Brand and Business

The subhead: "Top-Level Marketers Focused on Back-to-Basics Strategy, Struggling With Digital Concepts."

Just a few comments and questions I'd like to raise:

1. The study was done with marketing executives making at least $160,000 annually. Bigger businesses? Big brands? Is it different for small and medium sized businesses?
2. Take the survey with a grain of salt since it was likely classic "what do you think" questioning. People will say one thing and do another. Really good research would get at the emotional drivers beneath the expected answers, not just rational alibis.
3. The article notes that these execs are experiencing fatigue with the ideas of Web 2.0, blogging and social networking. And, they say "most important" are the marketing concepts of customer retention, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty? Do they realize that the former connects with the latter in terms of marketing integration that drives results? Perhaps they do since in the same survey, those digital concepts were rated higher than last year. Or, maybe they just think they should say Web 2.0 is important because they read about it. Your thoughts?
4. I do like that the marketing execs want to get back to basics that should include clear brand identity strategy (who are you, what you promise) connecting with the audience through strong messaging and communications creative (pictures and words) and strategic marketing planning with audience-relevant tactics (the vehicles). A strong foundation is always a good idea. Don't you think?

Read the article.

In a recent article by University Business, Indiana State University was named in the first idea in an article on the fifty best branding ideas. Under the category of brand development, the first listing started with the words, "ground your brand in truth." (Yep...that's my own favorite brand mantra.) Indiana State University's search for their own truth yielded the tagline "More. From day one." According to the December 2008 article, the tagline has been a key piece of their brand positioning strategy for 4 years now.

Applicable beyond higher education, here are some other pearls of wisdom from the article:

• Be mindful of how brand campaign language may be perceived internally.
• Adjust the branding message to the audience.
• Jump start your brand campaign internally.
• Make connections to constituents’ daily lives.
• Allow others to toot your horn.

In a press release yesterday, the brand consultancy Verse Group® revealed high level findings from a study they conducted with Jupiter Research. The release says the top three trends in brand marketing are "shifting to non-traditional media, adopting brand stories and using design for competitive advantage."

With registration, a slightly more informative report is available on Verse Group's site. The study was conducted in November and was fielded among high level marketers at larger companies ($250MM+).

by Tiffany Sauder, president of Element Three

“Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth… ” – Deuteronomy 8:18 ESV

While the reflex in a down economy is to stop spending, continuing your marketing efforts, in even a limited capacity, will help you build brand identity and support growth in a less-than-ideal market.

Here are six ways to make your marketing dollars work harder as you head into 2009:
    
Shop around. Whether it's a trade show, advertising space, direct mail or telemarketing, there are deals to be found in nearly every area of marketing and advertising; allowing for greater coverage and impact per marketing dollar.
    
Focus. It may be tempting to take on any project that brings in revenue. To maximize your efforts, stay focused on acquiring ideal clients and keep your message on brand. Trying to do it all will create brand confusion, which will only cloud the market’s perception of your organization.
    
Remember your customers. This is not the time to go silent with existing customers. Build strong relationships to know how the economy is affecting them so you can deliver the most important solutions. Develop and execute against customer marketing programs that will keep existing customers engaged.
          
Sell. Sell Sell. Your sales people are working harder than ever. This isn't the time to try and do more with less, rather this is the time to do better with less. Be sure they are properly supported with tools and materials. Also, continually evaluate their message to ensure relevance in the new environment.

Keep the lines of communication open. Don’t forget about your internal audience –employees and vendors. Communicate early and often – and always, always be honest with what is going on.
    
Measure. If you don't know how your marketing activities impact your bottom line, now is a good time to begin measuring. This is even more critical in tough times. Executives are more receptive to making an investment if you can quantify the results.

Plant a Mustard Seed of Faith, Tiffany Sauder

I read in the Indianapolis Business Journal that Indianapolis ad agency Young&Laramore will be "making 'significant' staff cuts in the wake of losing the Steak n Shake account." After the Indianapolis Star had reported Steak n Shake's change of direction on 11/11/2008 one had to wonder about the effect on Young & Laramore. I hate to see them suffer any ill. From what I've seen, Young & Laramore has had well-considered marketing strategies and good creative. In fact, in my humble opinion, the advertising for Steak n Shake has been consistent and good from the standpoint of being noticeable, recognizable and making a clear promise. I wonder if the actual delivery of the brand experience matched what the commercials promised. Opinions anyone?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Young & Laramore that they'll land another significant account or two soon and recall at least some of the staff that will be cut.

A few years ago I picked up Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter's Guide simply because the front cover art was this "sentence:"

"Why many enterprise-oriented human capital assets consistently utilize complex linguistic architectures and niche-centric jargon to articulate mission-critical messaging and action items to their companies' diverse global constituencies, resulting in discernible disenfranchisement and change resistance on the part of each and every value-added stakeholder, who is consequently required at the end of the day to deploy more bandwidth toward drilling down into the communication than might otherwise have been required to maintain his or her comprehension of same and how not to do that."

Okay, it's an extreme example, but don't you recognize at least some of the jargon from your own business experiences?

For whatever reason, I've noticed a rise in jargon of late. Maybe it's because I'm spending enough time on Twitter writing and reading others' 140 character or less posts that I'm learning to communicate without all the bull. Regardless, we all need to stock of our how we speak and write.

