Brand Communications

Business Meditation

2011-06-07T05:55:00.000-07:00

I ran into a publishing friend not that long ago. He asked me how I was going to reconcile my upcoming book about meditation with my previous book called Leadership Lessons of the Navy SEALs. "They're just diametrically opposed," he said.

I smiled. "It's a good question, if you only look at the very top layer. But just one or two steps deeper the answer is very simple, really," I replied.

"How many special forces people have you seen waving a banner and charging headlong into the fray?" I asked.

He shrugged.

The answer is none. Groups like the Navy SEALs are the best because they are cool, calm and focused enough to make the right choices when they have to. No matter what is going on around them. They operate the same way you might expect a martial artist to, as they wait for the right moment to strike. The same way a Buddhist remains focused as they continue on their path to enlightenment.

You see, it's all the same under a different name. The reason each reaches their goal is they are aware of the reality of the world around them in the present moment. They have a clear idea of their objective. They focus their efforts, and they are patient enough to wait for their efforts to bear fruit.

Those that maintain their focus and are in control of their senses are the ones that succeed. Those that lose their way or seek a quick fix are the ones who fail. Think about it, the financial mess was due to those that wanted a fast track to wealth. In the military, the ones who run into the fray, firing wilding are doing what is called spray and pray. In self help it's called a quick fix pill. And guess what, none of them work.

So don't be afraid to think before you act. Don't be afraid to meditate. It's just another word for being in the moment. And that helps monks and seals alike.

The Reality of Not Being Real

2011-05-31T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well, she's at it again. And it's still not good. I will say, she is a shrewd marketer of her own brand. But it still seems as if she doesn't think it all the way through. I'm of course talking about Sarah Palin and her attempt to leverage the Rolling Thunder Memorial Day event in Washington D.C.

Great effort on her part to leverage a very meaningful and heartfelt event that enlisted people and veterans respect. But to don dark glasses and a leather jacket while hitching on the back of a bike just undermines her entire effort to be "real."

Everything about it reeks of a staged opportunistic PR gaff. The well primped look, the "heartland of America" theme, even the "One Nation" title for her bus tour. What's missing was her ability to ride a motorcycle, her ability to respect what our service men and women do on a daily basis, and her ability to be real. Or wait a minute, perhaps she is being true to herself. In which case it's sad that she's learned so little about what real American's want from a brand - real, honest goodness.

IMF Proves Brand Importance Exceeds Experience

2011-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

This in no way supports nor advocates the ability for a world leader, or anyone else for that matter, to abuse another human being. As a matter of fact, I know little enough about the now-former IMF chief, to comment on anything other than the demise of his personal brand.

Pool photo by Emmanuel Dunand

As you may know, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was accused of a number of sexual assault charges just a few weeks ago. It devastated his career and his reputation. For the vast majority of people in the world, it is really the first time they even heard his name. If you don't believe me, just ask someone if they know his name. Then ask them what he did as the head of the IMF.

Most will only shrug and say, "I really don't know."

The reason I bring this up is that, as horrific his acts are, they were atrocious enough to warrant his resignation as the head of the International Monetary Fund. His sickness and sociopathic tendencies were bad enough for the world to say, "I really don't care what he did to pull the world out of a global financial crises. I care more about the people of the world."

And to me, that is a good thing. For the first time, in a long, long time, the world is speaking that the human condition is more important than the financial.

It makes me smile to think of it.

Love and Fear

2011-03-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

Love and Fear

Both are very powerful reasons to do anything.

The former builds brands and products and businesses that will endure.

The later is a feeble foundation that will collapse with the weight of the world.

Stay true to your mission.

But make sure it is born and built on love, not fear.

News - viewers and readers dictating what they get

2011-03-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today, the news is not so much reported as digested. It is why the larger news agencies race to report based on the ratings they think they will receive, rather than on the nature of the story. It is why public relations firms are no longer an outside irritant, but a relied upon source. It is also why more and more people are relying less on traditional media for their news, and turning to independent reporting through blogs, twitter and trusted websites.

It is nobodies fault but a failure to evolve. Newspapers were too focused on the "paper" part of their name, and not enough on the "news." When the idea of a 24 hour television source for the news was put on the table. The old fashioned news rooms laughed at the idea. "there is simply not enough news for 24 hour coverage" they said. In less than a year they were shocked to find that people were perfectly happy with news sound bites rather than lengthy stories.

A dozen or so years later, the television networks got too caught up in the fact that their anchors were stars rather than journalists at heart. Some replaced experienced journalists with flashy anchors. Their audiences, who wanted news a bit fluffier than papers, found they did not want as much fluff as they were now getting. Who knows but perhaps they overshot the mark a bit, which is why there's a bit of a controversy as to where is the line between real news reporting and opinion.

I'm not sure we're going to have to worry about that for long. Because now both newspapers and television outlets, as well as magazines and newsletters are finding that their audiences are leaving them for the words and reporting of bloggers and digital journalists. Why? Because these independent people are the new journalists consumers are more comfortable following. These are the people delivering the news the way their audiences want it. Fast, quick, targeted, with just the right amount of commentary. Does this foretell the changes to come? Smaller, more targeted news outlets run by people who really care about what they are reporting? Is this the re-birth of the Fourth Branch of the government?

I hope so. If it's any indication, just look at the direction most advertisers are moving their media dollars - toward the online bloggers who are influencing their customers the most. If there is one indication of what consumers think of the news, just look at those brands who are putting money where their mouth is. We may not see The New York Times in print or CNN over the airwaves in twenty years. But we will always see our favorite brands.

The Politics of Hate

2011-01-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

With the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, there has been a new call to end, or at least reduce the vitriol of Washington. Some people seem to think that lowering the anger-based rhetoric is an infringement on our basic freedom of speech. In some ways it is. But there is also a level of responsibility and maturity that goes along with the concept of free speech.

Sarah Palin recorded a statement in which she said, “Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own,” Ms. Palin said in a video posted to her Facebook page. “Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.”

What she seems to forget is that when we raise the general level of discourse to include maps with gun sights targeting political leaders, we lower the level of discretion about what is right and what is wrong. I am not targeting Ms. Palin alone, as it comes in from both sides. But if we cannot see that there needs to be some level of acceptance and compassion in our public rhetoric, then we are truly doomed as a country and as a political system.

I agree with Ronald Reagan when he stated that society should not be blamed for the acts of an individual. However, I also agree with him that individuals should take responsibility for their actions. To date, I have yet to see any politicians do so.

If now is not the time? The when?

iPAD? Print?

2010-10-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Recently I dropped a few emails about a certain morning experience. My "friend" was having tea and saw a spider crawling up a wall. Not being much of a sports section fan, they casually rolled up that section of The New York Times and completed a major Smackdown of their eight-legged adversary. Throwing the paper away they realized, "hmmmmmmm, now there's something I could never do with an iPAD."

So I had to ask a lot of people I know what other things they could come up with. Here's what they came up with, just to show everyone how the print medium is truly not dead.

"You can't shred an iPad and line a hamster cage with it."
"You can't light a BBQ with an iPad, well you can, but the burgers will taste off..."
"Ya can't wrap fish in an iPad."
"You can never get free Yankees tickets from someone selling space on an iPad."
"You can't write a kidnap note by cutting up an iPad."

Please - feel free to add your thoughts on this matter...

Jeff Cannon
Think Cannon

What is Microsoft Doing With Bing?

2010-09-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

What are the key words that I associate with a great search engine? Words like thorough, believable, unbiased, honest, integrity, consistent, user friendly, immediately come to me. There are others, but when I started writing, I was stunned that the same brand attributes I attached to a search engine are almost exactly the same as those I look for in a reliable news source. I am sure each of us has their own list of attributes that can fill in a particular blank, but I think you get the picture.

Why am I bringing this up? Well:

First, I am in public relations and can see a spin a mile away
Second, Microsoft's Bing just announced they surpassed Yahoo to become the #2 search engine in the world in just a few weeks
Third, I noticed that when I enter a wrong URL in an Internet Explorer browser, I am automatically sent to Bing.com where the search engine is conveniently filled in with my error-ridden URL.

Now, while there is nothing inherently wrong with this "service", aside from it being incredibly annoying. While there is nothing illegal about this, it just reeks of being a shady marketing tactic. so much so, that I have begun to doubt Bing's integrity. I now wonder if the little lie they implied in their release is the way they do business in general. Yes, I now mistrust them. I have to ask, if they are willing to build a public relations campaign based on a little lie, how they are managing the rest of their business? Can I trust their search results? How do I know that the links they are sending you are truly an unbiased look into the web, or just another form of paid advertising?

Let me put it to you this way. Firefox's Mozilla established themselves based on the quality of their product. People tried it. They loved it. They passed it on. They raved about it. Mozilla Firefox then spread virally. There was no need for them to spin what was happening. It happened because Firefox was, and is, a great product - simple and true.

Unfortunately Microsoft failed to have the patience to let the consumer decide for themselves. In so doing, it has done a great disservice to itself by trying to spin something that is based in a false-hood. They did not do anything illegal, but their efforts were deceitful. They misled me, and a great many other people, with the idea that their product was just so popular that it took off by itself. When in fact, the growth was due to programming tricks like the default program on Internet Explorer. If you think I'm wrong, then try this little test. Enter the following URL into both IE and Firefox Mozilla - "www.google.colm".

On Firefox you will get an error message. On Internet Explorer you will get directed to Bing.com with your mistyped URL preloaded into the search bar: and Microsoft will tic off another person using Bing.

Bing - Unfortunately, I know Google. And you sir, are no Google - just a squeaky little program who's trying to buck the system. And in so doing, you are undermining your own service, your brand, and the brand integrity of the larger Microsoft.

Next time Think.

Think Cannon

www.thinkcannon.com

What's Eating You removes the slightest hint of integrity in this new show on Eating Disorders

2010-08-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

After seeing their press release for the new reality show on E! - I can be nothing but appalled. While we all know that E! stands for Entertainment, with their new show, "What's Eating You," it also stands for "Extreme" or "Excessive" or "Exploitative" or just plain reckless and irresponsible. From their press release, this is not about help or health or saving lives. This is about trying to turn a deadly disease into entertainment - and that is wrong for those affected, it is wrong for advertisers thinking this is a way to reach their customers, and it is wrong for a brand - no matter how cheesy that brand may be. And yes, I'm speaking to you E!.

This is an excerpt from their release:

"From bizarre rituals to extreme habits, the worlds of the twelve brave participants will be an open book. From a woman who must put countless packets of artificial sweetener on anything she eats – including burgers and salads – to another who spends hours each day at different fast food restaurants, just to purge privately in a bevy of single-person bathrooms around town, audiences will follow the lives of people whose food behaviors are consuming and threatening their lives. Other stories include: a young man who will chew and swallow an entire pack of gum instead of eating food to feel satiated; a young woman who will eat ant-covered food out of a trash can, only to then purge in whatever she can find – her boots or even her purse; a young man for whom food is “dirty” and who, as a result, has a compulsion to wear rubber gloves before touching anything related to eating; a woman who drowns all of her food in gravy and has found other creative ways to eat around her gastric band and a young mother who wears layers and layers of clothes in the scorching Phoenix sun just to hide a body she feels is “sickly deformed” as a result of her pregnancies. In a particularly heartbreaking case, viewers also are introduced to a woman who was recently homeless and will drive 2 ½ hours to purchase her comfort food: white chalkboard chalk.
With the help of trained medical professionals, highly experienced therapists and nutrition specialists, these patients will attempt to begin the long, painful and often shocking journey to recovery. JD Roth, Executive Producer and CEO of 3 Ball Productions, said, “One might assume that a show about severe eating disorders would focus solely on participants’ bizarre behavior around food; but this show really is about the incredible fortitude and strength of people with intense obstacles to overcome, and how they strive to get their lives back on track. We’re very proud to be working with E!, not only in shedding light on a dangerous issue, but also in offering hope and a path to recovery.”

