Branding your business used to be about the colors you chose to use on your company brochure and the logo that you used on everything from your business card to your letterhead. In these modern times, your branding has to extend to 21st century marketing collateral like all of the amazing resources you (and everyone else) have access to on the Internet.
3 modern branding exercises
1. Be Google friendly. Probably the most popular search engine in the world is Google. Who hasn’t sat down at their computer and Googled themselves and everyone else they know? The same premise holds true for…
The late Milton Friedman, who shaped the University of Chicago's economics approach during his 30 years there. AP/Wide World photo
Inside academia for the past 25 years, Ronald Reagan’s Washington, and even Margaret Thatcher’s government, the Univ. of Chicago’s Dept. of Economics enjoyed rock star status, racking up Nobel Prizes like records gone platinum and producing a superstar, the one and only Milton Friedman, whose influence on economic policy has been unparalleled. With its free-market philosophy, the “Chicago School” has maintained its dominant image as a libertarian stronghold, providing the rationale for a very small governmental role in the economy.
Now, after the…
There are two instances of marketing to do good business today. You can either focus on your local area or aspire to be a global brand. Of the two, the second one seems to be more lucrative but it will entail a lot of research and flexibility as far as establishing a global brand.
Most of the global brands we see today did not achieve it overnight. Here are some of the global brands that are making their move in the global market today:
1. Nintendo
2. Audi
3. Hewlett Packard
4. Burberry
5. Citi
Other brands like Coke, Nokia and Starbucks have already established themselves among…
When you see a brand, there will always be something that associates it in your own understanding. At that point, it will matter if that brand has any meaning to you or as some people would say, relevance towards making it identifiable.
It all boils down to what is stored in the mind of the consumer. Branding is not purely about marketing and advertising. It is about instilling that brand in the minds of consumers now and until that brand is in existence.
Take for example fashion brands today. Armani, Gucci, and Esprit. If you had no ideal preference for any of…
People in marketing today initially believe that the key towards successful marketing is all about promotions and building rant over any product or service. But before you do that, have you ever given it much thought on looking deeper on the product or service? Have you checked the relationship of the commodity with the brand you are trying to build?
Brand essence is that single thought that reflects the soul of the brand’s core identity. There is always are relationship and while any marketer can go on and rant that he will penetrate this and that, unless you know what your…
We read a lot about brand management, brand equity, and brand protection. But what about policing your brand? There are laws to protect copyright, trademark, and intellectual property. But first you have to be aware of infringements as early as they are detectable. Managing and protecting your brand requires diligence in policing it as often and as thoroughly as is possible–especially in the electronic information age.
One such element to guard your brand against are known as “typosquatters.” A typosquatting Web site has a Web address almost identical to that of your company’s Web site (e.g., espnn.com, gooogle.com, beneathtebraand.com, etc.), and…
Psssst. I’m going to tell you a secret.
Remember Value Jet? A few years back (a few meaning “TWELVE”), they had some safety issues. A plane crashed. Ugly stuff. Media had a field day.
They were eventually cleared by the FAA to resume flying, but their brand was ruined. Destroyed. Nobody wanted to fly with them, no matter how low their prices. So, they went undercover.
In 1997, they merged with AirTran. It was more of a buy-out, but they ditched the Value Jet name, because AirTran, although not a powerhouse brand, at least was not tainted by a sordid past.
Today, they are…
For the beer drinkers who have grown accustomed to MillerCoors new beverage line, I hate to be the one to tell you this but I it was reported that they will be discontinuing the manufacturing for it. Apparently, management was not happy with its performance and no thanks to the economical crisis imminent today, the last batch of shipment is scheduled to come out this December.
Well that is perhaps a brand going down the drain but expect another new brand to come out soon. Practicality is really something that is a need especially if you talk about the beer business…
We have all heard the legendary song by the Police, “Every Breath You Take.” Yet, how many of us realized that the lyrics, besides being about a stalker, are also a pretty good explanation of what branding really is.
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Ill be watching you
Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
Ill be watching you
The truth is, your personal or company brand is the sum total of everything you do in the public eye. Every move you make, every word you say, etc. Thus, you have to…
One thing you would hate in business is discovering your products with problems and deficiencies. Recalls are normally in order but that is just the point; it hurts your credibility as a whole.
Just take a look at these three companies that sells hot and cold packs. After discovering that their product were found to be containing anti-freeze ingredients. The brands were under Surgipack, Soft R&R and Osim all of which were found to have ethylene glycol.
