Best of 2009 in the Branding Industry

by  lisa kribs + beth lapierre

Oh 2009…what a year. What a crazy, chaotic year. This one caught us with our pants down. 2008 was pretty fat and happy. We had an app, we had 100k Facebook fans, our personal brand flourished, our video went viral–life was good. Then the economy collapsed and somebody had to mention those three letters that send marketers everywhere racing to Monster.com: ROI.

You’d think this would create a slew of bad decisions, horrible campaigns and suicides…and it did. However, some people got busy. They used the Web. They talked to consumers. They got creative. So, instead of meeting with the CEO to justify your ’social media’ line item in 2010’s budget, take a look at some of 2009’s movers and shakers.

Sprint

For Sprint, it was the year for “Now”.

They took home the highly coveted “Gold Lion”.  Sprint’s mixed media “Now Network” campaign by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners scored them best Interactive Campaign in Cannes.

“All content rated N, for now”.

From “words most used right now” to “planes in the air now” or “how many people are getting spray tanned now“- we cannot stop looking.

Sprint spent big bucks on TV, but with the intention of driving us online to the digital Now Network for some 2009 connectivity.

YouTube banners enticed us to upload our own video to appear on the Now Clock and on the network site.

Sprint wants you to know they get it. “We are trying to give a face to the network and talk about the fact that Sprint understands this whole consumer need of having things now,” said Mike Goff, vp of national advertising at Sprint (via). Will be interesting to see how the campaign effects market share. But for now, much respect.

Coca-Cola

Simply put, Coca-Cola is king. The guru’s over at Interbrand have rightfully crowned Coca-Cola as the top Global Brand for 2009. If you’re looking for pointers, Coca-Cola is one of the best (if not the best) examples of how to manage your brand.

This example floated around the web earlier this year; Coca-Cola’s logo vs. their biggest competitor’s logo:

Coca-Cola’s “Open Happiness” campaign hit an emotional chord during this year’s tough times.

The campaign incorporated music tracks via Myspace/iTunes and a “Happiness Factory” gaming website.

Coca-Cola has flawlessly maintained brand consistency for decades and, continues to do so on a global scale. And that, my friends, is no easy task.

You

Hey you, congrats! 2009 was the year of the personal brand. What did you do to strengthen your image and improve your skills?

The life coaches, the personal branders, the career developers – let’s face it: Each and every one of these guys can help.  But c’mon. Could personal branding have been hyped just a wee bit?

Some advice on the personal brand thing–just be yourself.

Congrats, you’ve earned it.

Runner-Up 2009

Oh Snap, It’s Radio Shack

Watch all 8 spots here by BSSP.

Yes, it’s true. Radio Shack is on twitter and even facebook. Lance Armstrong has joined Team Radio Shack, and while perhaps under the radar, stuff is happening with the brand this year.

They’ve got a fabulously weird  (good weird, not bad weird) holiday campaign going right now. It’s possible this whole “Shack” thing could revive the company. While the nickname is unofficial, most of their advertising budget will be spent name-dropping “The Shack”– other brands *ahem* watch closely.

Radio Shack sticks closely to their brand heritage while working to attract a younger, technology-confident shopper back to an old-school brand (88 years).

The Shack’s emphasis on mobile and a more intimate experience (vs. going to Best Buy) could be enough to get The Shack back in the game.

So go have a seat on Santa’s Lap this year thanks to The Shack.

WANT MORE?