Brand Champions

Brand Champion of the Day, Roger Federer, Wimbledon Victor

On Mondays and Fridays I highlight someone or some organization that understands what it means to be a brand champion. Last Friday, William L. Weaver, Associate Professor from La Salle University shared his wonderful insights on what it means to be a brand champion of his institution of higher learning. When I am unable to connect with someone to share their words, I provide my own. My instincts told me that it would be a futile attempt to get Roger Federer to be a guest blogger today.

After last year's marathon men's final at Wimbledon I featured Rafa Nadal as the Brand Champion of the Day. That event signified for many a passing of the torch from Roger Federer to Nadal, and the greatest event in tennis history. My how things can change in one year. The champ from Spain had to sit out this year's tournament because of injury, and Andy Roddick from the USA enters the picture to make last year look like a walk in the park.

As an American I was rooting for Andy to win, but a part of me, a big part of me, was hoping that Roger would win. By so doing Federer achieved the magic number of 15 grand slam tennis championships and now officially sits atop of the all-time list of great champions. In my view at the top of the world of sport. When I think of the Roger Federer brand, words like class, grace, humility, intelligence, and many others come to mind. Those attributes very much align with the Swiss and Wimbledon brands. It is easy to become a champion of any or all three of those brands. Which of course I am!

For all he has accomplished, Roger Federer is the Brand Champion of the Day!

Education Brands Should Embrace Mobile Marketing

Over the course of the past few months I have thought a great deal about this idea, and have shared my views with anyone who will listen. As an education brand consultant, I work closely with colleges, universities, K-12 school systems and other organizations with an education mission. My primary role is to develop and implement a brand strategy that aligns the organization's internal culture and external reputation.

As part of that brand development process it is important to assess current and future communications channels so that the brand strategy can be delivered effectively to internal and external audiences. For schools these audiences include prospective and current students, prospective and current employees, alumni, donors and others. Since most people utilize mobile devices for communicating via text, email and phone, doesn't it make sense to deliver your brand message that way?

When we hear or see the words mobile marketing, we tend to think about an ad being pushed on us. That is not what mobile marketing is all about. Mobile marketing is about allowing your prospective and current customers with the option of communicating with you by mobile, especially text messaging. Once students and others realize the value of mobile as a business resource, and when schools realize that students and others are ok with mobile as a way to update them, mobile marketing is going to explode.

When people realize that branding is not advertising, and when they realize mobile marketing is not advertising (a concept most people don't like), then the connection between brand and mobile marketing is going to allow organizations to more effectively recruit and retain their brand champions. Are you aware of how much time school age people spend texting? Shouldn't your brand be in that space?

Brand Champions Share Their Perspectives on Independence Day

For those of you in the United States and for many of those you abroad, you probably know that today is the anniversary of the date that the USA gained its Independence in 1776. This is a day that many celebrate all the reasons that they believe in the United States. Today is also a date that many reflect on the past and access the present.

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the weekly airing of Your Brand Radio. Three weeks ago I was a guest on the show and have been a fan before and after that day. The show highlights topics and people related to brand. The topic this week was July 4 in the United States. Those in the audience and those listening around the world were invited to comment on what July 4 in the USA means to them.

Most of the guests talked about their favorite July 4 memories, others talked about historic events. I shared with the audience that July 4 is a date when I reflect on the present and the many situations around the world related to the USA and how many countries are in the process of determining what freedom means to them. If you want to hear more or share your thoughts on the July 4 brand I encourage you to comment here or at Your Brand Radio website.

Interesting sidebar. Last night my neighborhood held its annual fireworks show. While listening to music through my earphones I realized that most of the play list was comprised of British musicians. The Electric Light Orchestra and Sting were particularly well choreographed to the pyrotechnics.

Brand Champion of the Day- William L. Weaver, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Science, Business and Technology, La Salle University

As many of you know, I have been working with La Salle University for the past year. During that time my organization, the BrandED Consultants Group has had the opportunity to help the university develop a brand platform. The brand platform is designed to ensure consistent communications, develop a culture to support the institution's mission and operationalize the University's strategic plan. We are  now working with the University to implement the brand platform throughout the campus community. In my world we call that internal branding.

