Brand Champions

Brand Passion and Presidential Candidates in Denver

Last night I had the pleasure of presenting to a great group of students in a branding class at the University of Denver. It was an interesting day in the sense that earlier that morning Barack Obama spoke to a group on campus, and following me, in the next building, former President Clinton spoke in support of Hillary Clinton. I told the class that President Clinton had a tough act to follow!

We started class by asking each person to introduce themselves and tell us what their passion is. Each student had an immediate response. That led to a dialogue about the passion the remaining candidates do or do not have about assuming the role of President of the United States.

We then talked about the passion that employees and consumers have about various companies. That passion, or lack there of, is often the primary reason why companies, or individuals, succeed or fail. We looked at companies like Harley- Davidson and Southwest Airlines. If, I am not mistaken,the #1 tattooed brand logo is Harley-Davidson. Now that is passion!

Speaking of Presidential candidates, The January 27, 2008 of the Boston Globe features a fresh story on the role typography plays in the logos of each candidate. Since the story ran, there are a few less logos in the field. As we often discuss in the brand champion world, a brand is not a logo, but what the logo stands for. Do you understand what your brand stands for and why are you passionate about your brand?

Chief Executive Brands

Yesterday I commented that a growing number of presidents and chief executives, even those in the education market, have blogs. As a follow up, I thought it would be important to look at this subject even further and ask the question, how closely aligned is your organization's brand with that of your chief executive?

Outside of Donald Trump and Richard Branson, I can't think of too many examples where the brand of the organization and the brand of the chief executive are one in the same, and works. If the identity of your organization is too closely tied to your chief executive, your organization might be in trouble when he or she leaves.

A few days ago I wrote about the identity of the Winter X Games. In many respects the identity of that festival is tied to Shaun White. When he wins, like he did this year, that is a good thing. What happens to the Winter X Games when Shaun decides to move on?

How does a brand champion ensure that the image and reputation of his or her organization is not too closely aligned with the chief executive?

President's Blog Enhances Brand

This morning in University Business, there appears a story from Grace E. Merritt of courant.com on the growing number of college and university President's who blog. She indicates that approximately 30 in North America have discovered the importance of blogs. Included in the story is a review of President Michael Hogan's blog. Hogan is the new head of the University of  Connecticut. After reading the story, I went to his blog. It is great.

Blogs can be an effective tool for audiences to get to know the leadership of an organization, and to help enhance a brand, even in tough times. Last week I posted a few comments about Whole Foods and how their CEO's blog supports the Whole Foods brand. In Naked Conversations, authors Robert Scoble and Shel Israel discuss the role blogs played in helping Microsoft during tough times in the past.

Does your President or CEO have a blog, and how effective is it in aligning your internal culture with your external reputation? I know the head of my company has a blog!

Happy Golden Anniversay LEGO!

Anyone who has clicked on Google today noticed the letters constructed out of LEGO bricks. That is because the LEGO brick turns 50. As stated on LEGO's website, "Children all over the world have played with LEGO bricks for the past 50 years, and LEGO is still right at the top of many wish lists- just as it always has been." It is at or near the top of the brands organizations envy too.

Did you know that there are over 2,400 brick shapes, each produced with meticulous precision so that they fit properly together. LEGO bricks that are not solid are then melted again and turned into new bricks, in accordance with environmental standards. In addition to environmental responsibility, other core values center on family and learning outcomes.

I always marvel at the success of LEGO and how is has stood the test of time. I believe the primary reason is because LEGO lives its brand attributes and has not strayed from its core values. This Danish-based organization is one that organizations around the world can learn from and one that brand champions can model.

Has your organization lasted 50 or more years, why?

Winter X Games- Mainstream Brand?

If memory serves me correct, the original Winter X Games concept was the invention of ESPN to develop a new market of viewers, Generation X. Am I right about that? Well, the success is obvious since Winter X Games is currently celebrating its 12th anniversary, this year in Aspen, Colorado.

If my memory is correct, and since many of the sports that comprise the Winter X Games are now in the Olympics and becoming mainstream, are the Winter X Games in need of a makeover? On the one hand, one could argue that with sponsors like Red Bull and Zune, why would the Winter X Games want to change anything? On the other hand, has the Winter X Games gone mainstream and at risk of loosing its original core audience?

What is your advice for the future of the Winter X Games?

Leveraging Mascots to Build (or not) Our Brands

Have you recently seen a person like this holding a sign on a corner near you? I have more than I want to. Each time I see one of these people I ask myself the same questions. Who's job is it to create these characters? Does the person have to sew their own costume the night before? Does this strategy ever work? I can't help but think most often these approaches to brand development, dilute, rather than enhance an organization's brand. Even those organizations, with storied histories, like colleges and universities, often are scrutinized for how they leverage their mascots and school names.

