Branding

Where does the brand experience begin? Internal marketing departments (and/or their agency representatives) produce all kinds of information in the form of business communication to help direct the standard for what customers can expect from the brand. This outbound messaging may have little to do with real perceptions and experiences of the end user, instead projecting an image the brand wants the world to see. Through the print ads and online banners, designer emails and magazine advertorials,...

Each March Austin, Texas draws a ton of people - I mean massive numbers - for its annual South by Southwest event comprised of three tracks:  film, music and interactive.  The event serves as both incubator and launch pad for aspiring creative talent, tech companies and new media-type people looking to learn and network.   SXSW2011 is scheduled for March 11 to March 20.  Preliminary evidence suggests interest from interwebs geeks, mobile delivery,gaming and social media community is on the rise....

A recent ClickZ article written by optimization and conversion expert Tim Ash encouraged me to think about how traditional brand stewardship mentalities haven't really adapted to accommodate an increasingly online world.  Not in terms of interface, social sharing patterns, or channel potential for sales. Ash's piece focused on how those persons in roles  formally charged with maintaining the integrity of the brand across communication channels and touch points may potentially hinder an organization's...

Today's consumers lead very dimensional,  multi-channel lives.  The increasingly "always on" culture presents brands with previously unconsidered opportunities to reach prime audiences through  branded information made available at opportune times.  We're talking "shifts in consumer information discovery, consumption and sharing," more of which I can self-select, seek, or share nowadays. Critical success factors in leveraging these opportunities include timing, format, message, tone, convenience...

Recently I reflected on  the myriad ways I personally consume and disseminate information. I wrote about how I think brands should be adapting their channels, content, and even formats to better correspond with their consumer's lifestyles so that the brand may resonate more strongly and potentially surpass the competition, if only on an awareness level (it's a start).  I think of it as having a multi-channel life because I'm many things to many people, offline and off.  This includes my interactions...

While reading a book of fiction recently, I came across what struck me as an intriguing phrase.  The main character was referencing the sheer joy he experienced while out on a boat in the ocean.  The wind on his face, the scent of salt brine in his nose, the feel of cool water splashing on his arms and the warm feeling brought on by good company and a day without demands.  The character said that in giving him this afternoon charter, in essence his wife gave him the gift of glee. As an adult...

I once hosted videos on a service called Viddyou.  Viddyou was later purchased by Motionbox.  Motionbox sent me a nice email explaining the situation, migrated my videos, and gave me a year of pro hosting all complimentary.  I wasn't too keen on having my hand forced, but then I had a couple of months to find other arrangements if I'd wanted.  But really, this deal was pretty turn-key. Flash forward eighteen months, I'm roughly halfway into my first full paid year of Motionbox service.  Rolling...

Brother, how can I help you? We've all enjoyed stellar service.  Not long ago my friend Jim remarked to me how tickled he was following a call he'd just made to Nike.  Interestingly, the agent couldn't help Jim locate the shoe model he was looking for, but that didn't really matter.  Despite the disappointment (Lord, save us from more black sneakers), Jim closed the call feeling hunky-dory.  Fact is, the dude had Jim at: "Brother, how can I help you tonight?"  It was 11:30pm on a Sunday, a real...

I had a moment of inspiration earlier this week which led me to whip up this rudimentary visual to help express my thoughts.  As a marketer, I'm continually absorbing messages and methods deployed by other companies, competitors and service providers alike.  I stop to consider their objectives, assess the efficacy of their content, reflect on the appropriateness of their use of the medium and whether the channel delivered.  There's some assuming of roles there, but it helps make sure I'm aware...

Aspirational, but not too I once spent several years servicing Iams Dog and Cat Foods, a Proctor & Gamble brand.  P&G is an amazing institution on a number of levels and the team I worked with earned my respect.  However, as with many super-large organizations, sometimes protocol, chain of command, and overwhelming self-preservation get in the way of advancing goals at a more practical pace.  Sometimes, two years would pass between an initial planning meeting (new product introduction,...