If anyone needs proof of how subjective branding is, just browse through this survey on Boston.com: http://www.boston.com/business/gallery/brandlogochanges?s_campaign=8315  Most of the voting for “do you like the new version or the old version?” runs about 50-50. I would like to see the same exact survey run a year from now. I’ll bet a buck that the new logos will win almost every time. When branding is done correctly, people feel an emotional connection to it. I remember when the New England Patriots changed their logo and people in Boston went crazy. It was as if they put a goatee on the Mona Lisa. One year later, guess which team sold the most branded merchandise in the NFL? Branding is not easy. When you’re ready to develop or update your brand, trust a professional!

We even do it for ourselves! We’ve updated our look to be even more open. We’ve dropped the word design because we feel it makes potential customers see as as a “print” only firm. What do you think?

Times must be tough, all the playfulness in advertising is going away, and being replaced with the Walmart messaging. Even the retailer that does branding better than anyone, Target, has shelved the dancing paper towels for a “we’re cheaper” message. Here in Boston, there are a lot of furniture retailers busy giving things away. I’m not even clear if any of them sell furniture anymore. If I lose my job, I can drive a free Hyundai. About a year ago, I started using the “R” word in our promotional materials and people bit my head off. Now the economy is the front and center of everything. Has anyone else noticed this “trend”? Have any favorites, or least favorites? I personally like the Southwest Airlines campaign that challenges the business customer to step up and make things happen. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be glad when all of this is past us and I can waste money again. I miss Target dog!

That title is not meant as sarcasm. I have been picking the collective brains of the sales force at a new client. They are the closest touch point to the customer. Sadly, in many companies, sales and marketing never talk. They don’t know how much they need each other. Sort of like Meatloaf and Jim Steinman. I have chopped months off of my learning curve with this client by not only speaking with management, but by engaging the salespeople. If you’re not doing the same at your company, how will you ever know what your customers are thinking?

Back in the Stone Age when I went to art school, we “creatives” were seen as the secret weapons of marketing. We’ve all seen TV shows and movies that glamorize the Peter Pan types with their loud sneakers, scruffy beards and odd habits. Thinking up cute slogans to sell soda. Once I started this business, I learned pretty quickly that it takes a lot more than a twist on a phrase or a 30 second spot with dog driving a car to help build a business. It takes smarts, it takes plans, and it takes co-ordination and focus.

Today, with so many people changing their habits and turning to the computer for nearly everything, marketers have been forced to rethink everything. The creative staff is still only half the solution. (They still have an opportunity to make a living with the right side of their brain. There will always be clutter in the marketplace, and therefore the need for people with things to sell to break through it). That being said, there is a new frontier out there, and in order to conquer it, people like you and me need to partner with math whizzes. They always told us in school that it would come down to math; I just figured that’s what calculators were for.

No matter what size budget you are working with–find a good web marketing resource. (They don’t really all look like the photo, but I’m not above stereotyping to make a point!) Dedicate a good portion of your budget to the right mix of internet marketing tactics for your business.

Web page optimization, online advertising, email marketing, blogging etc. will not only grow your business, but may be one of the most cost-effective marketing tools ever evolved. There is no excuse not to do it. It takes smarts, it takes plans, and it takes co-ordination and focus. And there’s nothing all that new about that.

