Branding Archives - Page 26 of 42 - McLellan Marketing Group

100% support for subliminal advertising

July 10, 2007

We should all become subminal advertising artists. Every single one of us.

I don't care that in 1974 the FCC issued an order saying that anyone knowingly carry subliminal ads was operating "contrary to the public interest."

I don't care that they've proven that the infamous 1957 "drink Coke" movie theater story is a urban legend.

I don't care that some people allege that the Disney animation classic The Lion King has a seen where the word SEX is written in the clouds. (Not sure who that's advertising for!)

I don't care that some people have seen the word RATS in a commercial George W. Bush ran during his campaign for President against Gore.

When a store owner makes a customer feel like they're the most important person in the room, that's subliminal advertising. When an on-line help desk staffer takes an extra three minutes to write a personal comment in a "we've fixed your problem" e-mail, when a customer service rep hops in the car to hand deliver a part that a client desperately needs…that's subliminal advertising.

When a Disney cast member whose job is sweeping up popcorn stops to give a little boy a sticker…that's subliminal advertising. When a lube drive through shop checks a worried woman's car, makes a minor repair and then refuses to charge her anything…that is subliminal advertising.

We can consciously deliver our brand through marketing messages, signage, and consistency. But all of that pales in comparison to creating a customer experience that delights and surprises someone.

That kind of subliminal advertising gets people to not only buy what you sell but to talk about their buying experience. That kind of subliminal advertising transcends loyalty and moves to love.

We should all be that kind of advertiser.

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BrandingWire: Estes Park, Colorado

July 9, 2007

If you haven't had a chance to read the backgrounder, you can find it on the BrandingWire's site.

For this exercise, I am going to stay focused on the brand position and not dig into tactics of execution.

Many of the natural benefits you might gravitate to as you think about branding Estes Park, are unfortunately a duh in Colorado. The scenery is breathtaking. Just like it is in Vail and Copper Mountain. There's lots of wildlife to see in the rustic setting. Same thing is true of the Rock Mountain National Park and Winter Park.

Great fishing, hunting, and hiking. Again, duh. I'm not suggesting that their marketing materials ignore these factors but none of them can occupy the brand position. They just aren't unique enough.

As I read through the information and reflected on my own trips to the area, I noticed some of the more thorny details that make Estes Park a tough sell compared to some of the more posh ski areas like Sundance, Vail or Aspen. Unfortunately, those are also the things that make them different from the more polished tourist areas.

So I thought it might be interesting to think about how to take the negatives and use those to our branding advantage. Let's take a brief look at each.

Limited access: From October to May, Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park is closed. Many of the stores close for the winter season or only keep weekend hours. As a result, they have a very short season.

Not a lot of glitz: When something thinks Colorado resort area, we immediately conjure up a Vail or Aspen experience with their high end shops, glitzy clubs and celebrity sightings. Estes Park couldn't be further from that image with its taffy and t-shirt shops. There are a few higher end stores but the spending per visitor is much lower in EP than other mountain areas.

One of their biggest claims to fame are the horse shows that are a part of their tradition. Even these are very down to earth productions. Again, a complete lack of glitz.

2 road town: Estes Park's "main drag" is two roads that stretch out long enough for the merchants to line up along the sidewalks. It's also the main thoroughfare for the town. I can remember the first time I got to Estes Park's business district my reaction was "this is it?"

So when you combine these factors together, what do you get? I think you get a unique brand for Estes Park. This is the city that isn't "putting on the Ritz" for tourists. They are what they are – a breathtakingly beautiful area that is comfortable in their own skin. They don't need to become something different for anyone.

Estes Park. Colorado au natural.

The copy surrounding the brand promise and the user experience can celebrate the "negatives" that makes Estes Park different from the ski areas and other mountain resort towns. It's certainly already earned its reputation for being one of the most beautiful areas of the state. The wildlife literally can be seen strolling down the main drag. And the residents are already set for their role. This already how they behave and come off. The people that I met are very proud of how rustic and rugged Estes Park is. They chose it because they wanted to get away from the noise and put on glamor of places like Sundance. They like that they're different. And I think many visitors do too.

