST PAY SHIPPING AND HANDLING!”

Steve

13 Jun 2009 | 9:00 am

Do we really have to explain why this is a bad idea? We didn’t think so.
Computer Tan finally launches, and it really works!

Steve

12 Jun 2009 | 9:59 am

Download the app today at ComputerTan.com

MisEntropy
The news industry, disaggregation of audiences and 'failed truths'

blaiq

2 Jul 2009 | 5:03 am

Recently, much discussion online (and offline) has centred around the impending doom of journalism and the news industry. As an enthusiastic cheerleader of all the disruptive effects of the Internet, my opinion until of late has been that the changes couldn't have come about sooner.But I am slowly beginning to wonder if in this particular case the results may be catastrophic in addition to being liberating.The seeds of doubt were sown in my mind not while reading the many raging debates about the issue itself - but through an unconnected sentence in a Scientific American piece that explored…
'How We Advertise Now' - a Punch cartoon from 1887

blaiq

24 Jun 2009 | 12:26 am

There were no good old days, evidently.[Cartoon from Punch 1887 by Harry Furniss; from the book 'The Best of Punch Cartoons']
ten things i didn't know until last week

blaiq

21 Jun 2009 | 10:59 am

1. CS Lewis's middle name is Staples. (His first name is Clive.)More details2. Oxygen in Greek literally means 'acid giver or begetter' - because its discoverer, Lavoisier, mistakenly thought Oxygen is present in all acids.More details3. Billy Durant founded GM in 1908.More details4. In research, "Hawthorne Effect" is the idea that the very act of being experimented upon changes subjects’ behaviour.More details5. The Fedora is named for the title of an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou, Fédora, written for Sarah Bernhardt.More details6. Britain is still paying off debts that predate the…
Plannersphere Top 20 - June 2009

blaiq

6 Jun 2009 | 10:18 am

The top 20 blogs in the plannersphere as of 6th June 2009:01. russell davies02. Advertising Lab03. Noah Brier dot Com04. Servant of Chaos05. Nick Burcher06. Mike Arauz07. Talent imitates, genius steals08. Only Dead Fish09. paul isakson10. Influxinsights11. From The Head Of Zeus Jones12. adliterate13. Adspace Pioneers14. Interactive Marketing Trends15. Herd - the hidden truth about who we are16. brand new17. The Hidden Persuader18. Trendsspotting19. Get Shouty20. CrapHammera. The above list winnows out the planning/strategy blogs from the AdAge Power 150 list - and represents a snapshot of…
Where (and why) brand archetypes often lose the plot

blaiq

27 May 2009 | 5:53 am

[Design by hulk4598 (via The Hidden Persuader)]

Bringing Brands to Life!
My Interview with Author and Communication Coach Nick Morgan

Thomas R. Clifford

2 Jul 2009 | 6:02 am

I am incredibly thrilled and honored to share with you my first ever blog interview. Nick Morgan is President of Public Words Inc and author of Give Your Speech, Change the World, and Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma. He is a fellow at Harvard's Kennedy Center and former editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter. I enjoyed "Trust Me" so much I wrote a review and then decided I wanted to ask Nick a few questions for this site. I "met" Nick on Twitter and asked him if he'd be willing to answer a few questions about his ideas in relation to corporate videos and he…
Introducing Speed Linking: Week #1

Thomas R. Clifford

30 Jun 2009 | 4:38 am

Several years ago, I started sharing links for my readers by bookmarking interesting things I discovered on the web through Delicious. I always knew that there a small problem in doing that: only the RSS readers of this blog (and a handful of other Delicious users) would benefit from seeing those links. To resolve that, I'll start "speed linking" once a week. Speed linking was introduced a few years ago and made popular by Darren Rowse over at Problogger. "Speed linking" is simply a convenient way of rounding up five to ten links I think you'll find interesting and thought-provoking. I'll…
Can We Capture Reality? The Art of Documentary Amazing Website

Thomas R. Clifford

26 Jun 2009 | 5:27 am

I can't believe it. I haven't seen anything like this. Ever. What am I talking about? It's perhaps the most amazing website the documentary world has seen. The National Film Board of Canada has recently announced on their blog an incredible new website, "Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary." This media-rich site is packed with over 30 master documentary filmmakers like Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, Albert Maysles sharing their thoughts and insights on the craft of making documentaries and how they try to capture that all too slippery thing called, "the truth." The site features over 160…
What's Next for Company Videos? 5 Links to Get You Thinking

Thomas R. Clifford

17 Jun 2009 | 5:42 am

I’ve recently bookmarked so many interesting sites on how companies use video I figured it’s time to open the vault and share a few of my favorite discoveries with you. I hope you’ll find something interesting, useful and thought-provoking here. While I don't have a crystal ball, the trends are crystal clear. 1. Herman Miller Video: Making of Setu Watch how the team members sit around a table and one team member shares their compliments about another person on the team; interesting spin on the traditional interview. We also get a quick tour, see the chair in action and catch some…
You’ll Love This Book, Trust Me

Thomas R. Clifford

9 Jun 2009 | 5:46 am

One of the questions I get asked the most is “How do you get people to talk so naturally on-camera?” The simple answer is it starts with my intention. That’s why I’m so thrilled to share with others Nick Morgan’s new book “Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma.” Setting intentions is one of the central ideas in “Trust Me.” Business leaders and non-filmmakers involved in any aspect of creating a corporate documentary will find this book invaluable. (And yes, filmmakers will find it awesome, too!) Think your spoken words carry the most weight during a conversation?

Brains On Fire Blog
Seriously.

Spike

2 Jul 2009 | 8:01 am

This is just a reminder to you, me and everyone else that, as our friend and former Marketer-In-Residence, John Moore likes to say, “I don’t take myself seriously. But I take what I do very seriously.” It’s a great motto to live and work by: Don’t take yourself seriously. Stepping away from Twitter and SM for two weeks was refreshing. And to come back to it again has really opened my eyes that I need to revamp who I decide to follow. Because there are SO many marketers on there that take themselves far too seriously. The inflated egos are incredible in that…
You have permission to change the system.

Spike

1 Jul 2009 | 7:15 am

I had such an amazing time in Australia (sharing at AMPLIFY for AMP) and New Zealand that it’s been difficult to wrap my head around the entire experience. So instead of trying to put it all down at once, I’ll write about it in bits and pieces as it comes to me. This ah-ha moment comes from Roger Dennis, a consultant in New Zealand and super-smart guy I met at the event and had lunch with one day. Among the great conversation, Roger revealed a tool that he uses to help encourage and activate advocates is a business card-sized tool that has one simple message on it: “You have…
What’s Your Answer?

Justine

30 Jun 2009 | 4:28 am

It’s time for our annual checkup. That time when we take Fred Reichheld’s advice to engage the people we touch to help us grow and continually improve. We are asking you (yes, YOU!) “The Ultimate Question.” So please take a moment to click on this link and take our very brief, anonymous survey. If you received this link in the email, then you won’t need to take the survey via the blog… it’s all the same survey. Thanks again to all of you who help keep the fire going. We love you all!
Influencers and Sweat Equity

Spike

29 Jun 2009 | 7:39 am

On a plane home from Sydney (more on that to come) this weekend, I pulled out my trusty Moleskine and flipped through to land on a page of notes that I took when I spent time with Rob Morris. If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you’ll know that Rob is one of the founders of an organization near and near to our hearts here at Brains on Fire: Love146. Rob is inspirational when he speaks to large crowds or when you have dinner one-on-one, but the note that caught my eye was this: “Will influencers give you sweat equity? No. But the PASSIONATE ones will.” That’s…
Demographics, Psychographics… Autographics?

Justine

26 Jun 2009 | 4:02 am

I’ve recently delved into Habit, by Neale Martin. Every once in a while you come across the right book at the right time - a perfect confluence of ideas. Just the right perspective for a problem you’re working on. It’s probably not a revelation to anybody that there’s a big mismatch between the “why” consumers will give you and what’s really going on in their brain that’s driving a certain decision. Neale does a nice job of introducing one of the culprits - our habits. Those automatic behaviors that we do without even thinking about them.

Unbound Edition
Recession Proof Spending

2 Jul 2009 | 12:17 pm

While the state of the economy is having a negative effect on most areas of the retail sector, more than a few industries are experiencing an uptick. Time examines recent trends in consumer spending, discovering that products and services that fulfill needs like escapism, inexpensive luxury and stress relief are reaping the most benefits.
Sears Introduces Buyer Protection

2 Jul 2009 | 12:17 pm

Offering some relief to recession-stricken consumers, Sears Holding Corp. this week announced a buyer protection plan that allows customers to keep their LG, GE or Kenmore appliance in the event of a job loss. Kevin Brown, vp and CMO for Sears Holding’s home appliance division, said the company will test out the offer (running through Aug. 1) on his department first, possibly extending it to other merchandise categories. Brown said the idea stemmed from consumer anxiety over making big-ticket purchases in a recession.
Role Reversal: Mr. Mom Goes Shopping

2 Jul 2009 | 12:16 pm

The past two decades has seen a role reversal of sorts taking place: the traditional roles of men and women are being redefined to better reflect today's social norms. Today's American households are looking less like Donna Reed -- the paradigm for the ideal 1950s family -- and more like Mr. Mom.
Thoughts on the Future of Journalism from the Purple List

2 Jul 2009 | 12:15 pm

PSFK recently asked our global network of experts, The Purple List for their thoughts on the future of journalism. We received answers that imagine a variety of possible scenarios, though a common theme emerged which points to a system that combines crowd-sourcing with some kind of editorial curation and professional reporting.
Free Does Not Live Up to Its Billing

2 Jul 2009 | 11:24 am

Chris Anderson has built a career out of making bold pronouncements that the economics of Silicon Valley - the way in which software and digital technology are built and distributed - are likely to spread to, and ultimately conquer, the rest of the economy.

Expert in the Rough, Brian Monahan
Share What You Know

Brian Monahan

28 Jun 2009 | 8:22 pm

If you are at a loss on what you can do to impact the world, do not fret. I have a very simple solution. Share What You Know! It does not matter how simple or silly the idea or need. The world is just looking for somebody to share their wisdom. Formalize it and turn it into a blog. Here are some ideas: Teach someone how to change their motor oil. Teach someone how to set up a Gmail Account Teach someone how to use Google Reader Teach someone how to care for tomatoes Teach someone how to cook a crepe Teach someone how to write a Haiku Teach someone how to organize their files Teach someone…
Music to My Years

Brian Monahan

21 Jun 2009 | 5:23 pm

It’s been said music can take you places and for me music takes me back to places in my heart and mind. I can being driving in my car and before you know it I am on a bus en route to the big wrestling match as the “Lunatic Fringe” blares on my radio. “Benny and the Jets” and I am jumping on the couch in the living room with my sisters. “Betty Davis Eyes” and I am in the back seat of my Dad’s car with my little brother he is only 2 and it”s one of his favorite songs. White Snake and “Here I Go Again” hosting a party while my…
Service Made Simple, Just Add Corn

Brian Monahan

10 Jun 2009 | 2:39 pm

Happy Birthday to Me! Last week I celebrated my 38th birthday. My wife asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. I really love parties and entertaining, but I have become bored with the eat, talk and get fat format. Instead I suggested we host a “CornHole Tournament.” For those of you not from the Cincinnati area I assure you “CornHole” is not what you think. CornHole is a fun bean bag toss game similar to horseshoes which supposedly originated in the Westside suburbs of Cincinnati. Since I am 38 and too old for a traditional birthday party and I did…
Starting from Scratch is a Myth

Brian Monahan

30 Apr 2009 | 7:36 pm

Starting Over is not Starting from Scratch. If you are finding yourself in a pinch and starting over don’t confuse it with starting from scratch. Starting from scratch implies you have nothing. Starting over leaves room for more. Starting over is time to channel Rod Stewart’s lyrics “I wish that I knew what I know now, When I was younger.” “Do Over!” It’s been said “HindSight” is always 20/20 and starting over is your chance to get it right. Starting over means you have: experience resources relationships expertise support knowledge wisdom…
Some A Day I Will Be Ready

Brian Monahan

3 Apr 2009 | 12:29 pm

"START" Watch So many talented people I know wait until they are ready to start something new. My question is how can you be ready unless you start? It’s the proverbial chicken before the egg question. My belief is the only way you will be ever ready to start is if you actually take the plunge and start today. Starting today allows you to build confidence, experience and momentum. Not starting today builds fear and stagnation. You will never know the doors that will open for you by being in the flow of starting on your dreams today. On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!!!

ID-ology
Branding vs. Lawrence Halprin

idbranding

22 Jun 2009 | 9:48 am

On Thursday I was walking to lunch when I happened past the Ira Keller Fountain and stopped. Originally called the Forecourt Fountain, it was created by the famous landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. I still remember when it opened in 1970. My friends and I were among the multitudes who happily splashed about in its cool cascading waters. That was part of Halprin’s radical proposition – that the fountain was meant to be actually waded in, not just politely observed. As I looked at the fountain these 39 years after it was built, I was struck by how mesmerizing it still is. With…
Come on Portland – Give Your Opinions on New Technology!

brandstrategist

16 Jun 2009 | 4:11 pm

WE NEED PARTICIPANTS!! Please see the groups below and join us for 1 of 3 Friendship Dinners – and no, it’s not a religious cult meeting, it’s actually a night of great conversation on your favorite subjects…and you get to try out new stuff among like-minded people. And great food and alcohol is always part of the deal. Which group do you go to? Read the descriptions below and if it’s you, email carriem@idbranding.com Oh, and bring a friend. They are friendship dinners after all. Group 1 – Thursday June 18th, 6:30-9pm “Digital Music Lovers” Aged 25-44,…
We have a brother in India!

idbranding

16 Jun 2009 | 12:50 pm

Prasoon Joshi OK, in the midst of eating my Qdoba burrito today for lunch I am putting down my fork and writing this post. Because I just discovered I have a brother in India. In fact, all of us here at ID Branding do. Weird. We never knew it. His name is Prasoon Joshi and he has a ridiculously long and convoluted title, but let’s just call him Executive Chairman McCann India. Close enough. Here’s the quote that diverted my attention from a rather tasty pork burrito, no beans. He’s responding to a question about the future of the global campaign: “Consumers are…
Stately, plump Buck Mulligan

idbranding

16 Jun 2009 | 11:08 am

Happy Bloomsday. The first edition The Random House edition Ogilvy's inspiration for the Man in the Hathaway Shirt?
We’re all paying for GM’s ways

idbranding

15 Jun 2009 | 2:39 pm

The whole way GM handles marketing would be fascinating in an academic way if it weren’t for the fact that you, me, and everyone else who pays taxes is going to suffer because of it. If you want to weep over your own dollars, just read the AdAge interview with Mike Jackson, former GM VP of marketing and advertising talking about the internal culture and the way GM treats its agencies as vendors, not partners, and the countless levels of approval it puts work through. Even sadder is that I’ve had relationships just like that with clients far smaller than Mike Jackson, former GM vp…

Bhatnaturally
Drinkspiration: what a branded iPhone app should be. Hic!

bhatnaturally

2 Jul 2009 | 6:11 pm

In the future, when creating a campaign for a brand the to-do list will perhaps include: TV commercial, radio spot, ambient media, interactive website, promo, Facebook app and a Twitter page. Just add the iPhone App to that list. There are several already, including ones from British Airways, Oakley, Audi, Kraft and J&J Acuvue. But very few: - truly integrate a brand’s message using the power of the mobile medium - add value in some form to the user – be it entertainment (Audi) or utility (British Airways, iFood) - do all this seamlessly in a simple, yet cool way (oh-so-Apple…
[Updated] Evian Roller Babies: bizarre but viral friendly

bhatnaturally

2 Jul 2009 | 8:02 am

Remember the ‘We will rock you’ ad for Evian? There’s a new video for Evian doing the rounds of ad blogs. It’s likely to get popular on YouTube as it’s got a ‘oh-they-are-so-cute’ quality about it. And people will be curious as to how the ad was made. Enjoyably flippant stuff. Head out to the website to see the making of the movie, their interviews, their Facebook page and some wallpaper love. Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
It’s Thursday. It’s Videocon’s turn to change logo

bhatnaturally

2 Jul 2009 | 3:15 am

I liked the new logo for Videocon, the moment I saw it – a sea change from their earlier logo. The brand’s advertising too had acquired a slightly more sophisticated and intelligent tone of voice with their set of ads for air conditioners. But the brand’s appeal to an upmarket audience was limited, in my opinion, thanks to the name and how it portrayed itself in the past. The new logo is apparently ‘at the heart of the new brand identity. The Fluid lava reflects the brand idea, ‘Experience change’. The color palette has been chosen to reflect the philosophy of…
Tata Docomo is here: what can we expect?