For most colleges and universities, and for many businesses, internal branding is an emerging trend. Organizations are finally realizing the importance of engaging employees in the brand development process. At a university engaging the faculty is essential to the sustainability of the brand. La Salle University is one of the first institutions of higher learning to embrace a formal internal brand plan. During the brand building efforts at La Salle University I have had the pleasure of working closely with Associate Professor for Integrated Science, Business and Technology, William L. Weaver. Recently we met to discuss how best to utilize the brand platform with the opening of the University's new state-of-the-art science and technology building. After several meetings with Bill, it became evident that he should be recognized as a Brand Champion of the Day.

The following is what Bill wants to share with us today concerning his experience with the La Salle University brand initiative.

"The brand platform message works really well when I address parents of new students. They appreciate hearing a consistent message. It helps to deflate some of the anxiety they are feeling with sending one of their own off to an unknown place. I've also been able to incorporate my personal favorite theme of "Choice Management". The Choice Management theme works well here at La Salle when introducing our Core Curriculum.

"Too often folks view the "core" courses at a Liberal Arts college as random things that students have to get out of the way before getting to their major. As the Core is 60% of our curriculum, I like to present it in a different perspective. Regardless of major, the undergraduate degree represents training in art and science of "Choice Management". When I ask the incoming freshmen why they chose to go to college, they often reply "to get a better a job and make more money." I follow that up with "why would somebody pay more for a college graduate?" That often stumps them.

"We continue the discussion by exploring how important Choice Management is to an organization and depending on the level of the choice, how many other people's lives would be affected (for good or for bad) by making the choice. I then posit that the more consequential the choices, the higher paying the position. After that they are interested in hearing about Choice Management. That is where the core curriculum comes in. La Salle's core is comprised of three (3) components -- Powers, Frameworks of Scientific Understanding, and Patterns of Meaning.

"I have wrapped this discussion of our Core into the reasons to believe in La Salle University from the University brand platform:

Excellence in Teaching and Learning - Using effective methods to impart these choice making abilities to our students.

Personal Attention - Having the capacity to allow each student to make individual choices within the classroom and college experience and to learn from the benefits and disadvantages of those choices.

Sense of Community - Ability to provide our students the support to recover quickly from a poor decision and to have the confidence that support will be there if they fail.

Global Perspective - Allowing our students to study the ramifications and consequences of choices and their effect on systems outside their direct sphere of influence.

"Thanks to the brand platform, it makes it easier for us to discuss our professional choices using common vocabulary and to describe what we do to our other stakeholders in the University."

William L. Weaver
Associate Professor
Integrated Science, Business and Technology
La Salle University

Bill, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule with freshmen orientation and your move into the new science and technology building on campus. You are the epitome of a La Salle University brand champion!

Do Your Multi-Sensory Branding Efforts Smell?

That is the title of the next monthly session of the Brand Cafe in Denver. Last Monday we engaged in a dialogue about how to measure return on brand investment, and I look forward to a discussion about another emerging trend on July 27. As I have mentioned before, multi-sensory branding came onto my radar screen when I attended a symposium in Berlin led by international brand guru, Martin Lindstrom.

During that conference I learned that approximately 80 percent of marketing is focused on what we see and hear. 20 percent of marketing is devoted to the other senses, what we touch, taste and smell. Ironically, our sense of sight and sound are the least memorable. So why don't we as marketers, our organizations, our clients and our client's clients devote our resources to what people can remember?

At the next Brand Cafe we will exchange experiences and ideas about how to focus marketing efforts on what people can smell, taste and touch. Do you build your brand by incorporating all five senses with your marketing efforts, especially the sense of smell, taste and touch? Are your brand building efforts just like your competitors, devoting your resources to what we see and hear? In other words, do you spend your resources on what people don't remember? Can you recruit and retain brand champions if your brand smells?

Does the 2010 Camaro Enhance the Chevrolet Brand, and Can it Save the GM Brand?

