Author Archive for Steve Woodruff

“It’s our Biggest Sale of the Season!!”

Written by Steve Woodruff
on August 7th, 2007 / 6 Comments / Print this

It’s wearying, listening to the tired and noisy pitches from auto dealers - is it not?
Then, there is the experience of listening to the pitch from a sales person when you finally succumb to the inevitable, and force yourself to go to a car dealer because…well, you’ve got to buy a car.
Does it have to [...]

Does Your Brand Suffer from IDD (Identity Deficit Disorder)?

Written by Steve Woodruff
on July 23rd, 2007 / 1 Comment / Print this

It’s a pervasive problem. Identity Deficit Disorder afflicts many brands. Do you suffer from IDD? Here are some of the most common symptoms:

1. Lack of focus - it’s not clear what the brand stands for.
2. Has trouble organizing - can’t seem to look at the big picture and ensure that a coherent identity and message [...]

Brand Identity: What’s Your Threat Level?

Written by Steve Woodruff
on July 3rd, 2007 / 4 Comments / Print this

The most secure and successful brands are so clearly differentiated in the minds of clients, and give such value to them, that their identity is easily “passed around” in the marketplace.
What’s the “threat level” of your brand? How can you move to a position of market security?
Think about brands that, in your own experience, occupy [...]

Branding at a Trade Show

Written by Steve Woodruff
on June 24th, 2007 / 19 Comments / Print this

I just returned from a conference, which had over 100 exhibitors in the exhibit hall. In over 20 years of both attending and displaying at trade shows, I marvel at how badly many companies manage the opportunity to promote their brand. Here are a few tips for more effective branding on the exhibit floor:
1. Make [...]

Collaborative Branding: Announcing BrandingWire

Written by Steve Woodruff
on June 14th, 2007 / 1 Comment / Print this

How do you harness a dozen creative marketing minds - most of whom have never met each other - into a collective branding project?
Answer: BrandingWire. A blog-based, live experiment in collaborative branding.

Marketing bloggers have begun to develop quite a spirit of mutual respect, encouragement, and cooperation. Growing out of some recent collaborative projects (such as [...]

Does this Tagline “Get it Done?”

Written by Steve Woodruff
on May 31st, 2007 / 9 Comments / Print this

I noticed this week that the big financial group Citi has launched a new campaign. It’s actually quite well done on many fronts (I saw it first in a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal; however, you can see an on-line version at www.citi.com/letsgetitdone).
The tagline is “let’s get it done.” The premise: Dreams are [...]