A startup business faces many difficult challenges getting off the ground. For many early stage CEO’s assessing their priorities, product development and the seed money to grow are their primary concerns. Few if any are thinking much about brand building–mainly because they believe it to be sophisticated marketing they simply can’t afford. For startup CEOs, brand building needs to be as important to early success as product development and raising money. You can have the most innovative, groundbreaking product ever conceived, but if you can’t create a strong foundation for…
Branding
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Most Topular Stories
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Brand Strategy For Startups
Branding Strategy Insider9 May 2012 | 11:10 pm -
Personal Branding: How NOT to Use Twitter
Celebrity Branding Agency » Blog »9 Apr 2012 | 3:40 amMost of this time, this blog focuses on practical strategies and tactics that will help you enhance your personal brand, with the ultimate goal of positioning you as a respected celebrity expert within your market. However, every once in a while it’s a good idea to examine what NOT to do when it comes to personal branding. Today, we’re going to focus on Twitter… and without any further ado, here are several of the most common personal branding mistakes we see: 1) Too much selling. Your Twitter audience isn’t interested in a sales pitch. If you can subtly work in references to… -
StoryBranding – A New Narrative for Retail
The Brand Show15 May 2012 | 1:42 pmWhat’s the difference between storytelling and StoryBranding? Listen as Jim Signorelli, Founder and CEO of ESW Partners and the author of StoryBranding, describes how he helps companies dig deep to discover their brand’s unique and authentic story. Every brand has one, and Signorelli has developed a process using a planning model rooted in story structure. Learn how to be the story – how to leverage your brand as the main character, to overcome obstacles and achieve business goals. Tune in to gain insight on archetypes, audiences and achievements with StoryBranding. What brands tell a… -
Cartoon – What These Iconic Brands Can Teach You About Being Memorable
Create to Conquer19 Apr 2012 | 10:39 amWell, if you didn’t guess all of the brands and their slogans, read through the post and I will unveil them to you. But this isn’t just for entertainment purposes – the cartoon is about learning how to make yourself MORE MEMORABLE, so people keep remembering your BRAND and its products/services. Let’s keep on: What you can learn from these big-ass brands Despite me creatively “slaughtering” the brands visuals and text, you probably guessed most of them. That’s the power of iconic branding – it’s sooo strong you can EVEN recognize it… -
Creating Brand Happiness with Storytelling
Storytelling To Create Impact Brands25 Feb 2012 | 12:45 amIt struck me that happiness at any level is the result of many other feelings and actions. The diagram below is the simplest mental model I could create. It says that happiness is created from Trust, Choice and Freedom. I … Continue reading →
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Tom Asacker
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The telos of business.
17 May 2012 | 7:00 am"If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time; but if you are here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." ~ Lilla Watson "We work on ourselves in order to... -
The riddle of marketplace success.
14 May 2012 | 1:33 pmAre you driven by your perceptions or by your dreams? -
The how of great brands.
7 May 2012 | 9:49 amI've had the opportunity to work with many leading brands over the years, and I’ve also watched purposeful, passionate organizations struggle for significance. I’ve seen dedicated religious leaders lose their ministries to apathy, while others swelled their church attendance into... -
Businesses are not made.
3 May 2012 | 10:19 amWhy is change so difficult for organizations? Primarily because of the generally accepted myth of business creation. We believe that businesses are made by arranging and rearranging parts; people, departments, managers, et al. Leaders think of themselves as technicians and... -
The yin and yang of business.
30 Apr 2012 | 6:30 amThere's a yin and a yang of every business. The yin is the water and earth, the substance of the offering, the "value." The yang is the fire and air, the theater, how you bring that "value" to life in...
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Brand Insight Blog
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The secret, missing element in content marketing.
16 May 2012 | 10:48 amIt’s the age of information, and much of the marketing buzz these days revolves around “content marketing.” We have YouTube videos, webinars, articles, blog posts, 24/7 Tweets, Powerpoint Presentations, Facebook updates, websites, ebooks, and white papers coming out our ears! In many cases, it’s just TMI – too much information! In an effort to “push valuable content” to prospects, some internet marketers are inundating people with more and more information. And there’s something troubling about the quality of that content: Most of it is totally devoid of emotion. The… -
Yes, when it comes to websites, design matters!
16 Apr 2012 | 6:32 pmThere was a group discussion on LinkedIn the other day that started with this statement: “Web design is a waste of money.” It’s nonsense, of course, but that headline provoked quite a debate. It’s interesting to see graphic designers on one end, and web programmers on the other, arguing their respective positions. One group believes web design should take a back seat to web marketing and functionality. After all, what good is a website if you’re not driving traffic to it. The other believes you should make sure the site is well polished before you drop a dime to drive traffic. -
Three logical reasons why brands need more emotional thinking.
26 Mar 2012 | 1:28 pmIn the battle between right-brained marketing people, and left-brained finance people, the left brainers usually win. They have data, spreadsheets, and the graphs to support their decisions. We have gut instinct, intuition, and experience. But we also have some good, empirical evidence that suggests the analytical approach really isn’t the way to go when it comes to many business decisions. Especially when it comes to advertising, marketing and brand personality. The Dodge Viper was not an analytical decision. Bob Lutz, former CEO of Chrysler and Vice Chairman of GM, said he vetoed the… -
Small brands, big attitudes. How to create an XXL brand personality
13 Feb 2012 | 11:57 amWhat does it take to turn a typical small business into a powerful brand? Why do some businesses — with relatively mundane products and services — take off, while others stagnate? Often it comes down to personality. Or lack thereof. When Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield started selling homemade ice cream out of a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, it was personality and a little extra attitude that helped get the business off the ground . Jerry said, “If it’s not fun, why do it?” Ben said “Every company has a responsibility to give back to the community.” Those two… -
Conversion Branding. How to make your website work — on many levels.
17 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmThere seems to be a trend in website development these days… more and more cookie-cutter, template-driven websites that are wearily one dimensional. The fact is, if you want the maximum return from your website investment, it needs to work on many different levels. It needs to be practical. Functional. Inspirational. Beautiful. And immediately understandable. The Functional, Phonebook Level In case you hadn’t noticed, the phone book is fading faster than the first generation Blackberry. Now that we all have a web-enabled computer in our hands at all times, Google is the phonebook of…
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Branding Expert Martin Lindstrom - Author, Speaker & Fan of the Consumer
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TIME Magazine – “Living in the Moment”: The Latest Marketing Meme
15 May 2012 | 7:59 amBy Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed - April 2, 2012 It’s a message that makes us feel strangely optimistic and important. It also gets us to buy stuff. I recently found myself eavesdropping on a conversation at a cafe between two men in their twenties. “I want to try live more in the moment,” one of them said. “In fact, I’m going to have to put some serious effort into this notion, because I tend to focus on the future and, in the process, I neglect the present.” His friend, nodding away, seemed in perfect agreement. It was eerily similar to… -
Fast Company: How I Busted Out of My Addictive Technology Loop
8 May 2012 | 5:32 pmBy Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed – May 8, 2012 As with all addictions, our intense fascination with life-changing tech must be managed. I found this out the hard way–when my rental car met the parking garage wall. Recently I was sitting around the boardroom table of a major security company in Tel Aviv, when I noticed something quite unusual. There was black duct tape covering the camera lenses of every laptop and tablet in the room. The small microphone outlets were taped over as well. I was curious, and asked the head of security why this was… -
Fast Company: How Enemies Power Innovation
2 May 2012 | 8:50 amBy Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed - May 1, 2012 What we can all learn about the art of business from Pepsi’s epic war with Coke and Apple’s public dust-ups with Microsoft. Not long ago I spoke with a group of teenagers about branding. Soon enough the subject turned toward Coca-Cola. For my own curiosity, I asked them who they considered Coke’s main enemy. Of course, I was expecting them to state the obvious–Pepsi. Instead the room went kind of quiet. No one was sure. The hyper competitiveness of the Coke-Pepsi dynamic, which I grew up… -
Fast Company: The Truth Dresses Down
17 Apr 2012 | 1:07 pmBy Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed - April 17, 2012 What I learned about honesty from showing up at a stranger’s home an hour early. When I showed up on the London doorstep of a stranger’s home, an hour too early, something unusual happened. What first began as a scheduling mix-up resulted in one of the most profound consumer observations I’ve ever made. Admittedly, my job is somewhat out of the ordinary, and my consumer research sometimes takes me to very strange places. This week I explored the psychology of feminine hygiene. Last week it… -
Fast Company: Want To Be More Creative? Get Bored
10 Apr 2012 | 3:14 pmBy Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed - April 4, 2012 Where and when do you do your best thinking? For me, it’s in the pool. As I power up and down the lanes, I rethink what I’ve learned. I now have the time and space to solve whatever problems have arisen. It’s an important meeting with myself, and I keep it religiously. Because the day I lose it, I’ve lost myself. Quick: Survey your friends, your family, and colleagues and ask them when it is that they get their best and brightest ideas. How do they come to solve insurmountable challenges? And when…
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brandflakesforbreakfast
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sweet revenge for parking d-bags
17 May 2012 | 7:15 amThere are two things it sees most drivers in this world don't know how to do: Drive in the rain (is it reeeeally that hard?) and park. Yeah, you know the type--parking sideways in a straight on spot, parking with two tires over the line, pulling so far up your butt you can't back out. Curse 'em all... or, if you live in Russia you can get sweet, sweet revenge. Russian magazine, The Village, created a mobile app called Ostracism 2.0 that lets people take picts of crappy parked cars, recognize the license plate number and car model and color. Then, that data streams live in banner ads to IP… -
your kitty's a slut
17 May 2012 | 7:13 amIt's hard to believe those innocent, big eyed, clumsy little puff ball kitties and puppies could be doing the dirty so young, but it's true. Your pet could get pregos at 4 months old! Take that 16 and Pregnant. So why should you care? Because over 35,000 litters a DAY (whoa) worldwide are accidental and usually end up in shelters, and, well, you know what happens next. :( Horrible right? Best Friends Animal Society agrees and wants to do something about it, so they created a series of cute, humorous PSAs for their Fix At Four campaign. So in the words of the great Bob Barker, "Help control… -
before getting in this business...
17 May 2012 | 7:08 am... you must first ask yourself, "Are you absolutely, positively sure advertising is for you?" Because let's face it, this biz ain't easy kids. Luckily Y&R Toronto created this fun little diagnostic quiz to help young hopefuls and Portfolio night 10 Toronto be sure. Careful, answer incorrectly and you get booted out to various job sites that might be more suitable for you. -
your life reincarnated by a computer program
16 May 2012 | 7:10 amCrap, so you've died. Now what? Well luckily for you it's the year 2052 and your conscious can be reincarnated. Getting your life back is as easy as buying an app with advertisements and licensing fees gala. -
stamps celebrating british fashion
16 May 2012 | 7:05 amJohnson Banks, an agency in London, have designed a set of postage stamps to celebrate the last 60 years of British fashion. To capture these pieces in an interesting way the studio worked closely with a highly respected fashion photographer, his assistants, stylists, and hair and wig artists.
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BrandingBlog by Dave Young
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CONTROL: Apple’s Secret to Delivering a Consistently Good Retail Experience
5 May 2012 | 12:04 pmphoto: apple.com The short lesson from this article about Apple’s retail experience is that if you want people to have a consistently good experience with your store, you must CONTROL everything. No element of your store’s experience should be left up to a random element of choice as decided by an hourly employee. A 2007 employee training manual lays out the A-P-P-L-E “steps of service” with an acronym of the company name: “Approach customers with a personalized warm welcome,” “Probe politely to understand all the customer’s needs,”… -
BrandingBlog Radio: Ray Seggern and Wizard of Ads Events
27 Apr 2012 | 4:34 amHave you met Ray Seggern? He’s been one of our Wizard of Ads partners since about 2006. He’s stepping into a role as a sort of ringmaster for many of our partners. By ringmaster, I mean that he’s making an effort to herd our posse of cats onto a flatbed truck and getting them moving in the same direction. He’s filling a Colonel Parker role by finding speaking gigs for us and he’s creating events where he can sell our services. He’s got an event planned for May 16, 2012 in St. Louis and we had a chance to talk about it and he spills all the details in this… -
BrandingBlog Radio: Test My Marketing with Brian Schmitt
20 Apr 2012 | 9:48 amHave you ever poured your time and energy into an ad, or an email, or a blog post, video, phone message, sales pitch, or, or, or….? Sometimes you are just too close to the issue to realize what may be wrong with your approach, the words you’ve choosen or the the fact that you might be leaving out something critical. TestMyMarketing.com is a place where you can upload your marketing message and have it critiqued by at least 3 marketing professionals who promise not to hold back. If you can take the heat, you’re message will be tempered by fire. Back in August of 2011, the… -
Customer Experience at Virgin’s New Club
6 Apr 2012 | 10:10 pmWhen you’re sitting at the gate, and they announce a 20-minute delay for your flight, you can feel the frustration in the air. When you’re sitting in a domestic airline club and you get a 20-minute delay, you think, “well…at least I’m not at the gate yet. Maybe I’ll have another pretzel.” When they announced a 20-minute delay at Virgin’s new club in New York’s JFK, people applauded. Why? Because they got to extend their stay in the club by 20 minutes. Salon? check. Spa? check. Pool table? check. Cheap crackers and plastic-wrapped cheese? -
Shareworthy Customer Service – Tim Miles wrote the book
28 Mar 2012 | 4:23 pmClick on the thumb and go buy the book! Seriously, Tim wrote the book on shareworthy customer service. The book is called “Your Customers Like This – The whats, whos, hows & whys of Shareworthy Customer Service.” It’s pretty awesome and right now, it’s pretty inexpensive. In fact, Tim is only asking a donation of 99-cents to benefit Touchpoints Central Missouri Autism Project. You should grab it before he changes his mind. Did I say it’s awesome? Yes. Yes, I did.
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Branding Strategy Insider
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Measuring Advertising Effectiveness
14 May 2012 | 11:10 pmShow me the Money! This memorable line from the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire might just as well be coming from today’s CEO’s and CFO’s: a growing and vocal demand for accountability from the Marketing function. Big Data Coming – For Better or Worse Everywhere you go these days, you hear about “big data:” the coming golden age where all problems will be solved by crunching massive amounts of data from the web and every other imaginable source. You would think that the CMO’s ability to, indeed, show them the money, would never be better. But according to a recent IBM study, “From… -
Brand Marketers Must Create Wow Moments
13 May 2012 | 11:10 pmThe brain remembers the emotional components of an experience better than any other aspect. —John Medina When Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, the world didn’t just lose one of its great visionaries, but it also lost an astonishing corporate storyteller. His presentations, “Steve-notes” as they were fondly called, had all the elements of a Broadway production, including a cast, drama, heroes, villains, and props. Most brand marketers use presentations to deliver information, often dryly. Steve Jobs gave presentations that informed, educated, and entertained. The most… -
Brand Marketing's New Currency
12 May 2012 | 11:10 pmIn the late 1980s and early 1990s, neuroscientists at the University of Parma discovered mirror neurons in our premotor cortex that fire when we perform an action and also when we observe others performing the same action. For example, the neurons that fire when we grasp a cup also fire when we see others grasp a cup. By mirroring the activities of others in this way, mirror neurons endow us with a built-in leaning toward empathy, social interaction and altruism. We don’t always behave well in social settings, but because we are predisposed to social engagement, the rocketing rise of social… -
Brand Strategy: Repositioning Commodities
10 May 2012 | 11:10 pmEven producers in the commodity world of meats and produce have found ways to reposition themselves and thus create a unique selling proposition. Their successful strategies can be summed up in five ways. 1. Identify. Ordinary bananas became better bananas when a small Chiquita label was added to the fruit. Dole did the same for pineapple with the Dole label, as did the lettuce people by putting each head into a clear Foxy lettuce package. Of course, you then have to communicate why people should look for these labels. 2. Personify. The Green Giant character became the difference in a… -
Brand Strategy For Startups
9 May 2012 | 11:10 pmA startup business faces many difficult challenges getting off the ground. For many early stage CEO’s assessing their priorities, product development and the seed money to grow are their primary concerns. Few if any are thinking much about brand building–mainly because they believe it to be sophisticated marketing they simply can’t afford. For startup CEOs, brand building needs to be as important to early success as product development and raising money. You can have the most innovative, groundbreaking product ever conceived, but if you can’t create a strong foundation for…
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ideationz...a blog from rick s. pulito
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May Day! May Day!…
1 May 2012 | 11:44 amDepending on your point of view, “May Day!” might bring to mind the following: Or, it might take on this meaning to you: It’s your call. You decide. If you go with the former, there is not much I can do here to help you. But if you assume the latter, then let’s focus on how you can celebrate the coming season of growth by committing yourself to taking on some new beliefs and behaviors. Here are ten ways that you might internalize and deploy a new direction that will most assuredly help set you up for a new, higher level of success: Find 3 new sources of insight and information that… -
Let’s not confuse appreciation with an act of recognition…
16 Apr 2012 | 11:57 amI am unaware of a single company that is not focused to some degree on engaging employees. The central concept of employee engagement has, since 2008, risen from the odd conversation to a strategic imperative in virtually every organization. The notion of attracting and retaining top talent has been a value for far longer. However, years of economic downsizing, of expecting workers to “do more with less”, coupled with the reality that the emerging workforce is far less likely to display loyalty than those generations which preceded them, has created urgency around the issue. -
The problem with “No problem”…
22 Mar 2012 | 11:46 amThis past week I received an interesting note from an old college buddy, Pete Walsh, who is also a frequent visitor to ideationz. He commented about the fact that when you say “Thank you” to a cashier or server or customer service employee, the most common response seems to be “No problem!” So why would this be worth discussing in the first place? Well, Pete’s point (which I agree with completely) is that we are losing our sense of courtesy and appreciation in many levels of social and/or economic interactions. One might question (as Pete did) as to why it should be a “problem”… -
On engaged employees and customer experience management…
15 Mar 2012 | 3:56 pmThis week I had the opportunity to meet with Lewis Carbone (Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Experience Engineering, www.experienceengineering.com), an authority on the subject of Customer Experience Management and author of a landmark book, Clued In: How To Keep Customers Coming Back Again And Again (Financial Times Press). Lew has been a thought-leader for over 25 years, having worked with clients as diverse as IBM, General Motors, Time Warner, Citigroup, Avis, and literally dozens of other household names. Part of our conversation centered on the relationship between employee… -
Engagement, one employee at a time…
12 Mar 2012 | 11:56 amA thought-provoking research project conducted in late 2011 provides insight into the sad reality of employee engagement in America. The findings show that the percentage of disengaged and under-engaged employees has risen from 59% in August 2010, to 65% in February 2011, to 70% in September 2011. What’s more, the poll finds only 8% of the U.S. workforce is fully engaged, approximately one of each twelve employees. Depending on how you see things, this is either dismal news, or indicative of a terrific opportunity for leading organizations to gain a tremendous competitive and financial…
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BaskinBrand
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Dinosaurs or Neanderthals?
17 May 2012 | 10:00 amI don’t know the real reason why Barry Judge recently departed Best Buy after serving as its CMO for over a decade. Ditto for why Jeffrey Hayzlett left Kodak, or why Russ Klein and Burger King parted ways in 2009. But I know they share one common attribute: they were all early adopters of Social Media Theory. Social Media Theory posits that consumers have abandoned “traditional” advertising — both its media, like print or broadcast, as well as its content, which admittedly and obviously tries to sell something — and embraced “new” media, like online and mobile, where… -
Apple Loses A Customer
14 May 2012 | 10:00 amI know I’m dim, and I know that customers suffer glitches with every tech brand so my complaint isn’t news. But I want to explore it in the broader scheme of brand integrity and business strategy. My Mom got her first computer a few years ago: a Mac mini, one generation prior to the current model. She discovered the miracle of email via her MobileMe account, and now can’t imagine living without it. Internet search is still a bit of a mystery to her (we crashed her system once because she managed to open over 100 browser windows at one time), but I have no doubt that she’ll figure… -
Thank God For Lawyers
10 May 2012 | 8:00 amI know I’m being dim on this one, but I’ve been thinking about the John Edwards case and I can’t help but think that our society is better off for it. In fact, I’m thankful for lawyers pursuing cases. Any cases. Cases of national import or perverse vendetta. Class action suits and corporate takeovers. The distinctions are less important to me than the overarching effect: They enable us to actually talk to one another, and to remember things. Our culture has learned to value things that are immediate, fast, and ephemeral. If you can’t express something in an instant it… -
More Stupid Old Spice Ads
7 May 2012 | 10:00 amI may be dim, but I don’t understand the latest Old Spice ad campaign. It’s running a spate of commercials for its Champion line of men’s toiletries that feature overtly silly, over-the-top narratives riffing on the idea of a weakling using its products and doing variously amazing things (flying, driving a sand car, breaking up with actress Heather Graham). It’s all supported with the tagline Believe in Your Smellf. This is stupid advertising at its worst, isn’t it? That’s not to say it isn’t entertaining. It makes no pretense of communicating anything even remotely… -
A Great Subaru Ad
3 May 2012 | 10:00 amI may be dim, but I love this ad. A dad leans through an open window of a car door, dispensing driving advice to his 7 year-old daughter who’s behind the wheel. The little girl is giggly cute and after a bit tells her dad she’ll be fine. Cut to dad who winces his agreement, then back to the daughter, only now we see her as she really is — not through her dad’s eyes — and she’s a mature-looking teen. The car pulls out of the driveway as dad watches. “We knew this day would come, and that’s why we bought a Subaru,” the narrator intones. This spot (Baby Driver) exhibits…
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Krishna De
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Free Webinar: Customer Centricity – is it a Panacea or a Pipe-Dream?
23 Apr 2012 | 12:22 amUPDATED 7 MAY 2012 – If you missed our recent webinar about the importance of developing a customer centric organisation to succeed in today’s challenging market place you can access the webinar recording as a video, the slides and an MP3 of the event below. In October 2011, IBM released a global chief marketing officer study. Over 1,700 CMOs were interviewed and the research identified four major challenges that they are facing: - The adoption of social media - The proliferation of channels and devices - Shifting consumer demographics - The explosion of data. I am… -
7 Irish Facebook Timeline Cover Images Celebrating St Patricks Day
18 Mar 2012 | 10:17 amIf you joined me for one of my Facebook Timeline webinars in the last couple of weeks, you will know how impactful your Facebook cover image can be in sharing your brand story. I thought I would explore how Irish Facebook Pages have celebrated St Patrick’s Day this year using their cover photo (and in two cases changing their Profile image) in the hope this may give you some inspiration for the next public holiday you celebrate wherever you are in the world. If there are other Facebook Timelines that you think did a great job in celebrating St Patrick’s Day through their Timeline cover… -
Win A Ticket To Attend The Techovate Conference, Wexford 21-22 March 2012
17 Mar 2012 | 4:30 pmIf you have not already heard about the terrific conference that is taking place this week in Wexford for small and medium enterprises looking for guidance on how to accelerate your business using technology, you will want to check out the Techovate conference website. There is an impressive line up of speakers including Cisco, Eircom, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, IBM, Microsoft and PwC. As I reference in my recent article about recommended conferences for 2012, the event is especially relevant for small and medium enterprises who are looking for guidance on how to improve their business… -
Recommended Marketing And Social Media Conferences For Leaders And Entrepreneurs 2012
17 Mar 2012 | 3:11 pmI often get asked what conferences I recommend people attend so if you are based in Ireland or the UK I thought I would curate a list of events that I recommend you consider attending if you are an executive or leader interested in social media and integrated marketing. I will update this list during the course of the year so if you have a suggestion that you think should be added do leave a message in the comments or through our support desk. For some of the later events the speakers have not been announced so I have added Twitter profiles were they are available so you can follow them to… -
The St Patrick’s Day Google Doodle 2012 Inspired By The Book Of Kells
17 Mar 2012 | 4:04 amIf you check into Google’s search engine today in some countries today including including Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Denmark, the UK, and of course Ireland you will find the Google Doodle celebrates St Patrick’s Day. The Google Doodle was drawn by Chinese American artist Jennifer Hom who is based in New York. and is inspired by the Book of Kells. The Washington Post reports that Hom worked on the Google St Patrick’s Day 2012 doodle for 40 hours over four days. Hom comments that she had to zoom in by 300 percent to render the precise Celtic knots which is closer than the…
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Drew's Marketing Minute
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Are you falling behind when it comes to mobile?
13 May 2012 | 2:04 pmI think it is fascinating in a “I don’t get it” sort of way. We all know that mobile is where digital is headed. We’ve all repeated the “by 2015, the #1 way we will access the internet is through our smart phones” and yet… it seems like most people are lollygagging along when it comes to getting onto the mobile train. Is your website mobile optimized? Are you learning more about mobile ads? Are you thinking about how you’re going to accept mobile payments? Or do you look like this infographic? Browse more infographics. You might… -
Going viral = out of your control
8 May 2012 | 7:38 amIt seems like one of the goals I hear more and more is… “and we want it to go viral.” I translate that to mean — we want a lot of people to see it. But rarely when someone says they want something to go viral, do they really understand the implications of that. The biggest one is — the minute it begins to go viral, it begins to take on a life of its own and it is beyond your control. Let me give you a very tangible example. My daughter and several of her college friends decided that they wanted to jump into the Sh*t People Say meme that was started in… -
9 Keys to Wicked Awesome Landing Pages
5 May 2012 | 12:21 pmNote from Drew: Every once in awhile I like to open up the blog to a guest with a depth of expertise that I think you’ll benefit from. Here’s Jason Well’s take on landing pages. A few weeks ago I spoke at SES New York about mobile PPC and SEO. I touched briefly on mobile landing pages. After the presentation one of the attendees walked up to me and said, “thanks for covering mobile landing pages, but most people still need help on their standard landing pages.” He was right. Especially in the B2B world, ‘regular’ landing pages are still critical. While keeping in… -
What can you learn from a small town?
30 Apr 2012 | 6:20 amTurns out, quite a bit. The whole concept of having a marketplace is blurry today. It used to be — you sold stuff to your neighbors because they were the only ones close enough to buy from you. But today the world is one “global small town” where all your customers can talk directly to each other and every one of them can buy from you or from the guy on the other side of the planet. In their book Small Town Rules (click to buy it on Amazon*) authors Becky McCray and Barry Moltz take a look at what works in a small town and help us understand how those same rules apply to us,… -
What is the next step?
25 Apr 2012 | 6:31 amThat’s the question you should ask yourself as you create any marketing piece. ”What is the next step I want the prospect to take?” Whether it’s a Facebook fan page, an enewsletter, a TV spot or a blimp with your logo on it — you have earned their momentary attention. What are you going to do with it? Where do you want to take the conversation/connection from here? Do you want to give them the opportunity to contact you? Do you want them to share your content? Do you want them to ask you a question? Do you want them to laugh so hard that they have to tell…
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Ries' Pieces
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Visual Hammers speak to consumers
10 May 2012 | 2:12 pmA visual hammer is so effective because it says something about your brand. The “lime” that says Corona is the authentic Mexican beer. The “contour bottle” that says Coca-Cola is the original cola. The “cowboy” that says Marlboro is the masculine cigarette. A company makes a major mistake when it develops a verbal strategy without considering what visual hammer might help hammer that idea into consumers' minds. In the year 2010, General Motors spent $1.1 billion advertising its Chevrolet brand. The verbal strategy? -
Audi's Visual Hammer. An opportunity missed.
18 Apr 2012 | 1:26 pmIn 1986, CBS broadcast a 60 Minutes segment about Audi entitled "Out of Control." The show chronicled the tendency of the Audi 5000 model to suffer from "unintended acceleration." (Three years later, the culprit was discovered. “The major cause," according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "appears to have been drivers unknowingly… -
NEW BOOK: Visual Hammer
12 Mar 2012 | 10:38 amForty years ago, Advertising Age published a series of articles by my father, Al Ries, and Jack Trout titled "The Positioning Era Cometh." Nine years later, McGraw-Hill published their book "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind." In the years that followed, "positioning" became one of the most talked-about concepts in the marketing community. In its 75th anniversary edition, Advertising Age selected positioning as one of its 75 “top ad moments.” But as revolutionary as positioning… -
Super Bowl of Advertising - 2012
6 Feb 2012 | 1:37 pmWhile the gridiron battle between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots was close, the advertising battle on the tube was not. The Super Bowl battle for commercial success might better be described as a mixture of the old classics, the new stuff, the overly sexy and the over the top. Here is my brief recap on the best/worst ads of the night. The Old Classics The Super Bowl isn’t for also-rans. The big game is best served by big brands that are category leaders and that support the game year after year with consistent themes. Coca-Cola The three polar bear ads… -
Tim Tebow, the brand
16 Dec 2011 | 12:07 pmTim Tebow is the hottest story in sports. While the Green Bay Packers are charging ahead with an undefeated record, everybody is talking about the Mile High Messiah and Tebowing. How did this happen? What can you learn from it? The Keys to Tebow’s brand success: 1. Be Different. While there is nothing new about the collision of faith and football, Tim Tebow went out of his way to show PDF – public displays of faith. He also lives the life of a church going goodie-goodie. No alcohol, no smoking, no drugs, no sex (he is staying celibate til marriage.) His outspoken and open…
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Tom Fishburne: Marketoonist
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where the wild ideas are
13 May 2012 | 11:22 pmThe world needs wild ideas. But every wild idea faces a road of obstacles to bring it to life. The hard work comes after the brainstorming rumpus when you have to bring others along. Few of these obstacles are as rough as the devil’s advocate. IDEO founder Tom Kelley once called the devil’s advocate the single greatest threat to innovation: “Devil’s advocates remove themselves from the equation and sidestep individual responsibility for the verbal attack. But before they’re done, they’ve torched your fledgling concept… “What’s truly… -
marketing clutter
6 May 2012 | 11:51 pmThere has never been a greater level of marketing clutter. Yankelovich Consumer Research charts that “we’ve gone from being exposed to about 500 marketing messages a day back in the 1970s to as many as 5,000 a day today.” At the same time, marketing communication is often little more than a string of adjectives: bigger, better, faster, cheaper, etc. So we marketers are interrupting consumers more, but with fewer meaningful things to say. I like how Professor Youngme Moon characterizes this dynamic in her business book, Different: “Today we have more of everything. More… -
a good idea
30 Apr 2012 | 12:37 amOne of my favorite idea killers is the statement, “if it were really a good idea, someone would already be doing it.” In innovation, we often fixate too much on the competition. We benchmark and validate ideas based what everyone else is doing. This cycle of one-upmanship makes it hard to launch something truly new and different. It also creates a lot of me-toos. My friend Sasha pointed me to “The Creative Monopoly“, a David Brooks piece on PayPal founder Peter Thiel’s business philosophy. “Instead of being slightly better than everybody else in a crowded… -
we’re going digital
22 Apr 2012 | 4:36 pmShould campaigns be media-driven or idea-driven? Lately, it feels like the media tail is wagging the campaign dog. Many campaigns are built around a media platform, as if the media platform alone was the big idea. Most of the Foursquare campaigns I see feel like that. Sometimes marketers forget that media platforms are enablers to big ideas. They aren’t the big ideas themselves. The media channels developing today are creating an unparalleled opportunity for marketers. As a result, P&G, the world’s largest advertiser, is famously shifting media wholesale from TV to digital. -
planned obsolescence
15 Apr 2012 | 7:00 pmEvery time I buy a new technology product, I wonder how long it will last. I salivate over anything new from Apple. But, I’ve had a number of Apple products fail recently. My Apple Time Capsule, marketed as a “revolutionary storage device”, died after just two years, unfixable, losing all the files it was designed to store. My two-year old iPhone seems as clunky and quirky as an old car. The iPhone battery is one of the quickest components to fail, but there’s no easy way to change it. I found scores of similar stories online and was told I shouldn’t have counted…
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Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel
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Beware The ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ Job Interview Question!
