Branding

• Most Topular Stories

• crowdsourcing ads

  Tom Fishburne: Marketoonist

  tomfishburne

  12 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Marketers are increasingly crowdsourcing aspects of their campaigns and bringing fans into the creative process. Over 20% of the ads in the last Super Bowl used some form of crowdsourcing. In February, Hasbro let a Facebook survey pick which Monopoly piece would replace the iron. Surprise, surprise, the Internet picked a cat. Crowdsourcing can bring higher levels of engagement to a campaign and extend the buzz before and after the actual media buy. But there are different flavors of crowdsourcing. And different tactics may work for some brands better than others. Before marketers leap on the…

• The Rise Of The Visual Web

  Unbound Edition

  22 May 2013 | 6:28 am

  Beautiful design is a key element of online business in this era, which has resulted in more images and video all across the Web.

• 5 things every designer should know when dealing with clients

  brandflakesforbreakfast

  David Plain

  12 May 2013 | 5:40 pm

  Only 5? I could think of a few more, but these are pretty solid.

• Is perfection the enemy?

  Tom Asacker

  Tom Asacker

  19 May 2013 | 11:37 am

  Many people argue that the pursuit of perfection is akin to paralysis by analysis. Or increasing effort resulting in diminishing returns. And what aphorism do they invariably cite to prop up their argument? "Perfection is the enemy of the good."...

• Embrace the Business Model That Threatens You

  Unbound Edition

  22 May 2013 | 6:37 am

  If your company is already well established and has smart management, it is likely that it will become a hybrid in the next ten years, blending its legacy business with a new business model that is rising to threaten it.

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  Tom Asacker

• Is perfection the enemy?

  Tom Asacker

  19 May 2013 | 11:37 am

  Many people argue that the pursuit of perfection is akin to paralysis by analysis. Or increasing effort resulting in diminishing returns. And what aphorism do they invariably cite to prop up their argument? "Perfection is the enemy of the good."...

• Do you want to succeed?

  Tom Asacker

  13 May 2013 | 9:42 am

  Then don't compete. Think about the word "competition." It's from the Latin "competere." It means "seeking or striving together." The competitive paradigm forces you to compare yourself to others. To align your thinking and action with others. Others who are...

• Believing is seeing.

  Tom Asacker

  9 May 2013 | 11:46 am

  Do you know that it's impossible to hit a major league fastball? Let's do the math. It takes 250 milliseconds for the muscles, bones and tendons of an elite athlete to take a full swing. The visual reaction time—the time...

• I'm better. You're better. We're all better. Now what?

  Tom Asacker

  30 Apr 2013 | 3:42 pm

  I've sat through countless meetings where business people rationalize with charts and graphs. Data that "prove" their offerings are "better" than the competition. And not simply objectively better, based on product and service performance. Subjectively better according to consumer survey...

• Time to turn a knob.

  Tom Asacker

  25 Apr 2013 | 11:53 am

  Years ago I was exposed to a simple idea. It was referred to as "the three knobs." Every project is ultimately controlled by turning knobs. Up or down. There's the time knob, or the duration of a project. The money...

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  brandflakesforbreakfast

• experience a harley test ride

  Kirative

  14 May 2013 | 5:15 am

  Need convincing to buy that Harley? Normally a test ride would be enough... but this test ride will likely influence the decision. Customers were encouraged to take a bike out for a test ride, then shortly after 60 fellow riders unexpectedly joined them. Talk about making you feel like you’re part of the gang and providing the full experience of owning a Harley-Davidson. Pretty cool! 

• clever billboard kills 230,000...

  Kristien Del Ferraro

  14 May 2013 | 5:10 am

  ... bugs, it killed 230,000 bugs. But don't worry, this insect massacre was not in vain, no sir, it was all in the good name of advertising. Orphea4D is a powerful insecticide, and this mosquito season they wanted to make sure people knew just how powerful they were. So they got themselves a billboard and painted on some clear glue to look like the spray from the can. You can guess the rest, but check out the video. Pretty clever buggers they are.

• 5 things every designer should know when dealing with clients

  David Plain

  12 May 2013 | 5:40 pm

  Only 5? I could think of a few more, but these are pretty solid.

• real life facebook update

  David Plain

  12 May 2013 | 5:35 pm

  With something like a zillion users around the world it's no surprise that any change to the familiar interface gets sizable chunk of the worlds population in an uproar. So what if changes like this were made in the real world?

• we salute you

  David Plain

  12 May 2013 | 5:27 pm

  Epic PSA series by French agency BETC for Reporters without Borders illustrates the darkest side of state controlled news media. Can you think of any other world leaders who deserve this treatment?

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  Branding Strategy Insider

• 8 Ways To React To Brand Critics

  Guest Author

  21 May 2013 | 12:10 am

  Being non-popular is not the same as being unpopular. Brands that are non-popular are simply not prepared to do whatever it takes to court popular favor. They do their own thing, their own way – and look to attract cult followings via like minds. But brands that have become unpopular have lost likeability. That’s a disturbing development if you’re trying to be liked by as many people as possible. The hardest thing about seeking to be liked is that we all do business today in an environment where criticism is ubiquitous. The ability for anyone with an internet connection to not just hold…

• Creating A Powerful Brand Manifesto

  Guest Author

  20 May 2013 | 7:03 pm

  On All Saint’s Day 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church, sparking, in the eyes of many, what would become the Protestant Reformation. Whether or not he actually did post the Theses (of course there is historical debate) and what that generated are off-topic, but the action of pinning your colors to a statement of beliefs for all the world to see lies at the core of building and articulating an opinionated brand. Brands build trust through behaviors. And behaviors should be based on clear principles. Those principles should bring your purpose to life by…

• A Brand That Discounts Or A Discount Brand?

  Guest Author

  14 May 2013 | 12:10 am

  This article in Time on how to get the most out of Apple is a reminder that there is a noticeable difference psychologically between a brand that discounts (even if it’s only occasionally) and a discount brand. Apple does discount – but for selected parts of its range or for specific reasons: change-over on a model, for example. The most important thing is that they don’t give that impression. Apple’s approach is to treat price as a reliable indicator of value. By not overtly or uniformly discounting, they maintain the value of the brand by making products that excite customers and…

• Brand Advantage And The Reason For Buying

  Guest Author

  13 May 2013 | 12:10 am

  It’s tempting when your product all but parallels that of your competitors to be drawn into a meaningless war: a fight for market share that revolves around devaluing (looking to price the other guy out), trivial pursuit (nit-picking on features in a bid to show technical advantage) or overshadowing (spending up large in mainstream media in a bid to raise “awareness”). The problem with chasing competitive preference is that brands spend far too much time focusing on the competitive aspects and far too little insight on identifying where the preferences could lie. All three approaches…

• The Brand Strategy Event For A Changing World

  Derrick Daye

  7 May 2013 | 12:10 am

  Change is hard. That’s why the future can look so much like the past. And why brands and the marketers who manage them often lose their edge. For those marketers who see comfort zones as a dangerous place, we have designed a unique experience around brand strategy for you. One that challenges the thinking about brands and brand management. And one that breaks free from yesterday’s marketing conference format. The UnConference: 360 Degrees of Brand Strategy for a Changing World, Featuring John Sculley of Apple and Pepsi Success For two days next week, May 16 & 17 in San Diego,…

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  BaskinBrand

• JPMorgan Chase Results Speak Louder Than Its Critics

  JSB

  22 May 2013 | 7:53 am

  JPMorgan Chase shows us that corporate reputation is as much about stakeholder behaviors as it is opinions. (Read the complete essay at Forbes)

• Bloody Thorns

  JSB

  22 May 2013 | 4:44 am

  Winning at all costs has always cost a lot. (Read the complete essay at Histories of Social Media)

• Literary Crime

  JSB

  21 May 2013 | 5:02 am

  Are ideas bad, or just the people who have them? (Read the complete essay at Histories of Social Media)

• Can Microsoft’s Xbox Get Hollywood To Help Reinvent Gaming?

  JSB

  20 May 2013 | 8:51 am

  We don’t need better gaming tech, we need better games. (Read the complete essay at Forbes)

• Talking Room

  JSB

  20 May 2013 | 4:57 am

  Communities need space. (Read the complete essay at Histories of Social Media)

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  Drew's Marketing Minute

• So you want a career in advertising?

  Drew McLellan

  21 May 2013 | 4:18 am

  I was recently contacted by a college student who asked if he could interview me for one of this classes.  One of the questions he asked is one I get a lot, so I thought I’d share my answer with you here. If you aspire to be in our business — I hope it helps.  If you’re already in the business — what did I miss? What advice would you give to anyone who was aspiring to enter the field of advertising? Yikes… there are lots of things to know but here are some of the biggies. You cannot do it alone so surround yourself with really smart, good-hearted people who you can…

• Moving your prospects to the next step

  Drew McLellan

  17 May 2013 | 4:15 am

  When you’re creating any sort of communication aimed at a potential buyer, you want them to do what? When I ask this question, I typically hear a range of answers like: • Know more about our business • Understand how we’re better than our competitors • Wonder if we’re the right fit for them And of course…. • Buy what we sell! All of that is probably true. But it’s too complicated. No matter how or where we’re communicating with a prospect, what we should want them to do is… take the next step. Your job is simply moving your prospect to the next step. That next step might…

• How does your paper resume stack up to this?

  Drew McLellan

  1 May 2013 | 1:02 pm

  The world has changed.  Things are different.  This is the new normal.  This ain’t your grandaddy’s marketing. We can say it a million ways but some folks just aren’t going to get it.  Or at least not yet. With the tools out there, the connections that can be made and the audience’s diminishing tolerance for being shouted at — there are many things we need to do differently.  Including finding a job. Check out this slideshare (PPT) presentation that Lorenzo Galbiati sent me as he embarks on a job hunt.  ( if you want to chat about career possibilities) GO…

• What do consumers want from brands?

  Drew McLellan

  24 Apr 2013 | 5:06 am

  That’s the age-old question, isn’t it? When you think about everything we’ve experienced in the last decade and a half – from the Y2K scare to 9/11, Iraq and then the recession – no wonder that a certain level of insecurity about the future has become a permanent part of our psyche as we ease into 2013. What today’s consumers want most today is security and contentment. No doubt these wants are being shared by people’s economic outlook and circumstance, which most categorized as uneasy. Interestingly, here are some other key needs that our consumers expect brands…

• Marketing is getting the details right

  Drew McLellan

  15 Apr 2013 | 4:48 am

  Marketing is getting the details right.  And its always the simple things that companies mess up.  Lt me give you an example. As you may know, I travel quite a bit. I’m a big believer in maximizing my travel by being a loyal brand consumer…which gains me status, points and makes my travel life easier and more convenient. I try to only fly United and whenever I can, I stay in a Marriott hotel. That affords me sort of an insider’s view of both of these businesses but still interacting with them as one of their frequent consumers. We’ve talked before about the value of…

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  Tom Fishburne: Marketoonist

• word-of-mouth marketing

  tomfishburne

  19 May 2013 | 10:00 am

  Brand owners never really own the brand. Consumers do. I recently spoke at two events for Destination Marketing Association International. Their members are marketers tasked with driving tourism to their regions. I came across a tourism case study about who really “owns” a brand. The Kentucky Department of Tourism invested $600,000 to “brand” the state of Kentucky. They came up with the slogan, “Unbridled Spirit”, and drafted the following positioning statement: “Kentucky is a place where spirits are free to soar and big dreams can be fulfilled. We…

• crowdsourcing ads

  tomfishburne

  12 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Marketers are increasingly crowdsourcing aspects of their campaigns and bringing fans into the creative process. Over 20% of the ads in the last Super Bowl used some form of crowdsourcing. In February, Hasbro let a Facebook survey pick which Monopoly piece would replace the iron. Surprise, surprise, the Internet picked a cat. Crowdsourcing can bring higher levels of engagement to a campaign and extend the buzz before and after the actual media buy. But there are different flavors of crowdsourcing. And different tactics may work for some brands better than others. Before marketers leap on the…

• controversy marketing

  tomfishburne

  5 May 2013 | 7:50 am

  There’s a old marketing axiom that advertising’s greatest enemy isn’t rejection; it’s indifference. Mountain Dew and Hyundai both tested this philosophy in the last two weeks with ads they ultimately pulled for being too offensive. In today’s social media world, where there’s no longer a captive audience, brands are pushing boundaries more than ever to get attention (and to try to go viral). The question for marketers is where to draw the line. Mountain Dew’s ad was not only criticized for trivializing battered women, it was called the “most…

• cost-cutting

  tomfishburne

  21 Apr 2013 | 9:47 pm

  A few years ago, a yogurt brand increased its margin by putting less yogurt in every container while keeping the same retail price. So that the products wouldn’t look smaller, they kept the same packaging, which meant that every container suddenly had several inches of air at the top of the yogurt. To justify this obvious drop in value, they added a package burst that said, “Now Room For Your Favorite Mix-ins!” They tried (unsuccessfully) to make the fact that they were short-selling product into a consumer benefit. There is constant pressure in business to improve margins…

• memevertising

  tomfishburne

  14 Apr 2013 | 6:00 pm

  Lately, every new Internet meme seems to attract a stampede of brands eager to get in on the action. Memevertising is joining more and more marketing plans as the latest “get viral quick” scheme. Internet memes by definition tap the popular psyche. This creates an opportunity for brands to have a voice in cultural conversations. Yet as more brands gatecrash the party, often late and without bringing much that’s interesting or new, the results can fall flat. YouTube’s Kevin Mathers described the opportunity in a recent Marketing Week article: “Marketers are…

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  Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

• Reach Out of Your Comfort Zone For Breakthroughs!

  Beth Kuhel

  18 May 2013 | 2:30 am

  “It’s not our failures that determine our future success, but how we explain them to ourselves.” —Dr Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology A great way to expedite your personal and professional growth process, is to adopt strategies to get out of your comfort zone. Marge Warrell ‘s recent Forbes article Why Getting Comfortable With Discomfort Is Crucial to Success sums it up well.  She says that playing it safe inhibits growth and that the common thread among leaders is that they all are willing to embrace change and risk the discomfort of failure. People who are…

• Grow Your Personal Brand by Coworking

  Peter Sterlacci

  17 May 2013 | 10:30 am

  So you have decided to part ways with the 9 to 5 lifestyle and venture out on your own. You are now your own boss and living your dream of being an entrepreneur. You set up shop in your home and relish the fact that you can avoid the rush hour madness every morning. Ah, this is the life! But here is the wake up call. After some time, you discover the distractions of working at home. The TV calling you, the sound of your partner or kids, or the complete and utter deafening silence. Time to head off to Starbucks for free wi-fi, coffee, and PEOPLE! Wake up call #2! There are too many other…

• Ship, Shipmates, Self

  Jeff Shuey

  17 May 2013 | 2:30 am

  A simple motto say. Yet much harder to follow. I was meeting with a friend the other day and he mentioned these three simple words. He had heard these from an admiral while he was serving the US Navy. I thought about these three words for a while and can see why the US Navy and the admiral use them to set priorities. Priorities are there for a reason. If all three aren’t in balance you have a problem. However, if the ship is not taken care of first there will be no shipmates or self. Of course, self-preservation has it’s place too. Yet, self-preservation takes a back seat to the duty…

• Five Tips for Improving Your Resume

  Richard Kirby

  16 May 2013 | 10:30 am

  When seeking a new job, your resume is likely to be the primary tool for conveying your personal brand in written form. Unfortunately, many resumes are similar and get lost in the “resume shuffle” of online job applications. I am not a fan of online job applications, having met many a job seeker who spent months applying for dozens (or even hundreds) of jobs without success. If you are seeking help to improve your online applications, there are lots of articles posted on the web that will provide you ideas. This article is different from them in that it is focused on helping you get…

• Things to Consider If You Want to Become an Entrepreneur

  Maria Elena Duron

  16 May 2013 | 2:30 am

  Do you want to be your own boss? You will probably answer ‘Yes’ to this question, but if your sole reason for becoming an entrepreneur is to become your own boss, then you may want to change your way of thinking. Instead of wanting to be your own boss, think of yourself as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Then, be CEO of your career or profession. When you take the leadership reins to your professional development and career growth, you’ll be surprised how many see you and treat you as a leader. Is more free time your reason to be an entrepreneur? This myth draws in a lot people who…

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  CoreBrand News and Views

• CoreBrand predicts shake-up in brand rankings

  21 May 2013 | 10:29 am

  CoreBrand's Favorability Report takes a closer look at the underlying causes of the drag on Favorability for the Top 100 and uncovers a startling trend in the perceptions of management that positions Tier 2 brands to take over the elite ranks. Read more...

• Sonic branding: Why is Samsung’s new clothes dryer playing Shubert?

  6 May 2013 | 11:34 am

  After my first load of clothes dried, I heard music coming from the laundry room. When did household appliances become jukeboxes? Read more...

• Business Observer: Focus on your messaging

  1 May 2013 | 12:14 pm

  James Gregory, CEO, CoreBrand discusses the importance of focused messaging and well managed corporate communications. Read more...

• Between the lines branding

  30 Apr 2013 | 5:34 am

  Brand experiences are subtle but ingrained into bookstores. Floor layouts, and lighting, customer engagement and even the checkout process are opportunities to build an engaging atmosphere between the store and the consumer. Some like to beat customers over the head with branded experiences, while others take a more balanced approach. Read more...

• Dressing your packaging for success

  23 Apr 2013 | 7:22 am

  Great packaging must establish an intimate relationship with consumers. Packaging is the only brand touchpoint where consumers are actually physically engaged with your brand 24/7. From its purchase, to its storage, to its usage and to it being discarded, your packaging forms a personal relationship with consumers. Packaging must take advantage of this opportunity. It must grab attention, make that right first impression and ultimately establish an emotional connection. Read more...

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  Igor

• The Problem With Focus Groups

  igor

  20 May 2013 | 6:09 am

  “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” – Henry Ford

• What would God eat for breakfast?

  Snark Hunting

  20 May 2013 | 5:15 am

  We’re guessing Froot Loops. Or perhaps a Swanson Hungry-Man All Day Breakfast, unless God worries about eating too much fat. Probably not. We’ll go with the Hungry Man. One breakfast food with God on its marketing team is

• The Color of Money is…Changeable

  Steve

  19 May 2013 | 8:51 am

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

• Double Dutch

  igor

  19 May 2013 | 7:48 am

  When you are in Holland you are always in The Netherlands, but when you are in The Netherlands you are only in Holland about half of the time. Most people use the two names interchangeably, but you can demonstrate your name smarts by being the first on your block to break through this universal naming fog. Besides, using the names incorrectly is considered an insult to the locals, depending on the circumstance, as is clearly explained here: Calling the Netherlands “Holland” is like calling Great Britain “England”. Holland is the old name of the western provinces…

• Pop Tarts Deceptive Packaging

  igor

  18 May 2013 | 9:28 am

  The Pop Tart on the package is smaller than the real thing, yet shows at least three times the actual filling! (yup, the most important thing you will read all day)

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  Hard Knox Life

• The Modern Marketer [Infographic]

  Dave Knox

  19 May 2013 | 1:24 pm

  Through my posts on Brand Manager 2.0, I have written quite a bit about how technology is changing the job of a marketer today.  Of course, that means I was quite a fan of this infographic from Pardot which talks about a Modern Marketer being part artists and part scientist.  In their words, a modern marketer must master: Written Content Visual Assets Social Media Email Marketing Performance Tracking Budgeting and Operations Analytics Campaign Performance Courtesy of Pardot, an Exact Target Company

• A Merging of 19th Century and 21st Century Entrepreneurship

  Dave Knox

  29 Apr 2013 | 9:55 am

  When the Mercantile Library in Cincinnati opened its doors in 1835, the 19th century institution stood in the middle of the fast-growing nation’s busiest startup community.  It was a community that would give birth to some of the largest companies in the country including names like Procter & Gamble, Kroger, and E.W. Scripps.  A group of 45 young, energetic, and confident merchants came together to organize the Library and put themselves on track to become the entrepreneurial engines of the growing city’s future prosperity. Mercantile LIbrary – Courtesy of Urban Cincy This…

• Business Is About Motion

  Dave Knox

  7 Jan 2013 | 5:30 am

  One of my favorite books of 2012 was Get Lucky: How to Put Planned Serendipity to Work for You and Your Business, which was written by the co-founders of Get Satisfaction.  Get Lucky shows businesses how to succeed by fostering the conditions for serendipity to occur early and often.  One of the principles in the book is “Motion”, the skill of putting yourself in unfamiliar situations, but within familiar environments, in order to engage with previously unfamiliar people and ideas that are connected to your job, your projects, or your interests. Motion is the reason that…

• Kincast makes it easy to video share moments with your family

  Dave Knox

  12 Dec 2012 | 11:18 am

  Earlier this summer, the guys at Sproutbox introduced me to one of their newest investments, a company called Kincast.  In their words, “Kincast is a fun and special way to engage loved ones in a worry-free environment. Chatting, sharing video, sending video messages and creating video cards get everyone involved.” Today, Kincast launches their version 2.0 with a new app that has completely reworked the user experience.  The below video does a great job of capturing the value proposition of the company.  More importantly, the video captures a key insight that all consumer…

• Mary Meeker releases her 2012 Internet Trends

  Dave Knox

  8 Dec 2012 | 1:28 pm

  One of the must reads on the State of the Internet is the report published by Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins.   The latest edition was just posted on Slideshare and I highly advise you take a few minutes this weekend to read it.  At a high level, the report talks the following: Basic Stats – Internet Growth Remains Robust, Rapid Mobile Adoption Still in Early Stages Re-Imagination – of Nearly Everything Asset-Light Generation – From Hand to Cloud & Back…Rise of the Sharing Economy (a great trend for Brandery grad FlightCar) ‘USA, Inc.’ – A Lot to be Excited About in Tech,…

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  GIRVIN | Strategic Branding Blog

• Nothing at Facebook is someone else’s problem

  Tim

  20 May 2013 | 8:16 am

  Telling the story by hand and meditation. I can recall designing and writing out a phrasing by Michelangelo Buonarroti, “By hand, which follows mind and meditation.” It’s actually a telling that follows a longer contemplation: “The best of artists never makes creation That is not hid already in the stone In marble fixed and yet the work is done By hand, which follows mind and meditation.” The point comes down to the notation that the spirit of the mind, and memory, in meditation — the contemplation of an idea, or ideal, that bridges and interweaves that…

• Rippling

  Tim

  17 May 2013 | 8:36 am

  The Waves of Brand Story from the Light When I walk into a place, I think about what I feel. When I watch a person — in my room, my immediate space, I watch them wholly. When I look at, read a story, I try to sense it, that telling, before I do anything else. I listen big, and open — I try to hear the sounds, the inflections, around the sound. I try not to evaluate it, but flow into it to sensually “see” what I can feel in that telling. These days, it’s all about that sensate holism. And, in the end, it all comes back to that idea of feeling. It’s not the…

• The nest, the egg, the weaving of the Matrix

  Tim

  13 May 2013 | 8:40 am

  The Whorl of Making and Imagination Sometimes when I’m thinking about a challenge, working my way throughout a complex puzzle — I draw my self into it, and out of it. Above, my little finger on an iPhone. Below, the dinner table and a team meeting, whirling: In a manner, drawing in the mind-full and mindless state of the scratching doodle, you go in and out and in that weaving there is a sorting — a plan, an approach emerges in the whirling whorl of distraction, abstraction and traction. In making a nest, the drawings seek to enwrap the egg of the idea. It happens. But it…

• Studying the Eye and the Touch of Seeing

  Tim

  10 May 2013 | 8:47 am

  Studying the Eye, In sight and the Touch of Seeing The Rhythm of Insight, Seeing-In — 1000 Eyes – the brushstrokes of Storytelling, the Rippling of Imagination I was looking into the eyes of a dragonfly that I’d arranged on a mapping, a cartographic brush-drawing of a circle stroke of containment. That stroke, an enso, is a meditation on completion and fullness, in the balance of nothingness. I see the rich raven-black of the strokes seeping into the fabric, and they bleed into a tiny multiplicity of micro-strokes and tendrils, as the ink trails out, following the line.

• THE RED THREAD OF IDEAS AND INTENTIONS

  Tim

  6 May 2013 | 8:45 am

  AND THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL, IN THE SPATTERING OF INSPIRATION. When I was in college, I taught workshops to help my payment of the tuition, along with support from my family. I used variously colored butcher paper to do that – pulled, ripped out and sheared on a rolling roller of “wrapping paper stock.” We have this in the office, on rollers, to move around the office, for improvisational note taking and idea jotting, think mapping. All photography, this blog, by Gabrielle Girvin What I found was that doing banners created a kind of splashy formatting for sharing ideas…

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  The Engaging Brand

• What is strategy?

  Anna Farmery

  22 May 2013 | 5:45 am

  Strategy in business is one of those phrases that can make a grown person cry....because it is used with such business jargon as paradigm shift, proposition, strategic imperatives.....all of which are totally unemotional and not at all engaging. Leaders may sound clever using the business jargon but they don't sound passionate, they may sound worldly but they don't sound human! And leaders may have the job title of leader but have they engaged people to follow? The question is this...would you try and sell your product or services to customers with this kind of slogan "There is a strategic…

• SMS Marketing in Business Statistics

  Anna Farmery

  21 May 2013 | 5:31 am

  Marketing in business has grown in complexity - not in terms of the aim but in the array of choices of how we reach the customer. Digital marketing has grown from blogging to social networking to many more social media marketing tools and of course with the rise of the tablet or smartphone, mobile marketing is becoming another area to consider.... I have been researching mobile for business over the last few years and wanted to share with you this infographic from Slicktext which looks at specifically SMS marketing. I will ask the guys to come on The Engaging Brand podcast to explain in more…

• How to understand the US in bUSiness

  Anna Farmery

  20 May 2013 | 6:16 am

  There has always been an irony for me - that the term 'a business' sounds impersonal, separate and almost intangible! Yet business is all about people, it is emotive, personal and brought to life through connections and collaboration. When coaching I try and concentrate on the word 'US' in business because if we understand their true value then we grow our business. Us is wide in definition and covers... US= How well you collaborate with your colleagues US= How well you connect the vision to the team and the team to the business vision. US= How well you connect to the outside world -…

• Show 435 - Best Practice for Online Collaboration

  Anna Farmery

  19 May 2013 | 3:03 am

  The Engaging Brand podcast covering social marketing, business ideas and brand marketing tips has a new episode but before we start...The listener winning an Engaging Brand goodie bag - picked from all the people who share, like, tweet about the show to say a BIG thank you from me! - is Jeannie Bolstridge. Anna Farmery talks with Lionel Roux from Wimi - a company Wimi specialising in collaborative work tools. We discuss Collaboration online - why are people reluctant to it? What is the strength of collaboration online? What about security of cloud - is this a barrier to growth?

• What is the meaning of your life?

  Anna Farmery

  18 May 2013 | 8:09 am

  Our little weekend thought tries to inspire you to think differently about your life, your career, your business and this week I want you to....relax! Too often we take life too seriously, we look at meanings behind everything.....we look for hidden meaning in the gestures of others, the words of others, why we are here etc etc But remember...the only meaning you need to consider is this What do you want YOUR life to have meant? When you are out in the garden, at the gym this weekend think less about the meaning of life...and focus on the meaning of YOUR LIFE.

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  Greteman Group » Blog

• EBACE, ABACE – How About VBACE?

  Ashley Bowen Cook

  15 May 2013 | 3:02 pm

  As in Virtual Business Aviation Convention and Exposition. While there’s still no substitute for actually being there, these days you can pull a lot of value out of a major aviation gathering even if you can’t make the show. Take … (more...)

• Why Paying Attention to the Media Is a Good Thing

  Deanna Harms

  9 May 2013 | 7:22 am

  Media relations is a lot like flying an aircraft. Much of the time it’s routine. You go down your checklist. Gather your facts. Craft your message. Secure necessary approvals. Release, monitor and respond as needed. Other times, like a pilot … (more...)

• FlightSafety Continually Invests in Aviation Safety

  Sonia Greteman

  24 Apr 2013 | 3:54 pm

  I’ve never been more proud to be the agency of record for FlightSafety International than I was earlier this week. I was privileged to take part in the grand opening of the company’s brand new Cessna Maintenance Learning Center. Looking … (more...)

• 10 Ways to Grow Marketshare

  Sonia Greteman

  17 Apr 2013 | 3:26 pm

  In aviation, when things get tough, leaders don’t retreat. They advance. Consider Bombardier’s extensive and seemingly ever-growing Learjet, Challenger and Global product lines. Their innovation and investment reinforce that the business of aviation is a long game requiring courage, patience … (more...)

• Planes Unite Fans

  Jennifer Szambecki-Benninga

  28 Mar 2013 | 9:06 am

  What do New York Jets quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow have in common with the Wichita State University men’s basketball team? Besides entertaining sports fans with their winning abilities, both understand that private aviation brings people together. … (more...)

• 

  .

• 5 Steps To The Motherlode!

  Ed Roach

  20 May 2013 | 6:51 am

  That next telephone call or email could be the mother lode of opportunities. If you're anything like myself, you're fiercely proud of what you've accomplished to date. The relationships built over the years have not only delivered happy customers but rewarding business friends that have turned into advocates for you. Of course, if the mother lode is to fall into your lap, it would come

• Five Ways To Brand Like The Fortune 500's

  Ed Roach

  12 May 2013 | 3:08 pm

  Branding can be daunting at the best of times. As small to medium size enterprises, budgets to address brand initiatives are just a fraction of what a Fortune 500 company may apply. If you're anything like myself, you're constantly educating yourself on ways to fine tune your brand. Books on the subject is a great way to discover nuggets of information that can be applied to your situation.