Think about it, language is part of your brand whether you're an individual or a business. What amount of business (or industry-specific) jargon is the right amount for your brand, but not so much gibberish that it baffles people?

I'd heard some time back that Pepsi would develop a new brand identity. But then I forgot about it until I was in the grocery store this weekend and spied the new mark on a package. See it here. Or you could go to pepsi.com and wait for the site to load.

You might think I'd be all excited about this, right? After all I'm the Certified Brand Strategist in these neck of the woods. The one whose calling to brand was proceeded by a graphic designer's love for corporate identity. Honestly, I'm scratching my head about it.

Why in the world does Pepsi need a new logo? Is it part of some marketing launch strategy to reinvigorate the brand? I can live with a little brand re-invigoration. We could all use that from time to time. But, I have to admit that I can't see the usefulness of a new logo. Particularly this one. So, there's a smile. So what?

Hey, maybe they really needed to update their logo into this century. I'll buy that the type needed to be refreshed to feel current. Still, Pepsi spent how many dollars putting a smile in their logo since they weren't putting as many smiles on their consumers' faces? I'm estimating the logo development itself was around $1,000,000. (That's about what it takes from a top firm.) And, what kind of return on marketing investment do they expect from a new identity roll-out that by some reports will cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars?

Hey, I love that someone is spending big bucks with agencies. Bring it. But, particularly in this economic climate, wouldn't they have been better served putting that money into high quality research to understand emotional drivers (they should study Steve Nealy, Mr. Pepsi) and good solid marketing planning aimed at truly connecting with their core consumers? Maybe they spent that, too. Clearly I can't be there first-hand to grasp the entire brand positioning strategy, so I could be missing something in the planning.

Besides all the investment issues, I'm not sure I like the new mark. It seems, well, silly. Mr. Nealy, what do you think?

In case you want to read more, I saw a related article this morning in my in-box from AdAge discussing the demise of BBDO's relationship with Pepsi.

I heard a story this morning on NPR's Morning Edition - GOP Governors Meet in Miami - talking about the needed rebranding of the Republican party. (Note: this post isn't about politics. If you know me, you probably know my leanings which are completely beside the point.)

As I listened, I thought, "oh, how I'd like to get my hands on the GOP and put them through our Brand Chemistry process. I'd bring the leadership together and push them to the center of their vision and beliefs. And, I'd conduct several deep dive sessions with U.S. citizens to discover the emotional drivers that link the party's "consumers" with the "product" - you know, what makes them relevant with the people that really matter. Then I'd go through every touchpoint they've used and tell them which approaches work and which don't based on the essence I discovered. I'd help them create solid brand strategies that would focus all of their operations and communications. Working with my most excellent team, I'd guide the party through strategic marketing planning and the creation of tactics that would actually reach the hearts and minds of their targets. And, I'd hold them accountable to being true to their vision, beliefs and emotional drivers."

How do I get that gig?

Headline: McDonald's Japan Goes No-Brand with Quarter Pounder Shops

Really?

Isn't that really still brand? Isn't "McDonald's" inherent in "Quarter Pounder" no matter how you slice it up?

I seriously doubt the "no-brand" strategy would work without an already known parent brand. In fact, I doubt that such a brand positioning strategy actually exists. The very act of choosing to have no-brand is choosing a brand.

I looked into my crystal ball and I can’t see any time in the near future when buyers and sellers won’t have a relationship of some sort. Today, buyers actively seek (demand!) information, products and services to meet their needs (sometimes needs they don’t fully know they have). They don’t sit around waiting for it to drop in their laps. And they talk a lot about their experiences – good and bad. You can’t just idle and assume things will always be the same. You must deliberately participate in the conversation and intentionally move with the ebb and flow of the relationship.

Social media, including blogging, offers an outstanding chance to be a part of the daily fabric of business communications. Just remember that the best relationships are built on trust and rooted in authenticity. Don’t just fling platitudes and empty promises out there. If you think you’re ready for that kind of transparency, get in there. Provide content. Let people talk. Build your brand. Decide what social media touchpoints will be part of your marketing integration.

Brand is a connection between a company (or product) and its consumer. Therefore brand is a relationship – and one that must be activated. The keys to a good interpersonal relationship are also critical factors in a brand relationship:

• Honesty – Be honest about who you are and what you can do. Don’t lie or cover up the truth. Your customer will either sense it – or discover the truth the hard way.
• Good Communication – Be clear and listen carefully. Remember that verbal communication plays only a small part. What you do speaks volumes.
• Mutual Respect – Set the tone. Esteem your prospects and customers. Treat them with consideration.
• Clear Expectations – Say what you’re going to do. Make your promises.
• Dependability – Consistently and constantly deliver on your promises.
• Responsibility – When something goes awry, own up to it and make it right.

In the quest for success, regardless of the nature of the connection (personal or business), think about how you'll nurture the relationship.

I hear and see people saying that “brand” is dead. I think they mean “branding” is dead, branding being the practice of pushing out advertising and direct mail with the sole purpose of creating brand awareness. But brand itself is alive and well if you consider what it is – your evidence of distinction, a set of facts and emotions all rolled up into an essence that is represented when you develop brand identity (logos, taglines, colors, etc.) and other factors like product features, special language, etc. Don't make the mistake of thinking that brand positioning strategy isn't important to your success. Being clear about who you are and what you stand for is a critical starting point in your strategic marketing planning process.