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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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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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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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2009 has been quite an interesting year for rebranding. “Nothing else is working, let’s redo the logo!” But oddly enough, some companies did it twice.

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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Successful brand development rests upon achieving a thoughtful balance between optimizing the objective and subjective attributes of a brand.  When making the decision to purchase an iPhone versus BlackBerry, for instance, consumers are considering objective attributes – such as picture quality, compatibility with other media components, and the communication features available.

In addition to these factors, though, the purchaser will also make subjective judgments about the products before them.  What is the reputation of Apple versus BlackBerry?  What will it say about me if I am carrying an iPhone?  Would I prefer to type emails on a touch-screen or a standard keypad?

Brands that are able to capitalize on both subjective and objective criteria are subsequently able to create value for its target market. Often, this effort involves shifting the perception of a brand within the marketplace.

The role of the brand consultant is to identify the brand’s attributes and present them in a way that speaks to the target market and shapes their response to the product or service.

There are three commonly used approaches:

Change consumer beliefs

This is of particular importance when there are, or could be, negative associations with a product or brand.  Take the iPhone, for example.  When originally introduced into the market, the iPhone was cutting edge, unique technology.  Had Apple simply dumped the product into the marketplace without proper advertising showing how easy it is to use, and how it is similar to other technology consumers were already familiar with, it could have been rejected.

Perception is reality when it comes to brands.  You must shape your message to respond to your target market’s actual, and potential, concerns if they might negatively affect your brand’s place in the field.

Change what’s important

Before the iPhone, how many of us sat around thinking that our lives would improve immensely if only we were able to watch full-length films on our mobile phones?  Exactly.

Consumers are responding to various levels of need when they are making buying decisions for products and services.  They are accounting for everything from the basic necessities of food and water, to the need for social interaction, to the ultimate need to be self-fulfilled.

If a brand is able to respond to an existing opening in the market (meeting an unfulfilled need) or, better yet, to create a need in the market, it is well on its way to success.

Add a new attribute

In response to the new Apple-created need for multi-media capabilities in a mobile phone, those who distributed media began to create new ways to reach this opened market.  Thus, online news and media providers like the New York Times, YouTube, and others began to tout their web pages as easily-viewable on the iPhone and other handheld devices.

Adding new attributes to existing products and services can refresh a brand and give it renewed relevance in the marketplace.  As a consultant, when you recognize a differentiating feature in the brand you are developing; move quickly to capitalize on it and make it known to the consumer.  Draw attention to the fact that you have recognized a new way to add value to their experience of the brand.

What are your experiences with shifting consumer attitudes? How have you responded?

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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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If you haven’t heard the @mashable #openwebawards is gearing up.  We at FYB are excited to see how the chips fall for the brands with balls and those that took big leaps and bounds with social media.

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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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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If you are a city dweller, market research firm Yankelovich estimates you will see up to 5,000 brand messages a day.  How many of those will you remember?  How many of them will actually impact you?   How do you go about growing that proverbial set, taking those taboo actions and getting your message through impermeable skulls?

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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Who didn’t see this coming? Apple moving mainstream? Check. Tastemakers want new and shiny? Check. Verizon goes all indie to get some street cred? Check.

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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Photo credit: Geekologie

If you are in business, you are offering a product.  Whether you’re selling sneakers or your accounting skills, your customers are shelling out money in return for whatever it is you have to offer.  In order to succeed, you need to understand the myriad ways you could fail.  Pitfalls to avoid:

1.  You’re just like the other guy

In order to be a ‘contenduh’ (to paraphrase a famous film), you have to differentiate yourself from all of the other people who do what you do.  Your product needs to have a unique benefit to the customer.  There may be plenty of t-shirt companies online, but how many offer professionally-designed graphic tees for toddler athletes and their supportive parents?

2. Your product is [this] but might also be [that]

Your personal trainer is not the only person who will tell you that you need definition.  Your brand consultant will echo this sentiment.  Without a clearly defined protocol, you could waste valuable time and money trying to develop an ill-formed product idea.  Your protocol should define: a) your target market; b) what that market needs and prefers; and c) exactly what your product is intended to do.

