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Make a Real Brand Guarantee

Holiday Inn Brand Guarantee
(Reading Time: 4 minutes)

A few weeks ago in this space, we discussed “Reasons to Believe.” We defined RTBs as persuasive facts that support the promise you make or the difference you claim.

Reasons to Believe are particularly critical in this era of eroding consumer trust. These days, you should assume distrust. That’s because consumers have been disappointed so many times in the past – lousy customer service, bait-n-switch, golden parachutes for incompetent execs, you name it. Continue reading “Make a Real Brand Guarantee”

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The Long Haul of Branding

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After a recent presentation, an audience member asked for my opinion on the most common misconception about branding.

It was an easy question to answer. It’s the idea that branding is an initiative.  That it’s something that requires a brief investment of attention and time, and can then be moved down the priority list. This way of thinking suggests that branding is a sprint.  But it’s not.  It’s more like marathon.  It’s a commitment for the long haul. Continue reading “The Long Haul of Branding”

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Why Should I Believe You? RTBs and Your Brand

(Reading Time: 4 minutes)

Why should I believe you?

If you’re not asking that question – from the standpoint of your consumers or clients, both current and prospective – you should be. And for a simple reason: They probably don’t.

Consumers are jaded. They’re tired of being promised one thing and getting another. They’ve been repulsed by the Enrons of the world. They’ve watched CEOs receive multi-million dollar bonuses for running their companies into the ground. They’ve been burned by shady car salesmen. Continue reading “Why Should I Believe You? RTBs and Your Brand”

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Less Can Be More

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A young brand manager faces his vice-president of marketing, ready to present the first strategic plan he has ever created. He is nervous, but also confident in the fact that he has done a thorough job. The two fat binders that sit on the veep’s desk are proof of this.

The brand manager launches into his spiel. His presentation is a dazzling, overstuffed collection of words and pictures. Charts follow graphs. Data tables precede more dense data tables. At one point, the young man sets a world record for “most words crammed into a single PowerPoint slide, ever.” Continue reading “Less Can Be More”

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So You Want to Build Your Brand?

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“I want to build my brand!” declares Tom confidently.

I ask Tom what he means, exactly. I’m pretty sure I know what to expect, and he doesn’t disappoint.

“I want my company to be the one everybody knows – the one that leaps to mind when they need products like ours!”

Sally’s goal is to turn her product into a brand. For her, branding is all about sales: “The stronger my brand, the more I sell,” she explains. Continue reading “So You Want to Build Your Brand?”

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For New Brand Ideas, Look Beyond Your Backyard

(Reading Time: 4 minutes)

We’re all looking for the next big thing – that silver-bullet product or that new brand idea that sets us apart from the pack and sends our growth curve rocketing ever skyward.

Trouble is, we often look in the wrong places. We’re waist-deep in the same data points, stuck between the walls of our narrowly-defined industries. We’re looking at the usual suspects and, inexplicably, expecting them to tell us something new. We’re turning over the dirt in our own backyards. Continue reading “For New Brand Ideas, Look Beyond Your Backyard”

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Eleven Public Speaking Tips

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There’s no way around it. At some point in your career, you will have to stand before a group and speak. Maybe you’ll have to present a marketing plan to management. Maybe you’ll be asked to explain your department’s work to the rest of the company. Maybe a networking group will request that you share your expertise.

I happen to love public speaking. It’s an extremely potent way to educate, persuade and motivate. Some people enjoy it less, placing public speaking somewhere between “root canal surgery” and “shark attack” on their personal scale of enjoyment.

But it needn’t be so daunting. If you struggle with the idea of speaking, or are just looking to improve, I hope the following 11 public speaking tips are of value: Continue reading “Eleven Public Speaking Tips”

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You’re Not a Brand

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You’re not a brand.

Can we agree on that? It’s not a bad thing, and it’s not personal. I’m not a brand either.

There’s a lot of fuss these days about “personal branding.” And though I make my living as a brand strategy consultant, I can sum up my feelings about personal branding in two words: “Mostly bunk.”

Some of it is tried-and-true concepts with a lazy new label. Some of it is authors trying to sell books. Most of it is flat-out misguided.

Allow me to present five arguments against the notion of personal branding: Continue reading “You’re Not a Brand”

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A Brand-Builder’s Bookshelf: Created By You

(Reading Time: 8 minutes)

Last week, I posed a simple question:

Assume a colleague tells you that he or she has limited knowledge of branding, but is looking to learn more. What ONE book would you recommend to get that person started? As importantly, why would you recommend that book?

In addition to posting it here at That Branding Thing, I listed it in LinkedIn Answers and discussion groups. In less than 4 days, I received no fewer than 73 thoughtful replies. Continue reading “A Brand-Builder’s Bookshelf: Created By You”