I saw this re-run tonight of the Colbert Report, that originally aired on the 4th. Lucas Conley is the guest, promoting his book "Obsessive Branding Disorder". They have an entertaining convo about different brands slapping their names on irrelevant products. Honestly, I was entertained, thanks to my friend Stephen for derailing Conley's messages a lot, but I wish he'd given him a chance to explain his thoughts better. I don't think anyone in the audience got the point either, having product placement constantly thrown into the interview.
Basically by companies carelessly throwing their identity around, it weakens their brand.
Here's the video:
Have you guys seen any of these blasphemous products? I recently saw Crayola brand juices at the grocery store, that, you guessed it, look like crayons. Mmm wax juice.
If the video doesn't work, click here and find the August 4th episode, then you have to wait until like 3 other segments play first.
Showing posts with label branding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label branding. Show all posts
13.8.08
Marketing for a You Tube Generation
I find it interesting that it has become increasingly more popular for companies to look for new ideas from the very audiences they are advertising to. The popularity of reality television has created a feeling on the part of the audience to participate in shaping brand campaigns and products they'll be using.
A recent example is Crest and thier campaign for a tagline for their line of whitening espressions toothpaste. They've created a You Tube contest where people can submit a clip where they perform their best tagline and the top pics will go on to an Americal Idol like final competition. People gobble this stuff up and Crest's marketing firm has essentially created a campaign that creates itself, which keeps costs down and builds a stonger relationship between the public and the product brand.
Check out the article.
Do you think this type of marketing is a good idea?
A recent example is Crest and thier campaign for a tagline for their line of whitening espressions toothpaste. They've created a You Tube contest where people can submit a clip where they perform their best tagline and the top pics will go on to an Americal Idol like final competition. People gobble this stuff up and Crest's marketing firm has essentially created a campaign that creates itself, which keeps costs down and builds a stonger relationship between the public and the product brand.
Check out the article.
Do you think this type of marketing is a good idea?
19.6.08
How to Kill Your Brand
While I was looking for some info on Utah CEO Magazine's website, I came across this article about how companies should focus on strengthening their brands, even in times of economic downturn. We have clients who at times, try to save money on advertising by doing the artwork themselves or allowing the publication to do it for them. It usually doesn't turn out well, and the company ends up losing brand equity. Its really not worth saving a few bucks now, especially when you loose brand recognition or recieve negative recognition over the longer term.
Check out the article. I put it in full text below because you have to get an account with the magazine to view the entire articl online. Enjoy!
It's not about the tag line. It's about the bottom line.
The brand may be the most important asset of any organization. Why the CEO needs to be involved, and five tips for building and maintaining a strong brand
by Allan Gorman
Business valuation practices and transaction prices have changed so dramatically over the past 25 years that, for many companies, the intangible known as “the brand” is arguably a firm’s most important real asset. The influence that brand perception has over the choices of consumers, employees, investors and referrers is so strong that it can dramatically impact the economic value of the entity that owns it.
How much is the brand worth? PlentyA 2002 study by Interbrand and JPMorgan concluded that, on average, the brand accounts for more than a third of shareholder value — in some cases much, much more. The brand known as McDonald’s accounts for more than 70 percent and the idea called Coca-Cola adds more than 50 percent to its market value.
The brand can help you weather tough economic stormsIt’s safe to reason that — especially in a tough economic climate — a committed and ongoing investment in brand rejuvenation and maintenance is absolutely essential to the lifeblood and economic health of your business. It’s hard to focus on something as seemingly intangible as “the brand” in lean times, but organizations will come out of tough times on top if they stay disciplined and focused on brand health. In short, brand better and you’ll do better — in good times and bad.
So, what should you invest to make your brand worth more?Take a careful look at the following five crucial areas, which have almost nothing to do with new logos and tag lines and everything to do with building a stronger brand.
• Invest in vision development. The CEO needs to take responsibility and lead the ownership and stewardship of the brand. To create real value, the idea of brand development needs to step out from the shadows of the marketing department to embrace anything and everything the company does by everything and everyone associated with it. Human resources, finance, operations, marketing, sales, production, logistics and customer service — they all need to be in alignment and own the brand idea that’s driven from the top.
• Invest in customer experience. Effective branding stems from delighting your customers at each touch point. Develop a single voice and style that permeates each and every experience he or she has. From the first time the phone is answered to the follow-up after the sale. Consistency is key — with support from every representative each and every step of the way. Only hire people who will happily support the brand vision so that the brand’s promise is delivered each time in the way your loyal customers will come to expect.
• Invest in more effective communications. Your marketing communications need to go beyond merely providing information, but must also tell a story that will create demand. The value you provide must be clear, distinct and compelling enough to make the right customers want your products and services over and over again — and want to tell others to use them, as well. It’s not just about communication. It’s about creating a cherished emotional connection.
• Invest in changing the world. To become valuable to your stakeholders, your vision and direction must clearly show and be truly inspirational. Look at the issues in the world that you might — in some small way — be able to solve. Innovative problem solving is an ongoing process that needs to be cultivated and worked on. The world is constantly changing and leaders should always be one step ahead of that change.
• Invest in streamlining and simplification. Instead of being all things to everyone, the strongest brands keep refining their focus to a singular idea. Resist the temptation to extend yourself too far beyond your core competencies, which dilutes your brand with expenditures and offerings that don’t make long-term sense. Simplicity is always the most elegant solution and, done well, is almost always likely to command a premium.Build a great brand and then be proud of what you’ve builtWant to thrive and survive and increase your intangible assets? Focus on developing an attitude and culture that’s committed to understanding, excellent service and continuous improvement. Then, once you feel confident that you’re doing your best, the tag line can be perfected to serve as a reminder of how wonderful your brand really is.
