Showering Skies

One of the best ways to make your brand work is to harness what are called key differentiators from your competitors. If you are successful at this, customers will choose your products or services because your company provides something the others do not. In addition, these differences may be geared towards specific groups of people, called target markets.

A new company that is doing the differentiation dance well these days is Emirates, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. Unlike other airlines, it has been profitable for over 20 years! If you are an investor, that is indeed a difference from airlines here in the States. Another difference is the level of luxury provided to first class guests: cabins like mini hotel rooms, complete with showers.

Overgreening

“We’re going green!” is less fresh and new these days. When it comes to branding, the green bandwagon is a full one. What does it mean to have a green brand?... To be in the green industry?...Or just form a few good green habits?

Most companies who say they are now a green brand are really forming new greener habits. They are choosing different paper sources, recycling, telecommuting, and so forth. It is not the crux of how they do business. It is not a filter with which they interview staff or determine buying decisions. It is not the essence of what is communicated in how they do business. Therefore, it is a collection of habits, rather than a brand. Companies that tend to fall in this category are said to be doing “greenwashing” according to Patricia Faulhaber who recently contributed to PRSA’s Public Relations Tactics. “More than one CEO was challenged during last year’s proxy season by investors who questioned green expenditures…” writes Bruce Harrison, elsewhere in the same publication.

Companies that are large have no trouble showing profits in this economy are at the forefront of green initiatives…again, NOT a green brand, but a green initiative. GE is so comfortable with its new innovation branch, Ecomagination, that it was proud of TV’s 30 Rock with dialog: “I’m so excited to see this trash-powered car of yours!” says Gore, to which Alec Baldwin responds “The thing is that the GE garbage car isn’t quite ready yet. Whaddaya say you throw on a pair of green tights and a cape and tell the kids how big business is good for the environment?” (Fast Company, March, 2009). Another front player with green initiatives, surprisingly enough, is Walmart. Their claims to fame include a store that was able to recycle 70% of its trash, setting itself as a potential leader in this arena for Walmart; as well as architectural elements reducing typical energy consumption. Yet, leadership for Walmart (accurately in my opinion) reports “We’re not green” (Fast Company, March, 2009).

Meanwhile, the green industry is growing, and has been selected as a trend to watch in the December, 2008 issue of Entrepreneur. Examples of companies in the green arena include Terracycle, a green business that recycles trash into fertilizer, and Pelamis Wave Power, an energy company harnessing the power of the sea. Their product lines include products that are green, but is their brand green? Not necessarily, and also, not easily! A segment of 60 Minutes on TV last autumn reported the unfortunate procedures of Denver-area recyclers of computer products—shipped right into a water supply in a foreign country. With this recent news in our memories, the companies that sell green products and services have their work cut out for them if they want their brand to be truly green.

To brand an organization successfully as green, this idea needs to be pervasive in all aspects of the organization. For example, it is a key element that is communicated visually, written about in it’s annual report and marketing materials, is included in training of staff, is conveyed to vendors, is part of how they select business methods and systems, facilities, transportation, and overall management of the company. It is everywhere. It is communicated by staff when they talk to their friends at parties on the weekend. It is something that isn’t dreamed up yesterday. It is clearly seen by customers, and is part of why their customers select them. As with all branding, it is deep, ingrained, and lasts. A great example of how this works comes from David Byrne, well known for his worldly ways. He has traveled by bicycle for decades and explains “I take a bicycle with me on tour. I don’t ride to make a point or to lower my carbon footprint—I ride because it feels good and it gets me where I want to go”(Destination, April, 2009).

For Most, "Rebranding" is a Misnomer

A lot of people hire my agency for rebranding. They walk in and state that their current brand is too old; it must be updated! Truthfully, the process behind branding and rebranding is nearly identical. The reason for this is that for 95% of organizations, the work that we do is a realignment of the brand.

A true rebranding is much more than updated visuals and messages (any faithful reader of this blog knows that!). To really rebrand your organization, there must be a change in the organizational culture that fundamentally affects the way you conduct your business. There is a reason for this--something I've learned in my years as a brand consultant.

