Alycia de Mesa * Brand Expert * Modern Metapreneur

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:38:44 PDT

Brand Consulting. Coaching. Speaking. Writing.

We're in the process of site and blog renovation and all will soon be consolidated to one address: www.demesabrands.com In the interim, you can reach Alycia at alyciademesa@gmail.com or at 480.205.5911.

Brand Avatar - Translating Virtual World Branding Into Real Wold Success

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:24:43 PDT

Ever so often a new set of technologies come along to disrupt the flow of how people, play, work and interact in general. Without fail, those who want to capitalize on these new phenoms dive in with little hesitation while the the rest realize, hmmm... we have to do this, too. But where in the world do we start?

Brand Avatar , Translating Virtual World Branding Into Real World Success is my second book on branding this time focusing on the phenomena of virtual worlds, their historical context, which major brands made some great and not so great decisions in virtual worlds, and ultimately why vw's matter. It's a great source for business people wanting to better understand the overall picture of virtual worlds and what it means for brands in one quick read.

Why do vw's matter? Truly it's not because any one virtual world is the Facebook of today or even tomorrow but rather there is much that can be learned from these worlds ranging from the pre-school set to boomers looking for extended learning. The 2- and 3-D, interactive, customizable interfaces that many worlds present is the face of the Internet's future evolution. Virtual worlds combined with virtual gaming, social media as it exists (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs, etc, etc), and what are now considered traditional Internet sites and email campaigns are in sum what creates the contemporary landscape of VIRTUAL BRANDING.

Now more than ever, brands need to understand consumer habits within the full landscape of the Internet. Where consumer media habits have been chased by advertisers for decades, the new relevancy is consumer virtual habits. This is where our proprietary research services come in. V-Brand 360 is the means to find out a company, product or service's target audience habits within the virtual landscape and then to derive the best, most relevant brand strategy to harness the clear opportunities within virtual branding.

In my next post, I'll introduce more of V-Brand 360 and my colleagues behind it.

GlobalShop 2009 & Virtual Branding Trends

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:10:56 PDT

I have to say, today was a fun day in more ways than one. My new book Brand Avatar, Translating Virtual World Branding Into Real World Success just launched in Feb in the UK and is due out in the US and the rest of the world on Mar 31.

This morning I gave a key-note presentation in Las Vegas to attendees of GlobalShop 2009 (produced by Nielsen Business Media) about the brands within virtual worlds and how vw's also fit into the overall social media and traditional Internet landscape for retail brands - or what I collectively refer to as virtual branding.

Where Internet branding used to mean more or less traditional web sites and ecommerce, virtual branding is the landscape of branding within traditional Internet/e-commerce sites, blogging, social media and virtual worlds. For brands large and small alike, harnessing this brave virtual realm can be challenging, but one of the key points to remember is that whether we're talking Facebook, Twitter or Second Life - none are isolated entities but rather work together in the bigger picture of things. Each of these realms: social media, virtual worlds, Internet sites/e-commerce, even email campaigns require more focus by companies as a collective plan - spokes in the wheel that feed the center of brand building - versus regarded as individual components that exist on their own and in isolation. With the convergence and evolution of these realms becoming more mainstream, knowing your target audience's virtual habits are just as important as knowing your target audience's (traditional) media habits. It's a larger topic I'll cover more in future posts.

But back today. I had the luxury of walking around the exhibitor displays today for GlobalShop and saw a vast array of retail products, displays, shelving - you name it. What caught my eye, however, were two different companies offering a new twist on the branded experience. iDisplay is one company based out of the UK that offers up branded and sometimes larger than life digital displays that can run everything from a product demo (as is the case of the uber-sized Samsung phone with fully functioning, interactive display of phone features) to specially-produced commericals and trailers.

Aside from the giant Samsung fun and other over-sized screens mimicing hand-held products, another innovative product iDisplay offers is a branded product display that incorporates these same digital screens and also has a video camera to capture who walks up and a built-in sensor to detect gender: male triggers male-oriented content, female triggers female-oriented. (Because you know, men are from Mars and yada yada...)

