The BIG Kahuna

My blood boils when I hear stories of parents, consumers, anyone complain that their kids are morbidly obese because they eat fast-food (usually because the “advertising” made them do it). Take a gander?at this picture and then tell me who is to blame?

Here’s a brilliant idea. Stop taking your kids to McDonald’s! Listen it’s time for parents to do their job and protect their children, period. Don’t use advertising as a crutch for POOR parenting. I’m pretty sure these obese kids didn’t drive themselves to the restaurant and whip out a?twenty to purchase the food.

In my opinion this is all out child abuse. No child should be this fat, unless they have some type of medical condition. As we age we all put on more fat but as a child I certainly never looked like this. It’s disgusting and the parents should be held responsible.

What are your thoughts? Who’s to blame?

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I’ve written on Geek Squad a few times but I have to just they are really kicking some branding?ass. I see their cars and vans all over the place and it reminds me of what a great internal branding strategy they have. It’s a coveted job in their industry.

I’d love to hear from some Geeks? Comment as to why you love Geek Squad and what makes them special to you. Our branding readers would love to hear it right from the Geeks mouth!

My Kahunas (your version of Geeks) are livin’ quite a life, vote for us below if you think we’re cool enough for you Geeks!

Gosh, it’s very rare that something comes to me that’s creative from a creative person looking for a job. Call me crazy but if you’re applying for a creative position then be freakin creative.

Here’s one I got yesterday that was fantastic. All you would-be creatives looking for a job, take notice!

Hisham Kekhia (hisham.kekhia@gmail.com) sent me a package in a standard gold over-sized envelope. I opened it only to find another gold (smaller sized) envelope in it. On that smaller envelope was a standard label that said:

“There are many layers to a person – kind of like an onion, or this series of envelopes. The deeper you delve, the closer you get to the core, and the more you get to know the person.”

I thought to myself, wow, who is the mysterious person and it’s a good thing I love onions. I’m totally engaged now. So I opened that envelope and guess what? Yup another small gold envelope. Here’s what that one said:

“The resume and samples within are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There is much more on the inside, waiting for you to discover for yourself…”

Okay, now I’m 100% hooked. I can’t wait to open the next surprise!

I opened that envelope to find Hisham’s cover letter,?resume, 20 printed samples of?copywriting work and yet another smaller gold envelope.? Here’s what that envelope said:

I look forward to hearing from you.

And in that envelope was his personal business card.

Here’s the first paragraph of Hisham’s cover letter:

I hope you enjoyed your small journey to the center of the envelopes and that, more importantly, it grabbed your attention. Of course, as in advertising, grabbing attention is just the first step, and now that I have yours I would like to express my interest in the possibility of working with Brand Identity Guru as an intern this fall.

Now that’s the way to send in a job application. Note that Hisham just used standard envelopes and labels, nothing fancy. But the THINKING and process was very engaging and creative.

Now, unfortunately for Hisham we only hire senior level (10 years plus)?people at BIG. It’s a policy we live by as our Kahunas all work virtually so being seasoned is critical to our and our clients?success, but…

Here’s Hisham’s info for all those other agencies looking for a rookie that’s exceptional:

Hisham Kekhia

email: hisham.kekhia@gmail.com ?or

hisham_kekhia@emerson.edu

Hisham does have 2 years of agency experience.

p.s. To all those other creative people that email me just?their resume or send it snail mail, you have no chance. Or most likely any chance with any other creative company. Raise your game or get out of the game.

We’re in a very tight race in this years competition. Please take two seconds to help us out by clicking on the?Vote For Me button! You can vote once a day.

According to actor Matt Damon Sarah Palin is an “absurd” thought. And McCain has a 1/3 chance of dying in office…Oh and let’s not forget that he says “It’s like a really bad Disney movie”.

Nah, nah, nah nah, hey, hey, hey…goodbye (to Matt’s career). He just insulted half of the country and threw Disney under the bus.

