Could color be the ultimate brand expression? It makes sense. It’s evokes emotion. It connects with the heart first. It is easily understood in any language. It is quickly identified with just a glance. For example, Tiffany owns a specific shade of robin’s egg blue. All you have to do is spot a box with that color and you automatically get an emotion of special, luxury, and exclusive. You also know it’s Tiffany even though there is no logo on the box. That’s brand power. UPS has made a strong case to own brown. Their marketing campaign over the last 4-5 years “What can brown do for you?” is an attempt to own the color and to infuse it with an emotion of service and trust that brown gets things done and delivers on its promises.

Recently Christian Louboutin has went to court to own “Chinese Red”. Their famous shoes are spotted on well-heeled A-listers on the red carpet as well as women who want something iconic. Louboutin’s can be identified many yards away with their iconic red soles. They are currently battling Yves Saint Laurent for doing the same with their shoes. The main argument is brand confusion. In fact, Christian Louboutin trademarked the red in 2008. I believe they have a very valid point. Corporations have been able to trademark and protect brand colors and shapes, so why not fashion? In essence, fashion is one of the ultimate industries where intellectual property is worth billions of dollars. Just look at the knock-off industry to validate this claim.

When it comes to creating a brand, color is a powerful tools because of it’s emotional appeal. It says a lot without any words. Now, that’s power. You show a hunter green circle, on a white cup, what comes to mind? Starbucks of course. Show a set of letters in primary colors you automatically read “Google” even if the letters spell something different. Just the arrangement of red and white stripes with a blue field induces strong emotions about America. This is why brand is not logical, but emotional and emotions are much stronger than logic. We humans operate mostly on emotions and use logic to justify why we “feel” or act a certain way. Even in various religions from around the world, color has significant meanings because of the emotion it evokes. Color is not about taste or what you may personally like. Color, used properly, can become an indespensible tool to reinforce your brand essence and what it stands for.

Is color the ultimate brand expression? It well could be.

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Women shoppers are digitized to the max. They are, not only, the world’s largest market, but they are also the leaders in utilizing technology to accomplish their tasks. When it comes to motherhood, digital tools become even more important. In an article by Matt Carmichael entitled, “Kids take all the fun out of shopping”, he compares the shopping differences between a woman without kids and a mother. A woman with out kids sees shopping as Relaxed, Impulsive, Social, Fun. A mother sees shopping as Rushed, Overwhelming, Stressful, Deal-driven. This is at the core of why mothers see digital as a way for them to manage their shopping needs. Also, this has nothing to do with just buying diapers and school supplies. It permeates throughout how they buy for almost everything. Here are a few other highlights (Based on a survey by BabyCenter US):

• They play to win –  Moms see shopping as a sport. They play to win because a win is for their family, rarely for themselves. Over 84% of moms agree with the statement, “When I save money on a shopping trip by using coupons, sales or other deals, I feel like ‘I won.’ ” They use every available resource. Online and especially digital, are great tools for them to find that edge. Almost two-thirds of moms have a scanner app on their mobile device (30% more than the general public.) Three in five belong to at least one group buying service.

• They don’t shop alone – It’s not they run in packs, but their mobile device keeps them in touch with their allies and support system. They will utilize this network for second opinions on the fly, text a picture for a quick reaction. Over 44% share discount codes and digital coupons while over 62% participate in online reviews. When mom goes shopping, they take their whole social graph with them.

• They still utilize their partners – Though women/moms make over 85% of buying decisions, they don’t make them in a vacuum. Mothers still tap into their spouses’ opinions and even get them to participate in their sport. One in four say their spouses are involved or highly involved in shopping.

• They buy the big stuff too – Moms are not just buying diapers and soap, but are the main influence on a wide range of products and services. Moms spend twice as much online buying video games than the general online population (surprised the heck out of me, too). Same goes for software and hardware. They are 47% more likely to anticipate a need for major financial services purchases in the next 12 months and start searching online and on their mobile device with their social graph. They still dominate vehicle purchases by being the main influencer over 89% of the time.

