Branding Information |
|
Great Brands Depend On Attention To The Brand Architecture
Do you have the architecture in place to make sure each and every brand contact sends the right message? Thinking in terms of architecture, a building that looks great and catches your attention is probably designed so that each component looks perfect and enhances the overall effect of the building. In the audiobook, "Sound Advice on Brand Marketing," author Tom Miller says, "Great architecture works because of attention to detail, and great brands depend on the same level of attention." Each component of a brand that touches the customer must support and enhance the overall message. A brand architecture also builds a connection between corporate brands, master brands, product brands, and branded features, which, according to Miller, "makes decisions easier when it comes to messaging and graphic design." Miller suggests everyone take a fresh look at their own brand architecture, beginning with a review of all current marketing materials. "Is the message consistent? Does the look and feel convey the value of the brand? Is there room for improvement?" Once a brand is viewed as architecture, it may never look the same. Says Miller, "It may be the beginning of building your own best brand." Tom Miller offers branding advice each week in the free audio newsletter from What's Working in Biz, http://www.whatsworking.biz/full_story.asp?ArtID=92 About The Author Richard Cunningham is a principal of What's Working in Biz, http://www.whatsworking.biz, a publisher of business audiobooks and online audio programs on marketing, sales, and small business strategies.
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Attract More Clients With A Brand Identity You've probably heard that people buy products and services from people they know, like and trust. And, as I have done, you've probably wondered how you can foster more of this "Know-Like-Trust" factor in your business relationships. Pictures are tied to our emotions in powerful ways, so strategically using your logo and brand identity materials (business cards, letterhead, brochures, website, etc.) to enforce this connection is a great idea. Intelligent Design comes from Brand & Account Planners I've been reminded recently, rather forcefully, that not all reality hackers are anti-neoconservatives. Bush endorses teaching 'intelligent design'. I can't help hearing "intelligent design" as emerging from scores of focus group research. Brand Building 101 Building your brand into a brand leader isn't easy. There are 2 areas that can really help you grow your brand, passion and consistency. Passion is incredibly important. You have to understand that even if you are a start up or a one-man operation, or are well on your way, you are still a brand. You have to care passionately about the way your brand is nurtured, developed and presented to your target audience. Everything that leaves your building, every impression that your staff and your company make, is lasting. Take advantage of this opportunity to get your customers and potential customers to remember you in the way that you want them too! Brand Building For Profit: The Colour Behind the Brand and Why I Wear Red Ties! Colour is essential to building a strong brand. Branding Your Radio or TV Campaign With A Musical Identity (aka Audo Logo, aka Jingle) You don't think twice about a business card and letterhead logo for the visual aspect of your campaign, why not an audio logo to brand your broadcast campaign? Brand Lo-o-o-o-o-ve... So... how have you been building your brand lately? What About Me? What You Need To Know About Me-Marketing What about me? Are you asking yourself this question? If not you should be. Don't wait until you are in crisis mode when you are losing your job or your business before you think "what about me?" Brand Equity Brand equity can be defined in many different ways. I have developed a simple, yet powerful, definition of brand equity. For a brand to be strong it must accomplish two things over time: retain current customers and attract new ones. To the extent a brand does these things well, it grows stronger versus competition, and delivers more profits to its owners. Strategic Moves In The Branding Gamble! The so called 'globalisation' has cluttered the world markets with so many products and services that nearly 90% of the marketing managers in competing companies do pretty much the same to sustain in the market. There is not much difference in the way P&G operates as compared to how Unilever gets its products to the market. Coke and Pepsi's operations nearly reflect each other and all that these two compete is on 'who spends more on advertising this year'! If one disagrees with this argument by saying "we provide better quality products/services", then don't forget that this is precisely where your competitors put their efforts as well. Southwest Airlines, the revolutionary domestic American low-cost no-frill airline, most of the time does exactly what its competitors do. Well, the only difference is that Southwest Airlines serves meals in the airport during waits and not on the plane. This in no way means that Southwest Airlines is performing better than its competitors. If you are doing well what you are supposed to be doing, then that is not differentiation but a prerequisite for competing. Also, doing the same things in a better way is a deserving effort but not a strategy, especially in the long run. If all the competitors in the industry tend to converge into an equable level, of prices/costs, quality, technological sophistication, service quality etc, how, then are you supposed to compete? In this scenario, what most management consultants will advise you is either to offer you clients with more than what your competition offers, for a higher price, for the same price, for a lower price or offer them less value for a lower price. But remember that all these options can give you a short-term edge, but will