Seriously? Is this the work of anyone even remotely responsible? Regardless of what their logo says with the big E!, it is just plain EXPLOITATIVE. There is a difference between an article labeled "Stars, they're just like us," and a show that focuses on the very worst of a disease. Their press release alone reads more like a script for a freak show barker than for television programming. I could expect to see this in the darkest recesses of the Internet, but not on an FCC controlled medium like television.

If you are wondering how a legitimate brand could produce programming that delves into a subject like eating disorders responsibly - just look at A&E's "Intervention" [www.aetc.com/intervention/about]. Their approach actually does focus on hope, on redemption, and on life. They even went further to create something called the Recovery Project, to create outreach material, and to encourage people to participate in helping others. It is a responsible approach that positions the A&E brand in a responsible light.

E!? nothing of the sort. Even before their show goes live, they are focusing on "a young woman who will eat ant-covered food out of a trash can," who will "purge into whatever she can find - her boots or even her purse," or of another who feels she is "sickly deformed."

As for the producer of the show - 3 Ball Productions - they were the company that produced The Biggest Loser. A show that has been blamed for actually causing a contestant to develop an eating disorder. It is hardly any wonder as to the integrity of the producers behind the show when they've received some startling reviews by their own employees.

All in all, E! actually has a good brand for the type of programming they have developed in the past. So why would the risk undermining tne value of their brand and the brands of their advertisers by producing content like this? There is only answer - greed and a desire for short term profits over long term growth. It is a shame. But that is what happens when you make decisions that aren't focused on brand growth.

E! we can only watch and see what happens.

Think Cannon

Eat, Pray, Love & Home Shopping Network? Really?

2010-08-04T07:14:00.001-07:00

I recently read about the new movie Eat, Pray Love. Well, not actually about the movie, but about the merchandising deals they are putting together to help promote it. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all about branded entertainment and licensing deals. I am also all about trying to find a novel way to target a niche audience. But only in the right CONTEXT. Because if content is king, then context is truly the queen.

To create branded content deals effectively means thinking beyond demographics and viewer patterns. It means looking deeper than basic psychographics in order to find the emotional core that has brought a group of customers together. Because that is the glue beneath any customer base. Hence my outrage and my blog.

When I learned that the people behind the marketing of "Eat, Pray, Love" put together a deal with HSN as a way to promote the movie, I was leery. When I learned their strategy was to create a win/win opportunity to pay for some of the marketing by selling products "tied to the theme of the movie," my brain scratched like an old LP. Selling products? Tied to the theme of the movie? Have none of them read the book?

Not to jump to quickly, I took a look at what "products tied to the theme of the movie" meant. Did they mean the Perlier-Italian beauty products "brought to you by the Royal Borghese family" for two easy payments of $19.93? Did they mean Hutton Wilkinson's "Balinese inspired Love rings in simulated Ivory" at $29.95? Or perhaps they meant Lancome's "Eat, Pray, Love Juicy Tube Lip Gloss" for two easy payments of just $18.00. However they came up with their product mix, or even the idea of the co-branded promotion, congratulations. I think you have done more harm to a growing and beloved brand than I have ever seen. Perhaps if we buy a complete set we can get our balance, love and spirituality for just three easy payments!

Did the creators of this marketing program completely forget about context? Did they fail to look at the truth behind the Eat, Pray, Love phenomenon? Did they disregard how deeply the readers of this book care for the character and for the author's life experiences? To find that message of hope, rebirth, and love being splayed to hawk wares on HSN is not only a shock. It is a complete disregard for the intelligence of the brand's fans, and for the lessons from the book itself. Even worse, it undermines everything it takes to create a truly effective brand-driven marketing campaign - context and compassion for the brand and the customer.

If the Eat, Pray, Love brand were a laminated table. You would not be selling the plywood beneath the beautiful laminate. Yet this is what the marketers seem to be doing in this case. They're selling the commercial elements around the brand. And isn't that what got Elizabeth in trouble in the first place? An attraction to worldly indulgences instead of finding that balance between the material and the spiritual?

What is almost criminal about this effort to promote an quickly beloved brand, is that the marketers behind it risk destroying the brand altogether, all for a few quick bucks. Why not think long term? Why not think outside the commerce box? Why not look for the truth behind a story that obviously resonated with so many? After all that is what attracted so many people to this book. Not $19.95
angles, but the experiences of one woman.

I just hope Julia has what it takes to transcend the Home Shopping Network's commercialism and bring out the truth behind Eat, Pray, Love. For the brand's sake if no other...

Think Next Time.

Think Cannon

Andrew Cuomo - Showing a Scary Brand Consistency

2010-06-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

There was an incredible article that was at once innocent, insightful, and scary. I appeared in the New York Times this weekend [Sunday, June 20, 2010] about Andrew Cuomo. Well, not about him, per se, but about his choice in partners and their ability to cook. It also speaks to the truth behind the Cuomo brand and to what we could expect from him if he assumes office in the future. Now, I know politicians are famouse for their ability to spin facts. But this article adds a new way to uncover the truth - I call it the lasagna factor.

To some, my take on this article may seem a throwback to another era of housewives dutifully putting a hot meal on a table. But to me, nothing speaks about character as honestly as food does. And this one speaks to Mr. Cuomo's character. Now, I don't mind that he chose a "perfect housewife" to round out his reputation for a harsh personality. After all, he was called the dark prince" when he first joined politics on his father's campaign at the young age of 24 for a reason. I do wonder what he must have done to be called the "dark prince" while working for dad's campaign at the tender age of 24. But that is neither here nor there.

The article innocently enough deals with the lasagna recipe his girlfriend, significant other, or whatever he wants us to call her, had included in her cookbook. Simply put, it was disgusting, and something that does not bode well for the food channel [condensed Cambell's tomatoe soup instead of a sauce? cottage chese?]. Now, I can't speak for all people, but I think the levels of disgust that come in the form of 144+ comments [at the time of writing] on his choice of mates and their recipes from around the country are consistent enough to add credence to a Lasagna test for all candidates.

Andrew Cuomo's own mother refers to the recipe in question by noting "that is not how you make a lasagna." It is as if readers from every walk of life can ascertain the true nature of a person by the food they make. And they are disgusted that Sandra Lee's "recipe from a sponsor jar" approach tells us exactly what he is peddling - a badly wrought image that will crumble faster than a highschool cafeteria lasagna.

To me, Sandra's lasagna brings to mind a larger question. If this is they way his significant partner cooks and acts [i.e., badly and as a bought and paid for pitch person], if this demonstrates her belief in the integrity of a family meal, then what does this say about the way he will manage the State of New York?

Perhaps it says nothing at all. Or perhaps it says that if he will compromise on one of the most basic of needs for himself - the food he eats and the company he keeps - what will he do for the State of New York?

In my opinion, something as simple as lasagna speaks to the very essence of who anyone is. It is a family meal that centers on the love of simple food, of real ingredients, and on putting in the time to make it right. Is this who Andrew Cuomo is? Because this recipe speaks of a person who couldn't care less about the food they eat, or the people they dine with. It speaks more to a person willing to sell out his own integrity to build an image he wants to portray, rather than to be himself. It speaks to a person who is trying hard to create a brand for himself that is diametrically opposed to the real him. We saw what this approach led to when Elliot Spitzer became Governor. We also saw what happened when the "green petroleum" company BP failed to live up to their brand.

So for me, the humble dish of lasagna says it all. It says I do not like where Mr. Cuomo is going. And yes, I can say that, after reading Ms. Lee's recipe, all of this can be tied to something as simple as a lasagna recipe and the way a person cooks.

http://alturl.com/tjdx

Just take a look at the recipe yourself. The lasagna tells all!

Jeff Cannon

Think Cannon

http://www.thinkcannon.com/

Is Twitter Weighing Itself Down, or who created the Fail Whale?

2010-06-16T06:28:00.001-07:00

This morning I logged into Twitter for what I thought would be a simple post. I came in at 102 words, incorporated a short URL into the message, as well as a few hash marks, and clicked to Tweet. Low and behold, that magic whale came up and told me "Something is technically wrong. Please try again in a moment."

Hmmmmmm, something is wrong? I waited. I clicked again. The same white whale came up. Is something wrong I asked myself? I saved my message, logged out and logged back in. Only to receive the same message. Is something wrong with me? Or is it Twitter? Is the hardware not up to the task Twitter created? Did the people behind this phenomenon underestimate the power of their own PR and media placements? Did they not read their own coverage? Or perhaps they just didn't trust it.

Well, I just could not resist. So I went to the old reliable standby - Google. I Googled "Twitter Whale." There were 8,440,000 results - and none of them good. That's more than Moby Dick gets, and he's been around a long while. I then Googled "Fail Whale" as the Twitter whale is being called by 2,450,000 sites. Hmmmmm, I think they may have started another phenomenon without even trying. I also think they could stand to learn something from the American auto industry. In fact, I think they could learn something from a book on customer experience in order to realize they have a massive problem brewing. Or has it already been over-brewed?

Don't get me wrong. It's great that Twitter was created. It's great that it grew so quickly. In many ways it has become the 21st Century version of the 1-sheet that Winston Churchill created when he told his staff never to approach him with an idea unless they could reduce it into one 8 1/2" by 11" of paper that is known as the 1-sheet so many of us rely on. Twitter forces us to put our ideas into a concise line of text that is less than 140 characters. Not so easy for many people who just love to ramble.

However, those 140 characters of brilliance [Beiber, Kutcher - are you listening?] are not worth much if they require forty-three minutes of re-clicking a "submit" button. That comes out to almost 3.4 minutes per character typed. At $100 per hour [a billing rate for most agencies], that comes out to about $5.67 per letter.

TWITTER - ARE YOU WORTH $5.67 FOR EVERY CHARACTER I TYPE?

I really don't think so. You're making newspapers seem inexpensive!

Really Twitter, I love what you've done for us. But even Kardashian is cheaper than that. And she gives good tweets.

think
thinkcannon
Think Cannon

Chevy - Still screwing up the old fashioned way

2010-06-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

Is it really true that Chevrolet just issued a memo telling its employees not to refer to the brand and company as "Chevy?" Is it really true that they decided the best way to upgrade their brand was to have consumers start calling the company by its full name? Haven't they heard that they don't really own their own brand, but their customers do? They are now brand stewards, but they are still not listening to their customers.

The last time I ran into something like this was in my college days when a very drunk, line-backer looking frat boy accosted me in a party for calling his organization a "frat." His logic was that calling his house a frat was like calling our country a, well you get the picture. I did not get the logic back then, and I still do not get the logic now. Hey, but maybe that same guy is now consulting for Chevy. Who knows, stranger things have happened since college...

Anyway, back to the case at hand. In the memo issued by Chevy [oops, Chevrolet], they refer to such momentous brands as "Coke" and "Apple" as a rationale for why they are insisting on using the full brand name. Uh, "Coke" as in Coca Cola? Or Apple as in when was the last time you heard an Apple product refered to as an "Apple" - what was it 1984? Now Appled products are referred to by their product names iPod, iPad, iFad. Oh wait, for a while people were calling one of the greatest consumer electronics product, the largest computer manufacturer as of late a "Mac." Oh, but that's short for what Macintosh?

Perhaps the marketing execs at Chevy [damnit] are watching too much MadMen? Or perhaps they have chosen to overlook the changes in the advertising industry for the past twenty years, but this decision by Chevy [there I go again] is not even retro. It's just bad marketing.

Newsflash Chevy - YOUR CUSTOMERS LIKE CALLING IT A CHEVY. MOST OF THEM DON'T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT CHEVROLET WAS IN THE 50's. So let it go. People have loved the Chevy ever since Don McLean sang about it. What they don't like is the old stodgy idea of Chevrolet, Nuclear bomb shelters in the back yard, the Cold War, and McCarthy [not the former Beatle].

I have posted the memo below. Please, don't drool when your chin hits your keyboard.