17 May 2012 | 4:30 amWhile to many, if not most, job seekers the question seems nothing more than a “throw-away,” “warm-up” question, actually, the “Tell me about yourself” question—also known as the “90-second elevator speech”—is one of the most critical elements to consider when preparing for a job interview, and you would be well advised to treat it as such. Blow the answer and you risk irrevocably and immediately branding yourself as just another “run of the mill” candidate and ending up blowing the entire job interview. Nail the answer and . . . well . . . good things certainly… -
Flexibility Steers You Toward Increased Sales
16 May 2012 | 4:30 amPutting a professional foot forward each and every time we conduct business is certainly ideal. But one of the best things you can do for yourself is to recognize everyone is human and we all make errors; yes, even us. Have you ever been late to show up at a meeting or phone someone, or even worse, double booked and needed to reschedule. Mistakes happen Should we be the one making the error, the best strategy is to quickly apologize to get past the embarrassment and heal the wound. The next step is to then ask for forgiveness. In the case where you recognize ahead of time you will be late,… -
Be My Guest: Hosting Guest Bloggers
15 May 2012 | 12:30 pmIf you are an expert in your field, chances are you are taking advantage of commenting on other blogs in your area, searching for opportunities to write for other outlets, and posting links to your blog to every possible social network in your name. Each of these strategies aims for one goal: to build your personal brand by increasing online traffic. A reversal to the common approach of building brand awareness by seeking out opportunities to be featured as a guest blogger for other sites within your area of expertise may be one to reflect on. Guest blogging has been proven to build brand… -
Why Fear Leads To Career Fouls
15 May 2012 | 4:30 amAt Pegasus Media World, I publish an author who deals with the silent killer of success: FEAR. It’s the stealth nature of fear that makes it so dangerous. You don’t typically recognize the majority of times when the deadliest emotion you can have in business is exactly what’s behind the self-sabotaging actions (or lack of actions) you take. Fear is often hard to recognize, because you think fear should feel like quaking in your boots – like how most people feel about public speaking. People who fear speaking to groups, feel this hair-raising, gut wrenching, dry mouth, heart pounding… -
How To Get Clients From A Conference Or Trade-show
14 May 2012 | 2:00 pmOver the course of a year, my company spent over $25,000 on conferences and trade-shows. Quite a lot of money for a start-up, but something that we found to be absolutely necessary to generate enterprise-level client leads and expand our pipeline. To see a return on our investment, we would need to generate over $25,000 worth of deals from these conferences. A feat that we achieved with flying colors. My company has built recognition in the franchise restaurant world because my team and I hustled extremely hard at each conference. We didn’t let the business come to us; instead, we…
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Chris Garrett on New Media
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What to Say When Nobody Cares What You Do
1 May 2012 | 2:00 pmIt’s a simple but uncomfortable truth. Nobody cares what you do. Oh, people might ask. At a networking lunch, a cocktail party, and so on. But nobody cares. What do people actually care about? “Enough about me. What do you think about me?” It’s funny because it is true. People want to hear if listening to you is worth their time and energy. How might you help them? Who do you know who might be useful? Are you fun to be around? Wait … didn’t I say they don’t care what you do? Yup, it’s not about what you DO, it’s about what they GET! I… -
Breaking the Rules for Fun and Profit
30 Mar 2012 | 3:04 pmI joke that I am the most conventional unconventional guy you might ever meet, but it is true in a way. When we think of unconventional we often think about specific things. Going off to live on a commune might be a big one, having tattoos and piercing might be smaller “bucking the system” type ideas. Anyone who knows me at all will know I am not the extreme kind of unconventional, and I expect you will be somewhere on the spectrum too. So what makes me a “rule-breaker” and why might you consider breaking some rules yourself? The Rules Have Changed I don’t need… -
New Edition of the Problogger Book Released
14 Mar 2012 | 2:15 pmProblogger Book 3rd Edition Well it’s finally here! The third edition of the Problogger book is now available to order. (You might have already seen the news at Problogger). The first edition came out May 2008, co-authored by Darren Rowse and myself, and published by Wiley Publishing. We released the second edition in 2010 to expand and update the contents. Now you can grab your copy of the third edition over at Amazon paperback for $16.32 and Kindle ebook for just $9.99. (Not sure if Wiley are going to make other formats available or not). The third edition again has loads of… -
The Real ROI of Engagement
2 Mar 2012 | 3:58 pmLoyalty means business We are bombarded by “feel good” social media advice. Join the conversation. Engage. Listen. But this stuff takes time and effort. Where is the return on investment? It’s not just about chatting, and the ROI is not found by simply throwing up a Facebook page. If you are struggling to convince your boss (or yourself) that the effort of engaging your customers and prospects is worth it, the two headline reasons you should work on engagement are: 1) If you lose as many visitors as you attract then you are making your marketing twice as difficult. and 2)… -
Authority Blogging for Artists
10 Feb 2012 | 1:02 pmWhat should a blogger do when they want to profit from their creativity, knowledge, experience and skills, but not by teaching “how to”, but instead from the results of their work? As you no doubt know, my strategy for building a profitable blog around what you know is called Authority Blogging. Build an audience of people who know, like and trust you. Get to know what they really want and need, then develop a solution for them that they are eager to buy. How does this work for artists, writers, crafts and other creative people? This is the dilemma Brian Dubé had when he…
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Igor
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Green is the new Yellow
14 May 2012 | 10:52 amActually it’s better than Yellow, naming-wise. Usually, we would advise against using the word “Green” as a modifier to a business name as a way of conveying “echo-friendly”. It’s done so much that Green noise becomes White noise. It’s hack naming, and only appropriate for hacks, hence Green Cab of San Francisco. It’s the perfect name for a cab company comprised entirely of hybrid vehicles’, and it also leverages the until now untouchably iconic Yellow Cab brand against itself. Nice. And success is guaranteed by the fact that by simply… -
The marketing money pit of the descriptive name
5 May 2012 | 3:02 amAn important first step when naming a business, product or service is to figure out just what it is that your new name should be doing for you. The most common decision is that a name should explain to the world what business you are in or what your product does. Intuition dictates that this will save you the time and money of explaining it, which actually turns out not to be true. Why not? The notion of describing your business in the name assumes that the name will exist at some point without contextual support, which, when you think about it, is impossible. The name will appear on a… -
Welcome to Whole Foods, Mill Valley, CA
12 Apr 2012 | 6:51 pmKnow the difference between the names Cage Free, Free Range and Pasture Raised Eggs? -
Company / Product Naming Tip # 1741 – Theory of Negativity
27 Mar 2012 | 2:45 amAll the best names are provocations: Virgin, Yahoo, Spanx, Caterpillar, Apple, Oracle, Banana Republic, Crossfire, Igor. To qualify as a provocation, a name must contain what most people would call “negative messages” for the goods and services the name is to represent. Fortunately, consumers process these negative messages positively. As long as the name maps to one of the positioning points of the brand, consumers never take its meaning literally, and the negative aspects of the name just give it greater depth. Nothing is more powerful than taking a word with a strong, specific… -
Abbott Labs’ Inexplicable Explanation For ‘AbbVie’
22 Mar 2012 | 6:10 pmVia WSJ: Abbott Laboratories (ABT) on Wednesday unveiled the name of its planned pharmaceutical company spinoff, “AbbVie,” which Abbott says evokes its heritage and the Latin word for “life.” Of course ‘Vie” is not the Latin word for “Life”, but hey it is only one letter off. Like “Dead” and “Deal”, or “Good” and “Goop”. What’s one letter? Everything — not to mention the crazy notion that Abbott believes we all speak Latin. The Naming Agency of record on this one? None have dared to…
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Hard Knox Life
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The Value of Wearing Two Hats
7 May 2012 | 1:14 pmEvery day in business, I wear two hats (metaphorically of course). The first hat is in the agency world as the Chief Marketing Officer at Rockfish. The second hat is in the start-up investor world, both as the co-founder of The Brandery and as a partner at Brand Ventures. While these two professions have more differences than similarities, I know I am better at both jobs because of the other. On the agency side, each day is spent uncovering the marketing and business pain points of our clients. These pain points create opportunities which start up companies can capitalize on by… -
Customer Service worth talking about
25 Mar 2012 | 4:51 pmSometimes you come across a brand experience that was just so amazing, you have to tell people about. For me, that experience came this weekend from an unlikely place – a baby monitor manufacturer. One of my tasks on my to do list was to set up our two newly purchased baby monitors at the house. Being the geek that I am, we had purchased cameras from WiFi Baby that would be viewable on the iPhone, iPad and Android. Initial set-up was a breeze but I ended up running into some pretty technical problems with the dynamic IP’s on the cameras. After wasting a few hours trying… -
Klout’s version of March Madness
20 Mar 2012 | 7:01 amLast week I got a fun invitation from the crew over at Klout asking me to participate in Agency Insanity, their version of March Madness. Instead of college hoops though, this bracket is a match-up of marketers from different agencies. In Agency Insanity, marketers compete head-to-head in a bracket on who has more influence. The bracket has 6 rounds of competition and people are seeded based on their Klout Scores. Klout gets credit for some solid B2B marketing on this one for sure. Agencies are a key target audience for them and what better way to get their attention than to throw a… -
Brands As API [presentation]
15 Mar 2012 | 1:39 pmOne of our key partners for both Rockfish and The Brandery is Miami University’s Interactive Media Studies Program. They are really teaching the next generation of business leaders to combine business and technology in their approach to brand building. Along those very lines, the program recently presented ”Brand As API”, a conceptual framework for understanding new opportunities in branding. This model was unveiled at SXSW Interactive in March 2012 and the presentation is embedded below. Brand As API – SXSW 2012 Presentation View more presentations from… -
Putting “Media” Back Into “Social Media”
5 Mar 2012 | 1:21 pmI recently had the opportunity to provide a guest post for GraphEffect, a startup that I’m honored to be an adviser for. You can read the post on their Edges & Nodes blog or take a read below: When the tech industry tried to come up with a new term to describe Friendster, MySpace and other social networking platforms, “social media” emerged as the industry standard. However, the term has always been a bit of a contradiction, at least for the marketing and advertising industry. In the traditional definition of media, marketers have always “bought” media in the form of…
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GIRVIN | Strategic Branding Blog
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Brand story, the layering of content
17 May 2012 | 8:04 amLayering content, the palimpsest of meaning A calligraphic broadside, a gift, for speakers and presenting participants at The Evergreen State College 40th Anniversary. When I was a student, library adviser, workshop instructor and finally, faculty member [graduate '75] at The Evergreen State College (the 70s – c’76) — I drew large banners on specially-ordered paper — huge rolls that were hung as announcements of events, talks, workshops. Apparently widely recalled by friends and other fellow students, I used them, to demonstrate as well, in the drawing and calligraphy… -
I have a story to tell.
16 May 2012 | 8:04 amSo — do I have to listen? The sentiments on the power of storytelling continue to emerge. Point is, who cares to listen? These days, dozens of friends, colleagues and client send along snippets to the power of the story, well told. The image above comes from our friends at Voda Studios. We’d partnered with them on the digital alignment, management of brand assets & photographic content for our union bay website strategy. Girvin, P&G, the first brand | storytelling presentation, the 90′s When we first wrote and presented the concept of brand and story to Procter &… -
Tell me, Daphne — are you a Mother?
13 May 2012 | 10:42 amDaphne, the human brand, is she a Mother, too? Answer would be yes. Happy Mother’s Day, Daphne. Image above, below — of Daphne. from DarkBlues. Might be, that the mission, the promise of Daphne is about celebrating design and creativity [which is really what the Mother is all about, creativity, doesn't it all, really, come from the Mother?] - - all clothing, all accessories by the selected genius[es] of her worlds, whorled in the whizzing of her brilliantly art-directed intentions. …. In NYC, an earlier run - - I went to a show at FIT | Fashion Gallery with Cristina Espinosa,… -
Optimism is Optimal
11 May 2012 | 9:30 amThe word, the work, that optimizes Working in NYC, I was rifling through my wallet, heading downtown to the office, I pulled my subway card — which I’d noted in an earlier overview. Optimism, the MTA card There’s a word, that word — placed — says more than the word alone. It is the message. I was working in a client questioning and listening session, in Seattle — the bridging between the power of the person, and the personal, the brand, the soul, the presence. In looking into the soul of brands, there is love, warmth, passion, insight. Brands, their… -
Stanley Kubrick + Douglas Trumbull > Monoliths on Mars
10 May 2012 | 9:37 amStanley Kubrick + Douglas Trumbull > Monoliths on Mars Seeing the imagery of a so-called “monolith” [alá 2001, A Space Odyssey from NASA on Space.com reminded me of a string of experiences -- working in Hollywood. During the development of a theatrical advertising campaign -- motion picture branding -- the best path is to meet with the film crew, the director, the production designer. That is something to be savored in any creative relationship, the sync to the "live" driving force. Meeting, listening and working live is far more powerful and committed to building…
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Name Wire: The Product Naming Blog
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Australia Wangles a Naming and Branding Blooper
17 May 2012 | 8:56 amEvery so often I like to return to one of the biggest dangers in the world of naming and branding, and that's what happens when your brand becomes lost in translation. It seems a company from down under called Wyngle found that their name really wasn't trusted all that much by Americans as it sounds too much like "wangle." So they are now named Wynbox.com. The article, Five business rebrands that got lost in translation, mentions four other notorious failures, including Peugeot's ill-fated attempt to move into the Chinese market - the Chinese translation of Peugeot is "Biao zhi," which sounds… -
Fifth and Pacific Company Naming for Liz Claiborne Now Official
16 May 2012 | 9:01 amIt's now official - Liz Claiborne Inc. will now be named Fifth & Pacific Companies Inc. Their focus will be on the brands Juicy Coutre, Lucky Brand and kate spade, thus officially saying "goodbye to the iconic Liz Claiborne name." The company name change news has been public since January when the Liz Claiborne name was sold to JC Penney Co.. This strategic move was made to accommodate their three lifestyle brands, and the name change took official effect yesterday. The company name itself is an obvious reference to both California and New York, making the name far more inclusive than the Liz… -
Ford De-emphasizes Its Naming in the New "Go Further" Campaign
15 May 2012 | 10:26 amFord's new slogan, "Go Further" will replace its "Drive One" message while also making an interesting move in de-emphasizeing its brand name and logo in advertising. This effort to de-emphasize the name is fairly radical as Ford has aways been very straightforward about its brand name (the F series truck is the best selling vehicle in the U.S. and of course "F" stands for "Ford"). Ford is trying to "overcome negative perceptions" about its name and get people to pay attention to the cars and the marketing. One Ford executive says, "As soon as people see the badges they jump to conclusions… -
Apple's Decision to Change iPad Product Naming Across the World Isn't "Ridiculous"
14 May 2012 | 9:05 amIt appears Apple has caved to Australian advertising watchdogs who have been pressuring the company to change its iPad product naming from "iPad Wi-Fi + 4G" to "iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular." The problem? The carriers in Australia aren't capable of a 4G quality network for the new iPad. The new iPad with 4G LTE only seems to properly function in the U.S. and Canada on a total of five carriers. The new naming isn't for Australia alone, but also for the U.S., Canada, UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia, Ireland and Hong Kong. The iPad 2 will stay with the name iPad 2 WiFi + 3G. -
Vidal Sassoon: The First Name in Hair Care Brand Naming
11 May 2012 | 9:01 amThe death of Vidal Sassoon had a few people in the world of social media admitting their surprise that he was a real person. One tweeter wrote, "I didn't know Vidal Sassoon (RIP) was a real person, I thought the companies Vidal and Sassoon had merged once years ago." This led Karen Tumulty, national political advisor for the Washington Post, to wonder "How much overlap is there between people who didn't know Vidal Sassoon was a real person, and ones who thought the Titanic was just a movie?" Vidal Sassoon was a highly driven hair stylist, who allowed women to break out of the shaped, beehive,…
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The Engaging Brand
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How to Get People To Do What You Want!
17 May 2012 | 7:52 amIn my line of work I come across some amazing people. One of which is Hannah Dawson - a remarkable young lady who is at the forefront of working with horses - our very own horse whisperer! - who can help develop a truly outstanding relationship between an owner and their horse. I asked Hannah to give an insight into her work...to see if we could learn on how to motivate our teams....(if you want to know more about Hannah you can email her, watch her You Tube channel or visit her website, Hannah Dawson Equine.) "My expertise is horse training and using positive reinforcement methods to do it. -
Marketing, Time Travel and Dr Who
16 May 2012 | 12:34 pmPinterest is the latest growth bubble in social media. It strikes me that it is an example of the power of time travel in marketing! Photo's are the ultimate time travel accessory. When you see a photo it triggers a memory, it takes you to an experience in your life. The photo only acts as a trigger and they give the power to you....the photo allows you to pick the experience and allows you to guide yourself through the experience. Photo's therefore are like the ultimate Dr Who time travel box. It is not whether you are in the photo, it is whether the photo triggers the time travel. -
Stepping Stones to Social Business Model
15 May 2012 | 10:05 am"Wherever life is, it never retreats" Words of Kevin Kelly during his 2005 Ted Talk on How Technology Evolves. As much as we sometimes would like the world to stop so that we can catch our breath....it won't. I have written about social business a lot recently and that is because I feel that technology evolves then business models adapt to cope with the technology. Social media was a use of the technology. The greater effect though was raising the expectation of the consumer. Now the consumer has found their voice, they want more.....like Oliver Twist! A voice is wonderful but what about the… -
What is creativity? Really....
14 May 2012 | 10:24 am"We don't use machines because although they seem to help at first, they produce limitations in the long run" The words of Rosa Lladro in a recent interview in Monocle magazine. It struck me as such an important part of business and indeed of using social media. As humans we like structure and boundaries. Yet what makes brands stand out from the crowd is true creativity. True creativity is Not looking at what you are capable of....but what you want to make and making it possible Not having a huge budget and using business consultants..instead of spending big money, spend big time… -
Show 384 - Inside Mobile Marketing
13 May 2012 | 8:52 amThis week's The Engaging Brand podcast covering social media, business ideas and brand marketing tips, is ready to download. Alex Meisl, Chairman of Sponge which he has developed into Europe's market leader on Mobile Marketing with operations in 20 countries, joins Anna Farmery to discuss What is mobile marketing? What actually is mobile advertising? What is the difference between marketing to the different devices? The concept of mobile shopping How 80% of advertisers do not have a mobile site - staggering google mobile website data? Check out GoMo from Google How to make a mobile…
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Liquid Brand Exchange
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April Streeter’s book “Women on Wheels” hits the bookshelves!
7 May 2012 | 1:25 pmApril Streeter is not only the wife of our Client Ambassador — Philip Mascher — she's also a blogger, environmental activist, avid cyclist and now a published author. We had a chance to preview her first book “Women on Wheels” and wanted to share (and recommend) this wonderful handbook and how-to guide for city cyclists.+ Read More -
Carmine Gallo releases “The Apple Experience” – a book that describes Apple’s customer centric model
7 May 2012 | 11:58 amIn his latest book, Carmine Gallo outlines some of the strategies and tactics that have helped Apple stores earn more money per square foot than any other retailer in the US. The book details the principles and practices behind Apple's commitment to delivering an amazing customer experience. Any business that adopts these techniques will benefit from creating value for consumers, building brand loyalty and ultimately enriching people's lives.+ Read More -
The 2012 LogoLounge Trends Report includes project by Liquid!
3 May 2012 | 12:51 pmIt may not seem a big deal. There are no awards. No ceremony. No hoopla. But having your work selected in the annual "LogoLounge Trends Report" is definitely an honor.+ Read More -
Liquid Agency collaborates with Dave Parmley of Kustom Kult Studio & 13th Floor Design.
19 Apr 2012 | 6:06 amWe have been big fans of Dave Parmley’s unique hand-crafted style for many years. Dave is the founder of Kustom Kult — a brand new studio that specializes in unique, hand-crafted art and design. Dave’s background has included stints as the Creative Director and co-founder of 13THFLOOR — a lifestyle branding & design agency renowned in the Action Sports Industry, and as Creative Director for O’Neill — the innovative wetsuit and sportswear company — where he developed the iconic emblem featuring a likeness of Jack O’Neill, the legendary inventor of the wetsuit. Dave's… -
Liquid Agency restroom signs are designed to make you smile!
18 Apr 2012 | 11:24 amLet’s face it, standard bathroom signs are...well...boring. So, while we were working on our latest remodeling project, we decided to have a little fun and design a set of custom signs that would make us smile on the way to the bathroom. We think the signs are fun – but we admit they’ve been a little controversial. Some people laugh out loud when they see them. Others don’t know what to make of them. But the only ones we really worry about are those that can’t tell the men’s room from the ladies’.+ Read More
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» Blog
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The Last Word On Smart eMail Signatures
11 May 2012 | 4:22 pmYes, your email signature is the last thing read in an email. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important. Its end-of-the-line positioning makes it even more so. It signs off your message in a professional, comprehensive way. Later, if … (more...) -
Fields of Green and Skies of Blue
26 Apr 2012 | 9:58 amEach April, Earth Day reminds us to be good stewards of our environment. Not just for ourselves, but for generations to come. In spite of the economic challenges the aviation community has been battling, it continues to push forward on … (more...) -
Aviation Marketers Have Reason to Believe In Mobile
19 Apr 2012 | 9:33 amIn an industry such as aviation – where everyone from pilots in the cockpit to CEOs in the cabin are connected to their smartphones 24/7 – mobile’s going nowhere. But up. For now, though, mobile advertising requires a leap of … (more...) -
Politicians Can Teach Aviation Marketers a Thing or Two
12 Apr 2012 | 5:09 pmU.S. Senator Pat Roberts captivated the Wichita Aero Club when he spoke to the group Wednesday. It wasn’t just that he was preaching to the choir, which he was. Or that he honed his speech to key hot-button issues, which … (more...) -
My Heart Belongs to Egypt
5 Apr 2012 | 2:57 pmSince my first art history class more than 30 years ago, I’ve had a love affair with Egypt. The art, architecture, gods, creativity and adornment captured my imagination. Now I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m Queen Nefertiti … (more...)
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How Turning Your Brand Around Can Be Like A New Pair Of Shoes.
13 May 2012 | 11:00 amAre you in this precarious position? Sales are flat. You've downsized as much as the business can stand. You've streamlined your processes to be more productive. You and the staff haven't experienced a raise in some time. Moral is tenuous. What to do - what to do? It's a scary position but every entrepreneur carries the word risk with them every day. About 10 years ago I too was in this -
A Contradiction Is A Terrible Brand
2 May 2012 | 11:04 amIt continually comes to my attention that a good deal of businesses don't do as they preach. As a brand (which to my reasoning is your reputation), you have a responsibility to deliver an authentic experience to your marketplace. A basic example of this off-brand thinking is a real estate agent who buys a home from a private seller. When they are out pitching their services they tout the -
A Book On Sales With A New Twist
30 Apr 2012 | 3:10 pmWould you even consider reading a book on sales and selling if the author themselves was not a salesperson or at the very least involved with the sales industry? I agree, typically I wouldn't either. But in his new book "The Art of the Sale," Philip Delves Broughton takes an outsider looking in approach. I really enjoyed this book. Like most books on sales it tells a lot of stories to get a -
Gitomer: A Great Service Brand!
20 Apr 2012 | 3:42 pmAnother great Gitomer book! Last week I attended one of Jeffrey Gitomer's seminars in London Ontario. I've been a fan of Gitomer for quite some time. Twice before I lamely attempted to attend one of his events with little success. This year I made a special effort to book the time to attend. To be sure that I was especially alert for the event I booked into the hotel the evening before. Now it -
Blog for Business.
14 Apr 2012 | 8:40 pmA familiar song that I sing is "Blogging For Business." I definitely get benefit from my blogging efforts. Things you can expect is not only leads but publicity and opportunities. A colleague of mine, Bill Sivell recently was approached by a national Canadian business magazine to write for them on a regular basis. Bill got the opportunity from his blogging efforts. Bill has been blogging less
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Snark Hunting
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Ironman USB Flash Drive
15 May 2012 | 10:00 amAs seen on eBay -
Android phone names vs. Condom names
27 Mar 2012 | 7:14 pmVia: The Intercom Blog -
Liquid Plumr embraces 70′s porn
27 Mar 2012 | 10:52 am -
Abbott AbbVie Naming Process, Behind The Scenes Video
23 Mar 2012 | 8:28 amAbby Normal Young Frankenstein — MOVIECLIPS.com -
“Frying Nemo” Fish & Chips
20 Mar 2012 | 12:39 pm
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Brains On Fire Blog
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We need your help.
17 May 2012 | 10:13 amThat’s Ramsey. We’re always looking for amazing talent. Brains on Fire is looking for another pirate to join our crew! We’re looking for a smart, eager to learn, WOMM loving, Public Relations savvy person to help us spread the Brains on Fire love around the world. You’ll be responsible for planning and executing our speaking team outreach and logistics – this means you need to be overly organized, a great planner, and a maniac about following up with people. You will also serve and be the ambassador for our book, Brains on Fire. This is an entry-level position with… -
Stories vs. Slogans
16 May 2012 | 10:55 amStories live forever. Slogans live until the ad agency gets tired of them. Stories are real. Slogans are made up. Stories pull you in. Slogans push out a message. Stories are deep. Slogans are shallow. Stories are personal. Slogans are impersonal. Stories are passed on by word of mouth. Slogans are forced on us by ads. Stories are part of who we are. After all, you don’t share slogans about your grandfather, how your parents met or even how you were treated at a restaurant. Brains on Fire Book, page 32 The proof is in the pudding story… -
Is All of That ‘Noise’ a Bad Thing?
15 May 2012 | 9:37 amHow many times have you heard talk about the dreaded ‘noise’? The other day a friend of mine lamented about how digital camera prices have dropped to a point where ‘everyone’ is calling themselves a ‘professional photographer’ and its creating so much ‘noise’ in the industry. But it seems to be everywhere – from startups releasing a product, to companies exploring social media, to ‘content strategy,’ to hundreds of people applying for the same job opening. Everyone seems to be asking, “how in the world are we going to… -
Nostalgia, Mad Men and Emotions
14 May 2012 | 8:32 amYours truly at a Brains on Fire Mad Men Christmas party a few years back. I’ve never gotten caught up watching the show, Mad Men. But the other day someone showed me a short clip that got stuck in my heart for many reasons. Take a minute and watch it. Don’t you love that? The definition of nostalgia as a pain of or ache is wonderful. Even happy memories can create that tug. Since we’re in the word of mouth marketing business, we think a lot about the role of emotions in igniting conversation. We know that brands and organizations that evoke strong emotions and storytelling… -
The End User is Not the Only User
10 May 2012 | 8:38 amI am not a product designer. I’m not even a designer. But I noticed something recently that made me think hard about the process of developing products and experiences. My wife and I were eating at a burrito chain where one of the new Coca-Cola “Freestyle” drink machines was installed (1). I’m not a soda drinker, so I didn’t experience it for myself, but I could tell that other restaurant patrons were really enjoying the futuristic interface and the impossibly broad number of drink choices available from one machine. (I read later that the number of available…
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Unbound Edition
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What’s the Right Facebook Strategy for Brands With Several Locations?
17 May 2012 | 8:51 amFor some companies, one Page might not be enough. For example, if a restaurant chain prides itself on local ingredients or a business seeks to cultivate a strong community around each brick-and-mortar outlet, it might make sense to have a Brand Page for each location. But then again, does a brand really want to divvy up its audience and dilute it among several similar pages? -
Say It Ain't So, Jamie: The JPMorgan Chase Crisis Is Not About Money
17 May 2012 | 8:27 amThe longest-term impact of the $2 billion dollar loss will not be on the bank itself, and maybe not even on future regulation, but on the overall perceptions of a society as it clings to the hope that someone somewhere is doing the right thing and always will -
Social Sharing Data Vampires: They Vant to Suck Your Data
17 May 2012 | 7:32 amPublishers are bleeding themselves dry, giving up the very customer data that hold the promise of their continued relevance in the digital age. They struggle to monetize online users, as the dimes from digital will never replace the analog dollars they no longer receive from print. They see social sharing as a way to drive page views on their traffic-starved websites. But many of these social-sharing tools are data vampires. -
Nielsen: U.S. Consumers App Downloads Up 28% To 41
16 May 2012 | 8:36 amAccording to a new report from Nielsen, mobile consumers are downloading more apps than ever before, with the average number of apps owned by a smartphone user now at 41 — a rise of 28 percent on the 32 apps owned on average last year. -
Transparency: The Key to Collecting and Using Customer Data
16 May 2012 | 8:33 amIf customers suspect you’re using their data in less-than-desirable ways, they may lash out and possibly stop using your product. What’s a data-driven business owner to do?
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Expert in the Rough, Brian Monahan
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The Risk
28 Apr 2012 | 9:19 amThe Risk I can’t believe I sit here scared to take “The Risk” to start blogging again. Seriously, a simple blog post…which I have written hundreds of them but I sit here in fear…Fearful that I better have something profound to share…Fearful that you will judge me for taking “A Risk” and I share another “Failed” coaching business. Fearful I will be asking for your attention ”Again” knowing that when I write I get inspired and might decide to take another “Risk.” Fearful, my blog might come off as more of a “therapy” exercise than something of value for… -
Blog Jumping
6 Jan 2012 | 4:02 pmOne of the best ways to grow is to expand your circle of influence. A “circle of influence” is a phrase used to describe the people around you. The world wide web and social media has given us the opportunity to expand our “circles” like no other time in history. My favorite way to expand my circle is by reading blogs. Recently, I was reading one of my favorite blogs “Shoestring Branding” by Mario Sanchez Carrion and he mentioned on of his favorite blogs was by Mark Cuban. I don’t know much about Mark Cuban and for some reason I thought he… -
New Year’s DreamChicken
4 Jan 2012 | 11:13 amGroup deal/coupon websites are all the rage, so far my favorite one is “DealChicken” but you are probably more familiar with Groupon. I believe New Year’s Resolutions are kind of like “Groupon’s” for your dreams. If you are unfamiliar with these group coupon websites the basic idea is the website strikes up deals with local businesses with outrageous deals like 50% coupons for services and products but only if enough people buy the coupon. This seems like a win/win for everyone. The website makes money, the business gains access to new clientele and… -
A Case For The Yellow Light
5 Dec 2011 | 1:38 pmRecently I was “Running a Red Light”** and I had a bit of an epiphany about how under appreciated the “Yellow Light” is in today’s society. Before you jump my sh^t about running “Red Lights”, give me a little bit of credit since it’s actually quite rare for someone in a hurry barreling through intersections to have an epiphany without a tragedy like a traffic ticket or accident. Yes, I am a rare breed of hurried and Zen like driver. Anyway, I was thinking about my approach to life and most of the people I know. They generally fall into two… -
Have You Done Anything Stupid Lately?
21 Oct 2011 | 10:42 amI hope so, if not you are not living. GET STUPID
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Bhatnaturally
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Once Upon a Vespa: creating a premium segment in India
4 May 2012 | 6:54 pmAs far as two-wheelers go, I am partial to scooters rather than motorcycles. And Vespa as a brand is pretty strongly embedded in my mind for a variety of reasons: its previous avatars in India, the residual imagery from Hollywood movies like Roman Holiday, articles about celebrities and the well-heeled using it (apparently Sir Martin [...] -
Lenor fabric softener: visual story telling
4 May 2012 | 4:01 pmThis campaign for Lenor Fabric Softener will rank as one of the most striking campaigns of this year. Agency: Grey, Lima, Peru One might say that this is ‘category sell’ and the benefit is true of all fabric softeners. But the execution is clutter-breaking and evokes that ‘aha!’ reaction in you. It is doing the [...] -
17 examples of luxury brand ads: execution is the idea
2 May 2012 | 6:33 pmLike most premium international lifestyle or fashion magazines in India, the latest issue of Vogue too carries a truck load of glossy ads. A majority of those ads are for luxury or super-premium global brands. The Versaces, Guccis and Louis Vittons are all there. Most of the ads have a common, familiar pattern: minimal copy, visual [...] -
Zonajobs’ grandma: gets the job done
30 Apr 2012 | 5:21 pmDon’t you love it when a TV commercial keeps you riveted until the very end and then presents an unexpected twist? What’s more when the penny drops and you connect the dots in your mind to the product or service it’s even better. Zonajobs’ ad does just that. Agency: DraftFCB, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Via. The [...] -
The new iPad and the ingredients for Apple loyalty
29 Apr 2012 | 12:11 amNot surprisingly the launch of the new iPad has been a relatively muted affair in India. The friendly pricing may help in attracting new users to the Apple fold but those going wide-eyed are still the Apple fans. It’s early days yet and a lot of re-sellers are likely to carry out promotions in the [...]
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Movéo: Get There
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Making the Move Into Mobile
14 May 2012 | 1:15 pmMobile has been an especially popular topic among marketers since Facebook announced their $1 billion acquisition of mobile photo app Instagram a few weeks ago. As Mashable reported, it has become increasingly clear that mobile is where the money is. But where should you focus their mobile marketing dollars? Here are the top three areas we recommend. Your mobile site. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re missing a huge group of potential customers. Mobile browsing is expected to outpace desktop browsing by 2014, so your site… -
Marketing Mantras from The Art of Marketing Conference – Part Three
10 May 2012 | 2:17 pmAre you (or any of the clients you work with) hesitant about jumping into social media because you don’t know what to say? If the answer is “yes,” then Gary Vaynerchuk, who we saw speak at The Art of Marketing Conference, would say you’re approaching it all wrong. Instead of broadcasting information and talking about yourself, Gary would tell you to listen to your customers, respond to what they’re saying, offer to help them, and thank them for their business in unique and personal ways. That brings us to the next mantra in our marketing mantras series. Marketing Mantra #3:… -
Why social advertising will win
8 May 2012 | 10:30 amLast week, news broke that social media advertising had surpassed search and would soon overtake display as the area of highest media spending among advertisers in the United States. Some people might be surprised, but we’re simply wondering what took so long. Social advertising offers several key benefits that make it an especially smart choice for advertisers who want to maximize the ROI of their media buys. It’s about time marketers took notice! Here are just a few of the reasons we love social advertising: Narrow targeting – When we sign up to use a social network, we typically… -
Sentiment Analysis as a Digital Metric
4 May 2012 | 4:34 pmWhile we’re on the topic of rethinking how we approach metrics, we can’t help but mention this great article on sentiment analysis that Kevin Randall, our Director of Brand Strategy and Research, wrote back in 2008. Sure, turning our attention to metrics like conversation rate, amplification rate and applause rate like Avinash Kaushik recommends could revolutionize the way marketers look at social media measurement. But we think these metrics could be even more powerful when used in conjunction with sentiment analysis, which Kevin delves into in the article. Kevin was inarguably ahead of… -
Marketing Mantras from The Art of Marketing Conference – Part Two
2 May 2012 | 9:30 amOn Monday, we shared the first of a series of “marketing mantras,” or big ideas about the future of marketing that we took away from last week’s Art of Marketing Conference. Let’s keep the series rolling today with a big idea about metrics. Marketing Mantra #2: Metrics Matter (and we might not be measuring the right ones) Metrics have always been an important part of our business. However, as the media environment has changed, so has the process of measuring results. We’re now swimming in more data than ever before, and unless we can figure out how to make sense of it, we can easily…
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spatially relevant
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Turn Fans into Advocates
10 May 2012 | 11:33 amTurn fans into advocates through influencer engagement View more presentations from Ant’s Eye View -
ProductCamp DC: Manage Your Career Roadmap!