Last weekend I came out of a restaurant where I had dinner one evening and saw a brightly colored 2010 Chevrolet Camaro like the one pictured here. My first thought was that it looked like a bigger, badder version of the Corvette. My second thought was I would look really good behind the wheel of that car. My third thought was that other people would think I was going through a mid-life crisis.

Apparently the 2010 Camaro is in the new Transformers movie where many viewers are having thoughts similar to my first two listed above. GM and Chevrolet are probably hoping that they can capture the emotion of those who are going through mid-life crisis and will make their way down to their local Chevy dealers. Are those still around? I am not the only person who has made an emotional connection with the 2010 Camaro brand as I learned from the USA Today earlier in the week. There is a wait list at many dealerships.

Can the 2010 Camaro recruit enough brand champions to save the GM brand?

Will American's Ever Embrace Futbol Brand?

Last Sunday I watched the final match between the USA and Brasil in the FIFA Confederations Cup championship in South Africa. As you probably know this was the first time the the USA has advanced to a FIFA final. During the first half of the match I started making mental notes about what I would write for yesterday's brand champion of the day post. During the second half of the match the powerhouse Brasil team botched any chance for that post to happen.

As an American I was pleased that our team made it to the finals. Like most, I have been critical of our team over the past few years. There are more young people in the USA playing the world's game of futbol than any other sport. But, we struggle to compete on the world stage. Now that there is a glimmer of hope for the USA as they travel back to South Africa next year for the Word Cup, is there also a chance that we will embrace the accurate sport brand?

Perhaps if Americans changed their thinking and embraced the word futbol rather than soccer we would have a better chance of attracting the best athletes to the sport. By embracing the brand futbol rather than soccer, young people in America (and Australia) would place a higher value on the game. If I were a young person and elite athlete today deciding on the right sport, I would much rather travel the world playing futbol in places like South Africa, than getting beat up playing American football in the USA.

Too me embracing futbol would attract more brand champions for the sport. Soccer sounds like futbol light and dilutes the brand champion enthusiasm. What do you think about the futbol brand vs. the soccer brand for the USA?

Brand Champions of the Day- Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center Inmates

On Mondays and Fridays I feature someone or some organization who understands what it means to be a brand champion. Those passionate advocates who enthusiastically support a brand. Last Friday I highlighted Meg Whitman from eBay. Others have included US President Barack Obama, Richard Branson from Virgin and others.

Today I am devoting this space to a group of people who are obviously champions of the Michael Jackson brand. As you all know the king of pop passed last Thursday. In his honor the inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines paid tribute to him by rein-acting the video from Jackson's top selling hit album Thriller. This group of over 1,500 certainly understands what it means to be a brand champion.

Brand Champions Meet to Discuss Return on Brand Investment

Once a month I facilitate a discussion on a topic related to brand at the Brand Cafe in Denver. While we have nearly 100 members, the session is limited to 20 people who engage in a dialogue that we are passionate about, brand. This month our topic is "How Do You Measure Return on Brand Investment?"

For the past several years the business world has been obsessed with return on investment (ROI). Like many concepts that create buzz, some marketers have been quick to embrace ROI because they think that by so doing others will think they are "in the know." But, most have yet to develop metrics for determining ROI.

Now comes branding, and the buzz related to it. Because this is still an emerging trend for many organizations and many marketers, return on brand investment (ROIB) is just now getting traction. Tomorrow we will talk shop and share our thoughts on this topic and the brands that we all champion at the Brand Cafe.

How Will Cause of Death Affect the Michael Jackson Brand?

While the cause of his death is officially still to be determined, it will most likely affect the Michael Jackson brand one way or another. For his loyal fans the cause of the death will probably not have any affect. For those champions of his brand, Jackson will always be remembered as one of the world's top pop stars, a king of the entertainment world and one of the most talented artists of our time.

For skeptics, if the cause of death is related to drug use, their belief that Jacko is one of the strangest cats we have ever known will be confirmed. His visual transformations, suspected molestation, draping his kids faces and other antics will forever place Michael Jackson on the long list of entertainers who met an early death. These brand inhibitors will be members of the the "I told you so" club.

What do you think the impact of his death will have on Michael Jackson's brand legacy?