Cosmetics, booze, fragrance, cars and apparel; we expect sexed-up selling from brands in those industries, right?

Take a look at some typical brands doing just that…and some not so typical having a go with sexy.

Behold.

Axe: The Axe Effect

Nothing new here…

American Apparel

And now for something different…

John West (Tuna)

Sexy Tuna (John West, Australia)

Trident (Insurance)

Auto Insurance (Trident UK)

PETA

Animal Rights Organization (PETA, International)

FGA Law Firm

via

Law Firm (FGA, Chicago)

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Sexed-Up Selling

Brian Solis, PR 2.0 and Social Media superstar just posted an article on Mashable “Why Brands are Becoming Media“. Brian discusses how brands must stay consistent once a social object is chosen – and how this can become overwhelming with limited resources and knowledge (all the while convincing executives this is a necessary and permanent step).

This is a great topic, so what about brands anyway? Before we even go there, how much of a willingness do these guys have to take the plunge at all? Superbowl ads last weekend did next to nothing with regard to interactive and social media. Did I miss something? Yes, there was the first ever Google spot, the E-Trade baby and some .com references, but there was certainly not a big encouraging push for those to get on the networks and engage. Where was twitter, facebook, youtube or even foursquare!

Interestingly, the big hubbub is that Pepsi chose to not make a Superbowl TV appearance for the first time in 23 years in order make cool things happen (solely) online with their Refresh Campaign.

While were on Twitter and Facebook multi-tasking and talking about the spots, what were the big brands doing? Watching themselves on TV?

What could be going on? Where are big brands? Three possibilities:

• Is this a strategy? Are the big brands trying to buy time before proceeding into the inevitable (two way engagement)?
• Are big brands trying to bulldoze consumer engagement by refusing to advocate social media/online engagement/etc?
• Or, do they still think social media is just a ‘phase’?

What’s your brand doing?

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[Inter]Actions Speak Louder Than Ads

We are stoked to share this past year’s FEED report (annual by Razorfish). This document is a solid tool and provides serious insight- chock full of useful information. FEED made it’s splash before the new year but it’s definitely something you need to read right now,  if you haven’t already. Razorfish shifted their focus from a “how to” analyze consumer behavior in the digital realm, to how consumers are now interacting and communicating with brands. They also include suggestions on what to do next.

The report includes brilliant insight and lots of statistics.

Suggesting realistic consumer behavior with community sites:

Evidence (if you still aren’t convinced) that digital is consuming and shifting average daily household behavior:

Quite possibly one of the best observations:

“Now “clicks” and “impressions” mean far less than conversations and brand behaviors. In our opinion, it’s about time.

With bold topics like “Goodbye Ad Wars, Hello Engagement Wars”, “The Outlet Malls of Tomorrow? Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace” and “Digital Drives Sales”, you’re going to want to sit down and dig in.

“The Digital Brand Experiences Create Customers”

In a nutshell, their thesis is: digital brand experiences create customers. Period. Things are moving, evolving quickly, at every moment out there – but online interaction and brand experiences are here to stay. Remember, this isn’t leaving anyone high and dry, in fact Razorfish predicts this year 17% of all (US) sales will be made online. What about next year? And the year after? All in all, good news for us sales and marketing folk.

That said, we should also remember that just because said brand has X,XXX fans on its FB fan page, or are followed by 6,793 people on twitter that these folks wanna be BFFs.

Fasten your seatbelts, read this and study up friends. We are only at the very beginning of the coming digital age.

Next up: mobile.

Hat tip to @jsmibert & @lisakribs

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FEEDing Time via Razorfish

It’s a new year,

so it’s time to think about taking a close look at your branding to make sure it’s still fresh and relevant. Now I know what you’re thinking. “Brock,” you say, “I’m too swamped with the rest of my work to think about rebranding right now. Besides, my branding is just fine. Why would I want to change it?” I’d be the first to admit that you probably don’t need to do a complete rebranding. In all but the most dire circumstances, the equity lost in rebranding isn’t worth the shiny new marketing materials. And you don’t have to undergo a complete makeover. Sometimes, however, you should give your branding a much-needed spa treatment. After all, if you take care of your branding, it will take care of you.