5 May 2012 | 11:29 amThanks to all for the wonderful discussion! Define Your Career Roadmap View more presentations from Jon Gatrell -
Google + vs. Facebook: A Social Survey
27 Apr 2012 | 7:27 amGoogle+ versus Facebook, A Social Networks Survey View more presentations from SurveyMonkey -
Content Marketing: 100 Use Cases for Marketers to Deploy Content
13 Apr 2012 | 10:21 amContent continues to be a critical item for marketers to influence behaviors, beliefs and drive engagement. This presentation demonstrates creative and effective use of content by companies big and small across all kinds of sectors. Content marketing campaigns are only online, the most effective are integrated across multiple online, IRL and print channels. See how folks are using different mediums to drive results across the following tactics: Blogs Webcasts Podcasts Magazines Websites Microsites Online Communities Social Media Events Customer Newsletters Videos Mobile Apps 100 Content… -
You need a business strategy, not a social strategy.
10 Apr 2012 | 7:32 amJust like other shiny objects which have come before, the tech is out front in many of the discussions – social media is no different. Tools, tactics and activities seem to rule the day and social strategy continues being infused into the discussion. Social media strategy is a consistent theme of blog posts, twitter stream tidbits and infographics and it might not be the discussion most folks need. I get the opportunity to work with a good deal of folks week in and week out from companies of all sizes and consistently I find that many organization’s are still trying…
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Lies, damned lies and statistics
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The importance of the ‘visual web’ – some stats
8 May 2012 | 5:19 pmRecently, Read Write Web’s Richard McManus penned a series of articles around ‘The Visual Web’, “meaning that images and video are becoming an increasingly important part of what we consume online.” I couldn’t agree more. Speaking personally, Instagram started replacing Twitter as my social network of choice about a year ago. More to the point, there is now a wealth of statistics to underpin what Richard is talking about. This is specially when you consider that many of the biggest social media stories of the past year – Tumblr,… -
Stats that show why you need a mobile first approach now
2 May 2012 | 3:54 pmThe other week someone asked me what an agency such as Rabbit (where I work) should be focusing on going forward. My reply, was previously organisations have been talking about a digital first approach. In other words, concentrate on online channels and content 1st, which then filters into the offline world. However now the priority has to be mobile first, you cater in the 1st instance for people who may be consuming your content via their smartphones. Sounds obvious enough, but some recent stats demonstrate the need to move from theory to practice: In February 2012,… -
If Instagram will be like YouTube, which photo-network will be like Vimeo? Tadaa is one possibility
29 Apr 2012 | 2:57 pmIn the wake of Facebook’s $1billion Instagram buy earlier in the month, one comparison that did the rounds is that Instagram will be to Facebook like YouTube is to Google. A stand-alone (ish) network, that is the clear leader in what it does (so for YouTube online video, for Instagram mobile photography). However, while YouTube may be the 800lb gorilla of video sharing, a few networks have managed to carve out their own roles – on positioning as opposed to numbers. Vimeo for example, is a fraction the size of YouTube, but a lot of creative industry professionals prefer it… -
How technology has changed childhood – ten stats
26 Apr 2012 | 3:30 pmOver the past eighteen months Internet security company AVG (disclosure – Rabbit client) has been carrying out research to see how technology has changed childhood, beyond recognition from someone who grew up twenty or thirty years ago. With five waves looking at kids from birth across eleven countries, the end result is a fairly extensive piece of research. Ten key stats are as follows: 1 – 81% of children under two currently have some kind of digital dossier or footprint, with images of them posted online. In the US that rises to 92% 2 – Though the average… -
Less than half of European airports have customer focused social channels
26 Apr 2012 | 11:34 amAnyone who knows a bit about what we do at Rabbit (where I work), will know that a lot of it is in the aviation sector. As a result, I was interested to see this infographic that Shashank Nigham of SimpliFlying shared the other day. Accompanying a report by the Airports Council International (the airport trade body ), it shows that 77% of travellers pass through European airports that are active on social media. So far so good, but actually once you delve into the report a little bit further you find that European airports are less progressive than you might first think. First of all,…
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CreateWOWmarketing, LLC
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We’re Hiring – CreateWOW Needs YOU!
8 May 2012 | 10:25 amWOW… We’re growing again, and it’s become quite a fun ride for all of us. While CreateWOWmarketing continues to increase in scale and scope, we’re challenged daily to maintain the service and quality we have set as a STANDARD for ALL of our clients. That’s why we need YOU! We need the master of the impossible - someone that can handle themselves with multiple account administration for marketing and communications. If you’re driven and want experience doing everything you see on “MadMen” (minus the sex and alcohol and general stupidity),… -
Photography As A Communications Tool
7 May 2012 | 9:51 amHave you become victim of the digital world of photography? On Friday the 5th of May, CreateWOWmarketing presented the following photography in communications deck to the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives. In our presentation, we discussed the use of photography as a STRATEGIC communication tool as well as showed the audience some tips and tricks for making their photos better – from better photo composition to photography styles and mediums that would enhance their communications needs. Then we broke out into groups and shot some test photos using some of the styles and… -
What Is This “Brand” You Speak Of…?
20 Apr 2012 | 12:24 pmIt seems you can’t swing a dead cat these days without hitting a “Brand” expert. (No cats were harmed in the writing of this blog.) Seriously – type “branding” into your search engine and see what pops up! More than 10 pages of branding blogs and websites. While there ARE companies who know branding and how it works, there are also companies who just use a lot of big words and involved formulas to make them sound like they know what they’re talking about. So, how do you weed out the experts from the snake-oil salesmen? Let TRUE Branding be your… -
How To Fight The Cost Of “Free” Media
7 Feb 2012 | 8:17 amThere’ IS a price to “FREE” media production; while it may not show on the books, it will show on your brand. Buying radio or television media production is every creative’s worst nightmare. The schedules are hard to plan – especially in the “Political” and “Sporting” blitz months. Any positive calendar can be preempted at the drop of a very well financed hat. Budgeting is often a guessing game and costly without the right media partner or a person at the station “going to bat” for you. And God forbid if the spots are… -
Measuring Social Media Marketing & E-Commerce
31 Dec 2011 | 12:48 pmHEY, social media marketers, are you doing your job? How do you measure the effectiveness of your services to your clients? Hours billed vs. profit gained? Sure, but measuring ROI is often a tricky game. Do you take the client’s sales reports and compare them to the activity you’ve (hopefully) documented for every campaign, or do you have a tracking mechanism that works within their e-commerce workflow? Measurement is Important All of the above questions are those that should be asked when embarking on a serious social media marketing campaign. Unfortunately, many clients have yet…
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Brand 3.0 Migration
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Re-launching Brand 3.0 | Relanzando Brand 3.0
14 May 2012 | 3:26 amHi! We've began to move Brand 3.0 to a new place... Actually, we are also changing its name to 'Brandixit'... We would like to invite you to become (again) member of our community! Registration Form Shortly, you'll receive other good news from our side :) Cheers! Hola! Hemos comenzado la migración de Brand 3.0 a un nuevo lugar... De hecho, estamos cambiando hasta su nombre a 'Brandixit'... Queremos invitarte a ser miembro (nuevamente) de nuestra comunidad! Registration Form En breves, recibirás otras buenas nuevas de nuestra parte :) Saluti! -
Branding | Presentation to MBAs' from Belmont University | Madrid, Spain
4 Nov 2011 | 12:58 amBranding [EPoV] on Prezi -
BDA Coolhunting Conference | 2011 - Coolest & Gaps Presentation
29 Oct 2011 | 9:48 amOpen publication - Free publishing - More allegro 234
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Connection Agent
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Seeing 20/20 in 3-D
17 May 2012 | 7:10 amA little while back, I got new prescription glasses. And there was that moment, putting them on, when I realized what it is like to see 20/20 again. All of us who wear contacts or glasses know that wonderful feeling. The slow drift toward unclear vision often goes unrecognized until someone fits us with a new pair of lenses. The fact is, clear vision is not an option. Whatever other investment I may forego, I will always spend the necessary funds to see clearly – because that is foundational to everything I must do! Amazingly, however, few of your competitors will do so. That’s… -
Words With Baggage
15 May 2012 | 7:11 amWhile facilitating a workshop on vendor/project management with a client yesterday, I felt compelled to emphasize that one of the keys to communication between two parties (say, client project manager –> vendor project manager) is realizing that words carry baggage. And I do not speak of “baggage” here pejoratively, as we often do, but simply descriptively. There is the dictionary definition of a word or phrase. Then, there is the meaning and significance embedded in our minds, which is attached to an (accurate or not) personal definition, past experiences, images,… -
LeadershipChat: Transitions
14 May 2012 | 5:12 amMarkets change. Companies change. Circumstances change. And leaders transition in and out of their roles. How is this handled? What are the upsides, the downsides, and the pitfalls of leadership transitions? That will be our topic of discussion for LeadershipChat this week. In and of themselves, transitions are neither inherently good nor evil. They’re simply a fact of life. The reasons for them, and the way they are handled, make the difference between a positive and negative experience. Sudden transitions due to scandal or sub-par performance can rock the boat temporarily, but may… -
Business Mist = Business Missed
11 May 2012 | 7:36 amWe’d fondly like to think that our potential clients – and even we ourselves – have a clear, 20/20 view of our professional offerings and message. However, the case is almost always more like this: The fog of information overload in the minds of customers, the greyness of unclear positioning, the vaguely familiar sounding competitive bullet points – all of it adds up to being easily forgotten when the opportunity is at hand. Business Mist means Business Missed. A lot of dollars and time can be spent marketing and advertising, but if the message is unclear, the… -
Be Narrow-Minded
10 May 2012 | 7:42 amWhen building a business, it’s healthy to take something often thought to be a deficit, and turn it into a strength. I’m talking about narrow-mindedness. Specifically, I mean that you should relentlessly optimize your market definition. Get a clear focus. Aim for the smallest of targets. To put it in the words of a very helpful article by Tom Searcy in Inc. magazine: Don’t define your competitive advantage by your competitors. Define your distinction by your customers. (go ahead – click the link and read the article. It’ll be your best read all day.) Or, #9 in…
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The Brand Show
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StoryBranding – A New Narrative for Retail
15 May 2012 | 1:42 pmWhat’s the difference between storytelling and StoryBranding? Listen as Jim Signorelli, Founder and CEO of ESW Partners and the author of StoryBranding, describes how he helps companies dig deep to discover their brand’s unique and authentic story. Every brand has one, and Signorelli has developed a process using a planning model rooted in story structure. Learn how to be the story – how to leverage your brand as the main character, to overcome obstacles and achieve business goals. Tune in to gain insight on archetypes, audiences and achievements with StoryBranding. What brands tell a… -
Make Your Insight Actionable
3 May 2012 | 1:49 pmOne thing taught by ancient proverbs and modern day business schools alike is that insight, if applied properly, brings value. Julie Dexter Berg, executive vice president and CMO at SUPERVALU, reinforces this message as she shares how carefully crafted customer-insight programs can validate your brand’s positioning. Listen now and learn how SUPERVALU yields high results as a hyper-local retailer in a hyper-competitive environment. What are some shopper insights that have impacted the positioning of your brand? Share your thoughts below or on our LinkedIn Group. -
Saturated Market? How to Trump the Competition.
23 Apr 2012 | 5:14 pmHow do you trump the competition in a saturated market? John Lammers, product solutions director, Advance Auto Parts, provides insight on how the 75-year-old company sustains their leadership position through relevancy for both B2C and B2B customers. Meticulously measuring customers perception of their service, enables Advance Auto Parts to uphold their brand promise, “Service is our best part.” Listen as Lammers describes how Advance Auto Parts continually enhances customer service both in-store and online with a simple, smart, and strategic approach. What experience do you expect when… -
Return on Experience: Retail’s New ROI
12 Apr 2012 | 1:30 pmAt a time when engagement is more important than ever in retail, shoppers can still count on Brookstone to deliver entertainment, relevancy and purposeful fun in store. Brookstone VP, CIO, Bill Wood shares the Brookstone secrets for product innovation and merchandising magic. Tune in and learn how Brookstone blends it all into a successful retail strategy. What experiential retailer do you return to most often? Share your thoughts below or on our LinkedIn Group. -
VW: Breaking the Rules of Social Messaging
5 Apr 2012 | 1:19 pmTiming is everything when you’re connecting with customers through social messaging. To get it right, you need to learn to leverage anticipation, break rules and encourage fun – in other words, doing it the Volkswagen way. Tune in as
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Metropolis Creative
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Brookline Arts Center Captures the Crown at Boston’s 4th Annual Extreme Website Makeover Contest
4 May 2012 | 1:39 pmBoston, Mass. – May 4, 2012 – And the winner is . . .Brookline Arts Center! Metropolis Creative, a branding and marketing agency with a focus on front-end user interface design, today announced the winner of its Extreme Website Makeover contest was the Brookline Arts Center. The big “Reveal” event was held last week at the Charlesmark Hotel, where many gathered in anticipation to hear who won the coveted new website. Metropolis had more than 50 worthy entries this year, but ultimately could only choose one. A panel of judges that included Scott Kirsner of the Boston Globe, Yoon Lee,… -
Beneficial Insurance Launches Website Redesign
11 Apr 2012 | 6:00 amBeneficial Insurance Group is a leading provider of top-rated insurance products from top national providers. What sets Beneficial apart from other companies is their innovative Charitable Giving Program. Recently, Metropolis Creative created a website for Beneficial Insurance, making its main focus the Charitable Giving Program rather than insurance policies. The website’s main call to action wants the user to Read More about the innovative philanthropic program. It also outlines the different types of policies offered by Beneficial. The homepage is broken up into boxes in order to… -
Metropolis
9 Apr 2012 | 8:15 pmMost start-up companies have an innovative approach to solving a specific problem. As the owner of a branding and marketing agency, that clicks with me. Every day, we strive to come up with innovative ways to solve marketing challenges. I’ve attended many events at Babson College, and am drawn to the shear guts and brains that go into every new venture. Their Rocket Pitch event showcases around 120 new business ideas in about four hours. And the companies showcased at their Entrepreneurial Energy Expo (E3) position their value propositions the same way we try to position our… -
Brilliant Logo Designs
29 Mar 2012 | 11:55 amBrilliant Logo DesignsOne of the biggest challenges that graphic designers face while designing a logo is to incorporate more than just typography and illustration into their designs. A successful logo design should be a simple and identifiable design that communicates the core meaning of the company to its customers.A common technique often used in logo designing is creating a hidden message within the design. Logos are not always what they seem at first glance. If closely examined, some logos can hold much more information about the brand than originally expected. A successful logo should… -
Hollywood’s “Starring” Title Sequences
29 Mar 2012 | 5:00 amIf you own a TV and/or DVD player (I mean you’d have to own a TV in order to watch said DVD’s, but to each their own) then you’ve been exposed to the title sequence. Sometimes it’s that really annoying bit before your show starts where some text pops up onto the screen and let’s you know who plays the titular character and who the executive producer is. BUT, if the title sequence is done correctly, then it can act as its own little piece of beautiful design. Game of Thrones Let’s start off small, before moving to the big screen. HBO’s Game of Thrones is one hell of a TV show.
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ICC/Decision Services
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Your Brand Promise
16 May 2012 | 2:27 pmWe’ve used the term “brand promise” a lot throughout our blog here at ICC/Decision Services and thought it about time we define what we mean by it. While not a complicated concept, it can get muddied up a bit without a clear focus. That clear focus is what will keep your mystery shopping program on track. A brand promise is: “This is what we will deliver to you.” Pretty simple, right? Maybe. The hard part is defining narrowly and specifically what the “what” is. Many times, the brand promise becomes too many things in an attempt to be everything to… -
Why Disney does not need mystery shopping … but you do
23 Apr 2012 | 11:47 amDisney parks do not need to be mystery shopped. We know when Snow White’s skirt is the wrong shade of yellow or when the blush in her cheeks is not quite right. We know when her smile is slightly off or her hands are not quite moving at the right speed. This is not an accident. This is a result of a carefully managed brand where Disney has articulated clear expectations to their employees who are then charged to communicate them to its customers. We know when the brand promise of “A Disney Experience” is being upheld or broken by the characters in the park. We know if the… -
Making NO delicious. Topping Dominos
13 Apr 2012 | 3:56 pmYou can’t have extra cheese, substitute or remove toppings or ask for thicker crust on Dominos Artisan pizzas. They won’t do it. That is part of a Dominos pizza with boundaries strategy on their four artisan pizzas. According to their web site, they have spent years perfecting the thinner crust and toppings combinations. It will only take one taste for its customers to understand why they have to say “no” to adding different toppings to its artisan pizzas. Bold move in the highly-competitive world of consumer pizza, but Dominos is confident setting boundaries,… -
Lululemon – “It can’t be that simple.”
27 Mar 2012 | 12:10 pmIn an age when most retailers are spending their time gathering large amount of data on their customers through surveys, social media and just plain begging to leave feedback, Lululemon Athletica Inc is taking a polar opposite approach to listening to their customers. They are literally listening to their customers, doing things like placing the folding tables close to the fitting rooms to be able to hear complaints first-hand and in real-time. Lululemon is an apparel chain that sells high-end yoga and athletic wear. They have created a rabid fan base for their product by creating scarcity… -
Meijer and the donut honor system
16 Mar 2012 | 2:30 pmI visited a Meijer store in Michigan on my latest trip to their HQ this week. The deliberate absence of anything high tech — no iPhone app, no QR Codes — is what struck me the most. In a retail world dominated by technology and automation, sometimes no tech is the best tech. Simple breaks through the clutter.
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KA+A : Blog
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Startup Remix
2 May 2012 | 11:51 amWe all know music sampling. Like the song “Take Care”, which began with Gil Scott-Heron, then passed through Jamie XX and ultimately on to Drake, who sampled it and pulled in Rhianna for vocals. Listening to all of its permutations the other day, inspiration struck — sampling occurs in startups, too! Like Fancy, which I blogged about the other day; it feels a little bit like Pinterest, Svpply and Fab all rolled into one. And Pinterest – isn’t that a little bit Tumblr and Polyvore? Obviously/ironically/interestingly enough, I’m not the first one to have this… -
The Fancy : Pinterest for Men
18 Apr 2012 | 3:23 pmIf you’re one of those guys thinking Pinterest is just for girls, and can’t bring yourself to adopt it despite its stunning growth, you might check out The Fancy – part store, part magazine, part bookmarking – a tool to curate the things that define you. It’s a bit like Pinterest, but sleeker, cooler, more minimal, and more provocative. It’s luxury. And women, don’t be shy; you can Fancy as well (the break down is about 60:40, male:female). Backed by the likes of Kanye, Jack Dorsey, Andreessen Horowitz, and PPR, Fancy is certainly not lacking street… -
Facebook & Instagram : Buying Cool
13 Apr 2012 | 3:06 pmIt’s been days now since Facebook erupted the tech world with their $1B purchase of Instagram. Since then, bloggers and reporters alike have been trying to determine the causes and ramifications of the deal. Popular theories include: Defense/Offense: Facebook bought a potential competitor and prevented other competitors from doing the same. As David Carr said in the New York Times, “Good for Facebook for buying a bandwagon before they got ran over by it.” Mobile UX: Facebook’s mobile app is perhaps its weakest link and has been “publicly labeled as a risk to its… -
SXSW 2012 : Empathy Building Tools for Better Collaboration
21 Mar 2012 | 3:27 pmI enjoyed the better part of an hour, attending the bite-sized Future 15 panels at SXSW 2012. At just 15 minutes a pop, these talks were focused, direct, and spanned a variety of topics that kept my interest. One that I enjoyed in particular, was by Kyra Edeker of Project202: Empathy Building Tools for Better Collaboration. Kyra prescribed three tools, to help teams work better: Deep Listening Non-attachment Generosity Deep ListeningDeep listening is all about being present and communicating it through body language. So put away those phones during meetings! Also, practice simply listening to… -
SXSW 2012 : Storytelling : How To Build Entrepreneurship Communities
16 Mar 2012 | 12:51 pmSXSW has long been advising on how to build startup communities, as you can see from Kristian’s post back in 2009. This year’s “How to Build Entrepreneurship Communities” panel was no different. Successful startup communities still need capital, mentors and support systems to thrive. Perhaps new to this year’s conversation, though, was the need for storytelling. The startup epicenters on the coasts have media bulwarks in their neighborhoods – Fast Company, Mashable, TechCrunch, The New York Times – lapping up their frenzy and pushing it out into the…
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Celebrity Branding Agency » Blog »
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Personal Branding Like The Stars: How A Systematic Approach Will Revolutionize Your Business
2 May 2012 | 1:33 pmThis post was originally featured on FastCompany.com. The original blog, written by Nick Nanton and Mikkel Pitzner can be found here: Personal Branding Like The Stars: How A Systematic Approach Will Revolutionize Your Business Whether you love Kim Kardashian or you can’t stand her, you must acknowledge her ability to leverage media in order to create constant publicity. Whether it’s appearing on the cover of a book or simply attending church on Easter Sunday, Kardashian never fails to generate headlines. She isn’t alone--Hollywood is brimming with actors, actresses, and… -
Zero in On Your Target Market
2 May 2012 | 3:21 amBefore you can create an effective personal brand and leverage it through a marketing campaign, you need to zero in on your target market. This sounds obvious, I know, but you wouldn’t believe how many business owners invest thousands of dollars into elaborate branding and marketing campaigns that don’t appeal to their target audience. If you are in the midst of a marketing campaign, take a moment to sit back and objectively assess whether your efforts are well-suited for your target market. If you’re in the planning process, now is the perfect time to ensure that you’ve properly… -
Personal Branding: How NOT to Use Twitter
9 Apr 2012 | 3:40 amMost of this time, this blog focuses on practical strategies and tactics that will help you enhance your personal brand, with the ultimate goal of positioning you as a respected celebrity expert within your market. However, every once in a while it’s a good idea to examine what NOT to do when it comes to personal branding. Today, we’re going to focus on Twitter… and without any further ado, here are several of the most common personal branding mistakes we see: 1) Too much selling. Your Twitter audience isn’t interested in a sales pitch. If you can subtly work in references to… -
Larry King Embraces Internet TV--Should Your Brand Follow Suit?
4 Apr 2012 | 3:59 amThis post was originally featured on FastCompany.com. The original blog can be found here: Larry King Embraces Internet TV--Should Your Brand Follow Suit? Larry King is back...kind of. The legendary TV host will be back in front of audiences once again, but this time it will be over the Internet, not over the airwaves. Ten years ago, the idea of a credible personality like Larry King launching a web-based show would have been laughable, but the fact that it barely raised eyebrows today indicates how accepted the medium of Internet TV has become. In fact, a 2011 study shows that over 70… -
Does Your Brand Resonate with Your Target Market?
2 Apr 2012 | 3:21 amThere are many factors that go in to creating an effective brand, whether personal or corporate. From the colors you utilize to the attributes you seek to highlight, there are a tremendous amount of details that must be managed. Unfortunately, this often results in some of the most important questions being overlooked. As you build your personal brand, ask yourself this essential question: Does my brand resonate with my target market? It’s obvious when you think about it, but you’d be amazed how many professionals have devoted substantial time and resources towards the creation of a…
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BulletProof
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JPMorgan Chase and the Impacts of Wall Street Hero Worship
17 May 2012 | 10:39 amToday on Forbes.com, Richard Levick examines why analysts are confident that JPMorgan Chase will readily absorb this setback and move on, even if the mighty bank’s losses extend well beyond the $2 billion we already know about. The real underlying issue here is the marketplace impact of a personal brand. Were Jamie Dimon not the fabled last man standing, the impact of these losses would have been significantly less ominous. Yet it’s a double-edged sword. Even amid withering public criticism, Dimon is well-served by the reputational equity that he’s amassed since the financial… -
Six@Six: Tips for Successful Search Ad Writing
15 May 2012 | 6:00 pmSearch Engine Marketing (SEM) is all about catching Web users’ attention with a message that is highly relevant to what they are searching for. Of course, you only have 130 visible characters with which to work (that’s less than a Tweet), so it’s not always easy to fit everything you want to say about your business in such a small space. That means you have to make every word count in order to ensure you are driving the right audience to your website and attracting those that are most likely to convert.As such, ad copy should be written after you have already built a keyword list and… -
The Evolution of On-Campus Crisis Management
15 May 2012 | 4:58 pmToday on FastCompany.com, Richard Levick examines the myriad issues that are impacting college and university brands today. In an era of unseen risks, increased transparency, and minute-to-minute news cycles, having a crisis response plan in place simply isn’t sufficient to contain a damaging narrative. Instead, colleges and universities must take proactive steps that assume control of a potentially negative story before it ever plays out.Read Richard’s full take on FastCompany.com. -
Daniel Loeb & Yahoo!: Investor Activism Reaches New Heights
10 May 2012 | 1:41 pmToday on Forbes.com, Richard Levick delves into the controversy over Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson’s allegedly embellished resume. The real significance of the current crisis goes well beyond the company itself – even though a prominent Yahoo! director has already been forced to step down amid the uproar. Never before has a shareholder activist used forensics as effectively as Daniel Loeb. As a result, it may not be long before others like him to follow suit.Read Richard’s full take on Forbes.com. -
Headline Writing: Can You Please Google and People at the Same Time?
10 May 2012 | 1:32 pmThis week on Mashable.com, Jonathan Rick examines the fine art of headline writing in the age of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Because the Google spiders don’t appreciate the wit, irony, and humor that so effectively draws eyeballs to articles, online authors have begun dumbing down their headlines to include the terms that Web users are likely to plug into searches. But with the right tools and a little imagination, writers can, in fact, craft one-liners that satisfy both the search engines and human beings who use them to access the content they crave.Read Jonathan’s full take on…
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BRANDOPIA
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Tweepeats: Fab Fifteen Tweets in April 2012
3 May 2012 | 10:31 amTweepeats: Fab Fifteen Tweets in April 2012: From Brand Storming to Wheelers -
Tweepeats: Top Twenty Tweets in March 2012
4 Apr 2012 | 3:44 amTweepeats: Top Twenty Tweets in March 2012 - From No.1 SpringTime in Japan to No.20 Brand Wales on St David's Day -
Mama Mia: Seven Famous Mothers on Mother's Day 2012
17 Mar 2012 | 5:20 amMama Mia: Seven Famous Mothers on Mother's Day 2012. 'Brand' the Marketect says: "Female-friendly brands focus on Aesthetics and Altruism". -
Meet GuilFast: Surrey's Fastest Networking Event
1 Mar 2012 | 2:05 pmMeet GuilFast: Surrey's Fastest Networking Event -
Tweepeats: Fab Fifteen Tweets in February 2012
1 Mar 2012 | 9:50 amTweepeats: Fab Fifteen Tweets in February 2012
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Celebrity Branding Agency » Blog »
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Personal Branding Like The Stars: How A Systematic Approach Will Revolutionize Your Business
2 May 2012 | 1:33 pmThis post was originally featured on FastCompany.com. The original blog, written by Nick Nanton and Mikkel Pitzner can be found here: Personal Branding Like The Stars: How A Systematic Approach Will Revolutionize Your Business Whether you love Kim Kardashian or you can’t stand her, you must acknowledge her ability to leverage media in order to create constant publicity. Whether it’s appearing on the cover of a book or simply attending church on Easter Sunday, Kardashian never fails to generate headlines. She isn’t alone--Hollywood is brimming with actors, actresses, and… -
Zero in On Your Target Market
2 May 2012 | 3:21 amBefore you can create an effective personal brand and leverage it through a marketing campaign, you need to zero in on your target market. This sounds obvious, I know, but you wouldn’t believe how many business owners invest thousands of dollars into elaborate branding and marketing campaigns that don’t appeal to their target audience. If you are in the midst of a marketing campaign, take a moment to sit back and objectively assess whether your efforts are well-suited for your target market. If you’re in the planning process, now is the perfect time to ensure that you’ve properly… -
Personal Branding: How NOT to Use Twitter
9 Apr 2012 | 3:40 amMost of this time, this blog focuses on practical strategies and tactics that will help you enhance your personal brand, with the ultimate goal of positioning you as a respected celebrity expert within your market. However, every once in a while it’s a good idea to examine what NOT to do when it comes to personal branding. Today, we’re going to focus on Twitter… and without any further ado, here are several of the most common personal branding mistakes we see: 1) Too much selling. Your Twitter audience isn’t interested in a sales pitch. If you can subtly work in references to… -
Larry King Embraces Internet TV--Should Your Brand Follow Suit?
4 Apr 2012 | 3:59 amThis post was originally featured on FastCompany.com. The original blog can be found here: Larry King Embraces Internet TV--Should Your Brand Follow Suit? Larry King is back...kind of. The legendary TV host will be back in front of audiences once again, but this time it will be over the Internet, not over the airwaves. Ten years ago, the idea of a credible personality like Larry King launching a web-based show would have been laughable, but the fact that it barely raised eyebrows today indicates how accepted the medium of Internet TV has become. In fact, a 2011 study shows that over 70… -
Does Your Brand Resonate with Your Target Market?
2 Apr 2012 | 3:21 amThere are many factors that go in to creating an effective brand, whether personal or corporate. From the colors you utilize to the attributes you seek to highlight, there are a tremendous amount of details that must be managed. Unfortunately, this often results in some of the most important questions being overlooked. As you build your personal brand, ask yourself this essential question: Does my brand resonate with my target market? It’s obvious when you think about it, but you’d be amazed how many professionals have devoted substantial time and resources towards the creation of a…
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brandchannel.com
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Does Facebook Need a Chatroulette? Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning Think So
17 May 2012 | 11:07 amSean Parker — Napster cofounder, Spotify cofounder, and Facebook's first president, as portrayed by Justin Timberlake in The Social Network — is teaming again with Shawn Fanning, his old Napster colleague, on Airtime, a new video chat service for Facebook users, which will be unveiled June 5th at Milk Studios in New York City. Generating murmurs and speculation at SXSW earlier this year, the new platform will randomly put Facebook users face-to-face with each other, echoing the notorious Chatroulette. On the website is a Facebook sign-up button for early access, a countdown… -
Branded Beauty: No Chanel Tattoo for You
17 May 2012 | 10:33 amIt turns out Chanel won't be selling stick-on velvet tattoos of its famed interlocking C's logo after all. Decorating models walking in the brand's 2012/13 cruisewear show at the Palace de Versailles on Tuesday, the branded beauty spots were fitting for a collection that channeled Marie Antoinette. Check out looks from the show here and a video of the collection below. [image via][more] -
London 2012 Watch: Olympics Fever Boosts Smaller Brands, Too
17 May 2012 | 9:57 amThere are fewer than 75 days left before the start of the XXX Olympics in London and sports marketing will no doubt be in the faces of consumers for most of that time and certainly during the Games themselves. But it won’t just be the big-bucks brands sponsoring the events or their big-name ambushing competitors that will be benefiting from the Olympics. “You’ve got a month’s worth of free advertising for the sports and sports-related industries,” commented Vincent Mitchell, professor of consumer marketing at Cass Business School in London, to Bloomberg… -
In the News: Dish Network, Pinterest, Unilever and more
17 May 2012 | 9:02 amDish Network runs into resistance for placing its ad about its ad-skipping DVR. Pinterest valued at $1.5 billion. Unilever tests interactive TV concept with NBCU. Angry Birds footwear? Check. Apple awarded U.S. patent for soft keyboard as Retina Display patent application for OSX revealed. Boyd Gaming to buy Peninsula Gaming. Bristol-Myers Squibb set to lose patent protection for Plavix. Buca di Beppo has aggressive growth in sight, new CEO says. CNN hits 15-year low with prime-time ratings. Comcast's NBC Sports Network will break cable record for… -
Merrill Lynch Car Wars Report: A Bright Outlook for Ford, GM, Toyota
16 May 2012 | 6:09 pmOver the last few years, new-guard brands including Hyundai and Kia have joined surprisingly strong runners such as Volkswagen in usurping share of the U.S. auto market, especially as the Great Recession and the Japanese natural disaster last year threw the entire industry into turmoil. But it might be a surprise to know that one of the industry's foremost gurus on Wall Street is predicting when the dust settles three years hence, the only significant gainers in market share compared with now will be three of the hoariest names in the business: Ford, General Motors and Toyota. The reason,…
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Big Marketing For Small Business
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4 Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Content Marketing
16 May 2012 | 12:07 pmContent marketing has changed drastically over the last few years. In the early days of content marketing, you could get away with creating off-the-cuff content. Today, there’s a lot of competition and it’s important that your content stands out. Here are four simple ways to supercharge your content marketing efforts. 1. Develop a Comprehensive Strategy for Long-term Success Without a comprehensive plan your content marketing efforts are doomed to failure. Beyond doing the necessary keyword research it’s important to think about the style and tone of your content. Will it be serious… -
SEO 101: The Do’s and Don’ts of Search Engine Optimization
11 May 2012 | 2:41 pmSearch engine optimization, also known as SEO is a volatile industry. Google changes can come at any moment and some are worse than others. It doesn’t help they name their updates after cute animals like pandas and penguins (honestly who doesn’t like to see a cute panda?). Anyway, I digress, SEO might be a roller coaster, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t do’s and don’ts you can live by. Do—Stay Current on Industry News No matter if you have been doing SEO since the beginning of it’s inception, or just started today, you have to stay current on new trends. Google is fickle, and… -
7 Free Ways to Market a New Small Business
9 May 2012 | 11:00 amFor obvious reasons, all new small businesses need to do what they can to market themselves. Not every owner can afford to utilize the best marketing and advertising tactics though. These services and strategies can cost quite a lot of money to employ in the long run. Too many businesses overstretch their budget trying to roll out a huge campaign and wind up suffering financially. With that in mind, there are various free methods that can be employed at any time. 1. Harnessing the Power of Social Media Perhaps the best option is starting a few social media accounts on sites like Twitter and… -
Common Small Business Mistakes Made Online
9 Apr 2012 | 3:39 pmIn the online world, it is far too easy to make a mistake and have it available for countless eyes to see. While most businesses might think accidentally sending an email to the wrong recipient or posting something questionable on a social network are going to be the biggest faults to avoid, there are other mistakes businesses make online that make them look unprofessional, or even foolish. The following are some examples of mistakes businesses, especially new business owners, make online and how to avoid them. Email Addresses Not on the Company’s Domain If you have a website up and… -
Remarketing Increases Paid Advertising Conversion
2 Apr 2012 | 1:04 pmWhen small firms think about paid advertising online, 99.9% of them think about one thing: Google AdWords. Not to speak negatively of this venerable platform, but AdWords isn’t always (or even often) the answer: It takes a substantial monthly ad budget to generate enough conversions to move the dial. In some niches, keywords are too expensive for small firms to compete. In other niches, search volume is too low to generate ROI. If you’re looking for an advertising model with a higher probability of success, look to one of the best-kept secrets in Internet marketing: Remarketing. How…
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Logo Design Blog
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Five Questions to Ask Before Overhauling Your Company Logo
9 May 2012 | 8:00 amRe-branding your company's logo should be one of the most carefully thought-out decisions you ever make for your business. Hastily adopting a new logo can be disastrous to your image and may literally cost you a significant percentage of your customers. On the other hand, a smart re-branding can generate new revenue and open markets you'd struggled to break into with your old concept. -
Windows 8 Logo Design – Simplicity that Makes Sense
26 Mar 2012 | 7:07 amThis year, Microsoft unveiled a brand new look of the Windows logo, which is designed for the most awaited operating system ‘Windows 8’. It has become one of the most talked about logos because of the dramatic change in its branding and styling, and one can also find some significant backlash around the Internet. But, everyone seems to overlook the fact that the new Windows 8 logo is a Microsoft’s smart move. -
2012 Web Design Trends – Gain your Competitive Edge
28 Feb 2012 | 4:31 amIf your website doesn't look as polished and professional as your competitors, visitors might not stick around long enough to appreciate your content or product. For your help, here are a few of the latest trends that you can incorporate into your website and improve its performance: -
Valentine’s Day Offer – 15% Discount
13 Feb 2012 | 3:01 amOur design services are reliable and of high quality. We’ve got all that you need for establishing a sound brand image, so don’t let go of this opportunity and use our services at a discount price. This 15% discount is applicable on every package you order, no matter how many you order in one go. Yes! You can really save 15% on every package. -
6 Reasons Why Your Business Should Not use Google Analytics Alone
7 Feb 2012 | 4:35 amA website without analytics and a website owner unaware of the intricacies involved in the traceability of websites using Google analytics are sure to lag behind in the competitive business world. Although, the God-Like image of Google has made organizations completely dependent on its tools for rankings, analytics and reputation management. But here are six beefy reasons to why you should not use Google Analytics alone.
