Limited to the design table, it is easy for logo designers and administrators to become isolated and insulated from the perceptions of their constituency, clientele and customer base. Recently, the University of California realized something. Not only did the public reject the design of their new logo, but more importantly, their perception, right or wrong, [...]
Tag Archives: Branding
The 7 Essentials of Branding with Authenticity
Certain brands have woven authenticity into their products, delivery and message. These brands have a distinctive look and feel about them that says, “This is the original,” or “This is the genuine article.” Over time, they have carved out a place at the apex of their category. A couple times a week we enjoy John [...]
4 Pillars of Brand Promise
A friend who is a Fortune 500 exec asked us recently, “What really makes a brand?” We knew he was an experienced and knowledgeable guy, and we owed him a thoughtful reply. What initially came to mind were all the elements that affect a brand: its logo, its catch phrase, its positioning, and so on. [...]
When It Comes to Brand Names and Catchphrases, Less is More!
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.” It was his way of telling us this shortcutting tendency had been going on [...]
Brand Proliferation Can Hurt Sales
Having spent decades in the sales profession and as successful brand builders, we can tell you that there is a limit to the number of product offerings your company can sell. There is a tendency by production divisions to measure their success by how many different items they produce within a certain category. This usually [...]
Company Logos Require Careful Strategy to Change
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 Nissan name will remain as the standard bearer in [...]
Branding Consultants can be Generalists or Specialists
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 up is just artwork and slogans. The more specific [...]
When it comes to Brand Development, Reputation Trumps all Else
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 responsibility and voluntarily committed massive funds to the clean [...]
Company Branding Should Convey your Message
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 your company distinguishes itself from your competition. Considering the [...]
Building Customer Loyalty is Critical to Brand Survival
Over the life of your business, either you will build an ever-increasing loyal following, or your business will end. There’s no treading water when it comes to building customer loyalty. If you are not constantly growing your customer base, you are losing it. Satisfied customers, singing your praises to their friends, neighbors, co-workers and family, [...]
HBS Branding Blog by David Aaker
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Killing Giants: A Relevance Interpretation
Killing Giants is a provocative book written by Stephen Denny in which he outlines 10 strategies that have worked when small firms took on the giants in their industry - firms with marketing scale, distribution clout, buying power and strong brands. In looking at these strategies, it appeared to me that nearly all had a relevance interpretation. They were re […]
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Lincoln Attempts to "Reinvent the Wheel"
Lincoln, has an incredible heritage, nearly a century old, as a premium brand. It had a long run with prestige owners and classic designs. But no longer. For several decades, Lincoln has been perceived as a boring car for very old people who are into cushy rides and waxing nostalgic. The brand is now attempting a break-out reinvigoration to again become a to […]
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A CEO Style to Admire
Tom Aaker, a friend and relative, is a CEO with an exemplary professional style very different from that of Steve Jobs whose style I recently wrote about, and a personal lifestyle that rivals that of Richard Branson of Virgin or Larry Ellison of Oracle. The combination has worked as he has advanced at Standard Chartered, a British banking company operating m […]
Brand Week News And Features
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What People Will Really Pay for a Game When They Can Pay What They Want
Ever wish you could buy 1,000 liters of boar sperm? How about a condom for every resident of El Paso, Texas? If so, you might want to create the next popular card game. Each of those purchases would set you back $70,000—which is the approximate net profit that the makers of Cards Against Humanity recorded from "pay-what-you-want" sales of a special […]
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Brazilian Fast-Food Chain Puts Burgers in Edible Wrappers
Brazilian fast-food chain Bob's has come up with edible packaging for its burgers, just to make the point that people love its food so much that they can't even wait to unwrap it before digging in. That's kind of cheating, isn't it? Making the wrappers tasty enough that no one threw them out rigs the game a little too much, don't you […]
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A Cappella Singing Is Harder in Backseat of a Speeding BMW
Ho ho ... hum. Guess how "Jingle Bells" sounds when sung by an a cappella choir riding in the backseat of a wildly speeding and skidding BMW driven by a professional race-car driver. If you said "Pretty bad," you'd be right! In Switzerland, the automaker buckled four caroling members of the Zurich Acapella Group into a BMW M135i driv […]