Taking Stock

There are two things you have to do before doing any work to refresh your brand. The first is to understand that branding is a habit, not something you can “set and forget.” If you are responsible for branding your organization, expect to devote resources to maintaining your brand. We’ve all seen companies that use the same marketing materials for twenty years straight. It doesn’t work for them, and it won’t work for you. It doesn’t have to be much work, but you should plan to regularly audit your branding to ensure that it continues to align with your organization’s goals, mission, brand promise, market position and target market.

So that’s the second thing. Before beginning any brand refresh, make sure you know your organization’s goals, mission, positioning, etc. Without a firm grasp of the fundamentals, anything you do to tweak your branding will just be the proverbial lipstick on a pig.

Find the Balance

Keeping your brand fresh requires a careful balancing act of focused messaging and creative play. If your brand has become little more than a series of templates, it’s likely to be boring your customers as well as you. On the other hand, your audience needs to know that it’s you sending the message; your branding can’t be so inconsistent as to become unrecognizable. Remember, good design demonstrates a competitive advantage. Research shows that companies that invest in design are much less likely to compete on the basis of price alone. (For more on how quality creative can improve business results, visit Design Council.) Though it may have become a cliché at this point, discount retailer Target does a exceptional job at keeping their brand interesting and flexible. Their commercials, for example, are always wildly creative. And yet, you know that it’s a Target commercial the moment it comes on. Likewise, their inventive use — almost abuse — of their logo would make most corporate branding guides burst into flames.

Focus On Authenticity

When examining your brand and marketing communications, be sure to evaluate how authentic your messages are. Authentic messages are ones that speak to your audience and engage them on an emotional level. If your messages come across as too corporate or safe, it will hurt the value of your brand. This doesn’t mean that every brand should be edgy or extreme. Rather, it means that your brand should feel “real”. An absolutely stellar example is the new the Intel refresh. Their branding chief, Deborah Conrad, deserves huge kudos for their new geek chic, “Sponsors of Tomorrow”, commercials. Rather than promote a specific product or new innovation, the new branding admits — even celebrates — the nerdiness of Intel’s work.  Even though you know it’s just another commercial, it feels authentic in a way that most technology ads don’t.

Be Passionate About Your Work

According to Robert Kyosaki, author of “Rich Dad Poor Dad”, “Brands die if the leader’s passion dies, or if the leader’s passion is simply to make money.” If the only purpose of your brand communications is to make money, your customers will know, and they’ll lose respect for you. This may seem like a rehashing of my previous tip about authenticity, but it’s entirely possible for branding to be entirely authentic and still lack any real passion for the organization’s core mission.

Think about the last furniture commercial you saw. Maybe they had a nice spokesperson telling you about the great special they had on that new bedroom set. You probably don’t remember, though, because you were leaving the room to go get a snack from the kitchen. It wasn’t because the message was too corporate. It’s because you knew that there was no passion there. That furniture store is human enough, they just don’t seem to really care about what they’re selling. Like you, they’d rather be out getting a snack.

Become More Sociable

The new rule in branding is that consumers want interaction, not just action. The voice from God marketing strategy of the 20th Century just won’t cut it anymore. Consumers care about brands that they engage with. So provide opportunities for your audience to interact with your brand, and watch their attachment grow. This isn’t really new, it’s just been brought to our attention with all of the new focus on interactive social media. And so you every brand from Red Bull to Office Depot has some sort of interactive Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The important thing to remember about social media is to provide value in all of your communications. Minneapolis-based writer Kris Decker loves Walgreen’s Facebook fan page for exactly this reason. “As a fan, I get special coupons and deals that only their Facebook fans get. It gives me a great reason to interact with the brand.”

Spruce It Up

Finally, remember that the purpose of a brand standards manual is to ensure the highest quality branding that is conveying the right message. If you have to break the “rules” of your manual in order to achieve good results, by all means, break the rules. So go on and spruce up your branding in 2010. A little bit of tweaking isn’t going to lose any of your brand equity. ‘Cause let’s face facts: your customers aren’t paying conscious attention to your branding materials. They really won’t know that this month’s ad had the logo 2 inches from the bottom while last month’s ad had it 2.5 inches from the bottom. The only thing that matters is that you’re communicating the right message to the right audience. If you’re not, it doesn’t matter a hill of beans that your branding is consistent.