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yinkaolaito.com - the branding gavel, brand communication expert, nigeria brand consultant, social media expert
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Brand transparency: Yahoo CEO fired!
15 May 2012 | 7:24 amIt is no longer news, Scott Thompson, Yahoo CEO has been relieved of his appointment. This has further confirmed my fear about the age we now live. Nothing is hidden anymore. One may blame the role played by Third Point group~ a part owner of Yahoo, for being a whistle blower but we must not [...] -
Twitter: my 7 hot and smoking truths for success
8 May 2012 | 4:07 amMuch has been said about Twitter. Some see it as the best thing that could have happened to them, their businesses etc. You may wish to ask Tony Hseih- the Zappos.com CEO. For significant others, Twitter is just for lazy people who have nothing serious to do. Whatever angle you take, you may not be [...] -
Social media Success: impact of external links
7 May 2012 | 3:28 amI am sure by now we all know the benefits of social media use to personal and corporate growth. Many things have been said and written on the need to invest time, energy and money in it to make a success out of it. This is a common truth as there is nothing worthwhile without [...] -
5 vital steps to customer service re-engineering
25 Apr 2012 | 7:19 amThe kind of experience customers have with any brand today will dictate the next action tomorrow. Each time customer service is properly executed a brand gains loyalty, visibility and strong advocacy. Anyone (brand) who continues to maltreat customers today should not forget there is always a next time. The brand may be lucky to have [...] -
Rebecca Malope brand: Talent, Dedication and Persistence factor
17 Apr 2012 | 8:59 amAs a lover of autobiographies, it is no longer news that success stories appeal to me. I mean success stories that have no solid ladder they climbed to reach stardom. Such stories encourage me to make dig deeper. What I mean by this is that success stories of brands which grew from nothing into something without any [...]
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RadiantBrands Blog
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How Experiences in France Give me Brand Perspective
4 May 2012 | 3:16 pmWhen you buy something and look for a brand in France it’s not always going to be what you thought. Many of the brands I saw in ads as I ran through Metro stations in Paris where the big American Brands. Movies promoted, many of which are Disney, plus Euro Disney itself. And then there’s IKEA, which is nominally a European Brand from Sweden. They sell to everyone and are connected to hundreds of consumers worldwide. The little experiences, small stores, the boulangeries (neighborhood bakeries), cafes, small retail clothing stores still exist, even in small villages and towns as… -
Branding the whole experience - not a slice of the pie
19 Apr 2012 | 5:21 pmI frequently get asked the question, as, a creative agency what’s your core area or expertise? Are you guys specialists in one area? Do you just do creative or are you focused more on the strategy? Many clients are actually surprised that we do branding for both retail environments and e-commerce web sites such as SmithsonianStore.com. The reality is that for our firm we are all about shaping experience – the whole experience a consumer encounters with a brand or company. We can’t avoid getting involved in everything. The Pizza Slice Approach Many companies, large and small,… -
JCP - Big changes for 100-year-old retailer
15 Mar 2012 | 3:20 pmJC Penney, a name most folks associate with the basic old style department store, has gone through a transformation. In the last 10 years the company has gone from the brink of failure, with their mall-based stores competing and losing out to retailers such as Old Navy, Target and Walmart. How can you win the type customers you’re when your retail presence is long gone. JC Penney’s move to more updated styles of clothing as well as exclusive lines have improved their market edge. In addition nto updating their products, they did some serious work in asssessing who is their… -
The Starbucks Channel — the perfect way to connect to their brand
22 Feb 2012 | 11:54 amWhen I was in a recent Starbucks and I noticed when I went on their now FREE wifi, I discovered something so simple but so perfect for building a connection to customers – the Starbucks Channel. When you go to Starbucks and hang out, what value does that give them for $8 worth of a double moca-frappe and a pastry? It’s a whole new way to market to their customer. They not only bring you free wifi, they connect you with the New York Times, The Economist, news, sports and music downloads. They create an experience that’s more than just sitting at the table in your own world. -
Cash Mobs - consumers building their local brands
22 Feb 2012 | 10:30 amThe idea that a small business can get as much visibility as a big business in a local market seems daunting at best given the cost of advertising and marketing, both online and off. But now there’s a new approach that’s really helping local businesses build market awareness. Fed by the “buy-local” movement, the idea of flash mobs has turned to “cash mobs” by orchestrating large numbers of folks through email, Twitter and Facebook postings, to rendezvous at a specific business location to support a local business by having a “group”…
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Simon Mainwaring
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How your brand wins over empowered customers to profit from social commerce
16 May 2012 | 12:20 pmI recently had the pleasure of speaking at there First Data ‘Engaging Today’s Empowered Customer’ Summit in New Orleans where we discussed in detail the shifts that financial institutions, credit card associations, and merchants across all industries must make in order to command the attention of the social customer and earn the loyalty, trust, and goodwill that translates to profit. We discussed the new co-creative relationships between brands and customers, the importance of authentic purpose, and the ability of brands to architect communities that build their business… -
How social ads are winning over advertisers and consumers
14 May 2012 | 12:16 pmOver the last two years we have seen a steady shift from Google Search to Social Search as consumers, faced with an overwhelming amount of choices and information, are turning to their peers within social networks for trusted recommendations as to what to buy. Now it seems advertisers are recognizing this trends and following suit. Over the past 12 months, the proportion of Facebook ad budgets allocated to “social ads” has increased fourfold, from 5% in March 2011, to 23% in March 2012, according to a report from Marin Software. What’s more social ads are expected to account for… -
Why you need more than good intentions to build a purposeful brand
10 May 2012 | 12:25 pmImage: Hetemeel.com One of the most encouraging trends in today’s social business marketplace is the demonstration of greater social responsibility by brands. At one extreme you see large brands showing a greater commitment to their purpose, and at the other a growing number of in social enterprises and entrepreneurs are emerging with responsibility baked into their business models. That said, no amount of good intentions will suffice if you overlook three key drivers of business success: 1. Brand Singularity: Too often brands (and many non-profits) mistake the cause for their brand. -
What Facebook is worth to your business and brand
8 May 2012 | 3:11 pmImage: Nerd Reactor As the Facebook IPO Roadshow shifts into high gear, it seems relevant to consider exactly what value Facebook can offer your brand and business. While the addition of Instagram and Glancee has done much to sure up their mobile capacities (as yet only in perception), the core business opportunities cannot be underestimated. The roster of sales and marketing services can be broken out into the following categories: - F-Stores (E-commerce stores where customers buy real goods with real currency inside Facebook) - Facebook Credits (Currency for games and in-app virtual goods)… -
Biz Stone on the powerful role of social media in business and social change
2 May 2012 | 10:57 amSource: CXO Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking in New Orleans at the First Data conference. It was a fantastic event and the other speaker was Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter, who said something that struck me deeply. He put a sentence up on screen, which said, “Change is not the triumph of technology, but the triumph of humanity.” I completely agree, and while I have talked and written a lot about this through the We First lens, when it comes from someone like Biz who has shaped the social media world, it is that much more persuasive. Too often, companies make the mistake of…
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Art & Business of Motion
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TV Land Unveils New Look, New Positioning
12 May 2012 | 5:12 amUSA: On Tuesday, TV Land rebranded with a fresh new look and positioning, aiming to “Laugh More”. The year-long rebrand aims to capitalize on recent success as a destination for comedy, both original and acquired. The news comes as the Viacom-owned channel prepares to add a second night of original programming, beginning June 20. TV Land 2012 New Look, New Logo TV Land’s EVP Creative and Marketing Kim Rosenblum spearheaded the larger rebrand, partnering with Trollback & Co. and Cord Worldwide to design the logo and packaging as well as the mnemonic and theme, respectively. -
Discovery Goes Bullet Time for Breathtaking New Ident
8 May 2012 | 2:36 pmDiscovery Channel called on Italian design collective Nerdo to help create a breathtaking new ident, all the while showcasing the channel’s best-of series and documentaries. Complex camera-mapping techniques were deployed to capture the visual brand essence of the channel, all in glorious bullet time. Special thanks to Discovery. Filed under: branding, channel identity, ident -
Showtime’s “Brace Yourself” Brand Campaign
7 May 2012 | 7:27 amDexter. Weeds. Nurse Jackie. The Tudors. Homeland. Shameless. The Big C. The little network that could has exploded in recent years, delivering hit after hit- and legions of dedicated fans. Showtime “Brace Yourself” I decided to write this post as I’ve been contacted with an unusual amount of interest from European broadcasters inquiring about Showtime in the States- in particular the latest brand campaign that launched last year. So there you go, if you want something- ask away. It was over 10 years ago (gosh really?) that I worked on my first campaign with Showtime as a… -
Drama- the TNT USA Rebrand (2012)
29 Apr 2012 | 4:36 amGood Sunday morning from a very rainy London. About 2 weeks ago, the world was lit up by Turner Benelux’s clever introduction of the TNT brand into Belgium (30 million YouTube hits and counting). All of a sudden, the Twittersphere lit up and we were reminded of the magnetism of our work and the vital importance of channel brands. TNT 2012 Rebrand The DNA of Benelux’s launch is drawn from TNT’s positioning in the States, a “We Know Drama” strapline that has delivered a strong personality and heavy lineup of programming for years. The channel has just rebranded… -
DixonBaxi / UKTV Watch Idents
15 Apr 2012 | 2:05 pmI asked. You answered. Here’s 4 idents from UKTV Watch’s latest rebrand via London-based DixonBaxi. Underpinned by a new positioning that explores the extraordinary, the channel is redefined to give the viewer a much more dramatic and exciting experience with the launch for the highly anticipated Grimm from NBC Universal, as well as JJ Abram’s Alcatraz and Primeval: New World on the horizon. Enjoy. Watch 2012 Idents Filed under: branding, channel identity, ident
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Executive Resume Branding
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Self-Google! Don’t Jeopardize Your Executive Job Search
16 May 2012 | 7:00 amSelf-Google! Don’t Jeopardize Your Executive Job Search is a post from: Executive Resume Branding Do you know what the people who have a hand in hiring you are finding when they Google “your name”? Trust me, you’re being Googled by recruiters, employers and hiring decision makers if they come upon you when they’re sourcing talent, or if they’re considering whether to interview you. In fact, I do the same thing right before I speak with potential clients of mine for the first time. Typically, they’ll have a minimal online footprint on the most… -
Executive Recruiters and Your Job Search
10 May 2012 | 7:39 amExecutive Recruiters and Your Job Search is a post from: Executive Resume Branding If you’re a senior or c-level executive, you’ve probably worked with executive recruiters because they reached out and connected with you. In the past, top executives could expect to be in demand, constantly pursued by numerous recruiters when they weren’t looking for a job. Unless you’re lucky, executive job search doesn’t work quite so easily these days. You can’t count on recruiters offering you your pick of jobs and seamlessly sliding into a new position whenever… -
10 Pivotal Personal Branding Principles
2 May 2012 | 7:37 am10 Pivotal Personal Branding Principles is a post from: Executive Resume Branding You read a lot about personal branding these days. If you’re facing a job search and doing some research on how to find a job in this market, you’re hard pressed to click anywhere without being inundated by content covering all the ins and outs of branding. So you probably think you know what it’s all about. You “get” what branding is. Or do you? After all, the concept is pretty straightforward: Define, differentiate and communicate the unique ROI (return on investment) value you… -
Job Search Misfiring? Revisit Your Executive Resume
25 Apr 2012 | 6:50 amJob Search Misfiring? Revisit Your Executive Resume is a post from: Executive Resume Branding See this nice looking fellow? A buddy of his has been pecking at my office window for the past month. Every morning, he sits on a branch of a shrub next to the window, picks up steam and smashes into the glass. He plays this game for hours at a time. Does he see his reflection and think another bird is coming at him, or does he see an open space to fly into? Either way, he’s getting nowhere. But he keeps banging against that window, day after day. I’m sure you’ve heard… -
Executive Job Search Stress – Distract and Refocus
18 Apr 2012 | 6:48 amExecutive Job Search Stress – Distract and Refocus is a post from: Executive Resume Branding If you’re knee-deep in job search, you’ve probably found that stress comes with the territory. Disappointments, delays, frustrations and fear are unfortunate parts of the process. Accept it. Stress will hover about you . . . receding when things are going well and accelerating when they’re not. It creeps up in little ways, at first. Then the anxiety can become so overwhelming, it immobilizes you. That’s not good when you need to focus on getting a job. A high stress…
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SimpliFlying
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[Presentation] from TFWA 2012: The Connected Travelers – how to engage and drive results from them
14 May 2012 | 9:25 amI had the chance to present to a large gathering of airport and airport retail professionals today at the TFWA Asia-Pacific conference in Singapore. My main theme was around the connected traveler – who has access to the internet throughout every single phase of travel – from the taxi he takes to the airport, to the airport lounge and duty-free areas, to in-flight wifi. And how this changes the dynamics of customer engagement for airlines and airport retailers and revenue opportunities. Below, I share the presentation for your viewing pleasure and would love to hear your comments… -
Why Airlines (and Airports) must shift to Social Customer Service
7 May 2012 | 10:54 amSimpliFlying has been talking about the inevitable evolution, if not revolution, in airline/airport customer service following the increase in social media usage by travelers. Today, we’re glad to say that the revolution is finally here. Customer service 2.0 is now a stark reality, and should soon be a pressing need for airlines and airports the world over. Let’s begin by introducing a young lady from AirAsia previously featured in our Customer Service Top 10 who’s at the forefront of this immense change. She’s little, she’s a miss, and she’s red… care to guess… -
[Presentation] How airports can track passengers, throughout the Evolving Traveler Life Cycle
6 May 2012 | 8:48 amEarlier this week, I had the opportunity to deliver a presentation on passenger tracking at the American Association of Airport Executive’s (AAAE) Annual Conference in Phoenix, AZ. As always, the conference was a hit and I was honored to be a part of this important annual industry event. The theme of the panel session was on Passenger Tracking and how new technologies are providing benefits to airport operators, concessions operators and passengers. I shared the panel with Kristin Shaw of SITA, Inc. and Faith Varwig, of the Faith Group, LLC, who spoke of some of the ways in which… -
How to drive Facebook engagement like KLM? Start playing “destination hangman”!
4 May 2012 | 7:27 amKLM are currently the undisputed champions of using social media to drive engagement. They won our Best Airline in Social Media award last year, have one of the Best Facebook Timelines, allow you to sit next to your Facebook friend, and even dress up like one of their flight attendants! Their VP of eCommerce says that airline marketing is up for an overhaul, and they’re leading the way. But we all know they put a lot of time, people and money behind their efforts (see study). So, if you had one tenth the resources that KLM has and no budget, what can you learn from them to drive insane… -
Are you creating an immersive brand experience for your airline?
3 May 2012 | 8:21 amA tale from Istanbul… When I entered the offices of PEAK Games in Istanbul a couple of weeks back, here’s what I saw: Instead of being greeted by a receptionist asking who I was there to meet, a huge Ogre-like creature was asking me to start playing. I dumped my laptop bag and immediately immersed myself into the game, in which the Ogre on the screen followed my motions and I had to keep him flying higher by collecting coins. A game so simple that a little kid would get it, and yet here I was, completely engrossed in it. Though I was at Peak’s offices for less than an hour,…
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Unbound Edition
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What’s the Right Facebook Strategy for Brands With Several Locations?
17 May 2012 | 8:51 amFor some companies, one Page might not be enough. For example, if a restaurant chain prides itself on local ingredients or a business seeks to cultivate a strong community around each brick-and-mortar outlet, it might make sense to have a Brand Page for each location. But then again, does a brand really want to divvy up its audience and dilute it among several similar pages? -
Say It Ain't So, Jamie: The JPMorgan Chase Crisis Is Not About Money
17 May 2012 | 8:27 amThe longest-term impact of the $2 billion dollar loss will not be on the bank itself, and maybe not even on future regulation, but on the overall perceptions of a society as it clings to the hope that someone somewhere is doing the right thing and always will -
Social Sharing Data Vampires: They Vant to Suck Your Data
17 May 2012 | 7:32 amPublishers are bleeding themselves dry, giving up the very customer data that hold the promise of their continued relevance in the digital age. They struggle to monetize online users, as the dimes from digital will never replace the analog dollars they no longer receive from print. They see social sharing as a way to drive page views on their traffic-starved websites. But many of these social-sharing tools are data vampires. -
Nielsen: U.S. Consumers App Downloads Up 28% To 41
16 May 2012 | 8:36 amAccording to a new report from Nielsen, mobile consumers are downloading more apps than ever before, with the average number of apps owned by a smartphone user now at 41 — a rise of 28 percent on the 32 apps owned on average last year. -
Transparency: The Key to Collecting and Using Customer Data
16 May 2012 | 8:33 amIf customers suspect you’re using their data in less-than-desirable ways, they may lash out and possibly stop using your product. What’s a data-driven business owner to do?
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jkr
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Your wardrobe – thumbs up or thumbs down?
17 May 2012 | 3:43 amDo you pride yourself on your distinctive style or prefer to follow the herd where fashion is concerned? Well, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that Facebook can now help you choose your wardrobe. In Brazil, C&A has rolled out a programme called Fashion Like were people can ‘like’ items of clothing on the brand’s Facebook page, then the like counts are updated in real time on hangers in the store. In itself, the physical reflection of a digital status is an interesting twist on Facebook norm. Although the real question is will it affect behaviour? Social… -
The Guardian’s layout: a real breakthrough?
16 May 2012 | 3:17 am“Too late” blared the headline announcing the death of General Gordon at the end of a spear in 1885. Set in groundbreaking 24-point on the cover of the Pall Mall Gazette and the invention of maverick journalist W.T. Stead, it arguably launched the design language by which tabloids grab our attention. I think Friday’s edition of The Guardian also felt like a small breakthrough in the layout of newspapers. As you can see, above the fold (e.g. the bit one can see when the paper is being sold) is pretty much all picture. It breaks with two current conventions: the masthead is below… -
Champions of Design – Paul Smith
15 May 2012 | 3:53 am“I give classics just a little kick,” says the great man, and that pretty much sums it up, but Paul Smith is being rather modest. The kick only works because of the quality of the design and manufacture, and the kick only resonates because it has a genuine sense of spirit, rather than being something ‘bolted on’. Paul Smith’s work feels like the output of an enthusiast – from the playful windows to the curating of various art books and objects at the back of the shops. One gets a sense of genuine pleasure being taken. You can’t fake this stuff, but when it’s real you… -
Royal Mail celebrates fashion
14 May 2012 | 3:43 amOnce in a while The Royal Mail reminds us why it bothers with all those special editions. This series celebrates the best of British post-war fashion design. Shot by Sølve Sundsbø, the models strike characteristic and dramatic poses. But removing the models achieves several results: it makes the images more striking (especially against their white background), it focuses the eye on the subject, it looks wonderfully graphic even close up and it gets around that hardy perennial: “No living person on the stamp but the queen.” All in all a very neat piece of design which acts as a… -
Band Image
11 May 2012 | 4:00 amThe passing of Beastie Boys’ MCA last week has seen plenty of creative tributes circulating. In the poster above, each dot represents a word from (You Gotta) Fight for your Right (To Party), and each dot is colour coded to represent who’s singing each word. The designer, Craig Robinson, is letting you download and print it in exchange for a donation to cancer charities. Click here. I think the poster is ‘very Beasties’. That is to say it’s playful, knowing and as graphic as the band themselves – who, from their early ‘living Budweiser’ red and white get up to the later…
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Cracking the Code of Internet Marketing Strategies
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Search Engine Marketing: ROI vs. Profits
7 May 2012 | 1:20 amIn SEM (Search Engine Marketing) ROI is a safer metric, at the end of the day, than profit. The pros of going with ROI outweigh profit in the immediacy. Profit is almost always the primary goal in the long term, but marketers have a lot more control over ROI so programs are designed around this KPI first. This is a guest post from my good friend David Chung, who used to work with me in Search Marketing and now works for Google in Korea: Everyone’s getting smarter. Everything’s getting smarter, too. I recently swapped out my Android mobile device for a traditional flip phone and it took… -
9 Keys to Increase Website Conversion Rate and Turn Visitors into Customers
20 Jul 2011 | 2:28 amIf you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you might remember a post I wrote recently called Why Attention is the New Currency Online. When I wrote it, I had been working to create a process to audit website conversions. Ultimately it turned into an article about capturing attention online because without attention there would be nobody looking at your links, images, videos and compelling content. And without people reading your content, you certainly won’t get any clicks. When people read your content online, links and clicks follow. However; you don’t want just any… -
Beyond Search: Social Customer, Social Commerce, Social Media
1 Jul 2011 | 4:15 amIt seems as if all the talk in web marketing these days center on algorithm updates, social signals, mobile and display opportunities. Marketers and brands are eager to make adjustments trying new strategies to drive sales and increase profits. I think it’s important to know the difference between a sales channel and how sales are made. Search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO) and social media are all channels to engage and carry out your message with prospects and customers. Simply put, the medium is not the message. It’s a venue for you to generate demand… -
Learn to Extract Marketing Insights from Data
15 Jun 2011 | 4:00 amIn working with many smart business people and analysts in the past few months, I came to appreciate the ease of accessing web analytics. Who knew that math and data would become a main revenue driving force for businesses big and small? Every business is fast becoming a data-generating machine. From upstream to downstream, data rewards us with actionable insights to make profitable decisions via controlled experiments allowing us to advance our business models. And yet, this is just the beginning as the number of people connected to the web continues to grow, so too does the vast amount of… -
A Holistic Approach to Marketing: Integrating Social, Search and People
29 Apr 2011 | 3:02 amAs the dust begins to settle on the endless possibilities of social media, marketers are gearing up for the next wave of digital growth. From Google’s report on mobile is finally making an impact on search to how social media is used by 25% of the companies worldwide, I’ve always focused on opportunities that align with business objectives. Especially if there is a win win situation for both consumers and brands. As the demand for businesses to be more transparent and social media becomes mainstream so has the technology that supports it. This is happening both in B2C (business…
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Brandtelling
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Do you ever tear the roof off your brand story?
14 May 2012 | 3:03 pmfunk-o-mart (Photo credit: Digital Sextant) “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)” Tear the roof off, we’re gonna tear the roof off the mother, sucker Tear the roof off the sucker - Give Up the Funk, Parliment Funkadellic OK, now that you’ve got that beat running through your brain, let me ask you a question: Do you ever tear the roof off your brand story? No, I didn’t just climb out of a flying saucer (points if you get the reference); I am wondering whether you ever really rethink and reimagine your brand story by tearing it apart and putting it back… -
What is the rosin in your brand storytelling?
27 Apr 2012 | 8:00 amJohnny you rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard. ‘Cos hells broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals the cards. And if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold. But if you lose, the devil gets your soul. – The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Charlie Daniels Band Rosin (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I’m going to assume you know the song (and now you can’t get it out of your head). It was the line about rosining up his bow that struck me as I listened to the song just last night. I think that the act of rosining is what prepared Johnny and helped him to beat the… -
What does your brand story look like through a telescope or a microscope?
16 Apr 2012 | 1:22 pmNice Observatory - 50cm Refractor (Photo credit: Wikipedia) NOTE: From the Wayback Machine. A version of this post first appeared in 2007. I was playing with Google Earth and looking at my home (and realizing that some of my neighbors have awfully large pools) when it occurred to me that I was getting a drastically different view when I zoomed in versus when I zoomed out — even just a little bit. The closer I got, the image in the center became more detailed, but less connected to the outlying area. It’s true of brand stories as well. We’ve all heard the “can’t… -
How can you use content marketing to share your brand story? [infographic]
12 Apr 2012 | 2:54 pmThe buzz you’re hearing all around you is about Content Marketing. But what exactly is Content Marketing and how can you use it to promote and share your brand story? Glad you asked. The folks at Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and/or employers, have developed the fantastic infographic below. Take a look at how you can “Jump on the Content Marketing Bandwagon” to tell your brand story. See how many of these things you are doing today and how many you might be able to leverage. … -
What Easter eggs are inside your brand story?
9 Apr 2012 | 10:24 amEaster egg (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Don’t you love a good Easter Egg Hunt? Yesterday was Easter, and even though my daughters are older, they still wanted to hunt for Easter eggs. They’re competitive and they enjoy locating a well-hidden treat (and beating the other sister for who can locate more candy). “Easter eggs” is the term used for any hidden item inside computer programs and online services as well. These are often inside jokes or some unexpected trick – quick, try this to see what I mean: In Google, type: answer to life the universe and everything do…
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BrandingPays
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You Need to Reinvent Your Personal Brand
2 May 2012 | 11:17 amA tough job market and economy has increased the need to reinvent your personal brand. You may have 10 different jobs and multiple careers in the span of your lifetime. Adaptability is key to thriving in your career. We’ve seen it again and again in technology when the old makes way for the new. Music tapes to CDs to iPods and digital music services are just one example. In business, changing business models and corporate cultures give rise to the need for different leadership attributes. If you are in a company whose core value is innovation, you need to update your skill set and your… -
Forget Separation of Personal & Professional in Social Media
8 Feb 2012 | 10:00 amPersonal and Professional Arenas Blur Together Note: This is the final installment of our 3-part series on findings from the BrandingPays Pulse Survey on current attitudes on mobility and social networking among professionals. For professional branding, I’m active on Twitter and LinkedIn (with some activity on Google+). I have, for the most part, reserved my Facebook account for personal friends and family. Hmmm…big mistake. The results of our BrandingPays Pulse Survey have made it very clear that my desire to have a personal online realm separate from my professional realm is… -
Job Seekers Rate Face-to-Face Higher than Online Networking
1 Feb 2012 | 8:15 amNote: This is the second in our 3-part series on findings from the BrandingPays Pulse Survey on current attitudes on mobility and social networking among professionals. Our BrandingPays Pulse Survey shows that professionals want to change jobs in 2012 (see my blog on January 24, 2012). But how are they going to make it happen? In this age of social media, you may be surprised. Offline Methods Still Strong Offline networking trumps online networking when it comes to getting “ready/increasing your likelihood of reaching your goals.” See the chart above for the full responses to our… -
Survey: Professionals Seek Job Changes in 2012
24 Jan 2012 | 10:26 amMindset Shift from Job Survival to Job Mobility Note: This is the first in a 3-part series on findings from the BrandingPays Pulse Survey on current attitudes on mobility and social networking among professionals. If you are looking to change your job this year, you are in good company. Our January 2012 survey indicates that job survival fears during the last two years of economic uncertainty are giving way to a willingness to risk changing jobs or careers. Findings from our BrandingPays Pulse Survey (conducted in early January) indicate that many professionals are seeking job changes… -
Brand or Reputation?
10 Jan 2012 | 11:35 amA French friend just sent me a link to a large company’s internal social network. A blog post on the network said that you need to distinguish between your brand and your reputation. What is a brand if it doesn’t comprise your reputation? A visual image, a tagline? Visual branding or key phrases will not sustain your brand over the long term unless it is associated with your reputation. Your reputation needs to be established by 1) delivering value 2) being true to your brand values and image 3) developing win/win relationships in your brand ecosystem. Focus on these…
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Storytelling To Create Impact Brands
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Storytelling Maps- Storytelling Creating Tools
16 May 2012 | 7:30 pmWhat is a story made up from? Over the last few years of writing about storytelling in Pharmaceuticals and other major branding genres I have always struggled to answer the question in a simple way. Plato suggested that all stories … Continue reading → -
Storytelling – Happiness Project
16 Apr 2012 | 3:58 pmInspired by Gretchen Rubin‘s Happiness Project, I wrote my own storytelling version. Tell stories about new things you learned to do Go deep on one or two things and tell stories about what you learned Research and Investigation is important … Continue reading → -
The Value of Storytelling in Sales
26 Feb 2012 | 2:29 amContinuing on my mental model month I tried to summarise the value I see in stories. At its simplest when people communicate they are trying to get across and idea. The audience can be transported by the communication to understand the … Continue reading → -
Creating Brand Happiness with Storytelling
25 Feb 2012 | 12:45 amIt struck me that happiness at any level is the result of many other feelings and actions. The diagram below is the simplest mental model I could create. It says that happiness is created from Trust, Choice and Freedom. I … Continue reading → -
Controlling A Brand Story
5 Feb 2012 | 1:50 amWhat is that makes a brand great. Why do we have likes and loyalty to objects and do marketeers really have influence over our minds? We certainly know our minds most of the time. We make choices of one product … Continue reading →
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GIRVIN | Strategic Branding Blog
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Brand story, the layering of content
17 May 2012 | 8:04 amLayering content, the palimpsest of meaning A calligraphic broadside, a gift, for speakers and presenting participants at The Evergreen State College 40th Anniversary. When I was a student, library adviser, workshop instructor and finally, faculty member [graduate '75] at The Evergreen State College (the 70s – c’76) — I drew large banners on specially-ordered paper — huge rolls that were hung as announcements of events, talks, workshops. Apparently widely recalled by friends and other fellow students, I used them, to demonstrate as well, in the drawing and calligraphy… -
I have a story to tell.
16 May 2012 | 8:04 amSo — do I have to listen? The sentiments on the power of storytelling continue to emerge. Point is, who cares to listen? These days, dozens of friends, colleagues and client send along snippets to the power of the story, well told. The image above comes from our friends at Voda Studios. We’d partnered with them on the digital alignment, management of brand assets & photographic content for our union bay website strategy. Girvin, P&G, the first brand | storytelling presentation, the 90′s When we first wrote and presented the concept of brand and story to Procter &… -
Tell me, Daphne — are you a Mother?
13 May 2012 | 10:42 amDaphne, the human brand, is she a Mother, too? Answer would be yes. Happy Mother’s Day, Daphne. Image above, below — of Daphne. from DarkBlues. Might be, that the mission, the promise of Daphne is about celebrating design and creativity [which is really what the Mother is all about, creativity, doesn't it all, really, come from the Mother?] - - all clothing, all accessories by the selected genius[es] of her worlds, whorled in the whizzing of her brilliantly art-directed intentions. …. In NYC, an earlier run - - I went to a show at FIT | Fashion Gallery with Cristina Espinosa,… -
Optimism is Optimal
11 May 2012 | 9:30 amThe word, the work, that optimizes Working in NYC, I was rifling through my wallet, heading downtown to the office, I pulled my subway card — which I’d noted in an earlier overview. Optimism, the MTA card There’s a word, that word — placed — says more than the word alone. It is the message. I was working in a client questioning and listening session, in Seattle — the bridging between the power of the person, and the personal, the brand, the soul, the presence. In looking into the soul of brands, there is love, warmth, passion, insight. Brands, their… -
Stanley Kubrick + Douglas Trumbull > Monoliths on Mars
10 May 2012 | 9:37 amStanley Kubrick + Douglas Trumbull > Monoliths on Mars Seeing the imagery of a so-called “monolith” [alá 2001, A Space Odyssey from NASA on Space.com reminded me of a string of experiences -- working in Hollywood. During the development of a theatrical advertising campaign -- motion picture branding -- the best path is to meet with the film crew, the director, the production designer. That is something to be savored in any creative relationship, the sync to the "live" driving force. Meeting, listening and working live is far more powerful and committed to building…
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More Than A Logo
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Facebook, take credit for what you do!