3. You over-defined

And you took your protocol to the extreme.  Your target market should be large enough to offer future growth.  You want a niche, not a pigeon-hole.  Don’t make all of your toddler tees red.

4. Your marketing mix isn’t mixing

When you launch a product, every aspect of the brand must be in sync.  The name, packaging, price, promotion, and distribution must all deliver the same clear and concise message to the consumer.  If your toddler tees are expensive, but are packaged in Ziploc-esque bags, and advertised in Car and Driver…your customer will be confused and look for another t-shirt company.

5. Your product doesn’t deliver

Key to securing your customer base is delivering on the promises you – and your product – make.  Thus, be sure you invest the time and resources necessary to test your product prior to launch.  Simply put:  the cost of doing a thorough run-through is much less than the capital you will lose due to decreases in profits, market share, and, most importantly, reputation if your product fails after it hits the market.

6. Your missed your targets needs

This goes hand-in-hand with understanding your target market before attempting to develop your product. If your targeted toddlers play soccer in Alaska, you should probably offer them long-sleeve tees as an option.

7. Your timing is off

It’s difficult to predict the future, but it helps to be ahead of the curve (or at least on the upswing of a trend).  Having to catch up to the competition right out of the gate will be a downer.  Pay attention to trends in the marketplace and try to predict where things are headed.  For instance, now might be a good time to start developing software to help people figure out what kind of healthcare insurance they will have to buy in 2013.* *Comments noted here do not reflect the views of Fuel Your Branding or its affiliates

8. You can’t get your product to your customers

If you rely on a third-party for access to your customers, know what it takes to make that happen.  In retail environments, for example, your product must be profitable enough to the store owner to justify taking up valuable shelf space.  In this instance, you must be sensitive to the needs of the retailer, as well as your customers.  Hence, make sure you are targeting the right mix of both.

Partial as this list is, there are lots of ways to screw up your business.  Thoughtful research and preparation can increase your chances of success exponentially.

What are your thoughts?  Have you failed recently or have a “crash and burn” example? Please share – we’re all in this together!

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Well…the results are in. Interbrand has announced 2009’s ‘Best Global Brands‘.

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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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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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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Henrique Penha is tough to get in touch with, and for good reason. As the Director of Experience Design at Skype, he’s responsible for making sure Skype looks and sounds like, well…Skype. Experience design means he’s involved with the way audiences experience the Skype brand, from interface design, colors and imagery to internal communications, t-shirts and even the Skype office. Prior to Skype, Henrique was a Senior Designer at Modernista! and freelanced for a number of big time agencies like Mullen, OgilvyOne and McCann-Erickson.

I couldn’t wait to ask Henrique some questions about one of today’s coolest brands.

Who makes up the Skype branding/creative department?

Our Experience Design team looks after the entire spectrum of the Skype experience. We look after everything from researching and designing our products on a variety of platforms (Skype for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and more) to everything that encompasses the Skype brand (from our website to our TV advertisements). It’s about looking after our products, which ultimately constitutes the essence of our brand. The team is an eclectic mix of researchers, designers (interactive and visual), art directors and copywriters.

Who is responsible for Skype brand management?

The responsibility for Skype’s brand identity lives within the Creative Team (part of the Experience Design team). There’s also shared responsibility from a brand strategy standpoint with Skype’s Marketing team and our creative agency as well.

What are the brand values on which Skype was founded and how do you reflect them in your verbal and visual communication?

Skype has always been about enabling the world’s conversations. Our basic value proposition was around ‘calling people for free’, and that’s where it all started. In the early days it wasn’t possible to use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobile, make free video calls, send instant messages or SMS, or even share files.  Over time these enhancements have added incredible value, and as millions of individuals and businesses use these features everyday, they have become core to the Skype experience, allowing people around the world find new ways to connect with each another.