--------------------------

Chevrolet Team,

We wanted to write you a quick note requesting your support of our Chevrolet Brand. When you look at the most recognized brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple for instance, one of the things they all focus on is the consistency of their branding. Why is this consistency so important? The more consistent a brand becomes, the more prominent and recognizable it is with the consumer. This is a big opportunity for us
moving forward.

As you know, we are investing substantially to improve the consistency of our retail facilities through the EBE process. Aside from the facilities aspect of our branding, there are many other ways in which we can demonstrate this consistency. One way to achieve this is with the use of Chevrolet vs. Chevy. We’d ask that whether you’re talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward.

We have a proud heritage behind us and a fantastic future ahead of us … speaking to the success of this brand in one consistent manner will ensure Chevrolet becomes even more prominent and recognizable than it already is.

Thank you for your support of this effort!

Alan and Jim

P.S. We put a plastic “Chevy” can down the hall that will accept a quarter every time someone uses “Chevy” rather than Chevrolet! We’ll use the money for a team building activity.

Yves Saint Laurent Scores With The Met's Partnership

2010-04-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the tremendous opportunity to attend the New York Metropolitan Opera's premiere of Rossini's Armida. Starring Renee Fleming and directed by Mary Zimmerman, this was not only a stupendous opera, a chance to see the stars on the red carpet, and a delicious evening of food, music, and talent - it was an opportunity to see how a team of true professionals execute a brand-driven partnership with bottom-line results.

For those who know nothing of the opera, don't worry. I can send you some links from the professionals of tone and oration. For those of you who are tired of seeing photos of celebrities like Chloe Sevigny and Maggie Gyllenhaal flood the social blogs, well, that's just part of the realities behind building brand's awareness and securing its position in the hearts, minds, and souls of its clients.

For you branding and marketing wonks, you may want to know that the premier last night was the latest in a multi-year partnership that Yves Saint Laurent created with the Metropolitan Opera. It started years ago when YSL was looking for ways to connect with their clients in an authentic and compelling manner. After looking at its own historic affiliation to the opera, and the passion both its employees and its clients have for the arts, it settled on an unprecedented collaboration to the opera art form via New York's Metropolitan Opera.

The result? Just Google "YSL Armida" - there's 15,700 website links that come up. Google "Yves Saint Laurent Armida" - there's another 16,200 website links. Google "Yves Saint Laurent opera 2010" - 12,800,000 links, and an additional 641,000 links for "Yves Saint Laurent Opera." If you want to see what these 13 million links look like - just click on some of the shortcuts I have added below and ask yourself, how would your brand enjoy this kind of reach and frequency...

So net/net - what's the media value of this? I can't even begin to guess. But this alone is in excess of thirteen million links; and we're not even googling the past operas like Filles Du Regiment that YSL collaborated on in 2009. When you combine the online coverage with the added value of being associated with celebrities like Bette Midler, Christine Baranski, Julianna Margulies, Parker Posey, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Patricia Clarkson, Chloë Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, Emily Mortimer, Alessandro Nivola, Camilla Belle, Sid and Mercedes Bass, or Ann Ziff - the result is, well, it's unbelievable.

As important YSL's own internal celebrities - Valérie Hermann (CEO, Yves Saint Laurent), Stefano Pilati (Creative Director), and Laura Lendrum (President - Americas) - were able to reach out and touch the people that truly matter most to the company - their high-end and beautiful clients. Again, what would your company do if it had the chance to actually touch some of your most valuable customers in the flesh?

So to all you marketing wonks out there - take heed when someone tells you it's impossible to reach the high-end, high-value clients in a meaningful way. Take heed when people tell you it's impossible to put a value to event, online, and non-traditional marketing. A partnership like this one, that is created with a brand's true nature in mind, is nurtured through a passionate belief in the core values a brand represents, and extends through direct contact with customer, clients, and prospects can have a real and lasting value to both the brand and the clients.

YSL - well done...

Oh, and for just four of those links ...

http://www.tiny9.com/u/WWD
http://www.tiny9.com/u/sevigny
http://www.tiny9.com/u/camilla
http://www.tiny9.com/u/broadway_world

Jeff Cannon
www.thinkcannon.com

Tea Party - Time to Get On Brand

2010-03-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

The most recent news about the new Tea Party movement is just so sad; not because of the violence, and the racial slurs that come out of the party, but because of how much opportunity they had to be a real movement of change. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a member of the party or a card carrier on the left. I'm just a guy who liked the fact that a group of Americans had gotten together and had taken action on something they believed so strongly in. Whether it was on the right or the left of the political spectrum - they had started to make a difference.

What makes it sad is that this group has started to turn into something worse than an unruly mob. They went from making valid statements and holding legitimate protests, to throwing bricks through windows and degrading their detractors with racial slurs. When reports sound about Tea Party members using the "N" word against the icons of the civil rights movements - like the 70 year old Emmanuel Cleaver - or the "F" word against gay members of congress, it just shifts the image of Tea Party members away from a being a valid political caucus, over to being a bunch of illiterate bigots. And no, that's not the same thing as being a redneck.

Now I know some people may be saying "that's not us." But when you have Tea Partiers like Amy Kremer show up on Fox News to dismiss what she called an "isolated" incident [I'm sorry Amy, it's still NOT OK if only a few are racists - racism is BAD in any number]. Or when you have bricks with misspelled messages coming through the windows of the Democratic Committees [I mean seriously, you can't take 60 seconds to do a quick dictionary check?]. You have to admit, even the Tea Party is taking these actions seriously. It's just a shame they can't stay on message long enough to establish themselves as an informed group.

Monroe County Democratic Committee, via Associated Press

Some have even accused the democrats of infiltrating peaceful Tea Party crowds with plants who shouted the slurs in question. But seriously, the democrats aren't even coordinated enough to keep a majority in the House and Senate. Besides, I don't think the Democrats would shoot out their own glass doors in Phoenix.

So to all the Tea Party acolytes out there - get it together. I may not like everything you say, but you are at least a step toward everyone seeing some kind of ongoing change in Washington. The only thing you have to do is to keep it together and maintain a DIALOGUE that supports the brand and message you started. Yes, it means policing your own and weaning out the racists [nobody said brand management is easy], but if you can do that, you have a chance of making history. If not, you'll be quickly relegated to being just another fringe group of bigoted, angry, and narrow-minded people who are being backed/used by wealthy individuals with larger agendas - which is something this country just doesn't need on either side of the conservative/liberal coin.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/us/politics/26threat.html?scp=1&sq=brick%20rochester&st=cse

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/25/wealthy-donor-sues-tea-party-convention-organizer-palins-fee/

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/22/tea-party-protesters-dispute-reports-slurs-spitting-dem-lawmakers/

Jeff Cannon

www.ThinkCannon.com

Keeping it Real Lord Winterton

2010-03-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems as if one of our brethren in the United Kingdom's conservative party did the unthinkable - he was honest. Technically, Tory, Sir Nicholas Winterton went "off message" when he spoke about not liking to travel with the common man. “They are a totally different type of people,” Sir Nicholas declared in a recent radio interview. He also spoke about the "ghastliness of people in standard-class train cars." "There’s lots of children, there’s noise, there’s activity. I like to have peace and quiet when I’m traveling.”

Now I don't find anything wrong with what he said. Honestly, we would all love some quiet travel time. However, it doesn't really ring true when the Tories have been working so hard to convince their voting Brits that they actually are very much in step with the "common man." Which is why this is less about staying on message, and more about making sure your message is true to heart.

The reality is that no matter how much Sir Winterton rides around on a bicycle - never mind the fact that his limousine followed him, carrying his briefcase, or was educated at Eton - the long established finishing school of the aristocracy and bastion of the wealthy, or married into some estranged arm of the royal family - I lost track of his wife's relation to some long dead king [was "king" supposed to be capitalized?], he is still an aristocratic old man who can scream as much as he likes about enjoying a pint with the working man, but can't escape the truth of who he is.

It is very similar to some of the politico's in these United States that like to talk about being a maverick, or being one with the common man, or bi-partisan, yet still have their hands deep in the pockets of special interest groups and corporate fund-raisers.

So the big lesson here is be true to yourself. If you are, then being true to your message should never be a problem. Nor should being "off message" ever be an issue. All it takes is personal fortitude - which is apparently lacking in most politicians these days. Hmmmmm, perhaps that's the bi-partisan element we've all been seeking in our candidates - personal integrity and fortitude.

So Sir Nicholas Winterton stop trying to pretend. Enjoy who you are and what you have. We all hate screaming kids on our commutes. Take a note from William F. Buckley - and be true to who you are - the truth will eventually come out anyway.

Just be prepared to live the person you really want to be, and accept the consequences for your actions.

Jeff Cannon
ThinkCannon.com

Today's Realty Shows Have Turned Scripted

2010-03-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

Alas - long gone are the days of real outbursts and unplanned snaffu's. Long gone are the talent who really had little idea of what they were getting into. For better, or for worst, today's reality shows are no better than scripted programming. Only now, the directing is being done in the editing bay, and the on-screen talent isn't being paid nearly enough for their performances.

The "realty" brand is truly a brand that has lost its integrity. So, when Real Housewives of New York hits the airwaves again this year, the shame of it is that everyone knows they aren't even from New York City. Nor are they even going to be caught unawares. Instead, they're all feeling their own semi-celebrity. They're all trying to make a splash out of a ripple when the red light of the camera goes on. But the worst part of it is they're not even doing it well. Even shows like Project Runway is bringing in a group of wanna-be celebrities, rather than real designers. The producers have a say in who goes and who stays. So if you ever wonder why sometimes a good designer is "auf weidershened" when a weepy one is kept on. It's their way of directing the drama.

As Lincoln Hiatt - the executvie producer for Solitary on the Fox Reality Channel, calls sleep deprivation "a producer's ally on almost any show."

So that is how they get drama when it's needed. Keep them up later, add some caffeine or bring in the wine.

Gosh, had I known how easy directing is, I would have made a career change much earlier.

But isn't is a shame that the concept of a "reality show" has lasted for less than a few years. Instead, it has moved into the realm of trash - read Jersey Shore. And as the brand goes, so to shall the advertisers and sponsors. A shame, because it could have actually been a goose, rather than a golden egg that is already cracking....

Jeff Cannon

www.thinkcannon.com

Royal Caribbean Still Hitting Haiti for R&R - Niceeeee

2010-01-28T07:51:00.000-08:00

Has anyone been keeping up with Royal Caribbean cruiselines? It seems as if they just can't stay away from destroying a tropical paradise with their multi-storied cruise ships - even if it's already been destroyed. I guess ripping up delicate barrier reefs with their anchors, emptying human waste into the oceans, and making a mess of down-trodden local economies just isn't enough to keep those "all you can eat" lunch bar-goers feeling good about themselves. Oh no, they've got to continue cruising into Haiti to make sure their travelers can literally look down on an even more devastated eco-system than they usually do.

Welcome to Royal Caribbean's post-earthquake tour - http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/ship_of_ghouls_tKJpR6oDf07YZvP7LR2FNP.

As of January 19th, they were still cruising into Haiti, while hundred's of thousands starved, amputated appendages, and died. Hmmmmmm, I don't know about the branding of cruislines in the past, but really. REALLY!!!!

According to NPR, "the CEO of Royal Caribbean International says the company's cruise ships are still arriving in Haiti." HELLOOOO!!!!!!! Despite the fact that the ships have delivered relief efforts to the island, some passengers on the ships are reportedly "sickened" over the decision to dock there. One passenger took to an Internet message board to protest the idea of vacationing where "tens of thousands of dead people are being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water."

I don't even think I have to go into how wrong this is on the business, brand, or even human levels. Seriously, you don't need to hire a PR person, or even a branding expert, to discuss this. It's just simple common sense - and I don't mean the kind that's not that common....

Building Your Brand Fabric

2010-01-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Flannel or silk? Cotton or wool? Cut on the bias? Embroidered or embellished with appliqué? What does your garment look like? We have all gone through the exercise of branding 101 by asking, “if your brand were a person, who would that person be?” In today’s market, however, it’s more important to ask yourself, “What would they wear?”