• Gawd Brand It!! Do As I Say Not As I Do!

  Ed Roach

  30 Apr 2013 | 5:56 am

  I came across an interesting article today that smacks the face of good branding. It speaks to authenticity. Colby Sambrotto, the founder of 'for sale by owner' recently sold his home through a real estate owner. He even paid full commission. What does that say about his authenticity? The negative press will certainly hurt the DIY market. Read the story here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/

• Is Your Brand Image Up To The Challenges To Come?

  Ed Roach

  24 Apr 2013 | 6:09 am

  Your brand image is the face of your brand. It is the first thing your target audience sees when first introduced to you. What do you suppose goes through their mind when they see your brand image? Are the colors and imagery resonating by correctly representing your brand values and personality? How about consistency, are you showing one message? At the first introduction everything is

• How to Benefit From A Cohesive Brand Strategy

  Ed Roach

  30 Mar 2013 | 3:40 pm

  An interesting brand strategy to me has always been putting the owner's persona front and center. Make them the face and voice of the brand. Everything we read today speaks to the relationships we build with customers. Make 'em smile when they see you coming. Volunteering for local charities. Networking. A good number of small business professionals I come into contact with invest a lot of

• 

  Adweek : Advertising & Branding

• And the 2013 Grand Effie Goes to ...

  22 May 2013 | 7:00 pm

  Wieden + Kennedy’s two-year stranglehold on the Grand Effie has ended. Instead, the top prize at the 45th annual Effie Awards tonight went to 72andSunny for its “The Vet and the n00b” campaign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, an Activision Blizzard game. The effort, which also involved roster shops OMD, SapientNitro and Edelman, featured explosive, high-adrenaline ads starring Sam Worthington and Jonah Hill. In 2011, Wieden collected top honors for its “The Man Your Man Can Smell Like” work for Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice and last year, the shop…

• The IAB and Mozilla Clash—in Person

  22 May 2013 | 6:54 pm

  The Interactive Advertising Bureau’s CEO Randall Rothenberg has had a very public disagreement with Mozilla over the browser’s decision to automatically block ad cookies in recent months. On Tuesday, Rothenberg was sitting for a keynote interview with Terry Kawaja, founder and CEO of Luma Partners, when Kawaja announced he had invited a surprise guest: Harvey Anderson, svp of business and legal affairs at Mozilla. Rothenberg looked genuinely surprised as Kawaja looked on and laughed. The investment banker and ad tech advise had branded the showdown "Terry Springer." And…

• Dish Network's Search for a Digital Agency Down to Finalists

  22 May 2013 | 1:29 pm

  Dish Network confirmed it is in the midst of a digital agency search which is now down to finalists. The incumbent is Booyah Advertising, of Westminister Colo. A Dish spokesman declined to identify the finalists, which are said to include AKQA, Razorfish and Havas Worldwide. AKQA declined to comment while reps from Razorfish, Havas and Booyah could not be reached. It is not clear if Booyah is participating in the review. Dish is a big online spender, with annual spending of as much as $100 million, sources said. The Dish rep also wouldn’t comment on marketing budgets. Sources said…

• Ad of the Day: DirecTV

  22 May 2013 | 10:53 am

  Dude, watch the road! You know how in old movies the moving road will be rear-projected on a canvas over the hero's shoulder, and he'll just be blithely chatting away to whoever's in the passenger seat? This is like that times a thousand. Granted, on a third viewing I realized that the guy was supposed to be in the backseat, but a) how often do adult men find themselves in the backseat of a sedan? and b) the establishing shot through the windshield threw me off. That said, the sci-fi/war-movie/fantasy stuff our hero sees through the window is all beautifully designed and shot,…

• Droga5 Gives Qantas Fliers Paperbacks That Last Just as Long as the Flight

  22 May 2013 | 10:24 am

  Droga5 and publisher Hachette Australia recently bestowed upon Qantas frequent fliers an anachronistic little gift that will come in handy aboard Qantas flights when approved electronic devices must be completely turned off. The agency's Sydney office packaged together a 10-book box set of previously published paperbacks "specifically edited to last just as long as each of Qantas's key routes." It's a fun idea, and Droga is playing the nostalgia factor to the hilt. "In this world of Kindles and iPads, it seems that the last bastion of the humble paperback novel is…

• 

  Brains On Fire Blog

• What Makes a Manifesto

  Katie Scully

  22 May 2013 | 6:54 am

  This cool piece of work is from one of our newest design interns, Joy. A while back, a friend helped me stumble upon this cool little manifesto from design company (and man behind it all) Jonathan Adler. Please read it. It’s cool. The manifesto is honest, brave, fun, and so very Jonathan Adler. How do I know this? The proof is in the pudding. The company starts from the ground up, building on their own foundation and no one else’s. What is important to them guides their decisions, their process, and their final product. Everything circles back to their manifesto. Do you have a…

• Are you working like an entrepreneur?

  Robbin

  21 May 2013 | 7:14 am

  This illustration for the cover of this month’s TOWN magazine is from my shiny talented niece Alice Ratterree. Okay. I have question for you this morning. How long has it been since you were so excited about an idea you couldn’t sleep? Hmmmm. I’ve started having some quiet conversations with the Brains on Fire tribe about what excites us. I really haven’t had an agenda, I’m just curious. So I’ve been asking and observing and listening. Here’s what I’ve discovered: We love and value great design. All of us. We love smart ideas and often send brilliant ones we stumble…

• The “You Don’t Need Us Awards” Round 7 – Penzey’s Spices

  Nathan

  20 May 2013 | 5:49 am

  So this is a little something that we haven’t done in a while over here at the Brains on Fire Blog. The “You don’t Need Us Awards” celebrate the brands and businesses that are doing such an great job already connecting with their customers and advocates that, well, they they don’t need us. I’m happy to say that Penzey’s Spices is one of those brands. Penzey’s is an purveyor of fine herbs and spices that is based out of the U.S. My mom is a bit of a gourmet, and I grew up with their catalog always within reach in and around the kitchen area of our house. She still uses them…

• A Beautiful Space

  Katie Scully

  16 May 2013 | 7:02 am

  I feel fortunate to have grown up in a beautiful place. When I was younger, my family and I would take the train from the suburbs and head north to the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago. I was surrounded by beauty. Even in the dead of winter, the snow gently fell on hundred-year-old buildings, historic landmarks, and bridges over icy water. The city was, and still is, beautiful. At first it seemed trivial, just another silly way to boast why you, or your city, is better than another. In some cases that might be true. Florence, Italy came from a place of arrogant opulence. So much money…

• Being ‘Wholehearted’

  Emily Everhart

  15 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  I regularly get lost down a proverbial rabbit hole on the Internet. I start Googling a restaurant’s hours of operation and end up watching 40 dogs-running-in-their-sleep videos YouTube (meet Bizkit here), then ordering new glasses. Sometimes these ‘trips’ are expensive and sometimes they are incredibly valuable. Today was the latter. This TED Talk dates back to 2010 and you may have already seen it, but it’s one I’ve never come across before and is now my favorite. The featured speaker Brené Brown is a researcher of human connection. What a fascinating thing to consider from a…

• 

  Unbound Edition

• Embrace the Business Model That Threatens You

  22 May 2013 | 6:37 am

  If your company is already well established and has smart management, it is likely that it will become a hybrid in the next ten years, blending its legacy business with a new business model that is rising to threaten it.

• These Artists Are Mapping the Earth ... With Facial Recognition Software

  22 May 2013 | 6:33 am

  The faces of the planet, as seen from space

• The Rise Of The Visual Web

  22 May 2013 | 6:28 am

  Beautiful design is a key element of online business in this era, which has resulted in more images and video all across the Web.

• How Pac-Man Changed Games And Culture

  22 May 2013 | 6:19 am

  The iconic game celebrates its 33rd anniversary on May 22.

• Why Your Company Should Use the Kickstarter Model to Innovate

  21 May 2013 | 6:54 am

  Wouldn't it be a kick-in-the-head if the most innovative and creative efforts Kickstarter inspired were its effective emulation by the world's most innovative organizations?

• 

  Expert in the Rough, Brian Monahan

• Warning, Experimental Idea

  Brian Monahan

  19 May 2013 | 4:55 pm

  Are you STUCK, does your life SUCK?  Are you trapped in a RUT, have you lost your STRUT?  Have you ever slowed DOWN, to ask why the FROWN?  Maybe your life has become too MENTAL, can I recommend you go EXPERIMENTAL? Wow, I am not sure if Seuss raided my mind or if I will be opening for Jay-Z…but in the mean time I have an “Experimental Idea” to share with you.  Start to treat your life like a grand experiment.  Oh, by the way, even if you don’t see it that way…life is merely a grand experiment.  Who’s to say I will even finish the blog post without…

• The Holly Jolly Challenge – Yeah I’m Talking to You

  Brian Monahan

  23 Dec 2012 | 10:12 am

  “Your thoughts become your reality,” and by the way this still applies during the holidays.  Over the last few months I have been on a journey to my heart and I  have been looking for new ways to enjoy life.  So many of us (I mean me) get trapped in the Holiday Hell.  Stuck running around to endless parties, fulfilling endless commitments with no connection to our (my) spirit.  I made a commitment to myself this year to have a Holly Jolly Christmas! I envisioned myself showing up at holiday parties with enthusiasm and love in my heart.  I saw myself enjoying the family and…

• Where Art Thou Expert in the Rough

  Brian Monahan

  9 Oct 2012 | 7:13 pm

  Expert in the Rough says it all.  It’s not only the title of my blog and a self proclamation but also my location.  Unfortunately, being truly “In the Rough” with a major career shift in 2012…I have struggled to find my voice in regards to the “Expert in the Rough” blog. I assure despite my lack of blog output, my inspiration and passion are as great as ever, I just happen to be more engaged in the “fields of my life.”  I am sitting in a hotel room in Ithaca, New York contemplating how my I find myself on the campus of Cornell University. …

• The End

  Brian Monahan

  4 Jul 2012 | 10:12 am

  Sometimes in life we get more attached to our stories than we get attached to a different outcome. Do you ever get tired of hearing your own story over an over about what’s preventing you from living a better life? I know for me I have been telling an endless story about how my foot pain is preventing me from running, which has caused me to ditch regular fitness and eating healthy.  I know for others it might be a story about bossy bosses, financial challenges and/or tragedies of love.  Whatever the story is we often develop it over a lifetime and causes us to detach from solutions.

• Give and Take

  Brian Monahan

  24 Jun 2012 | 8:31 am

  Ella…my three and half year old daughter and I were partaking in one of our family traditions this morning – dancing and singing in the kitchen.  This tradition usually leads to another family favorite, extended hugs.  While my daughter was so deeply holding me I realized I have been taking more hugs than giving.  To be completely forthright this is something I have been pondering for a couple of days but this mornings hug really hit home and thought it was a good topic for Expert in the Rough. I am finishing up a week of vacation and have had lots of time to ponder the current…

• 

  Movéo: Get There

• Spring Cleaning for Your Email List

  Movéo Team

  22 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  Every marketer knows that email is still a useful tool. Last week, we discussed the importance of using compelling subject lines to get emails opened, and it is clearly of utmost importance to develop relevant, meaningful content for your customers. What we have not discussed is something that to some, seems obvious: the heart of any good email campaign is a good list. Subscribers who want to hear what you have to say will lead to engagement and trust and, eventually, sales. Take spring cleaning to another level this year and tidy up your email list. Remove Duplicate Contacts When a prospect…

• Five Website Features That Improve Conversion

  Movéo Team

  20 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  The success of any website lies in its conversion rate. Gone are the days when simply building site traffic was sufficient; today, those visits must be converted into something more – direct leads or sales. Though increasing conversion can seem like a daunting task for B2B companies, we believe it is not as hard as it sounds. Here are five website features that improve conversion rates: Prominent Opt-in Forms This may seem obvious, but many companies camouflage their opt-in forms because they are under the belief that they are unattractive or that customers will take the initiative to…

• Are You Building Trust?

  Movéo Team

  17 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  While navigating the new B2B sales funnel, prospective customers devote a lot of time to consideration and research before ever making a purchase. It is the marketer’s job to find a way to move them from problem to solution in the form of a sale. The only way to do this, it seems, is by building trust. Prospects are more inclined to purchase when a sense of trust has been developed with a particular company. Marketers must consider whether or not they are building this confidence – and how to do it best. Here are some ways to establish trust with your customers: Demonstrate Thought…

• Four Ways to Write Better Subject Lines

  Movéo Team

  15 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  While we focus on ways to master the new B2B sales funnel, email cannot be ignored. In a time when inboxes are inundated with marketing ploys, approaching email thoughtfully is crucial to success. The most important part of email marketing is making sure that your message is opened. This is not always easy considering the number of emails the average person receives on a daily basis. The content of your email will not be useful unless your subject line is compelling enough to warrant that first click. It may seem simple, but subject lines require careful consideration. Here are some tips: Ask…

• Lead Gen vs. Demand Gen: What’s the Difference?

  Movéo Team

  13 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  Last week, we discussed switching from lead generation to demand generation as a way to master marketing within the new B2B sales funnel. The problem is that many marketers still don’t understand the difference between the two approaches. This, of course, prevents them from using either approach successfully. Here’s what you need to know. Demand generation creates awareness Demand generation focuses on cultivating awareness surrounding a particular brand or company. This awareness eventually results in leads. Lead generation gathers actual contacts Lead generation is all about concrete…

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  Live from Your Core

• What is Live from Your Core?

  Live from Your Core

  20 May 2013 | 12:34 pm

  Have you had moments in your life where you surprised yourself and said “Wow, where did that powerful, connected, confident me come from?”, or have you ever marveled at something that you accomplished or created that resulted from your deep focus and connection with yourself?  Maybe it was a time in your life where you felt so in tune with who you were, and you had the courage and freedom to freely express your truth and your gift to the world without shame.  It could also be an experience where you were able to connect deeply with someone important in your life from an…

• 

  spatially relevant

• Quotes to Think About as Marketers

  Jon Gatrell

  15 May 2013 | 3:10 pm

  While the presentation is focused on M&A considerations, I think it is a good set of quotes for Marketers and Product Managers to embrace strategically, even if some of the personalities quoted might not be a traditional source for marketers to reference. Top 10 M&A Quotes from Firmex

• 8 Ways to Influence and Work with Industry Analysts

  Jon Gatrell

  27 Feb 2013 | 2:30 pm

  This presentation cuts to the chase with analysts, even if there are 2 number 7′s. So I’d maybe add a 9th – get someone to review your slides before you pitch an analyst. Working with-industry-analysts from Susan Etlinger

• Design Trends: Interactive Design Circa 2013

  Jon Gatrell

  1 Feb 2013 | 5:43 pm

  Trends in interactive design 2013 from Prophets Agency

• Mobile Outlook: Android, iOS and 2013 Metrics

  Jon Gatrell

  18 Jan 2013 | 8:24 am

  Mobile Outlook 2013 from Flurry

• Atlanta and Georgia Product Managers and Marketers: TAG Annual Awards Nominations

  Jon Gatrell

  11 Jan 2013 | 6:18 am

  The Technology Association of Georgia is having their annual award dinner and nominations for 2012 activities. Here is a snippet from the site: The Technology Association of Georgia’s Product Manager of the Year Award 2012 recognizes the outstanding efforts of a Product Manger to development, adhere, and execute the ideals of our profession.  Whether it is a product or service that breaks new ground or driving a product through its life cycle, this award is to an individual that upholds the highest standards of Product Management. It may not yet be proven in the marketplace but an…

• 

  Connection Agent

• It’s Moving Day – Find Me Now at SteveWoodruff.com

  Steve Woodruff

  2 May 2013 | 5:15 am

  This will be the final post here at Connection Agent (I think!). As I announced earlier this week, I’ve decided to launch an entirely new site: SteveWoodruff.com The theme: Discover Your Fit. Because that’s what I do – help businesses and individuals discover their purpose, set new direction, refine their offerings, and craft a clear message. To say I’m excited about the new direction my business has taken in the last few years is an understatement. It’s really not just a business to me – it’s a mission. If  you’re a subscriber to Connection…

• My Second-to-Last Post at Connection Agent Blog

  Steve Woodruff

  30 Apr 2013 | 4:30 am

  Connection Agent is going away? Yes. And, no. This week, I’ll be launching a new website at SteveWoodruff.com, which will be the new home for all my writings about marketing (my pharma biz, Impactiviti, retains its own separate identity and site). So this blog, and the Clarity Therapy blog, will be superseded by a professionally designed and hosted site. The overarching theme will be the message that has been at the core of my work for many years: Discovering Your Fit. (sneak peek – not quite live yet!) For a long time here at Connection Agent, I’ve blogged about marketing…

• Why I Love Being an Introvert

  Steve Woodruff

  12 Apr 2013 | 4:50 am

  I didn’t always enjoy the fact that my wiring is definitely on the introvert side of the fence. Since our culture tends to value extrovert tendencies and behaviors, we who are quieter, who are more inclined to think before speaking, and who are energized more by alone time than by crowds can often feel marginalized or inferior. Over time, I’ve shaken free of that perspective. I was born with this wiring, and though I’ve become much more outgoing and confident with people (some people now mistake me for an extrovert), I remain a thorough-going introvert. And I love it. Yeah,…

• Defeating Mis-Matches in Business

  Steve Woodruff

  11 Apr 2013 | 5:34 am

  Interview with Steve Woodruff, Clarity Therapist The goal of Clarity Therapy is to “defeat mis-matches – the wrong people in the wrong job; small companies pursuing the wrong types of business; or large companies partnering with the wrong vendors. A lack of clarity leads to tremendous inefficiencies in the business world.” More? Click to biggify (interview with New Jersey Business magazine). —> Want to understand what I’m all about? There it is, in a nutshell. Avoiding mis-matches by discovering your fit. Don’t merely think about finding work. Find your…

• Solopreneur Isolation Syndrome

  Steve Woodruff

  19 Mar 2013 | 4:35 am

  I was speaking with a fellow consultant earlier this month, and the subject wandered over to one of the difficulties of being a solopreneur/small business owner. Isolation. Ever feel alone out there, hacking your way through the weeds? Yeah – join the club. Now, neither of us would go back to working for others, and we’ve freely chosen the paths we’ve taken. So this is not a lament. It’s just a fact of life. It can get pretty lonely out there when you’re not part of a (localized, physically present) team. As a solopreneur, I love my alone time, and I also get…

• 

  Celebrity Branding Agency » Blog »

• Every Entrepreneur's Biggest Mistake (And How To Avoid It!)

  admin

  22 May 2013 | 5:09 am

  This post was originally featured on FastCompany.com.  The original blog, written by Nick Nanton and JW Dicks can be found here: Every Entrepreneur's Biggest Mistake (And How To Avoid It!) In 2006, Salemi Industries thought they had a surefire moneymaking product. It was something totally new that (a) had an obvious need and (b) could be sold worldwide. Anthony Ferranti, the man behind the innovative product, had noticed that with the widespread usage of cell phones in public areas, callers needed a private place to have their conversations--and to not disturb others in, say, a restaurant.

• Personal Branding: Confidence is Key to Making a Great First Impression

  admin

  17 May 2013 | 1:18 am

  Creating a strong first impression is important when it comes to creating a strong personal brand. The first impression you give sticks in the mind of the people you meet—for better or for worse. And one of the most important things you can do to create a powerful first impression is to project confidence. But this is often easier said than done. I have worked with plenty of business owners who struggled to project confidence—even though they were very successful and highly intelligent individuals. Here’s a secret: you don’t have to actually be confident to project confidence. And…

• Boost Your Personal Brand… in Ten Minutes or Less

  admin

  17 Apr 2013 | 1:58 am

  I talk to a lot of business owners every year. Between speeches, seminars, conferences, and similar events, I am blessed to have the opportunity to get to know business owners from all over the country in a wide variety of industries. And over time, I have come to identify a number of common “themes” that business owners often use during our conversations. One of the most common is something like this… “Nick, I really like what you have to say about personal branding – I just don’t have the time.” So today, I’m going to cover several steps you can take to strengthen your…

• The Critic, The Mouseketeer, And The Iron Lady: Three Giants In Personal Branding

  admin

  16 Apr 2013 | 5:57 am

  This post was originally featured on FastCompany.com.  The original blog, written by Nick Nanton and JW Dicks can be found here: The Critic, The Mouseketeer, And The Iron Lady: Three Giants In Personal Branding Recently, the world mourned the passing of three very different and unique personalities--Margaret Thatcher, Annette Funicello, and Roger Ebert. Each member of this high-powered trio left a mark on those who loved and admired them. They also enjoyed fame for the vast majority of their lifetimes, and all three were even the subjects of movies (Meryl Streep won an Oscar last year…

• The Kanye And Kim Kardashian Lesson In Personal Branding: Combining Audiences For Impact

  admin

  27 Mar 2013 | 11:22 am

  This post was originally featured on FastCompany.com.  The original blog, written by Nick Nanton and JW Dicks can be found here: The Kanye And Kim Kardashian Lesson In Personal Branding: Combining Audiences For Impact Hip-hop star Kanye West may be a musical genius--but he’s definitely not one of the most liked celebrities around. He’s infamous for interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009, as well as other public displays of bad behavior. When even the president of the United States goes out of his way to call you a jackass, you know you…

• 

  Latest Thinking

• IR and Social Media: The Flood Gates Open to Little More than a Trickle

  rlevick

  15 May 2013 | 11:13 am

  IR and Social Media: The Flood Gates Open to Little More than a Trickle Back in April, The U.S. More

• Ted Hester on Congressional Investigations

  aenglish

  1 May 2013 | 8:57 am

  Ted Hester on Congressional Investigations In this LEVICK Daily video interview, we discuss legislative inquiries with Ted Hester, a partner at King & Spalding who leads the firm’s Congressional Investigations Practice. More

• Everything You Thought About HR Has Changed

  rlevick

  30 Apr 2013 | 12:00 am

  Everything You Thought About HR Has Changed In this article published on FastCompany.com, we examine the ways in which human resources roles have dramatically evolved in an increasingly interconnected age. More

• PETA Drones and the Star Wars Age of Animal Rights Activism

  dbartlett

  25 Apr 2013 | 12:00 am

  PETA Drones and the Star Wars Age of Animal Rights Activism There have been media reports recently that PETA plans to deploy aerial drones to monitor hunters and big farms for activity the organization considers questionable. More

• Forget the Leather Seats, Where do I Plug in My Smartphone?

  rlevick

  18 Apr 2013 | 10:27 am

  Forget the Leather Seats, Where do I Plug in My Smartphone? In this article published on FastCompany.com, we examine the recent statement by Ford Motors’ Jim Farley that luxury car buyers now care more about data syncing than size or price. More

• 

  Celebrity Branding Agency » Blog »

• Every Entrepreneur's Biggest Mistake (And How To Avoid It!)

  admin

  22 May 2013 | 5:09 am

  This post was originally featured on FastCompany.com.  The original blog, written by Nick Nanton and JW Dicks can be found here: Every Entrepreneur's Biggest Mistake (And How To Avoid It!) In 2006, Salemi Industries thought they had a surefire moneymaking product. It was something totally new that (a) had an obvious need and (b) could be sold worldwide. Anthony Ferranti, the man behind the innovative product, had noticed that with the widespread usage of cell phones in public areas, callers needed a private place to have their conversations--and to not disturb others in, say, a restaurant.

• Personal Branding: Confidence is Key to Making a Great First Impression

  admin

  17 May 2013 | 1:18 am

  Creating a strong first impression is important when it comes to creating a strong personal brand. The first impression you give sticks in the mind of the people you meet—for better or for worse. And one of the most important things you can do to create a powerful first impression is to project confidence. But this is often easier said than done. I have worked with plenty of business owners who struggled to project confidence—even though they were very successful and highly intelligent individuals. Here’s a secret: you don’t have to actually be confident to project confidence. And…

• Boost Your Personal Brand… in Ten Minutes or Less

  admin

  17 Apr 2013 | 1:58 am

  I talk to a lot of business owners every year. Between speeches, seminars, conferences, and similar events, I am blessed to have the opportunity to get to know business owners from all over the country in a wide variety of industries. And over time, I have come to identify a number of common “themes” that business owners often use during our conversations. One of the most common is something like this… “Nick, I really like what you have to say about personal branding – I just don’t have the time.” So today, I’m going to cover several steps you can take to strengthen your…

• The Critic, The Mouseketeer, And The Iron Lady: Three Giants In Personal Branding

  admin

  16 Apr 2013 | 5:57 am

  This post was originally featured on FastCompany.com.  The original blog, written by Nick Nanton and JW Dicks can be found here: The Critic, The Mouseketeer, And The Iron Lady: Three Giants In Personal Branding Recently, the world mourned the passing of three very different and unique personalities--Margaret Thatcher, Annette Funicello, and Roger Ebert. Each member of this high-powered trio left a mark on those who loved and admired them. They also enjoyed fame for the vast majority of their lifetimes, and all three were even the subjects of movies (Meryl Streep won an Oscar last year…

• The Kanye And Kim Kardashian Lesson In Personal Branding: Combining Audiences For Impact

  admin

  27 Mar 2013 | 11:22 am

  This post was originally featured on FastCompany.com.  The original blog, written by Nick Nanton and JW Dicks can be found here: The Kanye And Kim Kardashian Lesson In Personal Branding: Combining Audiences For Impact Hip-hop star Kanye West may be a musical genius--but he’s definitely not one of the most liked celebrities around. He’s infamous for interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009, as well as other public displays of bad behavior. When even the president of the United States goes out of his way to call you a jackass, you know you…

• 

  brandchannel.com

• Bloomberg Businessweek Gets Pushy with New Campaign Targeting Millennials

  22 May 2013 | 5:36 pm

  It's graduation time and many of those college graduates are moving back in with their original roommates—their parents. Bloomberg Businessweek is targeting twenty-somethings with a campaign encouraging those ‘boomerang kids’ to head-out on their own with the lure of a one-year subscription to the magazine. The “Bloomberg Businessweek Gets You Ahead” campaign website offers 42 e-gift cards that parents and friends can send to Gen Y-ers still living at home for an added kick in the behind—and a good laugh.[more] The cards are designed to be sent with 12…

• Nespresso Sticks With Distribution Model Despite Increased Competition

  22 May 2013 | 5:07 pm

  Nespresso may have invented the single-serve capsule coffee machine in 1986, but obviously it's gotten plenlty of company in that arena since then. While the Nestle-owned brand sees lots of growth potential around the world, executives have selected two particular targets for—the United States and China—that won't yield new sales as easily as Nespresso got them in building its original business in Europe. Two aspects of its business make Nespresso stand out from other competitors such as Green Mountain, the US-based purveyor of K-Cups that has been allying with Starbucks lately.

• After Ruling in New York, Airbnb Sees More Legal Troubles on the Horizon

  22 May 2013 | 4:25 pm

  Airbnb, an online booking service that allows anybody to rent out any premises for as little as a night, sounds like a great idea that leverages the "sharing economy.” Investors think Airbnb is pretty slick too: Two years ago, the San Francisco company was valued at over a billion dollars and today its value has more than doubled. But is Airbnb about to experience a crash landing? A judge in New York City has just ruled that an Airbnb user broke an “illegal hotel” law when Nigel Warren rented out the bedroom of his apartment in the East Village for three days. The law…

• Teens Might Be Fleeing, but Facebook Isn't Too Worried About It

  22 May 2013 | 3:36 pm

  The Facebook generation is so over Facebook, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. After surveying 802 teens, ages 12 to 17 about their online habits, it turns out that Facebook has become a "social burden." "While Facebook is still deeply integrated in teens’ everyday lives, it is sometimes seen as a utility and an obligation rather than an exciting new platform that teens can claim as their own."  While 94 percent of teens are maintaining their Facebook accounts, more and more continue to migrate to Twitter and Instagram as largely parent-free zones that…

• Campbell Proves Reports of Soup's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

  22 May 2013 | 2:44 pm

  It turns out that Americans haven't given up on soup afterall. Proof is in this week's quarterly snapshot by Campbell Soup, whose CEO deemed the company's US soup trade stabilized after a sales increase of 14 percent. From innovations in products such as Go Soup and a new CMO to new programs using digital marketing, this success bears the hallmarks of a number of recent turnaround efforts by the brand. In fact, the increase was the fourth straight quarterly gain and the segment's largest increase in nearly five years. "We are confident that we can now drop the world 'stabilize' from our…

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  Allis

• New Site Launch: Linea

  Remy Allis

  5 May 2013 | 2:34 pm

  View the full website at lineasf.com.

• New Site Launch: Marlow

  Remy Allis

  5 May 2013 | 2:32 pm

  View the full website at themarlow.com

• What Makes Good Storytelling?

  admin

  3 Mar 2013 | 4:42 am

  Purifying the elements. Deconstruction the human cause. Writing naked. Painting the environment. Respecting the audience. Fearlessness. The beauty of this story is an honest reflection of a company mission and raw human passion. Many companies become too focused on the rational and forget the emotional. The emotional element is what connects those to the product or service. They want to be part of that emotion and support their vision. Remember why you started your company or why you chose that position. Peel away the rational and express the authenticity of your voice.  

