Vague or Specific Brands?

Within the spectrum of brand definitions, there are two extremes: vague brands and specific brands. Before we look at the implications of each, let's define them.

Specific brand: A brand that defines itself narrowly and with detail. Examples include Starbucks, Ray-Ban, and Kleenex.

Vague brand: A brand that defines itself via characteristics, emotions, and broad strokes. Examples include IBM (the new IBM), National Geographic, and Disney.

The differences between these types of brands go beyond names and logos. A specific brand is limited in its ability to spread beyond a limited category. Ray-Ban, for example, is exclusively sunglasses. Customers would not eat at the Ray-Ban Restaurant or buy Ray-Ban shoes. A vague brand is the opposite--a brand that can transcend categories and work across many channels. National Geographic has a television channel, a magazine, guided tours, retails shops, and many other conduits for its brand.

Each also has benefits and drawbacks. A specific brand is much simpler to establish and manage. Since it is highly focused, the messages and all other elements are easier to control within a narrow category. The drawback is that the brand is limited in terms of expansion. It becomes very difficult to spread a narrow brand.

When dealing with a vague brand, there is a huge amount of potential and variety. Like with Disney, a strong vague brand can extend from hotels to consumer products to consulting. The drawbacks here involve intense monitoring and management of the brand. A wide variety of goods and services means managing multiple messages, approaches, and styles that all have to fall under one overall brand umbrella. The cost of this management is much higher than a specific brand, but so is the potential.

As you develop your brand, try to think into the future to where you want to take it. I am not suggesting that you start off with a hard-to-control vague brand, but with proper planning, your move to a broader brand will be much simpler than if you try to do so with a specific brand.

Branding Help for the Retail Sector

I don't believe that this will come over as overly snarky, however I do believe that these kind of common sense ideas will make everyone's retail experience better. If you own a retail store or chain, it will make your retail brand experience stronger, richer and more rewarding.

On another note, I don't think these ideas are too "boutiquey" for big box retail, in fact big box retail might want to read this post twice.

Attitude: Make sure you don't have one that offends. I'd rather see a big smile than to made to feel like I'm thankful for being able to shop in the staff's presence...

Good Music: Not Muzak. Not what my dad calls hippedy-hop. Renovation Hardware does a great job of this with their music, as does Victoria's Secret. What I recommend is something that reflects the brand and invites a variety of customers, not just your selected profile, to stay longer, enjoy your store, and not get bored. One never knows when your mom may want to buy the latest sneakers and may even buy several pairs if she enjoys the store environment, music included. There are always songs from each genre that have a wider appeal--it just takes a little bit of research.

Nice Packaging: A well done shopping bag is one of the best tools you can employ in the retail environment. You have the opportunity for each customer to walk around displaying your logo, so you may as well put it on a great-looking bag. Even better, on the higher end, when tissue paper and a box is included in the packaging, it looks great! Yes, it costs 4 cents per purchase and yes, it is remembered by everyone who ever sees your packaging. You want to make more from customers? this is a great way to start.

Attention to detail. I don't really need to explain, do I?

Last, Service minded, smartly dressed, and appropriately enthusiastic staff: Work on this aspect of your brand until you can't get any better, then make sure it stays that way. Your customer service representatives are your brand embassadors. They convey the experience of your brand, and what is discussed by your customers after they leave. How often do they talk about your logo or your lighting? Not very often. Thus, this aspect of your brand experience deserves considerable attention.

If you can get these five things right, it will lead the way for even more branding details to fall right into place.

Branding Readability

To many, the visual aspects of a brand--a brand identity, or style--is what is thought of when the word brand is mentioned. With this in mind, it is interesting how often designers create identities that are unreadable. Now, I don't mean that the brand is unreadable due to poor grammar! Rather, this is due to strictly visual reasons, the sort that designers should be aware of as professionals. It is amazing how often this happens. Let's visit a few reasons identities are unreadable:

1. Font. There is a reason why Helvetica is probably the most used typeface--it is easily read. It can be reduced to a teeny tiny size and is still readable. Some of us are sick of Helvetica, and seek alternatives, and get into trouble. It is important to select a font that is truly readable at a distance. Ask someone that wears glasses to try to read it--is it overly difficult for them at a large size? Sometimes, designers argue: "This design isn't for older people anyway!" I wonder what those older people do when they can't read the packaging on a gift they want to buy for their neice or grand-daughter?...they have the onerous task of delaying their purchase due to their inability to read the text. How is that a good introduction to that product and brand? It is not good, yet remains in the hands of designers making type decisions.

2. Color. Some colors are difficult to read at any size. Try yellow or some shades of orange. for example. Light blue falls in this category too. The background color complicates matters. There is nothing like red text on a blue background--a visually vibrating mess of a combination.

