ALang Branding

Occupy Wall Street and It's Message (or Lack Thereof)

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:13:00 +0000

Sharpie

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 06:28:00 +0000

Company Mission
To inspire people to "uncap what's inside" and express themselves creatively!

Sharpie is a household brand. They are known for being permanent, and they are permanent to stay. People use Sharpies to wrjte notes, set reminders, make presentations, brainstorm, write on casts, get autographs, and my personal favorite: punish drunk friends. They offer an array of point sizes, grips, and sizes in many different vibrant colors. I think that is what makes Sharpie popular - its distinctive bright colors make blending impossible. It makes writing ideas more simple.

If you want your message to be seen, use a Sharpie.

Their advertising target consumers' memories by emphasizing moments when you have used them in the past. It makes your Sharpie feel like a buddy.

Sharpie Media

Infographic: The Social Landscape

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:43:00 +0000

Click image for full size.

Source:
www.viralblog.com/social-media/five-most-essential-social-media-infographics/

Beer 101: Samuel Adams

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:45:00 +0000

With just a 0.9% share of the American beer market, it may surprise you that it is the largest American-owned beer company.

Samuel Adams is a perfect demonstration of using transparency to attract customers. Even if you are no beer aficionado, Jim Koch, who is the founder, brewer, and face of the commercials, educates you on the subject. He and his workers show you how they make their beer:

Not only does Jim Koch educate you on how they brew beer, but he educates you on how good their beer is. Take this ad:

Sam Adams provide a variety of craft beer nationwide. They have plenty of core, seasonal, extreme, and Barrel Room Collection beers to try. The taste-testing never ends.

This is the type of advertising campaign that I like - one that works. If you don't believe me, check out these financials. If that doesn't convince you, compare SAM to BUD here. Once they started these ads, the company grew.

Each ad ends with a simple tagline: "Take pride in your beer." People are starting to take pride in Samuel Adams.

Lessons from Jim Koch

"You have a viable business only if your product is either better or cheaper than the alternatives.

If it's not one or the other, you might make some money at first, but it's not a sustainable business."

"Find a way to show how your product will help customers accomplish their objectives. If you can't, then you're wasting your time because even if you sell them your product, they're not going to buy it again. And if it's a bad experience for them, you're better never having made the sale. "

Links:
SamuelAdams.com
Jim Koch Interview
Jim Koch on Self-Reliance

Sources:
http://adage.com/article/news/sam-adams-show-small/143086/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams_(beer)

The Most Interesting Man in the World: Dos Equis

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:32:00 +0000

As imported beer sales in America were falling, Dos Equis introduced "The Most Interesting Man in the World." He was. As a narrator described him using witty one-liners, you saw a badass, sophisticated man. As men around the America told their friends about him and passed jokes around the office, Dos Equis sales increased 22% in a declining sector.

Big beer brands have for years been advertising humorous campaigns, but none caught fire like this one. When these commercials came on, people made everyone else in the room be quiet. They were hilarious.

During Shark Week, the ran commercials saying, "Sharks have a week dedicated to him."

If you were above drinking beer, it didn't matter because so was he. When he did drink beer though, he drank Dos Equis. He was a very agreeable guy.

Every guy wanted to be him, every girl wanted to date him, and everyone got thirsty as he said, "Stay thirsty, my friends." This interesting man who everyone loved was calling people his friends. People loved him, and he made them thirsty...so people bought Dos Equis. Possibly the greatest beer campaign ever.

Links:
The Most Interesting Man in the World

Source:
http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2011/11/07/dos-equis-tv-ads/
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/feb2010/pi2010029_809326.htm

Nike

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:32:00 +0000

Nike, Inc.

Company Mission:
To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.

Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory, is truly a god of victory. Its numerous campaign with athletic idols such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and FC Barcelona shows their good eye for the best athletes in the world.

When I visited Camp Nou, FC BArcelona's stadium I'm pretty sure that I saw the world's largest Swoosh [image here]. People can tour the stadium, walk through the museum of trophies, and of course the walk-through ends in a Official Nike Store. The stores have a strong international presence as the premier athletic brand.