Today, effectively communicating your brand is less about identifying the person your brand represents, and more about identifying how to communicate your brand’s message so that it is well received. While the core of your brand should be true to itself your message should be refined to fit the medium being used. The reason is simple, people change based on what they are doing. They dress casually on the weekend. They ratchet it up a notch or two for work. On a date, they bring out the little black dress or the right jacket. Black tie? A whole different story, altogether. It’s no different in the media. People are more serious when they read the paper. Less so when thumbing through a magazine, and when on Facebook or Twitter, it’s all about two-way interaction.

Think about your own mind-set. It is why most of the world has multiple accounts on dating sites – one for the “playful” side, one for their “serious” side, and one for the “tiger or tigress in everyone”.
Because of this, repeating the same tagline just doesn’t work in today’s media. However, learning how to revise a brand’s message to make the most of today’s media, is akin to looking at a bolt of fabric for its thread, rather than its design. The threads woven into a bolt of fabric are like the media woven into a communication campaign. When Twitter is combined with television, and a Facebook page is interwoven with a newspaper ad, the entire marketing mix produces a richer fabric that sells better.

Subtlety is the key to make the garment interesting and appealing to the customer. While they all need to echo the same brand, a Twitter Tweet has to be short, sweet, and pithy. A Facebook page needs to be consistently updated and fun. A print ad needs to be bold, brash and stand out from the news. If one thread is inconsistent, the fabric of your brand starts to unravel, and your customers will quickly see the faults.

When executed correctly your communications will create a gorgeous garment that will look great and sell, whether it is being “worn” online or offline. Just remember, the beauty of your brand lies in the cloth itself and in the way it is woven together, rather than in the person wearing it. So if you are wondering how best to communicate your brand through all the new media opportunities, do what the great fashion designers have done and start with great fabric. Then let it go and empower your customers to show it off everywhere they go. They will pick up the threads of your message and build an even more powerful brand fabric for you.

To learn the five steps to weaving your own brand fabric, email

info@thinkcannon.com.

Jeff Cannon

http://www.thinkcannon.com/

http://twitter.com/thinkcannon

30,000 Years of Social Networking

2010-01-19T07:16:00.001-08:00

Over the past few weeks I have been reading about different archeological finds, new ways of looking at existing artifacts. Things started popping out at me, that congealed this past weekend - amazing what a day off will do. So bear with me on this, but...

Tens of thousands of years ago Homo sapiens [the first real step toward modern man] created the first knock-offs. These took the forms of fake shells that were found around highland campfire sites. Yes, land-locked ancient humans started creating fake shells out of soap stone, mimicking the shells of far-off tribes. You have to ask yourself why?

It wasn’t New York City's Canal Street where ancient tourists and label-seekers in loin-cloths were looking to buy the latest logo accessory. Or was it? What would make someone, who had to fight every day for survival, take time out to carve a shell bead to hang around their neck? Did they just want to look like a far-off tribe that lived by the sea? The answer is apparently, yes. Call it one of the first forms of social networking. Call it one of the first uses of technology [bone carving tools in that day] to connect with other, like minded people. Technology may have changed, but human nature has not. We have merely changed the technologies we use to keep up with the basic human need to create a community.

Face it, we like other people.

Think about it, back then, early Homo sapiens and Cro-Magnon lived in tribes of perhaps 25 “people.” Each had their own language, as it were, their own signs, and their own look – think fur garments for land-locked tribes, versus reeds for sea-side tribes. When tribes met, they had a pretty quick choice to make. They could make friends or they could fight. So the ability to quickly show another tribe that they were similar and should be friends became a pretty important task. So, when not killing a deer or running from a tiger, making beads to show others they should talk and trade probably ranked up pretty high for anyone looking past tomorrow. They were making beads, not just to show off, but to connect with other tribes, to show others that they were of like minds. Think of how powerful a knock-off bead must have been 30,000 years ago.

Think things have changed? They haven’t. As tribes expanded, the people of the day started banding together under staffs, under banners, under flags. Roll forward several thousand years, to the ancient Greeks. These people grouped together under the banners of city-states like Sparta and Athens. They made treaties, they warred, they died. Then larger societies like Rome came into being. We humans were far from content to be of one people. We created social networks within each of these countries – the rich and powerful separated themselves from the commoners, and well above the slaves by their look and their mannerism.

A better example of this can be found in Rome's upper classes. In the day, they used a purple dye - Tyrian purple – to set themselves apart from other Romans. It was made from glands found in a specific sea snail. Anthroplogist, David Jacoby, remarked that "twelve thousand snails of Murex brandaris yield no more than 1.4 g of pure dye, enough to color only the trim of a single garment." i.e., it was expensive and only a few could afford it.

Apparently it produced a hideous stench, that ancient authors noted, but the cost of producing it was so high, the well to do didn’t care about the smell. What it did was create instant recognition among those of the upper classes, based on how much of a garment was purple. Just trim, or the whole robe? It was one of the first instances of class identification that went beyond country borders. Leaders in other places tried to replicate it with local dyes, with not so great results. But again, it was humans using the latest technology, gland extraction and dye development, to identify and isolate a community within a larger world.

For the next several hundred years, the sense of community has moved away from country borders, and more toward class. Up until about fifty years ago, one’s mannerisms and the way one dressed, spoke, and acted better showed the community one belonged to, than sewing a flag onto a garment. Think - the House of Windsor talking with Nazi Germany - community over borders. But, something happened. The ability to manufacture products at a higher quality and lower cost began to undermine the value of a luxury brand's label. Don't get me wrong, branded labels didn't go away. Instead, the concept of “mixing labels” appeared. People started venturing away from large stores in search of "they're own look". Once again, it was new technology - the ability to travel - that became the new social identifier. "Oh, look what I picked up in Paris..."

Then, along came the Internet, and once again, the technology of social networking changed.

Today, people are using Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, even creating their own, more personal social networks to retain a sense of social order. Don’t get me wrong, the old labels still matter. But new tribes are being formed. Power comes in different shapes today. Look how Twitter has been used among Iranian anti-government intellectuals. See how China is trying to shut down Google as a means to keep its own classes in line. Oh wait, they’re a classless society - oops...

From the day of sitting for hours to carve a single bead, to creating a page on Facebook, to developing a clique within a social network, it has all been a part of the human experience. So why fight it? Those who win, are the ones who learn to use the new technology, who learn to make friends, and who learn to work with a network of like minded people. It is the way humans have always managed to outgrow the competition – whether it lions, tigers, bulls or bears….

They've just turned to SEO, SEM and Keyword marketing...

Harry Reid & His Smart Obama Statement

2010-01-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

How many times have we seen this? Someone makes a statement that's so offensive it creates a tremendous splash in the press. They then apologize for it. Everyone forgives everyone. The world moves on. But the original person has made a mint from the media shock. Well, Harry Reid did it in his book, and has done it well. He'll do the talk show circuit, make headlines across the country and around the world, and in the end, he will save millions of advertising budget for five key words entwined in his comment of "Barack Obama could become the country’s first black president because he was “light-skinned” and had “no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” If you haven't seen it, take a look at the New York Times.

Now, I'm not even going to go into my thoughts on this - whether it is accurate or not, whether it is true or not, or how incredibly distateful it was. After all, he has been friends of President Obama for quite some time. But has Harry hurt his brand in this? Not really. Those in the know, know about his relatioship with the President. His core followers will continue to follow him. Those that already dispise him will contine to do so. And, those in the middle will draw sides, then forget about this as the media cycle moves on. Harry has apologized for his comment in the past (it was accepted by the Rev. Al Sharpton). He is also apologizing for it now, but I would hasten to guess his current apology is more about the media than taking real blame. Besides, he knows exactly what he's doing with this. He is creating a media frenzy FOR HIMSELF.

Once again, the world of music [think Kanye West and Taylor Swift] and the world of politics have come to align themselves by using the same tactics of "Smash & Grab" to get whatever they're pitching sold. I'm hardly surprised that Harry Reid did this. I'm just surprised that the media is falling for it ONCE AGAIN!!!!!

The Branding of China's Prisons

2010-01-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

I just read an article about China's drug rehabilitation program [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/world/asia/08china.html?ref=world]. Their policy is very simple - you get caught with drugs, they send you to a minimum of two years in "rehabilitiation." Forget that what they call rehabilitiation looks, to the rest of the free world, very similar to a gulag [sorry former USSR]. Their policy may seem drastic at first glance, but there's a bright side to this. With the impending crash some are forecasting for China's economy [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/business/global/08chanos.html?ref=business], there could be a very viable win/win syndergy between China and the rest of the world.

If the US of A were smart, and it's a big "IF" we could work a good angle on this. Simply put, we could send them our Bernie Madoffs, and pay them what we would pay our own prison system to "rehabiliate" them at a discount. Because really - do we want our tax dollars being spent on taking care of former millionaires for the next twenty years? They could reap the brenefits of our nominal fee, as well as a great opportunity to brand themselves as green, good, and looking to the world's future. With a nice branding campaign - somthing along the lines of "China - keeping the world clean," or "China - rehabilitating the world...," they could take their good samaritan efforts, and make it real.

It's just a thought, but with the impending burst of China's economic bubble - who knows how far this could go to integrating them into the free world economy....

Tiger, a Little Tail, and the Marketing Beast | TalentZoo.com#comment_anchor

2010-01-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

Great point of view on the entire celebrity debaucle.

Tiger, a Little Tail, and the Marketing Beast TalentZoo.com#comment_anchor

Branding 2010 - Make It Real

2010-01-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Well, Happy New Year everyone. For those of us who had our eyes even partially open, I think everyone can agree that in terms of branding, 2009 is a year best left alone. So much happened, and at the same time, so little.

It started off with one of the best brands of all coming alive - Barack Obama. Riding on a wave of much needed optimism, Barack led the county back into feeling good about the future. He was of course met with another brand. Perhaps not as strong, but definately one that has made itself just as memorable - Sarah Palin. Are we seeing the forces of good and evil play themselves out? Is this just some of the best staging anyone outside of Hollywood ever created? Whichever, way this goes, the Obama and Palin brands are sure to be in the forefront of our psyches for a long, long time.

After that, the brand of the United States of America was a strong contender for most notable. With it's financial markets crashing, it's real estate bottoming out, and it's moral fiber running thin, the US of A hit a low-point in terms of it's brand. Wait a minute - that might have happened in 2008. No, no, the first strike happened in 2008, but with the continued issues hitting like Katrina, Americans in all sectors realized that this was no '80s style recession, this was something far worse and far deeper. Everytime the world lost a brand like Pontiac, Kodachrome, Saturn, Max Factor, even Gourmet magazine - America took a hit. I wouln't even go into the Tiger Woods debaucle that ushered in the last month of the year, but it all showed the world just how vunerable a country and it's brand can be; if it's not protected and cared for. [Seriously, did your wife really chase you down the street swinging a gold club? Dude...]

On the bright side, 2009 brought us Twitter, a stronger Google, and a show that yes, even if our markets are bottoming out, we'll spend our children's legacy to bring them back. [really. Really? Yes, really] So I guess it does show us that if we're willing to spend enough, anything can happen. Are you listening Detroit? Oh, yes, you already did that....

So how about this? Let's just brand the old year as "2009 - Not what we anticipated..." As for the new year? As for 2010? How about this? Let's just try to protect the brands we love by making them real. If Ford wants to go green - great, we'll read it in your ads, but we'll wait for it to show up in your cars before the jump on the band wagon. If Burger King wants to go thin? Great - we'll believe you as soon as we see a burger with fewer than 1,000 calories. If Visa wants to be our partner, show us some interest rates that at least have a toe touching reality.

Let's brand 2010 with the tagline of "2010 - Make it real"

Ms. Swift Shows How Powerful Social Networking & Twitter Can Be

2009-08-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Not all of you may know who she is, but Veronica Ballestrini, 17, has been using twitter, YouTube and Facebook to make her career, sell more than seven million records in the last four years, and sign a country music contract. So, love country, or hate it, but you've got to love the fact that this woman had the smarts and the gumption to keep plugging away at her online presence to build up a following. An online following that outstrips just about any country western star except for Miley and her dad Billy Rae Cyrus.

