Branding Archives - Page 25 of 42 - McLellan Marketing Group

Tell me again that branding doesn’t matter

August 12, 2007

For those of you still on the fence about the power of branding, check out the results of the study just released by Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. The full study will be released in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The study finds that kids aged 3 to 5, when presented with identical foods — one in a McDonald's wrapper and the other without — overwhelmingly rated the branded one as tasting better.

Hmm. And if branding affects consumers that dramatically by the age of 3, how do you suppose it works after another 20-30 years of conditioning?

Still wondering about the value of investing in and building a consistent brand?

Related posts:

A must read book on branding

In lead generation, branding matters

This is your brain. This is your brain on brands.

Listen up (why your customers’ native tongue matters)

August 10, 2007

Have you ever been out in a public place, maybe enjoying coffee with a friend when all of a sudden, your ears perk up? You hear a familiar voice and you can't help but listen for it? Or you hear a phrase or word that trips off your own tongue on a regular basis?

It's human nature to be drawn to voices that feel familiar. Steve Lovelace from Build a Better Box has a great post about a study from the National Academy of Sciences about how infants respond to people speaking in different languages. The study suggests that even as young as five months, the infants recognize the tones and patterns of their native language and respond accordingly.

Customers are really just big babies. No, I don't mean fussy. I mean, just like the 5 month olds, they respond to their native tongue. But all too often — we don't write that way.

Look through your own communications pieces and see if you can spot one or more of the following:

Sales speak: "You can drive it home today!" Okay, yours probably aren't that blatant. But if it sounds like a slick salesman, it isn't going to fly.

Insider jargon: Do your materials look like an eye chart with all their acronyms? Are you sure your audience uses those same shortcuts?

Vague buzzwords: You know the words I'm talking about. Empower. Paradigm. Value add. It's not that those concepts are bad or irrelevant to your customers. But the words are so over-used that we assign very little meaning to them any more. Don't talk in generalities — be concrete.

Listen to your customers for awhile. Then, read your materials out loud. If they don't sound like your customers talk — re-write them. It really is that simple. Be sure you're speaking in their native tongue.

BrandingWire: Auto Dealers

August 6, 2007

This month's BrandingWire challenge was local auto dealers. I'm anxious to read what my colleagues have to say on this one. As you'll read, I think the situation is beyond what marketing alone can heal.

I'm usually the first guy who will champion a concentrated, consistent effort to re-brand or re-market a company that has gone astray. But I have to tell you, I don't think auto dealerships stand a chance.

Why not?

Way too many years of high-pressure sales, the goofy "I have to go talk to my manager" game, selling vaporware in the form of extended warranties and in general sleazy tactics and employees.

Bottom line – we don't trust you. Any time someone walks into a car dealership, they expect to be tricked and taken.

Here's a marketing/branding truth. Without trust, you've got nothing.

No marketing program or branding campaign can save you or change the fact that on just about any survey given, cars sales people rank as the least trustworthy profession.

There are just some things marketing can't solve. This is an operations issue. Saturn had the right idea. They changed the way cars were sold.

The internet has stripped you of much of your mystique and ability to con buyers. But instead of recognizing that it's a new day, you've just clung even tighter to the tactics that still work. It's time to actually change.

People need cars. They have to buy them somewhere. So be the first one in your community to truly change the way you do business. I'm not talking about a superficial change. Or a bait and switch sort of change. Because that's what we expect. So surprise us. This isn't spin; this is revolutionizing your industry.

Be transparent with your costs. Show us the invoice because anything less and we won't believe you.

Set a standard mark-up for every vehicle on your lot. We don't deny you need to make money. We just want it to be fully disclosed and fair.

Stop compensating your sales force with commission. Pay them a flat fee for every car sale. As long as they are paid more to trick us into paying more – we can't win.

No dickering, dealing or game playing. Set a price and live with it.

Use an independent source for trade-in values. Nothing you can do here is going to make us feel like we got a fair deal. So pay some of the area's auto repair shops that have a strong local reputation a flat fee for assessing trade in values.

Let us take any used car off the lot and have it evaluated by an independent expert. If we choose to buy the car, reimburse us for the evaluation.

Right now, every facet of your business is set up to make the buying experience an adversarial one. Until that changes, nothing else really can.

Be the first to re-invent how your industry gets compensated and then celebrate that. Go out of your way to make sure the consumer gets the best deal possible and then celebrate that. Turn your sales force into customer advocates and then celebrate that.

Own the brand position of being different from every other car dealership out there and you will have more customers than you can handle. Otherwise…just run another Summer Sizzlin' Sales campaign and it's business as usual.