21 Apr 2012 | 4:27 pmFacebook - THE Social Network. It's used by 800 million+ people regularly. So regularly, that there are people who check Facebook first thing when they wake up, before they go to be and, yes, sometimes in the middle of the night! Facebook has made us realise and amplify our need to be social and remain connected. They have done this so well that its market value is around 100 billion dollars! But I read an Interbrand article the other day that made me realise, that while Facebook satisfies people's connections today, this perfectly seamless utility isn't taking credit for the role it… -
Lets Play A Game
5 Mar 2012 | 4:17 pmThis past week, I participated in M&C Saatchi's first hack day, Game5hack, which was 6 teams building fully functional online based games over two days. It was the first time I had ever done something like this, and I'm certainly glad I did, and it won't be the last. What a great experience! As a strategist, who believes everything an organisation creates should be dedicated to delivering the brand's promise, it was really great to be exposed to the world of play - something that doesn't necessarily have purpose other than to be fun and entertaining! It was wonderful to let brainstorming… -
Contextual Content is King
29 Jan 2012 | 1:58 pmNote: This is the first program to air on TV, where people started to see a meaningful need for one of these big boxes in their home over a radio. I've been thinking a lot about content lately, and how we've grown to be so dependent on it. But not only that, it has to be the right content on the right channel in the right moment. Content is no longer king on its own. Rather, it's contextually relevant content that's king. This concept isn't new in the slightest. Just look at the TV. No one could rationalise why they would ever need a TV over a radio for information and… -
Patagonia - Legally Bound to its Purpose
21 Jan 2012 | 1:00 amFinally, a brand, other than Apple, we can express immense admiration for, or as my flatmate tweeted this week, "open-mouth kiss" - hello Patagonia! Last week, I wrote about its Common Threads initiative, where Patagonia clearly establishes its role/purpose within the global community - "to build useful things that last, to repair what breaks and recycle what comes of its useful life"- then asks its customers to do the same to help accomplish its purpose. Now, Patagonia has asked the government to help it truly live by its purpose without boundaries, becoming California's first Benefit… -
2012 - Let's Say Less and Play More
16 Jan 2012 | 1:00 amImage Found Here Happy 2012!! I think we're in for another exciting year, and I'm rather pleased where branding is going, maybe slowly, but it's in the right direction...let me explain... With so much distrust and uncertainty - lots of skepticism - towards corporations and advertising, people are more receptive to brands that are consistent in their actions, transparent with information and good to everyone around them. However, a consistent, transparent and good brand cannot be developed through an ad campaign any more. People are too smart and have endless access to information…
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Healthy Conversations
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Thinking about the fate of your healthcare organization brand
16 May 2012 | 11:37 amWhat legacy did your company leave in its industry? How did your brand move the needle in a market category? To clarify your company’s future, it helps to step back and imagine a world in which it does not exist. These are some of the important and inspiring ideas from Bill Taylor’s HBR article: Your Company’s Obituary Can Shape It’s Future. It’s a pretty timely read for me, as I opened up a meeting with a prospective healthcare services client yesterday by asking them to write down “their one thing.” The one thing that mobilizes employees, that their… -
A trifecta for our healthcare and medical marketing
4 May 2012 | 7:20 amThe 2012 Aster Awards for healthcare and medical marketing were announced this week. The Program is an elite competition recognizing the nation’s most talented healthcare marketing professionals for outstanding excellence in advertising. Congratulations to our clients and Trajectory teams who posted a great showing. Our three submissions each received top awards. For The Reading Hospital Women’s Health Services, we received a Judges Choice award (one of only seven in country) for our Total Advertising Campaign. It included broadcast, print, out-of-home and online – all… -
Healthcare marketing insights: Trajectory study results
24 Apr 2012 | 7:17 amTrajectory Uncovers How Women Feel About Their Primary Physician Relationships The qualitative survey among Trajectory’s proprietary database of HerView™ participants sheds light on how women feel about their primary care physician relationships. How do they characterize the care they’re receiving today; and what other factors play into their opinions? Five key findings reveal the changing nature of this relationship, and are important for physician practices, healthcare marketers and healthcare leadership. For many patients, primary care physicians are the front line of the… -
Could your healthcare system brand really compete?
9 Apr 2012 | 8:49 amIt’s five years from now. Your healthcare system, hospital or physician group competitive set has grown to resemble that of most other categories. The power has shifted to consumers. They have multiple options and are heavily influencing each others choices through their feedback and communities. Brand actually drives a disproportionate share of the purchase decision. Ask yourself – HONESTLY – if this was the case, how effectively could you compete? Beyond the table stakes technology, infrastructure, skilled physicians? Do you stand out? Stand for something? Have you… -
Your organization’s rebranding: how you know it’ll be great
2 Apr 2012 | 8:01 amWe were in a strategy session last week with a Board sub-committee of a healthcare system client. Our goal was to get their approval to take our branding recommendations down the line for other required approvals. But we got hung-up. In a great way. We were reviewing one more time our recommended set of values that would guide the organization’s activities, how colleagues (not employees) would work together and choose among competing priorities. It was accepted that the values were on target. They were borne out of our many internal conversations, a quantitative study across primary and…
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brandcowboy
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Can you hear me now?
7 May 2012 | 10:49 amA couple of weeks back, in my home province, a piece of legislation managed to make headlines despite not being stupid. The proposed new law is a set of rules designed to protect consumers from the marketing and billing practices of wireless service providers. It brought back a flood of memories for me. If I were to make a list of the most ethically challenging product categories I’d ever worked in, this one would certainly be on it somewhere. Though perhaps not for the reasons you think. From my experience, the industry wasn’t full of cheats and liars; it was just full of lousy stewards… -
My uncle's got a barn. Let's put on a brand!
13 Apr 2012 | 4:38 pm“Wharton crowdsources its branding message.” To be honest, I was already apoplectic just reading the headline. The rest of the article sort of faded in and out of a red mist. There was a lot of WTF-ing, some wisely aborted tweets, and a futile attempt to enlist the cat in my outrage. A legendary Ivy League business school, one of my least favourite 21st century verbs, and the word “branding” all in the same sentence. I briefly considered driving down there and occupying something. With dawn came sober second thought. Now I just want to yell stuff in their general direction. These… -
Brother, can you spare a 'digm?
19 Mar 2012 | 3:51 pmThis weekend, I had one of those steering wheel-pounding “Yes!” moments while out running errands. I was going to the hardware store to get hooks for hanging garden tools in the garage. The mission was a success. The validation was just a bonus, and a nice reminder that there is still a place in the world for serendipity, even if it’s only on public radio. It was some sort of smartypants current affairs show, and the topic of discussion was LinkedIn and the new realities of job hunting. They’d found an expert (imagine that), and she was explaining why people often don’t get any kind… -
The Wages of Fear.
24 Feb 2012 | 12:21 pmIt’s a French film, from 1953. Existentialist, if you’re into that kind of thing. Spoiler alert: In it, a bunch of misfits get hired for a suicide mission to transport nitroglycerine through treacherous jungle to extinguish an oil field fire. All of them die trying, save for one. He collects the money, then dies in a car accident on his way to celebrate at a local pub (man, those existentialists…). I wouldn’t bring it up except that it happened to me, too, kind of. The pub part. And the you-don’t-always-see-it-coming part. When Consumer Republic was published last year, I worried… -
Monkey Butt.
16 Jan 2012 | 10:20 amIf you’ve remained alert during one of my recent speeches, you probably know that I consider pants to be the essential cultural bellwether. Here’s something you may not know, though: I have a thing for internet forums. To me, these primitive places are the real internet, where one ordinary person helps another ordinary person fix a toilet float, or convince her cat to eat dry kibble, or get chip dip stains out of a cummerbund. They’re the original social media, older than the web itself, the places where the communitarian voices of regular folks still rule. Whenever something new…
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Synergist
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Pinterest – A Brand Builder
14 May 2012 | 7:36 amB2C and B2B marketers are quickly seeing the potential of what a brand builder Pinterest can be. Many businesses have asked me, should we add Pinterest to our social marketing strategy? Here is where I see the value in using Pinterest for business. Pin items to engage people. Tap into peoples emotions. Tell stories with pictures. Increasing engagement with people is a brand builder. Add visuals that will resonate with your brand community. Focus on the impact your visual messages have on people. Pins can show what people can do with your product and where it can take them. Learn what people… -
Apple’s Brand Experience
11 Apr 2012 | 8:35 amApple does it again. The best brand experience can be found everywhere at Apple. The largest (23,000 square feet) Apple retail store opened Friday, April 6, at New York’s Grand Central Terminal. If you are not a New Yorker or you don’t appreciate the overwhelming crowds of people, this is the answer for you Apple enthusiasts. Apple has given the ability of iPhone 4 and 4S, iPad 2 and 4th-gen iPod Touch owners to take a virtual tour of it. > Go to Apple’s Grand Central Terminal retail store website using Mobile Safari > Choose “View More Photos” > Choose the last photo By… -
Brand Blunder … Not Brand Builder
2 Apr 2012 | 9:04 amTotal Rewards, Caesars Entertainment’s casino loyalty program has got a new logo. To kick off their new look and benefits of Total Rewards, Caesars Entertainment launched a promotional giveaway called “Escape to Total Rewards” with, they say, upwards of 90,000 in prizes including two-night trips to Las Vegas. Total Rewards, the country’s leading entertainment loyalty program, is the incentive program for players at casinos owned by the 52 worldwide Caesars Entertainments. The more you play, the more complimentary rooms, meals, etc. you receive. Caesars Entertainment says they are… -
Longwood Gardens New Logo
21 Mar 2012 | 7:09 amIs Longwood Gardens just plants, flowers and gardens? Is that their brand? This is one my favorite places to visit anytime of year and I see so much more each time I go. Who they are, is definately much more than that. The new logo, a series of interlocking script letter “L”s is very pretty with its floral and trellis influences. It is an excellent literal translation and clearly says “flower”. But … is this logo a good representation of their brand? Does it begin to tell what Longwood Gardens is really all about and who they are? What is a logo? Let’s get back to basics and… -
Brand. Branding. Visual Branding.
7 Mar 2012 | 10:06 amWhy is a strong company brand important? Because, it: Demonstrates organizational discipline Provides a sense of unity and guidance within an organization and to partner organizations Guides an organization as it naturally evolves and often, as it is forced to evolve Communicates without words Helps company leadership remain focused and inspired when needed Gives organizations direction in difficult times Provides leadership by example and inspires others How do you build a strong company brand? Building a strong brand is not only living it, in everything the company does but strengthening…
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Razor Branding Blog
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Developing Digital Citizens
16 May 2012 | 8:03 amI will be speaking today at Our Lady of Fatima school (for safe environment certification for the 2012-13 school year) on raising a cyber smart kid. With parents who are digital immigrants raising kids who are digital natives, there is a gulf that is getting wider every day. The goal is to inform parents so they can raise their kids to be cyber smart. Although most of the online activity happens after 3pm, it is critical for schools to work with parents to train the kids properly. It takes a village. -
Brand Buzz: Changing Media Habits
14 May 2012 | 8:46 amKPEL 96.5 and The Russo Group team up every Monday at 5:15pm to present Brand Buzz. Each week, we share tools you can use to build your brand and grow your business. Be sure to subscribe to receive the weekly ebook and daily tips via email. Download the ebook on Media Management and learn more about how to adapt to the changing media landscape. There are three elements to building a brand: Focus defines that one differentiating and powerfully compelling quality that makes your brand razor sharp, cutting through the clutter while making your brand known and remembered. -
American Airlines Attacks Brand
9 May 2012 | 8:53 amIn the early 1980's, with rising interest rates and a need to raise capital, someone in the American Airlines marketing department decided to launch a campaign raise a few million dollars quickly. For $250,000, travelers could buy an unlimited first class ticket and for $150,000 more they could add a companion ticket. So, for just $400,000, you and a friend could fly anywhere, anytime for free for the rest of your life. As the Los Angeles Times reports, The Frequent Fliers Who Flew Too Much, the airline decided the AAirpass tickets that they sold were actually being… -
Brand Buzz: Social Media for Customer Service
7 May 2012 | 8:46 amTune in to KPEL 96.5 at 5:15pm every Monday for Brand Buzz. Each week we discuss what it takes to build a brand, why it's important, and how to use social media to your advantage. This week we will be discussing the most important connection you can make online, Customer Service. Download the ebook, How to Use Social Media to Improve Customer Service, to learn more. Social Media provides powerful tools to connect with your consumers. One of the strengths is listening to how consumers talk about you and your competition. Knowing what they think will provide the… -
Brandom Thoughts: Lady Gaga And Her Brand
3 May 2012 | 7:52 amOne of the best Brandom Thoughts videos of all time. In Ashley's absence, Andy interviews Lady Gaga to talk about her brand. And, of course, hilarity ensues.
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BrandSTOKE
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Time for Swiss watches to strengthen their brand?
9 May 2012 | 8:25 amLuxury watches tell more about the wearer than about the time of day. And the best watches, as everyone knows, are made in Switzerland. Just like Scotch whiskey, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Bordeaux wine, “Swiss-made” is a place-of-origin brand. It’s not a Swiss-made watch unless the assembly work and testing of the movement take place in Switzerland. Swiss law also requires at least 50% of the components of the movement be manufactured in Switzerland. Some well-known Swiss-made watches include Breitling, Patek Philippe, Hublot, Victorinox Swiss Army, Tissot, Rolex, TAG… -
You are your furniture
3 May 2012 | 1:52 pmMarketing would have us believe we are defined by what we consume. What we wear, what we drink, what we drive. And what we sit on. In furniture retailer Havertys‘ new TV spot (below), a customer expresses her “oneness” with her customized chair. Although the commercial cleverly promotes Havertys’ customization program, it does not differentiate the brand. The option to select fabrics and colors is commonplace within the category. Nor is Havertys an affinity brand, the gold standard in marketing. The spot does, however, support the theory that the brands we choose are… -
Is Mr. Peanut man enough?
26 Apr 2012 | 8:26 amLet’s say you want to sell more nuts to men. Let’s say you obtained a rare Men’s Health endorsement. Let’s say you are Planters. What do you do with your fop of a spokes-character? You know, that cane-twirling, white-gloved, top-hatted dandy? What Planters did was introduce him to a rough crowd (a pistachio and an almond) to toughen up his image. The three comprise Planters NUT-rition Men’s Health Recommended Mix, “the manliest mix we’ve ever assembled.” (Watch TV spot below.) “Men are grocery shopping more, and they want a healthy snack… -
Branding’s dirty little secret: Not everyone cares
19 Apr 2012 | 12:44 pmDespite the multitude of branding consultants, theories, philosophies, processes, diagrams, white papers, and, of course, books, not all consumers care about brands. For a variety of reasons, they may remain oblivious or choose to ignore a brand’s best efforts to engage them. Specifically: • They may not care about a particular brand category. For example, they may not need home insurance. Marketing directed to them is wasted. At least, for now. • Or they may not distinguish between the brands within a category. They may believe all brands of gasoline are identical. To them, gas is… -
Oreo: A brand reminds us it is eternal
12 Apr 2012 | 8:27 amYour grandparents probably ate Oreos. So did their grandparents. Oreo, “Milk’s Favorite Cookie,” just turned one-hundred years old. Since the first batch was delivered by the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) in 1912, Oreo has become the world’s top-selling cookie with sales of $2 billion. In celebration of the century mark, Oreo’s current owner, Kraft Foods, launched a print campaign featuring various cultural milestones from the last hundred years, such as prohibition, the peace movement, World Cup Soccer, etc. See some of the ads here. Not only has the brand…
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PeakBiety branding + advertising
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Overused Messaging is Like Driving For Days
3 May 2012 | 3:37 pmJonathan Otte, a PeakBiety intern from The Art Institute of Tampa, expresses his views on the role of a graphic designer. In the world of mass media, designers are the tour guides of the messaging highway. Often, people may think that the best way to get others to see their message is to take the widest superhighway. But if everyone goes the same way, everyone sees the same thing. Sometimes it’s best to take a back road to find new sights and different ways to be guided through the messaging hierarchy of communications. If everything is expressed in a standard form, then everything becomes… -
Don’t miss the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts this weekend
1 Mar 2012 | 4:05 pmFor the third year in a row, PeakBiety is proud to support the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. The festival will take place this weekend, March 3-4, at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa. The show ranks among the leading juried arts festivals nationwide that feature both fine arts and crafts. Throughout its history, the Gasparilla Festival has been able to attract top artists from around the world. Many of the participating artists have works that have been added to the permanent collections of major museums. A new addition to the festival this year is the GalaRE:… -
One-of-a-Kind Healthcare Transport Business Calls on PeakBiety for Branding and Website Development Solutions
16 Feb 2012 | 8:54 amTampa, FL—As a new presence in the healthcare transportation field, Tampa-based Internal Patient Transport (IPT) Services provided PeakBiety branding+advertising with quite a challenge: To develop an integrated campaign for marketing strategy and corporate brand identity that included the creation of a new graphic identity, brand promise, new website and various printed materials. The results of this innovative campaign by PeakBiety can be seen at the new corporate website for IPT, HealthcareIPT.com. Internal Patient Transport Services’ SVP of Operations, Tangee Kizer, describes internal… -
PeakBiety Chosen by Central Florida’s American Cement Company for Environmental Sustainability Campaign
11 Jan 2012 | 12:13 pmPeakBiety branding+advertising announced today that Central Florida’s leading state of the art cement facility, American Cement Company, has chosen it to create an innovative corporate sustainability campaign that will highlight American Cement’s commitment to operating a sustainable manufacturing facility in difficult times and beyond. PeakBiety will build an advertising campaign that will run in industry publications. American Cement recognizes sustainable practices as essential for the future of the company’s operations, as well as the quality of life of its people and the… -
Do you see what I see?
16 Dec 2011 | 9:22 amTake a break and let’s decorate the tree! click on the ornaments to begin. Share this:
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Executive Career Brand
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Executive Resume Writers’ Best Kept Secret
14 May 2012 | 6:56 amI’ll give you a hint. This is NOT the secret: Writing a resume is easy . . . anyone can do it. That’s simply not true. If you’ve ever tried writing your own, you know that it’s really hard to do. It’s just as hard for us. Even seasoned resume writers with many years’ experience labor over each resume. It doesn’t get much easier over time to craft resumes that do their job – brand and differentiate our clients to help them gain job interviews. So much goes into the writing strategy. And each resume has to be tailored to each job seeker’s… -
7 Reasons Not To Be a Personal Brand Copycat
8 May 2012 | 6:49 am(Following is a slightly modified version of my latest Personal Branding article at Job-Hunt.org.) You see a beautifully written, branded resume – or maybe a LinkedIn profile – of a job seeker with similar qualifications to yours, seeking the kind of job you want. It sounds a lot like you, and you don’t write so well, so you see no reason why you shouldn’t use some of that good writing in your own resume or LinkedIn profile. Somehow, because it’s right in front of you, and there for all the world to see (if it’s online), you don’t think of it as stealing. But it most certainly… -
How To Ace Phone Interviews in Executive Job Search
30 Apr 2012 | 7:13 amMost executive job seekers can expect to do some job interviews via phone. Video conferencing or Skype video calls may also be in the picture. According to Susan Adams in her Forbes article on phone interviews, more than half of executive recruiters and hiring managers do initial interviews on the phone. She also notes that, despite the anxiety that may go with this type of interview, there are benefits. The candidate can easily refer to their prepared notes and materials, and they can take notes to reference when they follow up. Having that edge can make these interviews even more successful… -
Self-Google or Doom Your Executive Job Search
23 Apr 2012 | 7:52 amRight before I speak with potential clients for the first time, I Google their names. This is exactly what many hiring professionals and executive recruiters do when they’re assessing candidates. What I typically find is a very meager online footprint, with very little social networking. They’ll almost always have a LinkedIn profile and, unless that person shares a name with others, LinkedIn will be the number one search result on the page, and it will be associated with the person I’m about to speak with. Most often, they’ve posted a bare-bones LinkedIn profile, with no… -
10 Keys To a Memorable Personal Brand
16 Apr 2012 | 7:54 amWith so much misinformation about personal branding bombarding us across social media, it’s easy to see why people are confused. But the concept of personal branding is quite simple: Define, differentiate and communicate the unique ROI (return on investment) value you offer your target audience over your competitors. Target audiences differ, just as what they’re looking for in people like you differs. For job search and career management, your brand and the way you communicate it need to resonate with your target employers and/or current employer. In business, build your brand…
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Online Branding Blog - reactorr.com
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Building Digital Brand Equity
5 May 2012 | 7:53 pmMuch like any company that lasts, creating value through a unique product or service offering is often a key to success. In a recent article on Forbes the author (Eric Jackson) suggests two of the biggest online brands, Google and Facebook, might disappear in about 5 years from now. Both currently dominate their vertical, with Google owning near 80 percent marketshare in search, and Facebook owning a comparable or better amount on the social network side. They’ve continued to evolve and reinvest over the years, fortifying their positions to the point that they’re almost… -
Personal Branding – Invest in Yourself
16 Jan 2012 | 10:45 pmWhere wil you be in 5 or 10 years from now? It’s impossible to tell, but one thing you can be sure of, what you do today to build your personal brand can create opportunities for you tomorrow. Where to start? Get yourself a blog, but don’t settle for a free hosted one, invest in your own dot com. Everyone (possibly the exception being Seth Godin) eventually switch from a free service at some point. Commit to some kind of schedule and update it on a regular basis. What else? Venture into social media and start networking. There’s plenty of options, I’d recommend Twitter… -
Branding Online as a Medium
16 Jan 2012 | 9:51 pmDoes the Internet suck as a branding medium? That was the question I saw on a post at Millward Brown, and I would have to question this for a few reasons. It’s level of interactivity is second to none, providing a vast amount of options. Video, display ads, search, and most communications options seem readily available. Additionally, its far more easy to measure the effectiveness of any marketing efforts, as well as the ability to evaluate and make quick changes. In many ways, the Internet is almsot a hybrid of most other marketing channels (print, broadcast, DM) with outdoor possibly… -
Digital Marketing Forecast
27 Dec 2011 | 11:08 pmSearch, social, mobile, email and display marketing is thought to grow to $77 billion by 2016, or 35% of all advertising. Interactive teams and budgets are growing as marketers believe the digital channel delivers better results and measurable returns. Search marketing continues to dominate with the largest amount of the marketing budget, while social grows moderately. Mobile marketing overtook both social and email this year. Source: Forrester US Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2011 To 2016 Digital Marketing Forecast is a post from: Online Branding Blog - reactorr.com -
Branding Perspectives
26 Dec 2011 | 6:11 pmJust how important are brands online? When a consumer is interested in a product or service, they’ll typically search for available options. Or they might turn to their personal network for ideas and suggestions. Since over 25% of search results for the world’s top 20 largest brands are links to user generated content and 34% of bloggers post opinions about products and brands, it’s difficult to ignore the opportunity to connect. Its been said that a company can boost profits by 75-100% by retaining as few as 5% of their current customers. Whatever business you’re in,…
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Stealing Share
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Universities and colleges need to think like a business
15 May 2012 | 10:46 amAs the commencement speeches wrap up and the latest university grads make their way into the real world, it is worth a moment to reflect on the world of higher education. The press has been full of articles questioning the financial value of a higher education today, not because having a degree is important in finding a decent job, but because it may not simply be an investment with a viable ROI. To that end, more and more centers of Higher Ed are discovering how important it is to view their offerings as a real business and not an ivory tower. Marketing their value to prospective students is… -
Yahoo! needs more than a new CEO
14 May 2012 | 3:45 pmYahoo’s Scott Thompson is stepping down. The swinging door reminds me of the Union leadership during the Civil War. There were so many changes in generalship that the average enlisted man could barely keep count. Each was shown the door by a less than impressed Abe Lincoln — hoping he would eventually find someone who could beat General Lee. Until Lincoln found U.S. Grant, each promising general fought the war according to standard practices of the day. And each ran from the battlefield, tail between his legs after that old grey fox, R.E. Lee, bested them again. The stakes for Lincoln… -
Bring on the hard liquor!
14 May 2012 | 12:35 pmWell, this can’t be good for beer brands. Recent rules loosening the restrictions on advertising for spirits on TV means the Jagermeisters and Wild Turkeys of world are about to invade your TV set. As reported here by Ad Age, the TV networks are allowing liquor advertising, especially during late night, and brands are responding by upping their advertising ante. What’s frightening to the beer industry isn’t just that new competitors are invading what has traditionally been its space. It’s that, as Stealing Share detailed here in a recent beer market study, spirits and wine have been… -
New T-mobile ad must be more single-minded
11 May 2012 | 9:43 amT-mobile’s spokes-girl has stepped out of the pink dress and into black leather. The subtext of this T-mobile is not going to play nice anymore. Which going by the old saying “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” this is a huge switch from the oh-so-similar nature of previous T-mobile ads that had the same look as the classic Mac versus PC ads. Yes, considering that homage, I would say stepping up your game with a fresh concept is a good idea. If only T-mobile weren’t going about it all wrong. This recent T-mobile ad is set on a desert road. The voice over identifies a… -
Pepsi and Michael Jackson: Does it still work?
7 May 2012 | 9:30 amSetting aside the morality question concerning it, Pepsi’s announcement that it is “bringing back” Michael Jackson in a series of upcoming ads is a little wrongheaded. After making an agreement with the Jackson estate, Pepsi is aligning the campaign with the 25th anniversary of Jackson’s album, “Bad.” This won’t be the first time a brand has featured a dead star, superimposing him or her into spots. Remember when Coors Light used John Wayne? My simple question is, does this tactic ever work? My answer is: Not in my book. The attempt is to link the brand (or just the meaning of…
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InterbrandBlog
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We Like Your Name
15 May 2012 | 12:30 pmA wig for your eyelashes? A naming system with a sweet tooth? A beer for a marathon? Interbrand New York’s Verbal Identity team on what names grabbed their attention this month: Burn Note is an app fit for a secret agent. Send ... -
The leadership imperative: Jamie Dimon, bigging-up the resume and why every brand needs a great CEO
14 May 2012 | 9:03 amPhoto by chrissie64 via flickr JP Morgan Chase, the nation’s largest bank, rocked the market last week when it projected losses of more than $2 billion on bad bets a trader know as "the London whale" placed. While it is the bank and its shareholders that stand to ... -
Interbrand New York Participates in The Great Recycle
9 May 2012 | 4:53 pm“At Interbrand, Corporate Citizenship is woven into our values, our behaviors and our practice,” says Executive Director Tom Zara. In addition to Interbrand’s recent Corporate Citizenship Day of Service, Interbrand New York participated in The Great Recycle. In an effort to support New York City’s mission to dramatically boost ... -
A house of Innovation and Forward Thinking – Cisco House
7 May 2012 | 4:45 pmThe 2012 Olympic Games is truly an exciting event for all GB citizens (Londoners especially), and for me personally given the fact I live one tube station from the Olympic Park. This will be the first time for many of us to really live and breathe the Olympic Games. As ... -
Spirit Airlines vs. Jerry Meekins: The calculus of the tough call
7 May 2012 | 11:00 amSpirit Airlines is in the news for having made a tough decision. Deciding if it was the right call is based on how you do the math. The case in brief: 76-year-old cancer patient and Vietnam vet Jerry Meekins buys a plane ticket to visit his daughter. Before the flight ...
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Create to Conquer
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The Best-Selling Product in the World
2 May 2012 | 12:23 pmWhatever you think it is, you may be surprised by the answer. It’s a special kind of product – the one that everyone can create and that won’tt cost you or your audience ANY moolah. Yet it has the power to influence people in ways you couldn’t even imagine. Here’s where I’m coming from: I have looked at my recent work (content and cartoons), and I can’t help but following the urge to punch myself in the face. The stuff I do is partly slick and polished, and some of it is even well-written (at least for a non-native English writer). But it lacks… -
Cartoon – What These Iconic Brands Can Teach You About Being Memorable
19 Apr 2012 | 10:39 amWell, if you didn’t guess all of the brands and their slogans, read through the post and I will unveil them to you. But this isn’t just for entertainment purposes – the cartoon is about learning how to make yourself MORE MEMORABLE, so people keep remembering your BRAND and its products/services. Let’s keep on: What you can learn from these big-ass brands Despite me creatively “slaughtering” the brands visuals and text, you probably guessed most of them. That’s the power of iconic branding – it’s sooo strong you can EVEN recognize it… -
The Problem With Social Media Shares (And What You Should Focus On Instead)
29 Mar 2012 | 11:42 amFacebook likes, Tweets, G plusses, Pinterests pins. I know you wanna catch ‘em all – great share numbers mean people luv your stuff and want to spread it like Pokemon cards in the 90s - but do you really need them ? There’s a social media mindset that’s hurting your biz, and we’re going to uncover that bastard once and for all. It starts with a personal revelation… The truth about about social media shares I’m the first to admit it – social media shares, especially high numbers of ‘em, make my ego spacerocket. When I publish a post that… -
Want to Stand Out in an Overcrowded Market ? Focus on these 3 Basics
21 Mar 2012 | 10:49 amA lot of people online jump into hyped markets and think they can create a successful blog/site because the niche is popular. Baaaad. There’s NOTHING wrong with invading a popular & crowded market. But if you do, you want to take care of your basics first: Do you know your content strategy ? You have to know how you can create spread-worthy content. Simply writing goood stuff isn’t enough in most niches nowadays – you have to add something special that makes it stand out. That could mean including kick-ass and thought-provoking podcasts, using beautiful imagery or… -
The Only Pinterest Post you need to read. Seriously.
6 Mar 2012 | 11:28 amThe next time I see another Pinterest post I’m going to punch someone in the face. This platform is so over-hyped it’s not even funny anymore. I remember when Foursquare was the talk in town, and people were RAVING about this new gamechanger that was going to KILL Facebook. Yeah, right. Last time I checked, it was Facebook with over 800 million users, not Foursquare. And even if quite a lot of people use Foursquare (also insanely less than Facebook), I doubt the former “gamechanging” platform has really changed your life or biz. So here we go with the new…
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The Online Community Guide
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The Establishment Phase - Building Structures & Shifting Processes
16 May 2012 | 9:04 amOnce a community has achieved critical mass, you enter the establishment phase. There are some key things you need to do here: 1) Shift the amount of time gradually from micro to macro level interactions. 2) Begin preparing for a BIG online community. 3) Introducing sense of community elements. Each of these deserves more attention. Move to macro-level tasks The tasks you focus on change. You move from micro interactions (initiating conversations, inviting members to join, and prompting people to participate), into a broader array of more macro-level… -
The Real Problem
15 May 2012 | 1:30 amLast week I posed a problem to community managers. It read like this: You're running a community that's been around for 18 months. The number of registered members is rising by about 250 per month. The level of activity appears relatively constant. The number of discussions is rising, but the number of responses to each discussion has tapered off a little. You notice the same names begin to appear on almost every response. Several of these same names are beginning to argue with each other on every topic. As community manager, what would you do… -
Moderation Masterclass
14 May 2012 | 3:48 amModeration is a powerful tool to boost participation in your community. Once people have completed the registration process, you rely upon the troika of moderation, events/activities, and content to sustain high levels of participations. The communities that struggle to keep people engaged, are failing at one or more of the above tasks. The most common is moderation. If you want to learn how to do it right, you can now watch this free lesson from The Pillar Summit's Professional Community Management course: http://www.pillarsummit.com/moderation (apologies for the first… -
The 4 Tenets Of Professional Community Management
11 May 2012 | 5:48 amThis post always bugged me. It summarized a lot of bad job descriptions into a widely-linked article. There are four tenets to professional community management, but it's not what you might imagine. Data: Data tells you where you are now. It tells you how you're doing, whether the community is producing the benefits you promised and where you need to focus your efforts. This is the future. All the metrics are available to us. You can find an example of data in practice here. If you're not actively tracking your data, how do you have any idea how your community is… -
Newsletters and E-mails
10 May 2012 | 1:30 amI've come across a few platforms which don't let you do two important things: 1) Set up a newsletter. 2) Mass-mail all members. The difference between the two is also important. Newsletter are a regular update of what's new and popular in the community. Mass e-mails/notifications are rarer, incredibly important, announcements that can't wait until the newsletter (or dwarf the importance of a newsletter. Use the latter sparingly. I wouldn't use platforms that didn't offer both. Without these, you can't highlight activities that…
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Personal Branding TV
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Commercial Break: L’Odyssee de Cartier
10 May 2012 | 1:16 pmFrom Issue 74 of YOUnique, the Reach Personal Branding Newsletter: L’Odyssee de Cartier I love this commercial because: Quality. This is an extremely expensive, extremely well done, cinema quality ad. It is three minutes long. Clearly, it took a lot of Cartier’s marketing resources to create something so beautiful – and consistent with the brand. I also like the shots of Rue de la Paix in Paris – one of the most beautiful streets in the world – and one that I passed every day walking from my apartment to my gym when I lived in Paris. This ad and YOUR personal brand: When marketing… -
State of Social Media
7 May 2012 | 6:33 amIn this video Maria Duron talks about some current issues with social media: Facebook Real Time Insights Instagram Pinterest Now #3 Google+ Like Timeline The Fancy Gains Have questions? Make sure to post them below! Bio: Maria Elena Duron is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog and CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks – a word of mouth marketing firm. She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and social commerce around your brand, and she is co-founder of #brandchat – a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of… -
5 Tips for Your Personal Brand to Blossom!
24 Apr 2012 | 3:03 pmSpring time in Japan means one thing – cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom is a unique tree in Japan and for one week it is extraordinary with its explosion of pink blossoms. But these blossoms disappear quickly and the tree becomes ordinary, like every other tree. Unlike the cherry blossom, your personal brand needs to blossom and stay in full bloom. In this video, I share 5 tips to make sure your personal brand blossoms and stays in full bloom! You can read the corresponding blog post on The Personal Branding Blog: 5 Tips for Your Personal Brand to Blossom! BIO: Peter Sterlacci,… -
Deb Dib and William Arruda Interview – Reach Personal Branding Interview Series
15 Apr 2012 | 6:38 pmClick on the microphone to download the interview >>> 3D Personal Branding: Your GPS for Executive Success The world is experiencing an increasingly volatile marketplace forcing significant change for both employees and employers. What could possibly offer both executives and those they lead the sense of stability, empowerment, value-creation, and recognition in this environment? Personal Branding. Most executives and employers who are serious about building their careers, have accepted this truth but they may find themselves struggling with how to live the power of their personal… -
Facebook’s Timeline for Business Do’s and Don’ts
9 Apr 2012 | 3:50 amIn this video Maria Duron explains the do’s and don’ts for Facebook’s Timeline format. She’ll talk go over and explain the rules for Timeline cover photos: No calls to action No contact information No “like” this No use of the word sale Make sure to post any questions you might have in the comment section. Bio: Maria Elena Duron is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog and CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks – a word of mouth marketing firm. She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and…
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Beneath the Brand RSS News Feed
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The True Test of an Iconic Brand? A Naked Logo
17 May 2012 | 10:30 amSummary: As reported by the media and analyzed by the Harvard Business Review, Starbucks caused quite a stir when the company dropped the name from its primary logo. This was a dramatic and definitive decision executed with total commitment. Nike and Apple are two prime examples. -
JC Penney Needs to Win Back Its Loyal Customers
17 May 2012 | 7:29 amSummary: JC Penney's new marketing campaign has done a lot to help build their brand, but it confuses consumers. Penney's has fallen into a common branding trap of trading brand equity for actual profitability. In building its brand with catchy yet utterly irrelevant commercials, the company has overlooked the importance of turning a profit. Behind the new campaign is a new pricing strategy aimed to provide customers with deals on a more consistent basis. The ads, in turn, are supposed to promote this. -
The Risks and Rewards of Shock Marketing
16 May 2012 | 7:39 amSummary: As clutter has permeated the ad business, marketers have upped their game, creating remarkably annoying, shocking, and titillating campaigns that turn heads and get tongues wagging. But today's more ad-savvy consumers are looking for relationships with their favorite brands. There are new rules when using shock advertising. In this three-minute emotional marketing lesson video, marketing speaker Graeme Newell shows the best ways to use dramatic imagery to grab attention, but not turn off your customers. -
Most Influential Call-to-Action You'll Ever Use
16 May 2012 | 7:37 amSummary: Calling consumers to take action is probably the single most important concept in marketing. After capturing the attention of your audience and articulating how your products or services can benefit your readers, you tell them what to do. Without this directive, the consumer is less likely to take the next step. And you fail to convert. -
Lessons from Celebrity Brand Marketing Missteps
15 May 2012 | 8:07 amSummary: Sometimes even brand loyalists and celebrity fans need to have their hands held and their hearts comforted during major brand transitions. James Wolcott's article in the June issue of Vanity Fair examines a number of celebrity brands of recent years that have risen and fallen with tragic irony. When an established celebrity brand begins to falter, he observes, brand loyalists can flee with alarming speed. Some have been beset by spectacular flame-outs, a la Charlie Sheen, but others have made missteps in the management of their branding and marketing that were wholly avoidable.