Finally, Fogscreen out of Finland has the projected image experience amped up a hundred fold by projecting images onto finally misted fog (i.e., water) in place of the traditional screen, creating a sci fi-inspired misty effect that is both vivid and etheric. The photo below captures a Fogscreen used for a Playboy event.

Thanks again to DDI retail design magazine and the folks at Nielsen Business Media for a great event.

Virtual Banking Turns Real In Entropia

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:23:34 PDT

Virtual Goods News ran a story last week about real life banking now set-up in Entropia Universe, a massively multiplayer online virtual game (MMORPG) designed by Swedish software company MindArk. The Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority has given its blessing (and more officially a license) for MindArk's subsidiary Mind Bank AB to conduct legal banking activities within Entropia. Available on each of its "planets," terminals abound said to offer everything from checking and savings products to loans. The new bank ties in with Entropia's in-game currency, which like Second Life, has an economic correlation to the US dollar and can be cashed in for real-life money. The PED is as of March 18, 2009 valued at a rate of 10 PED to 1 US Dollar. According to Jan Welter Timkrans, CEO of MindArk, "this creates a situation where in-world banking can add greater security and convenience to Entropia Universe's transactions."
Read the entire story here and ponder the meaning of real-world consumer bank confidence along the way. Virtual bailouts anyone?

Naming Social Media & Beyond

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:29:43 PST

I was recently asked by Aliza Sherman blogger and social media consultant to comment about her naming dilemmas within social media, and how I felt about using the term “social” within a name at this stage of the game.

There are definitely do's and don'ts within naming. If it were so easy, there wouldn't be an entire industry of naming consultants and agencies. So much of the English language is literally already trademarked and/or URL owned, leaving a small pool of possibilities to choose from. Which is one explanation of why what you do see out there as trademarked names are often lacking in appeal.

The first thing to remember is sitting around thinking about names is not the place to begin. You’re cheating the process if you do and will almost always regret it at the realization of time or money lost.

Like other aspects of branding, naming is defined and guided by the core positioning of the brand. The positioning is what defines the context and parameters around what the name is trying to communicate. Without context, a name is ineffectual to useless.

So what are the do’s and don’ts of naming?

Do:

1. Create your own brand positioning statement
This means define your brand on paper in 1-2 sentences that explain the what, why, where, for whom and unique aspects of your brand. For an overview see my past post.

2. Create brand communication attributes
These are adjectives (innovative, savvy, luxurious, transparent technology) that describe the relevant and unique aspects of your brand. Not only are these important words to know about how you're unique, you can use these as jumping off points/inspiration points to come up with names.

3. Know your markets
Be very aware of your intended geographic markets both in the short and long-run. Language and cultural faux pas are the stuff marketing text books are made of. Language parameters should guide the creative process of naming and kept heavily in mind during the ultimate selection process.

4. Know where the brand name will “live”
Where the name and logo will appear is a technical parameter that will dictate how long or short the name will be. If you’re naming for a social app on a mobile phone, space is a premium, therefore ultra-short is very, very good. If you’re a dotcom with a physical presence, the name may be able to go longer.

5. Use all of the above as the context for name creation & selection
The blueprint is in place, context set, now use it! Allow names to flow from the inspiration of the communication attributes; check your selections against the positioning statement and technical parameters like cultural and linguistic considerations to see if it passes muster.

Don’t:

1. Copy your competitors
It’s frankly ridiculous how many copy-cat names are out there. Don’t go there – your lawyer will thank you for it.

2. Ask your wife, cousin, mailman to start coming up with names for you
Everyone loves to be “creative”. The reality is unless they have that positioning in hand and are using that to guide their creative output, just say no thanks.

3. Think that one name is enough
It takes many – even hundreds of names and in some cases thousands - on a master list. Narrow it down to best fit the positioning criteria and let the trademark and URL searches weed out more. But please, don’t go into the trademark application process with just one name up your sleeve. Even the largest of companies have had this approach bite them in the proverbial rear end.