Marketing Moves:

Just Do It.

These words took Nike from an 18% sneaker market share in 1988 to 43% in 1998. Those are some fortunate numbers coming from the sportswear powerhouse. They positioned this slogan when spandex was in and people starting feeling like they need to work out to stay healthy. "Just Do It." captured this essence, as advertising director for Nike U.S. Chris Zimmerman put it, "It captures the whole sense of people realizing their self-potential and just being able through athletics to strive for goals and achieve a lot of things that people might think were unachievable."

No wonder it is Advertising Age's number 2 top slogan of the century.

See:Case Study: "Just Do It Advertising Campaign"

Oregon

Nike was founded by University of Oregon track runner Phillip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman. Since then, Nike has been very generous to the university. Nike creates a new jersey for every home football game. Nike even used visual tricks to make Oregon look faster.

Nike Oregon Project is a project put in place by Vice President Tom Clarke where lost distance runners live and train in Nike's facility that promotes red blood cells and increases athletic performance. The Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar won the New York City Marathon from 1980-82. Nike has come under scrutiny for "cheating the system" because the project has been so successful.

Brand History:

Nike Media:

Links:
Swooh! Inside Nike

Sources:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2008/07/nike_celebrates_just_do_it_20t.html

Inception: Aviva Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:37:00 +0000

This commercial shows how advertisers are using technology to simplify an idea and implant it into your brain. Here is how they do it:

Show flat pieces of paper walking around like people to get the viewer wonder, "what is that?"
Start talking about treating people as people instead of a piece of paper. Remind them of how good it feels to be treated like a person.
Turn the paper into a person so they realize that they will be treated like a person if they use Aviva.

They used the "paper into person" analogy to portray the message, but could not have done so without such animation technology. Usually advertisers use animation to tell a story but this use of animation is only used to integrate visual cues, auditory cues, and reason into our understanding of the message. It doesn't matter if you didn't pay attention to the ad: if you saw and heard the ad, because you've been incepted.

Criticism:

At the end, instead of saying "Life + Annuities," I would've added a catchphrase at the end like "We treat you like a person." to fit the message and let those who couldn't hear or get the message see it.

StumbleUpon

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:31:00 +0000

StumbleUpon

Mission Statement
StumbelUpon helps you discover and share great websites.

StumbleUpon has redefined the word "stumble." You set up an account, pick your interests, stumble the web, and "Like" the ones you like. If you use it often, StumbleUpon gets very good at knowing what you desire from the web. You

StumbleUpon Media

Amazon.com Widgets

Bavarian Motor Works (BMW)

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:58:00 +0000

Bavarian Motor Works (BMW)

Company Portrait:
Identifying potential and encouraging growth. Knowing what we represent. Recognising where our strengths lie and making the best use of every opportunity. Following a clear strategy. Goals we have attained are in essence the point of departure for new challenges. This is the philosophy that inspires every individual at the BMW Group. It influences the company's structure and it plays a vital role in the decision-making process. Our corporate ethos finds its expression in the uncompromising pursuit of the superlative. The result? Outstanding brands with an unmistakable profile. Automobiles and motorcycles which fascinate people all over the world and which win legions of new admirers every day. And a degree of success which sees the BMW Group go from strength to strength.

With the three brands, BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the BMW Group has its sights set firmly on the premium sector of the international automobile market. To achieve its aims, the company knows how to deploy its strengths with an efficiency that is unmatched in the automotive industry. The strategic objective is clearly defined: The BMW Group is the leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility.

While traveling through Europe in the summer of 2011 I visited the BMW World, which is now the second-most visited visitor attraction in Munich and includes the company headquarters, museum, and factory. We got a tour of the factory, received a company overview at the information systems building, and got to experience the BMW World and Museum. It made BMW my favorite car brand. The company offered so much transparency and information about how BMW works that now I believe it is the most innovative, attractive, well-managed car manufacturer in the industry. I might say the same for other car brands but no other one offers and experience like BMW does. What a great way to win customers.

Brand History

BMW Media:

Links:BMW Blog

Google

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:50:00 +0000

Google, Inc.
Company Mission:
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Once I got to college it seemed all of my friends "went" Apple. I "went" Google. It is awesome.