The essential thing to remember with color is to make selections that are appropriate for the size and background where it appears. The best way to check is to print out a copy--on your computer monitor, it will probably be more defined and easier to read.

3. Location. Sometimes the items identifying a brand are located in a strange place or on a complicated pattern making it unreadable because the reader can't find it! Use conventional places to use text in packaging, among other design peices. There are other opportunities for creativity. If you are using photographs, illustrations, or patterned backgrounds, thoroughly test your design to make sure the text is easily read.

Adding to Your Brand

We've talked at length about establishing a brand, defining a brand, and all sorts of different ways to work with and leverage a brand. But what if you need to add to it? Incorporating a new element into your brand can be a real challenge, especially if this element is something that is also entirely new to your organization.

McDonald's is working with this adjustment right now. The chain known for convenience, value, and consistency is now looking to build its "green" credentials and hopefully build this into its brand--not just for use as a PR tactic. The challenge here is twofold:

1. Can McDonald's actually make a big enough splash with green activities that their efforts will actually mean something?
2. If #1 is accomplished, can this be integrated successfully into the McDonald's brand?

Since this is something fairly new for the company, McDonald's needs to find a way to properly integrate its green initiatives into its communications. Much like any other group adding a new brand element, careful planning will occur, the new element will be installed across the organization's internal business processes, and finally, integrated little by little into external communications (ads, packaging, promotions, etc.).

One of the largest hurdles to overcome during this process is the check to make sure this new elements gels with the existing brand. If it does not, there is a bigger problem: why are you adding this in the first place if it doesn't make sense for the organization? Without passing this check, you'll end up shoehorning an incompatible element into your brand and sew the seeds of instability and inconsistency.

Source: Warner, Melanie. Large Fry. Fast Company, April, 2009.

Recessions Breed Cannibals

Cannibalism is always a temptation for brand managers. Brand cannibalism (at least for most people....). Who among us hasn't been tempted by an opportunity to make some quick gains by going against the brand we're charged with upholding? The problem with this is that each time we seize one of those opportunities, we eat just a little bit of our own brand.

When times are tough, making money and maintaining cash flow becomes more important then ever. Believe me, I understand that. There is, however, the consideration of short term gains versus long term sustainability of your brand. If you offer an incredible discount on your service or product in order to generate some much-needed cashflow, how can you expect customers to pay full price again once the economy recovers?

The danger of cannibilizing your brand for these short gains is that if you do it too much or too often, the brand cannot recover. A good example of this is what Starbucks is doing right now with their introduction of instant coffee to their product line (if you've listened to our interview on Marketplace Morning Edition, this might sound familiar). Starbucks is headed down a dangerous path that will forever cheapen their brand: lower quality products in an attempt to appease a wider audience and combat competition from McDonald's. The result of this will either be lower prices and thus lower quality, or an abandonment of the brand by once-loyal customers.

In the real world, however, I know that this may seem impractical. When you need cash, you need cash, and sometimes it's impossible to say no to a deal, no matter its inconsistency with your brand. If an opportunity like this comes up, try to look at all angles and see if you can't find a way to at least partially align the deal with your brand. For example, if you have to slash a price, try to make the product comparable to that cut--a scaled down or reduced version, so at least the buyer understands that they aren't getting steak at hamburger prices.

Seven Considerations for Your Brand During "The New Economy"

1. Enter the vacuum of opportunity. While others are running away from communication opportunities and expense, there is a void created—ready for you to fill and trumpet your brand’s existence and success.

2. Something is better than nothing. Deleting or minimizing communication sends a message that your organization is a casualty of the economy. Sad but true; many customers do not check to see if you are still in business because they are used to hearing from you, not reaching out to you.

3. Get more for your money. Advertising, printing, and other commodities are at lower prices these days. In other words, it is cheaper now to obtain customers than before using these communication channels.

4. Focus on your end result. Old-fashioned, ‘this is why we’re interesting and this is why we are good’ brand awareness, rather than tricky or avante-guard approaches will connect you to customers faster these days. Prepare for lower-cost, newly-formed competitors. Trump those nipping at your heels by communicating a brand with a solid track record of success.

5. Realize that hiring in-house communication assistance doesn’t save money. Studies in business journals attest to this. When you add together salary, taxes, benefits, and the portion of overhead assigned to each employee, this is far more expense than what you would pay an agency for your brand initiative.

6. Recognize the benefits of a small team. For a slightly higher price than a freelancer, you can hire portions of several skill sets from a small team. It is rare that a freelancer has project management, strategic insight, experience, technological acumen, design ability, and efficiency all in one person.

7. Create a current brand strategy. Recently, the world changed significantly. If your strategy was finalized before 2009 began, it is worth reviewing to see if it is still applicable.