4. Skimp on trademark searches
The USPTO (U.S. Patent & Trademark Office) is not – repeat not – an up-to-date resource. There is a reason it’s free, and everything else is for a fee. Whether you go the trademark attorney route or have an on-line trademark search company provide you the raw data (without legal interpretation), do your due diligence and get the counseling to walk you through the process. If you need a free counseling resource, check out your local chapter of SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Business.

5. Use anything but WHOIS for domain searches
I’ve had friends who are savvy Internet people fall for this one only to regret it. GoDaddy, Network Solutions and the rest all offer free domain searches to see of the desired URL is available, but watch it. There are trolls who pay attention to this stuff and will go in and register it from under you only to then park and sit on the domain for a profit. WHOIS seems to be the most reliable and trustworthy source for searching.

Viral Marketing, Brand Foundation & The Death Star

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:43:41 PDT

Viral marketing is all about the spreading the word and creating buzz. Aside from sounding like a possible airborne illness and the potential for some people to view it as the ultimate way to success on an ether budget, viral marketing has it's place as another channel to build a brand - right along with advertising, pr, traditional marketing, etc. depending on the brand's needs. As I told a bunch of entrepreneurs last night, don't forget, though, that you can't build a McMansion without a solid foundation - or it will crack and crumble. That foundation means getting your brand identity (positioning, name, logo, look & feel, messaging) right BEFORE diving into brand building. Need help? Email me: alycia@demesabrands.com

And now for the lighter side of viral marketing...thank you Death Star : )

Viral Marketing at Death Star Germany

Twitter Brand Agency Takes A Gamble

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:10:45 PDT

Did I hear that right? A brand and marketing agency for Twitter only? Chris Brogan calls it a "Twitter-Flavored Agency" in his social media blog headline, but mince no words, Cherp is a Twitter ONLY agency. The raison d'etre? Perhaps it's one part Twitter passion and one part betting on future micro-blog site aggregation falling under Twitter's moniker. Brands on Twitter can engage Cherp to navigate the unique culture and landscape with perhaps the largest goal of simply not turning or ticking people off. Launched just a few days ago, time will tell how successful the group is ... and just how many eggs can be laid in the Twitter nest.

Whole Foods Swearing - How To Lose Brand Respect

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:54:41 PDT

Leigh Duncan-Durst, principal consultant at LivePath, a marketing and customer experience consultancy, blogged about an interesting experience with the upscale healthy foods grocery store chain, Whole Foods on Twitter. Yes, @wholefoods - the Twitter account representing the brand - actually did swear about its Hatch chiles from New Mexico being on sale - and she has the screen capture to prove it. A breach in brand etiquette and common sense? No question. As I commented on the post, there's no place for any brand acting and talking like a gum smacking, disrespectful teenager in social media - no matter how casual the mediums may seem.

Pint Sized Olympic Brand Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:52:13 PDT

Amongst Visa, Coca-Cola and McDonald's as iconic Olympic sponsors sits Win, the little sports detergent that leverages its official Olympic status as its main means of marketing and credibility. Read my full brand profile for Win at Brandchannel.com

12NEWS MPG Challenge Finale - LIVE!

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:48:35 PDT

Wasting gas while navigating too many traffic lights and stop signs in town? Trading a few gallons of gas for a cup of java from the local Starbucks drive thru? I must be ranting about my last days as a participant in the 12NEWS MPG Challenge! Check out the highlights of the challenge in my special AZ Central/12 News blog and catch me live Monday, Aug 18 at 6 p.m. on Channel 12 News (Phoenix NBC affiliate) for the MPG Challenge finale with Rick DeBruhl. Missed the broadcasts? Check out video clips here of past MPG Challenge video.

Social Responsibility in 2008: Little Gifts, Big Impact

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:20:19 PDT

Being a socially responsible brand has several layers of meaning these days – from green business practices to supporting a worthy cause. But not all socially responsible practices are about being a large multi-national company or spending large amounts of cash. Most entrepreneurs know the value of the dollar and the challenges in accumulating and keeping it for long periods of time.