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West Hall Media
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Relationships Matter
8 May 2012 | 12:05 amRelationships are the oxygen of business. Here is a few thoughts on how to build strong relationships: Three-Cord Connections Related posts: Nothing Sells Itself Listen First -
Movie Lessons and Mailchimp
2 Apr 2012 | 2:21 pmBen Chestnut from MailChimp talks about building a creative hi-touch business. Don’t get caught monologuing. Related posts: Concepts and Value Propositions… How to Achieve Start Up Success In 8 Words -
Air Jordan 2012: Awesome Web Effects
27 Mar 2012 | 3:04 pmGreat work on this Air Jordan site. Very nice web effects. No related posts. -
Concepts and Value Propositions…
20 Mar 2012 | 9:38 pmThe secret to creating effective value propositions is finding out what your customers care about. Don’t get stuck so far in the weeds you miss the concept. It’s your creative guidepost. Related posts: Why Should I Care -
Advertising That Makes A Deposit
14 Mar 2012 | 6:32 amDone right advertising makes a deposit in the mind of the consumer instead of a withdrawal. Check out Ted’s initiative about Ads worth spreading. Here is one of my favs: Related posts: The Future of Advertising How to Build Customer Loyalty
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Deep Ad Thoughts
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The Case for Ambient Advertising
10 May 2012 | 12:33 pmIn its purest form, ambient advertising is essentially the placement of ads in unusual, high traffic places. These ads can range from large scale placements on elevator doors to full, graphic wraps... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
TV Targeting: Archaic or Enduring?
7 May 2012 | 9:45 amTelevision. The once goddess of the ad world. We don't talk too much about progression in advertising when it comes to the tube. Maybe it's because TV targeting seems to be working just fine. Or... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Advertisers Pay Attention – Women are More Active on Social Networks than Men
4 May 2012 | 9:10 amIt’s no secret that women have traditionally been the primary decision makers in the household and advertisers have continually targeted their traditional ad messaging towards them. Since the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Things We Love – Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head!
3 May 2012 | 8:43 amA big shout out and congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head on celebrating their diamond anniversary. Over the last 60 years more than 100,000,000 have been sold in 30 countries. 60 years and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Things We Love – The Amish Market
25 Apr 2012 | 1:06 pmThis place is legit. They’ve got the best food, the best services, and the best prices. They don’t even have to advertise – they run on WOM. My only complaint is that they... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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Dwayne Flinchum
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OrgCentric Formed to Serve Nonprofit Organizations
26 Apr 2012 | 10:25 amI rarely use this Blog to make personal or professional announcements, but I am so proud and excited by this news that I’ll make an exception. As of today, I’ll be a principal in a new venture called OrgCentric, a company created exclusively to serve nonprofit organizations and deliver expertise across three inter-related disciplines – strategy, branding, and communications. More information about OrgCentric can be found at the OrgCentric website. With offices in Washington, DC and New York City, OrgCentric will be a partnership of two respected and accomplished firms… -
Reinventing the Media Experience Through Advances in Technology
25 Apr 2012 | 11:40 amJean-Marie HullotThe New York Times has a very capable and impressive coverage of the media industry through reporters like David Carr, Stuart Elliott, and David Pogue. The April 24 blog post by Nick Wingfield makes an excellent point: The user experience in media, especially apps, is shifting dramatically and quickly due to continued advancements in technology. He cites Jean-Marie Hullot, a computer scientist and a longtime associate of Steve Jobs at Apple and NeXT, who is blending genres with his company, Fotopedia. One of the apps features a coffee table-like experience and includes more… -
Crazy Mad Nostalgia
15 Apr 2012 | 2:54 pmIt’s almost impossible for many of us to think about chauvinistic advertising of the 1950’s and 1960’s and not think of Don Draper and Mad Men. Taschen has just released a two-volume showcase, ‘Mid-Century Ads: Advertising From the “Mad Men” Era' (Taschen, 720 pages, $59.99) Taschen.com In recent years, we don’t seem to be able to get enough of the culture. To some degree it is certainly due to a fascination with the show, which has stirred a kind of resurgent interest in the post WWII days of high living, promise, glamour, and a sense of… -
Big Data, New Visual Opportunities: The Age of Information Arts
9 Apr 2012 | 10:47 amCommunication Manifested as Tangible Image: Aaron Koblin's New York Talk Exchange illustrates real time text and internet data flowing outward to other cities. I was recently speaking with an accomplished commercial photographer about how the industry has changed. The market for corporate and editorial photography has been commoditized — as almost everything has been — by technology. On top of everything, agencies like Corbis and Getty have been purchasing whole catalogs and smaller photo agencies over the past decade. As they have aggregated into Goliath holding companies,… -
Online Communities: Fertile Soil for Tech Startups
26 Mar 2012 | 5:00 pmIt always starts as a whisper: “If you build it, they will come.” It’s no secret that the Internet has been rather fertile playing ground for a whole generation of successful start-up companies. We all know what the first web bubble felt like. Remember Webvan? Or Friendster? The capitalization of those companies trickled down to the advertising community and brand image firms, as many agencies bloated during those years. When the game was over and the inevitable shakeout came around 2002, I had several strategists calling me every week — some of them pure hucksters, anxious to…
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The Fosbury Flop
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Morrissey & Company Intern Emily Wienberg featured on Ragan’s PR Daily
24 Apr 2012 | 8:33 amFor those that missed it, you can read our intern Emily Wienberg’s Ragan’s PR Daily blog on “Top 5 tips for PR interns—from an intern” here. An excerpt: “Eat lunch with your co-workers. It’s so simple, but many interns may not realize how important it is to connect with co-workers on a casual level. Taking a half-hour break during the day is necessary, so why not spend it with people who can offer advice and share stories about the industry you’re interested in?” Tweet us your advice for interns! -
Facebook + Moderation = Happiness
20 Apr 2012 | 11:11 amIf you work in public relations, you have little choice but to be on Facebook. If you’re not, you’ll be conspicuous by your absence. After all, social media is likely an increasingly important element in your company or clients’ communications strategy — or perhaps the most important element — and you have to be walking the talk. As PR and marketing pros, we have to understand Facebook’s role in any integrated communications campaign; we need to keep up with all of the platform updates from the ever-so-ambitious Facebook team; and, of course, we need to… -
Leveraging Sustainability through Communications
6 Apr 2012 | 1:03 pmI was traveling this week and noticed a new bus at Boston’s Logan airport branded with Enterprise, National, and a few other car rental companies touting the slogan “Working together for the environment.” I also noticed the big yellow Hertz bus, conspicuously independent and, one had to think, seeming like a blight to the environment, as Hertz ‘s one bus gave off emissions equal to that of the bus operating on behalf of a number of companies. The buses were a good reminder that every interaction is an opportunity for an organization to communicate what it stands for. The bus branded… -
Part II: MassChallenge’s Founder Advises Start-Ups to Focus Their Public Relations Efforts (video)
5 Apr 2012 | 9:50 amRecently, Akhil Nigam, founder of MassChallenge (MC), spoke with Morrissey & Company about how public relations (and an understanding of public relations) benefits early stage companies. In the first of two videos, Akhil discussed MassChallenge’s public relations efforts, including its TV channel, as well as why MC added PR support to its portfolio of entrepreneurial services. One piece of advice he offered entrepreneurs was to focus on the customer as “hero” in public relations campaigns, versus the entrepreneurs themselves.* “Although, yes, MassChallenge is interesting, I really… -
MassChallenge’s Founder Advises Start-Ups to Focus Their Public Relations Efforts (video)
3 Apr 2012 | 8:50 amMassChallenge's 2012 Launch Notes - displayed proudly on its walls (credit given to Collective Next and IdeaPaint). Photo via www.facebook.com/masschallenge Akhil Nigam, founder of MassChallenge (MC), the largest-ever startup accelerator and competition, has a lot to say about how public relations plays into the success of early stage companies (view related press release here). MassChallenge is the first program of its kind to support entrepreneurs with no strings attached. As part of its 3-month accelerator program, MC competition winners enjoy free public relations and legal…
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mymagneticblog.com
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Expert Online Business
15 May 2012 | 7:00 amIf you want to grow your profits, then having an expert online business is a great way to do so. Expert online business is one that can maximize the benefits of the internet. Internet is home to a large pool of potential customers that search the web each day, for information on products and services. Research has found that more and more consumers are opting to research their purchases online. Some estimates suggest that as many as 70% of all consumers find out the information they need about products via the web, or their mobile devices. What this means is that each day there may be… -
Magnetic Small Biz Brand: Imagine! Studios
11 May 2012 | 9:30 amName: Kristen Eckstein Business Name: Imagine! Studios, LLC, DBA “The Ultimate Book Coach” Niche: Independent book publishing Target Market: Entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches and consultants who want to go from 5 figures to 6 Website: www.UltimateBookCoach.com Twitter: @imaginestudios Facebook: Write Non Fiction 1. What are the three words that best describe your business brand? Innovative, Creative, Empowering 2. What is your business’ strongest feature? What makes you stand out? We have a proprietary packaged done-for-you independent publishing program – the best selling… -
How To Create an Online Business
8 May 2012 | 7:01 amThere is no avoiding the fact that the internet has revolutionized the entire business landscape. Wherever you happen to be in the world, you can carry out transactions at dizzying speeds via the world-wide-web. Therefore any business that is not online will definitely be left behind. As a result, if your business in not yet online, now is the right time to learn how to create an online presence for your business to grow it to a yet another level. The good news is that with the improved technology and online tools available, now is a good time to launch your business on the web. As with… -
Top 50 Social Media Quotes
3 May 2012 | 7:04 am“Social Media can provide a conversational extension to a B2B company’s nurturing programs. Social Media gives us the opportunity to humanize our communications and make our companies more approachable.” Ardath Albee, CEO of marketinginteractions.com “Social media is not a media. The key is to listen, engage, and build relationships.” David Alston “Engage rather than sell … Work as a co-creator, not a marketer.” Tom H. C. Anderson, market researcher “By not tweeting you’re tweeting. You’re sending a message.” Anonymous “Activate your fans, don’t just… -
Top 4 Strategies For Building a Successful Online Business
1 May 2012 | 7:58 amThe age of the internet has sparked a vast number of online businesses, but many never turn a profit, and end up failing. So what does it take to have a successful online business? Dogged persistence, mixed in with valuable website content and technical know-how is a good place to start. A successful online business is one that is able to continually attract new traffic, and has a high conversion rate. By that we mean they are able to monetize traffic, so as to earn income. Amazon, Google, MySpace, and Facebook, are just some of the companies that have mastered the keys to achieving…
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RSS feed | Labbrand Brand Innovations
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Labbrand Best PINPAI Practices in China: Automotive Industry
15 May 2012 | 2:02 amLabbrand Best PINPAI Practices in China AUTOMOTIVE How brands become strong, not how strong brands are -
Instagram: can sepia filters build brand equity?
15 May 2012 | 12:18 amWhatever one’s personal take on Instagram (revolution or ego-inflator for talentless photographers), it is hard to deny the very fundamental changes photo editing and sharing applications have brought to the way netizens create and spread photo content in the new SoLoMo age. Instagram’s recent purchase by Facebook has once again put photo sharing under the spotlight and is leading many brands to ponder how they can find their place on these platforms. -
Branding to a New Segment: Pepsi takes its NEXT step
9 May 2012 | 10:41 pmIn March 2012, PepsiCo launched its new soft drink Pepsi NEXT with “60% less sugar but a real cola taste”. Created in 1902, Pepsi Co. is the second largest food company in the world. In North America, it is ranked in first place for food and beverages and employs approximately 285,000 people worldwide. -
Research for Brand and Product Innovation
26 Apr 2012 | 5:06 amThe word “innovation” has been a popular buzzword among researchers, marketers, strategists, and designers over the past several years. It has been touted as a critical consideration for today’s businesses to maintain and build brand equity with target consumers. However, many new brand or product launches prove to be only short term gimmicks. Some innovation experts have noted that most companies today are not set up to produce meaningful innovations. Increasingly, corporations are calling on agencies and consultancies to help them in this process. -
Mastering Brand Storytelling in China
26 Apr 2012 | 3:32 amNowadays, it has become essential for companies who aspire for success to diffuse their brand messages effectively. Reaching customers is more difficult and strong competition in various markets is increasingly present. There is a real necessity for innovation when crafting branding strategies to build perceptions in consumer’s minds. In this context, the concept of storytelling is of interest as it offers resources to produce more effective messages for brands. It applies to all communication channels whether they are online or offline, physical or virtual.
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Hinge Branding and Marketing Blog
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Developing a Content Marketing Playbook for Your Professional Services Firm
14 May 2012 | 12:59 pmBy Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D. Content marketing is rapidly becoming one of the cornerstones of professional services marketing. And it’s no wonder, as it is ideally suited to the task of the professional services marketer. When executed correctly, it allows you to attract and qualify potential clients and build significant trust. Think traditional speaking engagements taken online and supercharged. But many firms struggle to get started and organize their efforts. We recently conducted a webinar with Content Marketing Institute founder Joe Pulizzi that laid out several fundamental… -
5 Lead Generation Strategies for Technology Firms
11 May 2012 | 8:00 amBy Sean McVey Xtivia, a technology solutions and services company, is driving approximately 40% of its leads from online sources. CEO Dennis Robinson heads an ambitious team of marketers that clearly understands the value of digital marketing. How is the Xtivia team able to generate so much business from its website? The following lead generation strategies help explain their success. 1. Crack the Adwords Code There is no shortage of professional services firms that use Google Adwords pay-per-click advertising. But few firms understand how to do it right, monitor results,… -
Marketing Accounting and Financial Services Online: Research Study
6 May 2012 | 2:17 pmBy Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D. Once upon a time, we all thought that the only way to generate new business was to meet prospects face to face. Networking, non-profit board seats and the executive golf game were the big guns. Then, slowly at first, things began to change. Online shopping, online search and social media came of age. And today, the impact of these technologies is being felt throughout the professional services marketplace. As a result of this change, some firms will be winners and some will fall further and further behind. The early effects of this shift were… -
Responsive Web Design: What It Is, And Why You Need It
3 May 2012 | 9:31 pmBy Brian Lemen What Is Responsive Web Design? Responsive web design is, put simply, a website that “responds” to the device that a user is viewing it on. The term was coined by respected web developer and author Ethan Marcotte in his book entitled, “Responsive Web Design.” It is named after a movement in architecture known as “responsive architecture,” in which experiments have been going on for years. For example, one German design consultancy used tensile materials and robotics to create “a wall that can bend and flex as people approach it,… -
Hinge’s Fab Five: April 2012
2 May 2012 | 6:30 amBy: Lee Eliav Top Professional Services Marketing Content from April 2012 Each month, an enormous amount of content is published on marketing. This monthly column will help you keep up with the best marketing articles on the web. Enjoy! Optimizing Social, Search and Content: A Q&A with Lee Odden By: Joe Pullizi, Content Marketing Institute A Q&A session from Joe Pullizi with Lee Odden on content marketing, social media, search, and the future of online marketing. Internet Marketing for Attorneys: Taking the Mystery Out of SEO By: Stephen Fairley,…
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Aaker on Brands
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Entering (vs. creating) new categories—get the timing right
15 May 2012 | 2:00 amCreating a new category or subcategory using substantial or transformational innovation is difficult, can be diverting, and involves the ultimate risk that it may not work in the marketplace. Many firms explicitly or implicitly avoid innovating new categories or subcategories because of these risks and because they want to focus on existing product markets. Their strategy is to allow small firms to innovate and prove the new category or subcategory has traction. They then enter the category or subcategory by acquisition or by creating a competitive offering.For this strategy to work, the… -
Before branding subcategory creating innovations ask four questions
9 May 2012 | 2:00 amDuring my recent webinar around brand relevance, I noted as usual that you need to brand innovations in order to own them and to provide the basis for defining a new subcategory with a “must have.” Someone from the floor noted that over-branding can result and asked how that can be avoided.Over-branding is a risk. Innovation champions usually inflate the potential importance of their ideas and are overly optimistic about sales impact, for both personal and professional reasons. When there is a policy in place to brand important innovations, these champions expect and usually receive a… -
Fight Off Your Heavy User Obsession: What About Noncustomers?
2 May 2012 | 2:00 amAs noted in my book, Brand Relevance the only way to grow is to innovate, creating “must haves” that form new subcategories. One source for innovation are noncustomers that are usually ignored by firms trained to look to the heavy user, where the money (and competition) resides. But there can be a substantial market that is lying dormant because there is a deficiency or omitted feature in the current offerings that prevents these people from buying. Turn the heavy user obsession on its head. How would you define the customer that wouldn’t qualify as part of the heavy user group? What… -
Steve Jobs and The Bobby Knight School of Leadership
25 Apr 2012 | 2:00 amI believe that Steve Jobs was among the best CEOs of this generation because he created entirely new categories six times in a decade, and built the largest company market cap ever. Yet two recent and excellent books (Inside Apple, by Adam Lashinsky and Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson) describe a management style that was disturbingly harsh.To understand Jobs's success, I find it helpful to look at the success of Bobby Knight, the fabled basketball coach at Indiana. Knight was one of two coaches to win over 900 games, won the NCAA championship three times, and was the national coach of the year… -
Three Keys to Managing Your Personal Brand
18 Apr 2012 | 2:00 amEvery person has a brand, represented by a name and face that has a host of associated characteristics, such as: professional skills and assets, career paths, communication styles, appearance, personalities, interests, activities, friends, family and more. The brand influences all relationships by affecting how a person is perceived and whether he or she is liked and respected. The “person brand” can be actively managed with disciple and consistency over time, or it can be allowed to drift. There is a huge payoff to employing the active management option, and there are large risks to the…
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BrandingPays
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You Need to Reinvent Your Personal Brand
2 May 2012 | 11:17 amA tough job market and economy has increased the need to reinvent your personal brand. You may have 10 different jobs and multiple careers in the span of your lifetime. Adaptability is key to thriving in your career. We’ve seen it again and again in technology when the old makes way for the new. Music tapes to CDs to iPods and digital music services are just one example. In business, changing business models and corporate cultures give rise to the need for different leadership attributes. If you are in a company whose core value is innovation, you need to update your skill set and your… -
Forget Separation of Personal & Professional in Social Media
8 Feb 2012 | 10:00 amPersonal and Professional Arenas Blur Together Note: This is the final installment of our 3-part series on findings from the BrandingPays Pulse Survey on current attitudes on mobility and social networking among professionals. For professional branding, I’m active on Twitter and LinkedIn (with some activity on Google+). I have, for the most part, reserved my Facebook account for personal friends and family. Hmmm…big mistake. The results of our BrandingPays Pulse Survey have made it very clear that my desire to have a personal online realm separate from my professional realm is… -
Job Seekers Rate Face-to-Face Higher than Online Networking
1 Feb 2012 | 8:15 amNote: This is the second in our 3-part series on findings from the BrandingPays Pulse Survey on current attitudes on mobility and social networking among professionals. Our BrandingPays Pulse Survey shows that professionals want to change jobs in 2012 (see my blog on January 24, 2012). But how are they going to make it happen? In this age of social media, you may be surprised. Offline Methods Still Strong Offline networking trumps online networking when it comes to getting “ready/increasing your likelihood of reaching your goals.” See the chart above for the full responses to our… -
Survey: Professionals Seek Job Changes in 2012
24 Jan 2012 | 10:26 amMindset Shift from Job Survival to Job Mobility Note: This is the first in a 3-part series on findings from the BrandingPays Pulse Survey on current attitudes on mobility and social networking among professionals. If you are looking to change your job this year, you are in good company. Our January 2012 survey indicates that job survival fears during the last two years of economic uncertainty are giving way to a willingness to risk changing jobs or careers. Findings from our BrandingPays Pulse Survey (conducted in early January) indicate that many professionals are seeking job changes… -
Brand or Reputation?
10 Jan 2012 | 11:35 amA French friend just sent me a link to a large company’s internal social network. A blog post on the network said that you need to distinguish between your brand and your reputation. What is a brand if it doesn’t comprise your reputation? A visual image, a tagline? Visual branding or key phrases will not sustain your brand over the long term unless it is associated with your reputation. Your reputation needs to be established by 1) delivering value 2) being true to your brand values and image 3) developing win/win relationships in your brand ecosystem. Focus on these…
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Do You Have A Disastrous Internet Identity in need of an Internet Identity 911?
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Ken Betterton – You The Inspired Motivator
3 May 2012 | 6:00 amKen Betterton Ken Betterton's “You, the Inspired Motivator” Tomorrow, start with the “Kenny Test”, how motivated are you? The vital functions of a leader are vast and numerous, though... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com -
Ken Betterton's KB-9 Coaching
27 Apr 2012 | 4:43 pmKen Betterton’s KB-9 Coaching “True leadership is the development of others” This program is designed for those who are in a position to influence, guide, direct and develop others, who are... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com -
Marketing Tips – How To Profit From A Crowd At A Trade Show Booth
25 Feb 2012 | 4:57 pmMarketing Tips To Profit From A Booth Marketing Tips To Profit From A Booth – ways to run a conference booth to build your business. So you've been told that you will be the person at... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com -
Wharton Club of New York Hosts Charlie Seymour Jr and Dr. Marc Kossmann
21 Feb 2012 | 9:43 amDr. Marc Kossmann And Charlie Seymour Jr Have Been Invited By The Wharton Club Of New York To Speak On March 22, 2012 To learn more and to sign up for the presentation by Dr. Marc Kossmann and... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com -
Super Bowl Commercials – TV Commercials Are NOT Good For Most Advertisers
1 Feb 2012 | 5:43 amSuper Bowl Commercials Super Bowl Commercials – TV Commercials Are NOT Good For Most Advertisers They are funny, aren't they? And some people watch the Super Bowl just FOR the Super... You only get the full impact at our site: http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com
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The Instar Group
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Branding 101 – What is a Logo?
7 May 2012 | 11:00 amIn our previous Branding 101 posts, we discussed the Brand Name and the Brand Tagline. In this post, we’ll discuss the third and final piece in building your corporate identity, the brand’s Logo. A brand’s name is what the company or product is called. The tagline is a phrase or statement that says a little more about the brand than what the name can. The logo is the visual representation of these two and brings them all together. There are 3 primary types of logos. 1. Text Only – A logo can be visually represented simply as text. This can be done with a readily… -
Dairy Queen: Commercials Finding Inspiration From Other Commercials
19 Apr 2012 | 11:05 amIn a previous post, we talked about how some commercials in today’s advertising landscape inspire other commercials. Specifically, the much loved Old Spice commercials continue to spawn copycats. Of those that had originally concocted their own version of the Old Spice Guy, Dairy Queen has now rolled out a new television spot that takes its inspiration from another commercial altogether Dairy Queen first took creative inspiration the recent Edge Shave Gel, which was inspired by the Old Spice Commercials. DQ liked the Edge Shave Gel commercials so much, they even hired the same exact… -
Powerade: Accepting the Role of Underdog
19 Mar 2012 | 10:47 amWhen looking at the landscape of consumer products, anyone can think of a given brand and immediately think of its key competitor. When these competitors take to the airwaves and battle out for our pinched pennies with slick production and aggressive advertising buys, war is declared. Within the sports drink category, Powerade has fired the latest salvo across the bow of Gatorade. With it’s new television campaign, Powerade seems to have embraced the fact that they are second in the category and very much the underdog to the giant that is Gatorade. The University of Florida inspired… -
Yellow Card: Major League Soccer Teams with Euro Influenced Brand Names
11 Mar 2012 | 11:29 pmWhether you’re a soccer fan or not, living in the United States, you’re likely aware of Major League Soccer, the country’s top level soccer league, founded in concert with the hosting of the 1994 World Cup. And, whether you’re a fan or not, you are likely aware of the confusing naming conventions different teams have chosen when developing their team’s brand. We at The InStar Group have done some previous posts on sports branding and with the start of the 2012 MLS season upon us, we thought we’d kick around some thoughts on the inconsistent if not confusing… -
Jingle All The Way – Songs vs. Jingles in Today’s Advertising
5 Mar 2012 | 10:38 amThe use of jingles in advertising goes back to…well..the dawn of advertising. But with music seemingly more important in our lives with the rise of iTunes and the iPod, and how social music has become, the advertising world has understandably infused full songs into their commercials, pushing out the overall importance of simple jingles. So we’ve asked the question: are songs more effective than jingles? Nobody can argue the importance of music in our lives. Our collective tastes vary not only between our friends, but even between our own playlists. The use of songs in movies can…
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brandsalsa.com
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Smellvertising
24 Apr 2012 | 7:43 amHave you ever walked into a store and been overwhelmed by a particular perfume (think Abercrombie & Fitch)? If so, then you’ve experienced scent advertising first-hand. Yes, scent advertising. And this can include everything from perfume samples in magazines to freshly baked cookies in a grocery store. Traditionally, brands tend to capture audiences through sight [...] -
The Flip-Flop Games of 20020
21 Feb 2012 | 10:33 amOn September 13, 2012, the International Olympic Committee will decide which city gets to host the 2020 summer Olympic Games. Although it is over half a year away, many of the bidding cities are already campaigning for a bid. Last week, Madrid revealed its logo for the 2020 Games, but the outcome wasn’t exactly gold-medal [...] -
Louboutin’s Defense Brings Color Branding into Question
15 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amConsidered one of the most interesting fashion intellectual property cases in history, French designer Christian Louboutin filed a suit in August against French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent in an effort to protect his signature red-soled shoe. Back in court on January 24th after appealing the decision made in August, Louboutin now must wait for [...] -
Pinterest: A New Way to Market Your Brand
7 Feb 2012 | 10:22 amThere are many websites out there that help us find the things we are interested in such as Google and Stumble Upon, but recently there has been a growing interest in organizing these likes and interests on one platform. And that’s where Pinterest comes in, and as it grows in popularity more than just its [...] -
Pros and Cons of User-Generated Content
6 Feb 2012 | 9:12 amAs the role of user-created content becomes more and more relevant, it is important for companies to consider whether to follow the trend of putting their brand into the hands of users or to keep the reigns tight on their marketing strategy. So, what are the pros and cons of letting your customers speak for [...]
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Brand Touchpoints
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Starbucks, nervous much?
16 May 2012 | 4:01 amNow that the excitement about Starbucks entering India is settled, maybe it’s time we took a look at Starbucks’ frame of mind at this point. We are a huge nation and one half of us love coffee, the other lives for tea. We will spend a lot of money on new brands, but most of them remain fads. We do spend quite some time and money in cafes, but these cafes are never a substitute for the morning dosage of filter kaapi for the coffee lovers among us. So, how nervous should Starbucks be before they take a step into this diversity? The Starbucks way Starbucks core value is in giving you that… -
The Asocial networking
15 May 2012 | 1:19 amA while ago, Sherry Turkle demonstrated her research findings on being closer to your online avatar than your physical self. Relationships are shifting into the digital space and that may not be very healthy. There is one budding author in India who thinks on similar lines. Dhiraj Kumar, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur has recently published his first book titled “The Asocial networking.” His inspiration for this concept stemmed from personal experiences of his colleagues and mates preferring to “talk” online rather than meet for networking. So instead of doing this online, we met to gain a… -
Crowdsource please!
24 Apr 2012 | 12:38 amPower of the collective Wonder why Starbucks, a company large enough to employ many food specialists and researchers to design their menu leave it to us? Procter & Gamble does the same by calling on amateurs to solve their scientific and technical challenges. Dell has a whole portal called IdeaStorm where consumers can upload all their ideas for a better product. These companies have been harnessing thepower of crowdsourcing to gather important insights and solve problems. Instead of spending millions on research today, why don’t we just ask the consumers directly when we have the… -
Brand Story: Sephora, the digital diva
12 Apr 2012 | 2:38 amSephora was founded in 1969 by Sephora Parsi in France. This company was later acquired by LVMH in 1997. Sephora is a combination of ”sephos”, which is Greek for “beauty” and the name Zipporah, the exceptionally beautiful wife of Moses in the Book of Exodus. Their fame spread with the unique sampling program. Even till date you can walk into a Sephora beauty studio and get some complimentary services. They built their brand by moving much beyond a beauty product company to a repertoire of all beauty trends and ideas – hence a perfect fit for their positioning… -
Employer branding
30 Mar 2012 | 1:20 amOne trend that is slowly catching up is employer branding. People are quickly realising the importance of branding to retain top performers. This has a direct relation to the overall growth and profitability of any company. This is quite different from corporate branding. Personally, I think employer branding is a tad more important that corporate branding. Wouldn’t you rather work for (late) Steve Jobs than Apple, Jeff Bezos than Amazon? However big the corporation is, I believe the man at the top sets the environment for everybody else. Here’s the top 10 highest rated tech CEOs…
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Upheavals: Mark Di Somma's blog
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Out of the blue moments
14 May 2012 | 6:33 amAs marketers, we’re taught to look for patterns. Research, we are told, will give us the insights we need to predict how whole swathes of our society will react. Brands are looking to predict how buyers will act or react so that they know what to expect. Consumers themselves of course operate under no such constraints. They happily accept their own behaviours as making sense to them. One of the great challenges we face as branders is appealing to the mercurial side of consumers. Getting to grips with the fact that they won’t always behave the way we think they should, that they will do… -
Customer service is worthless
10 May 2012 | 6:18 amWe shouldn’t even think of “customer service” as being about something that is valuable to customers. The reasons are simple. We live in a service-focused age, and the people who buy from your brand know they’re customers. So “customer service” does not describe anything customers don’t expect and it certainly doesn’t envelope anything of particular value to them. Every brand is a service business at some level these days. In reality, customer service is the means to the real goal: sustained and profitable relationships forged between customers and a brand. Until you… -
Strategy: why the 2% is so critical
6 May 2012 | 3:33 pmAs part of making his case for why execution rules over strategy, and particularly why spending too much time onstrategic thinking is a waste of time, Tom Peters features a quote from Al McDonald that unequivocally states the views of theformer Managing Director of McKinsey & Coon strategic planning. “Never forgetimplementation, boys. In our work, it’s what I call the ‘last 98 percent’ of the client puzzle.” McDonald clearly intended this as an exhortation to focus on actions rather than wasting too much time on strategy. But I don’t read it that way. Instead, the critical… -
Excitement vs risk: The very different emotions driving purchase of B2B and B2C brands
3 May 2012 | 5:57 pmPhilip Kotler once described brands as helping people to make decisions. In a world of frenzied competition and bewildering choice, they are of course the fastest, simplest and most effective way to link a name to a perception of value. What can easily be overlooked however is that B2B and B2C brands are not just about very different types of decisions but that they also involve very different types of decision making. For the most part, consumer brands look to influence an individual and/or groups of individuals (tribes). They are at their most powerful ‘in the moment’. They are about… -
Posting a profit
29 Apr 2012 | 3:39 pmLikeability has both a top-line and a bottom-line. Social monitoring tends to focus on the top-line: mentions; retweets; likes; comments. Top-line likeability is important because it monitors partiality towards your brand – the prevailing emotion at that moment. But it can be easily swayed, by offers, for example, or news. Bottom-line likeability is the measure of how much and/or how often consumers buy. It’s the money that drips or floods out the bottom of the sales funnel. The other p – profitability. But just as you can be famous and broke, so your brand can have strong top-line…
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A view inside the Lyfestyle of Brand and Gentleman
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You & your brand are ALL LIES!! (well slightly)
10 May 2012 | 12:34 pmStart a new company saying "this is what everyone has needed"musicians, rappers and artist say "I'm the next best thing or I'm saving Hip-Hop"Painters say "the best painting since Scream"and so on, so on,..ALL LIES!!!!!!!!the truth is you're probably right but you have to keep at it. You will initially meet success but like all successful brands, the walls will close around you and challenges arise. Keep pushing, become innovative, find new ways to do old things...Mcdonalds didn't create the hamburger they just added: Two all beef patties special sauce lettuce, cheese pickles onions on a… -
I'll trade my bumper stcker for your "like'
21 Apr 2012 | 2:25 pmSitting outside the gym today a conversation was struck with a buddy whoHas been in radio for 20+ years. He talked about how the game has altered and bumper stickers are not what they used to be. Back in the day if you were caught with a sticker on your car prizes from Tshirts, cd's to money, there was an icentive to display your loyaltyEveryday someone ask me to "like" their facebook page, but there is no incentive, no discount, no goodies or freebies, heck rarely an acknowledgement (yes, a thank you is always appreciated)...So if you have a business on facebook and want consumers… -
Do you hate Obama or Romney?? read this
11 Apr 2012 | 9:46 amDo you hate Romney or Obama, it doesn't really matter, all that matters is, if you vote, eventually we will chose one of their brands to lead our great nation.Here's the kicker we seem to pick presidents based on their positions, beliefs and other factors but it's their PERSONAL BRAND that will influence us...kissing babiesshaking handseye contactshoulder brush............president's rule the world with a smile, ...think about that -
i'm questioning what laundry bleach to buy, REALLY?!
