Brand Management Archives

Oops! Mistakes That Matter – But How Much?

We all make mistakes, but those of us in communication roles are likely to be more subject to those mistakes being spotted than those in other professions. Usually, the mistakes are embarrassing, but inconsequential. We’re not, typically, dealing with issues of life and death after all.

But sometimes even seemingly small mistakes can have big consequences. Yesterday, Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign received some probably unwanted attention for misspelling America in its new iPhone app – “A Better Amercia.” Oops. Ugh… Continue reading “Oops! Mistakes That Matter – But How Much?”

Can You Brand Yourself? The Short Answer – No.

This question was posed on LinkedIn recently, and the majority of responses were predictable. Most people said “yes.” Simple enough question–easy answer. But, let’s think about it a bit. I took a slightly different approach to the question. “Yes” would be a valid answer to a question like: “Can individuals have a brand identity?,” I think. But, the answer to the question of whether individuals can brand themselves is a bit more complex and is the same answer I would give organizations interested in establishing strong brands. The short answer is: “No, we do not brand ourselves.” Brands are created Continue reading “Can You Brand Yourself? The Short Answer – No.”

Multi-Image Brands

Typically when experts talk about brand strategy they focus on the creation of a single image or personality for the brand–creating a clear, compelling message for the market. And that approach seems to make logical sense. But, not all big brands follow that logic and I’ve often found this to be intriguing. Take Budweiser, for instance. For many years Budweiser has been a stalwart presence among SuperBowl advertisers with a variety of ads that incorporate Continue reading

Branding From the Inside Out: Two Critical First Steps

Generally I advise clients to view their organizations, products and services from the “outside in.” In other words, they need to put themselves in the position of their desired audience and consider what is important to their audience, rather than what is important to them. Too often I’ll hear organizations talk about how they need to “communicate our Continue reading “Branding From the Inside Out: Two Critical First Steps”

Developing Rapport With Customers

How do you effectively develop rapport with customers? How do you connect and compel those who have “raised their hands” and said “yes, I want to connect with your company” to continue coming back for more and, better yet, to spread the word about how great you are to others?

In a world marked by increasingly sophisticated technology, it may seem trite but it’s true that developing rapport with customers is not rocket science. In fact, my advice which, initially, may sound very general, is simple: Continue reading “Developing Rapport With Customers”

Business Failures: What’s Your Level of Risk?

The research about the percentage of new businesses that fail each year, or within a certain period of time after launch is widespread and generally confusing depending on the study you’re reading about. Suffice it to say that, according to most of these studies, most new businesses have a tough road ahead of them.

Why? The reasons are many. Some, that I’ve observed, researched, written about–or even committed myself–include: Continue reading “Business Failures: What’s Your Level of Risk?”

What Makes a Brand Strong: Consistency and the Ability to Deliver on Brand Promise

I was excited to see the annual Interbrand Top 100 brand results released today. Almost as excited as Naven R. Johnson was about the release of the yellow pages in The Jerk.*

I’m always curious about what brands showed up on top and also curious to see the impact that both positive and negative PR issues had on brands over the course of the year. A few of my burning questions, that the results answer, were: Continue reading “What Makes a Brand Strong: Consistency and the Ability to Deliver on Brand Promise”

Can Your Brand Be Too Well-Recognized? Apparently Yes!

An article in the November issue of Entrepreneur raises an interesting perspective on the proliferation of big brands and whether having a big brand can, in some cases, be a negative.

Apparently, Starbucks – arguably a big, big, brand – is going incognito in some markets. It’s opening up neighborhood coffee shops Continue reading “Can Your Brand Be *Too* Well-Recognized? Apparently Yes!”

Banished brand – “Wisconsin, Live Like You Mean It”…or maybe you don’t…

Wow! The state of Wisconsin – the state where I was born and still live – spent $57,000 recently to develop a slogan and logo to promote state tourism. And now they’ve trashed it. Why? Who knows. But my guess would be that Continue reading “Banished brand – “Wisconsin, Live Like You Mean It”…or maybe you don’t…”