• They reward brands who make their life easier – Having kids in tow, a mom will reward brands who make her life easier or more convenient. Even if it costs more, if you help simplify her life, she will reward you with her loyalty and open up her social graph to your brand. They also demand a seamless experience which means she can buy online, get discounts via mobile, return it to your brick-and-mortar store, all without any hassles.

When all is said and done, moms use digital and mobile technology to help them accomplish and win at the game of shopping. They tally up their savings, take note of brands who offer to simplify their life and make it easier, and brag to their social graph about the day’s big scores. Don’t you want to be one of her victories?

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With the 2012 Super Bowl coming upon us, the NFL recently made an announcement that the 2013 Super Bowl will be streamed via NBC’s web site and Verizon. The NFL has been streaming the Sunday Night Football edition in recent years to see how the technology will work and what kind of audience they can attract. Obviously, it has shown enough promise for them to commit to live streaming of their crown jewel, the Super Bowl.

This should provide advertisers more opportunity to engage and involve the football audience. Streaming is a natural fit for the Super Bowl because, in essence, it is not a game, but a social event. It was social before social media. The Super Bowl has extended it’s marketing power by reaching way beyond the game and has become a social event. It is this concept that all brands should strive to become. Football is the commodity, bringing people together for a fun social event is the real value of brand Super Bowl.

Smart marketers should take this golden opportunity to blend what is called “Math and Magic”. The Math is the digital platform that provides and delivers the user experience and real time data. The Magic is the creative approach to media that makes it so fun and appealing that people will be drawn to it. Math without Magic is like serving up mass banner ads, “spray and pray”. Magic without Math may be cool, but won’t provide the platform and data that turns a funny video into bottom line dollars. Both are needed. It has been said, “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand.” The winners will be those marketers who blend Math and Magic to involve the viewers and create a fantastic user experience.

This will also be one of those all too rare cases where the brand and platform are made for each other. The platform is the perfect expression for the brand. A social brand linking up with a social media channel. It is now up to the advertisers to be just as smart and creative on how they will take advantage of this great opportunity. To take full advantage of this platform and brand, marketers need to be very disciplined in staying true to their core brand while unleashing the creative possibilities to engage and thrill.

Now, a word from your local sponsors.

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An interesting trend is starting to develop in the world of branding and marketing. Several large brands are using celebrities to become their brand gurus and marketing Creative Directors. Jay-Z is working for Anheuser-Bush. Justin Timberlake has been named Creative Director at Callaway Golf. Lady Gaga is overseeing creative at Polaroid. Will.I.Am is moonlighting with Intel. Victoria Beckham is offering creative marketing advice to Land Rover. These are just a few examples of this trend.

There are a few pluses to this. Celebrities have proven they know how to create a personal brand. They also have a large following. Even some have real talent in the area of marketing and branding such as Gene Simmons. On the flip side, it shows me, many brands are becoming desperate and are reaching for anything. Often, these celebrity relationships don’t make sense in reinforcing what the brand stands for and is an obvious “gimmick” in promotion and PR. What brand alignment does Justin Timberlake have to offer golf devotees? If Callaway Golf is trying to become more “fashionable”, then it kind of makes sense, but then you lose the hard-core golfers who identify with the brand as professional equipment and not just some accessory. Just because Will.I.Am uses a computer, doesn’t mean he understands the core brand essence of Intel and it’s relationships with manufactures and end users.

To me, these companies are forgetting who they are and what they stand for and by reaching out to celebrities who don’t really reinforce the brand, they are devaluing their brand even more. Pretty soon, it’s not long until they become an also-ran commodity. I’m not against celebrities becoming brand gurus or marketing Creative Directors. Like many of us, they may have several talents they are good at. The key is to match up the celebrity who embodies your brand already. It can’t be manufactured. That’s fake and that will tell your true believers they can no longer trust what you say or who you are. The other main point is just because they are good at branding themselves doesn’t mean they understand and know how to brand and market your company.

