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With everyone piling on The Gap logo redesign fiasco, it is a good time to remember that this is just one of a long line of brand mistakes. Edsel–Spent $400,000,000 in development for a product that never found its market. New Coke–Abandoning its venerated formula nearly sank the brand before it reverted back to its …
The Gap Fiasco: The Latest in a Long Line of Brand Mistakes Read More »
Target’s mom-bashing ad makes you wonder: Don’t advertisers test their ads before broadcasting them–even in “broadcasting” is “just” YouTube and in-store media? This Target brand ad would never have passed the mom test: While the outcry hasn’t reached the angry Motrin Mom level, Target has still made a mistake putting down a costume made by …
Uh-Oh–Target Brand Angers Moms with Halloween Ads Read More »
BP’s new Chief Executive Robert Dudley has a long “to do” list. One thing that should not be on that list: Repairing the BP brand. Yes, the BP brand is wounded and they need a strong brand to succeed. Any effort to fix the brand today will fail. BP’s over-focus on its image has been …
Repairing BP Brand Should NOT Top New CEO’s To-Do List Read More »
Move over BARF dog food–there’s another unintentionally funny brand name out there. Have you heard of Putzmeister? This German company markets machines for pouring and placing concrete, but the name suggests something else. A quick peek in my beloved Joys of Yiddish book explains “putz” rhymes with nuts and is a vulgar slang term for …
Splitting Motorola into two companies should have been a great branding opportunity—a chance to create two distinctive, focused, world leading brand names. Unfortunately, the brains breaking up the Motorola brand missed the opportunity. Trying to spread the Motorola brand equity across two companies destroys the brand for both. Breaking up the company makes business sense: …
Green–it’s the new blue in logo redesigns. As an overused boring corporate color, blue is losing ground to green. Corporations everywhere have been jumping on the “green” bandwagon, whether they are hotels that wash towels less frequently, moving companies that reuse boxes, or retailers that recycle plastic bags. The green washing trend is even spreading …
Scott Neuman of NPR asked me about the possible boycotts of the BP brand. I explained that brand is not a driver for people buying gas. Location is most important. People will literally not drive across a median to reach a gas station on the other side of the street if there is one conveniently …
BP can’t seem to tweet. BP social media efforts hurt the brand BP Doubles Down on Damage My previous post discussed how the oil spill killed BP’s environmental brand positioning. BP’s response to the spill has done even more damage. While the company is focused on the disaster, surely their marketing people aren’t out personally …
The oil spewing from the destroyed drilling-rig off the coast of Louisiana is devastating the environment; it also damages the BP brand. No matter that the oil rig in question is actually owned and operated by Transocean, the world’s largest offshore drilling contractor. No matter that nine of the eleven victims are Transocean employees. The …
Many companies worry about video quality and spend a fortune on slick production. While you should always aim for the best possible results, sometimes good enough is more than good enough. Very often, the simple and genuine communication trumps the sophisticated. How a Cheaply Produced Web Video Wins Take the example of Tino Gagliardi, a …