This information will be released for the first time in person at a WIT event Basis is sponsoring tomorrow: Anna Post discusses etiquette in the modern work environment.

Branding During a Recession

When times are tough, marketing and communications usually experience the first cuts. Why? I really don't know. If anything, an organization should market more, but this is something you'd hear from practically any marketing professional and this is not my point. Sometimes branding exercises must still move forward, despite cutbacks and market conditions. How can an organization spend a little but get a lot?

There are some basic elements to a brand that, if leveraged properly, will get you far without undertaking a full-blown development project:

• Logo: At the very least, a logo that is a simple word treatment--graphics are not necessary, but something to use as your "stamp" is.
• Color palette/strategy: A basic color strategy is sometimes all a brand needs to help it stay consistent throughout its use.
• Message: Without a message crafted towards the target audience, a brand lacks direction and power.
• Image strategy: At some point, imagery (photos, illustrations, etc.) will come into play, so having a strategy, however basic, will help to maintain consistency.

A good way to save money is to hire someone to help you develop these and work with them and contribute as much as you are able. I know it sounds counter-intuitive to save money by paying someone, but often a professional branding expert can help you move through this exercise much quicker than on your own. Having the same person/agency work on everything is another good way to cut costs--packaging development almost always saves time and money.

Everything on top of these basic items can either be developed in-house or on an as-needed basis when funds become available. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish with this small toolbox of brand elements. Much like the 8-pack of Crayola crayons, it's all about how you use them that determines your result.

The Branding Werewolf Approaches!

Look out! Oh--that's right. There is no 'branding werewolf.' What a silly idea, right? Well if there's no such thing, then why are businesses and nonprofits always looking for a silver bullet to slay it?

The silver bullet, in this case, is that perfect logo, name, or other element that makes you say "Wow! That's it!" when you see it. Many people expect this to happen during a brand's development and often use it as a litmus test for their final decisions. While a 'wow' factor is a great phenomenon to come across, it is unfortunately an unrealistic expectation and often inhibiting to the process.

What constitutes the 'wow' factor is different for every person because it is based on personal opinion. Your goal in brand development is not to create something that knocks your or your boss' socks off, but rather to create something that is competent and sends the correct message to your target audience. Also, keep in mind that it is rare for a single brand element to stand on its own. Logos, names, colors, messages - everything - are almost always within some sort of context, existing within a cohesive brand system where each component supports another. There is no need for each portion to be immaculate on its own.

The reality is that we all have to learn to accept something that competantly gets the job done. For many, it is difficult to sign off on something that doesn't feel like the surefire, 100% solution, but those people must remind themselves that any weakness in one area will be compensated by the strength of another. It is the beauty of a cohesive system.

Link: 3 Keys to Successful Branding for Small Business

Normally I'd provide commentary, but this article pretty much covers everything I have to say: http://brandingmatters.net/3-keys-to-succesful-branding-for-small-business/

This is a short, sweet, and excellent synopsis of how to develop a brand at a practical, small-business level. Not everyone has the resources of a multinational corporation and for most of us market research is just a pipe dream. The keys presented in this article really are the main goals to developing a successful brand. Couldn't have said it better myself!

Sales and Support Come Together

Sales reps are common in many industries. It's a great tactic - brand ambassadors travel to client or customer sites, take orders, provide service, and handle most of the marketing. I think the most important aspect of the rep/customer relationship is that the same person that sells the product is the same one that provides the service and support. It's a consistency within the relationship that reinforces trust. So why don't we see this with other business models?

I recently met with an emerging telecom. Their tech support people are also the same ones that handle the majority of the inside sales. This got me thinking--what if the tech support people also handled external sales? I know that there are some time management issues at hand, but for the sake of argument, let's explore the benefits of this arrangement.

Imagine if the same person that came to sell you an expensive telecom system was also the person who oversaw the installation, gave you his/her cell and home number so you could contact them during off hours, and also was the same person who gave you the tech support answers you may seek. This is a strong, consistent relationship. No longer is the customer passed off between departments with a new contact each time. I'd be willing to bet that this customer would keep their business with this company longer than average.

Maybe there is a place for this type of setup in more organizations. You can never underestimate the power of consistency and relationships.

Battle of the Brands

Whether you, your child, or your friends play video games (or not), it's probably safe to assume you've heard about the music-simulation phenomenon that has swept the electronic entertainment sector and become the big blockbuster sellers at the holidays. It began with Guitar Hero (with a single guitar), which led to a sequel, which led to Rock Band (the 4-instrument simluation), which all culminated in 2008's Guitar Hero World Tour (4th installment) and Rock Band 2--both full 4-instrument simulations.