bhatnaturally

1 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pm

Saw a set of teaser hoardings in Bangalore. They ask: ‘Why follow the herd?’, ‘Why live in the past?” and ‘Why repeat yourself?’. I figured that they were for Tata Docomo going by the visual style and the graphics used. The brand’s website is up and what is heartening to see is the scope for conversations with consumers. There are links to several social networking pages of the brand, including Facebook and Twitter. While that and the scope to bookmark through Delicious or Technorati is common on many news sites, it is encouraging to see comments from consumers even on the About…
Bajaj Pulsar: fastest Indian makes an impression

bhatnaturally

30 Jun 2009 | 11:12 am

On my first view of the new Bajaj Pulsar commercial, I only happened to catch the 2nd half. I was curious to know more since the execution was very ‘phoren’ and intriguing replete with ‘El Bank’, an English track and cops in ‘70s cars. The commercial is well made and judging by the comments over at YouTube, it is popular and liked. What stood out for me was the casting of the protagonist– the Charles Sobhraj like unconventional looks and the cool-as-cucumber bad boy attitude made familiar by Hollywood films – is perfect. The track is a killer choice too (is it a Bo Diddley…

Live From Your Core
What’s your motto?

ashleigh@mottoagency.com

18 Jun 2009 | 7:23 am

A motto encapsulates the beliefs or ideals guiding an individual, company, or institution. You can think of a motto as a strategic and moral compass by which you base decisions. It’s what defines you. It’s what you become known for. It’s what you live by. A company’s motto represents the very reason why it exists, the soul of the brand. It is a means of distinguishing itself in the market - attracting leadership, employees and the public to rally behind it. Mottos help organizations make decisions about the directions they want to pursue and the people they should hire, and also help…
For the love of Moleskine

ashleigh@mottoagency.com

17 Jun 2009 | 10:10 am

Moleskine is a family of notebooks, diaries, and city guides: flexible and brilliantly simple tools for use both in everyday and extraordinary circumstances, ultimately becoming an integral part of one’s personality. Moleskine was created as a brand in 1997, bringing back to life the legendary notebook used by artists and thinkers over the past two century: among them Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. A trusted and handy travel companion, the nameless black notebook held invaluable sketches, notes, stories, and ideas that would one day become famous…
You make me wanna shout

ashleigh@mottoagency.com

15 Jun 2009 | 11:39 am

Enjoy this great T-Mobile commercial that was filmed in London’s Liverpool train station earlier this year. It’s amazing how simple it is for everyone to come together, let loose, and join in on the dance…
Forever, meaning always

ashleigh@mottoagency.com

29 May 2009 | 11:09 am

Trendwatching.com, an independent and opinionated trend firm, scans the globe for the most promising consumer trends, insights and related hands-on business ideas. It’s current briefing (June 2009) talks about how worshipping the ‘now’ may seem the new religion, but there are equally strong currents favoring the ‘forever’. The brief, which you can link to here, suggests that Foreverism “encompasses the many ways that consumers and businesses are embracing conversations, relationships, and products that are never done. Driving its popularity is technology that allows them to find,…
Reminding you to awaken

ashleigh@mottoagency.com

27 May 2009 | 6:23 pm

Enjoy this spot about looking at art, and seeing things more profoundly.

spatially relevant
I’ll trade you 3 lifestreams for 1 blog

Jon Gatrell

29 Jun 2009 | 9:48 am

With all the bluster around blogs being dead AGAIN, I thought I just might approach the topic from a personal perspective. The theory being floated around is that blogs are being replaced by lifestreams or at least something smaller than blog, if it is not a lifestream. A lifestream is a series of links, short content and general real-time communication which represent your life. Think Facebook wall post and Twitter. The premise of the latest death knell is that things are going real-time and there isn’t much real-time about blogs, so they must be dying. At least that is a theme…
Things I’ve found from June 25th to June 28th

Jon Gatrell

28 Jun 2009 | 3:00 pm

here you go, been slacking for a couple of days or more: A.P.I.M.: A Practice in Meaning (aka KISS) Machiavelli in Reverse Twitter, Iran and the First Amendment 2009 Geospatial Technology Report is now available – GIS in Education Projected Food, Energy Demands Seen To Outpace Production The Product Management Cringe List
Can’t argure with the math, 3+3+2=Scrum in

Jon Gatrell

28 Jun 2009 | 12:45 pm

Andy Brandt’s presentation on an Introduction to Scrum is about as compete an overview I’ve seen online. This presentation is not as salesy as the Working with Sprinters preso, also <30 minutes. Introduction to Scrum from Andy Brandt on Vimeo.
Using Social Tools to Connect with Your Market

Jon Gatrell

28 Jun 2009 | 6:09 am

Using Social Tools To Connect With Your Market (4) View more OpenOffice presentations from minesm.
Taxation and economics not quite simplified

Jon Gatrell

27 Jun 2009 | 5:34 am

I don’t spend too much time thinking about taxes, but ran into this slide deck which uses a “3 guys go to a bar” approach which includes a little revolution and potential expats along with the cartoon characters. I take a little issue with the zero contribution and zero benefit approach, since math bears out that worker guy over time received $1000’s in benefit in the model laid out. I guess that might be the point – no tax cuts or we have to pay for our own beer. I’m actually a little confused by the message, it’s almost inverse Marxism with the…

News from the Herd - Social media, brand planning and communications
Out of all ad formats, display ignored the most

dirkthecow

2 Jul 2009 | 10:18 am

Recently Comscore was commissioned to do a report on behalf of online publishers to show that online display really does work. Forget about the click through was the angle, what matters is that these ads drive awareness. A piece of research out by Harris Interactive casts some doubt on that. A survey of American consumers found that when it came to ad formats found to be the most 'helpful' in influencing purchasing decisions, TV came top on 37%. TV was followed by newspaper advertising on 17% while search engine advertising scored a respectable 14%. However at the bottom of the table, only 3%…
Time for a metrics overhaul

dirkthecow

2 Jul 2009 | 7:12 am

New Strategies Require New MeasurementsView more presentations from Helge Tennø. Check out this excellent presentation by Norwegian digital strategist Helge Tenno, where he questions whether the way we currently evaluate and analyse web campaigns are in reality a few years out of date. See also this presentation I put together on web metrics and the necessity of taking intuitive calls, despite the fact that this is often anathema to a lot of marketing departments. I only wish that my presentations were as easy on the eye as Helge's but it's always good to have something to strive to! Related…
iPhone users prefer mobile web over print newspapers

dirkthecow

1 Jul 2009 | 11:07 pm

You could read a number of things into this, but Comscore and admob has released a study showing that iPhone and iPod Touch owners use their device more than they read printed newspapers and (for iPhone users) magazines.Does that stat mean that they read the news on their iPhone? Not necessarily, this finding could simply point to the trend of printed newspaper readership going down and smartphone usage going up.Having said that, the fact is that after years of mobile newspapers being touted as the way forward despite people having to struggle with WAP (we worked for a client called Mobizines…
All 'official' blogs should be like this - Copenhagenize

dirkthecow

1 Jul 2009 | 5:00 am

A Day in the Life of Cycle Chic from Colville Andersen on Vimeo. With all the talk recently about the future of blogs (Charles Arthur of The Guardian wondered if they were slowly dying, my response here), two simple and effective sites around Copenhagen's cycling culture show how what you might call promotional blogging can be done well. Spotted via an Information Aesthetics post about the new Copenhagen public bicycle counter, I initially assumed that the Copenhagenize blog and the sister style site, copenhagencyclechic.com, were forward thinking pieces of communication by Copenhagen city…
You've got to admire their brass neck

dirkthecow

30 Jun 2009 | 3:13 am

...and their ability to turn a huge crisis into a potential opportunity. Booked a ticket for one of the 50 Michael Jackson concerts at London's 02 (formerly 'The Dome')? Obviously you don't really want your money back, what you actually want is the ability to have your ticket as a souvenir keep-sake. The owners of the 02, AEG, are offering fans these £50-£75 ($80-$125) tickets in lieu of a refund, claiming that they feature "special images which give them a 3D moving effect" (source BBC News Online). This wheeze doesn't have anything to do with the £300 million insurance liability AEG is…

Does Your Business...have a branding strategy that works?
SOZO | Pivotal Day 2009

28 Jun 2009 | 10:05 am

Four years ago today Kimberly Leclercq and I officially formed SOZO | Pivotal and it's been a fun, exciting and challenging 1,461 days.It's amazing what can happen during a span of 48 short months, but we're excited about the next 48...that's for sure.We'd like to thank all of our clients, friends, associates, partners and employees for all of their support. Prior to forming SOZO | Pivotal, Kimberly and I had both run our own companies—her's SOZO and mine Pivotal—which we had started back at the turn of the century. So actually, we're both celebrating 10 years as business owners.You're…
Pornography

12 Jun 2009 | 12:12 pm

So I'm meeting with a client yesterday and this is how it went...After showing the website design concepts and site architecture our client, who loved both concepts, favored the second version. Both directions were different in their approach, but similar in that either one would have been effective in communicating the client's message.This is when I heard the best testimonial ever..."Dave, it's like pornography," said the client. I wasn't quite sure how to react, but I knew it was a compliment so I laughed.He continued, "You know it when you see it. I knew what I wanted to see, but I wasn't…
Are you dropping your prices?

8 Jun 2009 | 7:05 am

I certainly don't claim to know much about wedding gowns, but I do know that Vera Wang has established herself as the preeminent fashion designer in this category.The fact that I'm not Dennis Rodman and I've never been in the market for a wedding dress are important to note considering her name and brand should hardly come close to crossing my radar. Wang has done a masterful job over the years in promoting her brand and positioning her name as the wedding gown designer to the stars as well as an author of a wedding book, Vera Wang on Weddings. She also has a line of jewelry, fragrances, home…
Microsoft does it again

28 May 2009 | 12:16 pm

A few years ago Microsoft unveiled the Zune to compete with Apple's iPod. Its attempt to steal market share failed miserably. Now it's trying to do the same thing in the search engine game with Bing.Bing? What do you think? This is Microsoft's attempt for a Google killer? Will we be binging for our information? Will you Bing Dave Bing? You get the sense that Microsoft tries way too hard to be cool—that's the kiss of death in business. You're either cool or you're not...there is no try.
GMAC becomes Ally Bank

18 May 2009 | 7:37 am

Go to allybank.com and one of the first things you'll see on the homepage is a question:"What is your bank trying to sneak by you?"Ironic. You may have noticed the new Ally Bank TV spots over the weekend. If you haven't, you will. The new Ally Bank is the old GMAC.The reason to bring on a new name appears to be two-fold: 1) sweep away the negativity associated with the collapsed auto and housing markets and 2) offer new consumer banking products and drive deposits to offset losses in those loan departments.So this name change and brand shift is an effort to get people to forget about the GMAC…

The Brand Chef
Lesson Learned: Opportunity Knocks (Quietly…)

admin

25 Jun 2009 | 9:50 am

Before you delete that “junk mail,” you may want to reconsider… And here’s why… I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t get a lot of email through my Studio 24 site. I rarely look at it and it’s grossly out-of-date. When I do get email from there, it’s usually SPAM. So, out of habit, Ihit “delete” – without even reading! REALLY BAD IDEA… Recently, I almost messed up a HUGE opportunity for the Brand Chef blog to be included in some pretty heavy company. It was a simple oversight, but looking back on it, I realize…
Has Your (Store) Brand Awareness Changed?

admin

23 Jun 2009 | 9:45 am

Having had a LOT of experience working with “Private Label” branding, I realize the reputations (or lack thereof) that “lower shelf” brands had when compared to national brand quality was a very sore subject for all - from the CEO’s to the lowly package designer (yours truly). But in this economy, many stores and private label manufacturers are realizing that opportunity really does start with “R.” (Recession)… I LOVE how this Nielsen wire article positions store brands (or private label)… as the national brand (perceived as…
10.5 Tasty Tips: Social Media Etiquette

admin

22 Jun 2009 | 8:36 am

Blogs, microblogs, social networks like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, YouTube and UStream are popping up daily. Their availability to the masses is exciting and fun, even educational and inspirational. Never before has it been easier to share knowledge, express creativity, build personal and business brands and connect with others in your industry. But because these social media channels are still fairly new to most, I’ve put together a quick, 10.5 tips that I’ve gathered during my time using these tools. It’s my goal to help you use these channels efficiently and…
A Nip Here, A Tuck There…

admin

19 Jun 2009 | 8:00 am

Sure… every now-and-then, a brand needs to be “refreshed.” But just like plastic surgery, “refreshing” a brand and completely rebuilding are two completely different things (think Kenny Rogers or Bruce Jenner). Care needs to be taken not to destroy your brand integrity while maintaining your current brand loyalists’ expectations. So, for the inaugural post on The Brand Chef’s new blog (new design and domain, at least), here is a Baker’s Dozen rebranding do’s and don’ts. Do - Consult with a branding specialist at the very beginning,…
“Advertising Agency” As A Brand?

admin

4 Jun 2009 | 6:03 am

“Open the kimono” is a phrase that I once heard, loosely meaning “everyone should share data. There should be no secrets between those in the meeting. As in a Japanese wife showing her husband her naked body by opening her silk robe or kimono.” Of course, this means that all bets are off. Perceptions are laid on the table for the world to evaluate, comment on, and make public judgment on - for better or worse. At Love Scott & Associates, the West Des Moines marketing communications company I work for, we’re experimenting in a little kimono-opening research.

The semantic blog
Our next Offline meeting | Between June 29th to July 10th

23 Jun 2009 | 6:16 am

Hi everybody!Our next [pre-holidays] Coffee 234 is on track... The idea is to make "them" between Monday, June 29th and Friday, July 10th.Each host (the ones who want to be in each city) will set the place, day and time... I'm announcing our offline event in both Brand 3.0 as well as in LinkedIn Brand 3.0 Club...In the Coffee 234 page (http://www.brand30.net/coffee_234) you'll find:A Map to add a marker for your city/placeA Poll to propose and select the topic of this meeting A bulletin to tell everybody that you are a host, where you are going to meet, and/or whatever you…
What the hell is a brand?

18 Jun 2009 | 4:12 am

Some days ago, in the Brand 3.0 Club at LinkedIn, Ian West from One-Marketing (Rochester, UK) did this "looks so simple question".Up today, he has received more than 40 answers (including mine). Those answers have certain differences and some issues in common:The main difference is that that group is from "expert people" in the branding, marketing, communication, design,... arenas. So each answer looks like a definition. We could develop some clusters of definitions, however, the real issue is that all of them have the bias of the person who wrote it... a…
Great regional branding effort by chance

9 Jun 2009 | 9:18 am

Probably you will remember the regional brand, Formentera. Probably, you will hum the song... But, almost certainly, after five minutes you'll forget the brand of the beer.Great add for the wrong object.
To much love will kill you... (Freddie Mercury dixit)

3 Jun 2009 | 2:03 pm

Once upon a time, there was a world in which some people thought that announcing the functional characteristics of a product / service was sufficient. "You can buy a Ford T if it is black, with black leather upholstery... with one kind of engine and no further features". This worked so good at the beginning of last century. With the time, things changed and now, a good number of "great theorists" have had no better idea than to do the opposite... "No features, it's time for emotions and feelings, to tell stories and metaphors"... And this is true, but…
Is it the fault of the gun? | Sales driven companies

28 May 2009 | 5:07 am

It is so important, a t the end of the month, to pay salaries, expenses ... no doubt about it ... That if we do not sold this doesn’t happen, too. But to think that this means that sales will take the reins of the company is somewhat different. Let me put it this way: Sales executes a plan designed by marketing (the only one responsible for the first row of the business’ income statements) which in turn responds to a business strategy which is coming from a specific and permanent company purpose (permanent in this case is not an absolute term)... And not the other way around!

