Branding Blog By Brand Identity Guru

On Thursday I’ll be conducting my “Pump Up Your Brand” workshop at SpringBoost. 

A brief history on SpringBoost:

Springboost was formed from the collective efforts of a number of sport passionate and entrepreneurial individuals who came together to develop a high performance athletic footwear technology and brand. The footwear technology Springboost developed allows one to jump higher, run faster while using less energy.

After five years of intensive research in biomechanics and field testing, initiated by Behrouz Bayat and continued by Dr. Jörg Fuchslocher, it became clear that using new biomechanical principals one could positively affect performance in sports and in training.

In early 2005, SpringBoost launched its first line of footwear solutions for the fitness market under the name B-Fit. Simultaneously the company developed footwear lines for other sport categories. Since September 2005 B-Fit for men and the volleyball shoe B-Spike are available. In the beginning of 2006 SpringBoost presented for the first time footwear for walking, Nordic walking and performance training. Further models will be coming soon.

SpringBoost is out to train the world, to enhance performance and pleasure to all the sport enthusiasts who have a passion for what they do, for those striving to bring out the best in themselves while improving their well-being, health and vigor.

I hope they’re ready to have some fun!

1. They make you look small

2. They make you look desperate

3. They don’t work

4. They are a budget waster and if they are free see #5

5. They are a time waster

6. They turn customer off

7. They are nothing more than a short term band aid if they work

8. They break trust with your clients/prospects

9. They most likely will make you look goofy

10. Here’s an example of using gimmicks in marketing (by Andy Sernovitz - an expert marketer):

Do you think that was an effective word of mouth marketing tactic?

Why do word of mouth marketing folks hate on traditional advertising? Today Seth Godin writes:

This is why the Journal’s report that Google is flirting seriously with a big advertising buy is so troublesome. Once you start buying TV time, you just added another tool to your marketing belt. Now, plenty of your development and marketing team will say, “Oh, we’ll just buy ads. People will use it!” Suddenly, you don’t focus so much on building word of mouth and remarkability into your products, because now you can easily use TV to spackle over less remarkable products.

Think about that for a bit. Here’s what I say, that’s freakin ridiculous. Sure, running bad TV spots won’t work but a good strategic integrated branding strategy will. What these Kool-Aid drinking word of mouth marketers never seem to understand is the impact of a strategic integrated branding approach. One tactic lifts up another, they work hand and hand. They all leverage the brand identity. Bingo, it all works.

But, if you do crappy stuff you get crappy results. Don’t hate on any one tactic it’s just shortsighted. Word of mouth marketing can be fantastic, I agree. But great TV ads (insert Mac vs PC here) can also do great things and Apple’s TV ads certainly hasn’t taken away from their word of mouth marketing, has it?

Last week I defended direct mail when word of mouth marketing company Brains on Fire dismissed the entire tactic (read about that here). Today I defend TV advertising. I do this if and only if it’s part of an integrated, strategic branding approach. Focusing on just any one tactic is not something I will ever recommend to a client.

I would be wary of any marketing company that only promoted one tactic, because it’s most likely the tactic they’re selling. Brand Identity Guru is not tied to any tactic, we only use the tactics that are best for the client based on their brand identity goals. BIG difference.

BIG thanks to everyone that has voted for us in this years StartUpNation Competition! Here’s our current Hot Meter Ranking:

You like us, you really, really, like us.

Don’t forget this thing is still going on and we’re the only branding company in the race so please continue to vote for us everyday.

Here’s the latest thing in word of mouth marketing (I guess): These monkeys (if hired) will do something freaky (creative, they call it) stuff to build “buzz” for your brand. In this episode they color themselves with magic markers and tool around town. Genius.

If you’re really looking to waste some valuable marketing budget then this word of mouth marketing gimmick is for you:

First, did you notice how people looked at them? Looked like disgust for the most part.

What message is the brand that hired these guys sending?