Now that you know the history, let's talk about the product. At this point, the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises have become nearly identical products. They each feature singing, lead guitar, bass guitar, and drums. The mechanics of how one plays are nearly identical. Even the song lists, at this point, have a lot of crossover. Granted, there are some superficial differences including Guitar Hero's "GH Tunes" feature, but for the most part, we're talking about Coke vs. Pepsi (if you're wondering, the price points are about the same too).

Consider this, now: NPD's 2008 figures show that the recent Guitar Hero offering outsold Rock Band 2 by a factor of 2:1 (1.7 million vs. 3.4 million units). With all other factors equalized, it is Guitar Hero's strength of branding that has propelled it to the number 1 position. The franchise has existed longer, has bigger and stronger partnerships (for example, its use of celebrities), and a huge and dedicated community.

As a shining example of how branding can make the difference with comparable competition, this instance has some takeaways we can all use against our competition. In this case, volume of advertising, superiority of product, merchandizing, and pricing do not factor into the upper hand. Rather, we see a strong leverage of external forces, consistent messaging across media and partners, and everlasting reinforcement of the core brand promise. Relentlessly pursuing this strategy has paid off in the face of competition. A good lesson for us all.

"Judo Brand Marketing"

Monday's Wall Street Journal had a very interesting article written by Professor Ross Petty of Babson University (a fine university located in the berg of my alma mater in Waltham, MA). He's coined a term called "Judo brand marketing," taken from the core philosophies of Judo which involve using an opponent's size and momentum to one's advantage. The marketing ramifications are very similar: using a larger, more established brand to propel your own. Dr. Petty goes on to discuss the ways that this can be accomplished and how to stay on the right side of the law when doing so.

Some of the techniques involve using logos and brand marks alongside your own, copycat branding (see my article on Me-Too Brands), and compatible and comparative marketing, among others. All of this is very interesting and are, frankly, fiendishly clever marketing tactics. At the same time, however, these are very dangerous--something Dr. Petty states outright.

If you are going to make use of someone else's brand in your own marketing, you're treading in some very dangerous waters. The obvious pitfalls include copyright infringement and misuse. Other dangers include tying your own brand to something that you cannot control. What if the other firm goes under? Or has some PR nightmare descend on them? All of these are risks one assumes when implementing these tactics. But, like any other strategy, the risks are commensurate with the potential rewards.

Food Trends and Brand Expansion

Unfortunately, healthy eating is a trend. The phenomenon began in the late eighties/early nineties, and has seen many iterations: the salad boom, low-fat, low-carb, no-trans-fat, organic, etc. Recently, we have seen some popular restaurant chains adding not just new items to their menu, but entire sections. To their credit, these additions weren't simply bolted onto the menu; rather, they were smart brand extensions.

A few examples of this would be Burger King's "fire grilled" message along with its higher-end sandwiches, the TGI Friday's Right Portion, Right Price menu, and Red Lobster's new Wood-Fire Grill selections (albeit, these items are advertised as literally dripping with melted butter). The common thread within these examples is that each one is carefully integrated within the brand. Each is presented using the imagery and messaging that consumers have come to expect from these restaurants.

When introducing a new product that runs contrary to other products in your line (high-end vs. cheap burgers, slim vs. large portions, etc.), it is of the utmost importance to think ahead and plan on how you will integrate them without reinventing your brand. Usually, it is about mapping out the marketable elements of the new product and then matching them with your existing brand attributes. Do this, and consumers will see it as a natural extension, rather than an alien offering that looks like it is jumping on the bandwagon.

A Dress to Last a Decade

Today I sat at a table of new friends as they discussed how best to get the word out about their entrepreneurial efforts. They were animated about how they could get this and that deal for a logo, developed quickly for great prices. I watched in amazement, not only because my firm produces logos that support the brands we create, but also reacted to the lack of awareness in the marketplace when it comes to decisions such as these.

We are all familiar with this scene: A woman has a group of other women huddled around her, she has recently purchased the services of three of the finest craftsmen in New York. She takes a deep breath, and heads down the aisle, knowing that she looks her best…for one day.

In contrast, a brand is developed to last at least ten years. To work, it needs to have a long shelf life, be memorable, fresh, accurately represent you, and versatile—all at the same time. It is interesting when it comes to the deliverables that come after a brand is developed, that we go for the cheapest outfit to represent ourselves.

Post contributed by Catherine Shaw.

Branding Is Not for You

Attention brand and project managers: branding is NOT for you. Please allow me to explain.

Whether it is a company, a product, or nonprofit, a brand is not at its strongest when it is developed to suit your personal tastes. Like the color blue? Fantastic--go buy a blue car. That particular name sounds good to you? Use it for when your baby is born.