* Can I use that term? They just had the coin toss-when did the singer from Everclear start playing for the Steelers?–6:30PM Hyundai will let me edit their ad for them. What does it pay?   6:45 The Audi ad was fun. I like the Pepsi ad that’s out with “My Generation” a whole lot better than this one with Dylan and William i’am. In fact, the “My Generation” ad is so good that it looks like a Coke ad.   7:02 Nice of Bridgestone to run an ad for Hasbro’s Mr Potato Head. 7:07 The start of the second quarter brings out the sexist sots–and the monkeys! 7:11 Pepsi is introducing the first diet cola for men. Huh? Why does the Superbowl give agencies and brands permission not to sell anything? It’s just a contest to try and get laughs. Like “Last Comic Standing” with bigger budgets. I also don’t understand the mean tone to a lot of these spots. Tell Madison Ave that the Bush era is over. 7:22 Well, after weeks of teasing, I know know what “G” is. Another new Gatorade. More money for Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning. The Cars dot com is another example of an ad with no value proposition at all. Creative for the sake of being creative. It will do more for the agency than the client. 7:35 I like the Hyundai Genesis ad showing the other car companies screaming their name. A good way of showing off, and making the point about who they beat, as well as building the brand. No more talking babies or monkeys please.  7:43 More and more meanness. Halftime-that lizard water thing was the biggest waste of money yet. I’m guessing that very few people will recall what that ad was for.  Springsteen brought that Obama-era feel to the halftime show. Bravo! I like the Priceline spot. Funny and there’s a clear value proposition for the customer. Times are tough but you can still afford that vacation thanks to Priceline. Shatner is great!  8:35 I guess the recession has even affected the mob–they are eating at Denny’s. 9:16 The Coke Zero ad was cute. Another take off on the Mean Joe Green ad. It had a nice twist. Cash4Gold was a bit odd. Hard to take them seriously. 9:23 Did I just see an ad with a call to action? Yes, for Visio TV.I have to say, that in my humble opinion, that the best ad far and away was the one that didn’t run in the game. It was the PETA spot. The objective was to gain awareness, and with all the media attention, blogging, downloading and conversation, PETA got exactly what they wanted-without spending all that money. Very good game. Please, please post your opinions too!  

We are in the middle of helping one of our new clients redefine their brand.  As part of the interview process, we asked them, “if your business were a car, what kind of car would you be and why?” I turned the question back on us and came up with the Batmobile. We look a little funny until you see what we can do. We get you out of jams, have many capabilities that aren’t always obvious, and we never stop fighting. After the job is done, just stick us back in our cave until you need us again.  How about your brand?

I have to say that the Obama campaign understands marketing, and especially internet marketing, better than any other campaign in history. I received many timely, well written (and brief) notes from them the past few months. None as impressive as the one I found in my in box this morning:

Kevin –

I’m about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don’t want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign — every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it’s time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I’ll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing…

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack

Was it not long ago that we had a leader who didn’t know how to weigh produce in a supermarket? Now we can look forward to an administration that  is inclusive, and speaks to the entire “United” States of America.

They even know how important it is to thank the customer.

I am curious what people think about the new Walmart logo. To me, this is one example of the power of design. After living with this on TV for a few weeks, my sensibility about the brand has already changed. I like that is is friendly and somewhat contemporary. It is not “in my face” and pedestrian like the previous version. Will it make me go to Walmart? Maybe not, but over time, who knows? I am a Target shopper, and nobody does branding better than Target. They make paper towels exciting! I am curious what you think and I hope you will comment. Thanks!

Does T Boone Pickens write his own ads? In just 15 seconds this ad explains the problem, gets me motivated to want to take action, and gives me a simple call to action that I can follow.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1648674250/bctid1755448369

If you don’t want to follow the link, the ad talks about how the government of Iran is making a MAJOR effort to use natural gas in their vehicles so they can free up $120 a barrel oil to sell to us while we are doing nothing.

This reminds me of the ad that ran when I was a kid that encouraged people not to litter. People toss their trash out of a car at the feet of a native American. I think of that Indian everytime I watch some pig toss their cigarette butt out of their car onto our earth.

Holy cow how do I sign up to live in this innovative, happy, intelligent, color blind world that exists in the advertising that runs on Sunday mornings? Are all oil companies really committed to developing renewable energy sources? Are insurance companies sinking profits into keeping me healthy in the first place? And if big banks are investing in American innovation, then we really are well poised to create the economy based on Energy Technology.  The truth is, that advertising and marketing will play a key role in influencing behavior and public opinion regarding what our country does about energy. My feeling however is that $4 a gallon has done more. Oil companies are all trying to position themselves in the best possible light as people open their minds and begin to demand new alternatives.  My question is, why only air these messages during political or national news programming? I’d like to see these highly produced, carefully written ads air during American Idol, sports and sitcoms as well. Then I will believe that these companies are actually hoping to educate the public and get them to participate in the process. So far, it just feels like a cry to investors.