How many people saw these guys and actually went to eat at the restaurant they were “promoting”?

It’s been a while but Andy Sernovitz has made the branding blunder blog again, as WaMu used to say… Whoo Hoo! As you know Andy Sernovitz is a self proclaimed “word of mouth marketing guru“. Today in his post titled ” The “Great Green Marketing” Issue” he informs his readers on the right way to market using green tactics. Some snippets of his advice include:

1. Create an amazingly cool shopping bag. Something that is reusable and so cool that people will want to carry it around. For $1 you can have all of your customers become walking billboards all over town (and be happy to do it).

Yea, Andy…that makes your company instantly green. I like the amazingly cool idea as green people will only use it if it’s “cool”? And here is the rub with me. “Green marketing” isn’t something you try to do, it’s a conscience decision a company makes, not to help spread word of mouth or trick consumers into believing they’re green. They do it because it’s part of the brand identity and has a real true meaning. But keep telling your readers how these silly tactics (in my opinion) will help change their brand image.

2. Remember the jelly jars you got as a kid that turned into collectible drinking glasses? No waste, lots of fun — and fantastic marketing. When you get someone collecting your packaging you get instant brand loyalty until the customer completes a set.

Obviously (in my opinion) Andy does not even know the basic definition of brand loyalty. But I’m pretty sure even if this simplified tactic did work a customer would NOT develop brand loyalty. I certainly don’t consider brand loyalty to be collecting a set of anything only to leave the brand after said set is collected. I like my customers coming back all the time, where I’m the ONLY choice, hence brand loyalty. Not brand gimmick loyalty. BIG difference.

Andy doesn’t like me much. He thinks I’m out to get him, so I’m told. But it’s not true. I don’t even know Andy but when he and others advise potential marketers with these silly suggestions (in my opinion) I think it’s important to point out the branding ramifications. And there are definitely brand image concerns if you follow advice from people who clearly don’t know branding.

Producing a “green” shopping bag is not going to help move your brand forward. All it’s really going to do is make you look like a green hypocrite if you’re not fully committed to being green. And that’s all part of your brand identity. In my opinion these gimmicky tactics that Andy recommends could really work against most companies brand identity. Don’t do them unless it leverages your brand identity.

Remember, a word of mouth marketing company will always promote (sell) what they do best. They can’t help it, otherwise they don’t make sales. If you’re looking for a marketing company to help support your efforts try and find one that doesn’t have any bias against specific tactics. A word of mouth marketing company will obviously promote word of mouth and most likely will not understand the branding strategy.

Have you seen the new TV commercial for Crest featuring Emeril? You can catch it here…BAM.

From the Crest Site:

Sure, Emeril has BAM!, but we want to know what you have. The flavor is so bold and so exciting we’re sure you’ll come up with something big.

So here’s what you do: Create an original catch phrase that you think captures the sheer bigness in the flavor of Crest Whitening Expressions. Then, create a video of your Catch Phrase that is 30 seconds or less and submit it into our contest. And if a certain flavor inspired you, let us know.

Viewers can rate the video submissions in the video gallery and judges will then determine the finalists. Once the finalists are chosen it’s up to you to vote for your favorite to determine the grand-prize winner!

 So here are my thoughts:

1. Will this generate the buzz Crest is hoping for?

2. Will it be sustainable?

3. Is this just a gimmick to create word of mouth nothingness?

4. What if any brand strategy is involved?

What do you think? Is this campaign worth anything? They hired Emeril yet are only giving away a measly $5,000?

I’m a branding guy. I don’t play favorites with strategies and tactics when it comes to building a brand for a client. If direct mail, radio or TV advertising is an appropriate way to go and the client builds brand awareness and has a positive ROI I’m all for it. Results are important to me and my clients.

What kills me and what I just don’t understand are these word of mouth companies that are so laser beamed in on set tactics that only include word of mouth. Why be so pigeonholed? Here’s a case in point.