StickyFigure
Why I Won’t Stop Blogging

Steve Woodruff

29 Jun 2009 | 4:47 am

Steve Rubel announced last week that he was going to stop “blogging” in favor of “lifestreaming” (the sharing of more immediate snippets of micro-media), and this opened up some interesting discussion among bloggers, well-summarized here by Louis Gray (and I agree with Louis’ perspective). Now I do admit that I am re-examining the tools for on-line sharing of networked communications, spurred in part by the expanded capabilities of the new iPhone, which will allow for simpler sharing of photos, video, and audio. I’m playing with Posterous as a way to have a…
Creativity Reawakened

Steve Woodruff

27 Jun 2009 | 5:09 am

I used to take a lot of pictures. When I was single, and in the days of marriage before kids, my camera (a 35mm SLR for those old enough to remember pre-digital days!) was a regular companion. I delighted in nature photography, often using slide film (farewell, Kodachrome!). Did some experimentation with black-and-white, and some macro stuff. It was a hobby, a creative outlet, and what developed was “the eye” – I’d always walk around thinking about how some scene would be composed as a photograph. I’d look for pictures. All that changed once the realities of…
Good-bye, Social Media – Hello, Networked Communications

Steve Woodruff

26 Jun 2009 | 7:51 am

So, today Steve Rubel announces that he is done “blogging”, and now is fully committed to a more full-faceted path called “lifestreaming.” His post is titled So Long, Blogging, Hello Lifestreaming! What he’s doing is, in fact, not that radical – we’ve been moving rapidly in this direction for a while. Because the fact is – the real issue isn’t whether we “blog” or “micro-blog” or “Tweet” or “Facebook” or whatever. Those terms and brands are temporary labels we have for the early-on way…
You’re Being “Tivo’ed”!

Steve Woodruff

25 Jun 2009 | 8:47 am

Subscribe to the StickyFigure blog Connect with Steve Woodruff Free eBook: Getting Started with Social Networking
A Dose of Disenchantment

Steve Woodruff

24 Jun 2009 | 6:54 am

A note to all of us: You knew it couldn’t last. You always knew, right? Whenever we get our hopes up beyond what is realistic, we set ourselves up for a fall. Nonetheless, it is human nature to get “enchanted” – to think that something or someone is going to help us transcend the flawed and crooked, and reach new heights. Now that the bloom is off the rose, and greater awareness has brought more undesirable elements (and attitudes) into social media, it’s easy to feel a sense of disenchantment. What happened to our nice little club? Weren’t we latching onto…

The Name Inspector
Office hours, tomorrow only!

The Name Inspector

25 Jun 2009 | 2:55 pm

The experiment continues. The Name Inspector is once again having “office hours” consultations at greatly reduced prices. In-person meetings are best (for you Seattle folks), but phone/chat works too. Contact him today or tomorrow for details.
Meet Nordy, the plush toy designed by Wittgenstein!

The Name Inspector

22 Jun 2009 | 12:30 pm

Not so long ago, The Name Inspector’s younger son got his first pair of shoes at Nordstrom. As a little lagniappe, he also got a plush toy named Nordy, whose head is shown on the right above. This is definitely The Name Inspector’s favorite plush toy inspired by a sketch by a famous philosopher of language. Nordy is an ambiguous toy. Aside from the dot for an eye and the protuberances vaguely suggesting snouts and/or head-tops, it has no facial features. If you look at it one way, it seems like the bigger protuberance represents ears, and the smaller one a little bunny-ish nose.
Why the “millionth word” story is silly

The Name Inspector

12 Jun 2009 | 1:08 pm

On Wednesday the Global Language Monitor “announced” that English got its one-millionth word at precisely 10:22 am GMT that day. And the word was Web 2.0, so naturally, blogs such as Mashable, John Battelle’s Searchblog, and TechCrunch took notice. Now, The Name Inspector realizes that the “millionth word” story is a ridiculous play for attention that’s not to be taken seriously, and that the folks at the Global Language Monitor know it. But the story has gotten people talking about what a word is, and that’s a topic that The Name Inspector can…
Will we bing? Having bung, will we ever google again?

The Name Inspector

30 May 2009 | 3:57 pm

The Name Inspector knew it. He just knew that Microsoft went with the name Bing because it makes a better verb than, say, Kumo, whichsounds like a radio or TV station (like Seattle’s KOMO). Or that crazy killer dog dreamt up by Stephen King. When people write about the name Google, they almost invariably mention that it has become a verb. Some entrepreneurs, including some of The Name Inspector’s own clients, think that a “verbable” name is highly desirable. Now here’s Miguel Helft reporting in yesterday’s New York Times that none other than Steve Ballmer…
It takes two to dango (at least)

The Name Inspector

26 May 2009 | 2:55 pm

A few days ago John Cook reported that lawyers from job site Jobdango want the folks at Zoodango, a site that has nothing to do with jobs, to stop using the name Zoodango because the -dango ending infringes on Jobdango’s trademark. Zoodango CEO James Sun said they’d fight the trademark issue even though they’re changing their name to GeoPage. For The Name Inspector, this news conjures an image of two pigeons fighting over a moldy piece of hot dog bun. For starters, Jobdango is just a silly name. Besides being phonologically inelegant after Job-, that dang -dango is either…

Branding Matters
What Do You Bring to the Table That Others Can’t?

Jason VanLue

25 Jun 2009 | 11:39 am

I read an article today that said more and more clients will be leaving traditional agencies this year and in the coming years. There are a variety of reasons for this but it was interesting to learn that according to this study "the main reasons clients left agencies were lack of fresh ideas (73%) and the need to cut costs (44%)..." .The cutting costs is a no brainer, especially in this economy, but amazingly almost double the clients have left or will leave traditional agencies because of a lack of fresh ideas. What does this mean for you? Well, the solution to securing more business might…
How to Align Business Strategy with Brand Strategy

Jason VanLue

19 Jun 2009 | 8:08 am

One of the key points we tell our clients at FiveSeven when working to develop their brands is to make sure they align their business strategy with their brand strategy. Most of the time the response we get is something like, "okay...so what exactly does that mean"? It's a very important concept to not only understand, but also employ, so I want to talk briefly about what it means to align these two strategies, why it's important to do so, and how to make it happen. Business & Brand There's a lot that can be said, and already has been said, about business strategy. We're not going to get…
Interview With Jason VanLue

Jason VanLue

16 Jun 2009 | 2:07 pm

Quick Look: Who is this guy: Jason VanLue What does he do: Entrepeneur & Brand Experience Designer @ FiveSeven Studios Where does he live: Orlando, FL How does he drink his coffee: Black What are his 3 favorite things: God, my family, and UNC basketball Please tell us more about your background and what made you want to work in the design industry? Six years ago I would have never thought I'd be working in this industry, let alone owning a design company. I guess it's what you call born out of necessity. I studied International Economics and Business in college, and got into the industry…
How Low Can You Go - Thoughts on the “Lowest Bidder Syndrome”

Jason VanLue

2 Mar 2009 | 8:23 am

One of my good friends is the Landscape Manager at SeaWorld in Orlando, and he recently shared an experience with me that made me laugh, but also made me think. A couple of weeks ago a team of irrigation specialists came to install a new irrigation system in one of the sections of the SeaWorld park. My friend explained that they came with no diagram or plan, the wrong equipment, and the wrong pipe dimensions - nevertheless they started working anyway, and by the time my friend came on the scene to check on the team they had already dug up half of the section. When I asked what the team said…
Making Business Decisions: How Will It Affect Your Brand?

Jason VanLue

18 Feb 2009 | 12:05 pm

We make decisions every day. Some are easy to make, others harder to make. When it comes to running a business or organization, decisions are made for a variety of reasons, and based on a variety of factors. Sometimes decisions are based on financial factors, others on personal factors, and some just on a whim. Granted, there are many valid reasons from which to make a decision, but what if I said that when it comes to the long-term success of your organization, there's only one factor to consider. The most important question you can ask when making decisions about your business or…

BrandDigital | BrandSimple
Utility versus diversion: What consumers are doing online is critical to branding success

Allen Adamson

23 Jun 2009 | 7:07 am

Most of us have heard about Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs - you know, the need to gratify hunger, thirst, shelter before moving up to less elemental things. But a hierarchy of human needs relative to our digital life? Absolutely. People divide online pursuits into several tiers, the bottom, or most elemental, being the utilitarian stuff like checking emails, looking up addresses, chatting with friends, and the higher tiers being the more diversionary, like watching favorite shows on Hulu. It’s become apparent to me and many other branding professionals that when trying to…
Social networking inside the company helps employees act appropriately on-brand outside

Allen Adamson

2 Jun 2009 | 1:34 pm

(image courtesy of M. Keefe via Flickr) Tweeting, texting, posting , poking - we all know that social networking helps us keep in touch with what’s going on out there. It’s been my observation that many companies are using the same digital tactics and techniques to help its employees keep in touch with what’s going on in there - inside the organization, that is. As brands become increasingly “humanized” by digital technology that both connects everyone and makes everything transparent, smart companies are helping their employees better understand…
My interview with Dan Schwabel

Allen Adamson

19 May 2009 | 12:56 pm

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dan Schwabel, the leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y, and founder of the popular site, PersonalBrandingBlog.com. During our conversation, he asked me questions about both the basics of building strong brands, and the changing dynamics of branding in a digital world. It’s a quick read that nonetheless covers lots of interesting ground. It was a fun interview. Here’s the link. Interview with Dan Schwabel
My interview with the American Marketing Association

Allen Adamson

9 May 2009 | 7:43 pm

Thought you might enjoy my interview for theAmerican Marketing Associationwith John Frank,Editor and Director of Marketing News, in which I discuss why I wrote BrandDigital and some of the key points in the book. BrandDigital MarketingPower Podcast
The right question is not whether it’s Twitter OR Facebook

Allen Adamson

7 May 2009 | 11:39 am

Will Twitter soon replace Facebook as the online social connector of choice? As the number of news stories about who’s tweeting whom seems to increase with the number of Twitter users, it’s a question being asked by marketers who use social networks as part of their branding initiatives. But this isn’t the question they should be asking. Instead, the question, or rather, questions, that smart companies are asking are: What’s the difference in how consumers are using these social sites and how should branding strategies be built, as a result? I address these questions…

The Brand Show
SPECIAL SERIES PART 2 OF 4: BRAND TRANSFORMATION

29 Jun 2009 | 3:21 pm

Promax|BDA speakers discuss the evolving world of brands in entertainment and beyondAs consumer brands and entertainment become increasingly connected, more and more network execs are re-imagining their own brands. In part two of our four-part series from the Promax|BDA Conference, marketing leaders from ESPN, Oxygen, IFC, BET and Spark discuss brand transformation with The Brand Show Host and Two West CEO Ethan Whitehill.What does it take to transform a network? How has network branding changed in the last decade? Why must brands constantly evolve to keep up with audiences? And where do…
SPECIAL SERIES: Promax|BDA speakers join The Brand Show

26 Jun 2009 | 6:40 am

Part 1 of 4: "Change and Innovation"The recent 54th annual Promax|BDA conference in New York featured three days of dialogue, debate and discussion on some of the hottest topics in entertainment marketing. The Brand Show host and Two West CEO Ethan Whitehill spoke with international marketing and innovation experts on a wide range of issues impacting the industry. Tune in to part one of our four-part series as Joe Earley, Tom Kelley, Richard Loomis and John Young discuss change and innovation in entertainment. Listen as the experts talk about growth in the industry as well as their…
Leading the new economy of marketing and design

15 Jun 2009 | 7:55 am

Promax|BDA 2009 brings the brightest minds in entertainment marketing together for three days of dialogue, debate and discussionJonathan Block-Verk, became the President of Promax|BDA in early 2008.From June 16 to 18 the New York Hilton will be invaded by some of the most innovative, forward-thinking visionaries leading the entertainment marketing revolution. Jonathan Block-Verk, President of Promax|BDA, joins The Brand Show to discuss this year’s annual conference and the impressive line-up of guest speakers, including the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Robert Redford.Conference…
SPECIAL SERIES: The Brand Show @ The Produced By Conference 2009

11 Jun 2009 | 11:51 am

Entertainment Industry Heavy Hitters Weigh In: How technology, content distribution and branded entertainment are changing the future of marketing.Tim Gibbons, Executive Producer of Curb Your Enthusiasm, discusses what branded entertainment means with host Ethan Whitehill, CEO of Two West.On June 6 and 7, The Brand Show participated in the first-annual Produced By Conference 2009, an unprecedented gathering of the entertainment industry’s top producers and emerging talent. Created by the Producers Guild of America, the conference exceeded expectations with a full schedule of A-list speakers…
Go ahead, make my brand: what marketers could learn from storytellers like Clint Eastwood

4 Jun 2009 | 6:48 am

Vance Van Petten is the Executive Director of the Producers Guild of America.This week The Brand Show welcomes Vance Van Petten, Executive Director of the Producers Guild of America, an organization dedicated to representing producers in motion picture, television and new media around the world. Since assuming his role in 2000, Van Petten has grown the organization’s membership ten-fold to over 3,500 members including James Cameron, Ron Howard and other household names. Van Petten attributes the successful membership expansion to effectively telling the PGA story to audiences around the…

Landor.com: Blog
100-calorie meltdown

29 Jun 2009 | 7:52 pm

Photo courtesy of Martin Bishop, Landor Associates. Are the days for 100-calorie packs numbered? Brandweek reports that sales of most 100-calorie packs are down. Oreo Thin Crisps, for example, are off 31 percent versus last year. The "mini munchie" craze started back in 2004 with Kraft launch of Oreo Thin crisps, Wheat Thin Minis, and Nabisco Mixed Berry Fruit Snacks. And seeing the success, General Mills, Frito-Lay, and others all jumped in with their own products. The article points to several possible reasons why: the recession, issues with taste, and wasteful packaging.
Simple abuse and the shallow kiss

26 Jun 2009 | 7:52 pm

Image courtesy of jeffk (flickr); permission being requested. There's a big difference between simplicity and simplistic. Simplicity is good: it's important and according to da Vinci it's, "the ultimate sophistication." Simplistic is bad, shallow, and lazy. When someone throws out a K.I.S.S. (as in: Keep it Simple, Stupid) do they mean that you've got to work harder to make something less complicated, more uncluttered, and more useful for others? Or do they mean that you can get away without much effort or attention to detail, making it easier for them? It's important that…
How to hijack budgets, win friends, and influence people...

25 Jun 2009 | 7:52 pm

...when it comes to internal brand engagement in a time of recession. As we entered the recession last year, we all had to take stock. From my clients’ point of view, it was about rethinking their suddenly slashed budgets. Priorities had shifted, and it was "back to basics" for nearly everyone in marketing and branding, with little appetite for anything seen as an extra. From my own point of view, I had to think about how internal brand engagement could continue to be useful to my clients in a very different context. The benefits of internal engagement are certainly tangible…
The Twitter dilemma: how to embrace without touching

24 Jun 2009 | 7:52 pm

Back a long, long time ago when I was in school, we had a teacher who stood in as school nurse for a while. He had no medical training and, whatever our ailment, he prescribed a Strepsils throat lozenge. He had a big tub of them so it was very efficient and great as long as we weren't actually that sick. I was reminded of that story when I received this tweet from Nescafé after my Brand Mix post about its latest advertising campaign: NescafeUSA @martinjbishop We liked your blog post! Have you gotten a chance to try the Nescafe stick packs yet? 10:50 AM Jun 10th from web in reply to…
A desk is no place to think

23 Jun 2009 | 7:52 pm

Take a walk. A desk is no place to think. Some organizations understand this perfectly well: when they need to think big, they take a walk. This is what a couple of top managers at Syngenta did when they needed to crack a new strategic vision for their company after a series of mergers. They hiked in the Swiss Alps for a week and came up with the solution. This confirms my personal belief: walking is a state in which the mind, the body, and the world are aligned, as though they were three characters finally in conversation together. Walking allows us to be in our bodies and in the world, but…

Rocketseed
E-mail Marketing vs. E-mail Branding

Henré Rossouw

30 Jun 2009 | 3:37 am

I’d like to draw on some comparisons between one form of e-mail marketing, newsletter distribution: mass communication and another: single e-mail – 1 to 1 communication. Having access to your own database of user e-mail addresses (and by your own, I don’t mean the proprietary tag that comes with buying a database, I refer to a database that you’ve collected overt time of people that have indicated they would not mind receiving your information) is a highly valued asset to any business with the grey matter to appreciate client relations and communications. Not many companies have those…
Screw it. Let’s brand it.