Back in the dotcom heydays of the 90’s when Internet millionaires were minted on paper every few minutes (it seemed), I would hear story after story of these same people creating non-profits, foundations and trusts in order to funnel their new-found riches into altruistic (not to mention tax-exempt) interests. Everyone seemed to be doing well and the money was flowing. But fast-forward to 2008 and the economy? Not so great as we all know. And as always in downtimes, it’s the little guys who feel the largest impacts – from the local libraries and arts groups to the elementary teachers and high school band group.

As I sit in my desert cloister, the state of Arizona is facing some of its largest deficits lending to the incredible challenges of funding public schools, city governments trying to keep up with law enforcement funding and public roads kept up to par. The quality of many of the basic amenities we all take for granted as citizens are threatened.

Librarians are being booted from elementary schools across the state; arts groups seem to be dropping like flies and to my own personal horror, local community symphonies are dropping from existence as well. Overwhelming it is, and the overall picture is far from how I would design it.

So what’s a socially conscious person to do? Give. I know, I hear your protests already: “But I don’t have the extra money!” “We’re not that big a company.” “We have to watch every dime as it is!”

The reality is there are a myriad of ways to give:

Small gifts of money: Can you honestly say you can’t afford $10, $20, $30? Even the smallest sum of cash donations goes a long way. The cost of a moderate dinner out can pay a community musician, neuter a cat, or buy books for a public school student.

Gifts of time: Can you listen to a child read for 30 minutes to help with reading? Foster care a kitten? Spend a couple of hours at the holidays reading to the elderly? Spend an hour consoling a crime victim in conjunction with your police department? The volunteer opps are endless, and I don’t know of any organization who does not appreciate even 30 minutes of your time.

Gifts of supplies: Sometimes even the most mundane items make a huge impact – a few extra office supplies donated to an arts group; an old cell phone donated to be refurbished for a domestic violence victim; magazines of interest to a nursing home or health practioner’s office who assists low-income populations; an unwanted gift card donated to an overworked, underpaid teacher just because. I just started donating my own read Wall Street Journals to the local high school down the street for their AP government and economics classes. Their response? Thrilled! Better than going straight to the recycling bin!

Take a brief moment to think. How do you make a difference? What are more ideas to give?

It doesn’t take a web mega-millionaire to have impact. There is power in numbers and a little goes a long way. Just start in your own backyard. Someone will thank you for it.

Brands Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:13:25 PDT

Wondering what all the Web 2.0 fuss is about with brands? It's called using new communication and publishing technologies to actually have a real dialogue with customers and consumers. Rather than talking AT a consumer, social media gives instant, interactive opportunities to talk WITH a consumer. Some brands do it well by creatively exploring new trails, while others follow the technology instead of the purpose and are there as the proverbial copycat.

The microblogging phenomena known as Twitter is finally gaining traction in terms of the actual brands Twittering with real-life people. From Obama's campaign to JetBlue and H&R Block, brands, media outlets and politicians are using Twitter to its advantage to gain exposure, trust and (hopefully) capitalize on the viral effect of a positive brand image. The Twitter Brand Index put out by Fluent Simplicity is a growing, master list of brands represented on Twitter by category including higher education, professional services, government, media, and entertainment among others.

Note: my thanks to Elizabeth Albrycht for the Index heads up on FriendFeed.

12NEWS MPG Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:20:35 PDT

It's hot, humid and to be terribly honest, I am generally cranky this time of year as I melt into the asphalt desert known as Arizona. Gas prices are up, up, up and getting to the mountains is becoming costlier. To alleviate my summer-time blues, I offered to be a part of Phoenix's NBC affiliate Channel 12 News ongoing segment called the MPG Challenge. (You can see the video broadcast here.)

Call it a 5-minute reality show aired over several newscasts in the coming month, the MPG Challenge is the brainchild of veteran reporter Rick DeBruhl and challenges six contestants (including yours truly) to change our driving habits in order to get more miles to the gallon and save some moola at the gas pump. Think my Jeep Commander and I can change some habits to get more bang for the buck at the pump? Stay tuned!

