When It Comes to Brand Names and Catchphrases, Less is More!
WHAT’S IN A NAME? MAYBE TOO MANY GRUNTS
Short Grunts for Brand Names We had a mentor who admonished us to name our brand whatever we want, but to “put it in short grunts.” It’s only human nature to reduce names to the smallest number of syllables, or as he used to say, “grunts.”...
Brand Story: Barefoot Wine
HOW HARDSHIP, HUSTLE, AND HEART BUILT A BEST SELLER
Be 2 Steps Ahead of the Others On Tuesday, October 16, 2012, we will do something entirely out-of-the-box for the book industry, as far as we know. We will offer a limited number of advance eBooks 90 days before the official release of the paperback, The...
Maximize Your Impressions with Strategically Chosen Logo Wear
WORN OFTEN OR WORN OUT - LOGO WEAR IS MORE THAN LAUNDRY
When we had Barefoot Wines, like many companies, we used logo products to get our name and image out there. These included T-shirts, tank tops, polo shirts, corkscrews and visors. We always chose the best quality, most long-lasting items we could find to put our logo...
Company Logos Require Careful Strategy to Change
EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION
The Datsun automobile spent five years to rebrand itself into the Nissan. First it was the Datsun, then the Datsun by Nissan, then the Datsun Nissan, then simply the Nissan. Although Nissan wants to bring back the Datsun name for economy cars in emerging markets, the...
Branding Consultants can be Generalists or Specialists
WHEN ALL YOU HAVE IS A HAMMER, EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE A NAIL
When it comes to finding a Branding Consultant, choose the right tool for the job. Since the term “branding” became so popular, many folks are now calling themselves Branding Consultants. Branding has always been a big part of marketing, but branding without marketing to back it...
When it Comes to Brand Development, Reputation Trumps all Else
FAMOUS TO INFAMOUS IS JUST ONE NEWS STORY AWAY
When the Exxon Valdez spilled crude oil into the pristine Prince William Sound in 1989, years of building their name recognition instantly worked against them. Their high profile brand was a household word and the incident became a daily topic of conversation. Even though Exxon took...
Logo Development is the Discovery of a Solution, not Permission to Get Creative
5 POTHOLES TO AVOID ON THE ROAD TO A LOGO THAT WORKS
Do you ever notice that some logos are easy to understand but others are confusing? You wonder what they are selling or why you should buy it. You can’t quite read the words for the curlicues, or the image just doesn’t make sense. Somebody tried to...
Company Branding Should Convey your Message
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT, ALFIE? - Burt Bacharach
Michael Caine played a Cockney womanizer in the popular 1966 movie, Alfie. Burt Bacharach’s theme, by the same name, asked the rhetorical question that conveyed the message of the movie. Your company branding starts with a succinct message that communicates what it’s all about and how...
Retail Packaging Must Serve Many Masters
STAND UP, STAND OUT and STAND FOR SOMETHING
Your retail packaging must play by the established rules for labeling, dimensions, weight, units-per-pack, packs-per-box and so on. Your product must make it through the entire distribution system without getting crushed, marred, broken, misplaced, or misidentified. If your package can actually make it to the retail...
Product Branding – 5 Keys to Success
KNOW THE PLAYING FIELD – THEN SWING FOR THE FENCES
The results of successful product branding are all around us every day. Certain icon brands became synonymous with their products, like Kleenex with facial tissue, and Xerox with copying machines. Other brands imply high quality, such as Tiffany and Mercedes. Still, others bring to mind speed...
Branding Yourself Requires Consistent Messaging
YOU ARE WHAT YOU TWEET – OVER AND OVER AGAIN
Today, branding yourself, “self branding,” or “personal branding” can be achieved by business professional and the average person through skillful and repeated use of social media. Ten years ago, to brand yourself, you needed to write a book, be a politician, appear on TV, or be...
Branding Your Business is a Multi-faceted Challenge
THE BRANDING MESSAGE IS MUCH MORE THAN OWNERSHIP
The cowboys used branding in the old west to identify their cattle and horses. When particularly excellent beef was identified with a brand, the brand itself gained value. After a while, it was expected that beef under that brand was going to be excellent. The repetition...
Branding Services Abound – Know What You are Looking For
GET THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB
They say the folks who made the most money during the gold rush were selling shovels. The branding “gold rush” of today is no different. If this was written twenty years ago it would be called Marketing Services Abound. As we advance into the twenty-first century,...
A Great Brand Story is Engaging, Entertaining and Educational
A BRAND STORY – MAKE IT MEMORABLE, NOT A PITCH
Today people are looking for the story behind the brand. Where did it come from? How did its founder market it? And how did the public perceive it? Unlike a pitch about features and benefits, a brand story takes you to the often humble origins of...
How to Talk to Your Logo Maker
A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS - WHAT ARE THEY?
Thousands of logo makers would love to design a logo for your company, product or service. Most have artistic talent, imagination and experience in making logos for other companies. Many people who have never made a successful logo think they can do it themselves. It’s fun...
What is Branding?
BRANDING IS MORE THAN NAMING A PRODUCT
Good branding identifies the customer. Great branding ultimately causes the customer to identify with the brand.1 When you ask, “What is branding,” the quick answer is giving your product or service a moniker, a logo and a slogan that identifies it in the commercial world. But...
Think Brand Identity is Just a Clever Logo or Slogan?
THINK AGAIN. BRAND IDENTITY IS ALL ABOUT REPUTATION.
Too many companies believe that brand identity is just a cute logo or slogan, but those aspects are two-dimensional. A brand’s identity depends on how buyers respond to the brand. Initially, it is based on the customers’ perception. But ultimately, it’s based on the brand’s reputation....
Corporate Branding Captures a Company’s Persona
FOUR REQUIREMENTS OF CORPORATE BRANDING
Corporate branding is so much more than a cute logo. When done well, it encapsulates the whole personality of the corporation and indelibly imprints that image into the minds of the general public. Corporate branding is a process. It is a step-by-step discovery of what is...