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Dirty Brand? Clean it up…

Kraft

February 2009: New Logo

Explanation: “With a new purpose and values setting a fresh direction, Kraft Foods also gave its corporate logo a face lift to more clearly deliver “delicious.” Starting today, people around the world will begin to see the new identity that deliciously features a smile, the natural reaction to delicious foods and experiences, and a colorful flavor burst. It signals to employees, consumers and investors what the new Kraft Foods is all about.” Press Release

July 2009: New Logo

Guess the first logo wasn’t what “Kraft Foods is all about”.

But I have to say the ‘New Kraft’ corporate is more than this logo.

Check out the New Kraft. This feels pretty damn corporate so I’m wondering why they use the old logo. But, that’s what I mean about 2009, weird stuff happened all over the place.

HTC

In early 2009, HTC (High Tech Computer Corp.) also launched a new brand.

Old Logo

via rebrand

New Logo

Then, in October, they did it again.

New, New Logo

via Tracy and Matt

Tropicana

Oh Tropicana. Brand-owner Pepsi screwed this one up. After removing the classic orange and straw design and replacing it with something reminiscent of a private label brand.

Pepsi Co. chose Ominicom agency, Arnell, on the rebrand.  In an attempt to ‘refresh’ the Tropicana brand, Arnell removed the orange and put a goblet of juice on the package. Consumers were pissed. They wanted their orange and red-striped straw back. Peter Arnell, Chief Creative Officer at Arnell was surprised by consumer reaction saying, “Tropicana is doing exactly what it should be doing. I’m glad Tropicana is getting this kind of attention.” Oh Peter.

So the old design is back. GO CONSUMERS!!!

But Why?

Well folks, here again we see the mighty power of the Interwebs. In the early days of the world, pre-1995, we had TV. TV pushed everything at us. We were just waiting for brands to push their nicely packaged messages over the tube. They had time to prepare. Now, not so much. But there is a lesson in all this. Do your homework. Get a focus group together at least. Get some loyal customers and some prospectives in a room and get their input. If you can do it in a controlled white room with one-way glass, you’ll be much better off than on the Web.

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2009 Rebrand…Again

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.

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Best of 2009 in the Branding Industry

On an 8-hour flight, if you find a US Weekly in the back pocket of the seat in front of you, there’s a good chance you’re going to read it. It’s exciting! It’s juicy! It’s awful!

In a similar vein, we have gathered gossip & speculation from industry red flags, brand reputation, employee gossip and the cloud of doom hanging over brands headed for the branding graveyard.

Enjoy!

*Note:  FYB’s observations should not be held in the same light as sales reports, stock value or other actual means of real analysis.

“Guitar Hero” Brand

Death to a hero? They cut their sales prediction in half for the most recent music video game, DJ Hero.  The hope that DJ Hero might be the next big thing in faux-musicianship has shifted to anticipation and wonder of what’s next.

Did we get burnt out?

Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero III
Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero V
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
Guitar Hero: Metallica
Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80’s
Guitar Hero Smash Hits
Band Hero
DJ Hero
etc…

Despite possible over-saturation, rhythm gaming is still hot. We think downloadable tracks will increase/stay steady in 2010, but the days of fancy pads and colorful plastic shapes for $200 bucks are slowing down.

I’ve gotta say, we’ve come a long way since the first rhythm game was produced:
Dance Aerobics (1987)!

Blockbuster

I love the concept of Blockbuster. Popping into the brick and mortar on a rainy day, browsing the genres, renting a movie in PJ’s (and noting everyone else in theirs as well) can be an event in itself.

So these guys didn’t innovate, they had prices all over the map and managed to bring themselves down shortly after running out the mom-and- pops.

Remember when “no more late fees” first hit? Do you remember it “not really working that way”?

The end of late fees campaign:

Unfortunately, we don’t think this one is a matter of “if” just “when”.

Uncrustables

Smucker’s just closed the plant that employed an uncrustable team of 140, saying they are “consolidating locations”. This is after the headline “No More PB&J”.