Kids, Toys and Virtual Worlds - From Target to Cyberspace

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:59:36 PDT

With all the hoopla in the press over the last couple of years over the adult-driven virtual worlds such as There.com, Second Life and Cyworld, virtual worlds for kids as young as four years old to tweens and young teens are exploding and actually making some money along the way. You can read my full article for Brandchannel.com. Joey Sellers and Nic Mitham of KZero in the U.K. make a guest appearance.

Toy Brands Don’t Play Around in Virtual Worlds by Alycia de Mesa

Brand Marketing 101 for Entrepreneurs

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:30:33 PDT

As an entrepreneur, to market successfully you have to define the basics of your brand and really KNOW what makes up your brand positioning in order to market it on- or off-line. It's surprising how many entrepreneurs gloss over this part, but skipping or skimping on the foundational basics will only lead to inefficient, ineffective marketing results.

Coming up with your brand positioning really can be as simple as answering the big W questions: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN

So let's begin...

WHO: Who are you? What's your brand name? Your descriptor? Your tag line? What visual design/images do you use? Do they effectively capture the next W of WHAT?

WHAT: What do you do? What is it that everyone else in your industry does and is therefore a commodity? What do you do that is absolutely unique in your market?

WHERE: This is a trick W that means geographically where are you marketing, and who are your target audiences? Also, where/how do customers find you?

WHY: Why does your business exist? What void are you filling, and how would the world be different if your business didn't exist?

WHEN: The final W of WHEN is invaluable for managing marketing. If you want to achieve this goal on this date, back up from there to track how you're going to accomplish that goal task by task and how long that will really take.

When you answer these questions, be sure to answer them in regard to how things are right now in time as well as project out three years. Are there changes? Do you have more markets? More products and services to different types of customers? Be realistic about right here, right now but vision as well to what you aspire to be within a reasonable time frame.

Now take all of the above answers and formulate a few sentences that describe what you do - this can be both an elevator pitch to speak to someone as well as crafted into a polished statement often referred to as a POSITIONING STATEMENT.

I love this classic elevator pitch exercise. You're on an elevator, your ideal client/customer has just walked on to the elevator with you. You've been dying to reach this client/customer and now can speak to her with no interruptions for 5 floors. You have less than 60 seconds. What do you say to her? Go!

Ideally, what you just eloquently said in less than a minute encapsulated the answers to your W questions AND just made you a major sale.

Most entrepreneurs I've met over the years actually have a very hard time answering these basic questions. Without them, though, any type of brand marketing/brand building becomes inefficient and, more often than not, ineffective. And guess what? As an entrepreneur, you don't have the time OR money to waste on either!

While brand positioning can entail much more than the above, starting with the basics will give you the solid foundation required for building your brand to success.

Top 5 Reasons for Tween Brand Power

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:02:39 PDT

It's 2007 and Hannah Montana is the latest craze for tween girls and parents are ponying up several hundred - and in some cases thousands - of dollars to see the live concert version of Disney's mega TV hit.

Tweens (in yesteryear referred to as "kids") are a highly coveted segment of society spanning in age roughly 8 to 12 years old. Over the last decade plus, companies and their marketers across the globe have discovered the increased buying power of this segment, which in 2006 has been estimated at $170 billion worldwide according to Euromonitor.

Aside from the eye-popping dollar figures associated with tweens, what are the top 5 reasons that makes these mini-spenders so powerful in capitalist societies?

1. Their pampering parents and other family members.
At virtually no other time in history have parents and grandparents spent as much on their children for products and services that go beyond basic needs. This translates to designer-inspired room decor, cell phones, specialty dolls, elaborate video game systems...and concert tickets for Disney rock stars.

2. They have their own money.
In case it wasn't clear from the figure above, they have money to spend directly and indirectly - money that comes from mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, etc. as allowances, birthdays, chores. Or they simply ask one of the above family figures to buy for them.

