by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | Before, in the good ol’ days (about 6-7 years ago), SEO was purely a digital strategy. It was all about link-backs, key words, mark up, snippets, etc. The holy grail was to get onto, and stay, on the first page of search engines such as Google and Yahoo. […]
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Do Purpose-driven ads really work?
April 10, 2013 
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by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | Over the last 3-5 years, many marketers, large and small, have focused their advertising and brand in communicating more of a higher purpose than just selling stuff. Messaging has become more messianic. On the surface, this makes sense, especially with the millennials. Many do care that a company […]
Read more LiveStrong – The risk of not creating a “real” brand
April 1, 2013 0 Comments
by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | Recently, LiveStrong has announced a legal change of name and logo. It is now LiveStrong Foundation (see graphic). Executive VP, Andy Miller, noted in a speech, “The change is subtle but it is substantive. The positioning of the bars suggests forward and dynamic movement.” This is a great […]
Read more Brands must get beyond the subordinate housewife and fashion-less man
March 25, 2013 0 Comments
by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | Most smart marketers realize that women make (or influence) 80% of all purchase decisions across a wide range of categories from sophisticated financial products to electronics to cars. Unfortunately, most brands are still stuck in the past. It’s not they ignore women. In fact, many are pouring millions […]
Read more Tech still don’t get women
February 19, 2013 6 Comments
by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | It’s ironic that an industry such as tech can be so far ahead of the norm, yet so far behind in understanding their customers. The tech industry is creating new products, platforms and apps at breakneck speed. Many tout their hard-core specs, speed, cool functionality and everything they […]
Read more Is Samsung more “cool” than Apple?
January 28, 2013 0 Comments
by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | There is much talk these days about the battle between Apple and Samsung in the high-end smart phone market. Court battles as well as marketplace battles rage on. What used to be unthinkable about 3 or 4 years ago is now being discussed openly in the business and […]
Read more Closed vs Open – Social media is changing their tune
January 14, 2013 0 Comments
by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | The common accepted mantra of the social media and digital platforms is “open”. Your ecosystem should be open and free to all. This is an effective strategy when your goal is to get mass numbers of users. It’s not a great way to drive real revenue. More and […]
Read more Gangnam Style is no accident
January 7, 2013 0 Comments
by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | PSY is a phenom. His song Gangnam Style is one example of the power social media has in promoting a brand and driving revenue. To many, the mass popularity of the song is contributed to a lucky break or some other one-off reasoning. Many also see him as […]
Read more Facebook and brands: The rules and regulations for brands on Facebook
December 11, 2012 0 Comments
by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | Since many marketers use or associate with Facebook, I thought providing a brief summary of Facebook policies for brands would be useful. This comes courtesy of Winston & Strawn, LLP, a law firm in Chicago. A partner of the firm, Brian Heidelberger, took the time to read the full […]
Read more Increased online shopping requires a much stronger brand to win
November 26, 2012 0 Comments
by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded | It is predicted online shopping will break the $1billion mark by the end of the year and it looks like it will be growing even more in the near future. There are so many advantages as a consumer; convenience, time saver and instant shopping comparison are just a […]
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