Archives
Categories
“9 Criteria for Brand Essence” Deck
Uncovering & Articulating Essence
- 9 criteria for brand essence
- Why “trusted” isn’t the brand essence
- 7 common branding workshop pitfalls
- Patagonia: They also sell clothes.
- Why so few brands get it right
- Why intangibles are the more sustainable competitive advantages
- To inspire loyalty, ask why, not how.
- You say tomato. I say Fox’s Fine Gourmet Ketchup.
- Warning: Your brand is being commoditized!
- Brand essence by every other name
- For brand authenticity, look inside.
- Table-stake attributes do not differentiate brands.
Simplicity & Effectiveness of Messaging
Other Popular Posts
- What every non-marketer should know about branding
- When to hire vs. when to outsource
- Do artisan brands lose their fans when sold to conglomerates?
- So who is “the world’s greatest insurance spokesperson in the world?”
- Does Geico’s multi-concept strategy work?
- BMW uncovers its brand essence: joy
- P&G brands … itself?
Industry News
-
-
Author Archives: Kirk
Ram Trucks suggests you ride a chopper instead
Perhaps you feel worthless. You worry your significant other doesn’t appreciate you. Your friends and neighbors don’t look up to you. Worse, maybe you are not respected by motorcycle gangs. This is where Ram Trucks can help. For you men with low self-esteem, Ram will earn respect from the toughest crowd of all — bikers. Ram’s TV spot (below) demonstrates what a 1500 Express can do for your self-worth. Surely, your life amounts to something if those free-wheelin’ rebels of the open road condescend to acknowledge your existence. Why not accept the invitation implied by that stoic nod? Trade in that … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, strategy
6 Comments
Macho men emote for Dove
I never feel comfortable in March. You don’t sleep. You worry about everything. Every time I got the ball, the home crowd booed me. This is the worse thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m going to stutter. Everybody’s going to laugh at me. What a bunch of wimps! Not really. These are the words of three undeniably tough basketball legends — Tom Izzo, Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal. Real men sharing real feelings is Dove Men+Care‘s strategy for pitching soap during the NCAA men’s basketball championship. In the series of TV spots, O’Neal talks about being teased, Izzo about … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, retail, strategy
5 Comments
Scott the Scot from Scotts: Get it?
He wears a tartan-plaid shirt and rolls his Rs. And this spring, he wants to fight your crabgrass like a warrior-poet. He’s Scott from Scotts Miracle-Gro and he’s played by a real Scotsman, Phil McKee, from Glascow. Another Scott, Scott Crockett, principal at the Richards Group, explained to The New York Times that the Scott character is “a way to symbolize an expert who knows about lawns.” Scott helps add “a little more personality” to the Scotts brand, he says, and helps make “a more emotional connection” with potential customers. Another purpose the character serves, Crockett says, is “to unite … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, retail, strategy
8 Comments
Sex, OTC drugs, and rock-and-roll
Paul McCartney was busted for marijuana and Keith Richards for heroin. Now, Jon Bon Jovi is pushing Advil. Are we ready for rock stars as spokespersons for legal drugs? In the TV spot (below), Bon Jovi claims he uses the painkiller for aches and pains related to touring and performing. Pfizer’s VP-CMO of U.S. Consumer Healthcare, Brian Groves, puts a branding spin on it. He told Forbes, “Jon is an authentic American icon, as is Advil, and Jon’s brand, in his entertainment life and his business and philanthropy, appears very focused on solving problems and getting right to the point … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, health care
8 Comments
The 10 most popular BrandSTOKE posts
This is BrandSTOKE‘s 200th post. Whew! For me, it is both informative and intriguing to see which of the preceding 199 you have been most interested in reading. Following are the top ten posts, according to page views, since the launch of BrandSTOKE: 9 criteria for brand essence Day in and day out, BrandSTOKE‘s most-read post. The related deck is available here. Has Captain Morgan looted Jack Sparrow? I got lucky with some brand names that are frequently searched. Seems everyone is interested in Cap’n Sparrow. So who is “the world’s greatest insurance spokesperson in the world?” and Vote for … Continue reading
Trademarking color: It’s not black and white.
What can Brown do for you? Well, it might sue you if you use its distinctive color. That’s because UPS has trademarked its shade of brown. Numerous brands have trademarked colors: Tiffany & Co.’s blue The Home Depot’s orange Caterpillar’s yellow Owens Corning’s pink Coca-Cola’s red Cadbury’s purple Post-It’s yellow John Deer’s green Fiskars’ orange Target’s red Another is designer Christian Louboutin’s red, used as a brand identifier on the soles of its women’s shoes, made popular by Sex and the City‘s Sarah Jessica Parker. Louboutin registered its shade of red with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2008, and is … Continue reading
Posted in art direction & design, identity, packaging, retail
1 Comment