Henré Rossouw

15 Jun 2009 | 5:21 am

From DMNews.com, and according to a Forrester Research report, “e-Mail marketing spend will increase to $2 billion in 2014 in the US. This represents an 11% year-over-year growth rate. Because of this growth, in five years consumers will be hit with more than 9,000 e-mail marketing messages a year. Social networks play a large role in these forecasts. As social networks become more primary sources, e-mail will grow, as e-mail is the basis for all social communications, according to the report.” I believe it is important for businesses to realize the effect social networks will have on…
Email branding to hit inboxes around the globe + 15 reasons not to be left behind

Henré Rossouw

28 May 2009 | 2:55 am

I can’t help but chuckle silently as I type this. It is said that corporate branding may be the next wave of the email phenomenon. Companies spend extortionate amounts of money on advertising, corporate image, letterheads and business cards, yet when it comes to email, the most common form of business communication, they are plain, impersonal, and unbranded. Probably the most perfect opportunity to impress your brand image onto your customer is ignored for reasons that boggle the mind. Coca Cola, the world’s most recognized brand, is spending billions of dollars each year on marketing…
6 Reasons why your blog is the most important marketing tool (+ 4 more)

Henré Rossouw

6 May 2009 | 4:45 am

Content marketing (creating thought leading content like articles, headlines, trends and other general information for the purpose of engaging and ultimately converting potential customers) seems like old news, which is exactly why I bring it up this week. While marketing- and internet trends move at lightning speed, I do feel that it’s important to slow down a bit and focus on the most important things businesses can do today to gain strides in marketing, requiring minimal budget. Blogs continue to be highly rated, although of late, much less hyped. It has become a mainstream practice now.
Don’t listen to social media experts?!

Henré Rossouw

23 Apr 2009 | 4:22 am

Here’s why. A bunch of us got on the bandwagon a while ago about the Motrin Moms campaign, the pain killer commercial that portrayed the young mommy wearing her child in a body-hugging sling as trying to be fashionable. Here it is again: I was one of the many that warned against social media, the manner and speed with which negative brand impressions can proliferate online. The online community, mostly moms of course, were outraged. They spoke of disrespect toward the truly humbling job of raising a child while pursuing a normal (professional) life. Pain is not funny. Well here’s a…

Metropolis Creative
"Social" Isn't a Tool

Aaron_Strout

29 Jun 2009 | 12:44 pm

One question I've been asked a lot recently is "what's going to be the next Twitter?" The quick answer is, it doesn't matter? I know that sounds flip but hear be out before you think I'm just another social media basher (you'll know this is not the case if you read my blog). I say "it doesn't matter," not because I don't love Twitter and all the other social networks but because it assumes that the concept of "social" can be limited to a single tool.To that end, comparing the phenomenon of "social" to a tool is somewhat akin to thinking that a good website is strictly about a great logo or a…
Key to Content Marketing: Shh...

John_Cass

29 Jun 2009 | 3:07 am

How do you attract people to your website through content marketing? Listen to what is important to your audience.Listening to customer needs and wants will give you ideas about what content you need to produce for your audience.You can listen in a number of ways:1. Monitor your customer service department for frequently asked questions. As the customer service department develops answers, you can re-purpose that content for your website. Text, help centers, or videos can all answer questions and attract more people to your site through content that solves problems. A customer at…
Search Engine Marketing: Hiring Managers Rock The House in Boston

John_Murphy

25 Jun 2009 | 12:37 pm

The excitement felt at the SEM Community Mega-Event event, sponsored by Search Engine Strategies and Onward Search, was certainly a refreshing change from the constant hum of economic downturn news. The Wall Street Journal's report of unemployment reaching nearly 10% by 2010 was certainly not the topic of conversation at the House of Blues in Boston on Monday night. About 200 search marketing professionals mingled with their peers as they heard industry leaders and hiring professionals line up to announce that their companies are hiring search engine experts.After a short meet and greet,…
What You Can Do Without Paying a Marketing Company: SEO 101

Christine_Hall

23 Jun 2009 | 12:09 pm

Just three years ago, "Google" was added to the dictionary. The trademarked term is not defined, however, by the company bearing the name but rather the act of searching for something online using the Google search engine. This addition is just one example of how search engine use in the past decade has infiltrated most aspects of our culture. And it's not a surprise: the use of search engines has skyrocketed over the past ten years. So it's no wonder that companies are willing to pay for their page to rise to the top of a result page. A report released by eMarketer shows that paid placement…
Expose Your Brand and Reap the Benefits of Social Media

Howard_Davidson

17 Jun 2009 | 8:22 am

It's very trendy. Companies of varying size and type are exposing their brand and messaging via social media marketing. These organizations are having cocktail parties online! They are establishing and maintaining real-time conversations with customers, colleagues, industry peers, thought leaders and management. Throughout the conversations, brand loyalty is being garnered. Messaging is being spread. Stories are being told. The exposure is immediate, smart, savvy and contagious. "Social media creates a solar system for a brand with multiple satellites of interaction channels, some large, some…

cometbrandingblog
Comet Branding Radio: The evolution from a PR to social media state of mind

Al Krueger

30 Jun 2009 | 2:31 pm

On Wednesday, July 1st at 11:00 a.m. Central, we will speak with Shannon Paul about how she evolved from a PR pro to a social media strategist and if/how more people will need to experience a similar journey very soon. Shannon is a Social Media Specialist for PEAK6, a well-known blogger and recently orchestrated social media initiatives for the NHL Detroit Red Wings. Please tune in. Shannon offers an interesting perspective on moving from PR to social media and using blogs and other platforms for community development and engagement. She has shared progressive ideas on her blog and has even…
Comet Branding Radio: The continuing evolution of the social media powered newsroom and how it’s impacting PR

Al Krueger

24 Jun 2009 | 7:09 am

On Wednesday, June 24th at 11:00 a.m. CDT, we will be speaking with Jason Kintzler from PitchEngine.com about the company’s release of its new social media newsroom platform. We will also have an in depth conversation about how social media and social newsrooms are impacting PR. Please listen in.To learn more about PitchEngine’s news check out their social media news release HERE. Here are a couple news bites about the evolved service: New customized Social Media Newsrooms designed as a news hub for brands and their website visitors Integrates feeds from Twitter, Flickr, YouTube…
Presentation: How clients and agencies can work together to optimize social media outcomes

Al Krueger

17 Jun 2009 | 10:22 am

Last night, Sara Meaney and I gave a presentation to our local chapter of AMA as part of their annual “Agency Crawl.” It’s always an honor to be asked to present at someone’s event and the event was good fun. We led a discussion on “How clients and agencies can work together to optimize social media outcomes.” This topic has become more and more important as more businesses look to agencies for help in social media. Please take a look at the presentation and let us know your thoughts and if there are other things that you’d add. How Clients and…
Comet Branding Radio: Jason Weaver, CEO of Sway, on tapping and tracking the power of social media

Sara Meaney

15 Jun 2009 | 1:40 pm

On Wednesday, June 17th at 11 a.m. CDT, we’ll be talking to Jason Weaver, CEO of Sway, Inc. Sway has had an active role in social media since 2004, and we look forward to the opportunity to discuss where social media is going and how to make the most of it right now. While it’s true that most social media sites offer measurability and trackability in ways that offline marketing efforts wished they could, it’s not always easy to stay on top of all the various content and its viral spread. Enter, stage left: Shoutlet, Sway’s Web 2.0 marketing platform. It’s been a…
Comet Branding Radio: How to talk to your boss about social media

Sara Meaney

9 Jun 2009 | 2:18 pm

There’s been a lot of interest in the “How to Talk to Your Boss About Social Media…” series of blog posts, so Al Krueger and I thought it would be a cool idea to dive into the topic through discussion on the Comet Branding Radio Show on Wednesday, June 10th at 11 a.m. Central. You can read the posts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and the Prequel. I suppose the inspiration for the topic came from personal experience, having been the boss on the client side of things and wanting to do a good job of vetting great ideas from the team before championing them, and having had bosses at points…

Brand Experience 360
How well do you know the customer?

David Rich

2 Jul 2009 | 5:49 pm

Every successful business connects with customers by using purchase history data. How well you maintain and use your customer insight can make an enormous difference on the quality of customer service provided. How to connect with your customers If you are going to be using customer database to help foster loyalty and promotions, it needs to be managed well. Maintaining current and relevant purchase history is one step. Integrating the information into promotions and customer service is the heart of the process. The best way to understand how to effectively leverage customer information in…
Wawa: A Customer Experience Success Story

David Rich

29 Jun 2009 | 11:29 am

Over the past year, businesses have watched each other struggle while reducing costs in every possible way. Every so often, you hear of a business success story. These are the few businesses that are thriving and expanding in tough times. Wawa — a convenience store chain — is a success story featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this week. What strikes me as interesting with every success story is the company’s strong belief in the customer experience. Wawa’s CEO Howard Stoeckel emphasizes the importance of customer experience through the entire interview.
The basic foundation of building customer loyalty

David Rich

24 Jun 2009 | 12:06 pm

There’s no need to explain how important customer loyalty is to your business. You already know that. More than likely, you’re struggling with how to retain customer loyalty. We are here to help. Customer Loyalty = Customer Service What is the simplest way to foster loyalty? It’s great customer service. From word-of-mouth to loyalty reward programs, it is amazing customer service that brings repeat business. Training your employees to have superior service skills is the first pillar of loyalty success. Simply think about the very best service you’ve witnessed as a customer. Is it…
Today is the critical time for strategy, vision, and asking tough questions

David Rich

16 Jun 2009 | 2:46 pm

In my last post, I talked discussed how the face of retail is changing. Extending on the same Forbes article, which powerfully states: “The retail territory of the next 10 years is truly up for grabs. New retail concepts, and even manufacturers that want their own stores, have big opportunities to become the big retail success stories of the next decade. Those that dazzle their customers with distinctive offerings and environments for purchasing them will thrive alongside the Wal-Marts and Amazons of the retail world.” At times like this we tend to focus on tactics – are we…
Customer Intercepts

ann

9 Jun 2009 | 9:19 pm

PROGRAM INSIGHT The Customer Experiences that your customers have, or (more importantly) those shoppers who left your store without making a purchase hold the key to your company’s unlocked potential and untapped profits. What better way to learn about your customers’ opinions than to ask them immediately after their shopping experience has ended, while their opinions are fresh and their experiences are unbiased by passing time? ICC/Decision Services’ highly trained field representatives can learn the truth about the perceptions your customers have about your brand, but we…

Kristian Andersen + Associates
Define Daily (02) : UX

Janneane Blomenberg

24 Jun 2009 | 11:03 am

Define Daily (02) : UX UX is shorthand for User Experience. The sum of all customer interactions with your brand is the User Experience. Each time a customer logs into your application, clicks on your web site, sees one of your advertisements, talks to support, participates in your presentation at a conference, or reads a blog post about you, they are interacting with your brand. User Experience is the marriage of interface, product, and brand. UX engagements might include : Business Strategy Product & Service Innovation Interaction Design Rapid Prototyping Interface Design…
Define Daily (01) : Brand / Brand Name

Janneane Blomenberg

23 Jun 2009 | 1:34 pm

Introducing… Define Daily!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nam nibh. To the uninitiated, design speak might as well be Greek. Comps, deliverables, assets, HTML, CSS, brandspring, wireframes, prototypes – these words are flying about often with little context to help one decipher meaning, and at the risk of displaying ignorance we often just nod our heads in blind understanding. Having recently overcome the hill of the newcomer, I’ve set out to share with you a design word or concept of the day – so that you too can break the code. Define Daily…
Letters From Leaders

Kristian Andersen

22 Jun 2009 | 6:04 pm

Henry Dormann has compiled an interesting book of Letters From Leaders. Or as he calls it “Personal advice for tomorrows leaders from the World’s most influential people”. A heady title to be sure – but definitely worth a look (see below). My favorite: “Be conscientious. A true leader pays attention to the details. So sweat the small stuff.” Howard J. Rubenstein (President,Rubenstein Associates, Inc.) Letters From Leaders View more OpenOffice presentations from John Moore.
To Have a Hunch.com

Max Yoder

16 Jun 2009 | 4:36 pm

The late Dr. Seuss once said, “Only you can make your mind up! You’re the only one!” As of yesterday, his theory is up for debate. For the dithering souls of this world, Flickr’s co-founder has created Hunch.com–a website committed to helping you make decisions. This could be beautiful. This could be tragic. I just don’t know.
The Connection Between Culture and Contentment

Max Yoder

16 Jun 2009 | 6:58 am

It’s not easy to be an intern these days. With everyone from college graduates to high school seniors vying over the same shallow pool of positions, we are left with plenty of fish on the sand. To top it off, many of those who get to swim are having to pay for the opportunity. Needless to say, when Kristian Andersen + Associate’s extended their summer internship position to me, I was thrilled. The prospect of having a job at all was magical (my hometown had the biggest year-over-year unemployment increase in the nation), but the prospect of having a job that resonated with my personality…

Wheatley Timmons: BrandTrailblazers
From Silk to Burlap, Fancy Comes Home…

Bob Wheatley

24 Jun 2009 | 10:32 am

Latest wedding trend portends move to low-key lifestyle By Robert Wheatley I’m a former Los Angelino. Doesn’t mean anything really except to those who have lived there and witnessed first-hand the unique SoCal culture focused on fame, fortune and entertainment. Trend watchers keep their eyes on LA and in Orange County to signal cultural or social changes. The theory is new ideas tend to start there and in New York and then migrate. Not convinced that’s always true, but for sure LA is a bellwether mirror for shifts in tastes and lifestyles. I lived in Beverly Hills — in one of the…
W&T: Top 20 Best Agency to Work For in US

Bob Wheatley

23 Jun 2009 | 12:14 pm

An honor we embrace more than others… By Robert Wheatley Wheatley & Timmons is among the top 20 best agencies to work for in the US, following a national competition conducted by The Holmes Group. This year has been pretty good in the awards recognition department. We also found out recently that our on-line video work for Nature’s Variety pet food took a Silver Telly award in the direct marketing category. Similarly our video blog productions for Sargento Foods won a Bronze Telly in the business-to-consumer category. But frankly, all of this pales in comparison to the Best Agency to…
Natural Pet Food Brand Building…

Bob Wheatley

18 Jun 2009 | 3:32 pm

Significant Business Opportunities Abound By Robert Wheatley Pet food is an amazing business. Significant growth rates are forecasted over the next five years. Pet parents are emotionally involved and inquisitive consumers. Even in this troubled economy, pet owners how no signs of cutting back on their purchases for Fido. If anything the trend to trade up to more expensive natural diets — employing higher quality nutrition and ingredients — continues to pick up steam. The upside business opportunities are significant. So competition is getting hotter. To capture consumers who are…
The Great Grounding Now Upon Us

Bob Wheatley

17 Jun 2009 | 8:17 am

Economy turns attention to other values… By Robert Wheatley We have a weekend place in southwest Michigan, about 90 miles from downtown Chicago. It sits in an apple orchard with a small lake in the middle. Above is the view from the end of my dock. It’s serene. Quiet. Every form of wildlife abounds. Eagle, deer, wild turkeys and fox roam the area. The family loves it. We’re spending more down time there these days… It is in some ways a metaphor for how the marketing world is evolving. In the era of conspicuous consumption people get caught up in things – buying them. They become…
Expensive Watches and Cheap Toilet Paper

Bob Wheatley

16 Jun 2009 | 12:46 pm

Pricing sends a message – fast By Robert Wheatley In a recent editorial in AdAge, author and consultant Al Ries described the devastating impact of variable pricing on the airline industry and how it worked to effectively commoditize airline brands. His point: “There’s nothing wrong with being a high-end brand. There’s nothing wrong with being a low-end brand. There’s something wrong when you try to be both.” Consumers quickly assign quality values to a product or service based on its price. An expensive watch is seen as a higher quality watch. The price sets a perceptual bar. We…

BenjaminWarsinske.com
Will the Bailouts Really Work? A Monopoly Experiment

Benjamin

2 Jul 2009 | 2:15 pm

I am pretty tired of hearing about bailouts for banks and big corporations as I am sure you are too. While the bailouts are done with good intentions, it simply may not work. Why do I say this? Of course I want the bailouts to work- I think we all want something to fix the mess [...]Post from: Benjamin's Blog Will the Bailouts Really Work? A Monopoly Experiment Related posts:Mavericks At Work…Needed Now More Than Ever With the sThe Power of Monopoly Remember wCashflow 101: Advanced Monopoly In my post Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Twitter to Re-Shape Conversations

Benjamin

1 Jul 2009 | 2:15 pm

Have you noticed that people have become quite good at stating what they need to say in fewer words? When people are more direct, it makes it much easier to make decisions and get things done. And, it would seem, that Twitter has helped to push this short, direct communication to the front without people [...]Post from: Benjamin's Blog Twitter to Re-Shape Conversations Related posts:Break the Mold – Assets Are Key Focus onCompanies Built On Communities There is sLack of Control Can Cause Chaos Managing t Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Chrysler Group Reborn and Starts Building Vipers?!

