Brand Champions

Brand Champion of the Day- Jennifer Mich, VP Membership, American Marketing Association- Colorado

 

Last night I attended a networking event for prospective members of the Colorado Chapter of the American Marketing Association. The evening started with a traditional cocktail reception, followed by an overview of the benefits of joining the organization. During the presentation section of the event, Vice President for Membership, Jennifer Mich outlined the why one should join Colorado AMA. Jennifer did a great job of describing the essence of the organization and the rational reasons to believe in the organization.

Brand development is still a relatively new endeavor for many nonprofit organizations, so it was great to see the innovative approach Jennifer took last night to describe her association. An event like this is a great opportunity to recruit and retain brand champions, and for everyone to hear the brand message at the same time. The promotional materials that were sent out in advance of the meeting, followed by the content for the presentation last night were all in alignment.

For her efforts, Jennifer Mich is the Brand Champion of the Day.

Managing a Brand is a Lifetime of Work

 

A while back I saw those words and I use them all of the time. Of course I give credit to the person who spoke them, Howard Schultz the head of Starbucks. I think those words capture the essence of why we undertake brand initiatives. Unfortunately most organizations are still in "quick fix" mode and are looking for lifelong solutions today.

I heard yesterday that Starbucks is going to do some more pruning and close additional stores around the world. Although no one wants to see anyone lose their job, or see their local coffee stop close shop, just think where Starbucks would be if they did not live by words, "Managing a Brand is a Lifetime of Work." How else are you going to recruit and retain brand champions?

This morning I am facilitating a brand development session with a group of school principals who will be opening new schools next fall. Do you know what my theme of the day is?

Super Bowl Ads in the New Economy

 

This is Super Bowl week in the United States. Unlike previous years there is very little hoopla about what companies are going to uncover new television ads during the Super Bowl. In the past companies like  and Monster have been very successful utilizing this strategy. Often as many fans who tune into watch football, tune into watch the television ads. That was then, this is now.

While I don't often advocate television advertising as a key driver to deliver a brand message, it does work for some. Go Daddy is a great example. However, I am not sure how even the most successful companies can continue to devote the resources needed to pay for this expensive, difficult to measure, approach.

Without advertising money coming in, how can television stations survive? Without television revenue going to the NFL, how can the Super Bowl survive? Without Super Bowl revenue finding its way to the NFL, how can US professional football survive? Who will be the new brand champions of sport?

Brand Rewards and Recognition

 

Today I am in one of my favorite cities working with one of my favorite clients. I am especially excited to be meeting with human resources personnel over the next few days. My experience indicates that one of the most important components of building an effective brand is internal branding.

One of the most critical aspects of internal branding is engaging the human resources office in the brand development process. Just like recruiting and retaining the right customers, it is vital that we have a program in place to recruit and retain the right employees.

As a part of the internal branding program, we need to include a rewards and recognition system. This will provide a means of thanking those employees who demonstrate on-brand behavior and help others understand what it means to be a brand champion. What types of rewards and recognition programs does your brand instill?

Brand Champion of the Day- Former US Senator, Claiborne Pell

 

It could be argued that no one had more of an impact on low-income student's ability to attend college than Claiborne Pell. In 1972 the former US senator from Rhode Island championed legislation to create new federal aid programs that provided grants to students who needed help to finance their college education. Earlier this month Pell died at the age of 90.

For his contributions to higher education, Claiborne Pell is the Brand Champion of the Day! Due to his persistence in supporting access to higher education for all students, today the US Department of Education provides more than $16 billion each year to more than five million low-income students. In addition to education, Claiborne was a staunch supporter of the arts and humanities.

Many of us would not have been able to attend college if it were not for Claiborne Pell. Like many of you, I am a champion of the Pell brand!

More on Recession Proof Brands

 

A few days ago I read that Wal-Mart and McDonald's are the only two companies that experienced share price increases in 2008 on the Dow. Not surprising that in these tough economic times more and more people are turning to less expensive alternatives to shop. Brand Champions of these organizations are probably staying loyal to their brand.

Are people doing so because they have less money and companies like Wal-Mart and McDonald's are less expensive, or is it because brands like these are recognized as brands that deliver more value than their competitors? Wal-Mart has positioned itslef for years on a platform theme that boasts "Always Low Prices." Always!