28 Mar 2012 | 12:45 pm"Come on now, Big Tex" I'm thinking to myself, all 6'4 230 pounds of me standing in the middle of walmart trying to decide on which bleach I'm going to purchase, my choices seem simple either ThisorFunny isn't it? Kinda like trying to decide which marketing or branding advice works for your brand...My advice for you, well you will just have to wait until I can decide on which damn bleach to purchase. -
When #branding and looking up goes wrong!
19 Mar 2012 | 11:23 amI hopped out of my truck grabbed my backpack, looked the doors (at least I hope so), pulled out the ole faithful crackberry and headed for the elevator. Now on the elevator all necks were pointed down looking at, let me recall, 2 iphones and another phone I'm still googling. Still with my head down and walking the sidewalk, next to the train tracks (but hey i'm looking at my crackberry so I knew i'm safe), I looked up and saw an ad for the ipad 2, first thought was "well, that's an old ad, with the ipad 3 now out"but the fact that I LOOKED UP and was branded ...interesting huh?
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The Bullet | Branding Blog
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Moments We Got So Very Wrong
2 May 2012 | 11:01 amThere are a lot of facts that stick in our minds and imageries we just can’t shake. Whether it’s the 2D illustration of Colonel Sanders, the theme song to The Simpsons or the smell of a freshly brewed cappuccino, we all just know it! But what if I told you the one thing you remembered most about a particular brand or franchise, was absolute bull? Let’s begin. Humpty Dumpty? Who was he? Because there was not a single mention of an egg in the whole poem! He could have been a porcelain vase as far as I’m concerned, let alone it being strange all the kings’ horses and men were… -
Time to Choose
25 Apr 2012 | 11:12 amLife is all about choices. Compromising on your heritage and history is a choice. Giving up what most defines what you are for the sake of making a populist statement is a choice. Lying to protect yourself, deceiving to postpone retribution, covering up to escape persecution, these are choices. Defaming an opponent and sowing untruths in order to gain a competitive edge is a choice. Drowning out dissenting voices and clamping down on negative feedback are choices. Sticking to outdated values, philosophies and values is a choice. Being me-too, safe and ordinary is a choice. Allowing badly… -
Stick to the Script, or Just Stick It.
18 Apr 2012 | 11:01 amA recent video circulating online depicts a real-life scene in an Air Asia aircraft where the in-flight safety announcement is presented in a, shall we say, rather refreshing manner. It’s classic off-the-cuff, everybody’s-doing-it-so-why-should-we rule-bending behaviour by a brand that’s pretty much known to not always play it by the (airline) book. The man behind the announcement, Quinton Dinesh Thomas, a senior flight attendant attached to the no-frills airline, said that his motivation for the quirky, spontaneous script adjustment was so that passengers would sit up and listen… -
Cartoon Inspiration
10 Apr 2012 | 11:01 amAs people get older, habits change, routines break and relationships come and go. But one thing that’s pretty constant (at least in MY life and that of the millions other kidults!) are cartoons! Anything animated, from the likes of the daytime re-runs of the Looney Tunes, more mature, up to date comedies like South Park and Archer, to the even weirder and twisted like Super Jail or Metalocalypse found on Adult Swim. Here’s the thing; not so long ago, cartoons would find a certain niche, a certain demographic or psychographic that they’d like to tackle when wanting to land a prime spot… -
Mission (Statement) Impossible
4 Apr 2012 | 11:01 amYour mission, should you choose to accept it, is to stop thinking up mission statements that mean nothing except to a handful of people at the top. It doesn’t matter how nicely worded it is, or how inspiring it sounds to the board member, or how cleverly it connects the different elements in your brand strategy; a mission statement is just that, a statement, and not, in fact, a mission. Oftentimes, leaders spend too much time debating the words of a mission statement, and too little on really defining that very important something that’s truly meaningful, non-negotiable and absolutely…
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The Frager Factor
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UDRP: Domain Names Meet Real World
17 May 2012 | 8:48 am“The UDRP is well out of control now, where those wanting to acquire a domain name that is unavailable due to use or price, are now taking a risk free shot at grabbing the domain name from its lawful owner. We need UDRP reform & we need it now” But from the filer's perspective we need these gold diggers out of our way because they stand in the way of legitimate business, and only in -
AAPL: The Ultimate Steve Jobs Betrayal
16 May 2012 | 11:43 pmThe Steve Jobs Betrayal: VIPS be sure to catch the offer in this morning's email: You may already know that in the final year of his life , Steve Jobs revealed a stunning betrayal and told his biographer, "I will spend my last dying breath... and every penny of Apple's $100 billion in the bank to right this wrong." What was it that made Jobs so irate and how will it make a -
SeekingMillionaire.com and WhatsYourPrice.com: If You Think Miss Domain Is Something, Wait Till You Meet Miss Travel
16 May 2012 | 10:24 pmDating service matches cash-strapped travelers with those willing to accompany and pay Via Springwise: Miss Travel is offering a platform which matches beauty and wealth —enabling “attractive” people to meet potential partners who are willing to foot the bill for their traveling requirements. 16th May 2012 in Lifestyle & Leisure, Tourism & Travel. We have already seen Shoe Dating on -
DNJournal Reports: Frank Schilling Top Producer 2012 Sales
16 May 2012 | 7:21 pmJust think about each of these names as you gander Frank's personal sales in the last 165 days. Then as a special to readers of this article catch today's VIP feature Scarcity: The Frank Schilling Story and subscribe to our VIP newsletter for FREE (next 10 hours only) 21Questions.com $35K 2x1.com $20-50k BabyGiftBaskets.com $10-20K BabyStickers $3-5K (FS) Battlex.com 5-10 -
Truncation-- AHA Sells For $125K: HA HA Joe Must Be Smiling Down From Somewhere
16 May 2012 | 9:49 amAHA.com might be used by Harmon's AHA which is actually a revolution in web browser built to be used while driving. If so it's a simple TRUNCATION from AHARadio.com to AHA.com for $125K same as these AFW guys thought their truncation was worth,. Cool idea and like most ideas that spring up 10-25 years later, one totally off the radar of the investor and the domain's canned appraised
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Brand Regard - Magazine
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A Tale of Two Kates
15 May 2012 | 5:07 amHaving reviewed the effect one Kate can make on a brand, here’s a look at another. A year on since the wedding of the year, the century, of living memory, Catherine, Duchess of Cornwall is still a hot topic. And thankfully, seems to make more appearances on glossy covers than Amy Childs. Each Kate photo not only adds to the incrementally amassed re-found interest in the Royal Family (perfect timing, leading up to the Diamond Jubilee), but each contributes to Kate’s unintentional sideline as living catwalk model, a powerful endorser of princess style. Everyone knows the effect that dress… -
Why does news travel faster at home than at work?
14 May 2012 | 3:25 am“Hi everyone! Our little prince was born this morning. The wife is doing well!” No matter where you are in the world, you learn your friends’ good news almost instantly. Weddings, childbirths, road trips - thanks to Facebook and Twitter people share photos, opinions, and news from their personal life instantly, easily and efficiently. But how about in their professional life? Why do you know more about your old friends from University than you do about the status of your latest ad campaign? Why is it easier to find one book in a million on Amazon than it is to find the TV advert you… -
Dead or Alive? Jaguar’s Drive to be Wanted
10 May 2012 | 4:10 amJaguar recently launched its “Alive” global marketing campaign in a brand turnaround aimed to appeal to luxury car buyers in an unexpected way – and to make them feel exactly that: alive. That bid to appeal felt more like an elevator pitch for 1984 action classic, The Terminator – machines are becoming increasingly intelligent, almost overly human, “machines that want to be us, want to replace us, but they are not us”. But (you’ll be relieved to hear), there is a machine out there that makes us greater – a Jaguar, it’s as alive as we are – with… -
The Street Food Revolution. Or is it Evolution?
4 May 2012 | 4:46 amFrom last Wednesday’s Apprentice to Friday night’s Street Feast, there’s no escaping the summer’s hottest trend: Street Food. Forget Heston’s lab, this is food without the fuss – cooked up, then gobbled up, on a street corner. Simple. For me, street food – that is, the food van – has been around for ages. From the wafts of frying onions at childhood summer fetes in Norfolk, via Birmingham spud huts and London foot-long hot dogs, to last Sunday’s hole-in-the-wall Cumberland sausage at Columbia Road Flower Market – the latter by far the finest Street Food specimen. The… -
Trend For Interactive Theatre Experience Is Just The Starting Point
26 Apr 2012 | 5:27 amStraddling the line between Arts and Brands, interactive theatre experiences have become increasingly mainstream. Just look at what Punchdrunk did for Louis Vuitton’s Bond Street store launch, swiftly followed by its creation of the consumer-focussed ‘Night Chauffeur’ for Stella Artois and the creepy release of Resistance 3 for PlayStation. Or Coney’s current run of House of Cards, commissioned by Historic Royal Palaces, and tonight’s Gideon Reeling production of ‘Magic Happens on the Darkest Nights’ for Bowmore Whisky. If a brand wants it, it can easily get it. But brands…
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Idea Stylist
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May 2012: Pick Your Own Holiday Calendar
1 May 2012 | 2:06 pmSometimes we end up working on weekends and holidays, so it's only fair if we can make up for the lost ones. This calendar series is a collection of fun and strange holidays from all over the internet. (No, I didn't make them up.) Pick any day, and celebrate! World Laughter Day on the 6th sounds like fun, and of course yummy holidays like Strawberries 'n Cream Day on the 21st are always welcome. Click on the image below for the full-size jpeg version, or get the pdf here. Need the printed 2012 calendar? You can buy it right here: 2012 Pick Your Own Holiday Calendar by ideastylist Become a… -
April 2012: Pick Your Own Holiday Calendar
31 Mar 2012 | 4:00 amSometimes we end up working on weekends and holidays, so it's only fair if we can make up for the lost ones. This calendar series is a collection of fun and strange holidays from all over the internet. (No, I didn't make them up.) Pick any day, and celebrate! Pillow Fight Day on the 7th sounds like fun, and of course yummy holidays like Shrimp Scampi Day on the 29th are always welcome. Click on the image below for the full-size jpeg version, or get the pdf here. Need the printed 2012 calendar? You can buy it right here: 2012 Pick Your Own Holiday Calendar by ideastylistBecome a calendar… -
Why stories are so powerful, and how you can apply this to your branding.
30 Mar 2012 | 6:08 amStories are specific. The hero is never an 18-24 year old from a typical 4 people household in the medium-low income bracket. Nope. The hero has a name – Jake, or Sam. Jake is 15. He has a big sister, with some irritating quirks and habits, since she likes to act more like a mom to him, but she is incredibly smart and Jake respects and admires her. Even though he would never admit to it in public. Or maybe this is Sam's story. Sam is a girl, by the way. It's short for Samantha, which she hates. Sam has two younger half-brothers -- two annoying little twins that follow her around all the… -
Ebook design: Nomadi Digitali
22 Mar 2012 | 3:05 pmThese two ebooks (in Italian) are guides for aspiring Digital Nomads, or Nomadi Digitali. Taking cue from the Digital Nomads' philosophy, the ebooks carry the light and fun vibe that is very fitting to working and living the way you choose with the help of the internet and technology. The guides are available for free download from Nomadi Digitali(in Italian). Have a sneak peak below: Pin It -
Website design: one blue berry
15 Mar 2012 | 5:41 amThe new customized WordPress theme for one blue berry is live and bursting with flavor, just like the true stories on the site. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here you go. Or check it out live right here. Pin It
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Semantic Argument
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How to write a persuasive message
6 May 2012 | 2:53 amThis is based on a section from Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, about “cognitive ease.” Bold typeface High-quality paper (for high contrast between characters and background) If using color, use bright blue or red Use simple language Make your message memorable, perhaps by expressing it in verse If citing a source, make sure its name is easy to pronounce Let’s try [...] -
What Pepsi should’ve done Next
12 Apr 2012 | 2:58 amPepsi recently launched Pepsi Next. It’s a “mid-calorie” soft drink they’re hoping will stem their decline in sales. Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi may be “pinning [her] hope on the launch,” but to me the product seems like a rather obvious strategic misfire. Not only have similar products from Coke (C2) and Pepsi (Edge) failed in [...] -
Southeast Asia v. South East Asia
23 Mar 2012 | 2:56 am
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Blake's Blog
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Women Who Take Up Space
14 May 2012 | 12:01 pmWhen I was a little girl I realized I was different than everyone else. My parents were eccentric–my mom was an artist and painter who always had feminist friends over for coffee though I don’t think any of them would call themselves feminists (or even realized they seemed that way compared to other women). My father was a Jewish psychiatrist. As I grew older in orange county I soon realized I didn’t fit in. And no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t squeeze myself into the standards of the town I grew up in. I wasn’t the carefree waify fun loving California girl… -
Woman work: holding contradictory ideas in her mind.
11 May 2012 | 11:24 amA sane woman must have an ability to hold two contradictory ideas in her head at the same time, and understand which one is truth. Examples of contradictory mainstream messaging toward women: Be confident but don’t be a bitch. Look attractive but not too attractive. Look sexy but don’t look like a slut. Be confident but be submissive. Be a domestic goddess but don’t be a fat domestic goddess. Be a lady in the streets and a freak in the…. Well you get the idea. And thanks to the media the perpetuation of these ideas are gaining power. Unfortunately the place these… -
Five Blogging Tips That Won’t Disappoint Mr. Sloth
9 May 2012 | 2:20 pmWhen I was at the University of California, Santa Cruz–the days before blogs were as mainstream as they are today–I was still keeping a very tumultuous LiveJournal. Luckily I was also spending my energy at UC Santa Cruz’ press room with our teacher Conn Hallinan from the City On A Hill Press. All the editors would sit in a circle as he critiqued each article. It was a lesson in proof-reading, editing, and most days–grammar. We were lucky to have him. It’s a luxury to have an editor. With blogging, most of us don’t have coaches or a second set of eyes to… -
A Dress Change Will Do You Good
7 May 2012 | 4:24 pmHave you ever said to yourself, I’ll be happy when I do X? X could be….lose ten pounds, get this job, this car, this house, this wedding ring and so on and so forth. The truth is none of us knows what will come tomorrow. I’m telling you not to wait. It’s time for us to stop waiting around for X to be happy tomorrow. It is my personal belief that to flow with the natural current is to drive in the direction of our individual truth. Last week I was reminded that human resilience in the face of failure determine one’s ability to thrive (thanks to an inspiring… -
Thoughts on how to live
29 Apr 2012 | 12:29 amWhile I don’t want to be one of those women that tell other women what to do, as I go through my own challenges I find it valuable to share my experiences–perhaps you are going through the same thing in your own life. When I take bart to SF every morning I enjoy reading, and sometimes writing notes on my phone. I’m still a fan of journaling even after all these years, and I have all my journals from 8 years old on up (I hope no one ever reads these). Thanks for your readership and your comments. Please feel free to share your own challenges and opportunities this week.
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Fresh Sprouts
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A Stunningly Simple Secret to Improve Sales Success
13 May 2012 | 7:33 pmIf you could invest just a few hours to dramatically improve the results of your sales efforts, would you? “Of course!” you’re probably thinking. “What’s the catch?” There isn’t one. All it takes is a little focus and discipline. So what’s the secret? Understanding Your Ideal Customer Profile I’m not talking about your target markets or who the typical buyers are, but the person who is your ideal customer. The one who is most likely to buy when you get in front of them because your message resonates so well. This is the person who’s… -
Which Social Media Metrics Really Matter?
27 Apr 2012 | 8:15 amOne of the great frustrations of CMO’s and executives express about social media is the ability to track its impact on the bottom line. Sure, you can easily measure your Facebook “Likes,” Twitter “follows” and LinkedIn connections. You can monitor your Google + Circles and even Pinterest activity. But what does all that matter if it’s not moving the needle on your business growth? Many companies set random measurements, such as growth in Likes, Follows, and Connections to see how they are doing. Unfortunately, arbitrary metrics like a “25%… -
Your Customers Don’t Know What They Want
22 Apr 2012 | 1:00 pmCustomers don’t have all the answers, especially when it comes to product innovation. Surprised? It’s true. Customers can do a great job of helping you iterate products. They know that “This button would work better over here,” or “That knob always gets in the way.” Customers are happy to share new feature requests, like “We’d love it if you could add custom reports to your software,” but their insights usually stop right about there. Customers know how to improve your products because they use your products. They understand what works,… -
Is it Time to Fire that Customer?
12 Apr 2012 | 9:15 amWhen was the last time you let a customer go? It sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes, saying goodbye is the right thing to do. There was recently an interesting case study in the Harvard Business Review about a company that had started using activity based costing to assess customer profitability. The case raised the intriguing dilemma of whether the company in question should fire one of it oldest and “best” customers because they had become a loser in the past few quarters. While we would all hope that every customer yields positive returns (unless you’re running… -
Who’s Got the Entrepreneurial Spirit? You Might be Surprised
25 Mar 2012 | 3:29 pmI was browsing my weekly issue of the Atlanta Business Chronicle the other day and came across an article that fascinated me. The article discussed a recent decline in startup activity, but that’s not what surprised me. I was intrigued by the data quoted regarding just who’s starting those startups, based on a study by the Kauffman Foundation. While the stereotypical entrepreneur is a twenty-something college kid (think Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook), the reality is that less than a third of startups – in fact, only 29% - were headed by someone under the age of 35.
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Annemarie Cross
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From Stuck to Unstoppable: how to go from idea to launch
11 May 2012 | 8:45 pmGet that product OUT of your head, created and launched! Do you long to create your own products but just don’t know how to get started? Or perhaps you’ve got lots of ideas, but overwhelm stops you from ever finishing your product. Then this show is a must-listen. Download the show here Our Guest Expert: Sandy Sidhu is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and small business owners cut through the noise and get clarity when marketing and launching products online. She moves people from dreaming to doing. Contact Sandy: Web: www.sidekickpm.com Email: sandy@sidekickpm.com Twitter:… -
How to deal with stress in the workplace
25 Apr 2012 | 4:20 pmIs stress impacting your performance at work? Find out why… Is stress causing you to make hasty and regrettable decisions in your business? It’s no wonder, as studies have shown that you can decrease your brain’s capacity by 10-15 IQ points when you are stressed. In business this can spell disaster. Stress and its effects on the mind and body are well known. The effects of stress is costing workplaces an estimated $15 billion every year, with the problems (and costs) increasing. As a ‘Stress Specialist’ Dr Linda Wilson teaches individuals and businesses how to avoid emotions… -
Spring clean your website to increase productivity, promotion and your profits
16 Apr 2012 | 6:04 pmSpring clean your website to increase productivity, boost promotion and explode your profits As an entrepreneur with increased competition to get the attention of your ideal client you need to become far more proactive in managing and maintaining your website. Joining me today is Tonya R. Taylor (known as Your Savvy Online Business Builder) from SavvyBizBuilder. Tonya shares: why it’s important to have a website, why you need to keep it fresh and current, how to keep visitors coming back, and the top three mistakes that will keep you from making money with your website, and much more! -
Your Millionaire Attitude – Do you have what it takes?
2 Apr 2012 | 4:38 amThe Millionaire Attitude – Do you have it? Do you dream about standing out as a leader in your field, but unsure where to start? Or perhaps you’ve got some amazing goals for your business. Yet, despite setting out with the best of intentions to achieve these goals, 6 months or 12 months later (or even longer), your dreams and goals are still not a reality. Today I’m joined by Pam Brossman – CEO of SheExperts.com. For two years, Pam had a dream a write a book and in January 2012 Pam’s dream became a reality when she launched her very first book titled: “Your Millionaire… -
From Unemployed to employed: One woman’s story of courage and determination
25 Mar 2012 | 6:00 pmUnemployed and facing an uncertain future? Meg was – here is her inspiring story! After separating from her husband, Meg Montgomery soon found herself on unemployment, facing an uncertain future. Tackling her challenges head on Meg completed a business development course and two months later launched her business, Women-Money-Power. Fast forward to today and Meg is now making money from her business and loves what she’s doing. Listen to this inspiring story and discover the steps Meg took to turn her life around to go from unemployment to self employment. Download here Find out more…
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Bulldog Drummond - Uncommon Sense
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What Customers Can’t Tell Us : An Article by Guest Blogger Andrea Kates
15 May 2012 | 11:00 amPrevNext PrevNext PrevNext PrevNext Three steps to discovering new ideas The secret to staying ahead of our customers is learning to discover what they want, even when they haven’t envisioned it yet. Like imagining an iPod in the days of the Sony Walkman. State Farm has recently designed a pilot experiment called “Next Door” that is designed to do exactly that: Next Door attempts to offer a new generation of customers an insurance brand they can relate to. Their approach demonstrates the three basic steps for discovering new ideas that will strengthen our brands and build customer… -
What If We Put A School Atop Every Building In Manhattan?
14 May 2012 | 11:03 amPrevNext PrevNext PrevNext PrevNext Changing the way we think about traditional educational buildings, a team of conceptual designers Ana Luisa Soares, Filipe Magalhães, and André Vergueiro created “Schools in the Sky” as as part of a competition to repurpose roofs. Their idea is to put a school on top of every applicable building in New York City and paint them bright, yellow, to communicate the value and importance of education. -
Malcolm Gladwell Explains Why Human Potential Is Being Squandered
10 May 2012 | 11:13 am -
Why Every Monday Matters
7 May 2012 | 11:32 amHow one man changed his life, and impacted thousands of others from being down on his knees. If I’ve learned anything over the past ten years, it’s been that the old saying of “It’s far more rewarding to give than it is to receive” is very powerful. I was recently invited to mentor a group of emerging social entrepreneurs, all whom are focused on business models geared towards improving the lives of others, at an intimate conference called Praxis. While I was going there to help and guide others, I left with the gift of being inspired, challenged and full of hope. -
A Public Toilet With A Shimmering Facade
4 May 2012 | 11:21 amPrevNext PrevNext PrevNext PrevNext PrevNext Revolutionizing the public restroom, architects Gramazio & Kohler, have created fascinating works of art throughout the city park in Uster Switzerland. These beautifully designed public restrooms are made from of 295 bright green, laser-cut, aluminum strips, folded and designed to create a shimmering facade that changes depending on sun angle and the observers’ perspective. These innovative lavs add an element of urban design to the common public restroom.
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Design Kompany is a brand design studio. We do: corporate identity, brand identity, branding, logo design, corporate communications, creative marketing.
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Ira Glass on trusting the process to find your creative voice
16 May 2012 | 3:17 pmSome videos I thought you might like, if you were thinking about inspiration and stick-with-it-ness. Ira Glass: Stuff at first will not be good, but you have killer taste. DK’s take on how to get there: trust the process, all the way. -
DK designs an infographic for Internet marketing firm Dragon Search
15 May 2012 | 3:35 pmAn infographic we designed for New York-based search marketing firm Dragon Search. Click here for a .pdf Many thanks for the hard work! –Josepf Haslam, Dragon Search Ric Dragon, who heads Dragon Search in upstate New York, was in a Tweet chat at the same time with me a year ago, and now we’ve done two drawing projects for his company. Which is awesome, but the more intriguing thing was when he told me to Google Ellsworth Kelly. Whoa! I’m just back from a week in Washington, DC, where I got to see a bunch of Kelly pieces now showing in the modern wing of the National Gallery… -
Creative Process of a Painter
7 May 2012 | 12:36 amI met Malo, a painter from Columbia, this past weekend. He was a delight to talk to, and had a lot to say about his process, his burgeoning visual art career (he was previously a fashion photographer, he told me), and the art of relationship-building that it’s based on. All the stuff DK is always happy to riff on with anyone:) Later, I found this video on his Tumblr. the lady and the horse mural/sculture from MALO on Vimeo. You can see this man thinking, improvising, and stretching as he goes over the 3-D surface of this gigantic thing he transforms into an art piece. His solo show at… -
A roundtable in DC on media, the message, and what communication looks like NOW
4 May 2012 | 11:44 amAETHER DC is Thursday, May 10 Going to be in Washington, DC, for our stop there for AETHER, a conversation about medium, message, and design. I’ll be wearing DK’s “dialogue design” outfit, Orangutan Swing. I’m looking forward to getting back there, DC is where Akira and I used to hang out when we were young and in college and looking for inspiration. It was the first time I saw Eschers — ones that were real, not college-girl posters (of which I had one, the staircase paradox one, you know about that one?). The real-life Escher images burned right upon my… -
Naming a company takes thinking it through
1 May 2012 | 9:10 amHere are 8 questions we ask to stack candidates when we’re asked to brainstorm names for a rebrand design. How to pick a name View more documents from Design Kompany Rebranding is costly, not just in terms of money but in terms of time, too. You’ll want to make sure to set up the process right by thinking through every aspect thoroughly, including the company name.
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RokRiot
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Horse and Hare
17 May 2012 | 4:00 amA couple of days ago, I stumbled across the folksy linocut stylings of Horse and Hare, a design and print shop based in Virgina and owned by artists Kerry and Neil Stavely. Within their blog, they profiled a recent CD packaging project for banjo player, Terry Dignon—whom you can see shredding on the banjo here—that really fits well with Terry’s musical style and complements the organic feel of the cardboard CD case. Quality linocuts are truly an art form, and Horse and Hare have no shortage of gallery-quality pieces highlighted in their portfolio. -
Dan Grzeca
16 May 2012 | 4:00 amDan is a graphic designer and printmaker from Chicago who runs Ground-Up Press. Love his deconstructed style. -
Jonofon
15 May 2012 | 4:00 amJónófón is a modern adaptation of the original record player—the gramophone—conceptualized by Icelandic designer, Jón Helgi Hólmgeirsson. The Jónófón reflects 2012 ingenuity as it comes flat-packed and utilizes a few simple materials, the bulk of which are paper and plywood. More information from Jón’s portfolio. -
The 50 Best Band Logos of All Time?
14 May 2012 | 4:00 amPaste Magazine has just compiled The 50 Best Band Logos of All Time—many timeless classics have made the list, including: Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, and Public Enemy, but they’ve also included some more recent band identities, including Mastodon, MUSE and Daft Punk. Is this list truly complete? Are there a few logos missing—or ones which need to be removed? Comments! -
Bounce Bounce
11 May 2012 | 4:00 amAbove is the stop-motion-animated music video for “Bounce Bounce”, a recent single from Hilary Hahn & Hauschka—a musical collaboration between American violinist Hilary Hahn and German pianist, Volker Bertelmann. The video was painstakingly designed and created by artist Hayley Morris, who was inspired by her early childhood memories of Maine’s coastal tide pools. Hayley spent a number of weeks gathering materials from flea markets and antique shops in order to help bring her colorful underwater world to life—the attention to detail, texture and color make this video…
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Crowdtap
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Announcing Crowdtap Challenge Action, Mobile and Facebook Apps
23 Apr 2012 | 11:26 amOver the past few months we’ve been working on an entirely new way for brands to mobilize consumers no matter where they are. Crowdtap is the first platform to enable brands to not only activate their influencers online, but also in the real world, with the newly launched Challenge Action.Facebook and Twitter are great for spreading content, but what if you want to drive your influential advocates to be truly involved with your brand in the physical world? Want to drive your fans to check out a new display in store? Snap a photo of which products are currently in their fridge? Share… -
Crowdtap Party Rocks SXSW Once Again
16 Mar 2012 | 10:16 amWow, it is hard to put into words all of the memories from this year’s Crowdtap VIP Party at SXSW 2012, so we decided to show you. Our entire team had an amazing time with so many of our friends, partners, clients, and industry peers. As nearly all of you who were in attendance repeatedly told us, The Crowdtap VIP Party was once again the “Can’t Miss” event at SXSW Interactive. Even Ali Velshi name dropped our party during his CNN broadcast.For those that couldn’t make it, have hazy memories or just want to relive the night one more time, we thought we’d… -
Crowdtap CEO Brandon Evans on Global Influence at Social Media Week
17 Feb 2012 | 3:01 pmSocial Media Week is wrapping up here in New York where marketers, advertisers, community managers, and more descended on an amazing lineup of keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, and parties.Crowdtap CEO & Founder Brandon Evans was joined by internationally acclaimed DJ Funkmaster Flex, Joe Fernandez CEO of Klout, and Ben Luntz VP Client Networks at Big Fuel in a panel discussion on Global Influence. Each panelist brought their own insight on how brands and marketers should approach their online communities to activate and turn them into influential advocates.There are several ways… -
Social Consumers Shift Focus to Smartphones
10 Jan 2012 | 12:54 pmResearch released today by the Pivot Conference and Crowdtap reveals that consumers who are active in social networks are increasingly using mobile devices to connect and share across a variety of activities including location-based check-ins, photography, games, and more.Pivot conducted the research by polling conference attendees as well as over 500 influential consumers on Crowdtap’s influencer marketing platform. The results were revealed live in realtime during the 2011 Pivot Conference in New York City this past October.Key findings from the report:• The iPhone is the most… -
Holiday 2011 Spending Through The Eyes of Influencers
23 Dec 2011 | 1:00 pmThe holiday season is a time to reflect on the year behind us and spend time with friends and family. It’s also a time to shop for presents, and the last few weeks for retailers to increase sales for the year. In the latest edition of our Brand Advocacy series, we polled influencers on Crowdtap to learn more about their holiday spending habits including budget, purchasing decisions, and top retailers they frequented.Although social media has opened a new channel directly into consumers’ news feeds, the onslaught of sponsored placements has driven them to tune out of most new forms of…
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Branding Business with RiechesBaird
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A CEOs Perspective on How Branding Relates to Business Success
16 May 2012 | 12:49 pmBusiness success can often be attributed to consistency – consistency when it comes to quality, overall look and messaging, and customer service. In this week’s episode of Branding Business, RiechesBaird CEO Ryan Rieches talks with Brett Wood, President & CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) about the ways in which the B2B division of Toyota leverages the brand equity, values and philosophies associated with the automotive brand. A common hurdle for B2Bs, Wood shares how TMHNA defines its key customers – both dealer partners and end–user customers – and… -
Finding Motivation in Business & Life
15 May 2012 | 3:33 pmI am a big believer in the power of setting goals – actually, stretch goals. For if you set your sights beyond your comfort zone, you can really break into new territory. And even if you didn’t reach the goal’s full extent – you probably far exceeded a “safer” goal. I’d like to share an experience that is not business related, but has many business parallels. About one year ago, I was diagnosed with throat cancer. After evaluating all the options, my wife and I chose a surgeon, health system and treatment plan and approached this challenge with the goal of being fully cured of… -
The Internal Brand Roll Out: 4 reasons why it’s the most imporant part of your launch
10 May 2012 | 3:46 pmSo you’ve just gone through an extensive branding process. You have a new strategy, a new message, and maybe even a new logo or tagline. Now what? As a marketing professional, many times, the immediate instinct would be to go for a big, media-making, public launch. My one piece of advice: STOP and wait. If you jump to an external launch without first engaging your employees, you may be dooming your new brand. You may notice that we talk a lot about employees on this blog. Why? Because your employees are the single most important piece in your branding puzzle. Forgetting to inform them and… -
Giving Offense: A Secret to Brand Naming Success
8 May 2012 | 2:18 pmIt is a virtual axiom in branding circles that a name should ‘not give offense’ in principle languages, ‘should have no pejorative meanings or untoward associations.’ That is how we put it in our counsel to clients. We tell them that we will develop names that don’t cross these lines. Practically everybody knows about the classic Chevy Nova ‘case.’ ‘Nova’ which means ‘new’ in Latin, means ‘It doesn’t go’ in Spanish (‘no va’)—not exactly the kind of message one wants to attach to—well—lots of products, but especially not to a car. Frankly, I don’t know… -
Building B2B Brand Trust Through Communication
3 May 2012 | 6:24 pmBrand trust is vital in order to maintain longevity and win over competition. Building this trust goes much deeper than what is seen as face value. It’s about creating a reason to believe. For B2B companies, having credibility with just the immediate customer base is not enough. Attention must be paid to secondary and perhaps even tertiary customers in the chain of consumption. Ask yourself this question – How does your company benefit the end user? Often, our clients don’t think about how their brand impacts the end user and they instead focus mostly on their direct customers. It…
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Restaurant Branding Roadmap
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National Restaurant Association show – 21 coolest discoveries, part 2
14 May 2012 | 10:24 amI’ve been to a lot of trade shows in my time, but topping my list is the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. For more on the National Restaurant Association and the good work they do to promote, educate and advocate the $632 billion restaurant industry check out their site too. For the Brain Tattoo Branding team it was non stop food, fun and fabulous people for four days. From pickles to puffed pastries, to wine on tap, it’s been an amazing experience full of learning, making connections and tasting the next big food ideas from around the world. Continuing from… -
National Restaurant Association show – 21 coolest discoveries, part 1
7 May 2012 | 10:00 amThis weekend The Brain Tattoo Branding team has been in Chicago attending the National Restaurant Association Show. It’s been an amazing experience, learning, making connections and tasting the next big food ideas from around the world. The four day excursion has uncovered lots of interesting marketing and branding topics for the restaurant/hospitality industry and trends and ideas that we will cover in this blog in next coming months. To kick off the content rush, I’d like to start off by sharing the top coolest discoveries that Lauren (my chief problem solver) and I discovered… -
Newport, RI restaurant branding round up – 5 ideas you can use
25 Apr 2012 | 3:23 pmLike I said in my previous post, I was adventuring through Rhode Island recently and discovered a handful of new restaurants, many doing a great job of branding and serving the customer. My first night in Newport, I was greeted with wicked winds and a 45 degree big chill. This immediately put me in the mood for some local fare, specifically clam chowder. My hotel recommended Clarke Cooke House and an excellent choice it was. This harbor treasure serves up traditional coastal favorites along with more contemporary culinary dishes. Nautical-styled, socially a buzz and beaming with maritime… -
The Chanler at Cliff Walk, a Newport, RI brand worth visiting
23 Apr 2012 | 3:40 pmThis past week I had the pleasure of visiting Rhode Island. I was in Warwick for a workshop on self-esteem and business effectiveness. If you’ve not checked out my other blog (it’s geared to general branding and entrepreneurial topics) you should take a visit. I try to share some interesting stories, business lessons and life/balance tips. Since my meeting was just one day and I was so close to Newport, I decided to relocate my working office to The Chanler at Cliff Walk and extend my stay. I love being a free wheeling and spirited entrepreneur, because as long as there is… -
Restaurant Chef Branding – 5 ways to cook up buzz & customers
16 Apr 2012 | 10:55 amAn important brand asset for any restaurant is the chef. Whether your food master is trained at a top culinary school like The Cordon Bleu in Paris, in his mother’s kitchen or in a Chemistry and biology lab like famed Houston Chef and Ph.D carrying Robert Del Grande, branding a food professional can add instant credibility and interest to your business and restaurant brand. Why invest in branding your chef? Customers are attracted to the star power and human persona of a chef. A well-branded chef becomes a worthy reason the media will talk about you and give you publicity. Beyond your…
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Building a Brand Online
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Themespiration: How To Find The Perfect Theme Everytime
2 May 2012 | 8:18 pmThis post will talk you through exactly how to find the perfect theme for your own site or for your clients’ sites every single time, and have FUN doing it. My inspiration for this post comes from my good friend Ori Bengal. In addition to being one of the most interesting people on the planet, [...] -
WP Button Factory Review
15 Apr 2012 | 4:07 amThe WP Button Factory is a brand new WordPress plugin that creates buttons for your site and seamlessly integrates them with your PayPal account… without the need to create your own custom graphics, upload anything, or code anything… ever. -
Facebook Birthdays – Taking Advantage of Your Birthday on Facebook
12 Aug 2011 | 5:40 pmTaking Advantage of Your Facebook Birthday It’s your birthday on Facebook. Hundred’s of Happy Birthday wishes start flooding your wall and not only are you left with a huge smile on your face – but a bazillion notifications on your smart phone. Everyone is happy when it’s their birthday on Facebook with the exception of [...] -
So how exactly do they make money from free games?