Celebrities. Use them in your marketing. Use them in your promotions. Yes. Put them in charge of your marketing and branding just because they are celebrities. No. (unless they have real marketing talent.). Above all, what they stand for has to be in alignment with what you stand for.

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Since the advent of new media and social media, many of the digital faithful have sounded the demise of traditional media. I know it’s cool and hip to say, “We no longer use TV, print, or radio for our advertising. Instead we use Facebook, SEO, and apps.” But, just the opposite is happening. New media and digital advertising is not disintermediating traditional media, but it is reinforcing it. Here are a few examples:

• Online videos still sell TV ads – In order to “make money” online video sites sell commercials that are imbedded into their videos.

• Digital companies still sell ads – Yes, it’s called “display ads”, but they are not much different than billboards or print ads. In fact, display ads are now considered “old”.

• Tablet formats still sell print ads – iPads and Kindle’s Fire have given new life to traditional publications and to print ads.Yes, they are now interactive, but they still act like print ads in magazines.

Another phenomenom is many digital companies like Google and Pandora are selling traditional media. Google sells remnant print and TV ads. Pandora sells radio spots. Google and Apple are getting into the traditional TV arena and are ramping up their sales force to sell… (wait for it…) traditional TV ads.

What’s interesting is, instead of eliminating traditional media, digital media is turning to it for revenue and influence. Even mobile mostly depends on selling ads and coupons to make money. The problem with most of the new media, social media included, is they are realizing that just because you have hundreds of thousands of viewers, this doesn’t automatically translate into sales. This is why many online companies are still losing money. Facebook is losing hundreds of millions of dollars every year. This is why they bluntly ask users to advertise with them to keep Facebook free. Groupon lost over $414 million in 2010. Twitter is losing so much money and still haven’t found a reliable revenue source, that Co-founder Ev Williams was booted out of his own company.

Thus far, instead of dealing a death blow to traditional media, new media is turning to it to generate real revenue and not just “friends” and “likes”. The advantage new media has is it’s data and niche targeting capabilities, but they’ve yet figured out how to turn that into gold.

Good thing they didn’t kill traditional media.

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It’s the new year and things have already begun to start anew. Liz Claiborne, owner of brands such as Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, Kate Spade and their own namesake, is changing their name to Fifth & Pacific Cos. Once a fashion brand powerhouse in the late 70′s to the mid 90′s, Liz Claiborne has seen their brand erode away into irrelevance. As a result, their bottom line reflected their loss. Their move is to signify Fifth & Pacific is going to focus on their current three brands that have the most relevance in today’s fashion world and their customers. In essence, Liz Claiborne is changing from a Branded House into a House of Brands.

So, what happened? Why did such a powerhouse brand fall into an unwanted commodity? Liz Claiborne’s brand was centered around working women who appreciated the blend of comfort and affordability from a respected fashion brand. They sold fashion to the working class. They were pioneers, such as the first to sell all of their clothes in one section instead of the common practice of spreading them out based on garment type (Pants are in the pants area. Blouses are in the blouse section. etc.). Because of their success, Liz Claiborne began to buy up some three dozen up-and-coming brands. The problem was they never had a true portfolio strategy. In other words, knowing your brand and acquiring other brands that reinforce and extend your position of strength. Instead, Liz Claiborne bought brands based on what they liked instead of following one of the oldest tenants of fashion: buy what fits you great, not what is currently trendy. A bad portfolio strategy will lead to sameness and commoditization. That will kill just about any brand. As a result, over the last ten years, Liz Claiborne has lost their brand and their customers along the way.

