Year: 2006

10 Ways To Distinguish Yourself From The Competition

Karen Post, also known as Branding Diva and author of Brain Tattoos: Creating Unique Brands That Stick in Your Customers’ Minds is giving advice in a Fast Company article on how to distinguish your business from the competition..

Based Jack Trout’s notes in his bestselling book Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition that:

choosing among multiple options is always based on differences, implicit or explicit. Psychologists point out that vividly differentiated characteristics anchored to a product can enhance the public’s memory of it because they have added uniquely to the mind of the consumer, the product thus appreciating intellectually. In other words, if you are promoting a product or service, give the consumer a reason to choose it.

the article is presenting 10 ways and examples to help discover points of difference for your brand:
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Telecoms Lead AdAge’s Top 200 Brands by US Ad Spending

In this 200th post of this blog and waiting for the soon to be released Interbrand‘s Top 2006 Global Brands Report, I’m here to present AdAge 2005 Top 200 Brands List by US Ad Spending.

Is worth noticing that Ford was pushed out of the Top 3 by telecommunication companies which became top us Ad spenders: Verizon Communication (Verizon), AT&T (Cingular) and Sprint Nextel Corp (Sprint) with a combined spending of $4bn.

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BBC on Brands and Slogans

Brand identity is something all companies worry about. One way companies are trying to attract and retain our attention is through memorable corporate slogans.

These catchphrases are designed to sum up the essence of a business in a way that will stick in the mind and trip off the tongue.

Marketing professionals say a corporate slogan must be concise and distinctive, encapsulating a basic “promise” to a company’s users.

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5 Elements to Consider When Naming Your Business

A recent study among small business owners in the United States, sthow that the most stressful thing about starting a new company was not manufacturing of products or advertising to customers, but coming up with a name for the small business. Entrepreneurs spend weeks and even months trying to develop the perfect name.

Along with the Ingredients and Qualities of Good Brand Naming, Brand Naming Tips or Myths presented here before, here is a list of some other five things to consider when choosing a name for your business of product:

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Creating a Personal Brand

Mark Nead in alwayson on [tag]personal branding[/tag]:

As individuals and organizations, we are defined by our values and actions, and it is these values and actions which define our brands, personally and professionally. Fortunately you can’t fake character or values, and technology has become a driving force in demanding transparency and disclosure. Word of mouth marketing has overshadowed and replaced traditional advertising. If you subscribe to and remember one principle of branding, make it this: your brand is not what you say it is. It’s what others say after you’ve left the room.

A strong brand foundation and strategy is essential to the success and effectiveness of businesses as well as individuals. It helps build connections with your audiences and enhances your ability to “own” a category in their minds. This sets the stage for others to become your brand “ambassadors”, which is the most effective means to promote and grow your brand. Nurture the power of referrals with care and respect.


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Redefining the Role of Marketing

Addressing a press conference in Chennai on Monday, marketing guru Phillip Kotler, author of Marketing Management (12th Edition) (Marketing Management) and Principles of Marketing (11th Edition) (Principles of Marketing) expressed its opinion on the growing importance of branding in today’s world of Internet and media explosion.

Branding is critical for creating trust in the minds of consumers. The four P’s of marketing — product, price, place and promotion — were the corner stones of building a brand in the past. Today, one needs to redefine the role of marketing as creating, communicating and delivering value to the consumer (CCDV).

Today the consumer would buy a product or service or a combination only if he saw a value in it. So the central role of marketing was to deliver the value to the consumers. The marketing guru said the 4Ps, the most important factors of Philip Kotler’s theory, were more relevant for the manufacturing sector. But in the current economic system, this had been replaced with `CCDV’ marketing, which was creating value (instead of product), communicating value (in place of promotions) and delivering value.

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by Daniel

Top 10 Brands – Harris Interactive “Best Brands” Survey

Sony is leading the Harris Interactive “Best Brands” survey for the seventh year in a row. Apple is the gainer making in the top 10 this year, while the loosers of the year could be considered Kraft Foods which is loosing 6 places (from 3rd to 9th) and General Motors which dropped from No. 8 to No. 17.

“We would like you to think about brands or names of products and services you know. Considering everything, which three brands do you consider the best?” was the question asked and answered by 2,351 U.S. adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive® between June 7 and 13, 2006.

Survey responses were unaided and a list of brand names was not presented to respondents. The results from this survey cannot be compared to results of the Harris Interactive 2006 EquiTrend Brand Study results, as the methodologies for the surveys differ.

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6 Basic Steps to Achieve Brand Credibility

A big brand is a brand that customers trust and believe in. When consumers don’t trust a brand they do not buy or consume it. One of the biggest reasons for people buying a brand repeatedly is the credibility the brand has among the consumers.

In brand building, credibility is vital to the success of any brand.

There are many brands which claim to provide various benefits. However, a consumer does not believe these claims easily. He needs credibility. Here are 6 basic steps for building brand credibility:

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Branding Goes Mobile

Call it m-branding: the use of the mobile channel to create differentiation and build brand affinity as never before possible. When used correctly, it has five key advantages over virtually every other medium:

Immediacy

Consumers can use their cell phones to interact with brand promotions right at the point of impression. This usually involves entering a four- to five-digit code featured in a print, outdoor, or broadcast advertisement. Continue reading →

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