If you've been to Estes Park, how does this jive with your experience? If you haven't been there before, how do you react to this positioning?

Did you play along? What recommendation would you make to the city?

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

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BrandingWire: Play along on round #2

July 7, 2007

Last month, we launched BrandingWire with our team focusing on a local coffee shop. Each month, we focus our creative bandwidth on a particular branding challenge or topic, and collectively give our perspectives on how we’d apply best branding practices.

This Monday July 9th, we will launch July's edition. Our focus is Estes Park, Colorado. Be sure to check out each BrandingWire perspective.

My BrandingWire brethren & sisters are:

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

Grab the same background the BrandingWire team is working with and join in the fun.

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How to anchor your tagline in your target’s mind

July 2, 2007

Use it. Everywhere.

Here's a startling reality check. About the time we are so sick of our positioning line (or tagline) that we could scream — our audiences are just beginning to notice it.

How do we accelerate the marketplace's awareness of our tagline? We use it. Wherever and whenever we can. Sometimes, creating memorable marketing is as simple as frequency.

Where should we put it? I'll start the list and you guys chime in. After a few days, I'll update the post and give you credit for your ideas (in case some people are too lazy to scroll down through the comments!)

Business cards
Letterhead
Website
e-mail signature
invoices
Signage (when it fits)
Vehicle signage
Promotional items (pens, cups, lanyards, frisbees)
Wearables (hats, polos, t-shirts, aprons)
Voice mail message

Come on…where else?

UPDATE: Here are some reader additions to the list.

Actually live your brand promise — submitted by Pete
Promotional literature (brochures, fliers, data sheets, etc)
Trade show exhibits
Newsletter banners
Presentations
Proposals
Advertising (TV, radio, print) — submitted by Martin Jelsema
Your blog — submitted by Steve Woodruff
Invoices
Checks
Front windows (we use sticky letter as well as paint)
Billboards
Social networking sites
Tattoos (Temporary!)
15 second pitches
Introductions
Sales Counters
Walls
Product packaging
Shipping containers and tape
Screen savers
Break areas (on the fridge)
Restroom mirrors
Text messages
Entry carpets
Is skywriting out of the question? — submitted by Becky McCray

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Are your marketing efforts overcompensating?

June 29, 2007

We’ve all seen it.

Bulging, overloaded PowerPoint slides, brochures, packaging and websites. With every additional word or element — you can smell the uncertainty.

They’re afraid the audience won’t get it. Which speaks volumes. But not about the audience.

Are you confident enough to be simple?

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Would you recognize if your product shifted categories?

June 27, 2007

Remember the first desktop computers (shut up if you are too young!). We were amazed at their capacity. Their speed. And their ability to change the way we work.

I can still remember saying "who needs a 1 gig hard drive…that’s crazy!" Now, I wouldn’t buy one that has less than 120. And that was just a couple years ago.

When was the last time you marveled at your computer? Or picked out a new one because it could make a spreadsheet or design a brochure or reach out to people across the globe?

Those functional aspects of the product no longer thrill us. They’ve become a given.

It seems to me that computers have shifted categories a little. Sure, they are still a business tool. But all brands, makes and models are business tools and the reality is, any one of them can probably meet and exceed most people’s needs.

Apple was the first to recognize that computers also say something about us as people and that design matters. Remember the first iMacs with their crazy colors? People were taken aback. The color of the computer does not change its functionality at all.

But it does change what your computer says about you. A hot pink computer? That connotes something about the owner, eh?

Dell has announced that they’re jumping on that boat. Today, they launch their new Inspiron notebook series in 8 vibrant colors, including midnight blue, spring green and jet black.

In a very Apple-like move, the product launch will occur in the Macy’s department store in Manhattan’s Herald Square.

