The BIG Kahuna

So Mercedes has decided to distance itself from Chrysler (thank God) by “sprucing up” their iconic logo (will it still be iconic if they change it?).

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Here is a quote from this article:??

MERCEDES-BENZ IS SEPARATING ITS ICONIC three-pointed star logo from its name. That’s the most obvious visual change the German automaker is instigating worldwide on Nov. 1. It is the first major revision of Mercedes-Benz brand identity in 18 years, per the company, which recently divorced itself from Chrysler.“The new brand identity of Mercedes-Benz revives our entire presence and ensures an unmistakable image which combines tradition with a future-oriented approach,” says Klaus Maier, executive vice president/Mercedes Car Group, responsible for sales and marketing, in a release.

Gosh, I really wish people would stop calling logo design ?brand Identity?. Because it?s not brand identity! Sure the logo is part of the overall identity but brand identity is much bigger than the logo. This is what really gets under my skin. Klaus Maier doesn?t know the difference and neither does the agency that worked on the project.

My skin crawls when a company says ?spruce up? or ?freshen up?. Geez, how do these people get paid what they do?

Then this?person goes on to say:

Donna Boland, spokesperson at the company’s U.S. arm in Montvale, N.J., says the move has nothing to do with recent changes in Daimler’s corporate structure. “This is something that historically, we have done from time to time, to refresh and sharpen the brand profile; it is necessary when you have an iconic brand that is among the top ten most recognized brands in the world.”??

Yea, the biggest brands in the world are known for changing their logo from time to time to ?refresh and sharpen? the brand profile. That’s just nutty! She should?look for a new job?right now.

Listen if you want to change the logo that?s fine. And this may or may not be a good idea. You have one of the most recognizable logos in the world. Your logo is part of your brand equity. You want to fool with it so be it. Personally I?d never ever touch that logo.

That logo means one thing: Money.

Hey Coke, isn?t it time for you to refresh your logo? How about you Nike, that swoosh has been around way too long!

Brandcurve was nice enough to include one of our articles on branding in their branding blog. Check it out here:

http://www.brandcurve.com/brand-identity-still-remains-the-answer/

Everyone?s going ?green? these days huh? I guess we all want to do the right thing or at least think we?re doing the right thing. And that?s the kicker. It?s like donating to that charity once a year, makes you feel good huh??

First let me say that I don?t for one second believe that the ?greenhouse effect? is caused by us. But I?m no scientist and there seem to be very different views on the subject

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=440049&in_page_id=1965

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Once again my opinion is that what?s happening now could just be the natural progression of things. Until it?s proven otherwise that?s where I fall.? But it?s the crazy stuff that goes along with it that upsets me. Since there is no real proof one way or the other the ?green? believers are on a ?holy crusade? in their efforts to help solve the problem. They vandalize Hummers and ridicule those that do not conserve as they do.

This is nutty. Any extreme one way or another only leads to bad things.?People have the right to drive whatever kind of car they want. Period. What makes me laugh is that these same green folks who drive Hybrid cars have 7 kids. What do you think is worse for the environment, 7 kids or 1 gas guzzler?

I own a big FJ Cruiser gas guzzler. I love it. ?I love the fact that I get 12 miles a gallon. It makes me happy.? I?m not trying to change the world and I certainly don?t want to be forced to. Don?t force your beliefs on me and I?ll do the same for you. After all I?m not asking you to be a diehard Republican am I??

If you think green is good then go for it. If it makes you feel better, great. What makes me feel better is you green people leaving us non greeners alone!?

Don?t even get me started about green marketing? Yikes, now I?m going to start asking my design staff to consider the effects of a brochure design, ink coverage, paper usage etc. That?s just ridiculous.

I love being a social misfit.

We just placed an ad on Craig?s list for a ?creative? writer. We want to add someone with at least 10 years of experience and who knows the business. We specifically asked not to send us a resume as we felt that wasn?t very creative.?

What do we get? A bunch of emailed resumes. What the heck? If you?re a writer applying for a posted ?Creative Writer? wanted job why not ah, be freakin creative? Sending a resume just puts you in a big stack. Differentiating yourself puts you on my too call list.?

Which list do you want to be on??

I won?t hire anyone that doesn?t do something creative. Sending me an email with a link to your portfolio is not going to get a call back, period. You?re suppose to be creative, start acting like it!?

Brand Identity Guru is seeking a creative writer, creative?s only apply.

I got hung up the other day blogging about why Brand Identity Guru is different and special. As a matter of fact I got hung up defending all marketing, advertising and branding agency type folks. Then I read a post from another blogger that brought me back to reality.?

Why do customers hire us? Well they need our help right? So we promise to make them stand out in the crowd but why? Ultimately there is only one correct answer.?

To make them money (ROI). Don?t they all ultimately want to gain market share? Isn?t that why they hire a branding agency? Sure they may want to build brand image but that?s only to ultimately make more money.?

We must never lose sight of the fact that we are in this to help out clients gain market share or whatever it is they are motivated to obtain.?

So I?d like to thank Olivier Blanchard for bringing me back to a reality check. It?s all about ROI for our clients.