When one develops or introduces a brand to an organization, it is completely ineffective to force a core brand attribute that isn't already present in the organization. What I mean is that while developing a brand, more often then not, we are bringing to the surface key differentiators that already exist within the organization. For example, if your organization is, at heart, a stern, calculating, profit-driven machine, then a whimsical and playful brand is going to a major problem. When we brand, we are not necessarily creating anything new, just shining a spotlight on what was already there, perhaps hidden. [Please keep in mind that true rebranding efforts do exist. These are often challenging, well-planned, and organization-wide executions.]

It is natural for an organization to see the need for a realignment once in a while. Culture and operations drift and so an update has to happen to keep communications fresh. I suppose the truth about branding is that whatever your brand is, it already exists, but it might be buried. You just need someone to help you dig it out and let it shine.

Packaged Goods Reign Supreme

Earlier this year, Harris Interactive held their latest brand equity study. This study, which has been held every year for 28 years, measures brand equity ratings across 39 categories on 6 different factors utilizing around 1,000 products for the survey. The report on this year's study revealed that by and large, consumer packaged good brands reign supreme over all others; 9 out of the top 10 brands can be found on supermarket shelves and of those, the newest brand is Duracell, introduced in 1964.

Should we be surprised by this? Probably not. Although there may be stronger or more well-established brands out there, these are the ones that pour billions of dollars every year into mass-media advertising, sponsorships, and promotions. Couple that with the fact that these 9 brands have all been around for 45 years or longer to build up their equity, it stands to reason that when it comes to consumer rating, these packaged good monoliths stand above all others.

Brand equity is an interesting measurement. I think this study proves that, if nothing else, it is a good indicator of how longevity and steady consumer exposure trumps marketing stunts and flash-in-the-pan bursts of advertising. Recall, however, that brand equity is a measure of the value of a brand, and not necessarily its effectiveness. For most product and organizational brands, the ability to offer a consistent and strong customer experience and attract new business is always going to be more important than that brand's intrinsic value.

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 - Taglines

When thinking of branding, most people only think of the visuals. But there is another side—the writing. A slogan or tagline is usually the first noticed form of written branding because it is marketed the most, usually alongside the logo.

With a proper tagline, the goal is get communicate a key brand takeaway in just a few words. Cliché or overused phrases like, “The best customer service in town,” is a poor choice. Everyone says that. Come up with many ideas and discuss them with others. Settle on something that says something important and unique about the brand.

More established taglines don’t always tell the customer about the company or product directly, but more how it will make you feel. A good example is McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it,” slogan. It tells the customers that they are going to have a great experience. Energizer’s “Keep going” slogan ties directly to the iconic pink rabbit that never stops moving. It illustrates something about the products instead of just stating it.

Not every brand needs a tagline or slogan, so make sure it makes sense before you undertake the task of developing one. If you have mass-market approach, heavy customer contact, or other outreach marketing program, this could be a tactic that works for you.

Come back tomorrow to learn others ways that written branding matters.

Clarity though definition

Where does word brand come from?

It first appeared in the epic Beowulf around 1000 as bronde. Like many words the last e was dropped during the middle ages. It was the late 1500s before the a replaced the o.

Since the first recorded use of the word, brand has meant some result from fire, burning or marking. Branding was, and still is, a way to make other people know that something was yours and not theirs. Though not the most pleasant picture, think of a rancher using fire and iron to put his mark (his brand) on his livestock. That way even if they wandered away, the rancher could prove they were his property. In the most basic sense, fire in the country brough about this whole branding business.

The 20th century brought about the change from branding belongings to branding products and companies. The definition has changed from “this is mine and you can’t have it;” it has transformed to fit the society’s current needs. Now branding is about presenting your company and wanting others to be a part.

Branding, as defined by Webster

Branding as a basic concept is not hard to describe. Miriam-Webster says it pretty well, but breaks a rule from my fourth grade vocabulary class—defining a work with the same word:

brand•ing \ˈbran-diŋ\ : the promoting of a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand
brand \ˈbrand\ a: a class of goods identified by name as the product of a single firm or manufacturer b: a characteristic or distinctive kind

However, like any industry branding change and evolve. This blog will comment on recent trends, branding success and failures, the importance of a good brand, and ideas to help you apply this multifaceted process to your work.