Ms. Swift was a nobody just a few years ago, but she was among the first country artists to aggressively use online media to promote herself. With 100,000 followers online, she had Country Music Television calling her and asking to play her music.

So if you're still wondering about whether social networking and twitter actually work - take a look at what this girl from Connecticut did. Oh yes, or you might just look at a little country called Iran and ask how the revolution is being communicated...

Content Marketing - It's My Facebook And I'll Do What I Want To

2009-07-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Not sure if everyone's been following the latest with the Manhattan Borough President's press secretary Lee Lander. Apparently Lee went off on a bit of a rant about Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. It wasn't the nicest of rants either, with the racist epithet coming up on a number of occassions.

I'm not going to delve into what this aide said in his rant, but rather how absurd his idea that his facebook account shouldn't have been used against him, and that some things are "private." The idea that "hey, it's my facebook and I'll do what I want to," "free speech protects me no matter what I say," and "but, I did it on my own time," are played out. The idea that in this day of blogs, tweets, podcasts and mobile media, that anything you say is private is borderline absurd. No longer is it just Lindsay Lohan and Barack Obama who are being picked up. It is you, me, and eveyone else. Your work, your play, your life is all out there. For anyone and everyone to see and use as they wish. Whether that is fair or not is a whole other discussion. The fact is, we are all now public beings - public brands.

If you think about it, it's really not all that bad. It just means we're all being held accountable for being true to ourselves and our personal brands. No longer can we have secret lives. No longer can we lead double standards. If we deviate, in time we'll most assuridly get caught. Especailly if it is a big enough blunder - i.e., a rant that attaches your personal view of racism to a national event.

So how does this all come into the content marketing arena? Think about it. It's all content. A 140 character tweet, a uTube video, a blog entry. It's all content, which can be used to positively position a product or a person. Or negatively position them.

So next time, watch it. Take a step back before you publish your post. Think about what you're writing, speaking, videotaping, and ask yourself, is this something I can agree with, even if it's taken out of context? Is this true to your brand - personal or professional?

Louis Vuitton and 40 Years of Moon Travel

2009-07-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Talk about a brand that truly knows itself and its customers. Bravo Louis Vuitton.

Yes, LV is a luxury brand. Yes, their logo and products are the envy of any high-end shopper. But more important, it is a name and brand that knows who they are. It is a symbol that stands for travel and the journey. How big and how small one goes with the concept of the journey is up to the individual. From a small clutch and a trip for a latte, to the kind of baggage one only sees in vintage shots of ocean liners, to a trip to the moon. It is this last journey that they were smart enough to realize just how big it could be. Not because they could latch onto the 40th anniversary buzz, but because they could help to make the buzz. They went from being a product company that creates luggage, to a company that moves people.

When I first saw their print advertisement months ago, I thought, "Wow, now there's a company that understands what they are about, and isn't afraid to use real people that truly exemplify their brand, instead of just another pretty body or face." I never realized how big they were going to go with it though. From a store wrap that attracts gawkers and, more important, shoppers, to today's reproduction of The New York Times July 21st, 1969 headline, complete with, yes you guessed it, their ad on the back, they not only captured the excitement, they built upon it by honoring the astronauts. Best of all, when I saw President Obama with the astronauts - Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins - I couldn't help but think about the ad by Louis Vuitton.

To the other brands out there - first find out what is at the heart of your product and your company. Cull it down to one word. Then find a way to take that word off the drawing board and bring it to life. For Louis Vuitton, it was journey. For the rest of us, it was the Apollo 11 moon shot from 40 years ago.

New York Congress - Can Anyone Tell Me What's Going On

2009-07-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

I mean really. The NYS Republicans talked several NYS Democrats into joining their side. Then the Democrats locked everyone out of the capital. So, becuase one side had a key and the other didn't nobody could do anything for several weeks. Then several Democrats decide they'll become Democrats again. Meanwhile all of this is because of "deals" struck.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!

Doesn't this all kind of sound like 1890's fat politicians bribing, paying kickbacks, and giving out favors? As the Times reported "Under the deal, Senator Malcolm A. Smith of Queens will be president for an undetermined period of time, and Senator John L. Sampson of Brooklyn will be the leader of the Democratic caucus. Details of the arrangement were explained by Mr. Smith at a news conference."

If we're going to go back to this kind of politics, can't we at least bring back the hookers, alcohol, and graft that made politics fun in the first place.

Branding? It's just all coated with slime. And not the good kind either.

Sometimes Shutting Up Is the Best Policy

2009-05-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

So what's going on with Dick Cheney? He had his 8 years in the spotlight, outpacing Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame, by immeasurable time. But he just wouln't let it lie. Now, there's nothing wrong with standing by your convictions - no matter how misplaced they are. But there is something wrong in believing your own press. Bottom line, there's often a better way to go about getting your agenda through, than just forcing it into the public eye.

Not only is he becoming known as the only politician who is doing more public speaking after he left office than when he was in the office, but his ratings keep dropping every time he speaks. Based on a CNN poll, fifty-five percent of people questioned still have an unfavorable opinion of the former vice president.

And what about George Bush - who hasn't said a thing in public since leaving the oval office?
In the same timeframe, “Former President George W. Bush's favorable rating rose six points in that same time period, and Bush has not given a single public speech since he left office.” Or so says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

So what's the brand lesson in this? Sometimes it just best to say nothing. Sometimes it is best to build a consensus before going public. Sometimes it is far better to stay away from your the press than pushing an agenda through it. And at absolutely no time, should you stop looking at the polls. Agree or disagree with them, but you only get yourself in trouble by ignoring them.

It's Not The Time For Mauve

2009-04-07T08:30:00.001-07:00

Mauve. Can you think of a worse color? It's not a matter of liking the particular hue or tone. It's more a matter of what mauve stands for. Which in my humbel opinion is blah. Not even a capitalized BLAH, but simply blah. It's not a nothing color - which can be profound. Instead, it's a color of mediocrity. It reminds me of a Ford Granada, circa 1977, or a K Car. It reminds me of a patio set in a mid-west suburb. It reminds me of a company or a person who has just given up and decided it's better to do time on Maple Drive than it is to take a stab at doing something.

Mauve. It's not the time for mauve. Not that there is ever a time for mauve. But now, more than ever is the time to make a stand, to step up with midnight black, or fire-engine red, or natural heather even. Now is the time to do something bold. Because if you don't you'll just fade into the pack and remain as much of a standout as the K Car.

If this isn't the time, then there will never be one.

Party First, Country Second

2009-03-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

I'm confused. Very confused. How can a Rush Limbaugh say he hopes the President fails, in the same breath he speaks about being a patriot? How can he even begin to think it's okay to put the success of his political party above the success of the President of the United States, and of the United States itself?

Without delving into politics too much, it is unconscionable that any pundit, newscaster, or even shock radio/tv host [whether it's Rachel Maddow or Rush Limbaugh] who calls themselves a patriot or true American, can wish that the President fails. "I deal in principles, not polls," wash Rush's response. So I ask, what principles are they, that he holds so dear? Is his principle and brand about "Damn America as a democratic state, and win at all costs?" If so, then his message is right on target.

Giving Your Addicted Child An Allowance

2009-02-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

"Mom, dad, can I have another sixteen billion dollars?"

"Hmmmmm, well honey, what did you do with the thirteen billion we just gave you?"

"Uh, spent it?"

"Spent it? On what?"

"Things...."

Well, you get the idea. GM is addicted to doing business the same old way it has always done business. It hasn't developed new products that consumers are actually looking for. It hasn't opened its eyes to the resource problem we and the rest of the world are having with oil. It hasn't, in the face of failure, shown an ability to get off its addiction to antiquated thinking and given anyone the least bit of assurance that it can, in fact, change.

Aside from the fact that General Motors can't seem to manage its business. It's definately not carrying through on its brand promise for being an innovative, forward thinking company. Instead, it's showing itself as a tired, old company, set in its ways, and groaning about how bad things are. Hmmmmm, would you buy a tired old man on a porch?

Perhaps I'm being overly harsh on this. After all, they did just shed Hummer. Okay, not quite forward thinking, but it's a step. And they did create the Saturn concept. Which while admittedly was innovative in the 80s, their decision to hide it in the closet in the 90s, leads me to think more of a [once again] tired old man too embarassed when his kid dyed her hair green and started listening to Kurt Cobain.

So even if they do survive, what will their brand be remembered for? Have they already tarnished it so badly with their management [or lack thereof]? Or do they have to hire someone under 50 who can truly reinvent the company.

Hmmmmm, wait a minute, isn't that what we're doing with Barack Obama and the United States?

Well, perhaps both brands can be saved after all. It will be an interesting year...

Starbucks - 25 Years In The Making & Gone In An Instant...

2009-02-15T10:04:00.001-08:00

So last week, the purveyor of high end coffee drinks, the self-promoted creator of luxury coffee, the name that taught Americans what was acceptable and not acceptable in making a good cup of joe - announced it was launching an instant coffee.

Instant?

As in Maxwell house? As in Folgers? As in Taster's Choice? As in a product known for bad taste, cheap, and lousy?

Why, after spending all those years impressing on people the need to roast the beans just right, to use only spring water, heated to just the right temperature, and served by a practiced professional, would they now say, they can give you the same great taste in an instant, powered coffee? Why would they undermine their brand by aligning it with a bottom of the barrel category?

UBS analyst David Palmer, said of the instant coffee - "It's no big deal," he says. "What's different about soluble coffee is that it's equated with poor quality."

Hmmmmmmm, would a company really undermine its brand and long-term prospects to leverage that brand for some very short-term profits? Apparently so.

What's next? Will Tiffany's start producing cubit zirconium rings? Will Chanel start making $29.95 plastic handbags?

Hmmmmmm, there may be a reason brand leaders are very careful about ensuring their products match their brands.

Let's all watch and see what happens when Starbucks - "Seattle's Best" puts its toe in the worst coffee category. Will it become Seattle's Worst?

This could be more fun than watching Coca Cola try and launch New Coke. We all know how well that turned out....

Kelloggs - Get Real

2009-02-07T05:43:00.000-08:00

So dropping Michael Phelps because he happened to smoke marijuana is Kellogg's way of supporting athletes and making a commitment to their growth. I hate to tell you Kelloggs, this isn't 1955, and today's kids don't eat their wheaties while waiting to work at dad's accounting firm. This is the 21st century where star athletes are under unbelievable pressure to perform. Not just in their venue, but 24/7.

Think about Michael Phelps. He's what 23? He's been doing nothing but training every day for the last six years. He won more medals at the olympics than can fit around his neck. He takes a break and makes one mistake by trusting his friends while he parties. And boom! You turn around and drop him as a bad influence on America's youth. Doesn't say much about your commitment to your athletes. It doesn't say much about your standing behind America's principles. Actually, it sounds more like a company that cuts and runs at the tiniest hint of bad news. Why not admonish the snake who took the photos and sold them? That would have been a stronger move, and one that would have bought you a lot more respect.

What do your actions say about your brand? In my humble opinion, it tells me that you're a brand that only stands by your friends as long as the skies are clear and the sun is shining. Let's just hope your product never has a rainy day.

Oh yes, I would be very curious to know how your executives unwind after a bad quarter? Something tells me it's not all apple pie and freshly scrubbed faces...

Blagojevich - Or, Just How Badly A Bad Image Can Ruin You

2009-01-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

Blagojevich - now there's a name to bring up when talking about the importance of reputation management. Not in terms of his recent media campaign, but proof of how quickly and completely a bad reputation can permanently ruin a person's reputation or a product's brand. Brand management? Personal branding? Reputation management? Throw your case studies out the window, because Rod Blagojevich will go down in history as showing the true value of a reputation.