I find these awful websites on a daily basis and scratch my head. This one takes the cake. He calls himself the Internet Commander, his name is Garry Egan.

Here is copy from his website which is so poorly written and designed it?s not worth mentioning but I must.?

Check out the typos and poor use of the English language (I?ve underlined them):?

So, in closing, we never talked about ecommerce credit card processing so feel free to give me a call to talk about that.. Hopefully, you know more about ecommerce web site development now after reading this. (huh)?Big project or small, your ecommerce shopping cart software is easily customized by me and my close design professionals. If you have had to the good time reading this, then contact me with code 11232 and you just got $100 in free services. Thanks for reading. Your ecommerce internet solution is much more than just ecommerce websites.??

I am here to bring all of the pieces ogether and generate more revenue. My services will pay for themselves. Your satisfaction is the most important thing to me. Don’t you want to find out for yourself??I Am The Expert Of Experts. ?My Custom eCommerce Web Site Storefronts Are Top Notch (no period)?

Does this guy sound like a professional you?d hire? This is exactly the kind of junk I tell my clients to stay away from. It literally sounds like a 3^rd grader wrote it.?Be careful out in the big internet world because you may run into a lot of Garry Egans.

As I sit here and watch the hapless New York Yankees lose another opening playoff series I have to wonder. Why do they consistently lose given the fact that they arguably have the best players??

The answer is pretty simple. It starts with their senile owner George ?the Boss?.

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He?s such an idiot that he gives the term idiot new meaning. To come out before the start of a home stand and say that if the Yankees don?t win he?s going to fire Manager Torre is the epitome of why the Yankees are losers.

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Because he?s a loser and he?s ruined the Yankees brand.?The Yankees are now perceived as the big bad bully and everyone outside of

New York loves to see them lose. It?s too bad because they are the winningest team in baseball. They should be beloved but instead they are hated, largely due to their owner.?I hope they fire Torre, it will show just how classless the organization really is. I can only say one thing. It?s good to be a Red Sox fan!?Yankees lose, Yankees lose!!!!!!

Here?s a blog article I?m just going to indulge in. This blog article is all about St Thomas Villas. St Thomas has branded itself as the cruise capital of the world. They average 3-5 cruise ships per day. Why do they get so many??

Well for one there are more millionaires owning vacation and second home villas per capita than anywhere in the US. Take a boat ride around St Thomas and you?ll see what I mean. The homes are tremendous.?? ?

One such property is Villa Nicoletta. Villa Nicoletta is a fabulous St Thomas Villa located on the north side of St Thomas in Caret Bay. The villa boosts 4 bedrooms, WiFi, Broadband, Hot Tub, Pool, Tiki Bar, Home Theatre and a lot more.?

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St Thomas has many different styles of villas to choose from if you ever decide to rent. Personally I think renting a villa is the way to go. You get a huge home and all the privacy you need.??

Check out the St Thomas Villas I recommend, Villa Nicoletta.

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I?m going to be talking about the one thing you can do for your company that makes the big difference. It?s the only thing that should concern you right now. It?s the most important element of branding today. And it?s the biggest problem with companies today.

I’m going to solve it for you now.?

Brand Identity is the answer. Who are you? What do you stand for? What makes you different and better??

Now everyone pay me $20,000 for solving your biggest problem. You all have this problem,?that is unless you?re Volvo, Apple, Nike or the?Geek Squad. ?

Those companies have fully committed to their brand identity. Have you? Can you say in one sentence who you are? Can you say you?re the ?safest? car on the road and have 9 out of 10 people say the same?

That?s the answer.?

I?ve given you the answer to your company?s biggest problem. Now you need to take action. Because differentiating your company will bring massive windfalls. Otherwise you?ll be stuck in no brands land with all the other commodities.

We like Spike, he makes us chuckle?a lot. In his latest attempt at a blog article (I think it?s like 7 sentences) he lumps in Marketing, Advertising and Branding Agencies. Spike says we?re not different? Yup, all the same. Guess we should all be word of mouth companies, and then we?d be better. Course we?d only have one magic tactic to promote.?

Truth be told, there is a huge difference between Advertising, Marketing and Branding as well as Word of Mouth. Here it is in a nut shell:?

Advertising agencies are motivated by one thing and one thing only: Media buying. The more you buy the more they make. Therefore it?s ingrain in their brains to sell you those services that will make you buy media. They produce great creative for today and barely ever look in the long term.?

Marketing companies are all about strategies and tactics. Heavy into research of any kind. They love to produce ?stuff?. Typically they are hyped up graphic design firms posing as marketing firms.?

Branding Agencies encompass all there is to offer. I know at Brand Identity Guru we preach that the best tactic is the one that leverages the brand identity. We never push any one tactic. Media, word of mouth, seo, it?s all the same to us. Whatever supports the strategy for the brand is all we think and care about.?

And that?s what makes us different. We actually care about and take action to strengthen our clients brand identity.?

So please don?t lump us in with other companies and call us the same. And even though you don?t call yourself a branding agency you ultimately are using a branding tactic called word of mouth. And that?s all it is and will ever be a tactic.