Brains on Fire (a self proclaimed word of mouth marketing company) owner Robbin writes:

Direct marketers actually celebrate 3% response rates. Do that math: If you send out 500,000 TARGETED direct mail pieces that means that 485,000 are totally useless. Trash. WHAT is that really about for goodness sake?

Basically she’s saying that direct marketing is not a sustainable way to engage a customer/prospect.  I say that any one tactic isn’t great but an integrated branding strategy is. And to eliminate any one tactic is just shortsighted. Direct marketing is a proven tactic if done correctly. And what if in that example that 3% resulted in a $100,000 profit? Is it a crappy tactic then? Aren’t we ultimately in business to help our clients make money? Sure we all want our customers to be passionate about us and tell all their friends and family but developing a marketing tactic that produces profits is still a desirable outcome. Isn’t it?

Dovetail that with the fact that many people save a direct mail piece to follow up later. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard “we’ve been collecting your direct mail”? Too many times to count. That’s brand awareness. Sometimes it takes more than one direct mail piece to get a client/prospect to move.

Some of our best client relationships have come from a prospect receiving a direct mail piece from us. For many years Brand Identity Guru mailed out something to customers and prospects as part of an integrated campaign. We were very targeted. We’ve made millions of dollars on direct mail. Our response rate is about 8% (in Robbin’s mind we wasted 92%). Our retention of these clients is over 95% and we’ve built a passionate relationship with them. Doesn’t that count for something?

A 3% return most likely will obtain a great return on investment. Direct mail, advertising are still great tactics if done correctly. Then a relationship can be kindled.

Some of the best brands in the world do great advertising and direct mail (Hello, Apple and those Mac vs. PC spots). Don’t poo poo traditional stuff because most do it wrong.

Here’s what works, an integrated branding strategy. Part of that could include word of mouth, relationship building, search engine optimization, etc But not selecting tactics like direct mail is shortsighted in an overall strategy. I’m not saying it’s right for everyone but it’s also not wrong for everyone.

She then goes on to say:

I also hate the terms “target market” or “cost per acquisition”. Your customers are real live human beings, people! People with passion, lives and dreams.

I love the term target market because it excludes all those that your brand doesn’t identify with. Of course they’re real people but they’re the right real people and understanding that is half the battle. The biggest mistake companies make is trying to be everything to everyone. Identifying the right people (targets) is the best thing you can do for your brand. Why waste any valuable marketing dollars?

Starting a relationship can happen in many ways. Ultimately there is no right or wrong way to do it and traditional advertising may or may not be the correct way. But to broadly say that direct mail or traditional advertising can’t start a meaningful relationship is wrong.

Inspiring customers and prospects to celebrate your company can be accomplished in many ways. As a branding guy I like to look at the big picture and then choose what’s best for the client. I like to remain open and not pre-judge what tactics to use.

What do you think?

Your computer has malfunctioned and is stuck on just one blog URL.

Which one do you hope it’s stuck on?

Companies are scared. The doom and gloom has come and now the boys will be separated from the men. I’ve seen this before and I’ll see it again.

The right move? Take advantage of your competitors cutting their marketing budgets. This is a huge opportunity to build brand awareness and TAKE market share. Trust me, I know.

Here’s what will happen. Companies will panic and cut their marketing budgets. As things get worse they will lay off employees. Most of what they will do is a knee jerk reaction but they do it anyway.

Don’t do it.

Be smart and invest in your marketing wisely. Take advantage of the many deals you’ll be able to get from advertisers. Trust me, they’ll be begging you. Now is the time to crush your competition by being smart and investing wisely in branding.

Don’t give in. Don’t follow the herd.

We’d like to thank everyone for voting for us. We are the ONLY branding business in this race and still REALLY need your support. Remember, you can vote once a day so come back and vote every day for us.

We’re the little train that could. Here’s our current HOT Meter ranking (so close to being HOT):

All you have to do is click the VOTE FOR ME button below. Thanks for your support!

