Jimmy Iovine’s insight about product placement in music videos made Beats by Dre a billion dollar brand. Executive Summary | Abstract | TL;DR Jimmy Iovine realized that music videos were the key to reaching younger music listeners. He founded Beats with Dr. Dre to bring the emotion back to music Read more…
Brand associations are the mental connections between a brand and people, places, things, and emotions. These associations may turn people to or away from your brand. Being mindful and strategic about them will build brand equity efficiently.
Most time spent on the internet is in a handful of sites: Facebook, Amazon, Google, Reddit, Instagram, and others. These sites are getting less and less likely to link off to independent websites. Take steps to insulate your brand from these trends.
Envisioning the perfect experience for your customers so you can enable viral growth. Imagine a 1 star, 3 star, 5 star experience, then go beyond to 7 star, 9 star and even 11-star. Going to the extreme is fun and will make the easier answers seem more attainable.
Finding a novel, short, impactful name that is in the intersection of personal care and the snowboard / ski lifestyle. We use the Multiply Method to generate hundreds of brand names, and eliminate all to arrive at an amazing name that comes with a 7-letter domain name!
For the launch of the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xr launches, we list ten things Apple changed forever. The iPhone was a real innovation. My litmus test for innovation is whether all of the products and a category become similar to the innovative entrant. For example, there weren’t many horses Read more…
A bad logo can inhibit a good organization. A logo is intended to be a mental shortcut to past experiences with a brand, hopefully bringing up good feelings. A good logo is distinct, and not generic. A good logo is simple, and not complex. A good logo is appropriate, and not awkward. A good logo is striking, and not bland. A good logo is legally protectable, and not indefensible.
A strategy is the best position for success, and tactics are how you plan to get from where you are to that ideal strategic position. How do you create a plan to build a lifestyle brand? Work backward. You may not have the domain knowledge to know every step. Ask your suppliers and hire consultants. Write action-oriented steps; resources and timing will come later. This can be overwhelming work so take your time.
A product label is what you name your product in to communicate to customers what they are buying. The product label sets the customer’s expectations.
Some industries have set product labels that rank in a hierarchy, e.g., motel, hotel, resort. Marketers can add adjectives to product labels that modify expectations, e.g., performance tires.
Setting an expectation and not meeting it in reality damages a brand. It is common sense that delivering a level lower than expected is harmful, but it is also wrong to deliver a higher level. People are most comfortable when they receive what they were expecting, and a higher level of service is not repeatable because it becomes a new standard. Instead, we want to aim to meet expectations plus add elements of surprise and delight. Just be honest with your product labels.
A professional designer talks about what the font in a logo says about the brand. Abstract | Executive Summary | TL;DR Fonts can change how their content is perceived. Alignment between a logo’s font and the feeling the buyer wants to have will result in higher sales; this is why Read more…