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Archive for the 'standards' Category

May

Coke and Pepsi merge, combine logos.

By Kirk Closed

Categories: art direction & design, identity, packaging, retail and standards

In a surprise announcement, corporate giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo today announced a multi-billion-dollar merger of their soft-drink divisions.

Following the recent example set by United and Continental airlines, the newly merged company will feature Coke’s trade name and Pepsi’s logo.

“It’s easier to combine two existing logos than to create a new one,” said Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s chairman and CEO. “Besides, what could be better than two icons? We look forward to serving our new blended cola beverage in Coke’s iconic bottle with Pepsi’s trademark globe on the side.”

Asked about the decision to combine trademarks, Muhtar Kent, Coke’s chairman and CEO, said, “As everyone knows, they spent hundreds of millions on their logo makeover and took a lot of heat for what they got. They’re a little sensitive about it. We agreed they could keep their globe if we could keep our bottle.”

In other news, Apple is reportedly being acquired by Microsoft. Unnamed sources have indicated the company’s new logo will feature a window with a bite taken out of it.

Dec

Best posts of 2009

By Kirk 2 Comments

Categories: art direction & design, brand essence, budgeting, client-agency relationships, copywriting, identity, loyalty, new business, roi, standards and strategy

This month BrandSTOKE is one year old.

I’m honored that you take the time to read and comment. My goal for 2010 is to engage more conversation. If you have any suggestions for topics or improving the blog, please let me know.

Thanks for your interest and support. I’ll try to do better next year.

Here’s a list of some of the most popular posts as well as a few personal favorites from the last twelve months:

On brand building:

On brands vs. commodities:

On simplicity and effectiveness of messaging:

On smarter strategy:

On getting hired:

Just for fun:

Nov

Your social media marketing linchpin: branding

By Kirk Closed

Categories: art direction & design, brand essence, guest posts, mass media, social media and standards

I’m pleased to share the following guest post by Gary Moneysmith. At the time of posting, Gary was the Interactive Strategy Director and social media guru at Conrad | Phillips | Vutech (where I work). Be sure to visit his blog, Social Media @ Work & Play, for more insights.

Ever watch your grandmother sort through her (postal) mail? If your granny is anything like mine, she carefully inspects and opens piece after piece. You just want to scream, “Just scan and throw it out — it’s all junk!”

Having grown up in the era of bulk postage rates, we’ve developed a ninja-fast ability to discern what’s real and what’s not when it comes to the daily mail haul. Why? To preserve our mental health. We’re overloaded with marketing messages every day on the radio, television, billboards and of course, our mailbox. If we gave every offer a neighborly, 1900s-like consideration, we’d never make it through our day. It’s too much and most of it’s crap.

As a defense mechanism, we’ve developed a sixth sense to gauge what’s legitimate and what’s not. We can scan an email inbox with hundreds of messages and quickly identify the few “real” ones. We rifle through pages of Google results to find sources we can trust and which should be ignored. We read product reviews on Amazon and quickly decide which are helpful and which aren’t. Our brains are gold-panning supercomputers instantaneously filtering our way through daily information overload.

Now, consider social media, the most eclectic, ever-changing fire hose of information in human history. As online marketers, what can we do to make sure our legitimate voice and information is taken seriously?

Answer: Branding. Yep, that old school marketing stuff …

Your brand is the genuine, distinct personality of your company. It’s what your organization stands for and makes you unique in a sea of otherwise sameness. It’s an emotional connection or way people react to a logo or product. And while it’s often associated with a visual/logo (an icon that symbolizes your brand), it includes what you say and how you say it as well. Over time, your brand builds equity — it means something to people and has value. It builds trust, justifies your attention, and rationalizes a premium price.

When it comes to social media, the need for branding is greater than ever. People may find your organization’s Web site in search engine results along with your Twitter account, Facebook group, YouTube channel and blog. Do all these places “feel” the same? Do they speak with the same voice? Do they offer consistent materials?

Now, considering the chipmunk-on-meth attention span of most Web visitors, does your social media channel pass the five-second brand consistency test? Pull up one of your social media channels (say, your blog) then quickly review it for visuals, personality and content:

Visual Presentation
Are you using your logo correctly — colors/size/spacing? Does your color scheme match your Web site? Do your photos match your other marketing materials?
Personality
Does it convey the right tone and spirit? Does it “feel” like your organization?
Content
Is the material you offer appropriate? Or is it just copy-and-pasted from your annual report? Does the depth and breadth of content reflect your expertise? Is it what people would expect?