usually not sustain as you competitors will soon follow the bandwagon! How Do You Define a Good Logo Design? Everyone wants his company logo to be the best but how good is good? How do we define a good logo? Is it necessary to be colorful or an exquisite piece of art? Can a simple design work as a good logo? We are often in a dilemma. Brand Identity and the CEO This week I spent a few hours with a highly successful CEO discussing his brand identity questions and concerns. "What do the most successful brand initiatives have in common?" he asked. I shared an observation with him based on many years of having similar conversations and being involved in successful (and not so successful) branding programs. New Uniforms Could be the Gold Charm for the Golden Arches New designer uniforms could be the gold charm McDonald's needs to connect their new hip marketing campaign to their fast-food restaurants. This possible gold charm for the fast-food chain has the ability to let the actual fast-food restaurants reflect the image they are portraying in their advertisement campaign. The new "I'm lovin' it" marketing campaign has attracted a youthful audience to the fast-food chain. However, when this trendy younger crowd comes to McDonald's, they do not see the same fashionable place that they saw in the commercial. Instead, they see the same thing that they would see at just about any fast-food restaurant. McDonald's hopes to further entice this target market into their restaurants by updating their restaurants with new employee uniforms. The Role of a Visual Vocabulary in Brand Identity Design Visual elements are a major part of your business's brand identity design. The keystone of that design is the logo, but in many cases, the logo isn't enough to convey all of your brand attributes. A visual vocabulary is a way to reinforce and add to the messaging that is contained in your logo. How to Write Classified Ads that Get Results Now. SELLING DIRECTLY FROM A CLASSIFIED AD Creative Branding Increases Sales Through Company Recognition The one thing that everyone has in common is that we are all consumers; we all buy. Every day, from daily small purchases, like your morning coffee and newspaper, to big monthly or yearly purchases, like a television or a car. But what influences your decision on what and where to buy. Surely, you have tastes and preferences but with all the competition for your purchasing power it is often small differences in the product that ultimately influence your decision. Choosing The Right Business Name Sometimes, new entrepreneurs are in such a rush to get started at their businesses that they jump right into working with customers without giving much thought to their BUSINESS NAME. "I'll just do business under my own name for a while, until I find something I like." While it seems easy at the time, you might want to re-think the plan to change business names down the road. You will find that, as your professional recognition and customer base grow, people have started to IDENTIFY you with the name of your company. A name change in mid-stream can be costly and confusing. The Importance of Branding - Can It Really Make a Difference? As consumers, we don't really think about the importance of branding. We just seem to go with the flow of brand names that have become synonymous with our daily living. But the impact of a name reinforces the importance of branding when we promote our business. Think about one of the world's most popular athletic shoe companies, Nike. The importance of branding is exemplified by the fact that when you hear Nike, you think athletics and "Just Do It." A great brand name and association has catapulted Nike to the top of its industry. Boston Brand Building - Brand Identity Guru "Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir your blood... MAKE BIG PLANS. Aim high in hope and work." So wrote Daniel H. Burnham in the last century. The big plans are important. They capture your vision. The next step is to break them down into "do-able" chunks, chunks that can be done in even one day. That is what gives you a definite sense of accomplishment, isn't it? The big plans are necessary, the baby steps, imperative! Naming Names... How to Name your Business Sometimes the best inspiration comes from hearing about the deconstruction of other company's names. For you, I am happy to share how I came up with "Slice A Day :: your slice on marketing"... First the purpose and vision of my site was to have people volunteer some marketing stories...true case studies of business owners and how they promote business. Then gathered the supplies for brainstorming. I had a sheet of paper, pencil and a dictionary/thesaurus. Let the brainstorming begin!I love really clever, catchy and visual names. It comes from having a web design and creative background. The AIGA.org hosts a local networking event called "Brew" with the tagline "where ideas perculate". I loved it! And to mimic it's genius, here is where that spark of inspiration took me.::: Start List :::? "grill - where ideas sizzle" ? "water cooler" ...sidenote: i thought that's where people really talk openly ? "feedbag - serving up ideas" ? "your market draw" ...sidenote: i don't know how i got here ? "evoke" ...sidenote: now i'm just writing words, synonyms ? "persuade" ...sidenote: this is where the dictionary & thesaurus come in? "convince"? "share"... a few minutes pass by... a few more minutes pass by? "Slice-A-Day.com" ...sidenote: visual images of pie and cake ...sidenote: slice is a portion of a bigger piece...hmm? "Share Your Slice On Marketing" ...sidenote: tagline that explains and supports vision ::: End Brainstorming List ::: The MOST Expensive Mistake You Can Make Most people who own a small business have a huge passion and talent for the product or service they provide. Some people have a business degree. Some even have MBA's or PhD's. But, most who own their own business just have a passion for what they do. |
home | site map |
© 2005 |