What are the lessons? Here are a few:

• A brand is special and can be magical. It’s hard to obtain, but easy to lose.
• Know what your brand is and stay true to who you are. Resist the temptation to be everything to everyone. Once you try to please everyone, you are commodity.
• A brand must fully embrace the yin-yang of pursuing new ideas and concepts at 100% while staying true to your core brand at 100%.

It will be interesting to see if Fifth & Pacific has learned from their lessons being Liz Claiborne.

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In social media, it is hard to tell what is that really worth. For example, do you know how much a facebook “like” is worth or a Linkedin “connection” is valued at? Because the social media world is still very new, everyone is trying to see the real dollar value beyond the stories and occasional exceptions we all experience from time to time.

I recently saw a report from a memo by the Twitter Advertising Department. It stated that the Cost Per Follower (CPF) for promoted accounts is anywhere from $2.50 – $4.00 per person. For those who may not know, promoted accounts are ones who Twitter suggests users to follow – “Hey if you like your friend, Holly’s Twitter Feed, you’ll gonna love the Tweets from Hollister.”

Here are some broad stroke averages for Cost Per Customer (CPC) by marketing method:

• Google Adwords – $319.17
• Web sites – $101.23
• Email marketing – $6.00
• Attending networking events – $118.62

I only included new and alternative marketing channels since that is what many business are most interested in. Here are a few reasons why I find the Twitter memo and the CPC data interesting:

1. It confirms my belief that social media isn’t really free. If it’s done well, it’s typically not free. Not only do you have fees to the social media sites, but the cost of labor for your staff, or you, to keep on top of the feeds and content. (Just as this blog takes considerable time for me to devote to on a consistent basis.)

2. Even though it’s targeted, the ROI is not as cheap as you may think. Yes, I think new media and social media has given us marketers a great tool in allowing us to laser focus our efforts, but the information doesn’t support the belief of social media and new media is cheap or free. The tools are free. To use them are free, but to get real leverage out of them, it takes investment as in other traditional forms of marketing.

3. Marketing is still #1. What I mean by that, without marketing, you will not be in business for very long. It is rare that a company exists for very long without it. Most start ups survive by word-of-mouth at the beginning.  They can even grow to a respectable size without marketing. But, eventually, to sustain the business and to take it to a higher level takes investment in marketing, online or offline. Even anti-marketing Google has invested millions of dollars over the last 6-7 years in traditional and online advertising.

By not buying into the myth that social media and online marketing is free, a business can adapt a different mindset by investing in paid tools for these new platforms in harmony with their investment in other marketing tactics.

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Before, marketing meant how to advertise, to ring the cash register and to drive revenue. It was as simple as that. Before, marketing meant advertising. Back then, branding wasn’t even a consideration. Today, many businesses claim to believe in branding, but they really only believe in marketing. Many complain that advertising and marketing doesn’t work since it didn’t ring the cash register and branding is too “soft” and doesn’t drive revenue. The problem isn’t the concept of branding or marketing. Too many businesses don’t really understand the relationship of brand to revenue and thus they are misguided in their expectations.

Marketing today is too broad of a term to completely define it in simple tactics. Traditional advertising is marketing. Social media is marketing. Even your people are marketing. What really drives revenue today is branding. It’s really not the function we call marketing. It’s branding that makes a company unique. It’s branding that separates a product from the masses of commodity. It is branding that is worth hundreds of millions of dollars in market cap.

Branding has become the most important aspect of ANY business. If you don’t believe that, then my guess, you’re one of a 1,000 companies who sell the same widget, is nothing special, and are fighting over pennies in a price war. In other words, a commodity. Here is the formula for successful business: Branding first, sales and profit second. If you build a brand, then you can decide how to build a profitable enterprise around it. Brand is what makes sales easier and increases volume. Let’s take one of the biggest problems in selling a product, distribution. You say, “carry my product and it will be famous.” Distribution says, “Make your product famous and we’ll carry it on our shelves.” (both physical and digital shelves) Distribution cuts to the core of the matter.