13 Jul 2011 | 7:34 pmI bet many of you wonder how is Zynga actually earning it’s money? If you don’t know about Zynga, I am quite sure you know about Farmville, addictive Facebook game that makes you play and improve your farm empire. There are multiple reasons for the success of the social games and online games in general. [...] -
Google Plus Webinar for Brand Builders
11 Jul 2011 | 8:18 pmGoogle plus is HOT and there are a lot of new features to learn about. If you're tired of fumbling around on your own, join us for a live webinar where you'll learn some powerful ways to fully leverage Google +.
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Imagemme New York
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TV Land’s Logo Redesign
15 May 2012 | 6:14 pmBy Hunter Warren TV Land flickered onto our sets in 1996. Building on the success of ‘Nick at Nite,’ the classic TV rerun alter-ego of Nickelodeon, TV Land began offering diverse, vintage programming ranging from The Ed Sullivan Show to Hill Street Blues. The face of this venture was a googie-inspired, colorful lounge-sign of a logo. It was a very retro, 1950′s look, but was appropriate for a network offering shows from the 50′s to the 80′s, Primarily, it communicated one thing—nostalgia. Secondly, the logo told you that TV Land was a fun, hip, relaxing place… -
Rock Brand – Top 10 Band Logo Designs
10 May 2012 | 1:25 pm…By Genna AlTai While the first thing that might come to mind when either the Rolling Stones or The Ramones is mentioned is their iconic music, band logos also play a pretty massive part in their memorability as well. Emblazoned on tour posters, t-shirts, and sometimes people’s bodies, a musician’s logo has a big say in their marketability. Yes, we know, it all comes down to the music and being something special. “Selling out” stinks, but most musicians/artists want to be acknowledged for their talents. What better way to do that than with an awe-inspiring logo? Ladies and… -
Neuro Web Design: 5 Tips To Get Them To Click
8 May 2012 | 9:37 amEffective online marketing is about building trust. Arguably, there are other factors that contribute to getting a consumer to navigate through your site, but at the root of it all is a very real human emotion, and that is fear. Neuromarketing has identified ways in which you can speak to a consumer’s unconscious and drive them to the point of purchase, simply by making them feel comfortable and as if they can trust your brand. These tactics are less about manipulating consumers in ways they cannot identify, and more about building trust and assurance on a subliminal level so they… -
Delivering the Delicious: Bakery Packaging
3 May 2012 | 3:48 pm..By Genna AlTai New York City bakeries are just the best. Take that, Paris! It’s not just the sheer quality of New York’s pastries that make this city a culinary hot spot. New York doesn’t stop at just the macaroon or the simple doughnut; our fine city offers a wide variety of the world’s best sweets. Like the people, our pastries are varied, flavorful, and filled with attitude. NYC offers everything from classic Italian bakeries (Venieros) to gluten-free Meccas (Babycakes) and classic cupcake chains (á la Magnolia). But how do these bakeries go about packaging these… -
Born Consumers
1 May 2012 | 8:16 amIt is a widely accepted notion that a fetus, while in their mother’s womb, will respond to external stimuli. Countless maternity books encourage listening to music, reading and even talking to your unborn child to further development of the neural system. However, exposing your unborn baby to such stimuli will not only ensure they have a natural affinity or aptitude for certain types of activities, but it could also hard wire them for brand loyalty. When an expecting mother is engrossed in an activity that she likes, certain hormones are released and the unborn baby learns to respond…
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John Morgan
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How One Simple Question Can Double Your Marketing Results
10 May 2012 | 11:35 amA lot goes into crafting a strong marketing message. There are so many factors that determine if a marketing campaign will be a success or fall flat on it’s face. In my experience, there’s one factor that trumps the rest. It’s not talked about often and the only reason I can come up with for that is that there are too many marketers out there who don’t know what the heck they’re doing. The secret to creating an effective marketing message is RELEVANCE. The more relevant your offer is the more effective it will be in generating results. When I owned a real estate… -
4 Step Formula For Brand Success
25 Apr 2012 | 9:18 amAfter spending over a decade studying and working with brands, I’ve noticed some consistencies among the successful, and some consistencies among those who fail. There are many elements that go into make a brand a success. But there is a simple, yet effective formula for staying the course and making your business a success. I’ve even got a fancy pants acronym for this formula: SAMM Let’s dive into each element… Strategy It’s one thing to have goals, it’s another to have a plan of reaching those goals. It’s absolutely astounding how many entrepreneurs… -
How Social Media Can Screw Up Your Email Marketing
16 Apr 2012 | 9:27 pmSocial media can be a great asset to your business. It can greatly help you market your product and services. It can also screw up other areas of your marketing campaigns if you’re not careful. One point I drive home in my book Brand Against The Machine (is it considered a shameless plug when it’s my blog?) is that the way you market yourself matters. Sadly, most businesses never stop to think of how their marketing efforts align with their brand. An all too common, and deadly mistake I’m seeing made daily is using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, or whatever….to… -
3 Ways To Boost Your Credibility
10 Apr 2012 | 9:44 pmCredibility is under-rated. Yet, your brand identity is greatly defined by it. The marketplace is crowded and the vast majority of people taking up oxygen have no credibility whatsoever. There’s a blogger in my town for example, who writes about ‘how to make a living blogging’. He has a 9-5 day job and should be arrested for lack of credibility. Sadly, even the most credible entrepreneurs in the world do a poor job of showcasing that credibility. You deserve better and so do your prospects. Your audience wants to know that you practice what you preach. It gives them… -
Here We Are Now, Entertain Us
3 Apr 2012 | 10:07 amAttention. Everyone’s fighting for it, few are getting it. Even worse, most businesses don’t know what to do with it when they get it. It’s a wasted opportunity and it needs to stop. People are bored to death. We (meaning me and the rest of the world) are begging to be entertained. No one wants to do business with a boring company. We are looking for something worth talking about. Is your business worth talking about? Do something with the attention you receive. It’s a gift. Make doing business with you a pleasurable experience. Make the process of doing business with…
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More than just a logo.
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Take a Bite of These!
17 May 2012 | 4:48 amAn edible survival guide. What more can you ask for when stranded in the Arabian desert (other than perhaps a car that took you back home?) Talking of large brands hesitant to try new things in this economic climate, Land Rover Dubai had something else in mind. Their survival guide doesn’t just explain how to survive in the Arabian desert, it also offers the reader to truly digest their information – with the nutritional value of a cheeseburger. It’s just nice to see a big brand that stands for adventure be adventurous and communicate with their brand essence written all over… -
M&S Launch a New ‘Basic’ Food Range – So Why Do I Feel Betrayed?
14 May 2012 | 4:46 pmCheap and M&S quality? And pigs are flying? Aldi, Morrissons, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose – in my mind that is the ascending order of grocery stores in terms of cost and quality. I would never buy chicken in Aldi unless it is a free range product. I treat Asda as good for kid’s clothes, Tesco as everyday reliable, Sainsbury’s as a bit more fancy and Waitrose as expensive but special, reliable quality – with some good sushi. And M&S? Up until now I considered it as a shop for a mid-week treat, a quality ready meal, for own-branded products that are… -
SME Branding Lesson #17 – Expect the Unexpected
13 May 2012 | 2:09 pmIt may be a very obvious detail of shaping a customer’s brand experience, but the fact that I had two reactions from the same brand representatives in the same shop made me wonder if it is something to think about a bit more as part of staff training. I had used my smartphone all day and was literally left with an important call to make from town and 1% battery left. I thought ‘why don’t I just pop in at my local mobile phone supplier and ask them for a few percent of their electricity?’ I approached a member of staff who was alone in the shop and kindly stopped… -
A Purely Pure Brand Ad – And Why It Works
9 May 2012 | 2:44 pmIf you didn’t know this brand, you’d be none the wiser having read this advert. It is as such a lovely example for why this type of advertising can only work for established brands or those who can pre-empt or follow-up with a campaign that creates the connection and link to the brand and product. It also showcases how it has become common practice for companies to utilise charities to make a statement, show that they care, support and ‘give back’ — the essence of corporate responsibility. For this particular brand it works because it doesn’t try too hard, it… -
SME Branding Lesson #16 – Business Cards – Your Brand Message Exposed
5 May 2012 | 3:20 amI am working on quite a few corporate identity projects at the moment and the question keeps coming up as to what should be on a business card and how vital a good design is these days for a small business. So here are some thoughts on the origin, relevancy and importance of the business card. A brief history of the name card With a history pointing back to the 17th Century, business cards, or ‘name card’ as they were first called, have been a consistent part of communications. Originally used to introduce the owner as a ‘calling’ visitor, the cards were designed to be…
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Club Brandspiration
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22 Compelling Content Ideas to Build Your Expert Brand
15 May 2012 | 2:38 pmIf you want to build an expert brand that keeps you top of mind with your audience, you better open up your laptop or grab a pen and start writing. From blog posts to guest articles and pod-casts to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
What to Do When Your Blog Posts are Copied
2 May 2012 | 12:47 pmPeople who copy and steal blog content suck. You put in tireless work to produce high quality information that enhance and promote your brand. And then one unsuspecting day, you come to find out... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
The Pinterest Strategy for Facebook Engagement on Your New Timeline
25 Apr 2012 | 3:20 pmWant to know how to get more traffic to your blog and “likes” on my Facebook fan page updates with a super simple trick? Sure you do! Who isn’t frustrated these days with trying to grab your... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
The Personal Brand Marketing Mix
17 Apr 2012 | 1:18 amWant to know how to position companies and products the same way corporate marketers do to create the greatest profit potential and magnetize customers to them? It’s a rather simple formula known as... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
7 Essential Google Products for Your Personal Brand
12 Apr 2012 | 2:22 pmGoogle has come a long way from its beginnings in 1998 as a basic search engine. In an effort to create the “perfect search engine”, Google states that their goal is “to make it as easy... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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AYTM
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Building a Brand into a Cultural Phenomenon – Part 3
17 May 2012 | 10:28 amWhen you think about building a brand, one of the first things marketers typically consider is how to make that brand relevant in consumers’ minds. Brands that become cultural phenomena haven’t just become relevant. They’ve made competitors irrelevant. These brands have successfully navigated through the five stages of brand growth and incorporated the necessary ingredients to develop a brand phenomenon. However, these brands also understand the importance of incorporating a secret ingredient into their brand growth plan that makes all the difference — consumers. At… -
Video Apps Survey: Sharing Apps Gaining Users
17 May 2012 | 8:13 amSince the success of photo-sharing apps like Instagram, many different video sharing apps have been vying for the lead in that market. Apps like Viddy, Socialcam, and Color have all been gaining users in recent months, and many feel that their popularity will only continue to rise. How many smartphone users have already downloaded video apps, and how many may do so in the near future? Smartphones and Apps In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 54% of respondents said they currently have a cell phone or mobile device with video recording capabilities. 24% of overall respondents said they… -
Building a Brand into a Cultural Phenomenon – Part 2
16 May 2012 | 10:22 amIn Part 1 of the Building a Brand into a Cultural Phenomenon series, you learned about the five stages of brand growth. Now, it’s time to learn about the primary ingredients that go into a brand that becomes a cultural phenomenon. As you read through this article, you’ll notice that many of the ingredients are fundamental parts of building all brands. However, brands that become cultural phenomena take these ingredients to a higher level of importance and better integrate them into the framework of their brand strategies. Consumer Wants and Needs The key ingredients of a brand… -
Online Posting Survey: Most Think People Share Too Much
16 May 2012 | 8:38 amIn today’s online culture, many Americans make a habit of sharing information with others through social networking and other websites. Some users are comfortable sharing personal information with their network, and others would prefer to keep that information private. How many US consumers share this type of information, and how many think there are too many personal posts shared online? Online Posting In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, just 16% of respondents said they have never made a post online. 11% said they have posted information once or twice in the past. 32% said they… -
Building a Brand into a Cultural Phenomenon – Part 1
15 May 2012 | 10:18 amWhy do some brands become cultural phenomena? Brands like Apple and Harley Davidson have become a part of society, and they would be missed by a lot of people if they disappeared. Significant changes to either brand would likely draw an outcry from loyal customers and the broader consumer population. The promises that these brands make to consumers are as important as a promise made by one person to another. In short, some brands aren’t just icons, they’re a way of life. In my new series, Building a Brand into a Cultural Phenomenon, you’ll learn how it’s done. Before…
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Web Couture
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6 tips on how to use Twitter for business
1 May 2012 | 6:03 amAlthough I (to date) only have a small Twitter network of around 300 followers, I have still managed to use this network quite effectively. A few of the things I have achieved just through my Twitter network include getting new contacts, new job offers, and collaborations with other business owners. I wrote an extensive guest post for Eric Wagner last week, about how to harness the power of your Twitter network, based on my personal experiences with Twitter. However, before you start networking with other users and gaining new followers, here are a few tips on how to use Twitter for business… -
When life knocks you down – 5 tips for entrepreneurs
4 Apr 2012 | 5:09 amFirst of all, sorry for my absence and unpredictable blogging during the first part of the year. Things were going so well during 2011, and felt like I was building up a bit of momentum. People were sharing my blog posts, I was making a lot of new connections with other business owners on Twitter, asking for guest posts and interviews, and all of a sudden life got in the way. It happens – people get sick, depressed, long-term relationships end, etc. – your personal life can and will get in the way of your business at some point. You can’t plan for these types of things, so how do you… -
6 months! Part 2
2 Mar 2012 | 10:52 amOver the past 6 months there have been ups and downs, but most of my challenges have been personal, and not all that client-related. For the next 6 months, I want to grow my business and really push myself to face those personal challenges head on. Here’s some insight into my personal goals and what inspired them. Be more playful I want to be more playful in my work, more adventurous and more experimental. By making time each week to have fun with my own personal design projects, I’m hoping to create a bigger and better portfolio, and learn a whole lot in the process. Accept failure &… -
6 Months! Part 1
1 Mar 2012 | 12:57 pmWow, the months have flown by (or perhaps not flown, some of them seemed a little long) and Web Couture Ltd. has now been in business for 6 months! Unfortunately many of the goals I was aiming to achieve by this time haven’t been reached, for example I had hoped to redesign the Web Couture website by now. However, I’m reorganizing, regenerating and motivating myself so that the 1-year anniversary in September 2012 will be something to really look forward to. I’m really proud of what I have accomplished so far, however – I started with absolutely nothing, completely self-taught in web… -
4 tips to help you think of your brand as an experience
20 Feb 2012 | 1:44 pmLast week’s Branding 101 post about the benefits of thinking about your brand as an experience left a lot of questions unanswered. Here are a few tips on how to think of your brand as an experience. It’s a mindset There are several ways to treat your customers and other stakeholders and view your brand. Viewing your brand as an experience is a matter of mindset. Understanding that consumers, employees and other stakeholders have their own unique opinions and ideas that are constructed through their experiences and relationship with your brand is the key to understanding the brand as an…
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Clear Ideas Blog
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Designing Authenticity
17 May 2012 | 3:51 amBy Andrew Piper, Group Creative Director Nothing beats great service, but great design is critical in a market where staff churn is high and serving is not considered a career. What are the touchpoints that make a difference? How can colour, eclecticism and site-specific features build an experience that will be perceived as authentic? How will design carry the brand beyond the confines of the restaurant and into the community? -
The battle for insight: increasing everyday insightfulness
9 May 2012 | 9:39 amBy Nathan Baird, Global Capability Director The war of brands is seeing an increasingly competitive battle for fresh and unique insights between competitors. More and more, great insight is determining who wins and who loses. But how can companies keep on discovering fresh new insights? How can companies increase their insightfulness? -
Does your country go all the way?
30 Apr 2012 | 3:54 amBy Paul Shields, Consultant at Clear Incredible Indiahhhh? Malaysia Truly Asia? South Africa – It’s Possible? Yes, allowing your mind to wander your next holiday is a mainstay of the me-time daydream. Standing on the platform in the bitter morning air, faced with a poster showing a Senegalese beach, your mind does wander, and the tourism boards know you’ll be surfing at some point in the day and have a slick website waiting for you... -
Goodbye to Gordon Gekko
23 Apr 2012 | 5:49 amBy Nick Graham, Managing Director of Clear New York Consumers are increasingly turning their backs on financial services brands that epitomize the archetypal “Wall Street” values of Gordon Gekko. What can these brands do to win back the hearts of their customers? -
“Bad brands” and why playing it safe is the riskiest strategy
16 Apr 2012 | 3:54 amBy Kate Evans, Senior Consultant at Clear Europe It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the bad boy always gets the girl. But in brand land things work a little differently. In an age of equal opportunity, political correctness and corporate social responsibility, most are striving to build the kind of brand you could take home to your mum. In fact, ‘The Mum Test’ is used in brand positioning workshops to check the message is clear, simple and suitable for polite company. Because nice brands finish first, don’t they?
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Stephen Melanson
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Culture, but not foosball and free Coke
9 May 2012 | 3:30 pmThe culture of a company is within the collective minds of the employees, not the fact of having free Coke, a hammock in a side room, or a foosball game folks have tournaments on. But don’t mistake me - those things are part of internal culture, just not the most important part. The most important part of internal culture is what makes employees of every level confident and collaborative. This can only come from a properly developed brand positioning strategy. Here are some attributes of such a brand result: Ultra simple Conversational in nature (Walmart’s “Save money. Live… -
Validating “time” and providing speed
4 May 2012 | 12:57 pmNearly every provider can speak intelligently about how they can help clients. Usually it’s offering reliable technology, making them more money, expertise on this or that, specialized consulting of some kind, the lowest prices, and so forth. Each is valuable; each is also fairly commonplace. Me? I’d like to know if you can bend the “time” curve, as if you were Einstein? Can you validate, by virtue of your product or service, how you can save a client’s time? And I don’t mean as a talking point; I mean, actually saving the time of a client and therefore… -
Innovation “s.c.h.m.i.n.n.o.v.a.t.i.o.n”
1 May 2012 | 12:26 pmEveryone latches on to the same ideas for marketing these days. It’s a problem. But it’s not a problem for me; it’s a problem for them. One of the most common themes is Innovation, and marketing that a firm is Innovative. Everyone wants to be seen as innovative in their field. What they don’t know is, if they only tell the audience they are “innovative” and leave it at that, the message will have little or no impact. First, since everyone is chasing the same messaging, it’s automatically diminished, regardless of how true it might be. -
2 minds, and reverse your thinking
27 Apr 2012 | 8:36 amIt’s fairly common knowledge that in the branding world, the goal is: Own an idea in the mind of the consumer! And this is correct. But what is less known is this: you also need to own properly constructed ideas in the collective minds of your total employee base. Most brands under-perform because they ONLY target the purchasing audience, having developed concepts that (might) work in the marketplace but not internally. An example is Fidelity and the “Turn here” campaign. Another is Citizens Bank with “Good banking is good citizenship”. Whether these compaigns… -
Brands can be anything, and the “next thought” principal
23 Apr 2012 | 11:34 amI’ve taught people for years that, the category of business they happen to reside in has very little to do with their brand. What really matters is the next thought someone has of you / your organization. You’re a CPA firm? Great…what’s someone’s next thought about you? You’re a financial advisor? Who cares! What’s someone’s next thought about you? If the next thought is something like, nice person, tall, funny, dresses well, dresses badly, seems unorganized, is always late, sort of a jerk…these thoughts represent your brand. If you…
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Laurence Vincent
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The Hunt for Real Creativity in Advertising
14 May 2012 | 3:16 pmMy Monday morning ritual is deeply ingrained. I arrive early to find a stack of advertising and media trades to digest before launching into my client work for the week. One of those trades is AdWeek. I’ve been reading it for years but only recently noticed a new behavior on my part. When I come across the review of the week’s featured campaign I have to fire up my browser and search for the spot online so that I can view it. In years past this would have never been the case. I would have seen the spot during my television viewing. Lately, I can’t recall which advertisements… -
"Design is the imposition of meaningful order"
5 May 2012 | 3:53 pm“Design is the imposition of meaningful order” - Milton Glasser -
"What’s special about language is its productive combinatorial power. We can use it to combine..."
1 May 2012 | 9:21 am“What’s special about language is its productive combinatorial power. We can use it to combine anything with anything.” - Elizabeth S. Spelke, Harvard professor of psychology and a pre-eminent researcher of the basic ingredient list from which all human knowledge is constructed? This article in the Science section of the New York Times details how Spelke has discovered a baby’s recognition of dialect and speech patterns even before they are able to speak. -
On Storytelling
28 Apr 2012 | 10:32 pmOn Storytelling: lore.com In the early stages of creation of both art and science, everything in the mind is a story.Dreamers and Storytellers – legendary Harvard sociobiologist E. O. Wilson on art and reconciling science and the humanities -
Timeless Tag Designs paul0v2, abduzeedo.com Whether it’s a...
28 Apr 2012 | 12:32 pmTimeless Tag Designs paul0v2, abduzeedo.com Whether it’s a product label tag or an airline tag, most of the times they go unnoticed and end up on the trash, but not today. These tags are designed to be timeless, and I took the time to make a nice selection that we can appreciate and get… It’s the little brand touches that make a great overall experience. This collection of branded product tags proves the point and also makes for a beautiful portfolio of artwork and design.
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re:DESIGN and reignite your business. - Blog
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Got Design?
26 Apr 2012 | 2:11 pmDesign. All important and all critical to the success of your business.Design as function, that is. Design that makes sense of what your business needs to say and how best to say it. Design that establishes a content hierarchy so navigation is efficient and intuitive, allowing people to find what they need without extra precious seconds wasted. Design that is not mere surface decoration, an off-the-shelf theme or the latest shiny bells and whistles, but design that clarifies and never obscures. Design that engages and yes, looks absolutely terrific as it persuades and accomplishes the… -
Don't Be a Dumbass Email Rules
15 Apr 2012 | 6:41 pmI know what you're saying: email has been around since the beginning of time so what’s to know? Well, yeah it has. :-)So then... why can't people get it right? I see emails every day that violate the most basic tenets of communication and disregard simple common courtesies.Just like social media, common courtesy applies and if you behave in a way that doesn't fly in real life, you're probably doing it wrong. If you don't want to be a dumbass...1. RespondYou should usually be able to get back to someone within a few hours. If you can't, let them know you received their email and will… -
Welcome to the NEW Google+ Profile Page
11 Apr 2012 | 5:43 pmBy Peggy Fitzpatrick and Paul Biedermann Today Google+ made an update and changed all the sizes for your profile images. The new art required is broken into three definitions and sizes: 1. Profile picture — larger than before with a minimum upload of 250 pixels X 250 pixels and a recommended format of jpg or png. 2. Cover photo — a large panoramic style photo that goes behind and extends past your profile picture on the right side. This new format ties the images together nicely, making a lot of impact. It can also create a beautiful… -
10 Things to Ogle about Google+
10 Apr 2012 | 6:20 pmBy Peggy Fitzpatrick Admit it; you don't go on Google+ very often because you aren't sure what the heck to do. Get over yourself and join the conversation. Now that we have that out of the way, I am going to share ten things to get you excited about Google+ and really get you grooving! Google+ is an exciting way to show the world who you are with a beautiful visual display and more customizable, editable text. These elements can take your brand to a new level, generating new followers and interest in your message. Use this to your advantage and have fun in the process. Get photo… -
Does Your Personal Brand Resemble You?
7 Mar 2012 | 12:03 pmWhether you like it or not, people DO judge a book by its cover. Fact of life.Just as you wouldn’t apologize for brushing your hair or brushing your teeth in the morning (in fact, it would be embarrassing if you didn’t!), one also shouldn’t need to apologize for wanting to present themselves or their business in the best possible light.If you are the face of your company or the passion you wish to share with the world, making a good impression is that much more important. And it better be an effective one!Professionals with poor brand images suffer the consequences or at…
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Clear Ideas Blog
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Designing Authenticity
17 May 2012 | 3:51 amBy Andrew Piper, Group Creative Director Nothing beats great service, but great design is critical in a market where staff churn is high and serving is not considered a career. What are the touchpoints that make a difference? How can colour, eclecticism and site-specific features build an experience that will be perceived as authentic? How will design carry the brand beyond the confines of the restaurant and into the community? -
The battle for insight: increasing everyday insightfulness
9 May 2012 | 9:39 amBy Nathan Baird, Global Capability Director The war of brands is seeing an increasingly competitive battle for fresh and unique insights between competitors. More and more, great insight is determining who wins and who loses. But how can companies keep on discovering fresh new insights? How can companies increase their insightfulness? -
Does your country go all the way?
30 Apr 2012 | 3:54 amBy Paul Shields, Consultant at Clear Incredible Indiahhhh? Malaysia Truly Asia? South Africa – It’s Possible? Yes, allowing your mind to wander your next holiday is a mainstay of the me-time daydream. Standing on the platform in the bitter morning air, faced with a poster showing a Senegalese beach, your mind does wander, and the tourism boards know you’ll be surfing at some point in the day and have a slick website waiting for you... -
Goodbye to Gordon Gekko
23 Apr 2012 | 5:49 amBy Nick Graham, Managing Director of Clear New York Consumers are increasingly turning their backs on financial services brands that epitomize the archetypal “Wall Street” values of Gordon Gekko. What can these brands do to win back the hearts of their customers? -
“Bad brands” and why playing it safe is the riskiest strategy
16 Apr 2012 | 3:54 amBy Kate Evans, Senior Consultant at Clear Europe It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the bad boy always gets the girl. But in brand land things work a little differently. In an age of equal opportunity, political correctness and corporate social responsibility, most are striving to build the kind of brand you could take home to your mum. In fact, ‘The Mum Test’ is used in brand positioning workshops to check the message is clear, simple and suitable for polite company. Because nice brands finish first, don’t they?
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JON-MICHAIL, The ImageMaker
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Intrapreneurs Build Business
14 May 2012 | 7:00 pmWhy hire average workers who do their job when you can hire an “intrapreneur” who sees adding value to your business as their core responsibility. by Jon-Michail What does the term ‘human capital’ really mean? You might think the words sound rather impersonal and inaccessible, so let’s use them as they apply to your organisation. ‘Human capital’ refers to the attitudes and talents of the people in your organisation that bolster your growth, performance and productivity. Simply, their collective value is your prime resource and competitive advantage. Business competition has… -
Why Australia Must Promote Entrepreneurship
9 May 2012 | 5:00 amby Jon-Michail One thing we can rely on the government for – every year they will announce that the country needs more jobs, and we need them now! Then we will hear all about new government initiatives, exciting new developments and changes at “the top.” But the reality is that when jobs are created, they come not from the government but from the private sector, in small businesses and from the efforts of entrepreneurs. The definition of a small business may change from state to state and country to country, but undeniably, SMEs are where new projects and jobs are created. These are the… -
The Spiritual Connection of Money
22 Apr 2012 | 7:00 pmBy Jon-Michail ‘It is better to give than to receive’. How often have you heard that? And after hearing it, do you sometimes think, perhaps while feeling a little guilty, that it is also very nice to receive? Somehow, there is an issue of balance here. Is there anything really wrong with receiving? Think of love. Parents know that their supply of love encompasses all their children. Love does not run out. The older child does not receive all the love available while the younger has nothing. Parents know that the love they give will come back to them from their children,… -
How to Train an Elephant
17 Apr 2012 | 7:00 pmBy Jon-Michail Have you ever noticed how circus elephants are tethered by a light chain that is attached to a steel spike driven into the ground? A young elephant would have no difficulty pulling the spike out or breaking the chain, yet fully grown elephants are shackled for hours every day by a strong chain around their leg to a large block of concrete. No amount of pulling of tugging, squealing or trumpeting will set them free. As they grow older, they learn that no matter how hard they try, it’s impossible to break away from the chains. Eventually they stop trying. They are now mentally… -
Bad day not a diagnosis
15 Apr 2012 | 7:00 pmWhat was once regarded as regular human suffering is now often misrepresented as sickness, according to an essay in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. It says many of us are intolerant of sadness, anger and fear. When we feel distressed or worried we tell people “I’m not myself”. As only two weeks of significant distress can attract a diagnosis of depression, the essay says not being happy is regarded as dangerous. But happiness is a marker of well-being in certain circumstances and is not a suitable goal to pursue directly for 24 hours a day. What should be sought is…
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Blade Creative Branding | Green Room
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Remembering The Importance Of Sharing
14 May 2012 | 2:18 pmFor my first act in taking on the Health and Wellness category of the Blade Blog it seemed natural to type “Health and Wellness” into the Googlebox and see what would come up. The top-ranked site was morethanmedication.ca, created by the Pharmaceutical conglomerate Pfizer. I was initially suspicious of this … Read More → -
What’s The Purpose Of Integrated Marketing? That’s Simple: Integrity.
6 May 2012 | 11:11 pmIntegrated is a hot word in marketing these days. Lots of people want to say they practice integrated marketing. But when you engage them on the topic it seems they’re talking about different things. Is it combining social media with search engine marketing? Coordinating online and offline activities? Or is … Read More → -
Ruffled Feathers – Branding of the Toronto Blue Jays
12 Apr 2012 | 4:58 pmWhen your brand image appears to be waning, a complete brand revamping can seem like the best solution. In 2004, The Toronto Blue Jays and their owners (Rogers Communications) did just that, by completely overhauling The Blue Jays brand. They shortened their name to its long-time slag moniker “The Jays”, … Read More → -
Will Embracing Social Media Help Build Your Brand Community?
10 Apr 2012 | 11:30 amIn October of 2011, Blade President and Creative Director, Wayne S. Roberts, was honoured to be part of National Bank’s Annual Correspondent Network Conference. Held in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the weekend event featured an afternoon session on Social Media where Wayne presented Blade’s take on its impact on modern branding. The presentation … Read More → -
Smart Gamification
4 Apr 2012 | 2:02 pmGamification is a growing trend that could be considered an important element of brand engagement strategies, particularly for those of us who are focused on building and maintaining a brand community. It typically involves applying game-like mechanics to otherwise non-game applications to convert users into players, create fun and engaging experiences, motivate … Read More →
