The BIG Kahuna

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!

Did you know you can vote for us everyday? Help us out by voting again…

Cnn IS the most trusted name in news, at least with me. I watched CNN throughout the conventions and all the hurricanes. I was glued to the TV as news reporters were holding onto poles as hurricanes Ike and Gustav?hit.

I’m really not sure what keeps me watching but I do. I can’t stop. Now I have the shakes because nothing is happening. Anderson Cooper has come along way since The Mole.

I love CNN and when there is trouble in the world they’re the first place I turn. Period. Why? Because they seem to offer the most comprehensive coverage. And it never stops. Coverage upon coverage upon, you guessed it…coverage.

My wife, Nicci asks me why I keep watching the same stuff over and over. I’m addicted I tell you! I can’t stop watching.

As I write this post now I’m wondering if OJ will go to jail?

CNN is my favorite news brand. And they consistently deliver the news. I’m a CNN News crack addict.

Someone complained that I was talking to much politics and they unsubscribed from my RSS reader. I’ve written 354 FREE articles with oodles and oodles of advice, sprinkled in with my in your face opinions but the recent half dozen on the election just threw this guy/girl over the top so they unsubscribed.

I would have put a refund check in the mail if they were man/woman enough to say who they were but alas they went the anonymous route. So back to branding, marketing and whatever else I feel like writing.

Got a call from my Merrill Lynch financial advisor today to reassure me that they are okay and that my 401K plan is weathering the storm. I thought that was pretty proactive on his part. I was expecting to see him on the news jumping off the roof.

We’re going to be seeing a lot of big brands go bye bye and a lot of changes will be made. But we’ll all be fine and the tide will change. So, back to branding.

You’ve never voted.

Ever get into a political debate with someone only to hear this:

I’ve never voted. Or, I don’t vote because ____________.

I don’t care what reasons you have and we’ve heard them all, you have no right to complain if you don’t get off your lazy butt and vote. Write someone in if you don’t like the choices. Just stop whining about it if you can’t take 30 minutes out of your life and cast your vote.

Rant over.

Here’s a great place to go to register to vote, click here:

http://www.declareyourself.com/

Shares of Washington Mutual aka WAMU?are down 80%, Whoo Hoo or should I say Oh NO! If you remember I wrote about them here and here on their PATHETIC attempt at branding. Their Whoo Hoo campaign is useless and serves no purpose for their branding efforts. I still see them on TV and I wonder why? Soon they will become another victim of the mortgage crisis.

Let’s not forget what WAMU said just over a year ago:

?We want to become an iconic brand that people love,? said WaMu CMO Genevieve Smith, in a statement. ?Through ongoing brand tacking, we know we always outperform our peers when it comes to being emotionally relevant to people. [The new campaign] gives us a unique opportunity to talk about who we are.??

?The campaign creative taps into that [?Whoo hoo!?] experience and the enthusiasm of WaMu?s employees,? said Rob Schwartz, executive creative director for TBWA/Chiat/Day, in a statement.?

Here’s what Forbes has to say.

Maybe it’s time to rethink your “brand tacking” a bit?

What say you Kahunas?

If you enjoyed this post click the VOTE FOR ME button below. We really appreciate your support!

Laura Ries just wrote an awesome post on the McCain branding representing Coke and the Obama branding representing Pepsi. Here are some excerpts:

McCain is Coca-Cola. As part of the incumbent party that has dominated the White House for the past fifty years, he is the real thing. He embodies courage, duty and honor. As part of a legendary Naval family McCain?has a long history serving our country, his fighting in Vietnam and?years spent as a POW are legendary.?His reputation has always been as a maverick. McCain’s strength is his experience.

Obama is Pepsi-Cola.Obama is the choice of a new generation. Pepsi said, “You don’t want to drink what your parents drank. You are the Pepsi Generation!” With a?whole new taste and look, Pepsi stormed into the cola aisle just as Obama stormed onto the political stage. Obama is new, young, different and embodies the idea of change and hope. Obama’s strength is that he represents the choice of a new generation.

Read the entire story here. Hop over it’s really a great read.

Wanna make your vote count? Click the VOTE FOR ME button below. Why? Cause we kick slacker butt!

Which ticket best represents their branding. Please choose based on the branding and not who you’ll vote for. Where McCain/Palin want to be perceived as a Maverick and Obama/Biden wants to be perceived as change.

Now choose the candidate you’re voting for based on your personal preference:

Want to make your vote really count? Click on the VOTE FOR ME button below and help us win!