• Toiling Over Choosing a Name

  admin

  14 Feb 2013 | 6:47 pm

  One of the most subjective processes in launching a new company/product/building is choosing a name. One that encapsulates the brand promise, product portfolio, personality, values, etc. and accelerates the company/product/building to an increased state of value. Before proceeding down this often treacherous path, take a common-day example to heart. Think of the last time you chose a name for your pet or child. What was the process you went through? Perhaps: Competitive Assessment – Investigating names in your neighborhood/family tree. Talking with people about their naming process, why…

• Safe doesn’t mean risk-averse

  admin

  24 Dec 2012 | 11:52 am

  A great quote by Seth Godin author of marketing “bibles” like Purple Cow, Free Prize Inside and Small is the New Big. “If the marketplace isn’t talking about you, there’s a reason. If people aren’t discussing your products, your services, your cause, your movement or your career, there’s a reason. The reason is that you’re boring. (I guess that’s what boring means, right?) And you’re probably boring on purpose. You have boring pricing because that’s safer. You have a boring location because to do otherwise would be nuts. You have boring products because that’s…

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  Big Marketing for Small Business

• Affina Hotels Celebrates Small Business Week with Amex Gift Offer

  Rajan Sodhi

  22 May 2013 | 3:50 pm

  National Small Business Week is coming up June 17-21, and Affinia Hotels is showing support for small businesses with a $100 American Express gift card for guests who sign up for the Business Perks program during that week. The gift card will be given out to each new member when they check in for their first two-night stay at one of the boutique hotel collection’s six hotels (five in New York City and one in Washington, D.C). The Business Perks Program makes it easier for small companies to take their business on the road with a commitment of only 25 nights per year, and features: 10% off…

• How to Share Your Competitive Advantage Through Social Media

  Kevin Gaertner

  17 May 2013 | 12:59 pm

  Being in charge of a small business means constantly competing against the big guys. Providing something unique and valuable to consumers is the reason most of us started a business in the first place, and positively differentiating yourself from larger, more established competitors can really help you gain a competitive advantage. As a smart business owner, you need to keep your competitive advantage in mind constantly; it should be ingrained in your strategy, and evident on all fronts. This holds especially true when it comes to marketing online, since that’s where much of our focus…

• How a Small Business Can Find Love on Yelp

  Tina Hamilton

  22 Apr 2013 | 11:26 am

  Yelp’s influence is undeniable. By the end of 2012, Yelpers had written more than 36 million business reviews, making the social network platform the the leading local guide for online word-of-mouth. Michael Zammuto, president of ReputationChanger.com, says the power and influence of online review sites are directly linked to a business’ revenues. “Studies have revealed that an enterprise’s score on Yelp or on TripAdvisor is directly related to its profits,” he affirms. “For example, a Harvard study found that a single star on Yelp.com translates to somewhere between 5 and 10…

• How to Perform Easy A/B Tests of Your Landing Pages

  Rajan Sodhi

  20 Apr 2013 | 6:00 pm

  Anyone actively spending their advertising budget on digital marketing can tell you how important it is to continuously optimize your landing pages to deliver more qualified leads and sales. Testing creative ad copy in your Google search engine advertising (PPC) helps to improve your visitor clickthru rate, but if your page doesn’t convert that visitor into a lead once they reach there, you’ve just spent valuable ad dollars for nothing. Google search engine advertising is a direct response form of advertising–you’re reaching a potential customer at the moment they are very…

• Your Brand Power Starts With One

  Rajan Sodhi

  12 Apr 2013 | 11:36 am

  Ask yourself this one question: “What does your brand stand for?” If you’re unsure, don’t expect your audience to spend the time figuring it out for you. Your brand must stand for something or it stands for nothing—or risks just being mediocre and who wants to stand for that? BMW is known for high performance, Mercedes is known for luxury, and Volvo is known for safety. Not to say that any of these car brands don’t offer comparable performance, luxury or safety but each can only be known for one thing to make their brand truly meaningful to consumers.

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  Logo Design Blog

• Mother Day Special

  Ben Johnson

  13 May 2013 | 5:29 am

  12th of May, is a day that we celebrate in honour of our great mothers. It is really a blessing that we have such great mothers because they are a only source of unique comfort and love. They play a major role in our upbringing when we don’t have the sense of anything and make  [ Read More ]

• Incorporation of logo designs into business strategy

  Ben Johnson

  6 May 2013 | 6:20 am

  If we go back into history and study the human life in Stone Age, we would get a clear indication that it was the signs that worked as a vital source of communication medium. Signs were made and used to interact with those cultures or languages that were unfamiliar or uneven in nature. Signs have  [ Read More ]

• Importance of a Video Animation

  Ben Johnson

  30 Apr 2013 | 1:33 am

  You cannot express or educate everything in plain words even if you want to. The year was 1928 when Mickey Mouse, a one of a kind animation that was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks was to fascinate children, but now animations are all in a new phase of development process. An animation is  [ Read More ]

• Strategy of a Symbol

  Ben Johnson

  22 Apr 2013 | 3:36 am

  You can win a bet without any doubt on the fact that marketing campaigns won’t work without identity (logo/symbol). So, it is important for you to get a logo designed for yourself before you start promoting your business in the traditional market or on online market interfaces. Now, you might wonder, what does this design  [ Read More ]

• How to select the right banner design firm?

  Ben Johnson

  15 Apr 2013 | 4:46 am

  Banners were and still are used in the traditional market place, but with advancements made in the media industry even the banners have become a virtual marketing tool. Apart from the traditional marketing strategies, banners have been bought to life in the virtual market place. For example they are now animated, they might have short  [ Read More ]

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  yinkaolaito.com - the branding gavel, brand communication expert, nigeria brand consultant, social media expert

• Digital Media Management: how to maintan a balance

  yinkaolaito

  21 May 2013 | 1:41 am

  The duties of a digital media manager/content director are varied. It takes a sane person to maintain a balance. We mean those professionals who are poised, focussed and determined to excel. Some of the daily tasks include listening, researching, editing, proof-reading, publishing, content marketing, checking with legal department, getting update from various department and reading. [...]

• COCA-Cola’s ‘Share a coke campaign’: Brand becomes personal

  yinkaolaito

  16 May 2013 | 8:33 am

  Many age-long held truths are now shattered. One of them is the view held by The God’s Father. It may be right at the time they made that assertion but the dynamics of the environment has proven them wrong. Peradventure you do not know the position of the ‘God’s Father’, they claimed ‘‘business is not [...]

• Online Social behaviours that can cost you so much damage

  yinkaolaito

  13 May 2013 | 7:12 am

  It is no news everyone has the capacity to be a creator and publisher. The internet age has empowered everyone to showcase their skills. Interestingly it is better if some just stay away from social media use. The reason is that staying away can make them reduce impact of damage they are causing their brands. [...]

• Content marketing in Digital media: why a human face is essential

  yinkaolaito

  10 May 2013 | 4:06 am

  Many constantly affirm ‘Content marketing is the new face of advertising’. While many may not accept this as absolute truth, there is an element of truth in this. Those who still adhere strictly to traditional advertising without a blend of content marketing will soon realize their mistakes. The above debate is not really the focus [...]

• How to win Social media marketing war

  yinkaolaito

  6 May 2013 | 3:34 am

  Everyone (brand) seems to have seen the impact of technology on business. We live in the age of social communication and enterprise must be social to excel. No true brand with a desire to make outstanding progress today will ignore this tool. The war among Fortune 500 and other medium and small scale industries is [...]

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  We First Blog

• Sustainable Brands Istanbul: What brands must do to ensure their sustainability initiatives succeed

  Simon

  20 May 2013 | 10:16 am

  Last week I had the privilege of speaking at Sustainable Brands Istanbul, and I wanted to share some of the insights from the event. We heard several fascinating presentations from speakers such as Marc Mathieu at Unilever (lower image) and Christiaan Maats, the founder of OATS shoes that both highlighted how sustainability has become a way of being rather than doing business. Among the discussions several key issues stood out: 1. What is Sustainability? As the conversation around the role of sustainability in business matures at different paces around the world, the definition of…

• LIVESTRONG is #StillStrong and Sharing Its Story

  Dana Byerlee

  17 May 2013 | 8:29 am

  Today is LIVESTRONG Day and the anniversary of the launch of their now iconic LIVESTRONG wristband. Since 2004, the Foundation has recognized one day each year as LIVESTRONG Day to honor the 28 million people living with cancer. Yet this year marks a special opportunity: to drive the conversation past the Lance Armstrong controversy and shine a refocused light on the incredible ways the organization impacts thousands of lives every day. Many people will probably find the actual breadth of contribution by LIVESTRONG both surprising and inspiring. While most people are aware of the foundation,…

• Why We Need a Global Brand Initiative

  Dana Byerlee

  14 May 2013 | 9:33 am

  Last month, the United Nations marked 1000 days until the 2015 deadline of the “Millennium Development Goals,” a program started in 2000 with the goal of eliminating the worst impacts of human poverty within 15 years. This countdown was, in part, a response to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that countries are giving less and less to international development. In the steepest reduction in 15 years, aid was down 4% last year and 2% percent in 2011. Unfortunately, many of the programs designed to help developing nations reach the Millennium goals…

• SuperBrands and the Unreasonable Screen: How to lead in mobile

  Simon

  13 May 2013 | 8:58 am

  Guest post from Gary Schwartz I was speaking with David Epstein, the founder of The Unreasonable Institute, the brainchild of Unreasonable at Sea, the Google sponsored innovation ship that is presently sailing from port to port globally. Mr. Epstein’s mission statement is borrowed from George Bernard Shaw who in 1903 wrote in Man and Superman: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” The Unreasonable Institute is based in Boulder, Colorado and is…

• Why Business Must Become a Third Pillar of Social Change

  Dana Byerlee

  9 May 2013 | 6:40 am

  In 2008 Bill Gates told the World Economic Forum that governments and philanthropies could no longer meet the needs of the world’s problems. He called on companies to accept greater responsibility to develop solutions to the massive problems that endlessly plague our planet, and to take on projects of “creative capitalism.” Many people didn’t know what to make of it, or found it a little ironic coming from the world’s richest man. The issue was hotly debated but by 2013, this vision can no longer be called idealistic, unrealistic, or naïve. It’s fast becoming a reality and…

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  Executive Resume Branding

• 10 Personal Branding, Job Search and Career Blogs

  Meg Guiseppi

  22 May 2013 | 7:12 am

  10 Personal Branding, Job Search and Career Blogs is a post from: Executive Resume Branding The theme for May’s  Career Development Carnival — a showcase of the best blog posts from career experts — is reflected in the title of this blog post. The blogs I’ve chosen here are by no means the only ones I read regularly – and not necessarily my top 10 favorites. But they are ones I come back to frequently and always find value in reading. I hope you do, too. I often tweet these blogs, and they also inspire many of the blog posts I write. There are actually 12 in my list. Two…

• Are You an Executive?

  Meg Guiseppi

  15 May 2013 | 5:47 am

  Are You an Executive? is a post from: Executive Resume Branding There seems to be confusion on the part of some executive job seekers as to whether they actually are “executives”. I receive many emails from prospective clients who are obviously executives, by most any definition — Directors, Executive Vice Presidents and even General Managers. They reach out to me to see if I’d consider working with them, even though they’re “not yet at the executive level”. It makes me double-take every time and re-read the career background they’ve sent me.

• How to Get Your Personal Brand into Your Email Signature

  Meg Guiseppi

  9 May 2013 | 6:26 am

  How to Get Your Personal Brand into Your Email Signature is a post from: Executive Resume Branding The email signature in most business emails I receive contains just one line . . . the person’s name. Sometimes, when executive job seekers reach out to me via email, their signature is the default they use in doing business through their employers. I can only assume that they also use this default for everyone else in their job search communications, which may not be appropriate. Instead, their email cover letters to potential employers should include a potent, branded email signature.

• Here Come the New C-Suite Jobs

  Meg Guiseppi

  1 May 2013 | 4:43 am

  Here Come the New C-Suite Jobs is a post from: Executive Resume Branding C-suite jobs have advanced to meet rapidly-changing workplace needs in the digital age and new economy. Although the new c-level job titles may sound superfluous or too touchy-feely: Chief Listener Chief People Officer Chief Happiness Officer . . . they’re cropping up in diverse corporate settings and seem to be here to stay. We can assume that more, fresh c-suite roles will appear, in response to future corporate and workplace demands. Signaling the new trend, in February LinkedIn Jobs ran this listing: Chief…

• 7 Keys to Successful Executive Job Search

  Meg Guiseppi

  24 Apr 2013 | 6:26 am

  7 Keys to Successful Executive Job Search is a post from: Executive Resume Branding Executive job search, particularly for the c-suite, is a brand new world. Things are not the way they were even a few years ago. The digital age, today’s shaky economy and steep competition are making an impact. If it’s been several years since you dusted off your executive resume and dove into job search, you need to follow the new rules of the game . . . or expect a protracted job search. Want to know what those who land faster these days know? 1. Writing your executive resume is NOT step one.

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  SimpliFlying

• Vote for the SimpliFlying Hero of May 2013 – It’s MAG vs OTG vs EIN! #SimpliHeroes

  SimpliFlying

  17 May 2013 | 3:58 am

  It’s Airports this time, folks! Airlines have been doing great work in the digital sphere, with AirAsia most recently stirring up a storm with guest stewardess, Richard Branson. Airports may be playing catch up in the online space but a handful have taken some big steps.   This May, SimpliFlying Heroes cast the limelight on some impressive work on social media in the airport industry. What’s interesting about this month is that one of the nominees is actually not an airport, but an airport supplier. Find out more about our nominees below and vote for your favourite that you…

• Want your new route to make headlines? Bring Richard Branson on-board, like AirAsia X did in Perth!

  Shashank Nigam

  13 May 2013 | 3:45 pm

  //Correction: The article incorrectly states that this was AirAsia X’s first flight from Perth. They have been flying the route since 2008. Nevertheless, the rules of route launch marketing are still valid. Imagine being served your in-flight meal by none other than Richard Branson – what would you do? You might ask for an autograph, or a photo with him perhaps. Then what would you do? Surely put it up on Facebook and tell your friends about it as soon as you land, isn’t it? Surely your friends would ask you where you were flying from, and on which airline? And the answer…

• Influencer marketing comes of age in aviation – American Airlines Klout and Eindhoven Airport Facebook VIP in focus

  Shashank Nigam

  9 May 2013 | 7:36 am

  The power of key influencers is well documented in marketing. And in the age of the connected traveller, it’s not uncommon to see airlines bringing influential bloggers on fully-paid FAM trips, or even engaging them as official brand ambassadors. Of late, such influencers have been getting real-world benefits too! Take Estonian Air’s much-feted social loyalty program, the first in the world for airlines – it leverages the power of influencer marketing. Social advocates get real-world rewards for online actions. Now, major airlines and airports have put good thought into…

• The May 2013 Edition of the Airline Marketing Benchmark Report has 15 fresh case-studies from Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Finnair and more!

  Shubhodeep Pal

  6 May 2013 | 6:12 pm

  Last week we published a free report on the State of Airline Marketing in 2013, which postulates 8 key trends (along with accompanying case-studies) that define the transformed face of airline marketing today. Trends range from Social Loyalty to Crowdsourcing to Experiential Marketing. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, you can do so right away by clicking here. For those who have already read the report, we bring to you, as usual, our premium monthly Airline Marketing Benchmark Report featuring the finest airline marketing campaigns from the month gone by. This month’s report has…

• SimpliFlying in The News – April 2013. Airport World, B2C, The Flying Social Network and more…

  Li Guen

  1 May 2013 | 6:20 am

  The real test of aviation marketing and communications is in how the airlines and airports respond in times of crises. This month, Helsinki Airport and JetBlue, SimpliFlying Award for Best Airport on Social Media and SimpliFlying Hero in 2012 respectively, were picked out as stalwarts in engaging the modern connected travelers of today. On the airport front, SimpliFlying has also been recently announced a training alliance with ACI to provide its global airport members leading social marketing training. 3- 5 day masterclasses, 50 case studies and over 10 social media tools… Below is a…

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  Unbound Edition

• Embrace the Business Model That Threatens You

  22 May 2013 | 6:37 am

  If your company is already well established and has smart management, it is likely that it will become a hybrid in the next ten years, blending its legacy business with a new business model that is rising to threaten it.

• These Artists Are Mapping the Earth ... With Facial Recognition Software

  22 May 2013 | 6:33 am

  The faces of the planet, as seen from space

• The Rise Of The Visual Web

  22 May 2013 | 6:28 am

  Beautiful design is a key element of online business in this era, which has resulted in more images and video all across the Web.

• How Pac-Man Changed Games And Culture

  22 May 2013 | 6:19 am

  The iconic game celebrates its 33rd anniversary on May 22.

• Why Your Company Should Use the Kickstarter Model to Innovate

  21 May 2013 | 6:54 am

  Wouldn't it be a kick-in-the-head if the most innovative and creative efforts Kickstarter inspired were its effective emulation by the world's most innovative organizations?

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  jkr

• Design for design’s sake

  admin

  22 May 2013 | 1:55 am

  The trains might often get delayed but one thing you can rely on with the British transport system is a regular turnover of identity and graphic design, much of it wonderful. Creative Review featured a set of fabulous mini identities designed by Lloyd Northover for Railtrack’s major stations in the nineties. Above is one for Paddington featuring a witty nod to that station’s architecture. Below are Charing Cross and London Bridge (with its view across the Thames)… With successive companies managing the rail system it seems that these designs (which have always been something of a grace…

• Champions of Design – Bonne Maman

  admin

  21 May 2013 | 3:30 am

  The poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge suggested that if a writer could infuse a ‘human interest and a semblance of truth’ into a fictitious tale, the reader would suspend judgment of the story’s implausibility. He called it ‘a willing suspension of disbelief’ and Bonne Maman proves his theory beautifully. We happily embrace the conceit that this jam is lovingly prepared by a grandmother at home from fruit she’s picked freshly in her garden. And there’s no question it tastes sweeter for it. In the case of Bonne Maman, the ‘semblance of truth’ comes from the…

• Erwin Blumenfeld & an eye for beauty

  admin

  20 May 2013 | 1:45 am

  Paul Morley was on the box last night discussing the once so shocking 1913 ballet, The Rite of Spring. Have we become so jaded that nothing shocks us now, he wondered? Have we actually become nostalgic for the power of culture to shock? Also on TV last night was a documentary about the photographer Erwin Blumenfeld, The Man Who Shot Beautiful Women. It’s well worth a look on iPlayer. Blumenfeld’s creative imagination and ability to push things was staggering. These images (he was in his imperial period between the forties and late fifties) are unbelievably contemporary. Indeed, one can…

• True colours?

  admin

  17 May 2013 | 3:15 am

  A while ago I stumbled across a rant against pink. It was written by a mother who felt she was losing the battle against the tides of rosy cuteness bombarding her daughter. Turns out it was not always so. In the good old days, pink was for boys and blue was for girls. A quick glance at popular culture of the time evidences that blue was indeed once the visual shorthand for female innocence, beauty or virtue. I was reminded of this in a recent workshop, when the subject of colour psychology came up. I’m referring of course to the ‘science’ (I use the term loosely) of decoding the…

• Seeing the invisible

  admin

  16 May 2013 | 1:40 am

  This is a map of the internet, as created by Barrett Lyon and hung in MOMA. It’s really about ‘making visual representations of metaphysical spaces’. The accompanying sign gave me pause for thought: ‘(this) is one step in being able to generate movies of the internet’s activity.’ Which sparked a possibly obvious but mad thought: is the internet the first human invention that has developed beyond our ability to map, to see, to put in a box? It exists but we cannot yet ‘capture it on film’. That’s pretty heavy – a bit like how we’ve created Gods in ancient cultures…

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  Brandtelling

• Can you tell your brand story in the shadows? (video)

  Arthur Germain

  16 May 2013 | 12:53 pm

  This video from Britain’s Got Talent is making the rounds in email links and Facebook posts, but I wanted to share it with you here. It tells a powerful story – without words, without faces or expressions. The story is told through dance and shadow ~ and maybe a little puppetry. Take a few minutes [...]

• What Does Milk Have To Do With PR?

  Karen Franse

  5 May 2013 | 9:33 pm

  Image via Wikipedia Do you remember the “Got Milk” series of ads? The thing that was so great about those ads was their udder (couldn’t resist) simplicity. The commercials always offered a serious problem that could only be solved with milk. And the ads drove the message home with their ending line – a simple [...]

• Is your brand hard or soft?

  Arthur Germain

  29 Apr 2013 | 6:51 pm

  When we think about brand storytelling, hard and soft are not the first descriptors that come to mind. But these two categories often make a huge impression in a customer’s or prospect’s mind. A hard brand isn’t necessarily solid or tough, but it may be perceived as selling “hard goods” or having some type of [...]

• Brandtelling is Killer Content Marketing

  Arthur Germain

  23 Apr 2013 | 5:00 am

  Content once again proves to be king when it comes to establishing thought leadership, generating demand and nurturing sales leads. What I discuss here at Brandtelling is the way that brand storytelling can help companies make real connections with customers, prospects, employees and the community they share. Today I am proud to announce that our [...]

• How to Grow Sales for Free

  Jeff Ogden

  22 Apr 2013 | 7:10 am

  Word of mouth is generally considered to be the most powerful form of marketing on Earth today.  But we find that it is poorly understood, because most of us look at it from the lens of our experiences – particularly B2B demand generation. Why is it so important to learn the principles of Word of [...]

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  Karen Kang's BrandingPays

• From Italy with a Smile: How I Reinvented My Personal Brand

  Karen Kang

  26 Apr 2013 | 8:30 am

  I saw my dental hygienist this week. Not an earth-shattering event but significant because it made me think about reinventing one’s brand. Not hers, mine. As she peered in my mouth, she told me that she is amazed at how successfully I have rebranded myself (in addition to keeping my pearly whites healthy!). She remembered how in 2005 I was known as an Italian vacation specialist with the company tagline, “Savor the Real Italy.” Today, I am a book author and recognized branding expert. My book, BrandingPays, has been featured in national media like Businessweek, WSJ Radio, Fast Company…

• Branding From the Inside Out: Hawai‘i Style

  Karen Kang

  27 Mar 2013 | 8:15 am

  I often talk about branding from the inside out—that is, from your core values to how you represent your brand. But, it never quite hit home until I was in Kona, Hawaiʻi, running enterprise branding workshops with 22 social entrepreneurs. Despite overcast skies, our Sheraton Kona hotel was resplendent with flowers, the sounds of Hawaiian chanting and the tastes of the Sam Choy Annual Poke contest. The enterprises in the workshops ran the gamut from non-profits protecting Hawaii’s fragile ecosystem to for-profit restaurant and food service organizations. All had this in common: a love for…

• Best-Selling Author Geoffrey Moore Talks About the Need for Personal Branding in the New Economy

  Karen Kang

  6 Feb 2013 | 8:30 am

  I’d love for everyone to watch this short and compelling video from Geoffrey Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm and most recently, Escape Velocity:   He talks about why changing business models make strategic personal branding essential for career success. We have moved from a “command and control hierarchy” to a collaborative management model where we are all “free agents” interplaying across an ecosystem. In the New Economy, it is our job as an agent or “company of one,” to market ourselves. Moore, who wrote the foreword to my book, BrandingPays™: The Five-Step System…

• Go For It: How I Faced My Fears and Wrote a Book on Personal Branding

  Karen Kang

  4 Jan 2013 | 10:00 am

  This year, I did something I have been wanting to do for years. I published a book called BrandingPays™: The Five-Step System to Reinvent Your Personal Brand. For more than 20 years, I have been a positioning and branding expert. Six of those years were spent as a principal and partner with Regis McKenna’s legendary marketing consulting firm that put many iconic Silicon Valley brands on the map, including Apple, Intel and Genentech. One can reasonably say that I had the experience and credentials to write a book. So why did it take me so long? I had a truckload of excuses. I don’t have…

• Six Triggers for Refreshing Your Personal Brand

  Karen Kang

  5 Dec 2012 | 10:00 am

  The world is dynamic. Your brand needs to keep up with the times. If the world is talking about social marketing and you only do broadcast advertising, your reputation as a current marketer will suffer. You need to position yourself with the new skills and mindset required for the modern world. Whether you are looking for a job or currently employed, there are a number of changes that may trigger a need for you to refresh your personal brand. My top six are: 1. New job search or career change. If your job or career goal is different from the job you currently hold or had in the past, you need…

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  GIRVIN | Strategic Branding Blog

• Nothing at Facebook is someone else’s problem

  Tim

  20 May 2013 | 8:16 am

  Telling the story by hand and meditation. I can recall designing and writing out a phrasing by Michelangelo Buonarroti, “By hand, which follows mind and meditation.” It’s actually a telling that follows a longer contemplation: “The best of artists never makes creation That is not hid already in the stone In marble fixed and yet the work is done By hand, which follows mind and meditation.” The point comes down to the notation that the spirit of the mind, and memory, in meditation — the contemplation of an idea, or ideal, that bridges and interweaves that…

• Rippling

  Tim

  17 May 2013 | 8:36 am

  The Waves of Brand Story from the Light When I walk into a place, I think about what I feel. When I watch a person — in my room, my immediate space, I watch them wholly. When I look at, read a story, I try to sense it, that telling, before I do anything else. I listen big, and open — I try to hear the sounds, the inflections, around the sound. I try not to evaluate it, but flow into it to sensually “see” what I can feel in that telling. These days, it’s all about that sensate holism. And, in the end, it all comes back to that idea of feeling. It’s not the…

• The nest, the egg, the weaving of the Matrix

  Tim

  13 May 2013 | 8:40 am

  The Whorl of Making and Imagination Sometimes when I’m thinking about a challenge, working my way throughout a complex puzzle — I draw my self into it, and out of it. Above, my little finger on an iPhone. Below, the dinner table and a team meeting, whirling: In a manner, drawing in the mind-full and mindless state of the scratching doodle, you go in and out and in that weaving there is a sorting — a plan, an approach emerges in the whirling whorl of distraction, abstraction and traction. In making a nest, the drawings seek to enwrap the egg of the idea. It happens. But it…

• Studying the Eye and the Touch of Seeing

  Tim

  10 May 2013 | 8:47 am

  Studying the Eye, In sight and the Touch of Seeing The Rhythm of Insight, Seeing-In — 1000 Eyes – the brushstrokes of Storytelling, the Rippling of Imagination I was looking into the eyes of a dragonfly that I’d arranged on a mapping, a cartographic brush-drawing of a circle stroke of containment. That stroke, an enso, is a meditation on completion and fullness, in the balance of nothingness. I see the rich raven-black of the strokes seeping into the fabric, and they bleed into a tiny multiplicity of micro-strokes and tendrils, as the ink trails out, following the line.

• THE RED THREAD OF IDEAS AND INTENTIONS

  Tim

  6 May 2013 | 8:45 am

  AND THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL, IN THE SPATTERING OF INSPIRATION. When I was in college, I taught workshops to help my payment of the tuition, along with support from my family. I used variously colored butcher paper to do that – pulled, ripped out and sheared on a rolling roller of “wrapping paper stock.” We have this in the office, on rollers, to move around the office, for improvisational note taking and idea jotting, think mapping. All photography, this blog, by Gabrielle Girvin What I found was that doing banners created a kind of splashy formatting for sharing ideas…

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  Sparks

• The first healthcare marketer to grow an avid and active fan base

  Eric Brody

  16 May 2013 | 9:56 am

  Our community-building is a virtuous circle of inspiration between our healthcare system and our communities. These are not the typical words of a healthcare marketer. We don’t expect them to be talking about avid fan bases and active participants in co-creating new value. We don’t expect them to be comparing their brands to Kiehl’s, Lego, [...]

• Beauty Marketing: Creating A Win-Win Brand Portfolio

  Eric Brody

  9 May 2013 | 6:21 am

  Are all those lines and sku’s really necessary? We wake up in the morning viewing the world through the lens of a consumer. But then we get to work and our focus changes to that of business manager. The blinders come on and our sights are set on our defined sectors and the scope of [...]

• The Social Influence on Brand Engagement

  Carrie Kane

  6 May 2013 | 10:24 am

  I was hooked! While recently working on a beauty branding research assignment, I found myself so deeply connected to these brands that I instantly “fanned” them on Facebook, began “following” them on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, became an enewsletter “subscriber”, and “viewed” more YouTube videos than I can remember.  Christian Dior, Tom Ford, Chanel and [...]

• Brand experience mastery and “The Masters”

  Eric Brody

  18 Apr 2013 | 8:26 am

  I can now cross Augusta National and The Masters off of the proverbial list, as I was lucky enough to attend the final weekend. While we went for the thrill of it, and not for anything work-related, it’s hard (at least for me) not to equate it back to the branding and marketing work we [...]

• Gluten-Free – A Healthy Choice for Marketers and Consumers

  Megan Montenfusco

  12 Apr 2013 | 12:22 pm

  The benefits of a healthy diet are a no brainer for most, but a gluten-free diet –what’s the appeal? Why has gluten-free suddenly become so popular to consumers, health care providers, and product marketers? Is it a fad or is it here to stay? As consumer interest in overall health and wellness has increased, the [...]

• 

  Synergist

• Telling Your Story With Prezi

  Cathy Cotter

  16 May 2013 | 9:48 am

  Prezi is next generation content marketing. It helps you present and share ideas in a naturally flowing storytelling format. It also: encourages you to guide the attention of users and lead them through your message; forces you to think in concepts and visuals–not bullets and sentences; inspires creativity–instead of limiting it; allows your audience to see themselves and what they can do rather than you telling them; and engages customers at trade shows and marketing events. Unlike PowerPoint and SlideShare, Prezi is a “non-linear” form of presentation. It is a rich medium, and you…

• Oreo – One smart cookie’s brand

  Cathy Cotter

  22 Feb 2013 | 7:28 am

  Oreo’s brand has traditionally been associated with milk and cookies, but the brand’s social media activity takes on a new face with real personality. Oreo’s 31 million-strong Facebook feed proves it. Oreo is seen looking slightly different with each update but always featuring the cookie against a white backdrop with a witty purpose. The visual black/white theme is consistently used with its message in an accent color of blue – symbolic of happy blue sky. Happy, pleasure and fun is always carried through in the message. Clever visual puns support copy puns. The Valentine…

• Which Super Bowl 2013 Ads Stink Up The Field?