Let’s take Amazon.com for example. With all of Amazon’s success, people forget they lost money for their first 9 years. They didn’t break even until year 15. They didn’t put profits and sales first. Jeff Bezos believed in creating a great brand first. Jeff believed, if he created a great brand, profits will follow. Compare that to Barnes & Noble’s. They came out with an e-reader in the late 1990′s and introduced an e-bookstore in 2001. Sales were disappointing early on, so they discontinued both programs. Big mistake. This allowed Amazon to jump ahead because Jeff Bezos didn’t stop branding and marketing even though it wasn’t yet profitable. He understood that by building a great brand, he would turn Amazon from losing money to being one of the most valuable brands today. Now Barnes & Noble’s are playing catch up in a category they should have been light years ahead.

If there’s an iron-clad rule in marketing, it is this: Brands are built by being first in a new category. Not just first in the marketplace, but first in the mind. That’s why a new brand pioneering a new category has to stick around long enough to penetrate the minds of potential customers. This explains why great brands like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, who are all still losing money, have valuations billions of dollars more than most brands who are very profitable.

People and investors pay more for a great brand than a great commodity.

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by Tony Fannin, President, BE Branded  |  

We all know about product placement in TV shows and movies. Most of the time it’s not well done and expensive. Recently, Quill paper (owned by Staples) signed a deal with “The Office”, in particular utilizing the imaginary company of Dunder Mifflin. The goal is to sell more copy paper. The packaging will be printed with slogans from the show such as “Our motto is, ‘Quabity First’” and “Get yoru scrant on”. This approach is called “Reverse Product Placement”. The power comes from leveraging fictional pop culture brands or personalities with a real-life brand. This one makes sense because of the close tie to the subject matter. Both are paper companies and both service the B2B market.

Another example was 7-Eleven’s deal with the Simpsons animated show. 7-Eleven stores were all decked out with Simpsons signage, cutouts, and icons to promote their coffee and donuts specials. Again, this was a great natural tie-in because of Homer’s (the main character in the Simpsons) love of junk food, especially donuts. They saw a major increase in sales and volumes with the stores that were converted. Other “Reverse Product Placement” includes Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants (inspired by the movie Forrest Gump) and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (a candy from the Harry Potter books).

What makes a great “Reverse Product Placement” tie-in? The main factor is the show must have a strong similarity to the brand. It must stay within context of the fictional brand for it to make sense to the consumer and is easily translated to the real-life brand. People know when brands are trying to force fit an endorsement or show tie-in. By doing that, brands end up worse off in the court of public opinion than if they didn’t do anything at all. Consumers will think of a brand as too “commercial” and disingenuous. A fake who is trying to capitalize on what’s “hot” just because. Here are a few points to keep in mind when considering a”Reverse Product Placement”:

• Does the imaginary brand align with yours?
• Does the association feel “natural”?
• Is there an authentic role for the imaginary brand to fulfill in marketing the real-life brand?

It’s great to have imaginary friends, so long as they enhance your image.

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I thought I would pass along an appropriate blog for the Thanksgiving season. I love football, watching and playing the game. Here is a list I came across that I thought was worthy of sharing. As with most families, the traditional family football game is pure Americana. We all have our unique rules and traditions on how we play the game. Here is the “official” list of Thanksgiving day family football rules. Read and incorporate what you feel is worthy of your family. The rest, feel free to throw away. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Here are the official rules of Thanksgiving Family Touch Football:

1. If you have a healthy relationship with your family and speak to them all the time, you’re playing touch. If you see your family only once a year, it’s tackle.

2. Find a nice patch of grass. It doesn’t have to be big. You don’t need a regulation 100 yards. Half the people in your family, if they ran 100 yards, they’d wind up in the hospital for a month.

3. The game must be played before dinner. Nobody wants to play football after Thanksgiving. Nobody wants to wear pants after Thanksgiving.