I guess this is no surprise as Matt Damon is from Boston and Massachusetts is historically a democrat state. Add to it he’s now from Hollywood and is a liberal.

Here’s my take on it. Matt Damon like the band?Heart should just shut their pie holes and protect their own brand image. Putting yourself out there in a heated election just pisses the other side off. Like me.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but when you’re a star the rules change for you. You have to protect your brand first and foremost.

Matt Damon just made 48% of the voting population pretty mad. Instead of trashing Sarah Palin why not do something more constructive like pointing out why Obama/Biden are better.?Trashing someone over your political views?is bad business, especially in the movie business.

What do you think? Should these stars come out and trash the other side?

If you think Matt was a nincompoop for making this video click on the VOTE FOR ME? button below.

Are you a High School/College graphic designer, website designer, artist, copywriter, painter, poem writer, photographer, director? In other words, creative? If so this ?blog is for you!

Brand Identity Guru?wants to help. Here’s what to do.

1. Send us a link to your work, ie website, portfolio, Myspace account, video, photography, copywriting, poem, anything related to art or creativeness. Or email me a sample?of your work. Got something on YouTube that’s creative? Send me a link. Want to mail it in?

Brand Identity Guru, 304 Newbury St., Suite 555, Boston, MA 02115

2. Give me your details, name, age, city/town, state,?high school/college name,?myspace/facebook link, favorite teacher?etc.

3. In 5 words or less why you are passionate about what you do.

Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll post the best?work on the blog and submit it to Digg, twitter, Facebook etc. You’ll have your own page dedicated to your work on one of the best branding blogs in the world. I’ll help spread the word about you and your talent.

If you?are good enough?the world will know just how talented you are. I’m a harsh critic so?getting in?the will be quite a feather in your?cap?plus it ain’t bad to add to your college/job applications!

Let’s go, this is your BIG Chance! Send in your creative stuff.

Rules: You have to be currently enrolled in high school/college. Don’t waste our time faking to be someone, this contest is an opportunity for creative kids in high school/college. We’ll remove any winners not enrolled in high school/college. In other words, be serious about this. Please.

And for those that haven?t voted, c?mon help a brother out. Click VOTE FOR ME ?below. You can vote once a day.

The other day I asked our readers, customers, friends and family to help us in the startupnation.com virtual business competition. One of our clients Humboldt Storage and Moving (one of United Van Lines largest movers) sent me a quick?email.

The email from President Jim Sullivan was addressed to all 100 plus employees of Humboldt. It said let’s help out our partner in this competion. It’s important to them.

Wow, that’s some cool beans.

Humboldt has always taken a deep interest in BIG and we truly have a real partnership. I’m fortunate to have them as a partner!

Thanks Humboldt!

And for those that haven’t voted, c’mon help a brother out. Click VOTE FOR ME below. You can vote once a day.

So please, click on the green button at the right or below?that says VOTE FOR ME.

You can vote once a day. Here’s our popularity now, make us HOT baby!

We need your help in our quest to be recognized as a forward thinker in the virtual office arena. In 2002 I took our company virtual. All our talented brand ambassadors work from home. The move, at the time was risky but has paid off BIG time. Everyone’s happier,?especially our clients.

You can vote once a day so if you’re a regular reader just take 2 seconds every time you read a new post and click VOTE FOR ME. Hey, I take the time to write the articles and take the heat, give me some props!

15 minutes into game 1 of the season and Tom Brady goes down with a suspected torn ACL (I’ve had it?- it sucks and stinks). My wife and I cried in our hands.

Do you think Randy Moss still has Daunte Culpepper’s phone number?

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It’s been reported that Michael Strahan was paid $75,000 to appear at the opening day ceremonies for the New York Giants.

Apparently the honor of saying thanks to the fans that supported him over the years wasn’t good enough. Never mind that the New York Giants paid him millions upon millions?of dollars as an employee. I’ll bet my last dollar that will never happen with our team captain Tom Brady.