The Uncrustables brand had a rocky start from the get go – what with controversial patents and its secret recipe almost being leaked — just kidding about that last part.

However…fact: Smucker’s attempted to patent the process of making a sandwich. Talk about a legal jam! (Sorry for that.)

We predict 2010 is the year Crustables will say good-bye.

Crocs

via

I had a feeling it was all over when they started being banned from hospitals.

‘Nuff said on these guys.

Saab

A “challenging time” in the auto industry is putting it lightly. GM has given to the end of the month for a buyer to step forward and take the Swedish-engineered brand off their backs.

We may not be seeing anything more from Saab.

Brand Obama

There will be no talk of politics here. However, one thing we can probably all agree on is the emotional and fever-inducing campaign the Obama marketing team courageously led is finally fading.

The world ate up the messaging (“hope”, “change”, “yes we can”), modern typography (Gotham typeface), thoughtful design and an online presence unlike any other politician before.

Even the mass-market brand, Pepsi rode the “Hope” bandwagon into their own campaign.

While we obviously don’t think the Obama brand is going to “die” – the international novelty has definitely worn off and the fever has subsided. I’ve got to hand it to any past, present, and future presidents: toughest job in the country, ever!  Here’s to 2010, friends.

As with predictions, who really knows? But one thing’s for certain: nothing is certain.

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Brand Fail 2010

A recent study conducted by Taglineguru revealed some compelling findings on the words that mattered most to consumers in ‘09.

They are:
believe                                  far/further
future                                    imagine/see
innovate/innovation              more
new                                       save/savings
together                                you

In an attempt to strengthen brand loyalty during tough economic times, marketers are choosing to “strategically recast their brand messages”.

Red Flag

The research raises some thought-provoking points. By definition, a tagline represents the brand’s foundational value point(s). That being said, if you’re not revamping your entire brand/values/platform, why change the messaging? Brands spend millions establishing brand identity. Great care must be taken when tweaking messages–anything less than consistent leaves room for questions and may cause audiences to think twice when making a purchase decision.

A deliberate “message recast” in an effort to strengthen loyalty (a.k.a. sell product) can open the door for backlash – customer confusion, fear and disturbance. Modifying your tag with the launch of every new marketing campaign indeed sends a NEW message, but moreover it is a mixed message. No matter how clever, a new tagline can’t compensate for a lack of brand confidence.

This is the chance you take.

You Are Your Tagline

Riding an industry trend is one thing, but flipping your tag with the seasons is another.

You should also be aware of what messaging is being used within your industry. Interbrand’s Paola Norambuena, along with Brand Channel, also commented on this study and emphasized the importance of avoiding overuse and repetition: e.g. Wal-Mart (”Save Money. Live Better”)  and Target (”Expect More. Pay Less”).

So, hang onto those taglines, unless you’re ready to pump some serious resources into a rebrand.
As for “Future”, “Imagine” and “Believe”? I don’t know guys, I’m just not that into it.

Hat tip to @Siegalgale

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Words That Matter Most in ‘09

Shock, awe and heartache?! How will this roll out? There is no doubt that any brand with a solid online presence, participation and edge will be the ones duking it out. What makes this so exciting for us at FYB is how contests like this provide proof for big brands still caught up in thinking no one is talking about them.

via

With categories like best Brand/Startup/Company/Agency, Best Social Media Agency, Best Use of Facebook and Best Use of Twitter,  the #openwebawards is sure to be a heated dispute. Mashable has made it clear that the winners are up to the people to reveal who is most deserving of category crowns – and by integrating the voting process with twitter and facebook it is ridiculously easy for us to nominate (now) and vote (next week).

Nominations can still be submitted for a few more days but Mashable has reported some leaders in the pack – some front runners in the Best Brand Use of Twitter category:

• @TrueBloodHBO
• Crayola Creativitycast
• @NHLBlackhawks
• @LiveLifeSolid
• @Philips_vs
• @140hours
• #socialmedia
• @Smartcares
• @Digsby
• @KiWeets

Voting kicks off on Nov 18. – Dec. 13, winners announced on Dec. 15 – make sure you vote!

Come on brands, this is like “peek-a-boo”. You don’t think we notice, but we’re right here watching.