Benjamin

29 Jun 2009 | 2:30 pm

I saw this news story on CNN and did a double take. Chrysler has come out of bankruptcy as The Chrysler Group. They have begun manufacturing cars at one plant in Detroit. What model is it? A hybrid? How about a car to compete with other fuel efficient vehicles? No, the Chrysler Group has announced [...]Post from: Benjamin's Blog Chrysler Group Reborn and Starts Building Vipers?! Related posts:Gas Prices Are Low… Is This A Good Thing? Gas PricesAre the Big 3 Worth Bailing Out? Are the biSuccess Starts in your Mind Reality is Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts…
Back From Alaska!

Benjamin

28 Jun 2009 | 8:50 pm

Just wanted to post a quick update. I am now back on island after a successful week-long business trip to Alaska. It was great to see the natural beauty of the state, the amazing landscapes and mountains, and to even see some wildlife. I was lucky enough to see some Moose crossing the highway, as [...]Post from: Benjamin's Blog Back From Alaska! Related posts:Where in the World Have I Been?! What HappA trip to Seoul in May I’m My iPhone 3Gs Has Arrived! Photos co Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
My iPhone 3Gs Has Arrived!

Benjamin

19 Jun 2009 | 3:00 pm

Photos courtesy of Apple The picture above says it all. Clean look, thinner body (than 1.0), and 3x the capacity in a short two years! Pretty impressive. I am most excited about the video capabilities as well Voice Control. I think those will be awesome additions to the phone. Have you pre-ordered an iPhone? Or have you [...]Post from: Benjamin's Blog My iPhone 3Gs Has Arrived! Related posts:How Does This Happen?! On my way Time for A New MacBook? So it may Zoho Mobile: A Requested Review Last month Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Bulletproof
Weekly Web Wrap-Up

Dallas Lawrence

2 Jul 2009 | 1:58 pm

Bulletproof Blog’s Weekly Web Wrap-up offers a compilation of key discussions regarding the relevance of social media in business. Allies are essential during a crisis for deploying your messages and digital media has created a wealth of resources for enacting this process. Companies that develop a social media strategy in advance will already know the best platforms available for reaching target audiences when the crisis strikes. This week’s list of articles emphasizes the need to enlist your employees as brand ambassadors. In many cases, this group of individuals can be your biggest…
What’s Next: The Bulletproof Blog - The Grandaddy of All Derivatives Suits

Larry Smith

1 Jul 2009 | 6:55 am

In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs’ attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to Frank P. DiPrima of the Law Office of Frank DiPrima in Morristown, NJ. Mr. DiPrima has been co-counsel in the derivative law suit against Richard Scrushy, founder of HealthSouth Corporation. In its June, 2009, decision in Wade Tucker v Richard Scrushy et al., an Alabama court awarded plaintiffs $2.876 billion, reportedly the biggest judgment ever against an executive. It was, in any event, the largest shareholder…
Another Blow to Preemption Empowers State Attorneys General

David Bartlett

30 Jun 2009 | 1:33 pm

Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling that state regulators can take national banks to court in order to enforce state consumer protection laws is yet another blow to the principle of “preemption.” For those non-constitutional law scholars out there, preemption is the means by which federal law supersedes state law when contradictions between the two arise. In this case, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and his predecessor Eliot Spitzer sought to enforce state consumer protection laws against national banks that state regulators felt were engaging in various forms of predatory…
What’s Next: The Bulletproof Interview - Ellen Davis on Retail Crises

Larry Smith

29 Jun 2009 | 7:22 am

Each week, Bulletproof Blog features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. This week, on the heels of the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Loss Prevention Conference and EXPO, we interview Ellen Davis, NRF Vice President of Industry Public Relations. During her tenure at NRF, Ms. Davis has been responsible for evaluating NRF positions on a variety of retail topics including e-commerce, consumer spending, the economy, and loss prevention. A nationally-recognized expert on retail crisis communications, she shared her insights…
Weekly Web Wrap-up

Dallas Lawrence

26 Jun 2009 | 2:27 pm

Last week, Bulletproof Blog launched the Weekly Web Wrap-up - a compilation of key discussions in the media regarding the relevance of social media in business. This week’s list of top five digital media articles highlights companies tapping into online resources to condition the marketplace. These executives understand the two-way discourse the Web provides for testing and refining messages with key audiences in advance. When used correctly, social media can be more than a marketing platform. It can be the corporate communications team crystal ball. This insight will ensure your…

The Marketing Fresh Peel
Why People Ignore Your Marketing and What to Do About it (Guest Post by Chris Forbes)

Chris Forbes

2 Jul 2009 | 8:00 am

(Photo via: wannaoreo) People have a Physiological Ability to Ignore your Marketing, but there is something you can do about it, try a little Guerrilla marketing. The human brain has a coping mechanism that helps people filter out unwanted communication and if you are not careful, the brains of the people you want to reach with your marketing will automatically edit you out of your prospect’s minds before they even have a chance to think about responding to you. The Reticular Activating System (RAS) of the human brain manages the daily function of consciousness and filters out unwanted…
Experiments in Social Media

Chris Wilson

1 Jul 2009 | 7:04 pm

What new tools are you experimenting with? Social media is always changing, evolving, shifting and growing. It takes a high level of curiosity and dedication to keep up, but it’s this experimentation (the dirty work) that sets the thought leaders apart from everyone else. In order to lead the way, we have to have some ideas about where we are going. And we can’t form these ideas without rearranging the parts we are currently using and throwing in some new parts to see what happens—experimentation. People like Chris Brogan, Steve Rubel, Christopher S. Penn and Jeremiah Owyang…
Social Media is the New Punk

Chris Wilson

26 Jun 2009 | 12:32 pm

Engage ORM has put together an entertaining analogy comparing the evolution of punk rock with the changes we are experiencing in social media. [Feedreaders, click to view video] It’s an interesting perspective, and one that I think could be easily compared with other historical movements in music. The rapid growth in hip-hop and rap went from an underground club movement to making mainstream headlines, almost overnight. Now, fans of indie rock bands seem to be experiencing a similar situation as the bands that were once unknown outside of their small group of friends, have started to…
My Brand Timeline

Chris Wilson

19 Jun 2009 | 10:07 am

Your Brand Day, a now vintage meme that was started by Dear Jane Sample. It made the rounds last year, but has had a recent resurgence when two very popular technology and internet culture blogs Boing Boing and Kottke are jumped on the bandwagon. Alan Wolk over at The Toad Stool, pointed to this meme resurrection, as he was one of the first to participate last year. Since I didn’t participate, I wanted to give it a go this time around. Here’s my brand timeline. Isn’t it fascinating how many things you can learn about a person just by knowing what brands they…
TOMS and Element: Co-Branding Beliefs

Chris Wilson

18 Jun 2009 | 9:35 pm

Over 90 percent of co-branding ventures fail. That’s a frightening statistic that Martin Lindstrom spit out in a ClickZ post on co-branding in March of 2002. My guess would be that this hasn’t changed much in seven years. Most brand alliances are formed with the best of intentions but by the time they are put into action appear forced and contrived. To put it more bluntly, they just don’t fit. Recently, I spotted a co-branding effort that I couldn’t help but take a shine to. TOMS Shoes, the shoe company built on a model of conscious capitalism, has teamed up with…

brandSTOKE
Speak less. Say more.

Kirk

26 Jun 2009 | 2:10 pm

In previous posts (“‘Less’ isn’t just more–it’s omnipotent” and “Why strong design is always on Target”), I have discussed the effectiveness of focus and brevity in marketing messages. Expressing an idea simply and succinctly makes it seem more viable and the brand more confident. It helps with the sell. Supposedly, Winston Churchill, when prime minister, required that all proposals be presented on a half-page sheet of paper. If a proposer was unable to do this, then it implied to Churchill that the proposer wasn’t clear in his own…
Twitter, Iran and the First Amendment

Kirk

18 Jun 2009 | 10:51 am

Is history retweeting itself? Before social media there were mechanical printing presses. In the 1700s, American colonists relied on presses to disseminate information. When malcontents and revolutionary firebrands such as Ben Franklin published criticism of the British government for all to read, the Brits tried to stop the presses. Tactics included: Censorship — England licensed printing presses only to those who did not criticize church or state. Taxation — The 1712 Stamp Act created a financial burden for printers by taxing newspapers, pamphlets, ads, even paper. Levying taxes…
Contrived findings from windowless rooms

Kirk

16 Jun 2009 | 6:10 am

Imagine the call: “Hello, this is Margo from Insightful Research. Assuming you are in our target demographic of 35-54-year-old employed female users of financial investment services, would you be available to join a group of complete strangers in a mirrored room and be videotaped spilling your unbiased opinions about our brand in exchange for a $75 incentive?” C’mon. How valuable could the results be? In “Lies, Damn Lies, and Focus Groups,” Daniel Gross, business columnist for Newsweek and Slate, says, “Evidence suggests focus group participants often…
Why corporate brands will outperform the Twitter elite

Kirk

10 Jun 2009 | 5:31 pm

Mitch Joel’s recent post, “The Dirty Little Secret Of The Twitter Elite,” and the accompanying comments got me thinking about how shabbily most followers are treated by social media celebrities. And how corporate brands will have to perform to a much higher standard or eventually fail. In brief, Joel’s post observed that social media gurus and Hollywood celebs with huge followings pay very little attention to the majority of their followers. Even the ones they follow back. Virtually no real conversation is occurring between the elite and the masses. We are being…
Integration vs. specialization: who wants the hot seat?

Kirk

8 Jun 2009 | 4:03 pm

How do you decide between working with a full-service, integrated marketing firm or an array of specialists? (See previous post on the meaning of the terms full-service, integrated, channel-neutral and hybrid.) Consider the difference between a department store, such as Macy’s or Walmart, and a specialty store such as Best Buy or Lowe’s. You go to the department store for convenience, everything under one roof. You go to the specialty store for greater expertise and selection within the category. CMOs must make a similar decision. Hire a generalist firm or an army of specialists…

NameStormers
Product Naming Project for Doritos

admin

23 Jun 2009 | 12:28 pm

We needed to give our client’s product a name that nailed it with their target. We had to remember that when naming a product, it is critical that the name evokes the right feelings. That the name connects emotionally. One somewhat controversial authority, Wikipedia, doesn’t address this directly but does point out the importance of product naming: “Product naming is the discipline of deciding what a product will be called, and is very similar in concept and approach to the process of deciding on a name for a company or organization. Product naming is considered a…
31 Mar 2009 | 7:36 pm

admin

31 Mar 2009 | 7:36 pm

A name is usually the first thing seen and all too often, the first thing forgotten. Since 1985, we’ve created thousands of attention-riveting product, company, service and non-profit names for more organizations than just about any other naming consultant around. We’ll work with you to develop that perfect name for a flat, fixed fee. A name that will stand out in a crowd and give your brand the recognition it deserves. Over 80% of our business this past year was from repeat customers. Many of these customers had tried one or more other name consulting firms before they…
10 Dec 2008 | 8:49 pm

admin

10 Dec 2008 | 8:49 pm

Branding100.com
Are you ready for the Affiliate Summit East 09?

Ayako

1 Jul 2009 | 4:13 pm

I feel like I just got back from Affiliate Summit West, but it’s already July and it’s time to get ready for the Affiliate Summit East in NYC. Yesterday, I was reading the Affiliate Summit Monday Guide by Stephanie Lichtenstein and the actual agenda of the event. Then, I quickly realized there are so many [...]
Merchants started booting affiliates

Ayako

29 Jun 2009 | 7:34 pm

Providence Business News reported that “Amazon.com Inc. cut ties today with its business affiliates in Rhode Island to protest a provision in the draft state budget that would force the company to collect sales tax.” Amazon has now terminated affiliates in 3 different states, Rhode Island, Hawaii and North Carolina. If you think this is [...]
Interview with Tsubaki Naoko

Ayako

28 Jun 2009 | 4:45 pm

There are so many great online marketers in Japan and one person I have been following through multiple social media is Tsubaki Naoko. I first I learned about her through Shiodome Evolution, blog by Masato Taketomi who is an Executive Managing Director at Oricom and an Organizing Partner for ad:tech Tokyo. Since she is such [...]
My view on recruiting super affiliates

Ayako

28 Jun 2009 | 9:46 am

Shawn Collins from Affiliate Summit posted video/blog answering question from merchant on how to recruit super affiliates. While many people want to immediately work with super affiliates and “quality” affiliates, I personally prefer paying attention to ALL affiliates (as long as they are clean) and help them grow. Everyone works hard and who am I to [...]
My Fat Blogging #4

Ayako

28 Jun 2009 | 8:23 am

I did not weigh myself last Sunday, but I lost 3.8 lbs since my last weigh in. This week, I did 4 days of a little more than 6 mile fast walk, 1 day of 10 mile fast walk and 1hour of pedal boat ride at the Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis. Also, I did [...]

Fresh Thinking Starts Here
Marketers Need a New Definition of 'Loyalty'

Len

22 Jun 2009 | 8:04 am

"Package-Goods Brands Lose Loyalists in Recession." So reads the article headline on AdAge.com today. The gist of the article is that as the recession has bore on, brand loyalty has suffered, with over half of the consumers who said they were highly loyal to a brand in 2007 becoming significantly less so a year later.The article points out that brands like Coca-Cola, J.M. Smuckers', Folgers, and Thomas' English Muffins came out much better - they "kept more than 60% of their highly loyal consumers from 2007; Coke and Thomas' retained more than…
Survey Respondents Craft Brand ManageCamp 2009 Agenda - Travel Stimulus Program Announced

Len

8 May 2009 | 9:02 am

After months of preparation and planning, Brand ManageCamp 2009 is now officially ready for registration! A few months ago, we circulated a survey that included 40 potential speaker choices for BMC2009. Based on over 340 responses, we crafted the conference people want to see - including an all-star agenda of the best and brightest in brand thinking, such as: Philip Kotler - Marketing Strategy Legend; Best-selling author of dozens of books including the upcoming Chaotics as well as Marketing Management, Principles of Marketing, Ten Deadly Marketing Sins, and more Guy Kawasaki -…
Fight The Lure Of The 80/20 Rule!

