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“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
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Category Archives: advertising
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
Chipotle takes a stand
It isn’t easy standing for something. For a brand, taking a strong position may attract some customers while repelling others. It may mean being satisfied with a niché. Benetton, for example, has long taken a controversial stand on social issues in its marketing. Its new campaign, “Unhate,” invites the world’s leaders and inhabitants to oppose the “culture of hatred.” Another apparel-maker, Patagonia, vigorously supports environmentalism. Whatever most fast-food restaurants stand for, it isn’t healthy eating, despite their token salads and fruit cups. Chipotle is an exception within the category. According to a post at SustainableBusiness.com, Chipotle “pioneered the use of … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, authenticity, brand essence, cause marketing, health care, retail, strategy
6 Comments
Best Buy’s smart Super Bowl play
A few weeks from now, the Super Bowl commercials featuring dogs, babies, sex and celebrities will blur together. Was it Doritos or Bud Light? My nominee for most likely to succeed in the long run is Best Buy’s spot. (Watch it below.) Best Buy borrowed equity from the innovators of smartphone technology, a strategy likely to appeal to its tech-savvy customers. Geek celebrities who implied their endorsements, included: Philippe Kahn, creator of one of the first camera phones Ray Kurzweil, the inventor of text-to-speech Neil Papworth, the person who sent the world’s first SMS message Paul and David Bettner, creators … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, retail, social media, strategy
6 Comments
Repost: Advertising’s swimsuit competition, the Super Bowl
Let’s be honest. This week, when we chat online or around the water cooler about the Super Bowl commercials, we will not be judging them based upon which are most effective at doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is actually selling something. Instead, we will talk about which spots we “like,” which spots we find most entertaining. We’re judging style, not substance. In pursuit of being popular during and after the game, advertisers and their agencies push the limits to engage us. And we reward them with a couple of week’s worth of buzz. But how successful … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, event marketing, mass media, roi
6 Comments
Is YouTube the new Super Bowl?
Remember when, in order to see the much anticipated Super Bowl commercials, you had to actually watch the game? Not anymore. Acura unveiled its Super Bowl commercial on Monday. On YouTube. Six days before the game. “In previous years, Super Bowl commercials were single-day lightning,” Suzie Reider, head of industry development for the global video team at Google, told The New York Times. “Now, it feels more like rolling thunder.” Social media has changed the strategy. “The reason social media is becoming so important is the price tag,” Derek Rucker, associate professor of marketing at Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, promotion, social media, strategy
3 Comments
Proud sponsor of plagiarized taglines
Brands used to pay hefty fees to be sponsors of major attractions, such as the Super Bowl. One reason: They benefit by borrowing brand equity from the event. Turns out, there’s a much cheaper alternative. Many brands, for nothing, are claiming “sponsorship” of free-floating concepts. Why borrow equity from the Summer Olympics when a brand can borrow instead from, say, “the American dream?” Here are a few examples: Mutual of Omaha: Proud Sponsor of Life’s Aha Moments American Cancer Society: The Official Sponsor of Birthdays Omaha Steaks: The Official Sponsor of Tailgating National Association of Realtors: Official Sponsor of the … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, brand essence, copywriting, event marketing
10 Comments