Is that value or is it communicating that we are cheap? What do you think?

Red Bull Delivers on Brand Promise

 

Are you watching the 13th Annual Winter X Games? I caught some of the action last night. I tuned in just in time to see the Snowmobile Next Trick competition. I am glad that I did because I had the opportunity to see another athlete compete wearing gear from one of my favorite brands, Red Bull.

Competitor Levi Lavallee successfully completed a double back flip riding a 450 lb. snowmobile. The more I learn aboutt the Red Bull brand and the more I watch their Alternative Action sport athletes, the more I learn about the Red Bull strategy of brand alignment. One of Red Bull's brand attributes is innovation, and in the case of Lavallee, he was attempting a feat that had never been done at the Winter X Games.

It also appears that Red Bull athletes are always attempting feats that have the greatest degree of difficulty amongst the competitors and are flying all around. In other words, Red Bull delivers on its promise of giving you wiings!

Brand Champion of the Day- Steve Jobs, Co-Founder, Apple Computer, Inc.

 

Every Monday and Friday I feature a company or person who demonstrates what it means to be a brand champion. Today it gives me great pleasure to recognize one of the brand heroes of the world, Steve Jobs as the Brand Champion of the Day. In many people's minds and hearts there isn't a better example of a brand champion than the co-founder of Apple Computer, Inc.

During most of my presentations I ask attendees to tell everyone which person or company they think is a case study of how best to develop a brand. In every session people mention Steve Jobs and/or Apple. Two weeks ago I facilitated a branding seminar as part of our Brand Champion U series and I asked the participants to break up into groups, choose a company and draft a brand platform that they think represents the company. Ironically, half of the groups chose Apple. The results of their brand platforms were almost identical.

Most individuals can only hope to come close to the outcomes that Jobs has achieved for his brand, and most organizations can only hope to come close to achieving the results Apple has for its brand. Well, you can come much closer by following the Apple brand development process. For his efforts, Steve Jobs is the Brand Champion of the Day!

Internal Branding- An Emerging Trend

 

I have been out of pocket the past two days, so I have not had a chance to blog much this week. I had a tremendous opportunity to facilitate a brand summit in Chicago, where a forward thinkingenterprise group met to discuss next steps in their brand development process. I thank them for the chance to help lead the dialogue.

Now that I am back at the office, I wanted to share some thoughts with you about internal branding. As I posted last fall, the Academy of Marketing brand group, which I am a member of, met at Emory University where we agreed on five emerging trends in branding. They include: Brand Equity, Brand Funding, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Reputation and Internal Branding.

My area of focus there was on internal branding. I define it as a formal program that engages internal stakeholders, especially employees in the brand development process. That area has had special focus for me recently. To learn more about this emerging trend, I have a couple of resources you might check out. This week the kind people at brandchannel.com featured my work as the white paper of the week. Although the paper discusses my view on higher education, it has application to all organizations. Go to the website and click on the paper navigation link at the top of the page. For those of you in the Denver area, you might want to attend my presentation on internal branding at the February professional development event of the American Marketing Association. You can click on the events link on their website for more information. It will take place on February 17 at 5:30 pm.

Do you have an internal branding program? As the economy re-calibrates itself and organizations go through the introspective process of evaluation, I think they will realize that their most important intangible asset are their employees and discover the need for engaging them in their internal brand development process. They can be your most passionate brand champions!

Delivering on Your Brand Promise

 

Yesterday I listened once again to Dr. Martin Luther King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech in its entirety. Wow, what a moving experience. You might know that the contents of the speech include Dr. King reminding America that it had defaulted on its promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans.

Back then most people did not refer to such promises as in reference to a brand, but that essentially what was being questioned. Brand America was not delivering on its brand promise to all citizens. Today, as Barack Obama takes the oath of office of the President of the United States, will America have finally delivered on its brand promise?

I anticipate that Barack Obama will homage to great men like King and Abraham Lincoln today. Ironically, if and when he does, I will be in the home city of Barack Obama to honor the legacy of another great man, and to discuss brand and brand champions.