  Cathy Cotter

  4 Feb 2013 | 7:15 am

  Which Super Bowl 2013 ads are winners and which stunk up the field? And who turned the lights off? There were, as always, some sexist ads What else is new, GoDaddy leads the way again. They win the prize for objectifying women with their ad’s concept of Go Daddy’s “smart” side and “sexy” side. To them, this means a “sexy” female and “smart” male kissing. Really not “smart” or “sexy”! I guess women don’t purchase domains for their tech start ups? Audi and the prom kiss – So, this means you forcefully kiss…

• Connecting With Your Customer In A Social Economy

  Cathy Cotter

  23 Jan 2013 | 8:44 am

  Welcome to the new connection economy where making an emotional connection with your customer online is key. What can you do to help facilitate this connection? Appeal to your customer’s pain… Talking about how you’re going to help a potential buyer. Keep it short and simple… Our brains respond well to short impactful statements on your site homepage. Focus on the answer to your customer’s “what’s in it for me” question. Seeing is believing… What our eyes see connects directly with the unconscious parts of the brain that marketers want to reach. That means you want…

• AIG Logo Gets A Refresh

  Cathy Cotter

  4 Oct 2012 | 11:42 am

  AIG (American International Group, Inc.) has a “refreshed” logo. “Our new logo reflects a rebuilt and forward looking AIG – contemporary, dynamic, transparent, and revitalized,” said CEO Robert H. Benmosche, in a press release. All that in this new visual icon? Yes. The new design uses a brighter color and a sans serif font lending a trendy, friendly look. I am surprised they didnt use all lower case letters which is also one of the most popular current trends. Some may recall The Gap’s new logo launch a short time back. It created so much negative backlash that the company…

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  Profitable Growth

• Manufacturing, Marcellus & Money

  Andy Birol

  20 May 2013 | 6:04 am

  The Shale Gas Boom is Kicking BTU! What’s new in the shale gas business? Gas prices have inched up and no drilling-related seismic disasters have happened just yet. However, the overall impact of labor shortages, safety needs and environmental regulations are creating problems that smart manufacturers are leveraging into opportunities. Ever since ISNetworld (a group that assists companies and organizations with contractor and supplier prequalification, management and monitoring) became the dominant third-party data administrator helping Tier 1 companies hire better and more intelligently,…

• Birol Growth Consulting Helps Jeffrey J. Morella and the Complete Captive Solution, LLC Grow Quickly and Profitably Toward Long-Term Success.

  Andy Birol

  20 Apr 2013 | 2:13 pm

  Background: In 1991, Jeffrey J. Morella opened Morella & Associates, A Professional Corporation and has built it into a successful practice focused on meeting the legal and tax planning needs of business owners.  Over the years, Jeff’s expertise continued to grow as his clients faced increasingly sophisticated tax, insurance and business planning challenges. In 2005, Jeff began assisting his business clients in creating captive insurance companies as a cost-saving vehicle and to provide more flexibility for their companies. Then in 2010, as Jeff watched the Federal Government’s…

• Drive Your Business Despite Obamacare: Six Steps to Avoid the Pileups.

  Andy Birol

  20 Apr 2013 | 1:01 pm

  It seems every decade a new “roadside accident” appears to distract you from driving your business down your highway. In the 1990’s it was Y2K, in the 2000’s it was Sarbanes-Oxley. Now, with the help of our government, lawyers, accountants and healthcare experts, Obamacare will be the epic 500-car pileup of the century. Make no mistake; I am not challenging the merits of universal healthcare; just the burden it will place on business owners everywhere. After attending three healthcare briefings, I am convinced that in addition to the added costs of conforming to the thousands of…

• Three Key Signs Your Shale Gas Opportunity is Growing

  Andy Birol

  24 Mar 2013 | 11:16 am

  There’s an old saying, “It takes 20 years to become an overnight sensation.” Our confusing shale gas opportunity is a great example of this. Every day we hear “shale-chatter rants” on low gas prices, nagging environmental concerns and passive-aggressive government resistance; it’s easy to dismiss the opportunity. But there’s no doubt of three new signs of progress and many local firms are seizing their days now. Here are the three inarguable signs and examples of local business exploiting these: * It’s a Demand-Side play: Additional polyethylene Cracker plants are coming.

• Running Your Business When You’re Under the Weather

  Andy Birol

  24 Feb 2013 | 11:50 am

  In our hearts we all believe the saying, “Nobody is indispensable in a business, not even the owner.” But whether it’s a really bad flu or a broken leg (I’ve survived both) the worst part is the resulting depression as you are out of commission and recovering. So what does a business owner do when he or she is coping with the damage and the resulting blues? What should you do when you, the owner, are simply knocked off your game? Especially when there’s no one to pick up the slack? Having survived my share of challenges and watched hundreds of business owners cope with theirs,…

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  BrandSTOKE

• Jack Daniel’s rocks its brand

  Kirk

  22 May 2013 | 6:33 am

  Rock ‘n’ roll and substance abuse share a long and intimate history. Umm … so lift your glass of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey high and toast this remarkable codependent relationship. Why Jack Daniel’s? Because in its new campaign, the brand claims to have been “with the band since 1866.” Beverage brands often attempt to associate themselves with good times — parties, sporting events, special occasions. Once up a time, “weekends were made for Michelob.” More recently, Corona Extra took the beach. And Coke, in its current promotion,…

• Smartphone brand positioning gets smarter

  Kirk

  17 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  Grab a cold one and pull up a chair. You’re witnessing a case study in the making — a battle for market share, featuring classic brand positioning moves. Brand positioning is the art and science of establishing and articulating a meaningful point of differentiation between a brand and its direct competitors. In the smartphone category, Apple iPhone was the early leader. Known for its innovative technology and design, Apple commands worldwide attention with every new release. Historically, its competitors have had to play catchup. Apple has sustained an intangible competitive…

• Repost: Brands with higher callings

  Kirk

  9 May 2013 | 6:22 am

  I’m taking a short break from BrandSTOKE. In the meantime, here’s a reprint of a popular post: The essence of some brands ties directly to a cause, a tradition or a set of values. Such brands stand for something perceived by their followers as meaningful. The result is often deep loyalty. Here are some examples of branding with a higher purpose: Affinity brands inspire a community of diehard evangelists, drawn together by a shared goal or belief system. Consumers identify with affinity brands because they represent something other than profit-making. Examples include Patagonia…

• Repost: There goes the neighborhood brand

  Kirk

  7 May 2013 | 6:19 am

  I’m taking a short break from BrandSTOKE. In the meantime, here’s a repeat of a popular post: To paraphrase the adage, a brand is sometimes known by the company it keeps. A Bordeaux wine, for example. Or Wisconsin cheese. Brands from a region known for producing a distinctive product can often benefit through association with their shared geography. It’s a form of co-branding called place-of-origin branding. Many consumers ascribe positive attributes to products from certain regions, such as rum from Jamaica or perfume from France. A place-of-origin brand emerges when independent…

• Repost: Differentiate or … muddle along?

  Kirk

  2 May 2013 | 6:15 am

  I’m taking a short break from BrandSTOKE. In the meantime, here’s a repeat of a popular post: “Differentiate or die” became a popular marketing buzz-phrase, following the release of the book by the same name. However, a third (and I think more prevalent) course is simply muddling along. Many, if not most, organizations seems to linger in brand limbo indefinitely, never identifying and leveraging a point of differentiation, never quite going out of business. Daily they negotiate a stay of execution, involving a combination of desperate tactics that keep them alive. In fairness…

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  PeakBiety branding + advertising

• Full-service advertising agency or stable of specialists?

  PeakBiety

  15 May 2013 | 12:53 pm

  by Glen Peak What’s best for your business? If you consider yourself a small or medium-size advertiser, the strategic choice may be particularly tough. So let’s see…if you want what are termed the “best-in-class specialists” for today’s more complex marketing world, you’ll likely want to consider all or several of the following kinds of firms: • Branding/positioning consultant • Collateral material (both paper-based and digital) • Corporate identity • Creative ad campaign team • Direct marketing (both paper-based and electronic) • Media planning and buying group •…

• A Simple Plan

  PeakBiety

  9 Apr 2013 | 11:57 am

  Posted by Christine Birkner (staff writer for Marketing News), A Simple Plan From the American Marketing Association  Summary ​The gulf between B-to-B marketing and B-to-C marketing is getting narrower. While business practices for complex industries and B-to-B services often require formulaic approaches coupled with a great deal of caution, more and more such companies are experimenting with marketing strategies that aren’t so “by the book.” Vendors like Newark/element 14, a Chicago-based electronic components distributor, take cues from Amazon when crafting their e-commerce sites…

• Carolyn Heller Reception

  PeakBiety

  1 Apr 2013 | 1:35 pm

    Patt Fosnaught, Glen Peak and Amy Phillips Members of the PeakBiety team attended a preview reception Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013 at The Tampa Museum of Art. The agency helped with the 30-piece retrospective of Carolyn Heller’s vibrant artwork at the museum held from March 1-10, 2013. At the preview reception, friends and family swapped stories and enjoyed Carolyn’s favorite drinks, cosmopolitans and lemonade as well as and Southern specialties prepared by the Sono Cafe. Also at the reception, the Arts Council of Hillsborough County presented the recipient of the 2013 Carolyn F. Heller…

• Raising Hope Across America PSA for Eckerd

  PeakBiety

  5 Feb 2013 | 7:13 am

  Tampa, FL —  Eckerd, a non-profit organization that helps abused, neglected and at-risk children, recently engaged the creative services of PeakBiety branding + advertising to assist in creating a video. Objectives for the project were to inform and raise awareness, reach people in a way that would touch hearts, and secure donations. To help Eckerd reach these objectives, PeakBiety produced a music video, featuring a song co-written by Amy Phillips, creative director. Searching for a teen singer to deliver the song on camera, a Howard W. Blake School of the Arts student, Sasha Noonan, was…

• PeakBiety Welcomes David Alonso

  PeakBiety

  15 Jan 2013 | 8:45 am

  Art director, David Alonso, has always had a passion for creativity and design. Growing up in Tampa, David attended The Art Institute of Tampa and received his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Throughout his school career, David was not only a focused student, but he also worked for a local Internet startup where he lead the creative side of things from brand development to website/UI design. In his spare time he also worked as a freelancer. During his senior year at the Art Institute of Tampa, David received an Award of Excellence from Graphic Design USA in the student category.

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  Executive Career Brand

• Best Kept Secret to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

  Meg Guiseppi

  20 May 2013 | 7:33 am

  Executive recruiters and hiring decision makers at your target companies search LinkedIn using relevant keywords to locate good-fit candidates. Your LinkedIn profile offers several choice locations to insert the right keywords to help elevate your search rankings – or Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – and the likelihood you’ll be found and considered by them. The professional headline and summary section are two prime examples. But there’s another powerful, and often overlooked, above-the-fold spot to add in a keyword phrase. Your LinkedIn profile URL. Take a look at your…

• Martin Yate’s New Strategies for First-Time Job Seekers

  Meg Guiseppi

  13 May 2013 | 6:02 am

  The eighth in Martin Yate’s Knock Em Dead series, Secrets & Strategies For First-Time Job Seekers focuses on job seekers entering the market for the first time. He begins the book with “some little known facts about the world you face”: You are at the beginning of what will likely be a fifty-year career. The statistics say you will probably change jobs (not always by choice) about every four years. You will probably have three or more distince careers over the span of your professional life. These realities of the new world of work may be news to seasoned professionals…

• 10 Blogs for Job Search, Personal Branding and Career Help

  Meg Guiseppi

  6 May 2013 | 7:26 am

  Prompted by the theme for this month’s Career Development Carnival, a showcase of the best blog posts from career experts, I’ve compiled a short list of excellent blogs and websites for job seekers and careerists. By no means the only ones I read regularly – and not necessarily my top 10 favorites – the following sites are ones I come back to frequently and always find value in reading. I hope you do, too. I often tweet these blogs, and they also inspire many of the blog posts I write. There are actually 12 in my list. Two of my favorite writers run two sites. Not only focused on…

• Who is an Executive?

  Meg Guiseppi

  29 Apr 2013 | 7:26 am

  This may seem like an odd question for me to pose, and to write a blog post about. But apparently there’s confusion on the part of some executive job seekers as to whether they’re actually “executives”. Here’s something that happens to me all the time. Job seekers at the Director, Executive Vice President or even General Manager level (clearly executives by most any definition) will reach out to me to see if I’d consider working with them, even though they’re “not yet at the executive level”. I’m baffled every time. Unless the…

• What a Personally Branded Executive Resume Does For You

  Meg Guiseppi

  15 Apr 2013 | 6:24 am

  The main purpose of an executive resume is to land interviews. But it can do so much more for you, as you navigate an executive job search. When you add personal branding to the mix, a resume becomes an even more powerful positioning and job search tool. The information-mining process, before you write your resume – researching your target employers, defining your personal brand and developing content for your resume (and LinkedIn and Google+ profiles) – helps you understand what makes you and your target employers a mutual good fit. You learn how the value you offer is the answer to…

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  Stealing Share

• The temporary slide of Abercrombie & Fitch

  ssadmin

  22 May 2013 | 6:40 am

  Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries may need to eat his words sooner than he would like. Last week, I blogged that Jeffries’ misguided attempt at following the true mantra of branding backfired. The approach of Mike Jeffries is correct, in stating that the Abercrombie & Fitch brand was single-minded in its approach: Attracting only fit, thin people. Brand is most effective when it says specifically who it is for. But you can’t be mean-spirited about it because that’s a reflection of your brand as well. As reported by the brand researcher, YouGov BrandIndex, Jeffries’…

• Facebook’s “likes” are worth money?

  ssadmin

  21 May 2013 | 9:11 am

  I have always had trouble understanding what the fuss is about concerning Facebook’s “likes” for brands. Those brands spend an inordinate amount of time on their social media, but our research has never suggested that it creates any kind of preference. It just demonstrates preference brands already have. Now comes a study by Syncapse that rates each like as being worth $174.17 to your brand. The social intelligence company bases that number on research that shows those who like a brand spend more money on that brand and are more likely to continue buying that brand. Duh. That’s all…

• Waffles anyone? Taco Bell has them.

  ssadmin

  20 May 2013 | 9:57 am

  Taco bell has released a new Waffle Taco breakfast menu item and, before you gag, think of this. It fits Taco Bell’s quirky bill, matching nicely alongside counterparts such as the Doritos Loco Taco and commercials that play up the Live Mas theme. The hurdle for Taco Bell, however, will not be menu items. In fact, when considering the availability of breakfast burritos at competitive chains, who in the market has more permission then Taco Bell to sell anything wrapped in a burrito? The hurdle for Taco Bell is breakfast itself, a day part Taco Bell may not have permission to play. Breakfast…

• Where’s the urgency with retailers?

  ssadmin

  16 May 2013 | 6:40 am

  What does a rise in Macy’s profits of 3.8 percent in the last quarter mean to other retailers? It means this is no time to be asleep at the wheel. JC Penney and Kohl’s are being mentioned as losers in most of the financial news stories. Can’t argue with that. But what about Sears, Stein Mart, Dillard’s, Belk, Target, Walmart and even Kmart? If you want to grow business as a retail store, you need to do it at the expense of your competition. I think we all agree with that. But where is the sense of urgency and the absolute need for change in this category? I don’t see it anywhere.

• Burger King continues to imitate the rest

  ssadmin

  15 May 2013 | 12:00 pm

  In such a ho-hum market as fast food, I am constantly amazed at the ridiculousness of its participants. Burger King, the king of switching out new menu items, recently announced it is going to roll out a new limited-time sandwich called the BK Rib Sandwich this summer. Uh. Ever hear of the McRib? What is so bizarre is that Burger King believes it can out-innovate the fast food market. Its executives have flat-out said it. But what they call innovation, I call copying. Let’s look at a couple of other innovative offerings for its 2013 menu: Sweet potato fries and a pulled pork sandwich…

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  InterbrandBlog

• Interning at Interbrand Around the Globe

  22 May 2013 | 2:24 pm

  As the world’s largest branding consultancy, Interbrand is proud to offer global opportunity to rising talent. With a multitude of disciplines, our internships allow undergraduates to gain hands-on experience in a branding environment. Interbrand’s unique program fully integrates the students into their respective departments and helps them gain an understanding ...

• Bad Bahaviour, Internal Culture and What We Can Do About It

  21 May 2013 | 7:14 am

  I’m currently reading Dan Ariely’s The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty. Read it – it’s a fascinating insight into how the human mind works, and it has much wider application than honest/dishonest behaviour. I’m increasingly interested in how behavioural economics is playing a role in challenging some of the tenets ...

• Seamless and GrubHub Colliding, But Which Brand Will Emerge on the Other Side?

  20 May 2013 | 2:13 pm

  Yahoo’s acquisition of Tumblr may be dominating Internet Week news, but close on its heels is the newly announced merger between Seamless and GrubHub—two food delivery companies that target the same audience with a seemingly indistinguishable value proposition. Two weeks ago, we evaluated the two brands and their ability to ...

• Swordplay Stakes Out Jargon, Champions Great Writing

  17 May 2013 | 7:43 am

  Mary Hirsch wrote, “Humor is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.” With pins shaped like swords, Interbrand London cut out jargon, celebrated rapier wit and proved excellent at swordplay. The Verbal Identity team creates workshops for clients with expertise and passion, but ...

• Giving a Voice to New Brand Spaces

  15 May 2013 | 2:08 pm

  With every new medium comes a new opportunity to express your brand. We know this, but it’s often the case that some mediums are simply overlooked or not considered because they don’t fit the expected mold of brand expression. Recently, a brand born in and of the digital age reminds ...

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  brands, behavior and choice

• The blog is dead. Long live the new blog.

  2 May 2013 | 10:50 am

          After many years, I have migrated my blogging platform to my new, responsive design website, on which your will find and evolved blog which explored brands, behaviors and choice, while curating the content which has built this blog over the years.

• Behavior. Blueprints. And Economics.

  19 Feb 2013 | 12:02 pm

  Adam Smith Classical economics is a mythical world of rational and practical decisions. Their old (and still beautiful) model of human behavior assumes (incorrectly) three things about us: Human beings have unbounded rationality, unbounded willpower, and unbounded selfishness. When Herbert Simon won the nobel prize in 1955, he suggested the term “bounded rationality” instead of unbounded. It makes sense.  Since we have only so much brainpower and only so much time, we make suboptimal choices all of the time. The opportunity cost of spending a scarce resource…

• How I learned fortune telling wasn't fake

  30 Jan 2013 | 10:57 am

  Predictive analytics provides insight into the key drivers of behaviors needed to create sales and marketing strategies that address customers’ varied needs. By examining historic customer, product and transaction data, your CRM/RM program can define the right targeting criteria and messaging mix to improve customer retention and loyalty.  In other words, precisely know the right person, send them the right message, and do it at the right time. Prevent Churn  Optimize customer value and profitability for individual customers or customer segments that are differentiated to…

• Stop using the word campaign. Use "experience" instead.

  28 Jan 2013 | 12:36 pm

  Campaigns are an interruptive form of communication. They're classic, and belong in a museum with other countless works of genius whose time has simply passed. We've evolved past the campaign. We're ready for what's next. We need to change our language. Interrupting needs to be replaced with engaging.Where we used to talk frequency and reach, we now should be talking alertness and receptivity. We used to view media as channels. Now, everything is a channel; so plan for touch points, not for media. Global is inaccessible. Local is next door. Listen to what people…

• Labels and style: Your social fashion statement

  18 Oct 2011 | 3:23 am

  Klout "style" combines the IQ of your score (the result of number crunching your social media interactions) with the "EQ" of how your behaviors are perceived, and the actions your engagements trigger. This allows you to look at yourself in a kind of "social media" mirror. You may like what you see, but you may want to be seen differently. If you do want to change how you're perceived, Klout might be your (or your brand's) social BFF.   Klout's immediacy reveals daily, how adjustments in your engagement begin to influence the type of influencer you're perceived to be... at least according…

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  The Online Community Guide

• Bragging, Self-Esteem, And Status-Jockeying Discussions

  Richard Millington

  22 May 2013 | 11:30 pm

  Here’s a common (and tedious) question in community circles; how do you prevent burnout?  This question allows people to talk about themselves. It allows people to brag (and lie) about what they do with their spare time. Most participants declare they prevent burnout by doing sports, travelling to exotic places, going to cool bars, doing interesting hobbies, or anything that reflects positively on them. People are desperate to impress their peers. They love to participate in off-topic, status-jockeying, discussions. It’s why some people tweet every run they take or every airport…

• Important People

  Richard Millington

  22 May 2013 | 5:13 am

  Set up Google alerts for your topic and the word book. You want to find people that are publishing a book relevant to your topic. Invite them to a live interview for the community and ask for 20 copies to giveaway. Authors are very keen to reach this specific group of people. Look on LinkedIn for people that have recently joined a relevant company at a high position. Invite them to do an interview for the community talking about their life and career. Create a regular column of people on the move within your sector (Jeremiah did this well for years). Afterwards, ask if they would like a…

• Restraining A Monster

  Richard Millington

  20 May 2013 | 11:30 pm

  If you don't try to prevent your community from doing something bad, you're morally responsible for the outcome (perhaps legally responsible too). It might be fun to join the Amy Baking Co fan page and watch the increasingly furious, aggressive, messages. It might be fun to let your members relentlessly hound someone they (and you) dislike. Yet actions have consequences. You can't predict what happens when your members hound an increasingly unstable person. Especially one whose business and reputation has been publicly destroyed. History suggests this has the potential for…

• Review Your Existing Community Plans

  Richard Millington

  19 May 2013 | 11:30 pm

  As part of our consultancy, we spend a lot of time reviewing a client’s existing plans for a community. There are a variety of things we look out for. Some we’ve listed below: Strategy Do you have clear, ROI, goals? i.e. not likes/engagements but one of these? Do you have a framework for measuring the health, progress, and ROI of the community? Is this framework logical and valid? Have you set a specific time to collect and analyze the data you need? Are your data collection methods valid? Is your community concept clear and based upon research you’ve undertaken? Are you taking the…

• Join Us And Change How People Build Communities

  Richard Millington

  18 May 2013 | 7:02 am

  Let’s try this again, we’re hiring.  We’re looking for someone that wants to change how people build communities. The current approach is completely wrong. It is too reactive, too focused on platforms, and too similar to marketing. As a result, most communities fail. Even those that succeed struggle to reach their potential. By applying the principles of social science, we can change this. This is a message we want your help in spreading    Community Advocate  We’re hiring a community advocate. We’re hiring someone that can build positive relationships with a…

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  Personal Branding TV

• Personal Branding: Valerie Sokolosky Speaking on Image

  Regina

  20 May 2013 | 4:24 am

  Executive Coach and Master Personal Branding Strategist, Valerie Sokolosky, speaks about image at the Wells Fargo group in Phoenix, AZ. Bio: Valerie Sokolosky founded Valerie & Company in 1981, an international leadership development consulting firm focusing on people skills. Her executive coaching and training in Fortune 500 companies has motivated their employees which has resulted in significant profits for these organizations.

• CC Chapman Interview – Reach Personal Branding Interview Series

  reachproducer

  8 May 2013 | 9:15 pm

  Living An Amazing Life Click on the microphone to download the audio replay >>> Where are you going?   Sounds like a simple question but can you answer it in the context of your life? Where are you taking your career? Your family? Your community? What do you want to accomplish in every facet of your life?   To the peril of many, these thought-provoking questions are often avoided or ignored altogether. But if you don’t know where you are going how will you ever know when you get there? Realizing that you are unhappy with your job, relationships or community is not…

• 9 the Video – Build Your Brand in Nine Minutes a Day

  Regina

  30 Apr 2013 | 10:50 pm

  In their book, Ditch. Dare. Do!, William Arruda and Deb Dib say all you need is 9 minutes a day to build your brand so you can advance your career. This video tells with you how they came up with nine and shares some fun facts about the number 9. This video comes to you from William Arruda and Reach Personal Branding.

• Personal Branding: Professionalism in the Workplace, Clothing Part 2

  Regina

  29 Apr 2013 | 10:39 pm

  Executive Coach and Master Personal Branding Strategist, Valerie Sokolosky, speaks about acceptable clothing in the workplace. Bio: Valerie Sokolosky founded Valerie & Company in 1981, an international leadership development consulting firm focusing on people skills. Her executive coaching and training in Fortune 500 companies has motivated their employees which has resulted in significant profits for these organizations.

• Exclusive Reach Personal Branding Interview: Ditch. Dare. Do! Book Launch

  reachproducer

  18 Apr 2013 | 8:01 pm

  Get ready to Ditch, Dare and Do! Click the microphone to download the interview audio file >>> Ditch. Dare. Do! is the quick-start guide and deep-dive instruction manual every executive and employer needs to leverage the power of personal branding—increasingly recognized as a must-have skill in every executive and employer tool kit. Launch Day Special Offer – What you need to know! Step 1: Read about the $3777 worth of gifts you receive for buying Ditch. Dare. Do! on Launch Day http://360rea.ch/Zjf9tw Step 2: Buy Ditch. Dare. Do! on Amazon http://amzn.to/10BgBIW Step 3:…

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  Beneath the Brand RSS News Feed

• Brand You: Advice for College Grads

  Maryann Fabian

  22 May 2013 | 7:59 pm

  Summary: You heard the lofty speeches from billionaires, celebrities, presidents, etc. at commencement. Now here's what you really need to know to succeed in life. Your job prospects are much better this year, compared to grads from two years ago. But you can still increase your chances of finding what you want by following these tips. 1. Clean up your digital life. Or switch to a pseudonym for the personal stuff that can't be linked to your professional life. Your social media savviness is a definite plus, but all those drunken spring break photos? Desperate tweets begging the cast of Love…

• Overcoming A Controversial Past

  Tori Mends-Cole

  21 May 2013 | 11:51 pm

  Summary: Although Coca-Cola's chief historian categorically denies it, most people have heard about Coca-Cola's long-ago switch from cocaine to caffeine. Now the most-recognized brand in the world, Coca-Cola was first invented to be a medicinal cure-all for various diseases and even impotence.

• Silver, Gold, or Platinum Customers?

  Janet Kalandranis

  21 May 2013 | 11:51 pm

  Summary: CRM, or customer relationship management, is not what it used to be. Now it's an exciting world of customer actions that brands can really customize based on individual needs. And within this CRM world is the idea of customer tiers or levels and the famous "status" labeling.

• Beer Advertising Spectacular: How the Best Brands Stroke Male Egos

  Graeme Newell

  21 May 2013 | 12:21 pm

  Summary: Beer commercials can sometimes seem like a random collection of bad-boy behavior, but look deeper and you'll find very sophisticated emotional marketing going on. In this three-minute marketing lesson video, emotional marketing expert Graeme Newell shows how great brands build confidence using both positive and negative emotional drivers. See how the best brands covertly stroke male egos...

• Your DVD Smells Like A Pizza: Brazilian Ad Agency Debuts Clever Marketing Campaign

  Heather Ewert

  21 May 2013 | 6:20 am

  Summary: What would you do if you popped in a DVD, enjoyed a great movie, and removed the disc to find…pizza? Advertising agency Artplan Sao Paulo and Domino's in Brazil joined forces to do just that. They wanted to make an innovative, charming, and irresistible ad campaign that highlighted a marriage...

• 

  Deep Ad Thoughts

• Skin Care Case Study: Branded Packaging Gets Product on Shelves

  Anna Forbes

  17 May 2013 | 7:40 am

  Challenge This revolutionary skin care line sought to break into the market and compete against well established, national brands. Armed with a truly effective product, >> The post Skin Care... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Good Brief, Better Execution.

  James Luparello

  8 May 2013 | 1:11 pm

  Over the coming weeks and months I want to talk about some of the challenges that we, as advertisers, face on a regular basis. My >> The post Good Brief, Better Execution. appeared first on... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• How Did You Come Up With That Ad?

  Darren Easton

  2 May 2013 | 8:54 am

  Creativity is ideas. We’ve been talking a lot about how creativity in our agency is much more than the team in charge of actual ad executions. >> The post How Did You Come Up With That... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Keep Green and Carry On.