Len

2 Apr 2009 | 9:04 am

If you are a brand marketer, I can almost guarantee that at some point in time you have invoked the 80/20 Rule. To be clear, this is different than the 5 second rule which allows you to safely eat any food that hasn't been on the floor for more than 5 seconds. The 80/20 rule is what happens when marketers say "80% of our sales come from 20% of our customers - so if we can just find and focus on that 20% we can get better bang for our marketing bucks."Admit it - you have a slide in a deck (or multiple slides in multiple decks) that invoke this rule. Here is…
New Microsoft PC Ads and The Difference Between Insights and Actionable Insights

Len

28 Mar 2009 | 11:20 am

One of the things that marketers love to talk about are insights. They are at the core of our positioning statements and it is common understanding that if you can uncover the right insight, you can connect with your customer/consumer in ways your competition only dreams of.At their best, insights can create that 'a-ha' moment for your customer - when they begin to realize that you really really get them, that you understand their lives and their motivations and that you may actually belong together. And it gives them a persuasive argument for why they should buy/use…
What Is Your 'Right To Win'? I'm Guessing Starbucks' Is Not 'Value'

Len

19 Mar 2009 | 7:32 am

In an AdAge.com article today entitled "Starbucks: Not as Expensive as You Think," Emily Bryson York outlines Starbuck's CEO Howard Schultz's new push to fight the common belief that Starbucks represents excess. Schultz is concerned that in this time of economic stress Starbucks has been defined by the crazy idea that they are all about the $4 cup of coffee. He wants to change that perception and prove that Starbucks is a value-oriented proposition, touting the fact that "half of the chain's beverages cost less than $3 and one-third are priced less…

Branding Technology
The Power of a (Brand) Image

Remy Allis

29 Jun 2009 | 12:01 pm

While reading this month’s Inc. issue, I came across a very powerful visual that stood apart from all of the images of leisurely entrepreneurs seeming intelligent. The image looked like a mesh between a paperclip and a leveling tool. Inc. June 2009, pg. 46 What pulled me in further was a quote by the CEO stating, “Your physician has a lot less information about your body than your mechanic has about your car. We want to change that.” A simple concept. This spread (likely brilliantly secured by a PR company) could have been swimming in acronyms and technological facts (much…
10 Worst Innovation Mistakes In A Recession

Remy Allis

29 Jun 2009 | 9:35 am

A post in Business Week Online earlier this year, is worth reblogging. Bruce Nussbaum, is a seasoned writer who focuses on innovations in all areas - technology, service, design, communication, etc. His articulation of the 10 worst mistakes you can make in a recession are a perspective refreshment as we enter the second half of 2009 this week. Here are the 10 worst mistakes you can make in a recession that will hurt innovation: 1. Fire talent. Because of America’s accounting laws, investments in talent are expensed, not capitalized, so cutting back on people, especially really smart,…
A.P.I.M.: A Practice in Meaning (aka KISS)

Remy Allis

5 Jun 2009 | 10:12 am

Flickr: scitech As someone heavily involved in B2B technology branding, I dream in acronyms. It seems that for every million in company revenue, 10-20 acronyms can be born. While I understand the short-hand exercise and quite honestly many would be writing all day to spell out each acronym, I also believe we begin to wear them like a badge of knowledge. The more acronyms we know, the more “expert” we are perceived. The challenge with this ritualistic practice is that we begin to think this is a known language. One that our customers, media and community don’t understand -…
The Expensive New Agency Model

Remy Allis

3 Jun 2009 | 3:27 pm

With the influx of freelancers symptomatic from the outflux in agency layoffs, there is a new agency business model emerging. One that won’t be beneficial to clients. A hypothesis: A large client comes to an agency needing a campaign including TV, print, digital, and/or buzz. A couple years ago, the agency would have created a highly complex Excel spreadsheet denoting everyone’s hourly rate + approx. time on projects, percentage of overhead including rent, equipment and supplies, derived a profit percentage (sometime known by the client) and this became the budget. What’s…
The Magic of Connecting Subcultures

Remy Allis

11 May 2009 | 12:40 pm

When digging deeper into your core demographics, often you find surprises of ways that connect them outside of “male/24-34/tech spirited/golfer, father, entrepreneur.” Taking the time to study the individuals, say through an ethnography, may reveal other threads that tie your audience. Perhaps they are also all Trekkies? CNET gives the top 7 sites where you will find this audience primed for new information. Did you know constant zoo-goers are also green thumbs? Gardening/nurseries creates another interesting avenue for mindset and media opportunities. Perhaps potential Zuners are…

Drew Schiller
Advice: Consider the Source

Drew Schiller

1 Jul 2009 | 8:35 am

I was speaking with someone last week who is starting her first business, and predictably she was a little overwhelmed by how many things she had to do. As we were talking, she said things like, “I heard that I should do this,” or, “So-and-so recommended that.” She was also actively looking for validation and answers to her questions, so she kept asking me, “What do you think?” I exclaimed, “Wow, it sounds like you’re receiving a lot of advice!” She agreed that everyone seemed to have an opinion as to what she should or shouldn’t do and why that’s the best move. “When…
Best of the Blog (First Half of 2009)

Drew Schiller

30 Jun 2009 | 8:34 am

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

Drew Schiller

29 Jun 2009 | 8:24 am

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

Drew Schiller

9 Jun 2009 | 9:29 am

I held a small branding workshop last month at a local golf clubhouse that is managed by the Coralville Marriott. Working with the Marriott staff to coordinate everything was simple, and the space was perfect (nice facilities beautiful scenery). That was the good. Then last week I received a charge for the space that was more than double what I was expecting. Needless to say, I was shocked. I didn’t receive an itemized invoice or anything, just the charge on my card. As it happens, the charge came at the end of the day on Friday, so when I noticed it on Saturday, everyone in the events…
Don’t Be A Dime A Dozen

Drew Schiller

8 Jun 2009 | 8:45 am

Answer this question: What business are you in? If you answered with the type of product you sell (i.e., “I’m in construction”), you’re wrong. Products are commodities, and companies that focus only on the products are a dime a dozen. Companies that focus on the service they deliver have the opportunity to create uncontested market space. Every single industry in the world has commodity players and service players, be it insurance, restaurants, or coal mining. The commodity players are easy to identify—they’re the ones who aren’t growing, who have low…

LogoInn
Understanding the Differences Between Traditional and Web 2.0 Logo Designs

Scott

2 Jul 2009 | 12:37 am

Even in the best of economic times running a business - successfully - is a very challenging task. If you want your business to succeed over the long term it is important that you stay on the cutting edge of things. What may have worked well for your business in the past may not [...]
Freelance Logo Designer or Online Logo Design Company: A Comparative Analysis

Scott

30 Jun 2009 | 1:35 am

The very first branding activity a business owner usually does is to get a logo for his company. For this, he searches for any suitable designer who can design a perfect logo for him. Internet has made it easy to find any suitable designer, but the problem is that how to evaluate and compare among [...]
Justify the Cost of your Logo

Scott

25 Jun 2009 | 12:33 am

A normal person has a difficult time knowing what he should pay someone for designing a logo for his business. Some people think thousands of dollars are fine, whereas some will consider this is too much for a logo. There are actually several factors which determine the worth of your business logo. In this [...]
What Logo Design Terminologies Say ?

Scott

18 Jun 2009 | 11:01 pm

When you first visit the website of any logo design company, you see different terminologies with different logo design packages. As a normal business owner, you may not have clear understanding what these terminologies tell you. Understanding of these terminologies is highly essential; otherwise you may end-up with asking for money back for not fulfilling what [...]
INTERVIEW WITH BEN JOHNSON

Scott

18 Jun 2009 | 3:06 am

IREP NETWORK just published the interview of Ben Johnson, Marketing and Business Development Manager, at Logo Inn. IREP interviewed him about the “Need of a logo for small home based business”. IREP NETWORK is committed to provide unique and affordable services that help other entrepreneurs in building their home businesses. On behalf of Logo Inn, I would [...]

The Branding Gavel
Generational gap and its implications for brand

yinkaolaito

30 Jun 2009 | 8:20 am

There is no issue in accepting the fact that we live in an ever changing world. The wide gap in different generation is there for everyone to see. Interestingly older generation, the baby boomer still holds and cherishes their age long music, ways of dressing and marketing forgetting that the most constant thing is change. In a recent article by a foremost and highly respected journalist in Nigeria-which has generated argument both in offline and online especially facebook- the said journalist lambasted new generation of musicians of corrupting morals among others drawing a parallel between…
Why brand consistency is important

yinkaolaito

30 Jun 2009 | 4:37 am

Whatever brand promise and identity crafted, there is need to carefully examine its premise, channel, design before they are communicated. When the communication process is on, it may be too late to begin a new change. This process colors the mind of the niche as well as creates confusion. Any manipulation or constant changes in the promise, identity crafting, promise, color, text, graphics, will affect brand memorability and experience negatively. From day one, brand must make a commitment to ensure that whatever promises it makes or identity chosen, it will stick to it. Have you considered…
Six attributes of leading brands

yinkaolaito

30 Jun 2009 | 4:06 am

Building a strong and leading brand takes time. It is accepted widely that differentiation and consistency are key, there are other vital attributes most leading brands posses. Individuals and corporate organization can do a research and confirm what we are about to discuss to find their veracity. It is also important that brands inculcate these attributes if their desire is to become a brand that will be reckoned with. In no particular order, the following are the six major attributes of leading brands we have observed. 1. Consistency in brand promise: most leading brands have excelled in…
Managing professional services’ brands

yinkaolaito

26 Jun 2009 | 7:04 am

If you have great professional certifications and experience, starting a professional services brand can help an individual who want to go into entrepreneurship. Professional services firms whether it is brand management, franchise attorney, advertising, medicine, accounting or event management all have common characteristics which demand that individuals have a certified talents and bring in others who are of like minds. Professional services brand help their customers to be fully equipped, offer guidance as well as help them to identify and take advantage of new opportunities and to…
Innovative brand story creation

yinkaolaito

26 Jun 2009 | 4:40 am

For Africans, story, especially the moonlight ones, teaches a great lesson. Many of us who had the privilege of learning great morals from them really do cherish that age long stuff. Today, story is subtly getting out of our daily lives. For successful brands, their stories are important. The way the story is told is also a major factor in brand emotional connection with its audience. Brand as we know is not just about logo. Branding is the full complement of residual impressions resulting from all the experiences associated with a product, services or company. Today brand can get it wrong by…

RadiantBrands Blog
Smart Phone Wars, Why the iPhone Wins

Steven Donaldson

22 Jun 2009 | 6:30 pm

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

Steven Donaldson

27 May 2009 | 2:27 pm

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

Steven Donaldson

6 May 2009 | 6:47 pm

Three years after making a critical online branding mistake, Ask Jeeves in Great Britain is back with a fancy new suit and good advice. Back in 1999 my firm (then BGDi) worked with the original founders of Ask Jeeves just before they went public to design a new identity system for Ask Jeeves.com. We developed a complex branding system and this really cool “ask” button. Jeeves was great as a search engine because he was, at the time, the only personality on the web. Your own personal adviser or helper for search– way before Google became the dominant player. When Barry Diller, the…
Apple brand up, Microsoft down – What recession?

Steven Donaldson

30 Apr 2009 | 9:13 am

Apple defied the predictions of the analysts and the recession, posting increased sales and an overall increase in revenue and profit for the first quarter of 2009. In the same period, Microsoft had its first-ever drop in sales and revenue since they went public 23 years ago. How can this happen? Apple sold 2.22 million Macintosh computers, down 3 percent from a year ago and 11.01 million iPods, up 3 percent, and, amazingly, it sold 3.79 million iPhones, up 23 percent! Regarding brands, this really says that being smaller, more exclusive, and totally focused on an integrated customer…
Tropicana’s big mistake. Where’s the orange and the straw?

Steven Donaldson

24 Apr 2009 | 6:06 pm

As brands go, Tropicana spent a small fortune on redesigning its OJ product packaging. The one that we all knew with its large orange and straw coming out. Something that was at-a-glance recognizable. My 3 year old could always pick it out. But with the intellectually well-thought-out change to the new packaging (which, by the way went through numerous focus groups) Tropicana got lost in the world of generics. It was just another white container with a picture of orange juice. Consumers said “where’s the orange with the straw?” This disaster cost them millions in just a few…

SIMON MAINWARING: BRANDING, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA
Biz Stone on Twitter in Cannes in Real Time (well, pretty close)

admin

22 Jun 2009 | 11:27 am

Having just heard Biz Stone speak at the Cannes Advertising Festival seminar, it seems appropriate to share the highlights as quickly as possible. Firstly, super laid back, approachable guy who is refreshingly down to earth despite all the success and hype around his brand. Here’s a snapshot of his main points. What Twitter is:Definition:A communication network for sharing and discovering what’s happening. Dynamics: Think of a flock of birds moving together in flight. Purpose: A new way for people to move together. What it’s not: Twitter is not a social network but a…
Social Media Theory in Practice: Real Client, Limited Budget, No Time

admin

17 Jun 2009 | 10:32 am

I recently had the chance to work with a great brand, Brine (top lacrosse brand in the country), and their partner ad agency, JWT Detroit (whose digital arm and Honest deserve huge props for building the site and app so quickly). The challenge was to bring a little edge to the brand without cannabilising the sense of unity and sportsmanship already associated with the Brine. Working with creative director, Matthew Jacobsen, and art director, Greg Bokor, we came up with the concept of the Brine Tribe. This platform allowed us to use social media to bring a sense of tribal connectedness to…
Top ten things brands forget in their rush to Social Media.

admin

9 Jun 2009 | 1:32 pm

1. BE HUMAN No matter what you say, or where you say it, people won’t hear you unless they can see themselves in your brand. So speak from a human truth. It can be funny, thoughtful, serious or stupid. That’s how people really are. If you don’t, you and your potential customer might as well be two deaf people shouting at each other. 2. TO REACH SOMEONE’S HEAD, GO THROUGH THEIR HEART Facts are only useful as proof points for emotion. Emotion establishes connection and gets people to care. Once they care – care to laugh, care to cry, care to consider your suggestion – they will…
‘Powers of Ten’ for the Twitterverse

admin

2 Jun 2009 | 9:38 am

Social media is revolutionizing our lives as individuals and as marketers. In the last year, Facebook exploded globally and Twitter grew by a staggering 1382%. Last week Google launched the ‘Wave’, a new in-browser collaboration tool, ushering in the era of real time, aggregated communication. Leading corporate brands are responding. The list of Fortune 500 companies using social media reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ including Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Intel, Nike, Motorola, Pepsi, Starbucks, GM, GE and IBM. Yet even as social media goes mainstream, what it means for us as individuals and how…
A Master Class in Brand Building from the Big Kids at Lego

admin

22 May 2009 | 8:53 am

Lego isn’t just undergoing a revival, it’s a born-again cult in the making. But they haven’t changed, it’s the same old stuff, there’s no whiz-bang technology, right? Lego is doing three things brilliantly. Connecting emotionally with their audience, re-establishing relevance, and selling their fundamental proposition – the power of joyful imagination. Here’s how: 1. They are relevant: Lego business cards… Lego Movie Posters… Lego Fashion… 2. They are brave: LegoFesto Exhibition featuring the death of a G20 protestor, Abu Ghraib,…

The Cause Is The Habit Holistic Brand Strategy Group
Twitter is for friends not fiends

damienbasile

1 Jul 2009 | 3:24 am

© dbking (Originally posted at Lisa Hickey’s The Hurricane Inside My Brain) Gain 7 billionity followers! Make 80 trillionity by doing this! We’re all concerned about being liked and being comfortable with money. These are two common insecurities that people prey on, especially much more so now in social media than ever. Thinking that way is the old wide fish-net push way of marketing. Here’s how Twitter can be maximized so you can get the most out of it, personally AND professionally. Man in the mirror Who do you want to surround yourself with in your life? How do you want…
Michael Jackson Pepsi video commercial tribute

damienbasile

27 Jun 2009 | 12:35 am

Michael Jackson is an icon of our time who will always be remembered as the King of Pop. Pepsi is the King of (Soda)Pop, especially in social media. The combination of these legendary icons resulted in a series of commercials that will go down in branding history as a marriage made in heaven. Here is a sampling of their work together: Pepsi continues to be influenced by Michael Jackson even today and is primed to make the most of their heritage: If Pepsi can create a Jacksons World Tour can back in ‘84 they surely can create a Michael Jackson Tribute can. This is an epic moment in…
Social Media Process whitepaper v. 1.0

damienbasile

25 Jun 2009 | 9:43 am

Go here to download the document. Social_media_process-1 - Damien BasileThe Cause IS The Habit1-718-309-5713damien@thecauseisthehabit.com Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. For visual inspiration check out my Tumblr: GR8 BR&s Cause Habits. **Comment on this blog at Facebook or Social Media Today. Related posts:“Brand” New To Social Media? Start Here Start by asking your“Social Media” is hype. “social media” is real. Social Media is hypeMAJOR Social Media 2.0 changes at The Cause Is The Habit THANK YOU AND I'M SOThe Tragic Of Macy’s:…
Bing me. Google it. How Microsoft is more relevant than Google

damienbasile

18 Jun 2009 | 3:00 pm

On June 8th 2009 Microsoft took an unprecedented move in advertising their new search engine Bing. They subsidized all commercials on Hulu for a limited time period. In exchange for that they produced something akin to a telethon meets an infomercial- the Bing-a-thon. The Bing-a-thon is something that has never been done before online. Microsoft is getting it right with the marketing of Bing. They understand that search should be easy. They understand that in order to learn about something it should be fun. People don’t want to be lectured. We want to be entertained. Disguise learning…
The UN-Brand

stacijshelton

10 Jun 2009 | 12:43 pm

I’m all for great branding, as you can see in one of my previous posts, Simple Branding. Branding should look, sound and feel good. It should be cool, catchy and let people know quickly what your brand is all about. But, there is another critical branding component that will make or break your brand. I call it The UN-Brand. The UN-Brand is what evolves from your brand, rather unintentionally. It’s the culture, personality and tenor of your brand. It’s what people are left with after an encounter with your company, its people and your service. It speaks just as…

The Sports Brand Review
Andy Murray, the next David Beckham?