Too often, I see clients steer their branding in the direction of their own wants and desires for a number of reasons. Maybe they want to leave their own personal stamp on it. Maybe they just want something that they can look at and feel good. This is completely mistargeted.

A brand exists as a promise to your customers and should be made up of elements that resonate with their needs. One cannot expect those needs to be addressed when the brand is made up of the CEO's favorite aspects of the company along with his/her favorite colors. Logos, messages, colors, fonts, and all the components that make up a cohesive brand should all be developed with the target audience in mind and - guess what? - that might not be you.

Audience Segmentation and Brand Consistency

Wouldn't it be great if every business had its own fiefdom of customers and all of those customers fit a nice little mold? That way, we could use a singular message, a singular marketing approach, sell to everyone, and all would be happy. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work like that.

The truth is, most of our businesses and organizations have multiple audiences that we have to satisfy, but we only have one brand. The real challenge in addressing all of these core groups of people is to reach out to them in a way that is unique to their needs but still brand consistent. I am unaware of any silver-bullet method to develop these approaches, but there is a framework that will guide you along your path:

• Map out the core elements of your brand and extend them out to all of the elements that go along with them
• List all of the audiences with which you need to communicate and develop profiles for them regarding what is important to them, the factors that help them make a buying decision, and demographic information about them
• Using your extended brand elements, begin to match them up with your audience profiles so you can see the path you must take to communicate within your brand
• Finally, use your paired up information to craft messages, sales pitches, and other marketing tactics that will help you to reach out to these audiences in unique ways that are still on-brand.

Recession Brands

During a recession (or "economic slowdown" if you live in Washington, DC like me), it seems as though everyone suffers. Every once in a while, though, we hear about the mythical "recession-proof" business, brand, or job and the reason as to why it is able to resist the financial condition of the market. In this case, store brands (or house brands) not only resist a recession, but thrive in it.

There are 3 tenets to a successful store-branded product that make it a powerhouse on the shelf:

1. They are usually priced lower, per volume, then their name-brand competitors,
2. Their quality is about the same as the nearest comparable product and,
3. The store's profit margin on them is typically much higher than with the name-brand products.

During a recession, people look to save money in the easiest of places, and so store brand sales rise as the Dow drops.* Because of the quality and price, store brands are the low-hanging fruit when looking to cut everyday costs and as their sales rise, so do the profits of the store.

So what can you take away from this? This is an example of a successful brand model that doesn't rely on messaging, visual appeal, or any of the other traditional branding attributes. This perfect storm of success is due to the unsung heroes of great branding: price, position, and quality.

* Ziobro, Paul. Store Brands Boost Kroger Profit. Wall Street Journal. September 17, 2008.

Support Your Brand with a Solid Name

The process of crafting a name for your product, business, or organization is much like developing a logo. You will have many iterations, different structures, options with meaning, and options that just sound good. And, of course, you will have strong opinions all around about which options are great and which are terrible.

I don't want to go into the process of naming, as there are many different schools of thought on this. Rather, I wanted to mention the importance of supporting your brand with a good name. A name isn't there simply to be a label or just to sound good--it is there as a supporting brand attribute. The name must reflect your core brand promise and whatever that message may be (playful, smart, sophisticated, etc.).

Everyone loves a good example, so here are some real world names that support and some that don't support the brands that they represent:

The Good

• Victoria's Secret. An exotic, high class woman's name paired with the idea of privacy is a surefire fit for a high-end lingerie line.
• Uno Chicago Grill. Not a great name in itself, but the change from Pizzeria Uno was a savvy transition as the restaurant chain diversified its menu and expanded into different entree options.
• Kitchenaid. It's direct to the point with 'kitchen' but insinuates how helpful the products are with the addition of 'aid.'

The Bad

• Overwaitea Foods. The Canadian supermarket chain got its name for originally selling 18 ounces of tea for the price of a pound. Now it sounds like their products will make you fat.
• Chevy Nova. Sounds great, right? In Spanish it means 'doesn't go.'
• Noblis. This health care innovation nonprofit promises that you will never know peace (bliss) by way of its constant efforts.

Using Your Own Photographs

Using your own photographs of staff, events, products, and other dimensions of your organization can be a great way to personalize your marketing materials and strengthen your brand. Rather than stock photography or illustrations, there is a feeling of authenticity and "realness" when the imagery is of actual employees, customers, or even the office.