Allan Gorman is owner of Brandspa, LLC a brand-marketing company that helps mid-sized firms increase their economic value by growing their intangible value. He can be reached at agorman@brandspa.net.
Check out the article. I put it in full text below because you have to get an account with the magazine to view the entire articl online. Enjoy!
It's not about the tag line. It's about the bottom line.
The brand may be the most important asset of any organization. Why the CEO needs to be involved, and five tips for building and maintaining a strong brand
by Allan Gorman
Business valuation practices and transaction prices have changed so dramatically over the past 25 years that, for many companies, the intangible known as “the brand” is arguably a firm’s most important real asset. The influence that brand perception has over the choices of consumers, employees, investors and referrers is so strong that it can dramatically impact the economic value of the entity that owns it.
How much is the brand worth? PlentyA 2002 study by Interbrand and JPMorgan concluded that, on average, the brand accounts for more than a third of shareholder value — in some cases much, much more. The brand known as McDonald’s accounts for more than 70 percent and the idea called Coca-Cola adds more than 50 percent to its market value.
The brand can help you weather tough economic stormsIt’s safe to reason that — especially in a tough economic climate — a committed and ongoing investment in brand rejuvenation and maintenance is absolutely essential to the lifeblood and economic health of your business. It’s hard to focus on something as seemingly intangible as “the brand” in lean times, but organizations will come out of tough times on top if they stay disciplined and focused on brand health. In short, brand better and you’ll do better — in good times and bad.
So, what should you invest to make your brand worth more?Take a careful look at the following five crucial areas, which have almost nothing to do with new logos and tag lines and everything to do with building a stronger brand.
• Invest in vision development. The CEO needs to take responsibility and lead the ownership and stewardship of the brand. To create real value, the idea of brand development needs to step out from the shadows of the marketing department to embrace anything and everything the company does by everything and everyone associated with it. Human resources, finance, operations, marketing, sales, production, logistics and customer service — they all need to be in alignment and own the brand idea that’s driven from the top.
• Invest in customer experience. Effective branding stems from delighting your customers at each touch point. Develop a single voice and style that permeates each and every experience he or she has. From the first time the phone is answered to the follow-up after the sale. Consistency is key — with support from every representative each and every step of the way. Only hire people who will happily support the brand vision so that the brand’s promise is delivered each time in the way your loyal customers will come to expect.
• Invest in more effective communications. Your marketing communications need to go beyond merely providing information, but must also tell a story that will create demand. The value you provide must be clear, distinct and compelling enough to make the right customers want your products and services over and over again — and want to tell others to use them, as well. It’s not just about communication. It’s about creating a cherished emotional connection.
• Invest in changing the world. To become valuable to your stakeholders, your vision and direction must clearly show and be truly inspirational. Look at the issues in the world that you might — in some small way — be able to solve. Innovative problem solving is an ongoing process that needs to be cultivated and worked on. The world is constantly changing and leaders should always be one step ahead of that change.
• Invest in streamlining and simplification. Instead of being all things to everyone, the strongest brands keep refining their focus to a singular idea. Resist the temptation to extend yourself too far beyond your core competencies, which dilutes your brand with expenditures and offerings that don’t make long-term sense. Simplicity is always the most elegant solution and, done well, is almost always likely to command a premium.Build a great brand and then be proud of what you’ve builtWant to thrive and survive and increase your intangible assets? Focus on developing an attitude and culture that’s committed to understanding, excellent service and continuous improvement. Then, once you feel confident that you’re doing your best, the tag line can be perfected to serve as a reminder of how wonderful your brand really is.
Allan Gorman is owner of Brandspa, LLC a brand-marketing company that helps mid-sized firms increase their economic value by growing their intangible value. He can be reached at agorman@brandspa.net.
9.6.08
Print Ads and Derrie-Air
These days, the influence and validity of print media and the printed word in general has been called into question. Companies increasingly question their marketing teams on whether they should run print ads or stick to TV and web. We live in an increasingly digital world and the avenues of communicating with the public have changed, or have they?
The Philadelphia Inquirer recently decided to test the age old practice of newspaper advertising by creating a fictional airline called Derrie-Air and running several ads in their paper. They set up an internet site for the airline and tracked the number of hits they received. Since there was no other advertising available for the Derrie-Air site other than the ads they ran, they used the site to measure the impact of newspaper advertising on the public.
Philadelphia Media Holdings spokesman Jay Devine really put it best when he described the reason for the experiment. He said they ran the ads to "demonstrate the power of our brands in generating awareness and generating traffic for our advertisers, and put a smile on people's faces."
If you'd like to read the full article, here's the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25006813
Or check out the Derrie-Air website.
The Philadelphia Inquirer recently decided to test the age old practice of newspaper advertising by creating a fictional airline called Derrie-Air and running several ads in their paper. They set up an internet site for the airline and tracked the number of hits they received. Since there was no other advertising available for the Derrie-Air site other than the ads they ran, they used the site to measure the impact of newspaper advertising on the public.
Philadelphia Media Holdings spokesman Jay Devine really put it best when he described the reason for the experiment. He said they ran the ads to "demonstrate the power of our brands in generating awareness and generating traffic for our advertisers, and put a smile on people's faces."
If you'd like to read the full article, here's the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25006813
Or check out the Derrie-Air website.
6.6.08
How to Stand Out? Try Authenticity
I thought this article from Businessweek.com was very interesting. In a way it didn't seem like anything new I've heard, but at the same time it was a breath of fresh air talking about standing out from the masses A good branding article. My favorite part was probably the section about Anthropologie. They are pretty fascinating.
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