What makes this fascinating isn’t the colored computers. What makes this discussion-worthy is the recognition that companies, brands and products shift over time. Think about your business. What used to make people ohhh and ahhh but now has become a given?

What’s your new ohhh and ahhh? Or are you still hyping the given as though it gives your customers the same tingles it used to?

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A bag full of ideas: 06/25/07

June 25, 2007

From time to time, I’m going to share a mixed bag of ideas, marketing tips, brilliant writing and sometimes — something that just made me laugh out loud. Here’s today’s offering:

This one had me smiling and nodding: Jay hit the nail on the head when he responded to the age old question "But does all that blogging get your clients?" Right on Jay! My favorite message — if you blog just to get clients, you won’t.

This one had me bookmarking this blog: Cody McKibben shares some explores the recent attempt by Congress to extend the Freedom of Information Act to bloggers. A very well-thought out post from a young man who is clearly going to be a voice to be reckoned with.

This one was an excellent reminder: Chris Punke reminds us of the many ways video can enhance our marketing. The new distribution and ease of use that video enjoys today makes this traditional marketing technique a very viable one for most businesses.

This one scared me a little: Brett Trout at IowaBiz.com suggests that many of us who think we own our websites couldn’t be more wrong. Is that a conversation you had with your web developer? Should you?

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Is your neighbor a marketing whiz?

June 22, 2007

Stop for a minute and picture one of your neighbors. Not the whole neighborhood. Pick an actual neighbor. Now, suppose a pharmaceutical company wanted to hire someone to create a product name and tagline for a new over the counter drug.

Who would they hire? You the marketing pro (or at least someone with some marketing background) or that neighbor?

You might just be surprised. Come over the Marketing Profs Daily Fix and jump into my most recent post, Should the Average Joe Name your Product?

UPDATE: I was contacted by one of the creators of this challenge. He asked that I clarify a couple points. The sponsoring company is not a pharmaceutical company and they are not working on an over the counter drug but instead it is technically a life science company developing dietary supplements. Their official press release was incorrect and he responsibly wanted public information to be accurate.

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Blogs that make you go hmmm…

June 21, 2007

It’s pretty cool when one of the smartest bloggers you know points to your blog as one that makes HIM think. So I was really tickled when David Reich included Drew’s Marketing Minute in his list of five blogs that make him think.

Feeling good about David’s nod was the easy part. Then, I kept reading and realized that I now had the difficult task of narrowing down a long list of blogs that make me go hmmm every day down to a measly five. Cripes.

So…here goes. I checked as best I could and it looks like these blogs have not already been nominated. If I’m wrong…enjoy the double dose of love. And check out my blog roll to see how many other blogs could have been on this list.

Servant of Chaos — Gavin Heaton is a marketing poet, pure and simple. And my partner in publishing with the Age of Conversation. Wickedly smart. His posts dig way past strategy to purpose.

Steve Farber — Author of two of my all-time favorite business books (Radical Leap and Radical Edge), Steve Farber is about life’s purpose, joy, leadership to the extreme and changing the world.

Logic + Emotion — David Armano’s blog is probably most associated with his graphics. But what puts it on this list for me are the questions David asks as he explores connectivity, conversation and consumer communities.

The Copywriting Maven — Roberta Rosenberg has a way with words. Her posts are never wasteful — every word has a job to do. She teaches, offers tips and asks questions that make me want to be a better writer. Update: And is snort your milk through your nose funny!

Success from the Nest — Tony Clark writes with conviction, experience and cartoons. Tony puts his readers’ through their paces. By going through them himself first. He’s a human guinea pig — and he invites us along on his explorations.

What do these blogs have in common? They ask questions and invite me to think. Thanks to all of you for making me go hmm.

And…here’s the rest of the prize package, according to the originator of this meme:

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to Drew’s post which says such nice things about you so that people can follow the meme’s trail,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

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If you could only use one sentence…

June 21, 2007

…to market your organization, what would it be?

(Draw a blank? E-mail me.)

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