  Melissa Nelson

  22 Apr 2013 | 11:58 am

  In light of Earth Day on Monday, April 22nd we are going to dig deep and try to find the inner tree-hugger in us all. >> The post Keep Green and Carry On. appeared first on Deep Ad Thoughts. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Research: A Work of Art

  Anna Forbes

  19 Apr 2013 | 12:57 pm

  Research fuels all the truly great ideas marketers use today. Any good researcher will tell you the more information and data you can gather, the >> The post Research: A Work of Art appeared... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• 

  Dwayne Flinchum

• Advertising Goes Cray-Cray

  admin

  11 May 2013 | 1:46 pm

  Mountain Dew recently dropped this controversial ad that featured a battered waitress trying to pick her assailant from a lineup of black suspects and a goat. One could be forgiven these days for turning to the astrology section of their local paper, or a curious nod to the evening sky to see whether a full moon was in effect. Everything just seems more random, lacking any ability to forecast or predict. Today’s front page of The New York Times reports that the level of carbon dioxide has passed a long-feared milestone. Gas concentration in our atmosphere has not been this high in at least…

• Technology is Our Friend. Or Is It?

  admin

  4 May 2013 | 5:50 pm

  Photo from the website of Defense Distributed, a nonprofit group founded by Cody Wilson. The group intends to release CAD files this week for a gun that can be downloaded, completed printed in 3D plastic and assembled to actually discharge as a lethal weapon. A positive use of technology? Media and communications are in the midst of most sweeping revolution in history, with so many innovations, so rapidly deployed. Significant technological advancements like Google Glass are being being launched with such frequency that no executive could honestly profess to know how to manage it all, much…

• What’s Even Real Anymore?

  admin

  27 Apr 2013 | 2:10 pm

  From my days in publishing, I recall branded content with names like “advertorials” and “magalogs.’’ These products were essentially paid advertising sections or inserts, pages sold at a discounted rate, a deceptive blend between pure sponsorship and legitimate editorial. Many companies affectionately termed such line extensions as “special projects.” There were elaborate sales strategies designed to bring these sponsors into the publication. Such units within media companies were often frowned on by traditional editors, even as those divisions leveraged the media brand, paired…

• Game Changing: Nonprofits Go on the Offense

  admin

  21 Apr 2013 | 7:30 am

  Through IridiumGroup and now, OrgCentric, I’ve spent nearly 20 years leading efforts to create brands, increase awareness for mission-based organizations, and assist with creative ideas to fundraise. Traditionally, my nonprofit partners and client-side managers have taken a passive, even humble, approach to their marketing efforts. In fact, many of our clients working in private philanthropy don’t even refer to their efforts as ‘marketing.’ Their world is one of ‘communications’ — of outreach, of educating target audiences about their goals and achievements. Historically, for…

• Going Vertical: Mass to Niche

  admin

  14 Apr 2013 | 7:06 am

  Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report: What do these three publications have in common with digital media? They’re the storied predecessors of Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.  The “Big Three” weekly news journals were the foundation of news and more specifically, media. The publications roared through decades as established bastions, unflappable sources of information for generations of American readers. They appeared untouchable — until they were. The age of participation was ushered in with the Internet. No longer were we reading one way, digesting our news and…

• 

  mymagneticblog.com

• How To Innovate: Are You Afraid of Change? Part 2

  Silvia Pencak

  22 May 2013 | 2:06 am

  Last week I started to talk about change and its place in business. I gave you examples of the companies which didn’t handle change so well. If you missed the article, click here to access the information and catch up. As John Maxwell once said it: “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” In other words, [...]The post How To Innovate: Are You Afraid of Change? Part 2 appeared first on .

• Are You Afraid of Change?

  Silvia Pencak

  14 May 2013 | 1:11 am

  Change is inevitable, someone once said. Yet, look around and you’ll see businesses, organizations, families and individuals who resist change. We like same old and easily get comfortable staying in the same jobs, same houses, driving same cars, watching same shows, living same daily routines. Unknown scares us, as it invades our security and pushes [...]The post Are You Afraid of Change? appeared first on .

• Story In Business: Story Matters!

  Silvia Pencak

  29 Apr 2013 | 2:04 am

  I’ve always loved stories. My friends had their favorite styles of movies and books, but I didn’t care that much about the author or type or style. I still like it all – action, romance, comedy, western, just like I dislike all of the above without a great story. Music isn’t an exception. I like [...]The post Story In Business: Story Matters! appeared first on .

• Build Business Online: How to Increase Traffic to Your Website

  Silvia Pencak

  22 Apr 2013 | 2:14 am

  I know I already mentioned traffic in these series (if you missed previous posts, click here to catch up), but because it’s so crucial, I decided to get back to this topic once again. On a regular basis I meet business owners who are so sure that their business is performing well online (meaning they [...]The post Build Business Online: How to Increase Traffic to Your Website appeared first on .

• Build Business Online: Follow Up

  Silvia Pencak

  15 Apr 2013 | 2:11 am

  Many people believe that setting up a business online is the hardest part, what they don’t realize is how difficult it can be to keep their business competitive once they are up and running.  Today we’ll look closely at follow up. I will cover three major areas where follow up and follow through will help [...]The post Build Business Online: Follow Up appeared first on .

• 

  Labbrand Brand Innovations blogs

• Dog vs. Cat? 360buy’s New Visual Identity, Brand Mascot and Expansion Plan

  admin

  13 May 2013 | 3:59 am

• PPR Renames to Kering for Transformed Brand Identity

  admin

  11 Apr 2013 | 12:04 am

• Branding with Chinese Zodiac: The Year of Snake Embraced by Global Brands

  admin

  14 Mar 2013 | 8:04 pm

• Not a Simple Name Change: RIM Becomes BlackBerry Means Shift in Brand Architecture

  admin

  31 Jan 2013 | 11:06 pm

• Digital in China: Luxury Edition

  admin

  11 Jan 2013 | 12:21 am

• 

  Audacity

• Audacity reigns supreme at Dx Awards

  The Audacity Team

  8 May 2013 | 4:21 pm

  At the 2013 Annual Dx Creative Communication Awards, Audacity took home two awards for both its client and self-promotional work. Since 1989, the Diagnostic Marketing Association (DxMA) has hosted a yearly awards program to recognize the “best of the best” in diagnostics marketing. This is the Dx Creative Communications Awards! At this year’s ceremony, held in Philadelphia, dozens of agencies and well-known health and science brands went head-to-head across a multitude of categories. Names like Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics, and more were vying for…

• Introducing BrainSpores—comprehensive analytics to guide your team dynamics

  The Audacity Team

  6 May 2013 | 9:43 am

  Audacity is pleased to announce the website launch for life science research performance analysis and consulting group, BrainSpores. Have you ever pondered the answers to questions such as what separates the “good labs” from the “bad labs”? How about why some researchers seem to win more grants than others? BrainSpores knows the answers to these questions and many more. Now, with the launch of its official website (designed and coded by Audacity) BrainSpores aims to help laboratory communities understand the answers to these questions too. Thanks to the website’s clean and…

• Thermo Fisher wins the Life Technologies bidding war with $13.6B offer

  The Audacity Team

  15 Apr 2013 | 1:54 pm

  In what is sure to go down as one of the biggest sales of 2013 – and one of the biggest sales of the last 5 years – laboratory equipment and analytical instrument provider Thermo Fisher Scientific has completed an agreement to acquire California-based Life Technologies for a whopping $13.6 billion. With this merger, Thermo Fisher Scientific easily becomes one of the largest players in life science arena today, with few names to rival the breadth and depth of its portfolio. The companies released a joint statement today declaring both parties had reached a definitive agreement…

• Audacity proudly supports SDSU with new marketing lifecycle infographic

  The Audacity Team

  4 Apr 2013 | 10:05 am

  Audacity is proud to support San Diego State University’s (SDSU) College of Extended Studies with a featured spread on marketing in the latest edition of their digital magazine. Have you ever struggled to understand the different phases of the marketing lifecycle? Struggle no further with the help of this simple, easy-to-follow infographic. Featured in the latest edition of Upfront (Volume 8, March 2013), SDSU’s digital magazine for the College of Extended Studies, this helpful infographic designed by Audacity summarizes each of the six key phases of the marketing lifecycle, from…

• bioscience research rebranded – introducing the new Percepta Associates

  The Audacity Team

  8 Mar 2013 | 8:38 am

  Audacity is pleased to announce the brand refresh and website relaunch for life science market research and consulting group, Percepta Associates. Most people measure the quality of a market research team by their ability to deliver clients with knowledgeable and actionable data. Above all, this data must help drive strategic business decisions in a positive direction. For life science market researchers, delivering on this promise can be exponentially more challenging. The continued mitotic expansion of niche scientific communities and technologies coupled with the rising appeal to move into…

• 

  Hinge Branding and Marketing Blog

• The Best B2B Lead Generation Solution for Management Consultants? Stop Selling!

  courand@hingemarketing.com

  22 May 2013 | 4:00 am

    Clients’ understanding of the problem to be solved, finding enough budget, a difficult economy, long sales cycles – all these challenges add up to a difficult business development environment for management consultants.  In these circumstances, there is often pressure to close a deal by “selling” the services and talking about how good they are. This can be counterproductive.  What works better is a content-based, b2b lead generation solution that provides a steady flow of interested prospects.  Just having the relationships is not enough to win…

• Why We Love B2B Social Media: Cocktails and So Much More

  courand@hingemarketing.com

  20 May 2013 | 6:43 am

    “Why should we bother with social media?” We frequently hear professional services firms repeating some version of this question, but neglecting social media for B2B is a mistake. For B2B, social media is a professional workhorse that can play a wide variety of roles. The 5 Roles of B2B Social Media 1. The Cocktail Party Social media’s original intended role, as an online networking system, is still important for professional marketing firms. Treat Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook as an online cocktail party—a way to meet new people and develop important business…

• A Two-Pronged Approach to Your Market Research Process

  courand@hingemarketing.com

  17 May 2013 | 7:30 am

    When conducting market research for your professional services firm, there are several methods from which to choose.  Which methods are right for your firm will depend on your situation and specific goals.  In any case, if you want to paint the clearest picture of your marketplace and your brand, you’ll likely need to undertake both secondary and primary research as part of your market research process. Let’s take a look at what you can accomplish with these two forms of research and why each is necessary.  Understanding Your Market with Secondary Research…

• The Role of Social Media in a Lead Generating Website

  courand@hingemarketing.com

  15 May 2013 | 7:21 am

    Valuable content written? Check.  Content optimized for search engines? Check. Now it’s time to sit back and let the traffic roll in. Right? No!  Just because you have a worthy site doesn’t mean people are going to find it right away.  It’s your job to proactively connect your site to the rest of the world.  Your website right now lives on a quiet country road.  You are in the middle of nowhere and besides your own employees, nobody knows your site exists.  Living in the country is great if you’re looking for peace and quiet, but…

• Reputation Marketing vs. Relationship Building in Professional Services

  courand@hingemarketing.com

  13 May 2013 | 4:48 am

    If there is such a thing as marketing dogma in professional services, it is that cultivating personal relationships is the best way to market. “It’s all about relationships” is the battle cry. The influence of this belief is pervasive. Many, perhaps even most, marketing budgets are built around networking opportunities and personal contact. Golf outing, anyone? But is it true? Is developing personal relationships the best way to market professional services? Reputation vs. Relationship As it turns out, there is an answer to this question. We recently conducted a major…

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  A Visual Identity

• Award Winning Web Designs of the Week – 05/20

  davodey

  20 May 2013 | 9:58 am

  Click any of the images below to view the award winning web design.  Let us know which designs are your favorite!

• Parallax Scrolling, It’s Not For Everyone

  davodey

  16 May 2013 | 11:47 am

  To scroll or not to scroll, that is today’s question!  When the topic of parallax scrolling comes up, you’ll get mixed opinions.  Some love the concept; others hate it, especially anyone who is a web copywriter, or a SEO ninja.  From a designer’s perspective, parallax scrolling sites can be marvels, if implemented correctly.  They are captivating, original, and can really make an impact, making you stand out from your competition.  If you are new to the industry, or a potential client, who may not know what parallax scrolling is.  Parallax scrolling allows images on a website to…

• Award Winning Web Designs of the Week – 05/11

  davodey

  11 May 2013 | 6:37 pm

  Click any of the images below to view the award winning web design.  Let us know which designs are your favorite!

• Adobe CC Marks the Beginning of a New Era

  davodey

  9 May 2013 | 3:16 pm

  Say goodbye to perpetual licenses and say hello to a new era for Adobe.  During the Adobe Max Conference, this week, Adobe revealed that they will move forward with their subscription based service Creative Cloud.   They will stop supporting perpetual licenses that come with boxed software.  While some are outraged at this new subscription based concept others are embracing it with open arms, especially individuals and smaller customers, including myself What I enjoy most about being a Creative Cloud subscriber, is the upgrades. Adobe has been consistently updating their software, every…

• The Death of the Home Page Image Slider

  davodey

  6 May 2013 | 11:52 am

  We have all seen or interacted with the dreaded home page image slider.  If you have not seen one, I would have to seriously question your sanity, or what time period your living in.  It seems like every web site in America has one of those cookie cutter image sliders on their homepage.  In fact most of our client’s, first requests, is to make sure there is some sort of image rotator,  on the home page of their website.  My first question back is always “WHY?” A website has between 5-15 seconds, to entice a new visitor, to make an action, and that’s being a bit generous. A…

• 

  Aaker on Brands

• Pampers Reframes Disposable Diapers In China

  22 May 2013 | 12:00 am

  P&G’s Pampers completely reframed the diaper category in China, and in doing so created enormous growth for the category and for the brand. It is a good example of how focusing on category competition is a better route to growth than trying to win the “my brand is better than your brand” battle. The story is fascinating and informative, not only with respect to framing a category but to entering a new country with a different culture.Pampers entered the China market in 1998 with a strategy of making a cheaper version of their Western product. The result was indeed cheap, and also was of…

• Red Bull: The Ultimate Brand Builder

  15 May 2013 | 12:00 am

  A pioneer in energy drinks three decades ago, Red Bull is now the world sales leader with estimated 2012 fiscal sales of over $3 billion, profits over $400 million, and a 43% leading US dollar market. To establish a new category in the face of Coke and Pepsi and then hold it for decades is very impressive. Four quick observations about Red Bull’s unique approach to brand building: Red Bull’s brand building is largely based on associating its brand with an amazingly wide range of people, teams and events.Red Bull believes in owning teams and events rather than being one of several…

• Higher Purpose Branding: 14 Brands Are Doing It Right

  8 May 2013 | 12:00 am

  Since I began this blog, about 10% of my posts have highlighted a brand whose branding and marketing programs have been, in my eyes, impressive. These dozen or so cases, most of which have demonstrable business success as well, all have something in common. They all have a higher purpose. Some have several. They offer a basis for a customer relationship that goes beyond functional benefits to generate self-expressive, emotional or social benefits. They all rise above the “my-brand-is-better-than-your-brand” competition and the noise that goes with it.Consider the higher purpose of the…

• Dove: The Most Impressive Brand Builder in the Last 15 Years?

  1 May 2013 | 12:00 am

  What are the most impressive brand building efforts in last 15 years? In constructing such a list, it would be hard to leave out Dove. A $200 million soap brand in the early 1990s has grown into a brand that has been estimated to be nearly $4 billion dollars today. They play in an intensively competitive arena with large, smart and established competitors. And in my view, the Dove brand building effort played a big role in their success story. Have you seen the latest from the Dove ongoing “Campaign for Real Beauty” that originated in Brazil and was done by Ogilvy & Mather in 2004? A…

• Three Threats to Brand Relevance: Strategies That Work

  24 Apr 2013 | 12:00 am

  My newest book, Three Threats to Brand Relevance is out this week in e-book form. It’s a shorter form book, and can be viewed as a supplement to my book released last year, Brand Relevance. Brand Relevance explains that the only way to grow is to develop “must haves” through big innovation that will render competitors irrelevant. It is the path to winning. This new book shows the path to avoid losing. As markets become dynamic, there is a real risk that your brand will become irrelevant. The book explains the three threats to look out for and how to avoid them or deal with them.The…

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  Blossoming Blog

• Using blogging to build your brand

  Alexia

  9 May 2013 | 7:49 am

  This month’s articles for Fresh Business Thinking are all about blogging. It’s not going anywhere. In fact it’s role as a crucial element of your personal marketing mix is pretty solid. Business websites who have an active blog generate significant more traffic and hence business than those that don’t. But what about if you haven’t [...]

• Getting the most out of LinkedIn

  Alexia

  7 May 2013 | 2:04 am

  My latest articles for Fresh Business Thinking are all about LinkedIn. We’re all aware of it – some of us more than others. And for those who’ve never yet broached this particular social media ‘minefield,’ LinkedIn can manifest itself as a nagging black cloud in their consciousness. It’s a social media site which has many [...]

• My rebrand story #2: Why I’m rebranding

  Alexia

  5 Nov 2012 | 7:24 am

  The short answer is there was a gap between what I said I did and what I actually did; the services sited on my website didn’t marry up with my recent projects and clients. How I was communicating who I was and what I did wasn’t right anymore. But while I knew it wasn’t right, [...]

• I’m rebranding!

  Alexia

  29 Oct 2012 | 8:46 am

  I’m rebranding. Yes. You read that right. A person, ME, is rebranding. You might think that rebranding is reserved for businesses and products, but in doing so you’re missing the point. Branding is all about your sense of self and identity and how you express that. So, when a company or product rebrands, what they’re [...]

• What’s the difference between personal branding, personal marketing and reputation?

  Alexia

  23 Oct 2012 | 3:59 am

  So, what IS the difference between personal branding, personal marketing and reputation? Maybe I’m getting old, because I fancy having a rant. Why? Because the web is full of personal branding articles written by people who don’t REALLY understand what personal branding is. What they’re really writing about it Personal Bragging. So, I’d like to [...]

• 

  Karen Kang's BrandingPays

• From Italy with a Smile: How I Reinvented My Personal Brand

  Karen Kang

  26 Apr 2013 | 8:30 am

  I saw my dental hygienist this week. Not an earth-shattering event but significant because it made me think about reinventing one’s brand. Not hers, mine. As she peered in my mouth, she told me that she is amazed at how successfully I have rebranded myself (in addition to keeping my pearly whites healthy!). She remembered how in 2005 I was known as an Italian vacation specialist with the company tagline, “Savor the Real Italy.” Today, I am a book author and recognized branding expert. My book, BrandingPays, has been featured in national media like Businessweek, WSJ Radio, Fast Company…

• Branding From the Inside Out: Hawai‘i Style

  Karen Kang

  27 Mar 2013 | 8:15 am

  I often talk about branding from the inside out—that is, from your core values to how you represent your brand. But, it never quite hit home until I was in Kona, Hawaiʻi, running enterprise branding workshops with 22 social entrepreneurs. Despite overcast skies, our Sheraton Kona hotel was resplendent with flowers, the sounds of Hawaiian chanting and the tastes of the Sam Choy Annual Poke contest. The enterprises in the workshops ran the gamut from non-profits protecting Hawaii’s fragile ecosystem to for-profit restaurant and food service organizations. All had this in common: a love for…

• Best-Selling Author Geoffrey Moore Talks About the Need for Personal Branding in the New Economy

  Karen Kang

  6 Feb 2013 | 8:30 am

  I’d love for everyone to watch this short and compelling video from Geoffrey Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm and most recently, Escape Velocity:   He talks about why changing business models make strategic personal branding essential for career success. We have moved from a “command and control hierarchy” to a collaborative management model where we are all “free agents” interplaying across an ecosystem. In the New Economy, it is our job as an agent or “company of one,” to market ourselves. Moore, who wrote the foreword to my book, BrandingPays™: The Five-Step System…

• Go For It: How I Faced My Fears and Wrote a Book on Personal Branding

  Karen Kang

  4 Jan 2013 | 10:00 am

  This year, I did something I have been wanting to do for years. I published a book called BrandingPays™: The Five-Step System to Reinvent Your Personal Brand. For more than 20 years, I have been a positioning and branding expert. Six of those years were spent as a principal and partner with Regis McKenna’s legendary marketing consulting firm that put many iconic Silicon Valley brands on the map, including Apple, Intel and Genentech. One can reasonably say that I had the experience and credentials to write a book. So why did it take me so long? I had a truckload of excuses. I don’t have…

• Six Triggers for Refreshing Your Personal Brand

  Karen Kang

  5 Dec 2012 | 10:00 am

  The world is dynamic. Your brand needs to keep up with the times. If the world is talking about social marketing and you only do broadcast advertising, your reputation as a current marketer will suffer. You need to position yourself with the new skills and mindset required for the modern world. Whether you are looking for a job or currently employed, there are a number of changes that may trigger a need for you to refresh your personal brand. My top six are: 1. New job search or career change. If your job or career goal is different from the job you currently hold or had in the past, you need…

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  Do You Have A Disastrous Internet Identity in need of an Internet Identity 911?

• Video Marketing Easy Video Editing on the Mac Dr. Marc and Charlie

  DrMarcNCharlie@CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com (Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr)

  22 May 2013 | 4:08 am

  http://TheVideoMarketingGuys.com How's your bottom line? Are you making all the money you want? Ever wonder why people can't find you online just at the moment they really need you?... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com

• Video Marketing Betsy Fry Testimonial by Dr. Marc and Charlie

  DrMarcNCharlie@CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com (Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr)

  22 May 2013 | 4:06 am

  http://TheVideoMarketingGuys.com How's your bottom line? Are you making all the money you want? Ever wonder why people can't find you online just at the moment they really need you?... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com

• Video Marketing Minute with Dr. Marc and Charlie – Seth Godin and Icarus Deception

  DrMarcNCharlie@CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com (Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr)

  21 May 2013 | 4:10 am

  Video Marketing Minute by Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr. In this episode, Charlie talks about Seth Godin and his book, “The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly?” It’s important to be... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com

• Video Marketing – You As Star – Sony Vegas Movie Studio Works Well

  DrMarcNCharlie@CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com (Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr)

  16 May 2013 | 4:20 am

  http://UnleashYourRockStarIdentity.com Video Marketing – You As Star by Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr. In this preview you’ll understand that the PC software Sony Vegas Movie... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com

• Have To Make More Money? Turn To Dr. Marc and Charlie

  DrMarcNCharlie@CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com (Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr)

  15 May 2013 | 4:09 am

  http://TheVideoMarketingGuys.com How's your bottom line? Are you making all the money you want? Ever wonder why people can't find you online just at the moment they really need you?... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com

• 

  Strategy & Brand

• One Of Our Heroes

  ShowDog

  22 May 2013 | 5:14 pm

  Posted in Brand IdentityBrand NarrativeFavorite Brands Share and Enjoy:

• How Do I Develop A Personal Brand?

  Great Dame

  21 May 2013 | 8:51 am

  Posted in 365Brand ImagePersonal BrandStrategyYou get one shot at life! We should all act accordingly- strategically plotting a plan to do what you love! With all that in mind you should know that we aren’t convinced that people need “personal brands”. But, if you want to know how to identify and fulfill your purpose, amplify your authenticity, elevate your credibility, live in harmony with your values, express your personal code consistently through your character, decision making, and resolve…while driving your unique perspective, honing your thought leadership, and focusing your…

• SLIDE SHOW: JC Penney – Iconic Brand Failure

  Great Dame

  13 May 2013 | 1:53 pm

  Posted in Brand BuildingBrand DevelopmentBrand LoyaltyChange ManagementIconic BrandStrategyPrintable Version>> Related Post>> JCPSlideShow JCPSlideShow4 JCPSlideShow5 JCPSlideShow6 JCPSlideShow7 JCPSlideShow8 JCPSlideShow9 JCPSlideShow10 JCPSlideShow11 JCPSlideShow12 JCPSlideShow13 JCPSlideShow14 JCPSlideShow15 JCPSlideShow16 JCPSlideShow17 JCPSlideShow18 JCPSlideShow19 JCPSlideShow20 JCPSlideShow21 Share and Enjoy:

• Want to Own Your Own Brand of Awesome?

  ShowDog

  9 May 2013 | 11:57 am

  Posted in Brand BuildingSocial ResponsibilityStrategic PartnerBlackDog is offering 7 Matching Grants to 7 Companies ready to “go for it”! http://blackdogstrategy.com/entrepreneurs/ Share and Enjoy:

• More Good Stuff Here ->

  The BlackDog Team

  9 May 2013 | 11:54 am

  Posted in Brand Buildinghttp://https://www.facebook.com/BlackDogStrategy?fref=ts Share and Enjoy:

• 

  brandsalsa.com

• Humanitarian, Do-gooder Brands

  Meara Lyons

  21 May 2013 | 11:52 am

  I started writing today’s post about the recent controversy surrounding Abercrombie & Fitch and the effect on its brand, but I discovered I couldn’t be happier that I’m not a reporter – no matter how I approached it, I couldn’t be objective. A few links surrounding the story are below this post; feel free to [...]

• Brands We Love: Publix

  Lizzy Guterma

  16 May 2013 | 2:54 pm

  Plain and simple, I love Publix. It’s a love affair that‘s going on 20+ years, and with the Florida-based grocer now entering my adopted home state of North Carolina, it’s an affair I don’t see ending anytime soon.   There are so many reasons to love a grocer whose tagline is “where shopping is a [...]

• Branding 101: Product Placement and TV Shows

  Meara Lyons

  14 May 2013 | 6:06 am

  Branding has become such a general term – a catch-all for everything relating to a brand: names, logos, portfolio organization (we call this architecture), advertising, public relations and marketing. In its purest form, branding is defined as “the promoting of a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand.” So, sticking with this [...]

• For the Love of Moms

  Meara Lyons

  9 May 2013 | 1:22 pm

  With Mother’s Day this weekend, we found it apropos to focus on how brands capitalize on this holiday to generate buzz and attention.   First off, a little history about Mother’s Day: 150 years ago, Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness of the poor health conditions in her community, a [...]

• The Appeal of Shopping Local

  Lizzy Guterma

  7 May 2013 | 1:59 pm

  Here on brandsalsa and at Addison Whitney, we spend a lot of time talking about big global brands, and with good reason – they’re the most recognizable and impact our daily lives. It is also fascinating to watch brands that have been around for decades develop innovative and creative ways to stay relevant. But, today, [...]

• 

  Brand Touchpoints

• Sales lessons from a Cambodian girl

  Abhinaya Chandrasekhar

  21 May 2013 | 11:15 pm

  Last summer I went backpacking in Cambodia. Out of all the wonderful experiences, this is one I absolutely have to share. The ruins of Angkor (Siem Reap) are dotted with small souvenir shacks. As I made my way to the royal pool, I heard a little girl’s voice behind me. “Hey Lady, are you from India?” It was my third day and by then I had learnt to ignore the many hawkers who try to sell you stuff. But this girl’s question stopped me in my tracks. She wasn’t trying to sell me anything. She seemed to want a simple conversation. So I obliged. I turned and said, “Yes. Why?” She…

• So your brand is trending? Big shit!

  Abhinaya Chandrasekhar

  16 May 2013 | 11:30 pm

  Notice the sudden increase in twitter and Facebook contests? It’s convenient, simple to create and requires no investment. And with the million tweets and RTs you can watch your brand skyrocket to the most trending topics. So what? Memory of this epic moment is only remembered by the marketing and brand employees of the company, definitely not by the people who might buy your brand. But to be fair to these platforms, they do create a powerful opportunity window for the brand to build a meaningful relationship with the customer. It’s not their fault that this window is hardly utilized …

• Photos of You on instagram

  Abhinaya Chandrasekhar

  14 May 2013 | 10:26 pm

  Instagram introduces a new feature – Photos of You. Now you can tag everybody and almost everything on the pic, much like Facebook. Your profile will collate all the tagged pictures for you to review. We’re excited to introduce Photos of You and bring you a new way to share and discover stories on Instagram. When you upload a photo to Instagram, you’re now able to add people as easily as you add hashtags. Only you can add people to your photos, so you have control over the images you share. And it doesn’t stop at people—you can add any account on Instagram, whether it’s your best…

• CANALI gets an identity makeover

  Abhinaya Chandrasekhar

  7 May 2013 | 12:40 am

  Almost eight decades after its inception, Canali the giant Italian luxury menswear gets a new identity. Probably one that does justice to its strong brand philosophy.  The new identity has a stylised “C” as a symbol with a needle intersecting the monogram like a tailor’s tack placed above the existing Canali logo.       The slickness and fine craftsmanship that this brand stands for is definitely brought alive through the new identity. In fact it also distinguishes this brand from the other heritage luxe brands. To support the new identity, their website also has a fresh…

• Gone Superdry yet?

  Abhinaya Chandrasekhar

  6 May 2013 | 2:40 am

  “A cult brand takes years and years of consistent value delivery before it can achieve its iconic status.” Or so we’ve been told. Meet Superdry – a brand that fast tracked its way to a cult status in less than 10 years. Built by Julian Dunkerton and James Holder, Superdry has its own unique story. Dunkerton was just 19 when he took his first tentative steps in the fashion business. A year later he set up his “Cult” boutique on a Cheltenham market stall, selling London fashions to the bored teenagers of the genteel Cotswold spa town. Cult grew slowly and steadily, and…

• 

  Mark Di Somma

• Now showing on Branding Strategy Insider

  markdisomma

  21 May 2013 | 2:57 am

  By Mark Di Somma I’ve been a fan of the good people at Branding Strategy Insider for many years. Regular readers will know that I have quoted a number of the site’s contributors on a number of occasions. So I’m absolutely thrilled that they’ve chosen to pick up a number of my posts in recent days and to feature them on the site: Creating a Powerful Brand Manifesto explains how and why every brand must be prepared to nail its colours to a church door; A Brand that Discounts or a Discount Brand examines the fundamental difference between brands that use discounts strategically and those…

• Nailing your opinions: creating a powerful brand manifesto

  markdisomma

  17 May 2013 | 4:26 pm

  By Mark Di Somma On All Saint’s Day 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church, sparking, in the eyes of many, what would become the Protestant Reformation. Whether or not he actually did post the Theses (of course there is historical debate) and what that generated are off-topic, but the action of pinning your colours to a statement of beliefs for all the world to see lies at the core of building and articulating an opinionated brand. Brands build trust through behaviours. And behaviours should be based on clear principles. Those principles should bring your…

• When projects don’t stack: the fine art of understanding mistakes

  markdisomma

  15 May 2013 | 3:06 am

  By Mark Di Somma When a project doesn’t meet expectations, I’m fascinated by what gets asked, who does the asking and what, if anything, emerges as the key learning. My view is that we should treat projects that don’t go to plan not so much as wreckages but rather as breakages: they occur when the picture we have in our minds of what will occur shatters, splits or simply falls a different way than we had led ourselves to expect. That can mean something as elemental as having the wrong picture in the first place – or it can come down to developments that pulled things out of alignment.