Until your competition decides that they're the ones who are going to actually change.

Check out what the rest of the BrandingWire posse had to say and get more high-voltage ideas at BrandingWire.com.

Olivier Blanchard
Becky Carroll
Derrick Daye
Kevin Dugan
Lewis Green
Ann Handley
Gavin Heaton
Martin Jelsema
Valeria Maltoni
Drew McLellan
Patrick Schaber
Steve Woodruff

Have a hero’s heart — don’t overthink, just act

August 5, 2007

Cam Beck (ChaosScenario) has a very thoughtful post about the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis and the heroism that emerged. For him, it served as a reminder that as marketers, we sometimes go for the cheap pay off, rather than honoring the best of what humans can be.

In my comment, I made this observation. I think in moments of crisis (Mpls, 9-11, house fires) human beings don't think– they just react. And they react from a place very deep inside of them. Their true self. Their heart of hearts. And that's how ordinary people suddenly become heroes. Because they don't have time to talk themselves out of doing what is right and good.

I'm not just waxing poetic here. I think there is a rock solid marketing message in there. You know when companies mess up? When they over-think a decision. When they override their own instincts. When they suddenly worry if they're going to get into trouble. Let me give you an example.

We recently won a new client who told me an all too familiar story. They had a problem arise in their place of business and got some bad press coverage from it. Their first instinct was to have the CEO serve as the spokesperson and deal with the issue frankly and openly.

But, then they thought about it. And got some very bad advice from a PR professional who said the CEO should not be in any way tainted by being associated with this bad event.

What a crock. If they had trusted their gut and done what they knew was authentic to them — the storm would have passed quickly and been seen for what it was.

But instead, they over-thought the decision and made a complete mess of it. Because they ignored what their heart was telling them.

If you and your employees truly understand your organization's soul — you know what to do. In every situation. Stay true to that and be your company's hero. Don't think it to death. Don't wait for it to be perfect. Just listen to the company's heart and act.

How to write an outstanding blog post

August 4, 2007

Late this Spring, Liz Strauss tagged me, asking what makes an outstanding blog post and I've been letting my answer cook until now. Which is a fancy way of saying…I'm finally getting to it.

Maybe it took me this long because I'm not sure I have the answer for this one. Honestly, some of the posts that I still love the most and touch my heart are ones that you hardly noticed. And sometimes a post that I think is just okay draws a huge response.

So clearly, I haven't a clue.

But…I have recognized some patterns. Maybe there's a hint or two in them for all of us.

It's all about you.

The best blog posts are reader centric. They respect your intelligence, your time and your need for something fresh and different. Rather than being intent on teaching you something new, they are intent on generating a conversation by acknowledging that we both have something to say on the subject, whatever it may be.

It's not all about you.

When I first started blogging, I fully intended to offer tips and commentary on the world of marketing and branding. I didn't plan to share or show you my heart. After all, this is a business blog. But, I discovered that when you write every day, you can't really avoid that. And that's when people beyond my parents and my employees started reading my blog. So, while it can mostly be about you. It actually has to be about me too. Sort of like a conversation perhaps?

I'm not you.

Some days, I find the blogosphere pretty intimidating. I read all these smart and insightful things and wonder…what the heck am I doing at this party? Thank God I am smart enough to know that I will never be as sassy as CK or as poetic as Gavin or eloquent as Liz or helpful as Mike or inspiring as Christine or as prolific as Lewis. My blog is never going to look like David's or have a subscription list like John's. I can't draw like Tony, share wry observations like Cam or connect people like Phil. And I sure can't cuss like Paul. And that just scratches the surface of the bloggers I admire and wish I could be more like.

And to try would only serve to embarrass myself. Like it or not, I've got to work with my talents or you'd recognize me as a fake and rightfully call me on it. So I offer up what I've learned over the years, in my own native voice and hope that it will resonate with you.

I only come back because of you.

Talking to myself every day would bore me to tears. I love to write but I really love the conversation. I think the biggest tragedy of blogging is that most people read the posts and never dig into the comments. That' s where the real meat is. I can serve up a topic but I promise you, the real "a ha" comes in the interaction below the surface of the original post.

So back to Liz' question. What makes a great post?

I think, for me anyway, my posts stretch towards greatness when I draw the outline of the picture and then you color it in. When I don't know all the answers, but I have a pretty good idea of the questions. When I don't think too long or too hard, but instead just toss it out there. When I don't worry about how pretty the words sound, but instead enjoy your words. My best posts are when I look around the room, marvel at the interesting people gathered and just pull up a chair.