There are, however, may pitfalls to this practice. Use some of the tips below as guidelines to using your own photography in your marketing:

• The resolution of your photos is of critical importance to their respective uses. Make sure your photos are a minimum of 300 DPI (dots per inch) for printed pieces and a minimum of 72 DPI for the Web. Nothing ruins a good marketing piece like a pixelated, poor quality photo.
• Just because you are using your own photos, doesn't mean that they can't be shot professionally. It never hurts to hire a professional photographer to ensure that your shots are in-focus, properly lighted, and look great.
• Photoshop is your best friend. Make sure someone on your team can work the program and touch up, adjust, and otherwise alter your photos for the best results.
• Always get model releases from anyone in the photos that you plan to use. This includes employees, customers, bystanders, etc. No one wants a lawsuit on their hands because of a brochure.
• Make sure the content of your photos is appropriate for your use. Your library will be filled with great images, but careful use with respect to the piece with which they are associated is important.
• Art direction still has a place in your marketing materials, even if you are using your own photos. Careful selection for theme, color palette, style, and other factors will help keep the look of each piece consistent as you use proprietary photos.

Me-Too Brands: Vacuums

Vacuum cleaners: did anyone think this was an industry that could be radically reinvented into product lines where people would willingly pay over $500 for a unit?

We can probably thank Dyson for these recent innovations. They finally created a vastly superior product and charge a handsome premium for it. The best part is that people are happy to pay for it and continue to sing the product's praises. Enter the copycat branding.

Walking through the vacuum section of any store, you will notice an interesting phenomenon. Many of the units on display have copied the body style and characteristic yellow highlights of the Dyson models (and also some of their premium pricing). This isn't all that uncommon: mimic the style, but not the functionality, of your premium competitors. Buyers aren't necessarily tricked into thinking this is the same product, but they are comforted by the fact that this less expensive alternative bears a superficial resemblance to the high-status version. Perhaps there is a little status-seeking in this as well.

Riding on the coattails of a successful competitor is, obviously, not uncommon. We see it with cars, clothing, accessories (think women's purses), electronics, and many other consumer products. The problem with this is that the copycats, almost always of inferior quality, end up eroding the first-mover's brand. Next time you shop, keep your eye out for who is the leader and who is the follower and note some of the product trends. You might want to turn that eye onto your organization's brand as well--are you the leader or are you the follower?

Branding by Department: Research and Development

Not every organization has a formal R&D department, but it exists in some fashion for everyone that offers a good or service. Every time you consider a new service to offer, a new product to sell, or an enhancement to existing offering, there is some form of research and development occurring and - yes, you guessed it - your brand must play a critical role in this decision process.

We know that there is a direct relationship between brands and market position and there is also a direct relationship between market position and product/service offering. That being said, your brand can help guide your research and development process so you can be sure that whatever you are putting out to market is consistent with your position, thus strengthening your brand. Consider some of these tips to help keep your R&D process on-brand:

• Make sure the product/service you are considering has a place in your current line. If it has features that cause it to stand apart from the rest, then should it be housed under the same brand?
• Keep your price points consistent. If something new requires you to make a drastic change in the prices your customers are used to paying, it may not be a sensible addition.
• Profit centers can eat away at your brand. Making money is not the only criteria, so make sure you have other reasons to add something other than to increase your revenue stream.
• A new offering should ALWAYS strengthen your brand and position and never dilute it. If it isn't adding to your expertise in your niche, reconsider it.

As always, use these suggestions to get started, but don't be limited by them. There are many ways to view R&D with your branding glasses on, so don't be afraid to look at a new product/service from every angle.

CUSTOM ONLINE LOGO DESIGN - $99!! CLICK HERE!!11!

Discount, online logo development. The words alone make people like me and my colleagues shudder with disgust. But, is it really that bad? Aren't there some circumstances when quick and dirty logo design might get the job done for someone with literally no budget?

A great experiment recently concluded where the folks at Speak Up provided the same creative brief to a series of online logo developers, using an overall budget of $1,000 (total, spent on 4 different sites), and compared the results. The outcome was interesting, if not expected.

I was speaking with a colleague about this article and the whole online design phenomenon. He said the whole concept just didn't make sense. We thought it through, and here's what we came up with: If someone had one of these studios with 1 or 2 designers on hand, they could do well. If a designer sat down and did nothing but crank out logos for 8 hours a day, never throwing anything away, they could easily satisfy at least 10 or more clients each day--multiply that by 2 or more if they have a larger staff. That translates to a lot of money. This model, however, hinges on delivering quantity, without regard for quality, and hoping that most customers will be happy with the first set of designs that come to them.

And that's what you usually get: fairly low quality work for a very low price. For some people, this is just fine. For others, they are looking for something a bit better.

Previously, we discussed not overthinking a logo, but I think there is a happy medium between these 2 extremes. Unless you really have no budget or just need something out there - anything - then hire a real agency or designer. Otherwise, you'll just have to be happy with what you get.