Our goal has always been to break the mold, remove the barriers to communication and to disrupt what the traditional industry was doing.  Our product is our brand. Both are helped by the fact that Skype is a viral product.

We reflect that in our communication by having a human tone of voice that tries to make technology, and the benefits of that technology, easy to understand. We’re approachable and straightforward and fundamentally try to design our products and brand to avoid the fine print and technological jargon.

How has the Skype brand evolved over time?

A brand is never static, and Skype is no exception. As our company grows and our user base moves beyond early adopters, we’re on a journey from the functional to the emotional. The fundamentals haven’t changed. The tone is still the same, but over time we have sophisticated the building blocks that constitute our vocabulary. We started with simple colours and illustrations. Then we introduced photography, clouds and rainbows, and new ways to coordinate our products. It’s a geometric chaos, but with some order to it.

What have been the biggest challenges with regard to branding?

Our challenge has always been one of scale. Even with over 480 million registered users, we’re still a young and fast growing company. We’ve tried to be smart about setting a foundation in place that helps guide us and our partners. This way the viral component of Skype plays itself effectively, but still stays true to what our values are.

How do you manage affiliates or partners and maintain your unique identity?

We have different levels of engagement depending on the partner. Sometimes, we collaborate very closely with a number

of our strategic partners. In other cases, we provide a toolset for them to operate with. Our brand and partner guidelines are at the heart of it all. It’s a great framework for people to understand our values and deploy them consistently across all initiatives.

What would you recommend as key tools, processes or policies that have helped you build the Skype brand?

It’s ultimately about creating a great product. If you do that, everything else follows. We focus a tremendous amount of energy on the overall experience of Skype, from call and video quality, to the fact that there’s nothing to configure (i.e. firewalls), to the UI – be it on Windows, Mac or mobile phones. We still have plenty of work to do to improve the experience, but we are on the right track. As I’ve said before, our product is our brand, and our brand is our product.
We also treat all of our design and creative partners as members of Skype’s design team. Design is a very collaborative but fragile process, and we’re very keen on protecting that, even with our agencies.

What does internal branding mean at Skype?

Skype takes the role of design seriously, as we are one of the only teams in the organisation that touch the entire business. You can see a bunch of our work out there, but we’re also involved in everything internally. From communications to designing presentations, making t-shirts for the teams, and even looking at the best way to design our offices. We try to always be involved in the conversation, preferably from the beginning. Design isn’t about aesthetics, it’s about how things work. Our business has a distinct culture, and being design-led, we are always thinking of problems we should be solving for people in relation to their communication needs.

What does a typical day look like?

For me, it’s always making sure the design team, as well as our partner creative and design agencies have the right space to operate. If I can create a space where design and creativity can take place, then the rest takes care of itself. It’s ultimately about the balance between creativity and business, and a typical day reflects that. From reviewing design work with the different teams and agencies to understanding the business needs and initiatives and helping prioritize and articulate the best course of action for any given initiative. We’re obsessed with process, it’s at the heart of good design. A lot of times great stuff happens when you’re sharing a slice of pizza with some team members and talking about a problem. We make sure our space caters well to those “lucky encounters” too.

What tips would you share with others trying to build brands?

Be generous as a brand. Everybody wins.

How is Skype approaching social media?

Skype has always lived in the social web – our earliest adopters spread the word about Skype in their blogs and in forums, and that continues to this day. Skype’s own blogs have tens of thousands of subscribers, and we stay in touch with hundreds of thousands of our fans on Facebook and Twitter too.

The objective is simple – to reach our users wherever they are on the web.But it’s not just about telling the world – we get involved in conversations around the web (whether in blog comments, on Twitter, in forums or elsewhere) to answer our users’ questions, solve their problems and gather opinions about our products. Those conversations are fed straight back into our product development process, helping us to make Skype even better.

Skype’s brand is super fun and playful. Check it out for yourself.

Skype’s Brand Book has two parts–’How We Look’ + ‘How We Think’–and is a piece of art in itself. A must-have for any good identity collection.

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