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It hasn’t been smooth sledding lately for the venerable Flexible Flyer brand. The iconic downhill coaster was invented by businessman Samuel Leeds Allen outside of Philadelphia just over the river in New Jersey. Seems the stern, hard-working Quaker was serious about winter sport. His daughter reports he tested every hill on his property, and finding …
Flexible Flyer Brand: Heading Downhill Since 1889 Read More »
Corporate restructuring can make perfect financial sense, yet create a perfect mess creating brand confusion in the marketplace. Take Marathon Oil, which just announced it is spinning off its “downstream” refining and retail operations. Those low margin businesses drag down the finances of the whole company, so a spin off is a shrewd move. Still, …
This blog has railed against the dishonesty behind doublespeak and the long-term damage such “cleverness” can do to the integrity of your brand (i.e. Toyota renaming a “recall” as a “special service campaign”). Using gobbledegook in your brand communications is less sinister, but it still inhibits clear, compelling communication and it definitely can bore your …
Gobbledegook: Brand Doublespeak’s Extremely Boring Cousin Read More »
Burson-Marsteller released a study that claims 76% of blogs were off message. The brand message gap was found in more than 150 messages sent out by companies listed in the Financial Times Global 100 and discovered a large gap between the official brand messages and how they were reflected on blogs, in tweets, and on …
Today’s Wall Street Journal Law Blog has an interesting article on naming laws and statutes. This is an area I have covered a time or two from a branding perspective. Naming anything is actually an act of persuasion–your name says something about your company, product or idea for a new law or policy. It’s no …
Naming Is Persuading: The Commercial and Political Power of Brand Names Read More »
“Brands are how we sort out the cesspool.” This famous quote from Eric Schmidt, President of Google, gives us insight into the importance of brands and how Google uses brand names when determining what search results to offer in response to customer queries. How do you know a word is a brand? Google codes up …
Automotive News is reporting the Jeep Wagoneer brand will be back in car showrooms come January 13th. The Brand That Invented the SUV The brand pioneered the concept of the sport utility vehicle in 1965. Though it was discontinued in 1993, the brand still has its fans: “That was such an awesome rig!” enthuses one …
Brand identity matters. President Obama’s reputation for dignity and style took a step back with his less than decorous vacation pictures. Gawker.com felt it necessary, due to the flip-flop flap, to provide how-to advice . The last time a President so crossed the line into “eew” was when President Johnson lifted his shirt to reveal …
Brand Identity: Everyone’s Crazy for a Sharp Dressed Brand Read More »
A good brand reputation is not a service you can buy and can’t be gained by a clever stratagem. Still, reputation managers at companies trying to do damage control or damage prevention always seem to be on the look-out for shortcuts that can shut down any negative conversation about brand. Preventing Negative Conversation Is Impossible …
You Can’t Buy a Good Brand Reputation-Negative Conversation Read More »
Okay, the new Gap log did suck. But EVERY new logo design ALWAYS kicks off a spate of negative logo reviews, and many new logos don’t suck. Crowd sourcers beware: consumers hate change. Google “New Starbucks” logo, and you’ll see page after page of negative reviews. Negative response to change has always existed. That social …
The New Logo ALWAYS Sucks: Consumers Hate Change Read More »