Comments on: The Art of Branding

By: Sal

Sal — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:47:59 +0000

Thanks for some excellent ideas. I am sometimes way too technical due to the intensity of my work. Until recently unemployed again, for Xth time, sales, marketing and branding are something I never had to think about, since I just do the technical work in the background for others. Now with “New Economy” upon us, remembering to keep it simple helps. Especially when I am trying to help someone else understand what they are trying to do. Great site for keeping it real in an otherwise dizzy world!

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:28:25 +0000

Can someone explain ‘opposite marketing’ to me? Maybe an example?

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:01:24 +0000

When it comes to managing your brand, I think its still about positioning.

With all of us have less control of what our brand stands for it seems the consumer has more say that we do as marketers. It’s probably always been this way, but the conversations are easy to follow now by going online.

Points #5 and 8 are interesting ones – when the conversation about your brand isn’t in synch from one group to the next, there’s work to do. Its position should be synonymous in how it is perceived.

By: Jill, The Veggie Queen

Jill, The Veggie Queen — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:12:05 +0000

#9 Flow with the Go really works for me. If you aren’t flexible and open to change then you are like a big tree in the wind — you’ll crack and break and someone or something can get hurt or destroyed.

Good advice and likely harder to do than these simple steps.

Thank you.

By: Oscar Quevedo

Oscar Quevedo — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:59:19 +0000

I would love to test the #5 but not sure if it would be well seen in a so traditional market like Port Wine… But if nobody is doing it maybe is our opportunity!

By: Jonathan Streeter

Jonathan Streeter — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:02:55 +0000

With 20+ years of experience in the working world, my sense is that success in creating a coherent, cohesive, useful brand strategy is not something that hinges solely on the “talent” of the marketing staff, but rather the degree to which the brand managers are empowered to manage the message.

In particular, points 2, 3 and 4 can become a real challenge when other groups within an organization have the power to add or subtract from the message. Just as a simple example, I once worked for an organization where every single division had a separate style and functionality to their portion of the website. Making it even worse was a hideous navigation bar that was imposed on each division’s pages in order to provide uniformity.

Even in smaller organizations, a CEO or a key influencer (from legal or finance or engineering) may insist on certain word choices, images, or themes based on their belief that they know better than anyone what sets the company apart.

Creating a brand with a compelling story and a consistent look-and-feel, using accessible language rarely happens by committee.

By: Jordazzle

Jordazzle — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:51:48 +0000

Fabu, as always. Loved the “opposite test” and “bounce back” language, easy for colleagues to understand. Thx.

By: Dominique James

Dominique James — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:04:50 +0000

So, what exactly is the one thing that Apple stands for?

By: Lou Sagar

Lou Sagar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:39:56 +0000

Love this, so cool….

By: David Anderson

David Anderson — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:12:00 +0000

I am intrigued by #1 – seize the high ground. Consumers want to know what the competitive advantages are but they are generally turned off by disparaging comments towards a competitor. However, the “I’m a PC/Mac” campaign has been very successful but still when someone buys a Mac are they really trying to hurt PC or just try something else?