When a brand does not have a solid, communicated brand strategy / platform, the creative process suffers. Designers are essentially throwing darts at a board to see what sticks in terms of design. They have absolutely nothing concrete to base their design inspiration off of. Therefore, the end result is based on something that looks good and is the product of subjective “likes” and “dislikes.”

On the other hand when the brand strategy / platform is established there are clear parameters to follow. Which means, different branding strategies are not competing with one another and when evaluating the recommended creative it is never a “like” or “dislike” evaluation. The designs are instead evaluated objectively against the perceptions that have already been deemed credible, meaningful and most importantly different from other similar products in the marketplace.

From the design perspective, a great creative blueprint /strategy clarifies, defines and focuses the project resulting in more impactful and relevant communications. Design is important but Smart, On-Strategy Design is better and more effective. With the proliferation of mediums / platforms the amount of noise continually bombarding consumers is at an all time high. It is more important than ever to know your target, say more with less, and to be clear in what you are asking.

Great Brands require Great Thinking!

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Sources: MarketingSherpa, Oct 2010; SearchEngineLand, 2010; SRI, 2010; Hubspot 2011; LeadForce1, 2010;

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North America still has the highest penetration of internet use (78.3% of the North American population is online compared the world average of 30%), the fastest growth in internet users is in…Africa at a whopping 2,500% growth rate and the Middle East at 2,000%. Latin America and Caribbean come in third at a still amazing 1,000%.

An interesting question to contemplate in light of the breathtaking growth in some of these newer internet markets is whether the same branding and marketing techniques we’re accustomed to using will be as effective and appropriate for these markets—or whether more unconventional branding and marketing techniques will be more successful. Fortunately, a good marketing research process, insight mining and sensory branding techniques will help answer the question. That said, there will no doubt be plenty of trial and error, too.

Check more interesting stats at: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

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While it may seem as though B2B marketers are still concentrating on traditional marketing channels, if you add up the expenditures on digital channels, about 1/3 of spending is on these digital channels. The study further states that mobile and online video are growing significantly, which is consistent with our experience at Six Degrees as well. For a copy of the full report commissioned by Google, click here: marketo.com PDF

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The Nice! brand is clean and contemporary, and a significant improvement toward a more premium impression. However, if the goal is to appear more premium to achieve a higher price point rather than just increase volume, it appears—at least to this consumer—that of the options below, Target’s Archer Farms comes closest to looking more premium and less like a house brand.

Whether it’s the absence of large blocks of white, the more sophisticated color combination, the brand badge or something else, remains an interesting, open question.

Perhaps more important, as retailers improve their private labels during this protracted economic malaise, “premium” brand marketers should sit up and take note.

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Let’s look at how online bulletin boards stack up against our other go-to qualitative market research methods…

Because they use the internet, online bulletin boards allow us to hear from a large and diverse pool of respondents,  giving us access to segments that are unreachable or so dispersed that traditional market research proves impractical.  Online bulletin boards definitely allow for much greater reach when searching for respondents…But so do TDIs and online focus groups.

Online bulletin boards give respondents the opportunity to participate in research from the privacy and convenience of their own homes.  This is not only convenient, but there is also a sense of privacy and anonymity afforded to a respondent behind the computer screen (instead of in front of the glass) that can actually allow for a more candid and holistic view of respondents…But so do web-assisted TDIs and online focus groups.

Online bulletin boards allow clients/observers to easily see the research while seated at their desks at work, or even from the comfort of their own homes. This certainly cuts down on travel costs and all associated food costs.  Not to mention the time efficiency, as we are afforded the ability to do more work, or even spend time with our families, instead of stuffed into an airplane or in the back seat of taxi. By eliminating travel costs and time, this could potentially allow for even more team members to observe the research…But again so do TDIs and online focus groups.

So here are some of the conclusions we’ve reached:

• When travel costs are really prohibitive (i.e., international, large number of client/agency attendees, or more than your average markets), bulletin boards may be a good solution.
• When open discussion and rich exchange of ideas over time is a key objective (e.g. new conceptual product ideas, brand perceptions, etc.), the asynchronous nature of bulletin boards may be value add.
• When you are looking for answers around limited/single specific topics or questions—and deeper insights or granular detail isn’t needed—bulletin boards may provide some thoughtful answers.
• When the research you’re conducting is website related (e.g. website usage), the online vehicle and asynchronicity may benefit your project objectives.

Beyond the above mentioned scenarios, online bulletin boards generally are neither noticeably cheaper nor faster than other methods.