3. Their spending is purely discretionary.
Tweens are in the remarkable position at their stage of life that, aside from saving, they have nothing else to spend their money on but cool stuff that they like. Tweens have no worries about mortgages, aging parents, credit card bills, first cars, or even dates or proms to pay for.

4. They're brand loyal.
Tweens know what brands look, sound and feel like and recognize brands through traditional and Internet/mobile media and marketing. Unlike price sensitive, brand fickle adults, tweens know what they want and will buy it again, and again, and again.

5. They are brand evangelists.
No one articulates the glories and disgraces of a brand quite like a passionate 9-year old. They'll not only sell all the adults they know (perhaps to sell-in Christmas and birthday wish lists all-the-more effectively) they tell all their friends, too, and can talk about it as the fodder for social bonding. "You like Harry Potter and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, too? Hey, we have something to talk about..."

Tweens - those funny little beings who secretly wish they were already a teen - you have to love them. And it's obvious marketers around the world do.

The Tides of Being Self-Employed

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:38:50 PDT

You know it's been a long time since I've worked for myself - now officially over 10 years. I'm 36 years old, but keep in mind I've been working ever since I lied about my age to work for a local radio station at the age of 14. Do the math...it's been more than awhile!

There are so many perks to being self-employed. Many years ago when I was employed in Manhattan, I remember as I was walking to the subway, looking up to see a man sitting high above showcased by his expansive apartment window, casually thumbing through a New York Times with a cup of coffee steaming at his side. The time was 10:30am, and I thought to myself in that instant, "Wow, that's freedom and luxury rolled into one." To dictate time on my own terms - I want that.

Not too many months later, I couldn't take the frenetic New York pace anymore and chose to go back to my beloved San Francisco - without a job, a prospect or even an idea of what I was going to do. I take that back, I had one - something about creating furniture to sell, which of course, I knew nothing about.

A decade later, I can honestly say I've enjoyed the highs and survived the lows of having a paycheck completely in my own hands. As a mother, I have the extraordinary gift of dictating my own time to spend with my kids, which is truly priceless - especially considering my own family history.

And then there are times I really wonder - is it worth all the craziness of cash flow fluctuations, people who don't call you back, taxes, and the constant hunt for income?

This summer has been even more brutally hot in the desert than normal and along with it has been an unusual stream of people who have dropped off the face of the earth on the communication side. Call it Mercury retrograde - or whatever - but my list of people who owe money, owe me a phone call or email or owe me a "Yes, thank you we'd like to engage your services" or "No, thank you we're not able to at this time" is quite a long one.

Everyone's busy in life and business, and it's certainly not a conincidence that both busy and business are essentially the same words. But you know, I'm at the point where the "I'm too busy" excuse is a real cop out. What happen to common decency and respect for others and their time?

Ironically (I say as a Westerner) the people I seem to experience the most respectful communication with are the ones from what we perceive as smaller or "developing countries." "Please," "thank you's" and "wonderful I greatly appreciate that" go along way in an email with someone you may or may not know personally and can bring light into a crazed, busy-filled day. Being addressed as "Ms. Alycia" even brings a giggle and a smile to my day.

So what do you think? Is the life of self employment worth it? What's brought a smile or a huge frown to your face lately?

Very Politically Incorrect Statements

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 22:57:22 PDT

It's post Labor Day, and I'm back from the desert. You may say to yourself, "but Alycia, you already live in a desert!" No, I live in the land of strip malls and pavement built upon desert. The real desert is becoming a rarer and rarer commodity these days - not that anyone in urban planning or the state's land trusts really seem to mind.

The truth of it is, I hate the desert. Yes, I was born and raised here. Yes, I spent significant time away in San Francisco, New York and Munich. But I still am not fond of dirt, heat and a bunch of cacti. So why do I willingly putting myself out there in these elements for multiple days on end? For the privilege of connecting with this planet, its elements and Spirit.

Some people go to church every Sunday, I go to the desert and get very intimate with the mud to keep cool in it.

As I drove back in the car with a couple of out-of-state friends (who are equally insane) from spiritually bonding with the high chaparral wilderness , we chatted about the research I'm doing for my upcoming book Brand Avatar - about branding on Second Life, social networking sites, blogs, Twitter, and the realm of the much overused term of "Web 2.0."

