While doing some online research recently I came across an article on branding that I wrote back in 1997! Clearly it’s a topic that I’ve been interested in for some time. Two things struck me about coming across this piece:
1) Wow! The Internet was still in its infancy in the late 90’s, yet content from “way back then” is online.
2) Everything I said about branding back in 1997 (more…)
Sales are stagnant. New customers are few and far between. Competitors are nipping at your heel. What to do? Must be time to change your name, right? Not so fast.
I’ve worked with numerous companies on name changes or the consideration of a name change for their entire organization or various products and services both as an internal director of corporate communications for an energy utility and healthcare organization and, now, as an independent consultant. There have been some surprisingly contentious discussions and (more…)
Why do some brands become cultural legends that stand the test of time, while others ebb, flow and eventually sink? The brand is the cornerstone of any business and is, unfortunately, often misunderstood. That is possibly why the brand is also often so mismanaged. Brands are not, are not, ARE NOT logos, taglines or corporate colors. Brands are not advertisements. Brands are not Facebook pages. (more…)
There are four ways that people learn about our products and services:
1. Through their own experiences with us.
2. From their friends, family and colleagues – word of mouth.
3. Through the media – news reports, articles, etc.
4. Directly from us through our own advertising, web sites, social media, etc.
I always list these four sources of information in this order, because (more…)
While the Internet offers the ability to reach out to audiences that are literally around the world, not all businesses on the Internet are really interested in audiences around the world–or even around the country. In fact, there are many businesses that are interested in connecting with local markets. An online discussion recently focused on whether there is a place for local marketers on the World Wide Web. I would say that (more…)
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 (more…)
I recently had an editor I work with ask about a source’s credentials because she couldn’t find her online. And I’ll admit that my first thought was also “Oh oh – weird!” But then I recalled a “back of the brain” feeling I’ve had for a while now about all of the valuable information and sources that I–and others–may be missing because we rely so exclusively on online content.
If you can’t be found online, are you important? Are you *credible*? Do you even exist? I think maybe not… (more…)
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: (more…)
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