Editor

1 Jul 2009 | 1:03 am

Andy Murray is on a tear towards a Wimbledon final but marketing expert Mark Riston argues that win or lose, "Brand Murray" is a struggling enterprise. You see, Murray recently signed up with brand gurus 19 Entertainment, the same agency that represents David Beckham. But Ritson points out in a column for Marketing Magazine this week, that the Murray brand will never reach the heights of the Beckham brand, and for obvious reasons. The main problem for young Andy is that he doesn't have the model looks, as shallow as that may be. We all know that unless you can draw a crowd in your underpants,…
Wimbledon brand awareness games

Editor

28 Jun 2009 | 9:07 pm

Maria Sharapova with a Sgt. Peppers-Nike tribute perhaps? Photos fromThe Telegraph, in the UK. Ana Ivanovic has become synonymous with the Three Stripes. Photo fromThe Telegraph. Serena Williams and that Nike Swoosh are powerful together. Photo from The Telegraph. Roger Federer has dominated on and off the court with Nike. Andy Roddick likes big serves and Lacoste. Photo from The Telegraph.
Gisela Dulko wins in Lacoste

Editor

25 Jun 2009 | 6:35 pm

Gisela Dulko caught the attention of The NY Daily News this week, and not for her stunning tennis. The Daily News reported: "At Wednesday’s match, Dulko, outfitted by Lacoste, wore a figure-hugging dress with slits on the skirt that revealed boy shorts underneath. Meanwhile, Sharapova, clad per usual in Nike, wore a dress with off-white criss-cross detailing and a flared skirt that swirled toward her hips as she swung her racket." And you thought we're all here to watch tennis! Shame on you. Dulko's Lacoste branded headband caught the cameraman's eye dozens of times during the…
NFL is the world's biggest sports brand

Editor

22 Jun 2009 | 12:59 am

The NFL is the world's strongest sports brand according to Sports Pro Magazine. The National Football League, not surprisingly, is valued at a whopping $4.5 billion. That's a little more than Major League Baseball, about double the value of the NBA, but still probably less than Larry King's per show kitty. In Sports Pro's recent "most valuable brands survey", the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket competition amazingly featured amongst the biggest brands too. Despite being only two years old, the IPL is valued at US$1.6 billion, or just under the cost of Mr. King's monthly…
Roger Federer Equation ad by Nike

Editor

17 Jun 2009 | 7:57 pm

Art & Business of Motion
UKTV Completes Portfolio Rebrand with Launch of “Good Food”

dennytu

22 Jun 2009 | 8:58 am

Today: Over the last 18 months, UKTV and long-standing creative partner Red Bee Media have overhauled the broadcaster’s entire portfolio of ten channels, in what is the largest and most ambitious branding exercise in British broadcasting history. The final channel rebrand, Good Food (formerly UKTV Food) relaunches today, June 22. UKTV’s Marketing and Communications Director, Tom Lucas, and Lifestyle Marketing Manager, Denise Wild, tasked Red Bee with encouraging a more diverse audience to the channel by making it feel more entertaining and less exclusively for ‘foodies’. The result? A…
Bravo 2009 Rebrand- Goodbye “Watch What Happens”

dennytu

21 Jun 2009 | 5:21 am

Update (1) June 24: Updated frames will be posted when available Had another preview of the ambitious new Bravo (US) rebrand last week at Promax/BDA in NYC. On Tuesday 23 June, the tagline “Watch What Happens” will be replaced with “By Bravo”. The cabler is refreshing its brand with a complete on-air redesign. In an attempt to combat the erosion of brand association purely through its on-air channel identity, the new Bravo (with its pop inspired redesign), is focused on harnessing the power of its loyal viewership across every touch-point. “The goal of this…
Google Chrome- Interactive Reaction

dennytu

16 Jun 2009 | 2:40 am

A few months ago- while last in LA, I had a chance to catch up with some old friends at IF. After working 10+ years in the Hollywood area, who knew I’d miss the area so much? Peter Frankfurt and Chip Houghton were kind enough to let me preview their work for the Google Shorts Project, a short film answering the question: “What would the internet look like if represented as a 3-Dimensional object?” Observed as if in a museum, the object comes to life revealing the ins and outs of what Google Chrome has to offer. Directed by Brian Mah, it is titled “Interactive…
MTV to Rebrand MTV One, MTV One+

dennytu

15 Jun 2009 | 5:10 am

MTV is in the midst of a major rebranding initiative. MTV One will become MTV and MTV One+ will change to MTV+. The new branding will take effect on July 1 and the sources confirm that all other aspects regarding the channels will “remain as at present”. MTV UK was changed to MTV One back in July 2007, while MTV2 became MTV Two to fit with the overall branding campaign. It’s unclear as yet whether MTV Two will also now change its identity under the new arrangements. Posted in branding, channel identity Tagged: branding, mtv, rebrand
Virgin1 Launches Rebrand

dennytu

12 Jun 2009 | 1:04 am

At 9pm on Tuesday, Virgin1 officially unveiled its new ambitious new rebrand. We were welcomed by by none other than Virgin’s own Richard Branson and Red- the cute, crafty, and impish new face of the network. The character was recruited to embody the personality and values of the Virgin1 brand. You can watch a quick montage of the rebrand by clicking here. In his new role, Red will take charge of all programme navigation and credit rolls by adding his own commentary and onscreen activity. His interactions will be tailored to the programmes onscreen as he gives his own cheeky slant on…

Marketing Minute
The Transitioning Color of Logos

22 Jun 2009 | 2:12 pm

Logos are changing. Corporate identities are bucking the trend with new and different ways of displaying who they are and what they stand for. One aspect of corporate logos that's really changing is color.It's always been accepted that the fewer colors a logo has in it, the more versatile it can be when printed. That way it can be printed easily and legibly in many different formats. The same logo can be printed on stationary, boxes, signs, everywhere cheaper and more efficiently. Inks are expensive and every new color in a logo adds to the cost of printing it wherever it appears. But our…
All-in-one...

4 Jun 2009 | 1:34 pm

A tsunami is coming, a tsunami is coming!! What am I referring to, you might ask. Wave, is the new, well resurrected plan of the Google group. Google announced that they are returning to the all use messaging tool to combine all of us on one platform. E-mail, instant messaging is soon to be a thing of the past. There will be a day when children laugh and say, can you tell us about using e-mail when you were a kid. I know that may frighten a few out there, but it's coming! No need to fret just yet though, they've got alot of work to do. What they are going to build is a Twitter type…
How great is yours OR how bad is theirs?

29 May 2009 | 7:48 am

Attack Ads are on the rise and it's not just the political campaigners anymore. Many companies are comparing themselves to their competition in ads recently. This is not a new method of advertising, remember when Sarah Michelle Gellar starred in the first "fast-food" attack ad for Burger King? These ad bashes are getting more and more common, like "Dunkin' Beat Starbucks" national taste test campaign last fall, which was hard to judge the results of because Dunkin' is a private company and does not release sales. Domino's has definitely benefitted from advertising that their subs have beaten…
Happy Memorial Day

22 May 2009 | 11:07 am

I was lucky to be born during a time of peace for our country, and never had the privilege to serve in the military. But my Dad always saw to it that we paid our respects on Memorial Day to those that gave their lives defending our country. From a very young age I can remember the haunting sound of taps being played on a lone trumpet at the town gathering under the flag pole, followed by a twenty one gun rifle salute to honor those that paid the ultimate price. I remember seeing the respect and honor in my Dad's eyes for those that served their country, when he would shake the hand of a total…
When a good thing goes bad...

18 May 2009 | 8:31 am

I am sure by now everyone has heard of the KFC disaster. Early this month Oprah announced that anyone that went on her website and printed a coupon would receive a free meal at our nations #1 grease spot, KFC. That's right, bring in a coupon and get two pieces and two sides for free. They had estimated about 10.5 million coupons to be printed which equates to 21 million pieces of their new grilled chicken. I have no idea what the cost to a company like that is, but I know it's not cheap.Long story short, it was a fiasco!! Riots, lines, bad attitudes, and completely running out of chicken…

Executive Resume Branding Blog
Mid-Year Executive Branding Check-Up

Meg Guiseppi

1 Jul 2009 | 4:59 am

photo by Meg Guiseppi You’re not the only one watching your garden grow. Those around you and potential employers are sizing you up. Hard to believe, but half the year is over. Many of us wait until the end of the year to take stock, but so much can change in just 6 months. It’s time to re-visit your executive brand. Make sure your brand message is properly aligned with your current goals and accurately showcases your unique promise of value. Why do you need a brand check-up? Does your brand still resonate with your target audience? Or have your goals and target audience changed since you…
Best of Twitter for Personal Branding and Executive Job Search

Meg Guiseppi

26 Jun 2009 | 5:39 am

Follow Meg on Twitter A good collection of Twitter strategies, starting with my own personal journey, at first rebelling against it and then embracing it. 1. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc: Fearing the Addictive Pull of Too Many Online Business and Social Networking Sites Although I knew the value of Twitter, at the time I wrote this post I had decided not to embrace Twitter. That’s all changed now. 2. From Twitter-Resistant to Instantly Hooked Just as I figured, once I took the Twitter plunge, I understood why so many people love it. 3. Twitter Evaluation: The One Month Itch…
Networking is the Future of C-level Executive Job Search

Meg Guiseppi

24 Jun 2009 | 5:01 am

photo by Jill Grindle In his Personal Branding Blog post Your Network is Your Only Insurance Policy, Dan Schawbel says that job boards will soon be obsolete and people searching will dominate the job search landscape. He backs this up by citing data from a recent Jobvite survey (5/20/09) of about 440 human resources and recruitment professionals in a variety of industries, whose responses provide compelling data on the present state and future of recruitment: ◊ 76% plan to invest more in employee referrals (68% in 2008) ◊ 72% plan to invest more in recruiting through social networks…
Pinpoint Your Top Personal Brand Attributes

Meg Guiseppi

22 Jun 2009 | 3:54 am

Quilt by Marie Bernegger A cornerstone to crafting your personal brand or leadership brand is identifying the personality traits that drive you and best distinguish you. It’s all about helping decision makers assessing you determine whether you may be a good fit, as an employee or business partner. You’ll be judged on the first impression your personal brand message leaves. The words or phrases you use to describe who you are should be precise so that they truly define what differentiates your promise of value from others who do similar work. Here are some defining adjectives that may fit…
5 Ways Twitter-savvy CEOs Build Brand Evangelism

Meg Guiseppi

19 Jun 2009 | 3:00 am

photo by Jill Grindle When approached with a solid strategic plan, Twitter is a powerful personal branding and job search tool. Bruce Philip’s insightful piece last week on Mashable, 5 Habits of Successful Executives on Twitter, lays out best practices for CEOs and any leader to leverage Twitter for a huge ROI while balancing safeguarding their own and their company’s brand reputation with building evangelism for both. In executive job search, I urge my C-level clients using Twitter to support and evidence their personal brands by following the same strategies Philips says the…

SimpliFlying
LCC 2.0: How low cost airlines can use social media to engage their customers

Shashank Nigam

1 Jul 2009 | 5:54 am

I delivered an Expert Keynote address yesterday to a room full of senior airline executives on how they can us social media to enhance their brands. This was at the at the LCC World Americas Summit in Miami, FL. The presentation details why social media is important to LCCs and how they can use it immediately for customer service, sales and more. I’m sharing the slides here and would love to have your feedback on this! Similar Posts:Presentation on airlines and social media from FTMA & Freddies 2009, now available Airlines 2.0: Using technology for branding through the recession…
“Chris Brogan: If I was an airline CEO.” Exclusive video interview with the social media mogul

Shashank Nigam

29 Jun 2009 | 5:01 am

Once in a while, I get a chance to meet a person who totally knows what he’s talking about, and the world knows what he’s talking about too. Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan on Twitter) is such a man. In this exclusive interview, Chris Brogan, the social media mogul (yeah, not just any guru, but a mogul) is put in the hotseat of an airline CEO. He shares with us what he’d do to run the airline, how he’d implement Web 2.0 strategies at the airline to build the brand and how he’d make them work for the airline and for the customer. As the CEO of an airline, Chris Brogan…
Exclusive photos: Inside the Boeing 787 Dreamliner cabin!

Shashank Nigam

27 Jun 2009 | 12:20 pm

Last week, I had the opportunity get a personal tour inside a life-size mock-up of the Boeing 787, at Boeing’s Customer Experience Center near their Seattle Commercial Airplanes HQ. A detailed article and video interview will follow soon, but I just wanted to share the first photos from inside the beautiful plane! Enjoy! Similar Posts:Emirates A380 inaugural flight to JFK. Live coverage on August 1, 2008. Alaska Airlines personnel demonstrates why it is such a loved brand Lippincott Senior Partners, on airline branding Interview with Emirates VP Nigel Page on the A380 flights to JFK,…
Airline Baggage Fees : The Airline Industry’s Financial Salvation?

Shashank Nigam

25 Jun 2009 | 1:10 am

Note: This is a cross-post from Steven Frischling’s Flying with Fish blog. Steven Frischling, aka: Fish, is a self employed photographer, and founder of The Travel Strategist, who has flown approximately 1,000,000 miles since he began to track his mileage 2005. ————————————- Throughout the past year airlines have suffered massive financial losses due to record high fuel prices, a weakening global economy and declining demand for airline seats. In an attempt to increase their financial stability many airlines in the United States, and around the world, turned to the…
British Airways’ all-business class from London to New York – is the OpenSkies brand dying?