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Vote Best Brands in 09: #openwebawards

Starting this week, and every Friday from here to forever, Fuel Your Branding will be featuring ‘Brand Spanking’–a smattering of happenings in the fairy tale land of branding. We’ll be taking a look at the week in review with regard to product launches, rebrands, brand buzz and branding movers and shakers. Send your brand sightings and brand spanking news to editor@fuelyourbranding.com if you spot something we should know about. Now onto the news.

Ok. The auto industry. Last week we posted about Cadillac’s shiny new logo. It’s been said more than once that we (@bethlapierre + @lisakribs) are mildly obsessed with advertising. But I have to be honest.  I really do get that excited feeling in my belly when Phoenix’s “1901″ comes blasting through in HD.

Chrysler

Rumor has it Chrylser is now preparing to dive into a new 5 year strategy for the brand – via MediaBistro tip!

image via mediabistro.com

Dodge is also expected to receive a brand facelift. More to come.

Motorola’s Droid

…has been making crazy waves the past few weeks. Yesterday Droid hit the market. We’ll have a full review of the launch up shortly.

Controversy a plenty!

AT&T sues Verizon in a downright fist fight of phone carriers:

Via the LA Times: “We’re getting this out of the way now: Motorola’s Droid is the best Google phone on the market.”

Pfizer

image via adam_d

The strongest player in the pharmaceutical company (thank you Viagra) is in the process of releasing a new, more approachable look/feel. Initially the update seems subtle, but after the first few glances, the oblique wordmark by the designer’s @ Siegel + Gale seem to really help…to quote every client I’ve ever worked with….’make it pop’.

You can see the side by side comparison at Bnet.

MSN msn

And msn’s new butterfly:

via istaredsomething.com

That’s a wrap! Any brand newstuff  you guys are seeing out there?

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Brand Spanking [11.06.09]

We’re going to ogle three brands that took some dangerous risks in 2009.  They each generated a ton of positive buzz, but even more criticism.  It should be noted that besides their detractors, the following campaigns were almost universally supported by their intended audiences – and as a result should be applauded for their efforts.

Volskwagen Real Racing GTI iPhone app (10.09)

What the people who mattered had to say: @thirtytwofeet “the vw gti app is great fun. i’m going to buy the full version – game and car. it’s ‘everyone’s a winner ‘advertising. Awesome”

The risk that they took:

Went straight to iPhone.  VW Golf’s young male techy audience likely spends a disproportionate time playing games and with their smart phones versus watching television.  VW decided to forgo the traditional TV buy for their new GTI launch and focus on showcasing the vehicle through a customized version of an already-popular paid iPhone racing game.  Upon download players are entered to win one of six suped-up GTIs as they play.  There is also a showroom in the game where they can get a close-up look at the redesigned auto.

What they could’ve done better:

Take it beyond the iPhone racing game. Real Racing GTI limits users to a racetrack where speed is the only objective.  There is certainly room to showcase the other vehicle features that matter in other iPhone apps.  Where else is this audience talking about and drooling over cars?  In their own cars? Why not create an augmented reality app that can transform someone’s current car into a new GTI?  VW can also benefit by highlighting the real-life experience of the vehicle – from the plush interior to the Euro suspension. Maybe integrate into an app that highlights European fashion and luxury – like Gilt Groupe?

Takeaway:

Simple, non-pigeonholed ideas can propel a digital-only launch.  Where mass market buys are too inefficient or have too high a barrier of entry, highly targeted digital activations will always work.  It’s important to not create an app for the sake of it, but to add value and be super-specific in messaging.

Burger King Whopper Sacrifice (01.09)

What the people who mattered had to say: Rajesh Shetty “It was a brilliant campaign where you win if you win and win if you fail”

The risk that they took:

Burger King enabled their consumers to wreak havoc on Facebook.  A more dated but still relevant case study, BK allowed Facebook users to sacrifice 10 of their friends in exchange for a Whopper.  In this hilarious take on the true value of social networking “friendships,” Burger King enabled their consumers to prioritize a delicious burger over a purely digital distant relationship.