• Don’t just provide reasons to buy. Change the reason for buying.

  markdisomma

  10 May 2013 | 6:54 pm

  By Mark Di Somma It’s tempting when your product all but parallels that of your competitors to be drawn into a meaningless war: a fight for market share that revolves around devaluing (looking to price the other guy out), trivial pursuit (nit-picking on features in a bid to show technical advantage) or overshadowing (spending up large in mainstream media in a bid to raise “awareness”). The problem with chasing competitive preference is that brands spend far too much time focusing on the competitive aspects and far too little insight on identifying where the preferences could lie. All…

• 8 ways to react when the knives come out

  markdisomma

  7 May 2013 | 3:07 am

  By Mark Di Somma Being non-popular is not the same as being unpopular. Brands that are non-popular are simply not prepared to do whatever it takes to court popular favour. They do their own thing, their own way – and look to attract cult followings via like minds. But brands that have become unpopular have lost likeability. That’s a disturbing development if you’re trying to be liked by as many people as possible. The hardest thing about seeking to be liked is that we all do business today in an environment where criticism is ubiquitous. The ability for anyone with an internet…

• 

  Saffron Brand Consultants

• Thriving in the squeezed middle

  Ian Stephens

  14 May 2013 | 6:09 am

  Successful brand positioning for the ‘big but not biggest’ international law firms According to Citi Group’s latest legal sector analysis, law firms can no longer rely on ‘a rising tide lifting all boats’ over the coming years. In fact they say the tide is well and truly out. This is not news to anyone experiencing the market up close, but a salutary warning nonetheless. Leaders of these firms need to adapt to this new environment rather than sit tight hope that things return to ‘normal’ once the global economy starts to improve. This ‘new normal’ market environment raises a…

• Breakfast with Nine Elms

  inga

  13 May 2013 | 2:49 am

  Saffron, together with Nine Elms, today hosted another event in its series of breakfast events in London. Over twenty managing directors and senior marketers from the UK’s leading property and development companies and architect studios discussed the ideas on how to create a place brand that can inspire people beyond the bricks and mortar proposition. Matt Townend, Development Director — Residential, for the Battersea Power Station Development Company and a member of Nine Elms Strategy Board, a recent Saffron client, shared share his experience of how Nine Elms used the idea of new…

• Bruno Maag + Saffron

  inga

  10 May 2013 | 10:06 am

  We hosted the infamous Bruno Maag – from Dalton Maag – as a lunchtime guest at Saffron. The self-named Helvetica Killer, Bruno is a passionate speaker who encouraged us to throw on our lurid, silky, typo-nerd anoraks, pulled out from the closet, for a joust in the boxing ring with bloody words set in bloody type.  We heard inspiring stories, from Bruno’s early days as an apprentice typesetter to his recent work in China where he crafted over 27,500 type characters for a major global brand. www.daltonmaag.com

• Nine Years – Nine Elms

  Sahil

  1 May 2013 | 6:39 am

  Nine Things we love about….Nine Elms Start north of the river in Chelsea and cross the new footbridge into Nine Elms Walk past the new American Embassy built by Philadelphia-based practice Kieran Timberlake, tipped for this year’s Pritzker Prize. Visit the new Smithsonian London Gallery – it’s ‘Americans in Britain’ exhibition is truly excellent. After you’ve had your fill of history, pick up a picnic at The Garden Heart – part of new Covent Garden Market, it’s only recently been open to the public. Take your lunch to the gorgeous Linear Park – probably the best park South…

• Come on India – wake up!

  wally

  1 May 2013 | 6:11 am

  BRANDING IN INDIAN COMPANIES?   IF ONLY IT WERE TRUE! You would think, judging by the amount of time Indian businesses spend talking about branding, that they might understand something about it.   If only that were true.   But it seems to me, and I’ve been working in India on and off for more years than most people have lived, that for most Indian companies branding is still the logo and maybe a slogan.   It absolutely amazes me that so much time and effort and so many words are spent talking about branding and so little is actually done.   Where are the Indian brands that have…

• 

  The Frager Factor

• ==> Reaching Your Customers, Yesterday and Today

  22 May 2013 | 5:05 pm

  Yesterday, customers recognized you from your signs and your ads. Today, they find you using search engines and domain names. They type in names and words that may not be the ones you think they use. Yesterday, customers responded to your direct mail and TV ads. Today, you respond to their search inquiries. They use their search terms, not yours.Yesterday, customers were taught by your sales and

• Millennials The New Pioneers: Teen Bids $15 Million BIN On eBay

  21 May 2013 | 8:00 pm

  More developments ripped from social media. Pay careful attention to the AdAge article about the changing definition of TV to "non-network originals" and ponder its implications on the dotTV brand. Owen Fragerhttp://lnkd.in/PJFW8S Teen Bids $15 Million For Coca-Cola Recipe huffingtonpost.com Last week, antique hunter Cliff Kluge thought he may have found the secret recipe for

• LSD, 99 Cent Go Daddy Coupons and Yahoo / Tumbr $1bn Dollar Kiddy Porn Traffic

  21 May 2013 | 7:49 am

  Read all the latest headlines personally curated and plucked by me: GoDaddy Coupon Code Good for Three $0.99 .Com Domains dotsauce.com This is the first GoDaddy coupon code I have seen to offer three domain names discounted to just $0.99! The discount applies to both new registrations and transfers. I've tested and it works for me...Owen Frager via J.T. O'Donnell Class of

• 90 Second Eye Opener at 8: Tornado flattens Moore, Okla. (Video)

  21 May 2013 | 7:41 am

   A 200-mile-an-hour tornado kills at least 51 people, including 20 children. Also, the search and rescue operation continued overnight in Moore, Okla., for survivors trapped in the rubble. A look at what we've been covering on "CBS This Morning."

• Yahoo and "Alex" The Domain Spammer

  20 May 2013 | 4:54 pm

  These late-breaking stories ripped from the headlines on social media Owen Fragerhttp://lnkd.in/ghms8z Flickr Gets A Makeover — It's Been Supersized And Instagrammed readwrite.com Flickr's newly huge — in just about every sense of the word — makeover is sure to wow, at least as soon as confused users can figure out what's going on. Like Comment Share 59 seconds ago Owen

• 

  Savage Brands & Marketing Communications

• The Advantages of a Strong Company Culture to Employee Engagement

  Robin Tooms

  21 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  A company with engaged employees is easy to spot. In these organizations, the culture is clearly defined and employees understand the purpose and goals they are working toward. Simply put, there is a feeling of shared success. The benefits of engaged employees for the company are proven. Companies that engage their employees are 18% more productive and 16% more profitable. It pays to make your company a place your employees want to work. To fully engage an employee, a company must satisfy the individual’s need for success, fulfill their desire to be part of something larger than themselves…

• Need More Effective Communications? Start by Aligning Your Brand with Your Culture

  Robin Tooms

  16 May 2013 | 8:19 am

  Your company is sending out communications every day, but do these messages paint an accurate picture of your customers’ experience with the company? If your customers see a disconnect between what you say you do and what your employees actually do, then that creates a “credibility gap” for your brand. When your employees' actions are in alignment with your brand messages, you have the opportunity to create credible communications that drive action by reinforcing your customers' relationship with you.

• Ask the Expert: The key to becoming a top brand – Purpose

  Savage

  14 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  Creating an authentic brand is all about being consistent: your vision and messaging need to align with employee behaviors. That's why having a clear purpose is so critical to branding. Robin Tooms, Vice President of Strategy at Savage, talks about how purpose makes it easy to spot a top brand.

• Coding is a Design Tool: SXSW Takeaway

  Obi Okogbue

  9 May 2013 | 8:24 am

  How can developers and designers better work together? Do they each stay in their separate silos, or is there overlap in the two functions? Savage Obi Okogbue talks about a statement from one of the speakers at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin that made an impact on his interactions with team members. “Coding is a design tool.”

• What You Can Learn about Recruiting from America’s Top 5 Places to Work

  Sara McPherson

  26 Apr 2013 | 7:38 am

  What makes a company a great place to work? Each year, Fortune magazine releases a list of the top 100 Best Companies to Work For. We’re taking a closer look at the top five, and what their methods can teach you about improving the working environment in your company.

• 

  BrandYourself Blog

• BrandYourself Q&A: Getting Started, the Fastest Way to Improve Results, Do Clicks Matter?, and Optimizing Your Profile Headline

  Patrick Kanaley

  8 May 2013 | 10:48 am

  Every week we get tons of questions about personal branding and reputation management from our members. Since we can’t be on call to answer every question at all times, we’re going to start posting answers to some of the most common questions we get. This week we’re covering getting started with BrandYourself, the fastest way to improve results, whether clicks matter in ranking search results, and how to optimize your profile headlines. Can BrandYourself be used for business and personal rankings? Short answer: You need to use a personal name. BrandYourself is a product…

• Brand New Version of BrandYourself is Launching Today! What You Need to Know

  Pete Kistler

  6 May 2013 | 8:19 am

  IMPORTANT: BrandYourself will be down today while we release these updates.  I’m excited to say that our team is hard at work today releasing a completely new version of BrandYourself, which will make it even easier to improve your own search results. This post is a guide to all the awesome new improvements. 1. Submitting, boosting and tracking links is now easier: We wanted to make sure you know where your important links rank and make it even easier to submit and boost them, so you can now do all that right from your home screen. All the recommended profiles that used to be in the…

• How to Find Out If An Employer Has Viewed Your Résumé or Cover Letter

  Patrick Kanaley

  3 May 2013 | 1:42 pm

  One of the most anxiety-inducing parts about job hunting is waiting to hear back after submitting your cover letter and résumé for a position. It’s a sort of waiting game filled with uncertainty. When should you follow up? Have they viewed your application yet? Why can’t you at least get an acknowledgement your application was received?—the process can be maddening. While there’s not much I can do to help with speeding up the response speed of hiring managers, there is a trick I’ve used in the past to quickly tell if an employer has looked at a résumé or cover…

• How to Improve a Negative Image Result on Google in 5 Steps

  Patrick Kanaley

  26 Apr 2013 | 3:06 pm

  We often get asked, “What can I do to improve my Google image results?” Whether it’s a mugshot or an unsavory New Year’s Eve party picture, if you have a negative photo showing up online it can be distressing. The good news is that more often than not the main problem is merely a lack of image content. Put simply, if there are very few images of you online (that are visible to Google), then it’s almost certain any new image will show up—negative or not. For our purposes, this means there’s a good chance that any positive images we can put out on the web…

• BrandYourself Is Back Up

  Patrick Kanaley

  16 Apr 2013 | 12:54 pm

  Hi everyone, The BrandYourself website is live again. Thanks for your patience while the site was under maintenance, and apologies for any frustration. I know it was inconvenient for many of you to have just received a survey promo code and then be unable to use it. That said, you should be able to apply any promo codes to your account now, and all accounts should be working normally again. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience in the maintenance timing, and please feel free to direct any questions or concerns to support@brandyourself.com, and we’ll do our best to get back to you…

• 

  Semantic Argument

• UPS Store’s website imagery is creeping me out

  Rob

  27 Apr 2013 | 10:14 pm

  Just saw this on the website of my local UPS Store and am now wondering if they cater mainly to ex-chemistry teachers who’ve turned to meth manufacturing.

• The Interbrand Anagram Project

  Rob

  27 Mar 2013 | 6:39 pm

  We’ve been having some fun with the letters of “Interbrand” while we’re waiting for new signage.

• Who named Nemo?

  Rob

  28 Feb 2013 | 10:31 pm

  [This post was originally published on Interbrand's blog.] Meteorologists today predicted a “parade of storms across the US” next week. As citizens of Northeast and Midwestern cities battle the severe weather, they may also have to contend with a blizzard of new names like “Plato,” “Q,” “Rocky” and “Saturn.” The last time a big storm [...]

• 

  Brand Camp University | Branding, Entrepreneurship + Technology - Hajj Flemings

• How to Become a Thought Leader by Geoff Livingston

  Hajj E. Flemings

  8 May 2013 | 1:00 pm

  On May 20, 2013 Geoff Livingston, Marketing Strategist at Vocus, Inc. will be speaking at Brand Camp ’13 – NYC on the topic, ‘How to Become a Thought Leader How to Become a Thought Leader Session Description Link to Register:  http://brandcampunyc13.com Your colleagues at the office recognize you as an expert, and your knowledge and [...]

• The Brand Gap: @BrandCampU Focuses on the intersection of tech, design + branding

  Hajj E. Flemings

  6 May 2013 | 12:35 pm

  Brand Camp ’13 – NYC:  Branding, Entrepreneurship + Technology Conference is a high performance learning experience designed to bring together talented minds to spark the creation and acceleration of ideas that sit at the intersection of technology, design and branding. Through a series of conversations, panel discussions and keynotes lead by respected thought leaders, Brand [...]

• Brand Camp University – Blogging Internship

  Hajj E. Flemings

  2 May 2013 | 1:59 pm

  Brand Camp University – Blogging Internship Description Brand Camp University is seeking interns with strong knowledge and understanding of the digital media landscape. The internship positions require the individuals to be a great storytellers with strong critical thinking skills and creativity who are passionate about developing great content. This is an unpaid internship but would [...]

• The Build, Innovate + Grow NYC @BrandCampU Conf is Coming 05/20

  Hajj E. Flemings

  25 Apr 2013 | 9:59 am

  The 2013 Build, Innovate and Grow Conference Series is launching in NYC on May 20th at the Riverside Theatre hosted by Brand Camp University. Branding, entrepreneurial thinking and technology are driving the ideas, companies and organizations that we are all building and growing. The Brand Camp experience is a collection of conversations, panels and keynotes [...]

• Manoush Zomorodi

  Hajj E. Flemings

  10 Apr 2013 | 12:00 pm

  Host of WNYC's New Tech City

• 

  Blake's Blog

• How to Create Opportunities and Make Yourself Magnetic

  Blake Landau

  11 May 2013 | 4:35 pm

  When people meet you what signals do you send them? This very issue is covered in a wonderful book I recently read called The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism. I also read a second book that blew my mind. It was called The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level. If you are someone seeking something–whether that be career opportunities, love or customers to your business these two books are absolutely amazing. Have you recently met someone who seems down and out? Like nothing could lift their face into a smile or…

• Replenishing the well

  Blake Landau

  18 Mar 2013 | 4:22 pm

  I’ve been working on myself lately. I’m working on my attitude to come from a place of yes. I think this is something no one can ever stop working on. Gratitude is truly an every day thing. Every single day. I’m starting to realize the less complicated our lives are, the less we need. The less we need, the easier it is to take risks–moving in the direction of our passions. My dog Athena is my hero. This fifteen pound puppy doesn’t have an ego–no ego, no demands, no negativity. She’s utterly blissed out by the seemingly trivial opportunity to sniff…

• Caring More Is A Good Thing

  Blake Landau

  11 Mar 2013 | 11:00 pm

  Any good stuff in my life happened because I cared more–I gave with my heart. Caring more compelled me to raise my hand. It compelled me to write about stuff that you would never “monetize.” I never just wanted a paycheck from my job. I also never just wanted a paycheck from life. I wanted to live big–make life memorable. The people I love the most in my life are not the ones that always seem “cool.” They often have big personalities. They love hard. They speak their heart. They make themselves vulnerable. Sometimes they look scared. I honestly find these…

• I’m Looking At You, the One Who Thinks It’s Not His Problem

  Blake Landau

  7 Mar 2013 | 6:30 pm

  This note was written by a seven year old girl. Her mom found it. It’s a weight loss journal entry. The paper outlines her daughter’s weight-loss plan and reads: 17 pooshups 2 times a day 16 star jumps 2 time a day 2 yoget 3 appals 1 per 2 keewee froots 5 glases of water Rid my bike 3 times a day Rariry a meniy thing as you can find Jog/run up and down the driv way 3 times I don’t care if you’re a dad a 20 something year old or a CEO–you matter. You’re not doing enough. As the media becomes more powerful women are becoming meeker and meeker. To be a frail,…

• Being Strong For Other Women

  Blake Landau

  4 Mar 2013 | 4:45 pm

  Do you know that other women are watching you all the time? Whether you realize it or not you are setting an example for people you didn’t even realize were your Facebook friends. Are you setting an example of body shame for other women or are you engaging in a radical act of activism through self-love and respect? I believe if we want things to get better for women we need to change the national dialogue. I also believe it has to start with the local dialogue. For example, are you someone who wants to build women up? If you are I would encourage you to think twice before you make…

• 

  Fresh Sprouts

• 5 Ways it Pays to Have Passionate Brand Advocates

  Joellyn 'Joey' Sargent

  18 May 2013 | 12:09 pm

  A strong brand can mean the difference between winning a sale or losing it, commanding a premium price or selling at a discount. While this has been proven time and again through research, many executives (maybe you?) still question the value of branding, especially at budget time. Building brand equity takes a long-term commitment and consistent investments in intangibles like relationships and awareness. Because influence, affinity and advocacy can seem ethereal, it’s easier to allocate scarce financial resources to new equipment, facilities, hiring or technology. Brand love is not…

• Why It Pays to Know Your Customers

  Joellyn 'Joey' Sargent

  25 Apr 2013 | 7:55 am

  How well do you know your customers? If you’re like most executives, you probably feel that you have a pretty good handle on who buys from you and why. But do you really know who drives revenue growth for your company, and which customers have less impact overall? The answers to these questions can have a profound impact on your profitability, so it pays to dig deep to understand your buyers. Arby’s Knows Today I had the opportunity to listen to Arby’s President Hala Moddelmog as she described Arby’s recent efforts to get an up close and personal look at their best…

• Simplicity Rules: Why Complex Solutions to Business Issues Aren’t Always Better

  Joellyn 'Joey' Sargent

  18 Apr 2013 | 7:50 am

  Every now and then I see or hear complaints from executives who hired a consultant for help with a business problem, only to find the recommended solution was simply common sense. “I paid him thousands of dollars to tell me something I already knew!” they say. These people are understandably frustrated. They hired someone to tell them the answer was right in front of them. They learned that what they should have seen – or even what they knew but didn’t act on – was exactly what they needed. But if the answer was so blindingly obvious, why didn’t they do it?

• Mind Your Mission

  Joellyn 'Joey' Sargent

  11 Apr 2013 | 7:50 am

  I just returned from a strategy workshop in New York City with the iconic Dr. Alan Weiss. During the course of two-days with some of the top consultants in the world, we dug deep into best practices for developing strategies for businesses of all shapes and sizes. An item that struck me during this time was how often organizations lose sight of their mission – even if it’s framed on the  wall outside the boardroom. The problem is, for many businesses (and non-profits, too) the mission is represented by a bland mission statement that was crafted by a committee and beaten into…

• The Fallacy of Customer Delight

  Joellyn 'Joey' Sargent

  4 Apr 2013 | 7:55 am

  If you’re at all concerned with your customer experience, I’m sure you’ve heard (or read) about “delighting the customer.” This concept is bounced around as if it’s the panacea for all corporate ills: Simply delight the customer, and business will be booming. I have to challenge that assumption and ask, “Do you really need to delight your customers?” Delighting customers sounds good on the surface. Who wouldn’t want customers to express delight about the quality of service or the exceptional value provided by your products? We all…

• 

  Annemarie Cross

• Are you letting fear shatter your dreams of building a successful business?

  Annemarie Cross, Authority in Influence & Impact, Business Coach - Melbourne

  16 May 2013 | 3:55 am

  Building a successful business can certainly bring with it many challenges. While there are practical steps you can take to overcome some of the more common business obstacles (such as marketing, planning and setting up key business systems), it’s the inner challenges that are often the most difficult to overcome. Especially when it comes to fear, like: Fear of success Fear of failure Fear of not being liked Fear of being judged And the list goes on Left unchecked, fear can cause all sorts of issues for us including three common things that can potentially shatter your dreams of building a…

• Women Entrepreneurs: Still struggling with your pricing? Here’s why…

  Annemarie Cross, Authority in Influence & Impact, Business Coach - Melbourne

  8 May 2013 | 9:50 pm

  Pricing. Ugh! It’s a topic that many heart-centered solopreneurs dread because it’s confusing and raises many questions, including: “Where should I start?” “Will prospects see the value I offer if I charge that much?” “Why are some businesses able to charge a high fee (that nearly had me choking) yet I’m stuck pricing myself at the lower end and still struggling to sell my services?” “I’m pricing my services at the lower end hoping to attract more people – and it’s still not working. What am I doing wrong? And the list goes on… HELP! So why do so many solopreneurs…

• Want to Get More Clients? 7 Tips & Resources for Ambitious Entrepreneurs

  Annemarie Cross, Authority in Influence & Impact, Business Coach - Melbourne

  2 May 2013 | 2:57 pm

  Are you an ambitious entrepreneur? Looking to grow a successful profitable business? I’m frequently asked the question “What can I do to get more clients?” which got me thinking that YOU might have the same query. So, I’ve scoured through hundreds of my previous posts and have compiled the following list for you. These 7 articles will get you thinking about the key things you’ll need to have place to attract a steady flow of ideal clients who’ll pay you what you’re worth. I hope you find them helpful! Bonus Tip – Don’t Give Up – How to remain focused Building a…

• Profitable Programs & Packages: 3 ways you could be undervaluing and undermining your expertise

  Annemarie Cross, Authority in Influence & Impact, Business Coach - Melbourne

  24 Apr 2013 | 10:35 pm

  Recently, when speaking to a group of entrepreneurs, I asked them the question: “What is it about running your own business that you love?” To which many responded: “Being my own boss; being of service to my clients; and being able to make a real impact in their lives.” The passion they had for their work was certainly obvious. What about you? Are these some of the reasons why you love running your own business, too? Interestingly, with these entrepreneurs, while they loved their work and the difference they were making in the lives of their clients, one of the things they didn’t…

• Magnetic Money Mindset: Are you attracting OR repelling money in your business?

  Annemarie Cross, Authority in Influence & Impact, Business Coach - Melbourne

  18 Apr 2013 | 2:02 am

  I’m sure you know how important it is to have the correct systems and tools in place to ensure your business’s growth – right? But what about having the correct money mindset? Do you realise it’s vital to have the right money mindset to ensure your business’s growth, too? Every single one of us has a money mindset – these are the beliefs and stories we have regarding money. These beliefs and stories can either be helpful – so you can attract clients, opportunities and money. Or, your beliefs and stories can be unhelpful – making it difficult to secure clients,…

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  Bulldog Drummond - Uncommon Sense

• How to Infuse Oxygen into Your Business: Lessons Learned from the Snowboarding Industry by Andrea Kates

  Bulldog Drummond

  20 May 2013 | 9:03 am

  You can’t say “no” when someone asks you to help them and the Virgin Mary is looking over your shoulder. That’s exactly how I ended up saying “yes” to an invitation to work with leaders from the active sports industry on how to breathe oxygen into their beloved sport. I was sitting at a café that’s home to the Surf Madonna mural in Encinitas, California. The surfing shrine is a legend in its own right—a semi-sacrilegious, tongue-in-cheek tribute that inspired tons of grassroots support that led to its permanent home right in the heart of surf country. However, on this…

• The Global Language Project

  Bulldog Drummond

  15 May 2013 | 9:03 am

• Grandma’s Doorway by Matthew Emerzian

  Bulldog Drummond

  13 May 2013 | 9:03 am

  I remember every year that I stood in the doorway at my grandma’s house so she could place a ruler on top of my head and draw a line on the wall with my name and the date next to it. I loved seeing it go up every year. I loved the day my line went above my older brother’s line, and the day I surpassed my father’s. Growing was easy. It was like an accomplishment that I did absolutely nothing to achieve, yet still completely owned it and felt great about it. But, growth is a funny thing. When we were young, it was fun and it just happened on its own. And, we loved it. We were just…

• Grow or Die by John Foster

  Bulldog Drummond

  8 May 2013 | 9:03 am

  This is the irrefutable lesson of open systems, and an important key to understanding trends in your life. First let me establish the basic parts of an open system so I can easily refer to them throughout this post. An open system is any complex thing like a plant, animal, or organization. In each of these systems, there are sub-systems that interact among themselves—like breathing and blood flow, the sub-systems have components that do stuff (like lungs pulling oxygen from air), inputs to the system (like air), and outputs of the system (like bad breath). Inputs frequently have an impact…

• Urban Seating

  Bulldog Drummond

  7 May 2013 | 9:03 am

  PrevNext PrevNext PrevNext PrevNext Urban Seating From tree trunks to architectural sculptures and bike racks, designer Oliver Show has created a unique collection of urban seating that can be easily wrapped and zip-tied to create resting places just about anywhere.

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  We design legacies.

• Up in the air: DK makes a brand design for Aerial Treeworks

  dipika

  21 May 2013 | 2:07 am

  A new brand identity for Aerial Treeworks. It isn’t often you get to go tree climbing with the pros. But that’s exactly what four year-old Kush Morita, aka DK’s “boss-man”, got to do. Wrapping up the project to come up with a new brand identity design for Erica Strein and Cormac Nagan‘s company, we got to go on what they called a “recreational climb.” For DK, it was an incredible chance to see what we’d been learning was the “office space” for Aerial, the tree canopy itself. On a lovely day in a cordoned section of the Forest…

• Seek and you shall find it

  dipika

  11 May 2013 | 12:25 am

  Two weeks into travel around the coast and to four major cities in Viet Nam, and I’m ready to tell you a little bit about it. Yes, it really looks like this. Buses and trains around the countryside have shown me a thing or two about natural beauty again, something I’ve missed while living in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Also, two weeks for the first time in four and a half years of being the only one to hang around and take care of my son. Trying something. An expermiment. It’s about what it feels like to travel with a young child as a single woman. Trying something new A…

• The power of words to transform us

  dipika

  16 Apr 2013 | 5:53 pm

  Sometimes you have to go with it. Your gut. That’s why about two years ago Design Kompany set up an offshoot to simply focus on the art of conversation. Dialogue, great dialogue, is THE key ingredient in any well-orchestrated creative process. They have all kinds of words for this, but the big idea is that you have to come to the table ready and open to sharing. And that doesn’t mean sharing just what YOU think. Most of the work is in listening. The grand experiment To get better at it ourselves,  in 2012 we did a “Year of Dialogue,” dedicated to making space for…

• How to kill the creative process: pander

  dipika

  22 Mar 2013 | 12:39 pm

  Do you make art so people buy it, or so you can say something you want to say? Once upon a time I was a reporter. I worked for a trade journal, a daily, and I was trained to write fast, and in concise, clear sentences. The point was to put all the important bits at the top, since almost no one reads an article from start to finish. Sure, you write it all, but that’s not the point. The point better be right up at the start. And for this post, it’s this: that’s boring. Why do we write or publish, anyways? For about eight years I’ve held onto an 8.5″ x 11″…

• Fewer facts and more meaning, please.

  dipika

  13 Mar 2013 | 8:46 am

  Akira Morita at Kornerhaus, DK’s Seattle office from 2007-2009. Today I’m going to talk about houses, structures, heart, and a little bit of metaphysics. Ready? Here we go. “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.” – Albert Einstein Metaphysics and the questioning of ‘being’ Every so often I’ll go to the metaphysics section of Lilly Library on Duke’s East Campus just to see what’s in the printed pages. It’s only a stone’s throw from DK World HQ here in Trinity Park. The books are…

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  ROKRIOT

• “The Road” Succeeds With Competing Perspectives

  RokRiot

  22 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  As part of a student competition, SONY Music gave young designers the opportunity to create a music video for HURTS’ new track, “The Road.” The winning video incorporated some rather simple interactivity—allowing viewers of the video at hurtstheroad.com to switch between two different POVs during a rather intense cat fight. Excellent new song. Check out our Facebook page for a some behind-the-scenes video of the competition. More from Music Week.

• Aloha

  RokRiot

  15 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  ROKRIOT is on vacation (see above). Anyone recognize this Hawaiian bay? A couple of ROKRIOT tees to the first person who guesses correctly. See you again in a few days. Mahalo, music lovers.

• The Vein

  RokRiot

  14 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  Stunning visuals created by Barcelona design collective, Dvein, for this new music video from The Vein. More from Creator’s Project.

• Glitch Fitz

  RokRiot

  13 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  Fitz and the Tantrums’ new video, “Out of My League,” immerses viewers in a world of glitch art and digital mayhem, generated by a combination of digital SLRs and XBOX’s Kinect software. More from FastCoDesign.

• Dan Deacon Goes Gif Crazy

  RokRiot

  10 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  You’re either gonna really like or really hate Dan Deacon’s new gif-filled video, “Konono Ripoff No. 1.” It’s a non-stop gif cavalcade. Sure, many artists have embraced various forms of the gif to stylize their music video, but Mr. Deacon has applied a transmedia spin by adding additional gif goodness through his app. Following the instructions on dandeacon.com, visitors can sync a portion of the Dan Deacon app to the video and enjoy custom control over spinning gif elements (screenshot, bottom) seen throughout the video.

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  Soydanbay Strategic Brand Consulting and Design

• The evolution of private label brands

  Soydanbay

  21 May 2013 | 6:24 am

  Did you know that private label brands (PL) have been around for almost a decade? Back in 1928, the Swiss introduced the PL concept and since then it has been spreading like wildfire. Actually, we should point out that PL is not only spreading but also “evolving.” We are witnessing a quiet renaissance, which deserves to be analyzed. This is the first installment of a series of essays on private label branding. Migros eliminated the middleman, inventing the private label concept. Let’s start by reviewing PL’s origins: It was invented during tough times, sometime between the WW1 and the…

• When do people support change?