Shashank Nigam

23 Jun 2009 | 10:26 am

British Airways announced yesterday that they will be launching all-business class flights from London to New York City in September. It will operate A318s fitted with 32 lie-flat seats on the route. Why it makes some business sense? Given that the likes of Silverjet and MaxJet have gone bust plying this route offers a couple of insights. Firstly, there’s inherent demand (we all know that) and that’s why these airlines could actually fly for some time. Secondly, it was largely British Airways and Virgin Atlantic that drove these airlines out of business. That means BA has less…

FluidMedia: Overflow
How to Prevent Social Media Fatigue

jmagennis@befluid.com

12 Jun 2009 | 7:00 am

We discuss one of the more challenging aspects of immersive participation in social media marketing on this week’s Overflow Podcast, we call it social media fatigue. Due to vacation time, work deadlines and simple fatigue we identified that it has caused Cameron to participate a little bit less throughout his social networks. It brings up a very real question, especially for those whose work involves not only contributing but fully immersing in social media on behalf of clients and as an agency in general. How can you prevent the fatigue that comes with trying to be plugged in 24/7?
Social Media Is A Double Edged Sword

jmagennis@befluid.com

4 Jun 2009 | 10:45 am

Our Overflow Podcast this week centers around possible dangers that could occur by implementing social media tactics, when the offering isn’t ready for the rapid word of mouth distribution of the message. Cameron and Joe set the stage for the discussion as it relates to a former client who had hired us to help with their marketing efforts. We had immediately assessed their need for a re-branding and re-positioning strategy in order to achieve their stated goal of reaching an entirely new demographic. This tourism / destination site had seen a steady decline in attendance as their…
Rumors of Patrick Swayzes Death Greatly Exaggerated

jmagennis@befluid.com

29 May 2009 | 5:00 am

In the initial segment of the Overflow Podcast this week, we come clean with the music that we have used for intros and outros for each episode and admit to using copyrighted material from our ITunes collections. It has been a fun component of the post production process, finding the perfect song to compliment the topic whether it be from a lyric, the artist or simply the tone of the composition. However, since we are trying to set a positive example for the rest of the podcasting community we want to respect the ownership rights of the artists who created the music, so it is time to tap the…
Make the Offline Ask

jmagennis@befluid.com

20 May 2009 | 4:49 pm

Our Overflow podcast for the week is a reminder to make the Offline Ask a key element of your marketing strategy, even in a growing online world. Cameron returns from his vacation with key insights from professionals in the tourism community who made it a point to remind guests to frequent the social networking sites like Facebook and Trip Advisor to leave comments and ratings about their services. At times we focus so hard to driving traffic to the social networks trying to form users into a community, that we forget to encourage that behavior when having face to face interactions with our…
A Fluid Business Model

jmagennis@befluid.com

6 May 2009 | 2:19 pm

This week on the Overflow podcast, it is the first ever solo effort by Joe Magennis, due to Cameron’s travel schedule. I believe it is the hardest form of podcasting since you have no one to use as a sounding board, no one to step in to help you gather your thoughts or to let you catch your breathe. The overall theme of this post is .. Are you where you thought you would end up? Our agency, Fluid Media has certainly undergone some changes over the years. We have tested alternative strategies flowing us into pools and eddies but we have continued to move in a singular direction…

Fresh Thinking Starts Here
Marketers Need a New Definition of 'Loyalty'

Len

22 Jun 2009 | 8:04 am

"Package-Goods Brands Lose Loyalists in Recession." So reads the article headline on AdAge.com today. The gist of the article is that as the recession has bore on, brand loyalty has suffered, with over half of the consumers who said they were highly loyal to a brand in 2007 becoming significantly less so a year later.The article points out that brands like Coca-Cola, J.M. Smuckers', Folgers, and Thomas' English Muffins came out much better - they "kept more than 60% of their highly loyal consumers from 2007; Coke and Thomas' retained more than…
Survey Respondents Craft Brand ManageCamp 2009 Agenda - Travel Stimulus Program Announced

Len

8 May 2009 | 9:02 am

After months of preparation and planning, Brand ManageCamp 2009 is now officially ready for registration! A few months ago, we circulated a survey that included 40 potential speaker choices for BMC2009. Based on over 340 responses, we crafted the conference people want to see - including an all-star agenda of the best and brightest in brand thinking, such as: Philip Kotler - Marketing Strategy Legend; Best-selling author of dozens of books including the upcoming Chaotics as well as Marketing Management, Principles of Marketing, Ten Deadly Marketing Sins, and more Guy Kawasaki -…
Fight The Lure Of The 80/20 Rule!

Len

2 Apr 2009 | 9:04 am

If you are a brand marketer, I can almost guarantee that at some point in time you have invoked the 80/20 Rule. To be clear, this is different than the 5 second rule which allows you to safely eat any food that hasn't been on the floor for more than 5 seconds. The 80/20 rule is what happens when marketers say "80% of our sales come from 20% of our customers - so if we can just find and focus on that 20% we can get better bang for our marketing bucks."Admit it - you have a slide in a deck (or multiple slides in multiple decks) that invoke this rule. Here is…
New Microsoft PC Ads and The Difference Between Insights and Actionable Insights

Len

28 Mar 2009 | 11:20 am

One of the things that marketers love to talk about are insights. They are at the core of our positioning statements and it is common understanding that if you can uncover the right insight, you can connect with your customer/consumer in ways your competition only dreams of.At their best, insights can create that 'a-ha' moment for your customer - when they begin to realize that you really really get them, that you understand their lives and their motivations and that you may actually belong together. And it gives them a persuasive argument for why they should buy/use…
What Is Your 'Right To Win'? I'm Guessing Starbucks' Is Not 'Value'

Len

19 Mar 2009 | 7:32 am

In an AdAge.com article today entitled "Starbucks: Not as Expensive as You Think," Emily Bryson York outlines Starbuck's CEO Howard Schultz's new push to fight the common belief that Starbucks represents excess. Schultz is concerned that in this time of economic stress Starbucks has been defined by the crazy idea that they are all about the $4 cup of coffee. He wants to change that perception and prove that Starbucks is a value-oriented proposition, touting the fact that "half of the chain's beverages cost less than $3 and one-third are priced less…

Unbound Edition
Recession Proof Spending

2 Jul 2009 | 12:17 pm

While the state of the economy is having a negative effect on most areas of the retail sector, more than a few industries are experiencing an uptick. Time examines recent trends in consumer spending, discovering that products and services that fulfill needs like escapism, inexpensive luxury and stress relief are reaping the most benefits.
Sears Introduces Buyer Protection

2 Jul 2009 | 12:17 pm

Offering some relief to recession-stricken consumers, Sears Holding Corp. this week announced a buyer protection plan that allows customers to keep their LG, GE or Kenmore appliance in the event of a job loss. Kevin Brown, vp and CMO for Sears Holding’s home appliance division, said the company will test out the offer (running through Aug. 1) on his department first, possibly extending it to other merchandise categories. Brown said the idea stemmed from consumer anxiety over making big-ticket purchases in a recession.
Role Reversal: Mr. Mom Goes Shopping

2 Jul 2009 | 12:16 pm

The past two decades has seen a role reversal of sorts taking place: the traditional roles of men and women are being redefined to better reflect today's social norms. Today's American households are looking less like Donna Reed -- the paradigm for the ideal 1950s family -- and more like Mr. Mom.
Thoughts on the Future of Journalism from the Purple List

2 Jul 2009 | 12:15 pm

PSFK recently asked our global network of experts, The Purple List for their thoughts on the future of journalism. We received answers that imagine a variety of possible scenarios, though a common theme emerged which points to a system that combines crowd-sourcing with some kind of editorial curation and professional reporting.
Free Does Not Live Up to Its Billing

2 Jul 2009 | 11:24 am

Chris Anderson has built a career out of making bold pronouncements that the economics of Silicon Valley - the way in which software and digital technology are built and distributed - are likely to spread to, and ultimately conquer, the rest of the economy.

JKR Blog
Andy Murray and why people aren’t brands

JKR

2 Jul 2009 | 2:53 am

Brands, it is often said, are like people. Considering the hype over the potential “re-brand” of Andy Murray by 19 Management, one questions the truth of this analogy. Firstly, people are not as malleable as products: no amount of polishing and re-booting will give Murray the looks or charm of Beckham. In advertising he looks [...]
Chicago Town: “Don’t patronise me!”

JKR

1 Jul 2009 | 2:41 am

Men and women are pretty similar – men after all begin life in the womb as females (it’s why we chaps have nipples). But, considering humans share 95% of their DNA with mice, small differences can mean a great deal. We have looked in a little depth at how men and women respond differently to [...]
“A tramp feels indecently exposed with his cap off”

JKR

30 Jun 2009 | 1:35 am

Today’s headline quote is from “Down and out in London and Paris”, George Orwell’s account of his experiences as a gentleman of the road. The book makes clear how clothes do indeed make the man, with the importance of making oneself presentable when in straightened circumstances a matter of basic survival. The automotive industry is [...]
Barcodes with personality

JKR

29 Jun 2009 | 2:31 am

This month marks the thirty fifth anniversary of the first commercial appearance of a barcode (at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio). With the data matrix “square” generation of barcodes soon to supplant the original, it might not be long until those ubiquitous stripes disappear. A moment then to reflect on the notion that even [...]
New Alice: the best brands easily change shape

JKR

26 Jun 2009 | 1:29 am

Sir John Tenniel’s original illustrations for Alice in Wonderland set a template which has inspired countless variations. My dad collects old editions and it’s fascinating to see how Alice reflects the stylistic fashions of the various eras in which the books were published while still being true to the original vision. Tenniel himself should be [...]

Right Brain/Left Brain Marketing
Losing Brand Loyalty: CPG Brand Defection in America

Barry Vucsko

1 Jul 2009 | 7:23 pm

An illuminating study was done by the Pointer Media Network and the CMO Council regarding the defection of CPG consumers in the American (U.S.) market. Frankly this report is scary. Based on results from 2007 and 2008, it outlines the extent of defection and the apparent ease at which brand loyal consumers are leaving CPG brands during the recession. It also shows the lost revenue those defections are causing. Among other interesting figures, the report notes, that for the 685 brands studied, on average 52% of highly loyal consumers in 2007 either reduced loyalty or flat out defected in 2008.
New Newsweek Site Design

Barry Vucsko

28 Jun 2009 | 8:12 pm

Back on June 19th, Rhona Murphy, Publisher and Managing Director of Newsweek Inc., spoke to a small audience here at my company and introduced us to the new Newsweek print and website design. The print version was cleaner, had info-rich graphics and sat on the line somewhere between The Economist and USA Today. Overall a nice change that will definitely make the pub more accessible. The website redesign had something more interesting to offer. Overall the redesign was unimpressive. And frankly, as a Mac user, it is a cumbersome and sloth-like site that I would never take the time to navigate…
What is a Brand? More answers than you can shake a stick at.

Barry Vucsko

25 Jun 2009 | 12:39 am

A couple weeks back someone posted a question on the Brand 3.0 board over on LinkedIn. The question was simply, ‘What is a Brand? They were heading upwards of 60 answers last I checked. Some answers were astute and experienced, some naive, some purposefully comical, some knowingly confrontational. But taken together, they paint a big broad canvas that is useful and confusing at once. Personally, I still prefer to relate to brand in terms of the “Expectation” it forms in consumers’ minds. To see what others have to say, download the What is Brand? PDF here.
Twitter Experiment Complete

Barry Vucsko

18 Jun 2009 | 10:04 pm

I’m ending it. I don’t think I conducted this experiment in the true spirit of an experiment (there wasn’t a hint of scientific rigor involved). But it seems that Twitter has brought some readers to my blog and reconnected me with a few folks. Though it hasn’t paid off in spades, it does seem like a viable digital channel for the dissemination of information. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot of nonsense over there; people shamelessly hawking their wares, porn being masked as “followers” and a bunch of other folks, who I named Twitter…
Newsweek’s Rick Smith: “Don’t Waste A Crisis”

Barry Vucsko

18 Jun 2009 | 7:00 pm

Rick Smith, ex-CEO and 26-year veteran of Newsweek, came to speak at my company (Dentsu KANSAI) yesterday (6/18/09). He spoke for about 45 minutes on the topic of the economy, and what advertising agencies should be telling their clients. His key message is in the title of this post. In talking about the economy at large, Mr. Smith spoke comfortably and confidently about how “trends and patterns are becoming clear” and how he believes that the major world economies have finally moved beyond the “panic phase”. Of course, he did provide the caveat that neither he, nor in…

Oculus
Pepsi Shiso

2 Jul 2009 | 6:12 pm

Coca Cola Japan launches a green tea coke and Pepsi (probably directed by Suntory, who are the local distributor) follows suit quickly with a shiso variety.Shiso is popular in Japan (in the West it is called Perilla) and is perceived by some to have medicinal properties.Brent Bossom who tasted the product described it laconically as “unusual” and said he found it “sweet” (41 calories per 100ml). That certainly is “unusual” for a Japanese beverage...
J-beer: own label

29 Jun 2009 | 4:51 pm

Suntory is to supply Aeon and 7 and i holdings, the two largest Japanese supermarket (and CVS) chains with own-label beer from July 2009.Whilst not a significant move in other developed markets where own-label or private brands sometimes account for close to 50% category share, in Japan, own label’s penetration remains low.Whilst Suntory is famous for its spirits and wines and also canned coffees, its share in beer has always been much lower than leaders Asahi or Kirin or even Sapporo.Sounds like a sensible decision to keep volumes flowing through the factory when the market has not been…
Courting Calbee

24 Jun 2009 | 5:40 pm

Top Japanese potato crisp and snack maker with sales of around US$1.3b has sold 20% of its equity to Pepsico.Besides its FritoLay Japan business, which is to be absorbed into Calbee Japan, Pepsi does not enjoy anything like the strength in Japan of its main rival Coca Cola; Pepsi is distributed by Suntory whose vending machines give much greater focus to Coffee Boss.So what’s in the deal for Calbee?It’s not immediately obvious. The business likely has strong cash flow and Calbee’s marketing and product development has a proven track record. Perhaps further International expansion…
Close Shave

22 Jun 2009 | 12:04 am

33% of American men aged 24-34 shave below the neck according to Gillette.The brand is now encouraging men to shave their backs, chests and more with a series of TVCs.Judging by the number of views on YouTube, 102,000 at the time of writing, they may be onto something.
Wine Marketing Challenge

18 Jun 2009 | 6:18 pm

So there are now more than 1,100 hectares of vineyards in the UK, almost double what was available just 4 years ago.Waitrose, which saw sales of English wines increase by 18% in 2008, has just planted its own vineyard at Leckford Farm Estate in Hampshire, will launch its own sparkling wines from 2014.But is there going to be sufficient demand, at the right prices (a critical question), to meet this increased capacity?With names like Bolney Blush and Bibbenden Gribble Bridge to play with, this sounds like a great marketing challenge.

On Brands
Palm Goes with the Flow: Brand Champ or Chump?

onbrands

16 Jun 2009 | 8:03 am

Who dares take on the iPhone from Apple in the mobile space? Palm with its Pre, that’s who. You’ll remember Palm as the T-Rex brand of handheld PDAs (personal digital assistants). The Palm Pilot was the biggest thing out there. But this device, quickly it seemed, went the way of the dinosaur with the advent of Blackberrys and the Apple iPhone. But Palm isn’t going away quietly into the history books. Instead, it’s trying to revive its brand image with the Pre smartphone. “The Palm brand had waned,” acknowledged Brodie Keast, Palm’s senior vice president of marketing. “It…
Word of Mouth Marketing Can Bump Your Brand. Word!

onbrands

11 Jun 2009 | 7:43 pm

For those of you not hip enough to know (is it still hip to say hip?), word is an urban slang term for “that’s right” or “that’s the truth.” And at this week’s Business Marketing Association (BMA) annual conference in Chicago, Andy Sernovitz enthusiastically reinforced what he sees as an important truth: word of mouth marketing is a vital tool that goes a long way toward bumping your brand, especially in these tough times. And to that I say: “Word!” Many of you know Andy as the word of mouth marketing guy. He’s written a book (Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart…
Brand Champ or Chump: Can Microsoft’s Opening Ads Help Bing Become King?

onbrands

7 Jun 2009 | 9:55 pm

This week’s Brand Champ or Chump considers Microsoft’s ad campaign for its new search engine, Bing. In these spots, Microsoft suggests we’re all suffering from a serious affliction, Search Overload Syndrome… and get this: we don’t even know it. Our problem, says Microsoft: overload from irrelevant Web search results. We’re simply too overwhelmed with data from useless search results. The ads strive to drive the point home by personifying search as if it were a person. When looking for something as simple as a new place to do breakfast, search (the person) almost robotically starts…
Brandverbing Brands

onbrands

6 Jun 2009 | 12:11 pm

With McDonald’s foray into espressos and

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