Overthinking the Logo

Logos are funny creatures. Employees (and especially boards of directors) can become completely indignant at the idea of changing a logo. People become fiercely opinionated about colors, symbolism, image use, etc. and all of a sudden, everyone is an artist or graphic designer.

While it's great to have a logo that means something, resonates strongly with a particular audience, or is loved by all of top management, the fact remains that these attributes simply are not necessary. There may be some backlash from this, but I'm going to say it: sometimes a logo just has to look good and be easy to use.

There are a couple things to remember when developing a new logo. Remember these, and hopefully the experience will be a little more bearable and you will walk away with a usable, iconic logo:

• The logo is not for you or your employees; it's for your customers. You don't need to love the logo like your own child in order for it to be effective.
• If you are trying to create a logo that has symbolism in it that no one would understand without it explained to them (i.e. "the three stripes here stand for the three pillars of . . ."), then don't bother. You won't have the opportunity to explain it to 99% of the people who see it.
• You don't need a 100% consensus on a logo for it to be effective. Design-by-committee will always produce a bland result.
• You probably aren't going to create the next Nike "Swoosh" so don't even bother trying!
• Focus on ease of use, simplicity, and scalability. These are the factors that will really matter once you start using the logo.

Having a well-thought out, symbolic, and robust logo that everyone loves is a perfect scenario. Sometimes, however, we have to be realistic, get some work done, and deliver a product that does what it needs to.

Branding by Department: Human Resources

Internal audiences are often the most overlooked group when it comes to branding. To many business owners and executive directors, employees don't spring to mind when thinking of key stakeholders. How can employees embody the brand when if the brand doesn't surround them? Branding is not simply an external tool.

Taking your brand to an internal operation like HR is usually more complicated than using properly designed business tools. Consider a few of these areas that are great places to integrate your brand into your human resources practices:

Interviews: This is the first time a potential employee will encounter your organization, so structure your interview format to reflect the best aspects of your brand. Should they meet the principles? Should it be an intimidating experience? A warm, friendly experience?

Policies: Do you have a code of ethics? Is there a particular dress code that reflects your brand (casual vs. formal vs. "creative")? Does your leave policy reflect an opportunity to relax or does it stress the importance of the job?

Documentation: Make sure all HR procedures are documented on branded company materials.

Compensation: Salaries, bonuses, raises, and other forms of compensation should be tied to and reflect brand attributes. Give bonuses based on brand milestones, review employees on their ability to embody the brand, and structure your compensation packages to reflect the core nature of your brand (i.e. stock-heavy compensation denotes strong ties to the company, cash-heavy can denote a stress on personal reward for employees).

Perks: The extra attributes to a compensation package say a lot about the organization. What type of savings/retirement package do you offer? Is it tied to the company's performance? Consider the other perks such as memberships and opportunities. Do they stress relaxation, professional development, or health and fitness? Which one aligns best with your brand?

Mediation: The way your HR department handles mediation is important. Choosing between supervised mediation, seperated hearings, formal documentation, and other methods should be tied to your brand.

Hiring: Maybe most important of all, who you hire and where you advertise those job listings is of critical brand importance. Looking for people who can embody your brand is the best way to ensure that you are stacking your ranks with star brand ambassadors. Define the attributes you are looking for and search those people out in places that are most likely to attract them (online vs. career fair vs. head-hunters, etc.).

As always, examine your current HR systems and try to find brand opportunities. They probably exist all over the department and are waiting to be aligned.

Branding by Department: Accounting

An oft-overlooked venue for branding is accounting. Accounts receivable, accounts payable, book keeping, and reporting all serve their utilitarian functions, but there is opportunity here to spread your organization's brand. Some easy-to-implement methods include:

• Utilize properly branded materials (letterhead, envelopes, etc.) for all invoices/bills
• Use branded checks with properly identifiable information (i.e. don't use checks that have the name of a holding company or alternate corporate name on them)
• If you have a high-end brand, especially with large invoices, consider handwritten invoices or including a handwritten note along with the invoice
• The invoice is often the last experience a customer will have with your company, so including proper detail, thank-yous, messages, etc. is your opportunity to close the relationship with consistent branding (assuming you opened the relationship with proper branding).

Simple branding methods, such as the items above, can be put in place by just about any organization. If you are already doing some or all of these things, consider some more radical extensions of your brand into accounting:

• If you have a united, trusting, or team-based aspect to your brand, consider an open-book accounting policy that would allow all your employees to view your financial records (private companies only, obviously)
• Consider the way you prepare and send invoices: can this method be better aligned with your brand? Should large invoices be hand-delivered? Should invoices be emailed to improve convenience?
• What are the terms for your billing? Upon receipt? Net 15 or 30? Do you offer a discount for early payments? There could be an opportunity with these parameters to align them with your brand position.