Think about it. Technically Rod Blagojevich hasn't been found guilty of anything illegal - yet. He hasn't faced criminal proceedings yet, and in the United States it is still innocent until proven guilty - isn't it?

The only fact that is concrete, is that he shot his mouth off on several occasions and embarrassed himself and the state of Illinois so badly that it's been the leading headline beneath Obama's win.It's as if the Illinois Legislature has said, "Enough, Rod. Frankly, we don't care if you're innocent or guilty. You've already done so much damage to this state that we really don't really care if you are innocent or guilty. Please, just leave."

They are not even allowing him to present witnesses in his defense. "Thank you Rod, but we just want you to sit there for a moment so we can get this over with."What is this all based on? A brief window in time in which he allowed himself to be, well himself.

Nobody knew who he was before this. But the brief look at his language, his attitude, and that Boss Tweed meets Tony Soprano image he created for himself. In effect, his reputation and his brand.

He, in such a short period of time, created such a reprehensible name for himself that he's now being impeached for it. He could possibly be the first person found guilty, not for doing anything criminal, but for establishing a bad brand.

So if you ever have to ask yourself how important branding is, or reputation management is - well just think of Rod Blagojevich. The guy who created such a bad image for himself, he ruined his career and his future in less than a day. Well, ruined that is unless he wants to do talk radio...

Keeping One's Personal Brand Strong

2009-01-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

As John Stewart said "If you ever wondered what Barack's 'Shut the F**k up' face looks like, just watch him when Joe Biden started to joke about the slip up with the oath of office."

It's also one of the best examples of someone protecting his personal brand. In effect, by taking the initiative to repeat the oath, by reigning in his second in command, and by maintaining a no-joke demeanor throughout his campaign and the initial days of his presidency, he has sent a solid message out to the world - "we do not take this job lightly, we understand how serious this office is, and we are not going to allow anyone to undermine us in tackling the tasks ahead."

It is refreshing to see, and is a lesson to everyone out there in terms of what it takes to protect one's brand in today's media world.

Just glad we could help you live out the recession in ease....

2009-01-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

Speaking at the FBR Capital Markets conference in New York in December, Walter M. Pressey, president of Boston Private Wealth Management, a healthy bank with a mostly affluent clientele, said there were no immediate plans to do much with the $154 million it received from the Treasury.

“With that capital in hand, not only do we feel comfortable that we can ride out the recession,” he said, “but we also feel that we’ll be in a position to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves once this recession is sorted out.”

Well, ain't that wonderful? I mean, it must be nice to have all these kind people help you out, and ensure you could ride out the storm in comfort.

And don't think he's alone. At the Palm Beach Ritz-Carlton last November, John C. Hope III, the chairman of Whitney National Bank in New Orleans, stood before a ballroom full of Wall Street analysts and explained how his bank intended to use its $300 million in federal bailout money.

“Make more loans?” Mr. Hope said. “We’re not going to change our business model or our credit policies to accommodate the needs of the public sector as they see it to have us make more loans.”

I truly can't even comment on these two statements - on a human level, on a brand level, or on a "never in a million years...." level.

I ask, if We the people can give the money away, can't we call the loan in early? Why not put it up for vote?

How Much Time.....

2009-01-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

Well, now that Barack Obama has become President of these United States, how much time does he have? How much time is the American public going to give him until they start ripping him apart for not returning us to pre-depression and pre-disaster times?

At this point, he's got a great approval rating. His numbers are up, which means the Obama brand is flying strong. As of January 14th, most American's throught he was the Man. Which is good. But he hasn't done anything yet. Which means he's been able to convince most of us that he is capable of incredible feats of governance and management merely on his presence and his words.

Don't get me wrong. I love the guy. I think he's the only hope for America now, and well into the future. This is less a commentary on him and his capabilities, and more a comment on We, the people...

Does his strong brand and strong position buy him the two or more years he's going to need to turn America around and show some results? Will it buy him the 4 years that's far more likely to be needed? Or will most Americans give up after 6 months, when it's time to hit the 4th of July celebrations?

American's love two things - praising the underdog, and ripping apart the leaddog. We do it all the time. So now that Obama's not the underdog any more. Now that he's transitioning to the leaddog position, at what point will we start doubting his ability? How long until we start doubting? Will we have the presence to support him when things don't instantly come up sunny? Or will we go back to our usual and look for someone to blame?

The brand is a strong and powerful force. It's done very well for Mr. Obama and his team. But how long will the brand survive without AMPLE actions to take it, and him, to the next level?

Darwin Hits Wallstreet

2008-12-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

America’s auto industry is not in trouble. There are plenty of domestic plants that are going full steam ahead. The airline industry is not in trouble – just the older airlines that are locked into union contracts and have to maintain outdated fleets. While DHL has stopped its domestic business, companies like FGX are taking over market share and growing. What does all this mean? That Darwin has finally come to the business world. The business dinosaurs are dying. In their place is a new kind of company, running leaner, providing better products at a lower cost, and growing.

On November 17, 2008, Honda officially dedicated its new auto plant that began producing its the fuel-efficient, 4-cylinder Honda Civic Sedan. At a time when U.S. automakers are asking for a bailout, Honda is planning to open yet another plant in 2009 that could eventually reach annual production of 300,000 vehicles and help take Honda’s total North American output close to 1.8 million vehicles a year—roughly the same as Toyota. These are U.S. auto manufacturers, employing U.S. auto workers, and they are growing.

While other airlines continue to struggle, JetBlue has shown an increase same month seats over November 2007 with almost every airport other than JFK. While Delta cut w,000 jobs, and American Airlines and its feeder carrier American Eagle plan to cut capacity 6 percent next year, with an 8.5 reduction in U.S. flying by American itself, Southwest Airlines announced that “October was a bang-up month, almost unexplainably strong,” according to chairman and chief executive Gary Kelly. While DHL announced a pullback from the United States and while UPS announced a price increase to cover its costs, upstart First Global Xpress is expanding its operations and growing as an International shipping company.

It is not that American industry is failing across the board. It is that the older companies that refuse to re-tool, to update their processes, and who refuse to revisit their products and services to make sure they are responding to the changing needs of today’s customers and clients. Take for example, a company like First Global Xpress [FGX]. They entered the shipping industry by looking at how companies like Fedex, UPS and DHL were doing business, and by quickly realizing the Hub & Spoke model these companies employed was a fantastic idea in 1970. However, with new communication platforms, with more airlines carrying cargo to supplement revenues, and with more local messenger services available to work with, the old model was far inferior in providing service and far more expensive than it needed to be.

The result for FGX is growth. Better still, with their less expensive process, they are gaining even greater market share in this down economy. When companies are looking for ways to reduce expenses, FGX is a Godsend. Welcome to the new economy – it may not be as bad in the long term as we all think...

I Pity The President - or Truth in Advertising

2008-11-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

It's election night, and no matter who wins this election, I pity the fool. Why? Because each has made promises that they simply can't keep. I do promise this. Somewhere in the first months of their presidency will come the message "It's much worse that I had thought. That SOB George W. lied to us, and now I can't do everything I wanted to. Even worse, I'm going to need each of you to work even harder in order for us to get back on track."

Why do I say this? Well, let's just look at the larger picture - of what's going on with this country. And no, this isn't a bash on the country. I love it deeply and feel it is still the greatest country on this planet. However, our January 1st is coming up quickly and we are already waking up with one hell of a hangover.

The fact is simple, for the most part our lifestyle is based on a level of consumption we simply cannot continue to maintain. We have larger refridgerators that most of the world can even dream of. We drive larger vehicles than most of us can afford, and that far exceed our fuel resources. We are demanding greater benefits from employers, but we have fewer jobs available to us. The worst part is, none of this is a result of the credit meltdown. It is due to our maintaining a lifestyle that is far out of touch from the rest of the world - and none of us are changing our way of life to fit the resources at hand.

The sad part is, as a nation, we are rapidly finding our horizon point where we will be forced to fall closer in line with the rest of the world. The next President will be the first one that will not have much of a choice but to wake us up to a rather nasty hangover. And no, I don't think he will have a large enough aspirin to ease the sunrise...

What Happens When Mavericks Act, Well, Like Mavericks

2008-10-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

The news is filled with breaks between Sarah Palin and John McCain. McCain's camp is calling Palin a "Diva." Palin's camp is blaming McCain for botching her coming out party. Both are probably right - although it probably is sexist to call her a diva - even though there were "diva" wars several years ago between celebs wanting to be known as the "only true diva," - but that's another blog entry all together.

Back to the question at heart - which is I'm not sure what the problem is. The RNC decided early on that they would brand McCain as a "Maverick." They then decided to bring in Sarah Palin as "Another Maverick." It's not a bad brand to assign. In fact, it ranks rather well in people's minds. Ms. Palin augmented Mr. McCain's maverick brand and as polls showed, gave a real shot to the campaign. The problem wasn't in the concept of the maverick brand, it was in how to keep the brand alive, without it turning into a flat, two dimensional moniker?

As it turns out, it's not an easy tightrope to walk. Just look at a brand like Sketchers. It was a great, counter-culture brand when it first launched. It was a maverick brand. However, once it became popular, the brand realized it had to give up some of its counter culture status in order to make more money. After all, how counter-culture can you be when you're sold in Kmart?

So it made a decision - stay true to its brand, or take a brand shift and make more money. Some brands stay true to themselves and never grow [just walk into any skateboarding store]. Others manage to stay true to the brand and grow to a certain extent [Clif Bars has done an amazing job at keeping a maverick brand alive, while growing well]. Still others, try to keep walking that line, only to realize to late that their market likes the idea of a maverick, but has trouble when that maverick keeps acting, well, like a maverick.

Bottom line, the concept of being a maverick is great on paper. But how do you keep a maverick in line so that they give a consistent message day in and day out? Even more important - how do you keep a maverick on message?

Once you do, they're no longer a maverick.

Again, great on paper - impossible to maintain over the long term...

When The U.S. Government Gives Kickbacks...

2008-10-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I you were ever wondering how Washington really works, this $700 Billion bailout bill is an education in what really goes on to turn a bill into a law.

We start with an innocuous bill that taxpayers will fund to the tune of $700 Billion to pay to keep our economy shored up. It seems to me very simple. However, in order to get the money meant to bail out the Wall Street Wizards to the Wall Street Wizards, our elected officials had to be incentivized to vote for it. Some could call it a bribe, some could call it a kickback, but I think the official term is money being "earmarked" to a specific cause. Hence the reason for all the extras being added to what one would assume is a very simple, straightforward bill.

Imagine if you will a conversation like this:

Senator #1 – “Senator – will you vote for this bill meant to help keep America's financial system afloat and keep us out of another great depression?”
Senator #2 – “I don’t think so.”
Senator #1 – “What if we added on a little something for your home constituents?”
Senator #2 – “Well I’m liking it more and more now. What exactly are we talking about?”
Senator #1 – “Hmmmmmmm, well, would that wooden arrow manufacturer who helped pay for your campaign last year like some money?”
Senator #2 – “Where do I sign Senator?”

Lo and behold, the bill gets passed. How else do you explain what has been added to the bailout bill:

- $2 million tax benefit for makers of wooden arrows for children

- $100 million tax break to benefit auto racetrack owners

- $192 million in rebates on excise taxes for the Puerto Rican/Virgin Islands rum industry

- $148 million in tax relief for U.S. wool fabric producers

- $49 million tax benefit for plaintiffs who sued over the 1989 tanker Exxon Valdez spill.

All of which you are paying for.

It’s a little different than how School House Rock explained it when I was a kid, but welcome to Washington…

Expense or Investment

2008-09-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

Same cost, same dollar amount, but how someone views a particular expenditure can make all the difference when you're selling it. Whether you're talking to a company about spending on a particular project, or talking to a spouse about buying a shirt, dress, or a particular item for the home, determining if it an expense or an investment will make the difference as to whether the check will be signed and approved.

