Archive for the ‘Brand Management’ Category

Companies That Stand the Test of Time: What Does It Take?

Tuesday, November 21st, 2023

Vinyl records. Audiotapes. Typewriters. Carbon paper. That white stuff that Mike Nesmith’s mom invented that we used to use to correct typing errors. Rotary phones. The Post Office (well, not yet…). Look back over the past 10, 20 or 50 years, and you’ll find countless examples of products and services that simply no longer exist — or that have morphed into something else. Products and services that, for whatever reasons, have become obsolete. (more…)

The “5th P” in the Marketing Mix: People

Tuesday, August 29th, 2023

Developing and maintaining a strong brand for a service is significantly more challenging than developing and maintaining a strong brand for a product. Why? Because a service is less tangible, more ephemeral—and often involves multiple “touchpoints” that really determine the “brand experience.”

What makes a strong brand? (more…)

Building Your Service Brand: It’s About More (a Lot More!) Than Your Logo

Thursday, January 12th, 2023

Much of my work over the years has been with “service brands” — brands that are not tied to a particular product, but to the delivery of some type of service — educational services, health care services, energy services, engineering services, consulting services, etc.

Developing and maintaining a strong brand for a service is, in my opinion, significantly more challenging than developing and maintaining a strong brand for a product. Why? (more…)

Should Your Messaging Vary Across Social Media Platforms?

Tuesday, November 8th, 2022

“Social media” is often referred to collectively as though “social media” is a single entity. Of course, it’s not. Each channel is different—reaching different people and sharing messaging in different ways. LinkedIn is very business-focused. TikTok is based on short, entertaining video clips. Facebook is highly social—a place for people to connect with friends and relatives.

Many organizations and individuals using social media for business purposes, to connect and engage prospects and customers, use multiple channels.

One foundational question they face is: “Should my messaging vary across social media platforms?”

(more…)

What’s the Purpose of Advertising: To Entertain or to Sell?

Thursday, September 29th, 2022

I used to love the E*Trade commercials with the talking babies. They were cute, clever, and they made me laugh. In fact, every time I see one—regardless of how many times I’ve seen it previously—I laugh. I liked them. They were well done. They had good production values. They were clever.

But, did they work from an advertising standpoint? (more…)

How Do Your Customers Perceive Your Brand?

Wednesday, September 21st, 2022

It is not uncommon for me to be approached by a client or a potential client who wants to “develop their brand.” They are often surprised to find that they already have one—we all do.

You may also be surprised to learn that, whether you realize it or not, you have a brand identity. You may not know what that identity is, but you have one!

Many business owners believe that they define their brand. In truth, a brand is defined by your customers or clients. The definition is based on (more…)

Your Customers are Talking About You. Do You Know What They’re Saying?

Tuesday, July 26th, 2022

If you’re not on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites —and believe it or not, many, many people are not!—you may be missing out on some very important conversations. Some of these conversations may be about you!

In working with a client recently, we did some quick online research and they were shocked (more…)

When Branding or Rebranding Don’t Get Stuck on Names

Tuesday, July 26th, 2022

Throughout my career I’ve been involved in numerous naming and branding initiatives and am always struck by not only the intrinsic challenges of getting a group of people to agree on a particular name/brand for a company, product or service— but also by the enormous amount of angst and emotion that becomes part of the process.

In truth, the process of coming up with a name—whether for a company, a product, a campaign, a department, or whatever is a process (more…)

Why Your Company, Product, or Service Name Doesn’t Really Matter

Tuesday, September 14th, 2021

Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in numerous naming and branding initiatives and am always struck by not only the intrinsic challenges of getting a group of people to agree on a particular name/brand for a company, product, or service—but also by the enormous amount of angst and emotion that becomes part of the process.

In truth, the process of coming up with a name—whether for a company, a product, a campaign, a department, or whatever is a process that is virtually destined to be an emotional and difficult one from the get-go. Why? Because everybody has an opinion, everybody has an emotional stake in the outcome and everybody wants their brand to be the next Nike.

(more…)

Tackling the Special Challenges of Building and Sustaining Strong Service Brands

Thursday, August 12th, 2021

Much of my work over the years has been with “service brands”—brands that are not tied to a particular product, but to the delivery of some type of service—educational services, healthcare services, energy services, engineering services, consulting services, etc.

Developing and maintaining a strong brand for a service is, in my opinion, significantly more challenging than developing and maintaining a strong brand for a product. Why? (more…)