Don’t you think PC makers like Dell, HP, Toshiba and Acer should be taking on Apple? Why’s it Microsoft’s fight? We all know their software is in every PC but this fight isn’t about operating systems. It’s about THE computer (or is it)?

Shouldn’t the PC makers jump in?

What is it? Microsoft researched 140 people by fooling them into believing they were evaluating a new operating system. One that would replace Vista, called the Mojave operating system.

Here’s what happened…they liked it. Then they were told that it was really Vista.

Brilliant huh?

Here’s some issues that I have with it. First, if you’re starving and stranded in the desert (like how I worked the Mojave thing in here) any food will look good right? These people had pre-conceived issues with Vista (The average pre-demo score for Windows Vista was 4.4 out of 10), therefore they had bias when evaluating any “new” software. In other words, anything would have been better than Vista (because they hated Vista), even if their minds tricked them into thinking it wasn’t Vista.

The demographic is so small that the confidence level on this must be like 1%. I’m not a statistician but I do know that a confidence level of say over 85% is something to shoot for. Please, add your comments on this if you think I’m off.

Isn’t Microsoft basically saying our brand image of Vista really sucked? Is this the appropriate way to change brand image? We use to suck but now we don’t (according to 140 people of the trillions that use Vista).

If Microsoft really wanted to do some real research they should have spent some real money and surveyed a much larger number. Read all the details here.

Here’s the scoop, changing a brand image is hard to do. Especially if you have no real brand identity to begin with.

A while back I wrote about Netflix and their awful termination policy. Click here to catch up. Anyways one of their policy statements in the email I got when leaving was:

You can sign up for Netflix Service again at any time; however, you will not be eligible for another free Netflix Service offer.

To date I’ve received 4 direct mail offers and 1 email offer. So much for that.

Netflix has a horrible termination policy. They try to scare people into staying and for those that aren’t scared they never want to return. I probably would have returned if their policy wasn’t so rude.

When a customer leaves it’s your opportunity to find out a lot of info. Bust most importantly it’s your opportunity to win them back.

To read about their policies click here.

Here’s a new web site that my friend Darryl Ohrt pointed out called IncSpring. IncSpring is a site where you can buy a logo, name and in some cases a URL. It’s an alternative to hiring a branding company especially if you don’t have a lot of cash to hire someone like, say…us! The Brand Identity Guru.

Some things to keep in mind. Building a brand can not be done fast, but for those who have a limited budget and no time a site like this may be helpful. When developing a brand identity you must determine how you want to be perceived prior to developing a name, logo etc. So for instance if you want your company’s brand identity to be “Innovative” this service only works if you can find an innovative name, logo etc. Otherwise your brand identity will be confusing.

Here’s a good example of how it could be done. Here is the name and logo for “Exclusive Lounge”

If you had an upscale bar/nightclub where a dress code was required and you served $1000 bottles of champagne this could be a good name and identity. You would be excluding those that didn’t want to dress up and couldn’t afford the $30 cover charge, hence “exclusive”.

This is just one step in the branding process but if you just don’t have the budget or know how to do it on your own you could start here.

Developing a brand identity is the most crucial thing you’ll do so take it seriously and invest wisely. Changing it later will be very costly.

If you’re new to the blog we’re entered into this years startupnations virtual business competition, it’s BIG, really BIG. We’ve entered into the “slacker” category. Here’s the description of the slacker category:

Does your business offer a day-to-day existence that’s the envy of all? If you’ve beaten the system with a “lifestyle” business, this one’s for you!

Here’s our slacker platform:

1. We’re the ultimate mavericks. We’ve been shaking up the rules of a normal work day since 2002. Our Kahunas (aka employees) work when they want and how they want. As long as the work is done remarkably. 9-5 is just a really bad song to us.