Let's start from the beginning. An expense is a sacrifice. Once an expense is paid, the money is gone forever. There is nothing coming back. The purchase of a suit for a special event could be an example of an expense. It makes the wearer happy, but wouln't return any real value other than the happiness of the wearer. On the other hand, an investment is spent in the hopes of getting a return - i.e., a Return on the Investment [ROI]. The purchase of a business suit could pay for itself by improving the wearer's appearance, helping them look more professional, and helping him or her close more deals.

For the most part, people don't mind investing if they are fairly confident they will see a return. In today's market they are more cautious and less willing to take risks, but they are still willing to make an investment where they are not so willing to incur an expense.

So, how you describe a specific cost, and how it is presented to the person writing the check is as important, if not more so, than the actual cost itself. How you present yourself is a huge factor in that mix. Are you trustworthy? Are you someone who is responsible enough to manage the money and provide a return on the investment? Or are you someone who's just going to take the money and throw a huge party? Either way, it all comes back to what kind of a return the person writing the checks expect.

$700 billion in bailout? I originally thought of it as an investment in America's future. Something that would help the homeowners stablize their finances and the banks support them. Until I started hearing about $2 million going to an arrow company in the Pacific Northwest, or how the banks were really just hording the money and not using it to open up more loans. Now, it's just an expense. Why? Because the people managing the money are either uneducated in basic finance, idiots or dishonest. Or possible, a mix of all three.

So the next time you're asking for money, either from a partner, spouse or business associate, think ahead in terms of what can be delivered and what ROI you can carry through on. The results will brand you forever....

If that's not clear enough, just think of how the original investments given to B. Madoff quickly turned into a hugh expense. Also think about what kind of new investors he'll be able to attract on his next time around....

Recession and Global Financial Meltdown Isn't Necessarily A Bad Thing

2008-09-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, the financial sky is falling. But don't go all chicken little on me just yet yelling "global financial meltdown." There is a silver lining to the blackened skies. Well, at least for those brands and companies that can think fast and move quickly.

For those of you not old enough to remember the 80s, you need to keep something in mind - even through the economy may have stalled, life hasn't. People still age, families still grow and consumers still buy. As a brand, your ability to grow in a down economy rests on your ability to refine your message to best respond the the market's newfound concerns. And no, it's not just about pricing. It's about delivering value - value on your brand, value on your product or service. That's true whether you have a consumer product, a business product, or a service.

Have you ever met anyone who's unwilling to spend a dollar in order to get $1.50 in value? Well, that's the way to think. No, value isn't just found in discounting. In fact, that's the worst thing anyone can do - because you're decreasing the perceived value when you do it. Instead, it's about finding added benefit within a product. Baking Soda - not just for cookies, it helps keep a refridgerator fresh. Chanel - it's not just iconic fashion, it has cache that will endure. It's there in every product. You just have to remain open minded and find it.

This remains true across the board, and opens up even more opportunities for new businesses, for new products, and for new services. Well, true for those who can come in under the radar and move quickly to reposition their products while the old IBMs and Unilevers sit frozen trying to build powerpoints about what steps to take.

So now is not the time to hesitate. Now is the time to start running. The more you push now, the better you will be positioned when the economy rebounds.

If you're wondering if I'm crazy, just look what two guys created in a garage during the last big recession - a company called Microsoft....

AIG, Sherson Lehmann, Merrill Lynch - PR Spin Can Only Go So Far...

2008-09-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

If there has ever been proof that a good publicist can only spin the truth so far, and for so long, this is it. For the past several years, the C-level executives and the boards of financial insitutions like AIG, Merrill Lynch and Lehmann have spun their balance sheets to appear rock solid. Yet, little by little, the tides of time and finance have eroded their image, until finally the entire wall of deception has come crashing down. Yes, in the end performance does count, but did the truth come early enough? Or did the spin-meisters do such a good job that the damage is irreparable.

In actuality AIG, Sherson Lehmann, and Merrill Lynch all dropped the balls on their businesses while taking self-voted bonuses, pay increases and who knows what else. They took on too much risk and made the same assumptions that the rest of the financial world made. It's not just about balance sheets and numbers, it's about a mindset. Namely, that if they just kept their heads down long enough, and gained enough fact-dodging press, the financial storm that was building would blow over and everything would be fine as day.

Hello Katrina?

The sad part is not that for most executives at these institutions, the packages they created enabled them to walk away with a nice bundle and live out their lives in comfort. The sad part is that the issues these financial institutions are having is indicative of a much larger problems. They are run by people that have the same mindset as those running this country. It's a mindset that is short term at best, and at worst borderline criminal, with absolutely no interest for the public trust, just their own greed.

It's no wonder we have lobbyists running Washington, lobbyists who are in bed with the failing companies, and with our elected officials of both parties. Ever wonder why irate Congressmen and Congresswomen railed for years about "why weren't we helping more American's buy their homes?" Well, they got us to buy!

So kiddies, the lesson here is a simple one. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Work hard and do your work well, and good things will happen. Oh no, wait. That was the attitude that made this country great. Hmmmm, now I wonder where the attitude of "work hard, make a good buck at any cost and run like the wind when things go bad" will get us...

The storm, she is a comin....

Websites Who Get It - umbrellatoday.com

2008-09-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, enough useless talk about candidates, governments, spin doctors, and brands. It's time to jump in and talk about real products and real branding from people who understand their audience and have the guts to cut out all the fluff to give them what they want.

http://umbrellatoday.com/

It just doesn't get simpler. It just doesn't get better. It just makes you kneel down and thank the powers that be that yes - there is hope for all of this.

Consumer brands, B2B brands, political pundits, news organizations - THIS IS WHAT WE WANT!!!!!!

Palin & Coca Cola

2008-09-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

I got into a conversation last night over a few martinis, that is relevant to this. The conversation led us into talking about brands versus ingredients, academic positioning verson real product benefits, and which was more important. So with the political pundits chattering away, and with us PR folk talking about brands, we compared Sarah Palin with another well known American brand - Coca Cola. Watch, they do have some similarities...

In one night, Sarah defined a strong position for herself when she took the podium at the DNC. She did a great job doing os, and a great many people jumped on board. Trusting her ingredients matched her brand. Now, while many may think Sarah Palin's record is a risk, we all know records can be tweaked, shifted, and distorted by the politicos and spin doctors. So while her resume includes a long list of questionable acts that include attempts at ousting an in-law from the police force, book banning, even using lobbyists for fundraising [Time Magazine 9/2/8], her position and brand is extremely strong.

Now, here's the leap that's far easier to make over martinis than on a blog, but resumes are a lot like ingredients. They are the real benefits a politician brings to the table. And like any product, the formula that has made up her past is only half the equation of what makes her a true presence in the market. The image of her being a pit bull berating her opponents carries just as strong a message as what she actually did, or did not do.

So, here is the question. In today's politics, which is more important - brand or ingredients? And before you answer, just remember what happened when Coca Cola introduced New Coke in the 80s. It thought the public's love for its brand was so strong, they could change a tried and true formula however they wished, and the public would still love it.

So, can America overlook the ingredients that make up Sarah Palin's resume in favor of her image? Is her brand and that of the GOP strong enough to overcome the product's formula?
- cannon-brandcommunication.blogspot.com -

Sarah Palin/Barack Obama - Brand USA

2008-09-04T10:51:00.001-07:00

Okay, so after seeing the Democratic National Convention [DNC] and the Republican National Convention [RNC], I guess it has all come to this. No matter who runs, we inevitably fall into the same thing - a popularity contest where the presidential candidates try their best to stay above the fray, while hiring Vice President's who, as Sarah Palin hinted at, act more like pitbulls than humans.

So much for the issues of the Iraq war, so much for drilling and oil consumption, so much for wiretapping becoming legal, abortion, alternative fuels, global warming, half truths and mis-truths. So much for presenting a sound foriegn policy and having the chops to back it up. So much for running a campaign about what each candidate can do or can't do.

How quickly has it dropped to the same politics I saw in highschool when elected the King and Queen of the prom. Only now it's about Sarah Palin in a bikini [yes, it's a photoshop job]. But hey, that's about as real as it's going to get for us from here on out. Or so it seems from the fallout I've been reading online. While all this goes on, so much for brand USA. Instead of being a beacon for how a free election is handled, we end up being no better off than the elections we laugh at from third world nations. Chads, election fraud, uncounted primaries - what must our founding fathers think.

So let's just cut to the chase and take a look at what really matters for voters of both candidates. To heck with politics and issues, let's talk about brand USA. Better yet, let's do what everyone else is doing and forget about trying to answer a higher calling and find a way to leverage the whole mess to our own benefit.

As my brother once said about politics "Now Jeff, why would you want to go wrestle with the pig? You're not going to win. You're only going to get dirty. And frankly, I think the pig kind of likes it."

So to heck with trying to respect our candidates. Instead, I'll post it to google, and see what it does for my ranking.

After all, this blog is about branding and marketing.

Online Video Growth - Recognition At Last

2008-09-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

The news that has been popping up lately in advertising trade publications is that online videos are a very real entertainment outlet of future. Hello? Next I expect to hear a climate expert tell me some breaking news like a global warming is going to take place.

With such stellar news from In-Stat analysts Gerry Kaughold as "The future of television is slowly being defined online..."

What "experts" like this still don't understand is that the medium will eternally change. It's the message that's important. Print gave way to radio, radio to television, television to online. But throughout it all, consumers find a way to reach out and grab the messages the want to hear.

So stop thinking in terms of medium. Stop talking to media buyers who know it's easier to fit a client into a templated media buy [1 part television, two parts print, and a dash of online just to kick things up a bit]. Think instead about your audience and what they read, watch, and listen to. Get into their heads so that you understand what their habits are. Then figure out how to create a message that looks and sounds like the popular shows in that medium.

Above all, remember, it's the message - not the medium that's important.

The Importance Of Research

2008-09-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

From a brand perspective, there is nothing, absolutely nothing more important than research. Research to understand your customer, research to understand your client, and research to understand the market you're going into, and of course research to truly understand the product itself as well as the experience it promises to provide. Most important though, is the need to jump in and try out the product with hands on research the way the legendary ad-men and women of the 60s and 70s did.

There are stories about how account teams would spend weeks in Betty Crocker's kitchens, baking cakes and pies and cookies to get a real understanding for what the customer's experience. From weeks to baking, they were able to understand the beauty and the foibles of a particular product. They learned the ins and outs that their customers would learn sooner or later. Because of this, not only could they get inside the customer's head and write the kind of copy that people responded to. They could speak to their clients knowledgeably about what was good and what was bad about a particular product. The result from that research? The ability to turn consumers into customers and customers into brand enthusiasts like never before. They were no longer ad-men and women, they were knowledgeable customers. That is something that goes beyond pocket books, but lies deeply in the hearts, minds and souls of any successful product or campaign.

Political parties not withstanding, for any brand, be it political, consumer, or B2B to think they can skip over the time it takes to undertake research in order to understand their own product I sheer folly. If anyone thinks about rushing their product to market without doing the proper research, well, let's just watch how the cards deal out from the news that hit on September 1st, when it should have really been about a convention...

John Varvatos - Finally Someone Does It Right!!!

2008-08-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not sure how many of you ever went to CBGB's when it was around. It wasn't a Danceteria or Area in the 80s, but let's just say from a marketing perspective, it definitely had a very strong brand and a well defined position in the market [read - more than just a few very late nights, and more than just a few very shaggy mornings at Burson Marsteller as a young AAE in the 80s]. In fact, CBGB's created such a strong brand for itself, that its cache remains to this day - call it Graceland for a non-Elvis crowd.

Which makes John Varvatos' move into the old space even more brilliant than just cool. You see, Varvatos did it for all the right reasons. He did it to preserve the space. He did it to keep the CBGB name alive. He did it for the same reason he had Alice Cooper appear in his print campaign. Because it was the physicalization of his brand image, and because it was real.

The only thing that is better than John Varvatos taking the old CBGB space, is the way he has kept it true to itself and true to himself. When I went in on a recent walk-by, I was greeted by this hip [read, not overly hip to be nauseating, nor some faux shop-person trying to appear hip], young, stylish guy that looked like he'll be rocking out in whatever club they go to these days. The guy was knowledgeable, got me to try on this leather and shearling jacket that was just the right blend of rocker, without being over board - call it the perfect edge for a 40 year old PR guy who's not into suits.