4. All family on the field! Everyone plays. Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Cousin Jake, and Regis the one-eyed Jack Russell terrier. Don’t laugh. Regis is the best receiver you’ve got.

5. The following things are prohibited from Thanksgiving touch football: spikes, eye black, sticky gloves, Jets jerseys, running with a martini glass and a lit cigar, Norv Turner.

6. A Nerf ball is okay but you should own a leather football. A leather football is one of the things every home must have, like a dishwasher and a bourbon distillery in the garage.

7. No footballs with wings or propellers or tails or streamers. Here’s a good rule: If the football would make Dick Butkus throw up, don’t use it.

8. It’s two-hand touch. One-hand touch is for lazy people who buy turkey sandwiches out of vending machines.

9. Two completions is a first down. Not as simple as it sounds—just ask the 2011 Indianapolis Colts.

10. No taunting, cursing or back-handed compliments. That’s what Thanksgiving dinner is for.

11. Unless you live in California, Hawaii or Florida or some fancy place like that, the ground is probably going to be squishy with cold mud, and someone in your family is going to fall down face-first and ruin his or her Thanksgiving outfit. This is not cause for alarm. This is the highlight of the game.

12. It’s okay to play with kids but don’t baby them. Just because your 7-year-old niece is playing quarterback doesn’t mean you can’t intercept her screen pass and run it back for a touchdown. She’s got to learn sometime not to throw into triple coverage.

13. The count is five “Mississippi.” And it’s a full four syllables—not a rushed “MISS-IPPI” and knocking grandpa to the ground.

14. But if you are old enough to have grandchildren, and you sack the quarterback, and do an elaborate sack dance, you will be worshipped forever.

15. Keep the Tebowing to a minimum. The fad is already old.

16. No, you don’t get to be “permanent QB.” Not if you want anybody to like you.

17. No show-off football lingo. No screaming “trips left” or “zone blitz.” Uncle Dale doesn’t want to play the “nickel package.” He wants to get this stupid game over with, have a vodka and stand in the kitchen eating stuffing with his hands.

18. But there’s always one control freak who wants to diagram elaborate plays. Just listen to whatever they say, and forget it immediately.

19. There are only two plays you need for touch football: “Everybody Go Out” and “Everybody Go Deep.”

20. No, that running play never works. Ever.

21. Don’t throw the ball too hard. This is the mistake a lot of touch football QBs make. They see an opening, and they chuck it 99 mph like John Elway, and peg Aunt Frances in the neck.

22. A little pass interference never hurt anyone. Don’t be a wimp.

23. If you throw six interceptions in a row, let someone else play quarterback, or sign with the Washington Redskins.

24. Three-minute halftime. Don’t kill the momentum. Anything longer, and aging muscles seize up. Remember: if Daddy sits, Daddy is d-o-n-e.

25. If you’re playing on a city street, please don’t dent the blue Honda, or I will find you.

26. If you’re a random guest at Thanksgiving, it’s your job to be good at touch football. Lie and say you “played a little” at Alabama and pray you don’t completely embarrass yourself.

27. If you find yourself surrounded by middle-aged men in blue jeans and a quarterback who keeps getting picked off, you’re not with your family. You’ve accidentally walked into a Brett Favre Wrangler spot.

28. Punting is okay, but it’s hard. You know that weird fact about how hippopotamuses kill more people than lions or tigers? Well, punts are the hippopotamuses of touch football. Botched punts break more windows and hit more cars than any other play in the game. You can look it up. Be careful.

29. Goes without saying, but if it snows, it’s a classic.

30. Take it easy. You don’t want any injuries that can’t be treated with a bag of frozen peas.

31. If you win your game and stand undefeated, please let LSU know you’re available to play in the BCS championship.

32. When you think about it, there’s really only one rule for Thanksgiving touch football: Take your shoes off before going in the house, or Mom is going to kill you.

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