These are our learnings and conclusions, but we’d love to hear your point of view.  How do/could online bulletin boards best fit your research needs?

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Source: Julio Aguiar

We’ve all experienced the scenario—a friend invites you to “Like” a brand on Facebook. Do you do it? Typically I do. I figure, “what’s the harm?” I go along with Liking a brand because it’s the path of least resistance. But what does the brand get out of the deal? In most cases the benefit to the brand is an additional tick mark on their tally of “likes.” In this scenario I don’t necessarily have more loyalty to that brand nor has my purchase intent necessarily increased. While social networking may be an integral part of the company’s corporate branding strategies, the brand won’t see an appreciable impact of social marketing from the connection with me.

The scenario changes completely when I seek out a brand based upon my interests. For example, I enjoy running and decided to set up an account with Nike+ . With that account I become part of a worldwide running community where I can log my workouts, analyze performance, set goals and interact with other users. In this case, I am part of a larger community that shares one of my interests, running. I am engaged with the brand, have a strong sense of brand loyalty and am far more likely to purchase products on an ongoing basis.

Facebook likes and Twitter followers are good to have, but they don’t necessarily translate to brand engagement and purchase intent. Marketers need to remember to become a part of what their consumers do, not just what they like in order to realize the positive impact of social marketing.

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Of course there was uproarious protest from the design community, and overall confusion. Helvetica supporters and haters alike had something to say. People who hate Helvetica hate the logo because it’s set in Helvetica. People who like Helvetica hate the logo because of the uninspired exploitation of the typeface, with little else to add meaning to the logo. And what of that blue box? Jesse says “I’m assuming the little blue box is to provide a visual cue to the old logo… but I’m really struggling to make the connection.” He wasn’t the only one puzzled by the execution. In other words: Where’s the creativity?

Then there was the conjecture about Gap’s motives. They claim the new logo was part of a larger brand strategy that had been happening steadily for some time. Cynics asked ‘Did they just use the new logo as a joke or PR stunt? Could they possibly like something that bad?’

So after all that, Gap pulled the new logo off the website, and the original one is back in its place. So now what? My opinion: When a long-standing institution wants to update their brand… they should do just that: update it. Don’t throw it away and opt for a new one; but rather, ‘redraw’ it. By using more refined letter spacing, smoother, more modern serifs, or refining lines and curves, you can maintain overall brand recognition, and still stay current. As Gap has clearly shown us, it’s never too late to go back, so my hope is that Gap does a more tasteful redraw of their iconic logo to keep the spirit of the brand intact. Photos here are examples of successful new logo designs from long-standing brands.

For more branding and design before and afters, check out Brand New (one of my favorite blogs of all time, and where we got the images in this post).

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1. First, it’s worth considering the question of social media and the future. If social media is a fad, it is not worthy of long-term investment. But the growth of the internet and access to the internet worldwide isn’t slowing. Just consider this amazing fact: If Facebook were a country, it would be one of the five most populous countries in the world! People also seem to be getting less inhibited about carrying on dialog on the internet, both within and across generations. By all accounts, then, it seems that people will increasingly carry on dialog on topics that are of interest to them for some time to come. We are social creatures. And the internet enables us to express ourselves and converse with people on topics of mutual interest regardless of space and time.
2. What you are selling / marketing? Is the product/service of sufficient interest that people are already talking about it online and seeking out information about it? If not now, does it have the potential to be of enough interest to stimulate online discussion in future? Please note, this is not a question of large numbers of people versus few people, or of consumers versus business people. This is a question about your product / service category.  For example, I can imagine that if you sell road salt to municipalities, there might not be a big opportunity for social media marketing efforts for your business…however, I admit, I might be completely wrong about that. It is, however, an important question to ask before investing in social media marketing.
3. Finally, you need to ask yourself whether you are comfortable making the leap. Decide if dedicating resources in your firm to monitoring and participating in the conversation about your products is important enough to your relationship with your customers and prospects to warrant the costs. At minimum, getting involved with social media will take one person at least 10-20 hours a week to be effective. And the ROI of this investment is difficult, if not impossible to measure at this point in time, if ever, despite what some will tell you. Marketing has the hallmarks of both art and science. For me, a simple way to contextualize this question is to take it out of the realm of the internet completely. If you see value for your business in building a relationship with customers and prospects in the “real” world, you should be engaging in social media. It’s easy to get started without jumping in full-tilt. Start by monitoring the online dialog about your products / services. Gradually move to participating in the debate. Just make sure you identify yourself as a representative of the company and don’t over-sell your product…same advice you should follow when conversing with someone in the “real” world.

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