  Soydanbay

  7 May 2013 | 6:15 am

  Did your key project fail to deliver expected result? Did your organization undergo a massive restructuring process, yet nothing has changed? Did your city spend a fortune to brand itself, but in reality nobody has cared? Don’t feel bad, because you are not alone: Turns out 75% of organizational change projects do not yield the promised result. Let’s start with the root cause of this problem. Then we will discuss how to fix it. I remember vividly what a high-ranking military officer once told me: “If you give three orders to a soldier, he’ll forget two of them, while mismanaging the…

• Branding luxury

  Soydanbay

  23 Apr 2013 | 6:12 am

  At first, this article might sound like a book review, but actually it is about a miserable experience of mine and a much-welcomed solution. Here’s how the story goes… Luxury is in the eye of the beholder. Years ago, my then-employer wanted to publish a sector-specific “best brands” survey. Our plan was to choose a couple of sectors (or verticals), determine the top 10 brands in each vertical and then conduct interviews with industry experts. We decided that luxury should be one of our verticals. So, my job was to determine the best luxury brands in Canada. All I had to do was to come…

• The Canadian Archetype

  Soydanbay

  9 Apr 2013 | 6:14 am

  I am an immigrant living in Canada. Years ago, I decided to move here, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. If you are like me, which means if you are someone who enjoys observing and analyzing his surroundings, then living abroad is great fun. As an outsider, sometimes you see things that the locals simply won’t. Purely based on my personal observation, I think Canadians often have difficulty explaining what makes them unique. They intuitively know that they are special, but they can’t put it into words. Have you ever wondered why? Patriotism, or something greater? I see…

• Do the Harlem Shake to Innovate

  Soydanbay

  26 Mar 2013 | 5:57 am

  It’s blasphemous to think that Harlem Shake could have anything to do with innovation… It’s disrespectful to waste your precious time with such nonsense. I must be on drugs. But… I am not! Believe it or not, Harlem Shake meme teaches us something fundamental about the change process that takes place in biology. And that insight is the road map to corporate innovation. How? I am glad you asked… Indeed, Harlem Shake acts like a living organism would act. First, let’s start with how change takes place in life… There is a fundamental rule in biology: “Every living organism…

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  Branding Business with RiechesBaird

• Brand ‘Urban Planning’: Further Notes on Brand Architecture

  Drew Letendre

  14 May 2013 | 10:32 am

  We’re all familiar with the distinction between a Branded House (BH) and a House of Brands (HoB). Unsurprisingly, there are all sorts of permutations within these two distinct frameworks for organizing and deploying one’s branded assets into the marketplace. And, it is a rare specimen — if one exists — that is absolutely pure…even the vaunted GE has a stray wing of free-floating brands, like NBC Universal and related entertainment properties, which live in pristine seclusion from the touch of their parent. FedEx may be the closest thing we have to a pure,…

• 3 Ways Blogging Boosts Business

  Guest Blogger

  9 May 2013 | 9:08 am

  Anthony Wiktor is the Creative Director and Principal of the award-winning strategic design agency STARMEN, based in Hollywood, Calif. He has received degrees in design from Columbia College Chicago and Woodbury University, and was recently featured as an Industry Expert in Web Designer Magazine’s Hot 100 issue. Connect with Anthony @creativeanthony or via his LinkedIn profile. Facebook? Perhaps. Twitter? Maybe. Blog? Absolutely! Blogs began as basic, often tawdry online diaries fueled by caffeine and wine. Some launched writing careers, but most simply enabled their authors to vent…

• Dropbox To Brand Services To The B2B World

  Kristy Gulsvig

  7 May 2013 | 9:04 am

  B2B and B2C companies often tend to live in very different worlds — different types of products and services mean divergent brand, marketing and communication strategies. But at times, we see companies playing effortlessly on both sides of the field. Take FedEx with its wide range of home and corporate services, or any number of hardware/software companies (Microsoft, Xerox, Dell, etc.). How does a prominent B2C brand transition to that dual role? The popular web-based company, Dropbox, has found itself an unexpectedly prominent player with businesses and is now navigating its path in…

• Prepare Your Brand, The Internet is Changing Forever

  Justin Garvin

  2 May 2013 | 2:21 am

  In this increasingly digital world, your website is your most critical brand touch point. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: “What was once delivered is now found.” What was previously marketed and communicated in a targeted, proactive manner is now more often than not simply discovered online as your brand is subject to Internet searches and advanced consumer research methods. Your website is likely where your brand first makes contact. This goes for both B2C and B2B. But when you hear that the Internet is about to undergo its most drastic development since…

• Best Practices for Branding a Merger

  RiechesBaird

  1 May 2013 | 10:29 am

  When two public companies come together to form a new Fortune 500 size organization, a tremendous amount of research, strategic planning and creative direction goes into developing the new corporate brand. In this episode of Branding Business, Ryan Rieches, CEO at RiechesBaird, interviews Alan Chapple, Director of Corporate Communications at Axiall Corporation — the newly formed company post the merger of Georgia Gulf and the commodity chemicals division of PPG — to discuss best practices for branding, launching and communicating a merger of equals. Topics covered include: 1. Marketplace…

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  Restaurant Branding Roadmap

• 3 ways to avoid the restaurant fad trap

  Jocelyn Ring

  3 May 2013 | 2:30 pm

  The restaurant industry is filled with thousands of concepts. Some of these breakthrough ideas are pioneering at first and later become brand concept legacies (think Starbucks) others become short-lived fads that start with one innovator, a hot new food idea and then quickly becomes a not so remarkable restaurant concept which many will imitate (think your average yogurt spot). New restaurant concepts, trends and fads, often take a common path. They open, earn media buzz and lots of Word of Mouth chatter and soon copycats emerge. Soon you find marrow-filled dishes and red bean ice cream…

• Quirky 4-legged restaurant brand. Something to bark at?

  Karen Post

  9 Apr 2013 | 7:52 am

  Small independent restaurants often have a universal challenge; they have no big budget, but need to create a memorable brand. I recently discovered a small independent Mexican restaurant that does a nice job creating a unique dining experience on a modest budget. It's called Chihuahua Mexican Grill and is located in South Tampa on 4101 South MacDill Avenue. It is worth the trip to enjoy great Mexican food, and to see how a simple idea can be executed into a nice restaurant concept and brand.

• What Howard Schultz, Anthony Bourdain, Marcus Samuelsson & Karen Post have in common

  Karen Post

  8 Apr 2013 | 11:59 am

  We are all speaking at National Restaurant Association annual show, in Chicago May 18-21st. Join us for three days of inspiration, learning and networking. Connect with 1,800+ exhibitors across 900+ product categories Attend more than 70 free education sessions on hyper-relevant topics Meet with industry leaders from 100 countries and across the U.S. My session on how to take your restaurant to the next level is May 20th from 3-4 PM in Room S402A. For complete details go to NRA show.

• Low-tech research provides high-value insight

  Jocelyn Ring

  26 Mar 2013 | 2:23 pm

  In a previous post about restaurant guru Danny Meyer, he debunked 9 restaurant myths. One piece of wisdom that he imparted was to “get to know your customers” should be part of your restaurant marketing plan. Modern technology has helped some restaurants learn a great deal about customers by keeping track of data such as reservation and dining history, anniversaries, birthdays, spouse’s names, food allergies, wine preferences and favorite seating locations.

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  John Morgan

• What You Need To Know About Public Speaking

  John Morgan

  8 May 2013 | 7:25 am

  Is public speaking an art or a skill? Most people will tell you that it’s an art. They’ll explain that some people are born with charisma, a charming personality, and the gift of gab. These are the same people however, who are too afraid to speak in public themselves. The reality is that no one is born a public speaker. Speaking is a skill that anyone can develop IF you’re willing to put in the work. Having the skills to speak will advance you greatly in life. Even if you aren’t speaking on stage, the ability to speak is a must. You’ll be more confident and…

• One Simple Way To Build A Loyal Audience

  John Morgan

  2 May 2013 | 1:02 pm

  It’s a noisy world that is becoming increasingly hard to stand out. You’re probably reading this because you want to stand out or get your business noticed. Well, do you know who else is desperately looking to stand out? Your audience. Your customers, prospects, email subscribers, social media following, and neighbors are all seeking recognition. They feel like they are a drop in the ocean that is likely to never get noticed. When you show interest in someone, they become a fan for life. There is no greater compliment than giving someone your un-divided attention when they seek…

• How To Sharpen Your Problem Solving Skills

  John Morgan

  18 Apr 2013 | 9:13 am

  Every single successful person I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting is highly skilled in problem solving. Your creativity in solving your problems is an essential factor in determining your level of success. Depending on how big the challenges are that come your way, there’s a certain level of panic that kicks in. This is a problem because panic leads to a closed mind. An open mind is critical to creative problem solving. So how can you improve your problem solving skills? I’m so glad you asked, otherwise this post would have been awkward. You have to change your approach…

• How To Instantly Improve Your Business

  John Morgan

  12 Apr 2013 | 5:37 am

  Regardless of how successful your business is or is not, you want to improve it. That’s good news because no business is perfect. There’s always room for improvement. You may be looking to improve your business because there’s a specific direction you’re wanting to take it. Or maybe things are going swimmingly but you want to improve because you’re a smart business owner. Regardless, you may be looking at the wrong areas of your business to improve. You see, most businesses don’t look at the one area to improve that will give them the quickest results. If…

• Are The People You’re Connected To Keeping You From Success?

  John Morgan

  19 Mar 2013 | 8:09 am

  You’re careful about how you spend your time but are you careful and selective about who you spend your time with? You need to be if you want to be successful. You’ve heard that you’re a product of your environment. You know that who you hang around matters. But are you being purposeful and selective about the people you surround yourself with? One person with a weak entrepreneurial mind can plant negative seeds in your mind. They don’t mean too, but their viewpoints and opinions can affect you in a powerful way and you not even realize it. That’s why you must be…

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  More than just a logo.

• BMW – Beautiful Marketing Opportunity Wasted

  Regine Wilber

  14 May 2013 | 1:00 pm

  What were they thinking? This amount of words from such a brand is leaving me speechless… Hands up everyone who thinks that this is a yellow pages ad from a small business with the BMW logo stuck on… I hope I am not the only one that feels this is way below the usual brand aesthetics of BMW, brand managers cry your eyes out. Upon closer inspection I realise of course that this is a franchise advert – but I still don’t understand why that implies you can throw any typography style out the window. They may however have gotten a decent discount from the media agency…

• Nice brand name execution, shame about the brand domain name execution…

  Regine Wilber

  6 May 2013 | 2:17 pm

  Clever use of colour to highlight the location name The jury is out on this one… What looks like a really slick and simple branding concept for One Euston Square (which forms part of a pedestrianised southern approach to Euston station) has been flawed by an in my mind over keen design of the small print. Whilst the logo works beautifully with the detail in the letter ‘q’ featuring a square, this is lost in the domain name oneustonsq.com perhaps for legibility reasons. However, because of the colouring going hand in hand with the brand logo itself, the missing square…

• How (NOT) to Advertise a Fleece Blanket

  Regine Wilber

  10 Apr 2013 | 1:02 pm

  It’s one of those lovely finds my husband brought back from a business meeting – well, the photo that is, he wouldn’t have dared to get the product looking at the packaging! I guess I may have been in danger of mocking him… have a look at the picture. Anything striking you as odd? Perhaps we are not getting this but why would you use a picture of a summery dressed girl with a laptop on her bare legs (if you’ve ever held that type laptop on your skin you’ll remember how hot it gets) advertising a cosy fleece blanket – which incidentally has not been…

• Prepare for the Worst – Then Make the Best of it

  Regine Wilber

  26 Feb 2013 | 2:44 pm

  All news is good news. At first glance, it may well seem like that in the world of marketing and PR, but it is also true that mud sticks and it takes years to overcome bad feelings once the seeds are planted in the minds of the consumers. Even though businesses of any size will (and should) strife to create the best possible brand experience for their customers, it is inevitable that sometimes things don’t go to plan. A crisis management strategy is always a good idea when a business enters the media world and is exposed to not just positive feedback. A good and thought-through crisis…

• Ten Key Steps to Remarkable Branding by Design

  Regine Wilber

  26 Feb 2013 | 10:35 am

  Reblogged from solomozone: Integrating user experience design in your branding and marketing requires a fresher look at how consumers interact with your brand and consume content. "By using UXD, companies can find out how messages are framed and where messages are transmitted and received. The combination creates a measurable context to help us understand how consumers use brands and consume content." Read more… 439 more words A nice collection of thoughts on the importance of branding and how to get started.

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  AYTM

• Native Advertising Survey: Very Few Know of Native Advertising Concept

  Anne Pilon

  22 May 2013 | 6:28 am

  Native advertising has been talked about in the marketing world for years, but many people still can’t seem to agree on what it actually is. Native advertising is supposed to be a paid ad that gives some kind of valuable content to readers or consumers that fits in with the publication, website, or other venue where it appears. But there are so many different types of ads that somewhat fit into that category. Do consumers understand the concept of native advertising? And are they more likely to notice native ads? Native Advertising In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, just 5% of…

• Tumblr Survey: Most Users Neutral or Undecided About Yahoo Acquisition

  Anne Pilon

  21 May 2013 | 6:25 am

  Yahoo just announced its acquisition of the blogging site Tumblr. This is the biggest purchase since Marissa Mayer took over as Yahoo’s CEO last year. What do Tumblr users think about the site being taken over by Yahoo? And how do people feel about Yahoo and Tumblr in general? Tumblr Users In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 6% of respondents said that they currently use Tumblr often. Another 11% said they sometimes use Tumblr. And 8% said that they have used the site at some point in the past. Males were slightly more likely than females to use the site. And respondents under 25…

• Summer Travel Survey: Gas Prices Still Keeping Some From Traveling

  Anne Pilon

  20 May 2013 | 6:12 am

  With a holiday weekend just around the corner, many Americans are shoring up their summer travel plans. For many families, the process of planning vacations has changed in recent years, due to technology and travel sites like Travelocity, but also because of rising gas prices and related fees. How are these factors impacting summer travel plans? Travel Plans In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 31% of US respondents said they definitely plan to travel during the summer months. 32% said they might travel this summer. And 37% said they definitely do not plan to do any traveling this…

• YouTube Series Survey: Not Many YouTube Viewers Have Favorite Channels

  Anne Pilon

  17 May 2013 | 6:33 am

  A scripted YouTube sitcom called MyMusic just signed on for its second season. Though having traditional sitcoms and shows take place on YouTube is a relatively new concept, the site is trying to promote its official channels with new types of content. So there could potentially be more YouTube series premiering in the future. Are consumers interested in that possibility? YouTube Viewers In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 11% of respondents said they watch YouTube videos multiple times per day. 18% said they watch YouTube videos daily. 22% said they watch YouTube videos a few times…

• Twitter Video Survey: Video Viewers More Likely to Notice Twitter Ads

  Anne Pilon

  16 May 2013 | 6:52 am

  ESPN just announced an expanded partnership with Twitter to post videos of sports clips and highlights on the site. These videos present additional revenue opportunities for Twitter, which can run video ads within expanded tweets. How many Twitter users have watched video clips on the site? And how effective might these ads turn out to be? Twitter Users In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 51% of respondents said they currently have a Twitter account. But just 13% of those Twitter users said that they often watch videos, including those from YouTube and Vine, within expanded tweets.

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  Clear Ideas Blog

• Is the future cashed out?

  Anastasia Shephard

  17 May 2013 | 3:25 am

  By Anastasia Shephard, Consultant Earlier this year, global financial groups gathered in Barcelona to grapple control of what many will call our future. ‘Mobile money’ allows people to use their smart phones to purchase goods instead of cash or credit. Yet surprisingly, the conversation wasn't entirely on a positive note.

• A researcher, a cabbie and a dominatrix walk into a bar…

  Russ Wilson

  14 May 2013 | 9:14 am

  by Dr. Russ Wilson, Senior Qualitative Consultant I've always felt privileged being a researcher. From helping develop services for some of the most vulnerable people in the country, to bringing something extra to people's lives through the products and brands they interact with on a daily basis, I sometimes think that working in research gives me unique insights into people's lives, emotions and needs.

• Modernity and South East Asian Women

  Grace Christianity

  30 Apr 2013 | 2:55 am

  by Grace Christianity, Quant Associate Recent consumer groups in Asia got have me thinking about the definition of a ‘modern women’ and how widely she varies, depending upon which cultural values she holds most important...

• He who thinks local, wins global: Lessons in branding from Down Under

  Kate Evans

  22 Apr 2013 | 3:33 am

  By Kate Evans, Senior Consultant The world’s long distance love affair with Australia began well before Fosters unleashed its famous (‘He who drinks Australian, thinks Australian’) tagline. What is it that makes Aussie brands so alluring? What lessons can we learn from Down Under?

• Retail’s answer isn’t more social media, its retailing like social media.

  Benjamin Harrison

  4 Apr 2013 | 4:08 am

  By Benjamin Harrison, Senior Consultant at Clear Australia Retail can learn big lessons from the success of social media, but not in the way that we’re usually told: instead of doing more social media, retailer stores can be more like social media.

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  Laurence Vincent

• "Brand value is very much like an onion. It has layers and a core. The core is the user who will..."

  20 May 2013 | 8:34 pm

  “Brand value is very much like an onion. It has layers and a core. The core is the user who will stick with you until the very end.” - Edwin Artzt

• nevver: Poorly drawn lines

  19 May 2013 | 7:15 am

  nevver: Poorly drawn lines

• nevver: Ads of the World

  16 May 2013 | 8:28 pm

  nevver: Ads of the World

• I’ve been so uninspired by advertising … and then...

  13 May 2013 | 8:57 pm

  I’ve been so uninspired by advertising … and then this came along.

• Dollar Shave Club: Part III

  10 May 2013 | 8:50 pm

  When I was doing interviews for the release of Brand Real, I was frequently asked which brands are “doing it right?” It’s a tricky question. The response from most is “Apple.” I purposefully don’t say that. I look for great branding in unexpected places. And it was about this time last year that I started talking about Dollar Shave Club. Like many others, I was struck by the introductory video that went viral and made the company an instant sensation on YouTube. But I liked DSC for more reason than a clever video. I became a member and I was delighted by…

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  Clear Ideas Blog

• Is the future cashed out?

  Anastasia Shephard

  17 May 2013 | 3:25 am

  By Anastasia Shephard, Consultant Earlier this year, global financial groups gathered in Barcelona to grapple control of what many will call our future. ‘Mobile money’ allows people to use their smart phones to purchase goods instead of cash or credit. Yet surprisingly, the conversation wasn't entirely on a positive note.

• A researcher, a cabbie and a dominatrix walk into a bar…

  Russ Wilson

  14 May 2013 | 9:14 am

  by Dr. Russ Wilson, Senior Qualitative Consultant I've always felt privileged being a researcher. From helping develop services for some of the most vulnerable people in the country, to bringing something extra to people's lives through the products and brands they interact with on a daily basis, I sometimes think that working in research gives me unique insights into people's lives, emotions and needs.

• Modernity and South East Asian Women

  Grace Christianity

  30 Apr 2013 | 2:55 am

  by Grace Christianity, Quant Associate Recent consumer groups in Asia got have me thinking about the definition of a ‘modern women’ and how widely she varies, depending upon which cultural values she holds most important...

• He who thinks local, wins global: Lessons in branding from Down Under

  Kate Evans

  22 Apr 2013 | 3:33 am

  By Kate Evans, Senior Consultant The world’s long distance love affair with Australia began well before Fosters unleashed its famous (‘He who drinks Australian, thinks Australian’) tagline. What is it that makes Aussie brands so alluring? What lessons can we learn from Down Under?

• Retail’s answer isn’t more social media, its retailing like social media.

  Benjamin Harrison

  4 Apr 2013 | 4:08 am

  By Benjamin Harrison, Senior Consultant at Clear Australia Retail can learn big lessons from the success of social media, but not in the way that we’re usually told: instead of doing more social media, retailer stores can be more like social media.

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  Better Business Brand

• What’s the Chance a Startup Business will Fail? [Infographic]

  Robert Hacala

  26 Apr 2013 | 10:21 am

  Startups are definitely everywhere we look, with new ones popping up every day. It would be great to see many of them survive, but alas, reality isn't that kind in the business world. Check out this nifty little infographic with some great illustrations and a lot of super cool data.

• Lead, Follow, or Get the Hell Out of the Way

  Robert Hacala

  5 Apr 2013 | 6:27 am

  When is comes to the brand-consumer ecosystem, I see three different groups: 1. Leaders 2. Followers 3. Those who don't have a clue where they stand

• Branding Your Business: 5 Steps to Success

  Robert Hacala

  4 Mar 2013 | 3:15 am

  An effective business brand will find a place in the psyche of a population; an excellent brand will become synonymous with the goods or services it provides. Although there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to creating a successful brand, there are 5 very important steps which are usually essential.

• The Three Different Types of Logos [Infographic]

  Robert Hacala

  3 Feb 2013 | 7:26 am

  While doing some research, I noticed there weren't any good images that categorized the different types of logos in one place. So that's why I decided to create my own infographic on the subject. Here is this graphic, with the three different types of logos, and two other variations.

• What Makes People Want to Follow a Brand? [Infographic]

  Robert Hacala

  11 Dec 2012 | 6:17 am

  Who doesn't love to be liked? As a brand, you probably want more people like you online. You want more followers to help get the word out. And it's nice to know what you can do so that more people click that little blue thumbs up, or choose to read your tweets.

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  JON-MICHAIL, The ImageMaker

• Get Inspired – from the archives, Steve Jobs says go for it

  jonmich

  19 May 2013 | 5:00 pm

  If you sincerely want to make a mark in this lifetime, step out from the “norms” of life and embrace the possibilities that truly exist. The following vision from the archives reminds us about Steve Jobs – Secrets of Life. “Look in the mirror and ask, ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” – Steve Jobs  

• Radical Openess – Don’t Be Afraid

  jonmich

  15 May 2013 | 5:00 pm

  Release your ideas freely and set your life free. An excellent illustration how executed ideas transform our lives and the communities we live in. This video by Jason Silva is brilliantly made. He talks about the birth of an idea and how it evolves over time. Anyone involved in creative pursuits knows the transformative power of a single ‘idea’. The ability for it to transform as we iterate to refine it further. To create something of value where there was nothing before. This video does a great job of encapsulating these ideas into a 2 minute video masterpiece.

• 9 unmistakable symptoms of an entrepreneur

  jonmich

  12 May 2013 | 5:00 pm

  Entrepreneurship is the fuel that drives the engine of prosperity. The following story illustrates some of the symptons of an entrepreneur. How do you fit the profile? By Mohul Ghosh | Burn Media In almost every article and story written about entrepreneurship, I have found symptoms and traits which are common among all those who finally made it big. One of those is that entrepreneurship is not for everyone. I realised that entrepreneurs have some specific traits which should be closely observed. For example, if you are afraid of failures and adventure, then you should definitely keep out of…

• Trust and your money – financial planners need a makeover

  jonmich

  12 May 2013 | 5:00 pm

  A recent professional image survey by Roy Morgan Research highlights what you probably knew all along, the guy advising you on your investments is someone you don’t overly trust and possibly more broke than you are. The following article includes other professions, like share brokers and bankers, among others that also don’t rate confidently with the public. Your Hip Pocket Karina Barrymore  |  Herald-Sun  Why do we continue to hand over money to people we don’t trust? How dumb are we? AHA, the inquisitive mind is winning. Or is it that we are just more cynical these days, or…

• Is this the most narcissistic generation we’ve ever seen?

  jonmich

  1 May 2013 | 5:00 pm

  The headline of the attached article only re-iterated what our clients have been sharing with us for the past ten odd years, only the criticism in recent time has accelerated. We have witnessed behaviours noted first hand and I can tell you, giving authentic feedback to some of these spoilt brats does not always work. The honest question to ask in this dilemma is how did it ever come to this? Who promoted an environment that allowed this to happen in the first place? And please , before I am told it’s complex and any other politically correct weasel language, it still does not explain…

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  Blade Creative Branding | Blog | Marketing, Design, Trends

• The Type is Right

  Keith Lingenfelter

  22 May 2013 | 3:27 pm

  Hi TTIR players! Do you recognize the character shown here? It’s another example of a stylized letter which when removed from the context of its logo, may be difficult to recognize. Bold, graphic, and full of curves, the complete wordmark for this Canadian company is both modern and lasting, and is a fine example of… Read More

• The Key Differences between Google AdWords and Bing Ads – Part 1

  Caroline Canlas

  21 May 2013 | 7:26 am

  This is part one of a three-part blog about The Key Differences between Google AdWords and Bing Ads. Check back on June 4, 2013 for part two.   With Microsoft rebranding its advertising arm as part of a deeper partnership with Yahoo, combined with recent reports of Bing stealing about 5% of Google’s search share from… Read More

• Weekly Re-Brand #25: Perrier

  Brian Walker

  16 May 2013 | 6:37 am

  Welcome to the Blade Weekly Re-Brand, a place for us to take a quick look at some of the rebranding going on in the world and give a quick impression of what went right and what went wrong. Perrier is celebrating its 150th anniversary, and doing it in style by paying homage to the work… Read More

• The Type is Right

  Keith Lingenfelter

  15 May 2013 | 7:18 am

  Hey TTIR players! The R shown here is from the wordmark of a world famous brand whose iconic product designs have been fashionable for decades. Know it? Though distinctive and memorable, some may say that with its hastily handwritten style and disproportionately large capital letters, this always conspicuously placed wordmark lacks elegance. Others may appreciate… Read More

• The Value of a Facebook Fan

  Melissa Turner

  13 May 2013 | 6:13 am

  Last month Syncapse released a report defining the value of a Facebook fan. The company estimated that each fan is approximately $170, this includes what they will spend and what they will recommend to other non-fans. The number may seem high to some, Syncapse notes that is just an average dependent on the number of fans and… Read More

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  Peter Sterlacci | Believe. Become. Be Your Brand

• How Can Your Personal Brand Cut Through all the Noise?

  Stefanie Voelkel

  13 May 2013 | 5:30 am

    When competing for a job with other people possessing the same educational background, perhaps even similar work experience and comparable skills; when promoting your own business among many other entrepreneurs; and when showcasing your expertise among other freelancers, ‘personal branding’ becomes the key to uniqueness, reputation and success. In short, the essential feature of personal branding is to stand out from the crowd by showing off your personal unique selling point. In order to create and maintain your personal brand successfully, you have to ensure that you are…

• Build Your Personal Brand in 10 Steps – Video 2

  Peter Sterlacci

  12 May 2013 | 3:53 am

    Building your personal brand requires work – some hard work! The good news is that I have mapped out a clear 10-step process to start building your brand from today. Learn these 10 steps through this 5-part ‘personal branding with a spin’ series. You can watch video 1 here. In video #2 I cover the following steps:   Step 3: Identify your target audience Step 4: Tell your story   Related posts: Build Your Personal Brand in 10 Steps – Video 1 5 People Who Can Help Build Your Personal Brand 4 Steps to Finding Your Online Brand Story

• Build Your Personal Brand in 10 Steps – Video 1

  Peter Sterlacci

  7 May 2013 | 12:19 am

    So you want to uncover, communicate, and manage your personal brand. Sounds like a rather large task. Over 5 videos, I will break down how to build your brand in 10 steps. Watch these videos and you will learn how to build a powerful personal brand that will attract the right people and open up opportunities that would have passed you by. In video #1 I cover the following steps:   Step 1: Know yourself to grow yourself  Step 2: Define your “VPs” – vision, purpose, values, and passions   Related posts: 4 Steps to Finding Your Online Brand Story 4 Tips to…

• 4 Steps to Finding Your Online Brand Story

  Schuyler Kaye

  26 Apr 2013 | 4:04 pm

      You’ve got various social media accounts; you even have your own web page… Maybe you are trying to get a new job, reach more customers, or change your career… You know that the competition is great, and you’re struggling to figure out a way to stand out… You ask yourself questions like “How professional should I be?” “Where should I start?” “How can I make an impact?” or “What if they don’t like me?” The answer is simple … you tell your story.   Four steps to finding the right story You want to share a story that speaks to your audience.

• 5 People Who Can Help Build Your Personal Brand

  Daniela Baker

  19 Apr 2013 | 12:06 am

    Building a personal brand is more important than ever in an increasingly competitive job market. This Forbes article outlines how personal branding helped Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer move from a top position at Google to the top position at Yahoo. Personal branding can enhance how others perceive you, and can help set you up for a lifelong career doing what you love. Building your personal brand, though, takes time, effort, and lots of hard thinking.   If you’re ready to launch forward on your journey to building your personal brand, get some help along the way from these five…

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  BRANDInsider.tv - Strategies. Insight. Perspective.

• Amp Your Social Media Strategy with Video Content

  biadmin

  15 May 2013 | 2:50 pm

  Get the Edge With Video The Value of Social Sharing Social media dominates the global communication and information share of today’s society. Video content can greatly amplify your social media marketing on all spheres of the social platform. Wahoo’s, fresh serve restaurants, got into social media marketing before social media was even defined.  We recently sat down with Ed Santos, Creative Director, “of everything good”, as Eddy likes to say, for an in-depth video conversation that produced a series of five webisodes that profile the brands maverick-style, history, menu, culture…

• How to Protect Your Brand

  biadmin

  15 Apr 2013 | 4:54 pm

  Protecting your brand both online and off from pirated brand name and trademark abuse can cost save companies literally millions of dollars in lost revenue, stolen by phony knock-off websites with closely matching brand website domain names. We shot an informative and enlightening series of interviews with a leading company in the field CitizenHawk, who’s singled minded purpose is protecting brands, large and small. What they have to say could help save your brand or your clients brand from major revenue loss and a black eye on your brand’s image.