Last week I read a comprehensive story by Erin Strout in The Chronicle of Higher Education, entitled Alumni Credit Cards Offer Rewards to Stem Decline in Use. The story references an industry study that estimates 60 million consumers have approximately 320 million affinity credit cards worth $849 billion in transactions. Wow, no wonder the Bush administration needed to establish the financial literacy program last week! Many of these cards have school logos and team mascots on them, with royalties going back to school alumni associations.

What are some strategies that you have witnessed that can help organizations to more effectively leverage their mascots?

Cable TV, Denim and School Brands Align

A few days ago I wrote about co-branding between a school and two businesses, and how recent securities infraction issues might challenge that arrangement. This past Wednesday I discovered a branding agreement between another school and two other businesses. I think this newly discovered one makes sense and appears to be in alignment.

For most of my life I have been a champion of the Levi's brand, so this week's edition of Project Runway caught my attention. For those of you who do not know, Project Runway is a reality show on Bravo TV that pits fashion designer's against each other in weekly competitions. Or as host Heidi Klum says, "One day you're in, and the next day, you're out." The competition takes place at Parsons The New School For Design.

This week the designers were charged with the task of creating a denim garment out of used jeans, jackets, shirts and other Levi's materials. I think appearing on Project Runway is an interesting strategy and one that can help stimulate the Levi's brand. Having hip designers create edgy garments at a design school, on a hit show, is a bold move and appears to benefit all three brands. Check out the 501 Design Challenge link on the Levi's homepage, especially you designers and illustrators.

What advice do you have for Bravo TV, Levi's or Parsons The New School For Design that can further enhance their respective brands? 

Whole Foods Brings Core Values to Life

Yesterday I read in the The Denver Post that Whole Foods Market will "bag" their current plastic shopper bags by Earth Day. Their website already is recommending that customers make use of reusable bags. This decision brings to life one of Whole Food's core values, Caring About Our Communities and Our Environment." For those of you who have shopped and eaten at Whole Foods, you have probably seen their core values listed on walls within their stores. I love the idea of being that transparent.

You might recall that CEO John Mackey was challenged last year when it appeared that he may not have been so transparent when commenting on blogs about the proposed merger with Wild Oats. I don't know the details, so it would be inappropriate to comment on that situation. However, I do know that you can go to the Whole Foods website and read and comment on Mr. Mackey's blog in full view.

Is your organization so bold as to list your core values in plain sight for your customers and risk showing the world how well your employees do or do not deliver on your brand promise? How many of your employees even know what your organization's core values are?

A Nose For Multi-Sensory Branding

A recent conversation reminded me of when this concept crossed my radar screen a few years ago while attending a multi-sensory branding symposium in Berlin, led by branding guru, Martin Lindstrom. Some of you may have read his most recent book, BRAND sense. If I recall correctly, the research cited in the book and symposium indicates that approximately 80 percent of our brand strategies focus on what we see and hear.

What we touch, taste and smell, the other 20 percent, is actually what we remember. I think there is a tremendous opportunity for us to provide memorable brand experiences for our employees and our customers by expanding our brand strategies to include all five senses. I remember when I was working at a University here in the States, we discussed the need to plant flowers that had a strong fragrance, so that when prospective families were touring the campus and the next time they smelled those same flowers at a later date somewhere else, they would recall their visit to our school. We discussed utilizing unique paper stock for collateral materials so that when a prospect got an avalanche of mail from other schools, ours might feel different. 

While in Berlin, I met the managing partner of audio consulting group from Hamburg, experts in acoustic branding. I encourage you to visit their website and hear how they have incorporated sound into the user experience on their website. I am interested to hear your experiences in multi-sensory branding, especially with touch, taste and smell. It appears that the 80/20 rule applies here too. We spend 80 percent of our branding efforts focused on those senses that have the least effect in creating memorable brand experiences, and 20 percent on those senses that provide the most memorable brand experiences. What do you think?

Brand Champions Mark and Recognition

As you know, one of the goals of the BrandED consultants group and this blog is to engage with fellow brand champions like U. In our continued quest to identify and recognize brand champions, and to create a visual representation for our brand champions network, we have created this mark.

We have produced a lapel pin with mark on it that can certify and reward brand champions. Some of you from all over the world recently were mailed a lapel pin, which I hope you will proudly wear and encourage others to engage in this site's dialogue on image and reputation.

Please contact me if you know of a brand champion that is worthy of joining our network and I will be make sure they get a lapel pin.