When I finally left, it dawned on me, from his product to his advertising, from this store design to his sales staff, it all says exactly the same thing - John Varvatos. There is no guessing as to what he's about. There is no question as to who he is or who his customer is. It is branding at its very best - clear, clean, consistent, and powerful.

John Varvatos does what so many people and companies try to do - communicate a consistent brand with one voice, one look and one feel - across every consumer touch-point in a way that feels so natural, you don't even know it's being done. Why? Because it's real!

So if you want to see killer branding. If you want to see a company who has truly taken their brand off the drawing board and brought it to life in a very real way - check out John Varvatos.

What's the worst that can happen? You walk away actually looking great?

CNN - The Un-News

2008-08-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Did I miss something? When did CNN change from reporting the news to thinking they are the news? While watching the Democratic Convention last night, I kept changing channels back and forth between CNN and the McNeil Leherer Report - that's right good old PBS. While PBS showed the entire convention and let us make our own decisions on how well or how badly it went, I noticed CNN avoided showing any of the speeches until Hillary came close to appearing that is.

While Wolf Blitzer was trying to stir up coverage for an alleged plot against Barack Obama - something that even the reporter on the ground sounded confused about - former Denver Mayor and Obama Campaign Co-Chair Federico Peña wasa giving one of the more insightful speeches about his energy policy. While CNN ran endless "what if" scenarios, Lilly Ledbetter gave a speech that was one of the most compelling insights into women's rights and inequal pay. While Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, shared his American story to an astounded audience, CNN ran commercials.

Now, I'm not saying the Democrats know how to put on a great show, but shouldn't a new organization report the news? I mean, it was truly astounding to see how CNN failed to cover the speakers and the event, when they touted themselves as the "best coverage available." Instead, they opted to fill the screen with a badly operated red/blue map, and with endless scenarios of how the final election could go. So many in fact, that it became more confusing than insightful.

Which is where CNN's brand is beginning to suffer. It's a great brand if you only watch the placards that swing up between commercial breaks. But when it times to turn all that brand messaging into something real, they are failing miserably - Lou Dobbs excepting.

When will they realize, the more the reporters think that "they are the news," the less they will be viewed as reporters "of the news." There's nothing wrong with taking a network, or a brand, in this direction. But it's not the direction of a great news station. With Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper reporting, CNN might think about joining with E!. It would fit their format better, it would be far more entertaining, and at least their brand would be true to their reporting.

Paris - looking for your next new thing?

Crest Leads The Way In Integrated Brand Marketing

2008-08-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

The big news isn’t that Crest is launching a new product. The news is how it is launching its new product.

Crest Weekly Clean Intensive Cleaning Paste – a new paste designed to give you that “just went to the dentist” feeling – will hit the shelves in September, but P&G has already started sending samples to bloggers and select online parental groups. Apparently they have decided to forgo a traditional launch campaign in favor of one that targets the more influential online community. Apparently, Crest sent a survey to more than 600,000 moms in late August through P&G’s Vocalpoint buzz-marketing program.

According to the product’s spokeswoman – Allison Yang – television will be relatively light, consisting of five second tags on ads for other crest products. Instead, their research told them it’s a product “people talk about.” And what better way to get people talking than online – right?

So read between the lines. Crest – one of P&G’s biggest media spenders with almost $237 million in ’07 media spend, is backing away from expensive television in favor of creating a consumer-driven online platform for Weekly Clean. If this doesn’t tell you how important it is to create an integrated communications program online, before using more traditional media – nothing will…..

2008-08-22T08:57:00.001-07:00

Technorati Profile

Green Ideas That Make Business Sense

2008-08-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while you come across a company that is shifting their brand in very real ways. It's often the simplest things that make the biggest difference in how a company and a brand is perceived. It's what I call taking the brand off the drawing board and bringing it to life.

For all those people who look at outdoor advertising as a blight on America, I ask you to check out what Fuel Outdoor in Miami has done. It's created a deal with the city of Miami to build 600 solar powered bus shelters. Yes, it gets to sell the advertising space on these locations, but hey, that's 600 bus shelters for people to hide from the sun and rain. Better still, they're solar powered, so the cost of keeping them lit at night is nothing.

So who says creating a green initiative has to cost? Who says it has to be painful for the company? It can be a win for the company [Fuel gets more ad space to sell], a win for the community [Miami gets 600 bus shelters for free], and for the planet [solar, solar, solar which will prevent an estimated 2 tons of carbon emissions from being expelled into the air].

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz explained, “Thanks to a successful public-private partnership, what we have with Fuel Miami is a revolutionary model at work – corporate advertising dollars are being used to clean the environment.”

“As outdoor advertisers, we are sensitive to the quality and appearance of the city’s environment,” Freedman said. “In the case of our Miami bus shelters, we felt it was necessary to ensure that our advertisements could provide benefits to not only our clients, but also the city.”

Not a bad thing for everyone involved....

Cyberattacks - Warfare's New Militia

2008-08-21T05:07:00.000-07:00

Well before a shot was ever fired, and as early as July 20, 2008, the republic of Georgia was under attack. It's government’s websites were under a constant barrage of attacks by a network of hackers that some have called the new militia.

"They mobilize themselves without a need for a central location to do so, distribute the targets, discuss the attack approaches, come up with a plan on the coordination, and you have everyone participating," Bulgarian security researcher Dancho Danchev said in an instant messaging interview. Danchev and others have found evidence that points to a self-starting militia composed of volunteer hackers and cyber criminals who control large-scale bots, or collections of previously-compromised computers. While the forces may appear to be uncoordinated to the untrained eye, they are in fact very coordinated, both researchers argued. In a lengthy post on ZDNet, Danchev spelled out the coordinated steps that someone — or some group — took to rally the hacker troops and turn them against specific targets. And yes, there is evidence that the coordination comes from mother Russia.

For everyone in the military or the civilian world, the lesson is that any modern conflict will include some type of a cyberwarfare component. Why? Because it is simply too cheap and inexpensive not to. While countries like the United States spend billions on missle shields and fire rates, we’ve left our back door wide open to attacks that could cripple our efforts on the world stage.

So how does this apply to brands? Well, take note. Some simple hacker can have fun with your message through spam, illicit postings, or with DOS [Denial of Service] games. It may seem funny at first, but when your customers start screaming, you’ll have wished you spent a little bit more time listening to your IT people.

Apple 3G iPhone - Next Gen's Product To Avoid?

2008-08-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

When a 14 year old knows more about the iPhone than your CMO does, you have a problem.

That dawned on me when I spoke with one of my nieces who swore she’d never buy a new iPhone – and yes, with her fledgling baby sitting empire, she could easily afford one. What she doesn’t do is visit CNet.com or read product reviews. What she does do is IM her friends incessantly, trade products back and forth, and talk, talk, talk. What she also does is influence her mom, her dad and their friends about new products, cool brands and hot items of the moment.

So my question is this – if a 14 year old is commenting on slow downloads, the need to constantly shutdown and restart, and how un-cool the product is turning out to be, why didn’t Apple’s CMO?

Hey, it’s a great brand. It’s the only company that’s been able to turn a tech product into a consumer brand. It could also get crushed under the weight of the new products it’s rushing to market. It would be a shame if the Apple of the future was the next gen’s product too avoid.

Think it can’t happen? Think about GAP in the early 90s – it was the cool thing to wear. Think about how kids look at it like mom and dad's brand to avoid…

Flip Flop - Meaningless Phrases & Meaningful Networks

2008-08-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

“Flip Flop.”

It's a phrase that came into being in the 2008 elections to discredit John Kerry for changing his mind on issues. I have to admit to the people who created it – it was shear genius.

The fact that there is not a candidate alive – republican or democrat – who has not changed their position, or their mind, on an important subject at one point in their career, let alone their candidacy, is absurd. Yet, with the right network of media relationships, this term helped turn an election.

In the 2008 election, the term “flip flop” is still being bantered around from time to time. It seems like an effort to ill-brand a candidate, but it hasn’t stuck yet. Perhaps even the media has begun to realize it is a meaningless term - something that cannot be a defining label to any campaign because every candidate has “flip flopped” at one time or another. Or perhaps it’s because nobody has been able to energize a network like the inventors of “flip flop” were able to do in the 2004 elections.

And maybe that’s the key. Maybe what you say is not as important as how you say it or who it’s said to.

Think about that the next time you spend hours perfecting your message before you figure out how you're getting it out to the audience you want to reach...

The Integrated Battlefield - PR Included

2008-08-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Regardless of who fired the first shot, who crossed over the line, or who hurled the first insult, the conflict between the Republic of Georgia and Russia shows that the 21st Century battlefield extends well beyond the trenches where the ground forces live and fight.

With the public’s thirst for 24 hour as it happens, and the media’s desire to feed the ratings an inside look at the latest and greatest news story [it is entertainment after all], they have created a platform where a savvy media group can help to define the line between the good guys and the bad guys like never before - often before all the facts are in.

This is something political leaders, and yes, the military now leverages as an integrated part of the wars they wage. Witness how Georgian president - Saakashvili – leveraged the media to support his ground troops, even though his own tactics were later found suspect.

With his public relations firm, Aspect Consulting, in place [a firm that also works with such companies as Exxon Mobil, Kellogg's and Procter and Gamble], Mr. Saakashvili, began an hourly barrage of media releases that followed the action on the ground, sometimes even leading it.

With carefully planned headlines, like "Russia continues to attack civilian populations," and stories describing how the capital Tblisi was “intensively bombed," or how a downed Russian plane was in fact "nuclear", Georgia quickly positioned itself in the hearts and minds of the world as the underdog. The press, in their efforts to take the lead and put out the story first, took a big bite and chewed away.

With the media quickly jumping on the bandwagon, releases were given greater credence than they should have been. Some implied greater threats to the world at large. Others implied threats to European energy supplies as "Russia dropped bombs near oil pipelines.” Even "humanitarian wheat shipments" were apparently blocked. The resulting terminology early in the conflict complained of "invading Russian forces" and "the occupation of Georgia." The best move, was when Saakashvili's government filed allegations of ethnic cleansing to The Hague, using keywords and terms designed to trigger media interest, such as civilian victims, nuclear arms, humanitarian disaster, occupation, and yes ethnic cleansing.

In the initial days of the battle, Mr. Saakashvili held international media phone conferences, got himself on TV news channels and even found time, within hours of war breaking out, to write for the Wall Street Journal. In contrasting style, Russia, allowed little access to South Ossetia – adding to the evil empire image the West enjoys painting it as.

With most reporters at the Olympics, television stations and newspapers lacked sufficient resources to find out what was actually occurring. Which is why the Public Relations efforts by President Saakashvili were accepted so readily. While journalists may have treated it with at least some skepticism, the media campaign had an effect; and while the ground war may have been a disaster, the information war gave Georgia a crushing success. At least initially. It wasn't until much later, that the media found balance, noting that they were unsure of exactly what has gone on behind the borders, even portraying Saakashvili as a leader who made a major strategic error and blundered into a war he was bound to lose.

Again, this is not a comment on who is right or wrong in this conflict, but an effort to look at who managed to direct the press and media coverage better and how that helped their cause. It is also an effort to show how war is no longer just about the directing troops, but directing an integrated campaign, that yes includes the world’s media.

For additional information, please see the following sources:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4518254.ece
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080810/ap_on_re_eu/georgia_south_ossetia
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/aug/18/pressandpublishing.georgia
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Russia-Georgia-Conflict-Countries-Play-Out-Propaganda-Battle-Amidst-War/Article/200808215076440?lpos=World%2BNews_2&lid=ARTICLE_15076440_Russia%2BGeorgia%2BConflict%253A%2BCountries%2BPlay%2BOut%2BPropaganda%2BBattle%2BAmidst%2BWar