The world is mired in a recession, but opportunity is everywhere. All around me, I’m meeting people who are starting a business. They refuse to let the economy deter them – as a matter of fact, frequently it is the result of the poor economy that has presented opportunity to them. Where doom and gloomers see defeat, entrepreneurs rise to the challenge. It is these very bold attitudes that are the basis for powerful brand values. It is these values that will be the foundation of your new brand and upon them; a new successful business will flourish. Basing everything…

Having studied advertising in the past and worked closely with an ad agency to create everything from TV ads to billboards and print, I have always noticed ads. This is even more true outdoors. When traveling, I’d watch out for those billboards. It truly is marvelous how creative some agencies are. What’s more interesting to me, it seems the simplest ads does it best whether it is to get the message across or to strengthen a brand. Check out some of them. Penline Hardly needs much text, in fact none on the board itself. Instantly understood – this is some…

This afternoon I passed no fewer than 4 trucking company vehicles all sporting corporate logos that had a swish icon. They were either horizonal or vertical, red or blue. I’m sure if we check back with each of these companies, none of the images existed before Nike and their swoosh became synonymous. I imagine none of these companies realize that being a follower does nothing to strengthen their brands but rather strengthens the leader because of the similarities of image. A lot of business people think wrongly that if they use a swoosh in their logos they will be on…

Every day – day in and day out you are your brand. It’s a forever effort. If you know anything about branding you’ll appreciate the fact that a nurtured brand works for you. Understanding what you stand for and delivering on those values, makes for a pretty compelling message to your customers. That goes for every type of brand. It can be you – your personal brand, your company’s corporate brand, your community’s place brand, your staff’s internal brand – any type of brand. The goal of any brand is to differentiate so that establishing that ever coveted relationship with…

Is your logo ready for the printers? Transferring your business logo from the screen to a printed version is a great way to enhance your brand recognition, but it’s more complicated than you think.  Since your logo is a direct reflection of the company,  it’s very important that your logo be designed and perfected for the print medium. Here are a few important considerations when preparing your logo for print. The Logo Make sure this is the final version of the logo you want to print. Consider the purpose of your logo, where it will be printed, the size, the…

Earlier, it was Panda and now it is Penguin that has kept many Internet marketers on their toes. With the recent update, the search engine giant Google has showcased its weeding spree. This update has restrained several websites to appear on the search engine result pages and have become the reason for the turmoil in the realm of SEO. The Penguin update by Google is targeted on the keyword spammer, on the link farms and also on the sites that were present just to enhance the back linking numbers. Not all the sites are influenced by the update but the…

Late last week BIA/Kelsey, who provides provides market research, announced the findings of an extensive study about mobile marketing and local businesses. (They included LogMyCalls in their research, by the way, which is awesome). The report proclaims that phone calls to local businesses are going to ‘explode’ over the next several years. Phone calls to small businesses will double by the end of 2013. Most of the increase will be from mobile devices after a mobile search. The Twitterverse reacted to the BIA/Kelsey report with some skepticism, claiming that increased mobile phone usage will not result in more phone calls to…

Are you still selling with slogans attached to logos? While inspiring, a slogan doesn’t usually take much of a position. That job is left to positioning strategies. What is a positioning strategy? They are a strategy where by the brand takes a position that resonates with it’s target audience. That position sometimes puts your brand out on a limb or boldly states a fact such as: the leader in something. Or the only something. When I develop positioning strategies, I love the leadership variety. Most people enjoy working with the leaders. What are you the leader in? Are you the…

I recently sat through a lecture from Vancho Cirovski from Peak Consulting – a culture specialist for sports organizations. The topic was ‘Leadership Culture.’ It was a fascinating discussion and it got me thinking about how it relates to branding. Since my take on branding positions a business as a leader, Vancho’s perspective on leadership culture particularly hit home with me. His comments on authenticity and genuine leadership are the foundation of every successful brand. Imagine identifying an organization’s true influencers. These individuals are not always the obvious ones. They are none the less talents that must be nurtured and…

Break through the mind-numbing fluorescent lights and white walls of a standard office and create a space that encourages innovation and collaboration.  The following tips provide some ideas for making sure that you maximize the potential for innovative thinking among employees at your office.  Experiment with the ones that make sense for your company and see what happens! 1 – Promote Semi-Anonymous Idea Sharing Create a safe space where ideas can be freely thrown around without judgment or criticism. Semi-anonymous brainstorming, either in workshops and sessions or through independent posts at a designated workstation, offers the security in sharing ideas…