2. You want change you say? I should have named the company change! How many virtual branding company’s have you run into lately? We gave up the cliche “loft” office space and cappuccino maker a long time ago. Why? I’d rather be wearing cargo shorts and a cheesy Hawaiian shirt, that’s why. We don’t need to show off to clients with an office in an old warehouse, our work and their profits do that.

3. We build brand identities for our clients. To do that all our Kahunas need to have their own identities at full force. That’s difficult to do with a busy lifestyle. The freedom of working virtually enables them to lead the lifestyle they want. And spend time with the people they love the most.

Our business model isn’t right for everyone but we love it.

If any of this sounds like a pretty cool lifestyle business then click on the big button below that reads VOTE FOR ME. And if it really sounds good vote once a day!

Make sure your tagline leverages your brand identity.

AIG’s tagline: The Stength To Be There

…Not so much.

Then there’s this…

Here’s an opportunity that came out of the horrible hurricane to hit Texas. Apparently this home:

Was rebuilt after hurricane Rita in 2006. The owner had a contractor build it to withstand a category 5 hurricane. Here it is after Ike:

Now what I want to know is who was that contractor? Because apparently he did a remarkable job.

Read the full story here. 

Some of you may or may not know that I live in St. Thomas US Virgin Islands most of the year. St. Thomas is really a great place but what makes it really great is its vicinity to a lot of other remote islands. One of those islands is Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands.

One of the best kept secrets in the universe is the Soggy Dollar Beach Bar. This is a great example of why naming can be so important. Why is it called the Soggy Dollar? You guessed it, you have to swim from your boat to the beach. And that’s where the charm and fun come rushing in.

They invented the Pain Killer (a fun rum drink) and most of all the embraced relaxation. Nothing is done with speed at the Soggy Dollar. The bar area is basically a shack. A shack full of Pain Killers and fun! And check out the beach:

How’s that water look to you? Everybody who’s anybody has been to the Soggy Dollar Beach Bar. But they don’t like a lot of folks there at once. Here’s what they say on their website:

It’s true that small luxury cruise ships and windjammers do come into our bay to enjoy our beach. Frankly, we wish they would go elsewhere. At the same time, these are small ships (not more than 100 people typically), and they have arrangements with neighbors to use their beach and facilities. In the end, these voyagers aren’t on the beach for more than 3 to 4 hours.

Here’s the funny part of it all. There is a bar on both sides of them but neither do the business of the Soggy Dollar. So if you ever get out to the British Virgin Islands make sure to stop at this hidden jewel.

Check out their website here.

And if the relaxed lifestyle is what you like then please support us by voting below:

Home Depot’s response to the economy and fierce competition from Lowe’s and Walmart?

Slash prices. Brilliant huh? Read the full story here.

The discounts will begin showing up in stores this week and will last at least through the next quarter as the Atlanta-based chain tries to retain its top spot in the sector by striking back at competitors such as Lowe’s Cos. Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

“We’re trying to gain market share in the process,” Craig Menear, Home Depot’s executive vice president of merchandising, told the Associated Press.

“Absolutely, we’re trying to drive sales and productivity,” he added.

Let’s look at this just from a branding perspective. Walmart OWNS, repeat, OWNS low prices. Home Depot doesn’t want to try and compete there right? Lowe’s is a copy cat of Home Depot with no identifiable brand identity. Answer me this, what does Lowe’s stand for?

So what should Home Depot do? Service, service, service.

Take a page from Zappos and dedicate the organization to helping customers make the best choices. Do you think the average consumer really cares if something may cost slightly more if you help them find a solution? Better yet, have your service people offer alternative solutions.

None of this is done on a consistent basis by anyone. There’s the differentiator. But you really have to dedicate the organization to it, not just say you’ll do it. How many times have you wandered into a Home Depot and have to hunt, beg and plead with someone to help you? I would say for me it’s always a given.

Playing in Walmart’s pond is not going to get you brand ambassadors, differentiating will.

Home Depot, dare to be different!

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