• Sprint Velocity-Connecting Drivers with Technology

  biadmin

  16 Jan 2013 | 5:32 pm

  As consumer demand for more user-friendly technology expands, automakers are partnering with key companies to more easily integrate complex components in vehicles to provide the best in connected services, whether its music, news, sports or entertainment features and more. Customization is the key customers demand; see what Sprint Velocity is up to! Convergence Hits the Road with Sprint Velocity Sprint unveiled Sprint Velocity, a comprehensive global end-to-end solution designed specifically for automakers as part of the Technology Showcase at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. Sprint…

• 2014 Kia Forte-More Style, More Potential

  biadmin

  8 Jan 2013 | 10:55 am

  2014 Kia Forte is attempting to make its mark in a crowded field.  Kia says the 2014 Forte is, “rock solid”. It will have to be to compete in the crowded compact car field. The new Forte has huge potential for U.S. sales growth but success may boil down to its pricing. Take a personal walk-around with Michael Sprague, Executive VP of Marketing and Communications and see what you think? Here are some review highlights from MotorTrend on the new 2014 Forte Kia called the 2014 Forte “rock solid” at the 2012 L.A. auto show, but we’d just describe the new four-door as far more stylish…

• 2014 Honda Plug-In Hybrid-Puts the Competition on Notice!

  biadmin

  17 Dec 2012 | 4:41 pm

  Honda’s new entry in the Green Car market makes a splash with the claim that its new hybrids, which include an Accord Hybrid in addition to the Plug-In Hybrid model, will achieve the best fuel efficiency in their respective class. Will the new Honda’s move to the front of the ECO class? Take a look at this personal walk-around and see what you think! Here are some highlights from CarsDirect.com and GreenCar.com, reviews. Fuel Efficiency: The Honda Hybrids have put Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet et al on notice, with Honda achieving fuel efficiency nothing short of remarkable. 2014…

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  Branding Value Now

• Five ways to get more exposure for your brand

  Lainie Liberti

  17 May 2013 | 12:40 pm

  What makes certain brands more successful than others? How did McDonalds become the…well…McDonalds of the fast food industry? There’s no one answer to a question so multi-faceted, but there are certain ways to help one climb the ladder of success.…Read more →

• Technology & Social Media Made Advertising & Marketing a Walk in the Park

  Michael Fishbourne

  10 May 2013 | 11:02 am

  Why are people so eager to buy android phones or smart phones or tablets that allow them to access their Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare accounts anywhere and anytime? Why are they so willing to spend for these devices only so…Read more →

• Five most common product design mistakes

  Guest Blogger

  19 Apr 2013 | 4:49 pm

  Any lengthy process is likely to provide scope for numerous mistakes to be made. This is particularly true for product design, where complicated procedures and technologies leave ample room for error.   So, what are the top five product design…Read more →

• Best value approaches to marketing your small business

  jfrazier

  19 Mar 2013 | 4:49 pm

  When it comes to marketing your small business you don’t need to spend a fortune; there are some simplistic solutions that are completely free and just need a little common sense applying to them. The range is extensive, you may…Read more →

• Top Tips for Closing a Business Deal Quickly

  jfrazier

  13 Mar 2013 | 11:43 am

  photo: dok1 Knowing how to close a deal quickly is important for any business, but is especially crucial for small and medium-sized firms who particularly need the financial security that a signed contract can bring. Read on for some tips…Read more →

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  T4Execs

• Erin O’Brien, Owner of Activate 28

  Schuyler Kaye

  16 May 2013 | 10:35 am

  Schuyler’s been helping me with my website. But it’s more than just words — he’s helping me define my story. When I shared my long rambling About page, he cut through the waffle. Like a laser, he got to the important parts: “So, these are the three key points I’m hearing. Is that what you’re meaning? And how does that relate to your customer?” Then he would ask the tough questions that really made me get clear on my purpose. Although he asks tough questions, he always delivered them gently. I discovered that when writing my own story, it’s really REALLY hard to be objective.

• Ann Brown, Owner at Happy Being You

  Schuyler Kaye

  16 May 2013 | 10:30 am

  Schuyler, I love the way you skillfully take us (as listeners)  through a mini fact-finding journey via many different aspects of our personal history, asking questions that I never would have considered to be relevant. Leaving lots of long pauses, so giving us plenty of time to think, you showed us how these different elements enable us to craft a really compelling story, that we can powerfully stand in to bring our message out to the world (and attract our best clients !). One little nugget I came away with from your webinar – I want to be remembered as the ‘Sensitive Woman’s…

• Lin Shlonsky, Owner of New York Hypnotherapy and Meditation

  Schuyler Kaye

  16 May 2013 | 10:21 am

  This course exceeded my expectations. I thought I would end up with a story on my “about me” page, and ended up with a whole new clarity about my purpose and the clients I wanted to work with. It has already made a big difference for my business. Just going through the course exercises made it easier for me to talk to my clients even before I had finished my story. It really came together for me in the last class. Putting all the pieces together to create a story that helps me better identify with my ideal client – just two days after I changed my website copy I got a call from a…

• Worried Your Customers Won’t Find Your Story Interesting?

  Schuyler Kaye

  13 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  That night my sleep was filled with vivid dreams of water coursing down my face, skipping across my lips, and tickling my tongue… and then waking to the shocking reality of a dry mouth and cracked lips. I was slowly dying of thirst. But let me back up and explain how I got there. Earlier that day I had found out that the guy in the wrestling weight class below me was too sick to wrestle. If I could cut 13 pounds by morning, I’d finally get my chance to compete outside of practice! After hours of jumping rope in a steam room wearing three layers of sweats, I finally dropped 10 pounds. Now…

• When Your Story Is Too Sensitive to Share

  Schuyler Kaye

  6 May 2013 | 11:22 am

  The uncertainty at the beginning of a relationship can be exhilarating and petrifying at the same time. In college it felt like a battle… who would divulge their feelings first? Oh, the games we played… I remember one night I got a call from a girl… we’ll call her Layla (yep, I’m changing her name to protect the guilty). She wanted to know if my friend liked her. I could sense she needed encouragement and might give up if she didn’t get it. I knew my friend was interested, but telling her that would violate his trust. If I didn’t tell her, he might lose her. I was at a…

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  Media Panther

• Copy (still) rules

  Prashant Pinge

  16 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  The Internet has revolutionized the world in many ways. But when it comes to copywriting, it has had a negative impact. Now while there is no doubt that this medium has significantly increased opportunities when it comes to this field, it has also had a detrimental effect upon its professional aspects. Before the widespread proliferation of the Internet, copywriting was an art that entailed a lot of thought, and therefore time. However, the Internet completely turned this dynamic upside down the moment there was a downward shift in the inclination to pay for information. There was a time when…

• A website needs to breathe

  Prashant Pinge

  9 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  We at Media Panther really pride ourselves on our website. I have lost count of the number of occasions when companies have approached us to create their corporate websites modeled upon ours. However, we have declined every single time. The reason is very simple. It is just not possible. But let me explain before I am greeted with brickbats. Our website is a work-in-progress. It has been since the time we started Media Panther and continues to evolve in every way possible even today. We try and innovate with content, try and integrate new features, try and incorporate new ideas. One way or…

• Are you feeling lucky?

  Prashant Pinge

  2 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  Today’s customers are inundated with marketing promotions involving contests, lucky draws, sweepstakes and a wide variety of other such schemes. I remember participating in a few of these as a child, especially during the release of the animated feature, The Jungle Book, and during the cricket world cup, in the 1980’s. The marketing paradigm was a very different and simpler one in those days, but I distinctly recall these promotions for the scale and one other thing. I actually got something for my efforts. Fast forward to the twenty first century, and such kinds of promotions are being…

• Jingle all the way

  Prashant Pinge

  31 Mar 2013 | 10:00 pm

  Branding is all about the experience. The mind dithers, but the senses create an emotional connect that can translate into strong brand loyalty. The more senses you bring into the equation, the stronger and more memorable the experience for the customer. For instance, think of Subway. The smell of freshly baked bread instantly draws you in. It evokes emotions and makes you salivate. Similarly, think of Pizza Hut or Burger King. The taste draws you in. It’s all that you want. Obviously, these analogies are not valid for everyone. But those that have formed that connect with these brands will…

• A journey of a thousand steps

  Prashant Pinge

  26 Mar 2013 | 10:00 pm

  When it comes to the media, it is usually the big brands that get all the coverage. I mean, flip through any magazine or switch to any television channel, and we generally see familiar brands hogging all the attention. It is an obvious outcome given the kind of financial muscle they have (although the converse is not true by any means). However, the reality is that most brands don’t have access to significant resources to pour into their brand-building activities. They can’t spend millions of dollars sponsoring Formula 1 races or buy prime time advertisement spots on CNBC. So what do…

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  Glocul Mag

• Save and Shine: How to Kick Off Your Marketing By Saving, Not Spending

  admin

  20 May 2013 | 6:05 pm

  By Sharmeen Akbani Gangat Sales is a luxury and a dream for many artists, and it remains so for a long time, at least. In the words of Kevin Ashton, the high-tech entrepreneur, “There are few overnight successes and many up-all-night successes.” Although Ashton’s words can apply to any discipline, I think it holds particularly [...]

• The 5 Reasons Why Your Pitches and Proposals Are Rejected

  admin

  14 May 2013 | 12:38 am

  Let’s begin with the bad news: the publishers and producers are NOT interested in your creative skills. They want to know whether or not your book and/or movie will make them money. Like it or leave it, but that’s how it is. And that’s what you have to remember while developing your pitches and proposals. [...]

• Sorry, No Money: Why Your Project Does Not Attract Funders

  admin

  6 May 2013 | 3:00 pm

  By Sharmeen Akbani Gangat No creative project can see the light of the day until it has the power of money backing it. You realize that and apply for funds and/or run crowdfunding campaigns. But, nothing works. Have you ever thought why? Well, here is the reason. The prospective funder probably couldn’t find answers to [...]

• Marketing is Not What You Think it is

  admin

  28 Apr 2013 | 11:54 pm

  By Sharmeen Akbani Gangat Peter Drucker, one of the highly respected business thinkers of the last century, said, “The business has two – and only two – functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation create value, all the rest are costs.” When I first read this, I couldn’t really understand or agree with his vision. [...]

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  BRAND IDENTITY, REBRANDING AND PACKAGE DESIGN

• The Impossible Brand Formula (New Slideshare Presentation)

  davidbrier

  15 May 2013 | 12:16 pm

  After being alerted this morning by Slideshare that my presentations have collectively been viewed over 459,000 times (with two more of those nearing the remarkable 100,000 landmark), I decided to do a celebratory dance in the form of a new Slideshare presentation. I took one of the most popular posts on Rising Above The Noise and repurposed it with new insights and visuals. Why “The Impossible Brand Formula”? The title was inspired by a stunning quote from the fighting legend Muhammad Ali: “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in…

• Is Your Business Using the (Ethical) Science of Persuasion?

  davidbrier

  3 May 2013 | 10:21 am

  James Bond. Ferris Bueller. ET. They all had a certain type of persuasion and influence. Persuasion. Even though it’s not a 4-letter word, people have strong opinions about it. Used well, it defines the skill of someone who rapidly engages others, gains near-instantaneous adoption of ideas and seems to get faster support when needed than the average Joe. There’s also the abused, dark side of persuasion, as demonstrated in movies like Wall Street, Body Heat or the Godfather. Persuasion. It Isn’t How Far to Go, But Knowing What to Do That Matters Somehow, this just came on my…

• Twitter’s Counter-offensive to Facebook’s New Look

  davidbrier

  22 Apr 2013 | 10:42 am

  It’s Facebook’s first refresh in years. They modified their logo! What does it mean for the jolly blue giant? And is Twitter taking this lying down? Facebook Facing Off? For those not yet exposed to this, here is what was just launched: I know. Pretty mind-blowing. I had to take a walk to calm down from the dramatic statement this rebrand made…. (calling it a rebrand is generous, more like a refresh. Want to see my idea of a rebrand? You can go here and here). But I digress. So with this face-change from Facebook, what is Twitter going to do? Today, Twitter looks like this:…

• “Honey, I Shrunk the Brand…”

  davidbrier

  17 Apr 2013 | 8:16 pm

  What do espresso, author Tim Ferriss (of #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller, The 4-Hour Workweek), Greek yogurt category leader Chobani, energy drinks and Twiggy have in common? And how can this help your brand kick ass in today’s insane marketplace? The answer is in today’s Fast Company post, where I wrote about how “small is the next big thing” in branding. I was so excited about the content of this post and the quote made by Fubu founder, entrepreneur, and Shark Tank investor Daymond John and writer Steve Olenski that I put together…

• The Shorty Awards Picks a Winner in Branding

  davidbrier

  10 Apr 2013 | 5:39 pm

  “Shorty voters are 26 times more influential than the average Twitter user.” Whoa. The Shorty Awards, now in its 5th year, recently recognized the companies, people and the occasional puppet that have created the most engaging content for social media on April 8th in New York City. Even Ricky Gervais, not known for his holding anything back, said, “It’s an award like an Oscar, or like the Nobel Peace prize…. better probably.” (See the video below.) The Shorty Awards Brier In shock. In awe. In denial. Surprisingly, I won 1st place for branding in social…

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  Landor Blog

• Suspended coffees helps the homeless and brand community relationships

  14 May 2013 | 8:46 am

  The concept of “paying it forward” has been cool ever since the movie Pay It Forward in 2000 with Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment (where has he disappeared by the way?!), and Helen Hunt. So I am glad to see many coffee shops jump on the bandwagon that is suspended coffees. If you are unfamiliar with the suspended coffee concept, it is an initiative that allows customers to buy and reserve drinks for the homeless. Now, who doesn't like the idea of the coffee shop that you regularly buy from ( the average U.K. consumer spends £393 a year on takeaway hot drinks) supporting your local…

• Virgin, Disney, Apple know “word of eye” is key to success in branding today

  10 May 2013 | 6:16 am

  Remember that tune by Bonnie Raitt, “Let’s give them somethin’ to talk about?” It referred in its own lyrical way to word of mouth, you know, “people are talkin,’” and whatever they’re talking about is fast getting passed around. Well, these days it’s not so much that people are talkin’ and passing stuff around but, rather, that people are viewing, recording things on their smart phones, and “sendin.’” Word of mouth, as a social dynamic, is quickly being replaced by what brand consultant Julie Cottineau recently coined as “word of eye.” We live in a culture…

• A date with Moleskine, Nespresso, and Whole Foods

  8 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  I can’t help but observe brands when I’m traveling. I love walking the aisles in local grocery stores, examining packaging, and noticing the spaces in which brands engage with consumers. So, I’d like to share my recent experiences with the Moleskine, Nespresso, and Whole Foods brands. Each reminded me of the power of brand extension, brand experience, and brand purpose. Brand extension I was waiting at the entrance of the spectacular Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle in Manhattan when I spotted what looked like a Moleskine popup store in the lobby. The eclectic and colourful window…

• Pür Spirits at Landor’s Sip ‘n Learn

  29 Apr 2013 | 7:06 am

  Spring is in the air, and nothing says spring better than sipping German-made elderflower liqueur! On a warm night in March (for San Francisco, that is) we held our second Sip ‘n Learn (this is when we ask the bar to come to us). Ron Zacapa honored Landor San Francisco with a tasting for our first Sip ‘n Learn, and for our second happy hour Pür Spirits’ brand ambassador Summer-Jane Bell welcomed us with a homemade Pür punch (recipe below). Punch is obviously one of her fortes, as it deftly combined three kinds of alcohol in a smooth, refreshing drink.  We…

• Can Carnival recover from the damage to its brand?

  24 Apr 2013 | 7:40 am

  By now, most marketers have heard about the PR nightmare that plagued Carnival cruise lines’ Triumph fleet. What immediately popped into our minds was whether people would consider taking a vacation on board a cruise ship again, especially with Carnival. Prior to the debacle, Carnival’s “fun ship” branding strategy was great, but people cruising on the Triumph certainly did not have that experience. Will Carnival ever recoup its potential loss of revenue, and its loss of passengers? Will it build back its brand? It is not impossible, but Carnival must take steps to regain its…

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  TRAY creative

• New study to reveal insights about Seattle-area consumers

  TRAY creative

  20 May 2013 | 9:05 am

  In the battle for economic supremacy in the United States, the Goliaths – the big box stores, the discount retailers, the fast food chains, the massive corporations – appear to have a lot of advantages over truly local, independent businesses, thanks in part to sheer buying power, availability of resources, and favorable government regulations and policies. There’s one area, however, in which the big players simply can’t measure up. Their locally owned competitors have a much deeper knowledge of – and a much more personal bond with – the communities they serve. That kind…

• Announcing the ADVANTAGE: LOCAL event series for Seattle businesses

  TRAY creative

  2 May 2013 | 9:15 am

  If you run a locally owned and independently operated business in the greater Seattle area, we’ve got some exciting news. TRAY Creative is partnering with the nonprofit Seattle Good Business Network and Seattle-based customer insights agency Hemispheres to present ADVANTAGE: LOCAL — a new event series offering marketing and branding strategies for Seattle’s local, independent businesses. It’s all about sharing best practices and translating your locally focused values and practices into loyal customer relationships. Tickets are on sale now for the premiere event, “What…

• Sure, you can cancel. But first, a sad flute.

  Ralph Allora

  25 Apr 2013 | 9:05 am

  When it comes to consumer perception of brands, it’s the little things that count. Things as small, in fact, as the hold music. Recently I decided to cancel a particular service I’d been using through Register.com, the domain registration provider. I was hoping to handle this quickly and efficiently online, but as is the case with so many service providers, I wasn’t allowed to do that. To cancel, I had to pick up the phone and speak to a sales agent. To his credit, the agent I spoke to was extremely professional and entirely willing to let me cancel, no questions asked. None…

• Niche marketing goes barking mad: a TV channel for dogs

  Ralph Allora

  10 Apr 2013 | 10:08 am

  In an age where seemingly every niche market gets its own cable TV network, you knew something like this was coming: DirecTV has just announced the addition of DogTV, a premium channel targeted exclusively to dogs. Not dog owners. Dogs. DogTV features images and audio claimed to be specifically calibrated for canine sensitivities. According to the DogTV website, the channel’s programming “helps stimulate, entertain, relax and habituate dogs with shows that expose them to various movements, sounds, objects, experiences and behavior patterns, all from a dog’s point of view.”…

• 7 PowerPoint mistakes that put audiences to sleep

  Ralph Allora

  2 Apr 2013 | 9:05 am

  PowerPoint. The very word evokes fear and loathing in business audiences everywhere. The reaction of a typical prospect, upon learning that he or she will be subjected to your PowerPoint sales presentation, is that it’s 45 minutes of her life she’ll never get back. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Avoid these seven common mistakes, and people will gladly let you hook up your laptop to their projector. 1. Reading the bullet points verbatim. When an audience is staring at a bunch of words on a screen while listening to you mechanically recite those exact words, they…

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  The Finch Post

• Creating and Presenting Your Portfolio

  Finch Brands

  21 May 2013 | 12:06 pm

  Tomorrow night I'm heading to Portfolio Night (PN11) in Philadelphia with some of the Finch Brands team. In preparation for the event, it has occurred to me that I give the same advice every time I interview a candidate for employment or an internship. And funny enough, many companies we meet with are also recipients of the same advice given to interviewees. No matter the quality of the work, there always seems to be the same misstep. Don't forget to take a step back and SEE YOURSELF THROUH THE CUSTOMER'S EYES. It's simple; so simple that most people and businesses…

• Penn State in Philadelphia?

  Finch Brands

  25 Apr 2013 | 7:30 am

  An energetic ad campaign for something called ‘Penn State in Philly’ received heavy run during March Madness (alas, more than the University’s perpetually disappointing men’s basketball team). This is a smart strategic move and, based on our experience, an extraordinary organizational achievement. Penn State consists of 24 campuses across the Commonwealth. There is no physical Penn State undergraduate campus in the City of Philadelphia – the largest campus is several hours northwest of here. This campaign is actually a joint effort of several smaller, suburban campuses – including…

• Ron Johnson: A Case Study in the Perils of Success

  Finch Brands

  12 Apr 2013 | 8:15 am

  Much has been written about the incredibly quick rise and fall of Ron Johnson as CEO of J.C. Penney. Central to his failure was his decision to forego testing his sweeping changes in merchandising and pricing / promotional strategy in a sub-set of Penney’s stores to gauge consumer reaction prior to rolling them out chain-wide.  Lesson #1: When you’re Apple, you are in the incredibly rare position of leading the market; meaning you have built so much equity with consumers that they will follow you wherever you take them. So, it’s less about appealing to the whims of customers and more…

• The Truth about Rebranding

  Finch Brands

  28 Mar 2013 | 6:53 am

  The concept of "rebranding" has become popular in a broader context than just the corporate world – in just the last several weeks, we have heard "rebranding" mentioned in connection with topics as diverse as the Republican Party, the NFL (on issues of violence), women in the workplace and the entire public education system. Our sense is that the above uses of the word are meant to suggest a need to reframe existing ideas so these organizations or issues are better perceived by those who matter – voters, fans, etc. While these uses of "rebranding" are not…

• Through the Looking Glass

  Finch Brands

  14 Mar 2013 | 8:08 am

  After Google announced its fascinating (and invitingly creepy) Glass project, the Internet fluttered with the expected Terminator jokes and occasional YouTube parody – and the marketing world quietly took note. Here comes a transformational new gadget from arguably the world’s largest, most powerful real-time advertising company capable of reinventing, as they did with search, the way we interact with and access consumers throughout their everyday life patterns. For those unfamiliar with the Glass project, Google has developed a hands-free “eyeglass” device that provides the wearer…

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  Brandful Workforce

• Patagonia’s Business Changed Because They Listened to Employees

  Julia

  16 May 2013 | 11:02 am

  This week, I came across a great story from Patagonia. Prior to using organic cotton in their clothing, Patagonia had opened a new store in which employees were suffering headaches. They listened and brought in an environmental engineer to investigate the problem. The engineer found that the air in the work environment had toxins due to the materials being used in making the clothing. From this, Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s CEO, took it upon himself to research what all goes into clothing and could there be another way?  From his journey, he is now not only a proponent of organic cotton…

• Failing Provides Insight

  Julia

  7 May 2013 | 8:43 am

  We held our third executive roundtable at the end of April, hosted by IBM in Manhattan. We had a fantastic, intimate group of folks from different industries and organizations (pharmaceutical, social media, financial, business services, pharmaceutical, publishing, and healthcare), and all came with a similar goal: to share their experiences on specifically how they are creating and sustaining a workforce that truly believes in the products and services they help deliver. I’m not going to give you a “blow-by-blow” of the discussion, which continued to be just as engaging as…

• Graduating? Don’t Look For a Job. Look for a Brand!

  Julia

  20 Apr 2013 | 8:36 am

  It’s almost that time of year again. Who will get a good offer and who will not? Who will just settle for any offer and who will go for their dream job? Who will struggle and who will transition seamlessly into the workforce? Who will go above and beyond and who will do the bare minimum? Who will be a long-term hire and who won’t last through the first month? Who will fit into the culture and who won’t? As many graduates look to join the workforce, they think about what they want to do.  They  look at their experience, knowledge from the courses they took and any skills…

• How to Convince Your CEO That Employees Matter to the Brand

  Julia

  11 Apr 2013 | 8:56 am

  Human Resources Executive invited me to conduct a webinar this week on how to build and sustain a brandful workforce. If you’ve been reading my blog or following me, you’ll know that’s a workforce of “brand promoters.” (You can click here to listen to the presentation or download the slides.) After I ran through the roadmap, I got a question that is often asked: “How do I convince my CEO that employees matter to the brand?” In my book, I point out that the CEO’s people philosophy is a pre-requisite to building a brandful workforce. It’s…

• Don’t Do It For Employee Retention- Do It Because You Believe In It!

  Julia

  5 Apr 2013 | 9:29 am

  I saw an article this week entitled, 86% of Employees Not Engaged By Companies’ Sustainability Programs. You can read it here. It says that while many organizations promote sustainability, most employees are dissatisfied with their employers’ sustainability efforts. And many believe that organizations do it just for marketing and sales. I do believe that some organizations push corporate social responsibility programs, like sustainability, as way to attract and retain employees. Most likely, an executive came up with the idea because that’s what college graduates want. And…

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  places | brands

• Will the European Union 2020 Strategy Bring New Opportunities for Place Branding Projects?

  Eduardo Oliveira

  17 May 2013 | 7:21 am

  By Eduardo Oliveira Setting the context Some time ago I wrote my own thoughts about the European Union 2020 Strategy and its implications for the practice of place branding. This is my follow up of the ideas I shared. There are various interconnected reasons that motivated me to keep exploring the European Union (EU) policy and place branding, which I will now explore here. Firstly, the European Union opened the formal talks on the European Union budget for the coming seven years (2014-2020) on a meeting on Monday evening (May 6) between the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso,…

• Branding the Golden Ring: Case Study of Kostroma, Russia

  Oksana Klyuchinskaya

  15 May 2013 | 12:08 am

  by Oksana Klyuchinskaya Now that destination branding has become popular worldwide, Russia is trying to catch up. However, the whole thing is seen by many as yet another way of money laundering and/or budget wasting. Russians are traditionally pretty pessimistic about most things that promise time-delayed results. They think their lives are likely to change drastically by then, so why bother? The place branding industry has just started taking shape in Russia. Those involved in the field are mainly specialists in design and company branding, with an additional sprinkling of passionate…

• Did Qatar’s Brand Management Concerns Spell Release for Dorje Gurung?

  Sam

  14 May 2013 | 8:06 am

  Dorje Gurung, from Nepal, a chemistry teacher at one of Qatar’s leading schools, Qatar Academy, arrived home in Kathmandu today after spending 10 days in a Doha jail following accusations of ‘insulting Islam’. The veteran teacher, who has lived and worked all over the world in places such as Azerbaijan, Saigon, the UK and the US, was arrested last week after one of his students alleged Gurung had ‘insulted Islam’. According to several colleagues at Qatar Academy, Gurung often encountered students who challenged his authority because he was ‘just a…

• From Tiger to Tech Hub: Talking Brand Ireland with John Dennehy

  Sam

  12 May 2013 | 11:27 pm

  John Dennehy is CEO of Zartis.com, a recruitment marketing and software company based in Ireland. The company runs regional branding initiatives to attract skilled professionals. These include Make IT in Ireland, and Make IT in Cork. Previously John was co-founder of Upstart Games a developer and publisher of mobile games. With offices in Tokyo, LA and Dublin it was acquired in Nov 2006. The company developed games for US media groups including Disney and Sony Pictures. John has a BA in Communications from Dublin City University and a postgrad in Journalism from Rhodes University, South…

• New Silicon Valley on the Emerald Isle

  Sam

  9 May 2013 | 3:01 am

  photo credit: || UggGirl via photopin cc In 2010, after a job interview with Google’s Dublin headquarters, I remember feeling vaguely surprised that Google was located in Ireland.  I’d always associated Ireland with images such as Guinness, Riverdance, and Shane McGowan – not with Silicon Valley-style tech. Ireland’s reputation has been on a roller coaster ride over recent decades. The ‘Celtic Tiger’ economic boom period came to an abrupt end with the financial crisis of 2008, which hit Ireland particularly hard and caused, among other issues, a mass…

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  denise lee yohn: brand as business bites™

• what went wrong with tata motors nano

  denise lee yohn

  22 May 2013 | 5:38 am

  “An amazing ‘invention’ that didn’t turn out to be an innovation” – that’s how one expert described Tata Motors’s Nano.  Indeed, the current predicament of the $2,000 compact car that was introduced in India with great fanfare in 2008 holds some valuable takeaways for aspiring disrupters. Before I get into what can be learned from this unfortunate story, here’s a bit of background:  In India, entire families too poor to afford a car usually crowd onto a single motor scooter and take to the streets in what would be a comedic scene if it weren’t so dangerous.  A…

• how de beers made diamonds forever

  denise lee yohn

  20 May 2013 | 5:39 am

  brand as business bit:  How do you create desire?  Diamond brand De Beers and Frances Gerety, the copywriter behind the company’s tagline, “A Diamond Is Forever” showed us how.  A recent terrific piece in the NYT outlined their approach: appeal to emotions: “Sentiment is essential to your advertising, as it is to your product,” Gerety’s agency N.W. Ayer wrote to De Beers, “for the emotional connotation of the diamond is the one competitive advantage which no other product can claim or dispute.”  reframe the competition: They needed to convince people that…

• brand book bites from Monster Loyalty

  denise lee yohn

  16 May 2013 | 5:25 am

  (“brand book bites”, a new blog feature of mine, are book reviews that highlight the most interesting brand stories in the latest best-selling books.  Subscribe to my feed so you don’t miss these regular bulleted briefings on the books I recommend you read.) -  the book:  Monster Loyalty: How Lady Gaga Turns Followers into Fanatics – an easy read about Lady Gaga’s wildly successful strategies for attracting and keeping insanely loyal fans. -  the brain:  Jackie Huba has been writing the enlightening Church of the Customer blog for years, and is the co-author of two books on…

• five p’s to a priceless ce retail experience

  denise lee yohn

  15 May 2013 | 5:08 am

  brand as business bit:  Showrooming isn’t going away — it’s the way people want and expect to shop now.  So, what are brick and mortar stores to do to compete with e-tailers that undercut them on price — especially in consumer electronics where the prevalence of mobile price checking apps and online discounters have really taken their toll on retail market share?!  Deliver a superior brand experience.  There are five P’s other than price that retailers can use to increase customer preference for shopping — and buying — at their store.  Take a…

• design researcher steve portigal on interviewing users

  denise lee yohn

  13 May 2013 | 5:58 am

  Today’s interview guest unveils the strategies for uncovering consumer insights that drive innovation and help create distinctive customer experience.  Steve Portigal is the founder of Portigal Consulting, a “bite-sized” firm that helps clients to discover and act on new insights about themselves and their customers.   Over the course of his career, Steve has interviewed hundreds of people and his work has informed the development of mobile devices, medical information systems, iPod accessories, and more.   Steve speaks regularly at corporate events and conferences…