What they could’ve done better:

Work closer with Facebook to avoid getting pulled.  The application was discontinued in less than a week due to supposed violation of Facebook’s privacy policy that forbids a user to be notified when they’ve been defriended.  Nearly a quarter-million friendships were sacrificed for a Whopper in this manner, fueling Burger King’s viral branding fire.

Takeaway:

Brands often get caught up in the desire to satisfy everyone without offending anyone – a task proven impossible since the dawn of man (though promised by most politicians). Our consumers are smarter, more intelligent and cynical than we give them credit for.  They can appreciate when a brand is real enough to aid them in their personal guilty/evil pleasures.  In the game of branding, success can be found in helping our consumers offend each other, rather than please.

Amp “B4 U Score” iPhone app (10.9)

Credit: Wall Street Journal

What the people who mattered had to say: @thelifeofnate “I don’t know what’s worse. That people take time to complain about this stuff or that Pepsi rolled over.”

The risk that they took:

Help men fulfill their carnal desires.  Amp Energy solidified their stature amongst Maxim-reading, Axe-wielding males 18-24 by creating an iPhone app that provided these guys scoring tips for 2 dozen lady types – from Cougar to Rebound Girl to Twins.  They introduced witty/cheesy pickup lines along with bits of conversational knowledge that could aid in conquest.  There was even a feature to “brag” to your friends about the whole experience.  It essentially was a male/iPhone version of Cosmo’s monthly “195 Ways to Please Your Man”.

What they could’ve done better:

Stuck to their guns and not pull it down.  None of Amp’s intended male target asked for the app to be taken down from the app store (which also happened within a week of launch, like the Burger King case above).  If Pepsi had the guts to set this dating application for men live, they should’ve defended it all the way through.  Instead they yielded to external pressure and apologized for something that they shouldn’t have been sorry for.

Takeaway:

If you’re going to be badass, stay badass ‘til the end.  The second you waiver, your authenticity is called into question.  Obviously you need to keep concern for your shareholders and the halo effect on the other brands in your portfolio – but not at the risk of diluting a powerful and effective branding message.  It is totally possible to surprise and delight your target audience while offending everybody else just enough to avoid protest marches outside of your corporate headquarters.

Its fairly safe to declare each of these risky executions as brand winners – they all strived to become not just the subject, but part of the conversation.  To do so they talked with and enabled their youngish male audiences – instead of simply talking like them and pissing them off (see “Poochie”, The Simpsons 1997).

As our brands evolve in the social media space, we must peel off the white gloves.  If we’re already convinced we’ve been risky and bold, we should examine the criticism we’ve received.  If there is none, then I think we we’ve played it too safe.  Let’s all take risks like Burger King, Volkswagen and Amp as we position our brands as something quite the opposite of lame.

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Brands With Balls: Taking Risks Pays Off

Verizon’s first Android phone, Droid, will enter the marketplace on November 6th. Boy Genius has a nice preview if your looking for specs. With minimal effort, Motorola’s Droid has neatly positioned itself as the ‘anti-iPhone’ with its new iDon’t campaign spot.

Pulling directly from Apple’s Brand Styleguides, Verizon uses iPhone typography and music to make the following points:

• iDon’t have a real keyboard
• iDon’t run simultaneous apps
• iDon’t take 5 megapixel pictures
• iDon’t customize
• iDon’t run widgets
• iDon’t allow open development
• iDon’t take pictures in the dark
• iDon’t have interchangeable batteries

At the end of the spot, the copy “Everything iDon’t” fades out and is replaced by ‘DROID DOES’. That’s all, except for two incredibly vague details– “November” and “DroidDoes.com“.

If you head over to the website, you’ll find yet another teaser and a damn form. Enter your email and ANOTHER form pops open asking to you enter name, zip and phone. Ugh.

Seconds later I received my much anticipated follow up email. Much to my dismay…another teaser.

Now, perhaps Verizon is playing up my curiosity, but that’s it? No cool game? Not even a video? Maybe some sweet copy? Nope. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Guess I’ll have to wait with the rest of the suckers who dropped their email.

The guys over at Phandroid gave us a heads up on October 21st, saying that Verizon is holding an invite only press event on October 28th. FYB will be keeping an eye out for pub stunts for sure.

What do you think of the campaign? Does it work?