Remember, these are just some suggestions. Give branded accounting some thought and develop some techniques unique to your organization and your brand.

Branding by Department

This article is the first in a series that I will be writing about how to extend branding across your entire company/organization. To truly take advantage of an organizational brand, it can't be confined to your marketing department. We will discuss how you can use your brand as a holistic tool, fully integrated within areas that most people never consider.

A brand, especially when you have hired an agency to develop it, is a serious investment. It is a tool that embodies the essence of the organization and to work properly it must be more than a short list of guidelines that gets pulled out when a new brochure is developed.

I hope that by exploring the different ways you can bring branding into the fold of accounting, human resources, sales, operations, and other typical departments, your organization will be able to harness the effectiveness that branding can have when you have succesfully and consistently connected all business functions together.

Come back soon for the first article on accounting.

Take Control of Your Brand's Images

I hope you understand I'm not talking about identity guidelines, but of the photography you use to market your company or organization. A lot of things have changed over the past 5 years with commercial photography, but two things have not:

1. Great photos are harder than ever to find.
2. Inexpensive (or free) images are now everywhere.

Over the past few years, Web sites like istockphoto.com and Shutterstock (among others) have led a revolution in royalty free stock photography. Their sales model is based on community, rather than the traditional client and photographer relationship. This position allows their prices to be very low, making this an economical solution. But the images that buyers are able to obtain are open to everyone, meaning there is no way to ensure exclusivity of any kind. Many organizations are comfortable with that--however some are now finding out otherwise.

Did you hear about the company that found the face of their advertising being used in Playboy ads selling Enzyte?

Do you know about the model simply referred to as Everywhere Girl?








Or the model whose same photo shoot has been used to sell everything from handbags to "dating services" (full story here)?

In an era where stock photo sales have exploded and using them in marketing efforts is the norm, realize that using (and more importantly relying on) inexpensive stock photography as a representation of your brand is similar to dating every person who has used that photo--and that is a scary thing.

You Are A Brand Ambassador

Presentation is critical because as an employee, you are a brand ambassador.

Body language, posture, what you say and how you say it—these are all extensions of your brand, like it or not. Every time you interact with another person with respect to your business or organization, you are representing the brand. Think about a time when you’ve dealt with some miserable sod at a store or restaurant. Kind of ruins the experience, doesn’t it? That’s the importance of being a good brand ambassador.

Being a brand ambassador is in the conversations you have at parties with new acquaintances who ask for your card or over the phone with potential clients. The way you talk about your job and organization should be consistent with the brand; if the brand is intellectual and high-end, so must you act; likewise, if the brand is young and fun. Imagine your impression of an executive from Chuck E. Cheese who droned on about the statistics of their token-based system in a droll, Ben Stein-esque voice.


Technically, you are a brand ambassador at every moment of the day, but I think it goes without saying that when you’re not at the office or at work functions you can relax and not worry about portraying the brand. But remember, when you’re out with your friends and laughing it up, you never know when you’ll meet that million-dollar client. Keep your ambassador face ready for deployment at a moment’s notice.

Written Branding - The Everyday

Guess what? Your brand extends into your writing as well. Documents, emails, memos—all of your communications reflect the brand.

Think about the way you write emails. Are you consistent with your colleagues in the way you discuss projects, industry terms, or other topics? Grammar, tone, and voice should all be a conscience, orchestrated exercise in consistency across your entire organization. How you decide this depends on your industry, but make sure that it has a direct correlation to core brand.

The same goes for any written business communication. Proposals, invoices, memos, and marketing materials should all sound like they are coming from the same source. An elegantly written brochure followed up by a sloppy and incomprehensible project proposal (or grant application) does not send a good message.

I think a lot of issues like this simply come from a lack of attention to detail. It is a very easy thing to gloss over, but if you can remember, it can make that little difference between someone choosing you or passing you by. Once again, just a reminder to be conscious of everything your company puts out into the world. It all matters to someone.

Furthering Your Brand Through a Corporate Blog

You probably already have a news or press section of your web site, so there is no need to turn your blog into the latest news about your company. Is your blog topic or theme something you would want to read? If not, then you definitely are on the wrong track.

The blog you create is an online “voice” of the company. In some ways, your blog visitors will apply the writer’s personality onto the company brand. So if you want to writer in such a way that you want your company to be viewed.

Is your organization witty and vibrant? If so, your blog needs to be that way too. Are you from a careful, introspective, and nurturing environment? Then your blog will sound totally different than the blog written by witty and vibrant group.

Also remember is a corporate blog and the company is more than just you, meaning you don’t have to write every entry. If others have ideas and would like to write one, let them. Just make sure there is a constant editor, so the tone is the same regardless of the author.

It might take some time to get readers, but stick with it.