Tag Archives: Branding

Small Business

Integration

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And diversity. No, I’m not talking about school busing.  I’m talking about your marketing mix … or lack thereof ….

So many startups and entrepreneurs are trying to do it on the cheap … so they say, “I only need a website” …. Or, “I need to do PR first”.  Wrong.  So here’s some questions to think about in response to your comments:

  • If you are only putting up a website or doing PR, what’s your value proposition?
  • What’s your messaging platform?
  • Have you established a brand?
  • Do you know who your audiences are?
  • Do you have a logo?
  • A name for your company?
  • Are they trademarked?

A PR folder/press kit?

Are you starting to get my point?

No one way of promoting your company is “THE ANSWER”.  In the 90’s the big ad agencies and companies had Branding departments.  Branding was the answer. It’s not. It’s part of the marketing mix.  Then it was PR. Because it’s cheaper than advertising (allegedly).  Also part of the marketing mix.  Now it’s social media.  Also part of the marketing mix.

None of these efforts can produce results if it lives in a vacuum. They must all be part of one integrated marketing plan, no matter how small your company is (even if it’s only you).  And a lot of it can be done at no cost or cheaply … like social media – Linked In, Facebook, Twitter.  And don’t forget keeping your website up to date – it’s your first impression and if it’s old and has out-of-date stuff on it, it’s not good.

So remember, you can create an integrated marketing program for yourself – remember the messaging and branding need to be consistent. And that way you will actually be saving money and getting more impact for the dollars you do spend.

Sandra Holtzman teaches CEO 035: Licensing.

Brand Management, Certificates

BRAND I.D. and BRANDid

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Today’s Brand Communications finds that the positioning of brand image and meaning are more challenging than ever.  Creating a memorable I.D. and appealing to the consumer’s connection to the brand’s id, is more demanding than ever.

Every communication with a target audience should offer the brand an opportunity to reinforce its mission and positioning.  Its message content should contain more than image.  It should communicate relevant functional and/or emotional meanings for the customer’s aspirations, wants and needs.  Successful brands connect with the consumer’s id, the source of instinctive energy.

A logo must be more than a graphic (see Branded Logoman for logos which have BRAND I.D.).  Each of these logos have established the Brand’s I.D. in one’s memory, as well as work with a tagline and/or slogan to create an aspiration, fill a need, satisfy a want, and stimulate the id. If a brand is multi-regional and/or global, it must also be aware of differences in language, pronunciation, connotation and interpretation that vary from region to region, from country to country, and continent to continent.  Globally, brand names and messages often don’t translate as intended.

Figure 1 Branded Logoman sketch by Dr. Arthur A. Winters 2010
Figure 1 Branded Logoman sketch by Dr. Arthur A. Winters 2010

An example of a brand communication translation gaffe was when Gerber, the well-known baby food company, learned that global marketing could be problematic.  In French Canada – the French translation of Gerber is vomiting.  How’s that for image and meaning?

The logo and brand name communicates brand image, but they should be used with serious thought.  A good example is Campbell Soup‘s new slogan:  “It’s amazing what soup can do”, rather than – “It’s amazing what Campbell Soup can do.”  By leaving out their sole ownership of “great soups,” they make their communication more consumer-centric by recognizing the consumer’s desire to choose for themselves the brand that will deliver amazing soup to their family.

Arthur & Peggy Winters co-teach SXB 200 Brand Marketing Communications for Image & Meaning and SXR 050 Intro to Branding: The Art of Customer Bonding.