Brand Champions

Brand Champions of the Day- Philadelphia Phillies

  

For the past several months I have spent a great deal of time working on a project in Philadelphia. During that time I have found the people and the city to be friendly, warm, intelligent and very passionate about what they do.

Of course sport comes up during many of the conversations. Since the past few months have coincided with the baseball season, discussions have taken place about the Philadelphia Phillies. As a result, the past few weeks I have paid close attention to the playoffs and world series. It was great to watch the team become world series champions on Wednesday night.

For their efforts and commitment to the City of Philadelphia, the Phillies are the brand champions of the day!

Brands in Recession

 

We are in a transformative time. Every day we hear about the misfortune of organizations fading away. Those that are the most likely to sustain themselves are those that have a clear understanding of who they are and what they stand for.

While it is easy to get sucked into panic mode, the best thing we can do is try to keep our heads above the strategic waters. Now it is more critical than ever to revisit our mission, vision, values and goals, and to stay true to our brand platform.

When organizations get into a panic, then it is difficult for their constituents to remain loyal and for brand champions to have a clear understanding about their role. Don't be a brand in recession.

Give Your Brand Champions the Elevator Speech

 

Does your organization have a verbal identity? When I ask that question I usually get a yes answer, or at least an I think so answer. Then I follow up with another question and ask, can you tell me your elevator speech? The answer to that question is usually no. Most organizations have limited their brand development efforts to visual executions such as logos, taglines, advertising, collateral materials, websites and other communications tools.

Those resources are obviously important and need to be in alignment. But, unless your organization generates revenue online and has a tremendous number of web visitors, I would argue that most of the communications between your organization and your internal and external constituents is through conversations.

So, if your organization does not have a well-crafted elevator speech based on data, and ties your mission, vision, values and goals, then you probably do not have a verbal identity. Without a verbal identity how can you hope to recruit and retain your brand champions?

Brand Resource

 

Often times I am asked by students and professionals to provide recommended brand resources so that they can learn more about brand development and how to apply principles and best practices to their own situation. I have utilized this space often to recommend books that I find inspiring and those that have helped me. You can see a list to your right or on my website.

I have failed to use this space to recommend what I think is one of the best online resources, and that is brandchannel.com.You can sign up for their weekly online newsletter that is filled with great articles, white papers, conference listings, brand books and other relevant resources.

If you are a true brand champion then you will want to check out this valuable resource.

Brand Champion of the Day- Inc.

 

As I was reading my latest edition of Inc. magazine I realized that I have not recognized this publication as a brand champion of the day. Each month Inc.is filled with great examples of entrepreneurs and business leaders who understand what it means to be a brand champion. For their work, it is my pleasure to recognize Inc. magazine is the brand champion of the day!

If you are looking for stories that you can learn from and be inspired by, to help you in you champion your own brand, then I suggest you check out Inc. magazine. You will gain insights from innovators that you can apply to your own situation. The stories are well written and provide the perfect companion for the airplane ride or the Sunday porch.

Thank you Inc. for being a champion of branding!

Brand Champions Meet in Chicago

 

On Monday, November 17 I will be facilitating a round table discussion on internal branding at the American Marketing Association Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education at the Marriott in Chicago. I hope those who are attending the conference and want to know more about how to engage stakeholders like faculty in the brand development process will be there.

As we know, getting buy in to branding initiatives from our internal constituents can sometimes be difficult. From my experience the only time it becomes problematic is when we do not include them in the process. Even if you just ask their opinion about the initiative you will find support. But, if you do not include them and ask for their opinion, then brand inhibitors start to come out of the woodwork.

Engagement in a dialogue about brand can be one of the most effective ways to recruit and retain brand champions. How do you engage your internal stakeholders in the brand development process?

Developing a Personal Brand Strategy to Stand Out From the Crowd

 

Today I am back in Colorado after a fantastic week of facilitating brand development workshops in Chicago and Washington, DC. This morning I am teaching a personal branding workshop at a university for adult learners. Most of the attendees are professionals who have gone back to school to get their graduate degrees.

Our session today includes an overview of organizational branding and how those same brand development principles companies use can be applied at a personal level. I am going to work with the students over the next two weeks to help them create a personal mission statement, vision statement and core values. We will then establish a personal brand platform that will help guide them in their life plan and career pursuits.

Do you have a personal brand strategy? If not, I would encourage you to do so. It is especially important in tough economic times. After all, you probably would not want your business to stop marketing itself now. If you are not going to champion your brand, who will?

Brand Champion of the Year- Red Bull

 

Several days ago I indicated that today marks the first anniversary of the Brand Champions
Blog. I also reminded our readers that every Monday and Friday I recognize a person, department or organization as the Brand Champion of the Day. Many worthy people and companies have been highlighted as a means of helping others see what it means to be a brand champion, and to reward those who get it!

The two Brand Champions of the Day that received the most visitors over the past year are Southwest Airlines and Red Bull. As a result, I announced that these two great brands were the finalists for Brand Champion of the Year. I gave each company a week to encourage their employees and other fans to visit the site and comment. Although the blog received a number of Southwest Airlines brand ambassadors, Red Bull by far had the most comments and recommendations for Brand Champion of the Year.

Although I love Southwest Airlines and will continue to promote them as a case study in brand success, it is my pleasure to announce that Red Bull is the Brand Champion of the Year! I welcome you to read the comments posted this past Monday by Red Bull fans. Any brand in the world would love to have the passionate champions of their brand like Red Bull does. I look forward to tooting their horn as well. Starting next Monday, we will begin year of two of recognizing the Brand Champion of the Day.

A Planet of Brands or A Planet Brand?

 

I saw in the latest edition of Marketing News that the 2008 Anhold-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index surveyed 20,000 online users in 20 countries and asked their perceptions of 50 country brands. The rankings were based on six areas including, exports, governance, culture, people, tourism, immigration and investment.

The top five nation brands were Germany, France, United Kingdom, Canada and Japan. Not surprising. Now that the top economies are suffering and are meeting to collaborate on a global financial strategy, and other issues like global warming are forcing nations to think collectively, is there an opportunity to brand planet Earth?

What would the attributes of the Planet Earth brand? Can Planet Earth go from a house of brand to a branded house? Who are the brand champions of Planet Earth?

Brand Champions Meet in Orlando

 

I am trying to juggle my schedule so that I can attend the American Marketing Association conference Mplanet this January in Orlando, FL. In the most recent edition of the AMA's Marketing News, AMA CEO, Dennis Dunlap provides a preview of the conference.

When asked what is the state of marketing in 2008-2009 and what are the mos pressing issues facing marketers today, Dunlap says, "A key issue and challenge for marketers is successfully navigating through this sea change to emerge as the driving force in the organization behind new strategies and new ideas. And in doing so, demonstrate how marketing is critical to attaining profitable growth in the organization."

No arguments here. I think marketers now more than ever have to be convincing to both internal and external stakeholders of the value of their brand. Those organizations that lack a strong brand platform, don't understand who they are and what the stand for could face the perfect storm while attempting to navigate this sea change.