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- Does this brand make me look fat?August 5 2008
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Buick did it with Tiger Woods. Las Vegas did it with families. Each tried to be something they’re not. And nobody in the room stood up and said NO. In the past eight years, Buick’s market share has dropped from 2.8 percent to 1 percent according to this IStockAnalyst.com article, so Tiger’s not doing much for the brand. The writer suggests that General Motors "stop wasting money paying Tiger Woods to
- Place branding: you can’t get there from hereJuly 22 2008
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In the past year or so, I’ve been less and less attracted to the brand machinations of McDonalds and Starbucks and more fascinated by the stumblings of cities, counties and regions as they try to "brand" themselves. There are plenty of consultants in this market who, in my opinion, are selling a bill of goods - or at least a very expensive logo and taglines to community reps assigned to oversee the effort. In my recent post at the Des Moines Register blog, I point out the problem - fear of offending someone - and blame the client and the agencies for not pushing harder for a brand that is different, inviting, relevant, truthful and yours. Another shortfall is usually the execution of the strategy - if there IS a strategy. More often than not, the "brand management" effort is no more than a communications program designed to tell everyone what the
- New Walmart logo creates more questions than answersJuly 7 2008
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Walmart recently committed one of the most common brand management mistakes made by marketers of all size: The world’s largest retailer recently introduced a new logo and the move created more questions than answers. The theme of this Business Week story is buried at the end, with the following quote by Corebrand’s Andrew Bogucki:
"Will the logo help purge brand baggage? Will it make them cool? Not really. New lettering and imagery will no doubt liven up Walmart’s look. But the company will have to keep delivering on (CEO H. Lee) Scott’s lofty environmental goals and rethink its labor practices to refresh the public’s perception of the big-box retailer."
Like many organizations with a new leader, the first thing that changes is the logo. It’s an easy way to signal change, but it’s also a crutch that, if left in place without any rehab of the brand experience itself, only allows the brand to atrophy. (How’s that for an overdone medical metaphor?)
Instead i
- It’s NOT the economy, stupid!July 2 2008
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Small business owners aren’t buying the doom and gloom spewing from the mass media. They’re taking charge and making things happen. What are you doing today?
- Making new connections with people who can tell your story?
- Talking with customers to learn what’s on their minds?
- Listening to customers to identify new opportunities?
- Meeting with employees to see who needs additional training or motivation?
- Looking around your business to see if your brand drives everything you do?
- Digging into [tag]competitor websites{\tag] and related blogs to discover new opportunities?
Or are you watching the mass media?
Flickr photo by Tishay
Technorati Tags: mass media, taking charge
- I want YOU…to be a brand warrior, too!June 19 2008
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I once gave a brand presentation to a professional communications group, and talked to a veteran communicator after the meeting. ”We’re all about brand,” he said, proudly. He worked for one of the large, very visible insurance companies in Des Moines, so I asked him if he felt his company’s brand was different, inviting, relevant, and truthful, and if he and his co-workers knew how to live the brand daily. His eyes narrowed slightly and his brow creased when he realized the answer. He told me, “You’re right. We aren’t about brand”. His chinned dropped and the smile left his face when, after discussing it a bit more, he discovered his insurance company employer was about brand identity, not brand management. As he walked away, I felt bad. I realized that I didn’t help him. I didn’t encourage him. I knew he wasn’t in the leadership postion to dictate change, but I also know I didn’t arm him to become a brand warrior inside his company.
I didn’t tell him to become subversive, to go on the offensive! That’s what it takes to move organizations down the road to being a great brand. As a brand warrior in a consulting position, all I can do is train people to be brand warriors and arm them with the tools to take the battle to the marketpl