So in the end…it seems that what makes an outstanding post for me….is you.

How about you? If you're a blogger – how/when do you create an outstanding post? And if you're a reader, what makes a post noteworthy to you?

Is your elevator speech a what or a why?

August 3, 2007

When you have 30 seconds to introduce yourself, if you are like most people you say your name and then identify what you do.

You know…"hi, I'm Drew McLellan. I work at a marketing communications agency."

Yawn.

Listen to how different and how much more relevant this sounds when I focus on the why:

"Hi, I'm Drew McLellan. We help clients discover their story so they can create love affairs with their customers."

Which one do you think would stimulate more conversation and interest on the part of the person I'm meeting?

What could your elevator speech be if you focused on the why?

Do you market to your own employees?

August 1, 2007

John Moore over at Brand Autopsy talks about the incredible marketing value that Apple generated when they gave every one of their employees a new iPhone. No argument from me there.

But what do you do when you're not Apple and you can't pop for a $600 phone for every team member? Most companies don't do anything. Big mistake.

Read about how one marketer made sure his employees felt appreciated in a way that any business can afford and do.

And yes, the photo is a hint.

Bad customers, branding, chasing cool and babies

July 25, 2007

If you're looking for me today, you're going to have to look all over. It's a little like "where in the world is Carmen San Diego" but with a twist. Check out my posts on these blogs:

Marketing Profs Daily Fix: No one believes in branding more than I do. But have we gone a little too far when we hire professionals to help us brand our baby?

IowaBiz: Everyone wants to be the iPod of their industry. What gets in the way of being a company capable of creating that kind of cool?

Small Business Branding: Everyone's had a bad customer. Guess what? That's our own fault. Branding done right can help us avoid those potential customers who in the end, just aren't for us.

Come catch me if you can!

What is the cost of being right?

July 20, 2007

The world is counting the hours until 12:01 am. Why? The final book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows goes on sale and all the questions will be answered.

So until then…everyone is holding their breath. Well, almost.

As you probably know, both the New York Times and the Baltimore Sun "legally" obtained copies of the book and issued reviews on Thursday — 48 hours before the book was to be officially released. Both reviews gave away elements of the book's plot but neither told us whether or not Harry survives. The book's author JK Rowlings is outraged that the newspapers saw fit to publish a review before the book's release.

This reminds me a bit of the Grinch sneaking the sucker out of Cindy Lou Who's chubby little fingers as she slept. As I search the web today, I'm hard pressed to find someone defending the two paper's decision to publish their reviews. The Washington Post was quick to point out that they are choosing to honor the book's embargo until Saturday at 12:01.

The New York Times and Baltimore Sun's stance is "hey, if we can get the book via legal means, we have the right to publish the review."

People have been flooding the Times and Sun with angry phone calls and e-mails. So here's my question.

Why? Imagine the editorial meeting at either paper. Why would they think the pre-embargo review would be well received? Why not just prep the review and have it ready for the Saturday morning edition or even better…release a 12:01 am edition?

In my mind…this is as much a PR issue as a news issue. If you had been around the decision-making table — what would you have recommended?

How about lingerie-clad women wading through bubbles?

July 13, 2007

When Steven Singer asked himself what 21-30 year old men wanted…that was the answer he came up with — what about lingerie-clad women wading through bubbles. Hard to argue with his logic.

In fact, Singer is betting the store on it. Steven Singers Jewelers is quite the departure from traditional jewelry advertising. Their promotions include in store bubble bath parties (yes, with the aforementioned scantily-clad women), chicken wing eating contests and giveaways on Howard Stern's radio show.

Recently covered in the WSJ online, Steven Singer Jewelers is proving that you don't have to look or sound like a Harlequin novel to sell diamonds. (Our friend Derrick Daye is quoted in the article.)

He started out with the billboards "I hate Steven Singer" throughout the metro. That drove people to the website, where they read stories from men who hated Steven Singer because they had to give up their great bachelor lives and now they're married.

Unconventional? I'll say. Attention-getting? You tell me. Sales are up 15-20% annually since he adopting his advertising strategy.

Singer is perfectly content that his "boorish" campaign offends some people. He's not trying to be everything to everyone. He knows exactly who he wants in his store and he's talking their language.

Risky? Sure. Smart branding that most people would be too skittish to do? I think so.

What do you think about Singer's brand? The upside is obvious – great sales. Is there a downside?

« Previous 1 … 23 24 25 26 27 … 42 Next »