So much for being a brand ambassador huh?

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I just saw the band Heart a few weeks ago backing up Journey in Boston. Heart?has been pretty washed up as a band for about 20 years now. But there in the news whining about the Republican Party playing their song “Barracuda” (a song they made in the 70′s)?during the convention. Read the story here.

Why do these bands complain that a group, any group, is playing their music in front of say 40 million people? 40 Million?people haven’t heard that song in the last 30 freakin years. Their thinking is so ridiculous and shortsighted. Especially since they’re trying to make a comeback.

Here’s what Ann Wilson of Heart had to say:

“Sarah Palin’s views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song ‘Barracuda’ no longer be used to promote her image…[It] was written in the late ’70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women…There’s irony in Republican strategists’ choice to make use of it there.”

It’s a freakin song people? You don’t have to agree with a party or their beliefs. The song means something to them, you should be proud that they connected with it. And you just missed an opportunity to sell a lot?of downloads. Imagine if they just sat back and did nothing? Downloads of Barracuda could have skyrocketed? Politics has nothing to do with record sales folks, nothing.

When?Heart sold the record did?they say everyone but Republicans could buy it? I think not.

Here’s another great post on the subject.

Good luck with the comeback. You just pissed off half of the country!

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Check out the new video from Guinness. Risky? Oh yea. Insulting to women? I would think so. Funny? I laughed but I’m not a woman. What do you think? And how will it affect the brand?

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Readers of my blog know (in my humble opinion)?I’ve been critical of word of mouth marketing companies as I think most of them miss the boat on branding. I see lots of gimmicks and smoke and mirrors. Then I came across this post:

Keller Fay/OMD Study Finds Offline Word of Mouth More Positive and Credible than Online Buzz

Here’s a quote:

On average, there are 3.5 billion word of mouth conversations that occur daily in the U.S. Offline WOM accounts for 92% of conversations (75% face to face; 17% by phone), and email, IM/text messaging and chatroom/blogs account for 7%.

What does this research tell us? I perceive it as word of mouth marketing?is directly tied to and dependent on how one feels about a brand. The more positive you feel about a brand the more one talks. And according to this research people are talking offline.

How do you get people to feel a certain way? Well a remarkable product or service is a good start. And of course proper positioning and brand identity development are crucial. You need to differentiate your company or product and focus. Apple products are not for everyone for a reason. They do a great job of excluding people and selling into their core target market. I am not an Apple brand ambassador. I own an old iPod, that’s it. But my graphic/web designers all use Mac’s and would NEVER switch to a PC, ever. they are part of the Apple cult.

So if you’re considering word of mouth marketing remember one thing. It’s part of branding, treat it as such.

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It’s my first, I popped my blogging cherry. Andy Sernovitz has banned me from posting on his blog?site Damn! I Wish I’d Thought Of That!. Not only did he ban me but he reported me as a spammer. That’s so uncool. And simply not true. We all know what a spammer is and leaving comments that are different than your opinion is not spamming.

Sorry Andy that in my opinion I find you to be?a charlatan.

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But now you’re a coward as well.

Many people think Andy is a word of mouth genius…I find him to be more of a?smoke and mirrors, marketing gimmick kind of guy. Of course that’s just my humble opinion.

Apparently he didn’t like my opinions of him:

Andy Sernovitz Wants You To Let Him Steal Your Logo?

Marketing Gimmicks Vs Branding Strategy

Can You Build A Brand Around Gimmicks?

High Point University – Hot Tubs and Ice Cream

Andy Sernovitz Branding and Word of Mouth Marketing

Hence I’m banned from learning about how a handwritten smile on a receipt is great word of mouth or like his post today where putting out cookies and candy at a Fantastic Sam’s “makes the difference”.

My day is ruined, I’m banned by Andy Sernovitz.

