The goal of branding is sometimes explained as an attempt to create an emotional connection between brand and customer. It’s easy to demonstrate the effectiveness of this emotional side of branding with examples like Disney, Starbucks, and Harley-Davidson (brands that you may associate with happiness, indulgence, and rebellion, respectively). Brand managers working with business-to-business (B2B) brands, however, often chafe at the idea that their company or product—maybe an accounting firm or an esoteric scientific research tool—should be connecting with its customers at an emotional level. …Read More…
I know this is isn’t a recent development, but am I the only one that’s totally freaked out by the new Sierra Mist package design? As if it wasn’t enough to blur the edges of “Mist,” creating a ghost-like effect, they had to go and put those creepy tree branches in the background. Are they trying to scare me? Because, rather than bringing to mind thirst-quenching satisfaction, this just makes me think of The Blair Witch Project. But maybe I’m just easily scared.
Would you go to a coffee place for Mexican food? A Mexican restaurant for a great latte?
DeSpyro Coffee, a relatively new spot in Huntington Beach, is committing a common brand strategy blunder right out of the gate. In choosing a somewhat descriptive name (and they could have just as easily gone with something vague like “DeSpryo’s”), they’ve set themselves up to be perceived by patrons as a coffee shop—a well-established category that comes with a certain set of expectations. …Read More…
Before Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote their seminal book “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind,” David Ogilvy—one of the true Mad Men—set the stage for their thesis, stating “It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product.” Ogilvy’s “big idea”—one that reflects the qualities of the brand and differentiates it from competitors—is Ries and Trout’s “position.” A quick glance at the websites and whitepapers of today’s leading branding firms suggests that elements of this definition remain intact. They speak of “relevant differentiation in the marketplace” (Landor) and ensuring that customers “can tell the brand apart from others” (Interbrand’s Brandchannel.com). Some experience in the world of branding firms and a look at the work posted on their sites, however, reveal that definitions and deliverables don’t always align. …Read More…
Here’s a fun online app that lets you create custom “word clouds.” The site is Wordle.net, and the image above was created by extracting words (based on frequency) from Semantic Argument. You can also input text from a website, a song, a speech–anything you like. Then it lets you edit the font and colors, along with some other properties, and save it to their gallery.
Just one more way to waste some time online! Thanks to Mom for pointing this one out to me.
Rob Meyerson works with clients to find creative solutions that inform brand strategy, positioning, identity, and communications.