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And…Droid?

Interbrand indicates that the big theme this year is ‘trust’, I beg to differ. Branding has always been about building trust. Look at any ad from the 50s– ‘Trust Ovaltine to keep your family happy!” or “Chevy, buy from someone you trust” or “Acme, the name you can trust”.  Today, we’re taking it one step further. If you want me to trust your brand, you’ve got to be transparent. The difference between then and now is transparency. Chevy can promise a reliable car to earn trust, but you can better believe if it’s a lemon, people are going to hear about it. Back then, board meetings took place behind locked doors. Innovations were top secret. Today, you better practice what you preach and you better be honest.

The game has changed thanks to the Internet–the power is now back in the hands of the people. Big CMOs and agencies are complaining about shrinking budgets. Ironically, they aren’t needed anymore. You no longer have to spend a few hundred million to get your brand in front of the public. We, as brand strategists and creatives, have to be both increasingly creative and transparent. Big brands beware, this marks the beginning of change in how we evaluate brand value and how consumers choose brands.

Now, back to the results.

Coca-Cola remains as the number one global brand with a value of $68,734 (m). The big news this year is that brand darling Apple has broken the top 20 with a brand value increase of 12% to $15,433 (m) and its rival, Microsoft, saw 2009 as the first year of decline in value. Banks and autos are down (big surprise) and innovation and sustainability are up.

Interbrand’s methodology is pretty straightforward. The candidates are evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Publicly available financial data

2. 1/3 of the brand’s revenues must come from outside its country of origin

3. The brand must play a significant role in the customers’ purchase decision

4. The Economic Value Added must be positive

5. The brand must have broad public awareness

Source: Interbrand.com

Interbrand’s Top 100

Source: Interbrand.com

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Best Global Brands 2009

via idsgn.org

Take a peek at a few new logos and rebrands launched during the tail end of 09. Some more inspiring than others, but nonetheless something fresh from the branding block.

I have to hand it to Kayak, for their incredible rebrand and logo. Plaid, the agency responsible for the strategy behind the new look, has created a display flap/Grand Central Station theme that Kayak will tease and play off over time.

Kayak Rebrand

Youtube & Google, “1bn Served Daily”

It’s been three years since Google bought YouTube. This week the new ‘1bn served’ tag and icon were unveiled in celebration of the anniversary.

XL

YouTube also launched  YouTubeXL. Not a spankin’ new headline, but it’s quiet release flew under the radar. Purposeful or not, optimized YouTube on TV sounds dangerously addictive. Hulu is bad enough.

Nickelodeon Rebrand

Coming from a 90’s kid, this feels like the end of an era. Nickelodeon made news of the rebrand earlier this year and has recently started rolling out the new look. Part of their motive was to bring all elements of the network together: NickJr., Nick@Nite, Teen Nick and Nick Toons.

Nick@Nite’s transition has been more subtle, but it too has received the new brand skin, as well as the other sub brands.

Then

via retrojunk.com

Now

Hilton

Still getting acquainted with Holiday Inn’s rebrand, we now have Hilton’s new look:

Hertz

Hertz decided they needed a bit of a facelift and ditched the massive drop shadow and oblique text, opting for a simpler, more straightforward look.

Cadillac

Caddie’s been targeting both gamers and ladies for the past few years. Guess they decided this depth also called for a more web 2.0 logo.

What do you think? Did these big brands move in a direction that compliments or hurts?

Perhaps we’ll get a few more rebrands in before the end of the year, stay tuned.

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New Logos On The Block

The guys over at BrandStack are having some good fun with their newest contest; Brand Murder. Designers and creatives this is your chance to let it out and show ‘em what you would do.

(via izarbeitza)

So here’s the deal, if you’ve got a fresh concept for any of the following Mega Brands–Apple, AT&T, Best Buy, Kraft Foods, Microsoft, NBA, Nike, Nintendo, Pepsi or Starbucks–murder it, and it could make you a winner.

Head over to Brand Murder, upload your designs and you could win some serious loot (Grand Prize: MacBook Pro).

Apple seems to have the most submissions in the gallery thus far.

Contest ends October 21st so get moving!

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Let’s Play…”Murder That Brand”!