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Businesses are feeling the pinch for sure and?typically?companies cut their marketing budgets as a knee jerk reaction. If you can only do one thing this is the absolute best tactic in a recession:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Why is SEO so great? Here’s why;

1. Exponentially increases the amount of visits to your site.

2. It will drive targeted traffic to your website, these are customers that want to buy from you.

3. Because they are already searching for someone like you they have a much higher need or problem to be solved. This means in most cases they are ready to buy.

4. If they find you in a natural listing on Google they already have “trust” built in. Users trust Google and their rankings and if Google puts you in the top ten then you too become trusted.

5. Return on investment for our clients averages 90 days. That’s as good as it gets as far as a specific tactic is concerned.

6. Increases brand awareness. If you consistently show up in multiple searches you can bank on increasing your brand awareness.

I can go on and on but the truth is that over 90% of websites on the web are not optimized. That’s a huge opportunity for you to take that online business. While all your competitors are scurrying around contemplating layoffs or worse be smart and have your website optimized.

But and here’s the big but. Be careful who you choose as an SEO company. Everyone and their brother now say they do SEO. Choosing the wrong company can cost you a lot of money and possibly get you banned from Google.

Check out our offering here: Boston SEO.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Don’t do your own TV advertising. Period.

Here’s a local Boston?company called Sullivan Tire. Their strategy is partnering with the Boston?Red Sox to do TV commercials. First they have their owner Paul Sullivan?(at least I think he’s the owner) who appears in all the spots. I know this is painful (in my humble opinion)?but watch this all the way through.

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Look I’m not trying to be mean or hurtful (and these are just my opinions)?but don’t do your own TV commercials. Read what this blog had to say. The spots are just horrible and they’re absolutely useless. There’s no real call to action or even a reason to watch.? I know they stroke the egos of owners but beyond that it’s a big waste of money.

Invest in building your brand identity?and then developing tactics to leverage that identity. Then you have a differentiator, a reason for people to CHOOSE you over others. Not a reason to laugh at you.

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I am a technology freak. When DirecTV came out I was one of the first to subscribe. I was with DirecTV for many, many years. Most of them without complaint. I became a DirecTV brand ambassador, referring them to anyone that would listen.

When HD came out a few years back I wanted in. DirecTV was slow to react but as soon as they did I asked for a new HD box. After 4 attempts to get a box working I was forced to cancel my service and I moved to cable.

When I called DirecTV to cancel I was informed I’d have to pay a cancellation fee. I said I would not. The scripted customer service person explained that my contract was not up and it would cost me $300 to breakaway from DirecTV. I informed the (I can’t say anything other than what’s written in front of me) customer service person that I had been one of the ORIGINAL customers and that I had been with them for like 8 years. Furthermore the reason for me leaving was because their product wouldn’t work.

Her response? Stay or pay the $300. I wrote a letter to the President and I was allowed to leave without paying. But many people don’t have that pit bull attitude, read about the problems here.

The company maintains it is “careful to disclose to customers all relevant terms and conditions of their agreement with DirecTV.” But based on the amount of complaints on the issue it’s not clear their message is getting through. More than 20,000 customers filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau – www.bbb.org – over the past three years, many on the same issues.

Let’s look at it from a branding perspective. This is yet another case of a big company making a policy that works against the brand and the brand promise. Instead of charging customers upfront for installation (the transparent, honest thing to do) they wait for customers to want to leave them and then hit them over the head with a cancellation fee.

Now we know why they don’t charge upfront (heavens forbid they lose a sale) but what they inherently do to leaving customers is loose them forever. Leave us and we whack you! Of course it’s all in the fine print so that legally they’re covered. But no one remembers 4 years later when something changes (like products that don’t work or bad service).

It’s sad that companies make these horrible?policies not even considering the branding implications. In my opinion it’s just pure and simple greed. In most cases subscribers are with them for many years (all the while DirecTV collects the monthly bill) before they choose to leave. They’ve made their money so why?add insult to injury for people who want to leave?

So consider this before making a decision to buy DirecTV. This will absolutely become your problem if you decide to leave them.? Read more about it here.

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