She asked, "Don't you think there's a lot of dark stuff on these sites?"

No, she didn't mean dark colors being used in the design templates, she meant "the dark side" - malevolent energy working through the ethers. Juju erring on the side of mal intent.

"Yes," I replied, "but if that's all you're looking for, then that's what you'll find."

[And now comes the politically incorrect statements....]

Everyday I'm working with this thing called with Internet, I see them both: the dark side and the light side. It's absolutely no different than walking in real life - there are good apples and nasty ones. There is kindness, benevolence and and earnest effort to create change for the better and that which is jaded, sarcastic, sucking, depleting, nasty energy. There is that which wants to con, rob, steal, oppress, perpetuate lies and keep people ignorant and enslaved to making change and real choices.

I love technology, I love the Net, and I love the fun and connection that can be made with people instantaneously around the world. It is a real expression of power. The question is how are you using that power?

The Holy Grail of Naming

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:33:16 PDT

It struck me today as I was reading a Fast Company blog about Washington Mutual bank's attempt to strong arm the country into calling it WaMu, that companies can be entirely too predictable and rigid about what they want in a name.

WaMu in and of itself is a terrible combination of vowel sounds that doesn't roll off the tongue and feels even more ridiculous to say. I love Ruth Sherman's account of her teen boys yelling out "WAAAAMUUUU!" as they passed a branch in the Golden State.

But... as ridiculous as the name sounds .... the name was guided by the Five Holy Grail Points of Naming:

1. It's ultra short ... the shorter the better. Why? I still don't know. Some people are just convinced a name has to be a few letters and no more.

2. It doesn't confine the company to a geographical region (a.k.a. the regional brand)...especially as the banks migrate to other parts of the country - like say - Arizona.

3. It retains the brand equity and recognition to a greater degree than starting from scratch with a brand new name.

4. It's poised to intrude into modern lexicon and therefore pop notoreity - like the brand idol of idols: Fedex.

5. It's a trademark that can be owned and defended in a court of law. Let's face it, what good is a trademarked name when it's weak as hell to defend against other wanna-be names?

Now here's the reality of the Five Holy Grail Points of Naming...

If a company is forcing a fit, the strategy can sincerely backfire on a brand. If the forced brand was a person you met at a dinner party, you'd probably walk away muttering "What a fake dork (**or insert expletive**)" and not give the person a second thought let alone the time of day. Now translate that over to how someone regards a brand...potential customer turned off. Even in the world of naming, authentic wins every time.

The Evolution of a Metapreneur

noreply@blogger.com (Alycia de Mesa) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:52:58 PDT

I've always felt like a bit of a nut case when people ask what I do - never quite knowing what I should reveal or even not reveal about the vast areas of interest that take up the majority of my waking hours.

Really nothing that I do can be easily understood in one phrase.

I'm not a doctor, a lawyer nor a school teacher. I'm a brand consultant...and I've named some famous companies...and I'm a published writer and author in branding...and I speak in front of people like Stanford University MBA students and luxury brand execs... and I play a very big harp as more than just a hobby... and I'm influenced by classical, jazz, world, rock, r&b and pop music....and I compose and create a new moving form of music each time...and I've played with symphonies and even at the Whisky A Go-Go...and I teach little kids at my son's montessori school strings and music theory...and I'm a mom to an 8 year old and an 8 month old...and I study indigenous shamanic teachings as well as European Christian mysticism....and I'm fascinated with the world and how I can contribute to help people improve their lives...and I'm a student of all the above...and I'm an educator of all the above...And, and, and...

And you know...I'm not the only one. I know there are others of you out there who are very gifted in very disparate ways.

And so one day it came to me when contemplating the "metaverse" -- thank you Neal Stephenson -- of course, that's what I am...a metapreneur. And a modern one at that. One part left brain balanced by the right and a healthy dose of eccentric taste.

At the very least, I finally have a label that isn't associated with the mental health industry.