These hot and cold packs are known to be innovations for treating muscle strains and bodily parts as well as helping contain temperature levels for some private…
It is not really surprising to hear companies offering part or even the whole company up for sale. We see it in the news today. Businesses are being hard-hit by the financial crisis that has severely hampered regular trading and no one is really safe.
But don’t tell that to Premier Foods which has openly denied rumors that they are selling key brands such as Mr Kipling cakes, Branston Pickle, Quorn and its range of Sharwoods sauces.
Of course we have seen this denied before but after a couple of days you would be surprised at the truth of it all. But in business…
The key towards establishing yourself as a brand apart from your mother company is a sign of marketing success. Such has been the case as AIT will be unveiling a new website and logo, boasting of growing revenues and workforce over the years.
Business has been flourishing for AIT and it is about time to establish itself in Indianapolis. Growth is evidently present and from all indications, this new shift towards brand building shall continue to do so for this independent laboratory which is the premier testing and research institution recognized nationwide for superior customer service and quality in testing.
(Source) Inside Indiana
Brian…
If there is one powerful medium that everyone knows, it is television. We see most shows today flashing various fashion trends and wardrobes to which certain accessories like jewelry and watches come as a package when a viewer wants to be seen in the same style that they see from their favorite actress.
Most companies are adhering to this trend and for sure, this approach can be a great boost towards hitting the right target market and building you brand as well. Just take a look at the Technomarine brand which offers watches in the market priced between Php 15,000.00 to…
ESPN has posted the following message to the individuals who have hijacked their advertising material that included actual NFL turf. Have a look at the content of the ads. They’ve know they’re markets and have called them out. Is your brand advertising good enough to get stolen…by the audience?
Tide to Go has taken their talking stain to the people. To support the talking stain commercials, they’ve created a contest for user generated commercials. The contenders can be viewed at their site as part of the three areas where users can engage with the brand and provide content: Real Stories, User Generated Commercials and Be the Stain. The winning commercial aired during the Office series premiere on 9/25. Personally, I get a kick out of the section that allows users to become the stain by uploading a picture and audio to create a funny spot you can send out.
What do you think,…
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Barack responds to McCain Ad
When Does Controversial Advertising Go Too Far?
In my second and most likely last installment about controversial advertising, let’s talk about some campaigns that went too far & delve into why they went too far. This is where I think controversial campaigns get interesting from the armchair quarterback perspective because I think the definition of too far greatly depends on your personal mindset. Benetton, for example, has often found success with their controversial images and campaigns. But sometimes they have gone too far & received a backlash from it as a result. So, has Calvin Klein. Often…
Michael Moore
Micheal Moore continues to develop his personal brand in innovative ways. He’s been working on a new movie called “Slacker Uprising” which revists content that he collected during the 2004 election. In a unique move similar to Radiohead and other music acts, he’ll be releasing the film online for free on September 23. The free release is designed to coincide with the elections and hopefully drive voters to the polls in November. What do you think, old and tired technique or unique approach for a controversial brand?
compliments of mashable and cnet.
Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that has grown exponentially over the past two years. Twitter allows a user to share information using 140 characters or less. As it grows and the user base increases, many brands are jumping on the bandwagon, some more effectively than others. An excellent example is the recent campaign surrounding the
Mad Men television show on
AMC. It started with avid fans creating twitter accounts,
AMC asking them to knock it off and then changing their minds. It’s an interesting story that you can read over at
the toad stool.
It’s not an ideal tool for all brands but if it’s used in…
Is there hope for Palm? Palm recently announced the Treo Pro smartphone as the next evolution of it’s very popular Treo smartphone. Palm as been floundering of late and their brand has seen as old school and failing. The company was once the leader in PDA/Smartphone technology and innovation and basically launched the pda market.
With the new model, the question still remains: Is it too late for Palm? Apple’s
Iphone has changed the market and innovations by
Blackberry and others have left Palm in the dust. It may be time for a company that was once a leader and innovator to get back to its roots. If Palm was your brand, how would you…
EA Sports and Tiger Woods have created a little spot to promote the 2009 Tiger Woods golf game that appears to be in response to monitoring the social media space. The background story is that an avid gamer, Levinator25 posted on what he thought was a glitch/feature in the game that allowed Tiger Woods to walk on water to hit a golf shot. EA came across the post and responded with the following video with Tiger that is being used to promote the 2009 Tiger Woods Golf game.
The debate is still out on whether this was all orchestrated or if EA is actually…