There’s a lot in social media that you can’t control, but what you say and how you say it is still your choice. Your online brand identity should be treated as an invaluable asset that MUST be nurtured and protected. Because without it, you’re just a commodity fighting to breathe in an increasingly crowded online marketplace.

Oct

What every non-marketer should know about branding

By Kirk 3 Comments

Categories: brand essence, loyalty, roi, standards and strategy

The words “brand” and “branding” are thrown around in casual conversation so frequently now that I’m still surprised to find not every business person knows what they mean. (In fairness though, I don’t understand supply-chain logistics.)

Some business managers refer to their products as brands, probably a carryover from the early P&G days. Some still think their logo, package or trademark is the brand.

Some mistakenly believe they have total control of their customer’s brand experience. And many think branding is just another word for marketing.

Here’s a list of the basics for the non-marketers in your organization:

Your brand resides inside your customers’ minds.
It got there through their experiences with your product, service, or organization.
In one way or another, every person in your organization contributes to shaping your customers’ experiences with your brand — even if they don’t face the customer.
Likewise, every dollar spent by your organization contributes to shaping your customers’ experiences with your brand.
Your customers’ brand experiences occur at every touchpoint, no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential.
For these reasons, branding is not solely a marketing function. It’s an organizational function.
Maintaining consistency of brand experience is a challenge for most organizations. (No surprise.)
The ROI of branding is 1) trial and 2) loyalty.
Trial results from being intrigued by the promise of the brand experience. Loyalty results from having a series of consistent, singular and favorable brand experiences.
Branding generates results long-term, unlike promotion-based marketing which aims at the short-term.
In addition to consistency, the other hallmark of a brand is differentiation — giving the customer a reason to choose your brand rather than your competitor’s brand.
Consistent use of the brand’s properties (logo, colors, theme, packaging, advertising elements, etc.) is critical for building brand awareness and preference. They are the identifiers of the brand.
Your brand will not be strong unless the entire organization understands and embraces branding, starting at the top.

Okay, there’s more to it than that. But it’s a start. Do you have any basic points to add to the list?

Sep

Brand anarchy: why we need cops

By Kirk 1 Comment

Categories: identity and standards

istock_000008364248small Take any group of people. Give them a goal in which they have a vested interest, throw some obstacles their way, and apply pressure. What happens?

One common outcome of a shared experience is that the group members will bond. They will say things like, “Our team busted our butts putting the annual budget together in four days. Nobody slept. It was a hell of an accomplishment.”

And they will identify with each other. They will give each other knowing looks in meetings and tell inside jokes. They will develop their own mythology. And something else: they will brand themselves.

Apparently it’s human nature. One would think a football team, for example, would have one identity only. But within a team, the defensive players share a special bond, as do the offensive players. And within the defense, the linebackers hang together, as do the defensive backs. The seniors on the team are bonded as a class, as are the first-year players.

Nearly every organization has teams within the team, divisions, departments, outlying offices, and committees. And many of these units will brand themselves with their own symbols, slogans, and special versions of the organization’s logo. Sometimes, unfortunately, these identifiers face the customers.

While this may be good for the morale of the individual unit, it is often confusing to the customers who are witnessing a multiple-personality disorder.

Enter the brand police with sirens blaring.

The purpose of brand standards and message platforms is to present the organization in a unified and distinctive manner to all audiences. Standards improve clarity, effectiveness and memorability. When applied consistently, they benefit all of the groups within the larger group and strengthen the brand in the marketplace.

Yet in many organizations the brand cops are held in contempt. No one likes to be told to take off their colors.

How are the standards police regarded in your organization?

May

Why strong design is always on Target

By Kirk 8 Comments

Categories: advertising, art direction & design, identity, retail and standards

Here in the Information Age, we receive more words than can possibly register. We are deluged with data.

Funny thing. When everyone is shouting, most marketers attempt to shout louder to be heard. Most strive for share of voice by out-explaining their competitors.

In a previous post, I suggested that using fewer words demonstrates focus and clarity. “Less” stands out from the rest. “Less” is often most powerful.

As an example, this wraparound outdoor signage at West 42nd Street and 7th Avenue in New York City works without words. Not even a brand name. Of course, it is Target, a master of restraint.

Target’s effective use of simplicity arises naturally from its philosophy. “Great design is the essence of the Target brand. Since day one, our company founders recognized that the appeal of smart, stylish, well-designed products and stores would set Target apart.”

In its marketing, Target applies its standards consistently. Its advertising is quickly recognized. In its category, it owns the colors red and white, the way UPS owns brown and Fiberglas owns pink. (Owens Corning, maker of Fiberglas insulation, has actually trademarked the color pink.)

The target icon is so simple and obvious it is recognized without the Target name.