I'm making this site on Blogger, through my Gmail Account, uploading pictures using Picasa, advertising with Google AdWords, in Chrome, on my Chromebook. It's all together, and very easy. Google has simplified my life and become a source for anything I need (or need to know).

Brand History

Google Media

List of Products and Services:

Source: http://www.google.com/intl/en/about/products/

Links:
Google's Philosophy: Ten Things
Google Cheat Sheet

Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:15:00 +0000

Facebook, Inc.
Company Mission:
Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.

When I was searching for the name of this site, I typed in BrandsILike.com and it redirected me to Facebook. It's this type of marketing and branding that makes people feel closer to a brand.

Facebook arguably invented to social world. It changed the real world by inventing an online one for everyone. Before Facebook, the average person just used the Internet. Now people are a part of the Internet through the Facebook brand.

This has made Facebook the best market research tool ever. Facebook's mission is: "To give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected." Along with sex, age, location, education, popularity, when people share on Facebook by sharing things they are interested in, "Like" brands, describe theirs Interests, they are revealing their desires. Market researchers can use this information to match sellers with potential buyers that admire what they have to offer. International Facebook advertising agency TBG Digital is utilizing this information and turning it into market research for advertisers. Facebook has created an entire new consumer ecosystem online.

Links:
New York Times: Facebook, Inc.
Bloomberg Businessweek: Facebook, Inc.
InsideFacebook.com
AllFacebook.com
TBG Digital

Coca-Cola

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:13:00 +0000

The Coca-Cola Company

Company Mission:
To refresh the world...
To inspire moments of optimism and happiness...
To create value and make a difference.

Company Vision:

People: Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be.

Portfolio: Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy people's desires and needs.

Partners: Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, together we create mutual, enduring value.

Planet: Be a responsible citizen that makes a difference by helping build and support sustainable communities.

Profit: Maximize long-term return to share owners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities.

Productivity: Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization.

Coca-Cola is the reason that I made this site.

I grew up in Houston, Texas and go to the University of Georgia about one hour northeast of Atlanta, where the Coca-Cola headquarters is located. Upon my arrival I was bombarded by Coca-Cola advertisements. I had grown up drinking Coke and seeing its advertisements, but never really thought of it as more than just a product. People in Georgia do. To Georgians Coke is a friend, a symbol of their heritage, and I came to realize that branding goes beyond advertising. Branding connects people to companies.

Coke has built its empire on this concept. Drinking a Pepsi in Georgia would be frowned upon, viewed as "wrong." On that note, anyone know where Pepsi was started? Me neither.

Marketing Moves

The Bottle
When Coca-Cola went international in the early 1990's, many people copied their brand and made people skeptical about the validity of the Coke they were drinking. To address this, Coca-Cola did something that went from being a differentiation process to a marketing process. They made there own distinct bottles that fit right in your hand. Before this, Coca-Cola had used traditional, generic bottles that anyone had access to. Now it had a bottle that actually felt good when you held it. If the bottle didn't feel right, it wan't a Coke.

Coke in Africa
As the company's most recent intercontinental market (not including Antarctica), Africa consumes 36 billion bottles annually. Not only has this expansion created massive growth for Coke, but one could say that it has had philanthropic effects. In Africa, researchers have been able to measure and correlate stability, prosperity, and happiness with the accessibility of consuming Coke. It has provided thousands of jobs and happiness to hard-workers. How does a novelty like Coke do so well in poverty-stricken areas? The answer lies in: football.

Coca-Cola has advertised and sponsored the FIFA World Cup since the 1950's. It's billboards stick out and praise football, FIFA, and happiness - some things that come hand-in-hand in Africa. Without these images of happiness and football, Africans would only recognize Coke as a brand among the competitors.

Brand History

Coca-Cola Media

Links:
Missions, Visions, and Values
Coca-Cola Heritage
Old Coca-Cola Ads
History of Coca-Cola in Ads

Sources:
http://www.economist.com/node/11670946

Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (Austin) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:04:00 +0000

to ALang Branding.