Brand Champions

Brand Champion of the Day-St. Augustine, Florida

Today I am in the city that holds the distinction of being the oldest one in the United States. I am here with a colleague and we are presenting our work to date for a national education brand initiative to a gathering of their senior leadership from around the country. St. Augustine provides a serene setting for the conference.

During my undergraduate history major days I learned about St. Augustine, Florida, but until yesterday, I had never been here. As is the case with many historically significant parts of the world, it is always a pleasure to experience the place that you have read about. St. Augustine is no exception. From what I have seen so far, I know I will be a champion for the brand.

Staying true to my tradition of recognizing a brand on Mondays and Fridays, today I salute St. Augustine, Florida as the Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

J.C. Penny Attempts to Reinvent Brand

I assume that many of you will be watching the Academy Awards tomorrow night to see who captures the 2011 Oscars. During breaks you will probably be changing stations or getting up to grab a bite to eat. Some of you will be sitting through television ads including those from J.C. Penny.

During Oscar night when celebrities are walking the red carpet in formal wear and others are doing the same at special Oscar parties. Casual wear brand, J. C. Penny will officially be launching its new identity. I refuse to say they are rebranding, since they are not changing their name. However, they are going lower case, boasting a new logo and tagline.

The new tagline is We Make It Affordable, You Make It Yours. Ok, I guess. What I would like to hear is what was the process for coming to the decision of the tagline and logo, and what is their organization's brand platform. Of course J. C. Penny, I mean jcpenny, needs to bring their brand into the 21st century in order to garner new brand champions. I am not sure launching during Oscar night accomplishes that.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Watson

By now you probably know that an artificial intelligence computer system named Watson recently won the Jeopardy championship. That is Watson in the middle in case you did not know. Watson can respond to natural voices from people like Alex Trebek. Not an easy task by a human. I consider myself of reasonable intelligence but would not go on Jeopardy for fear of embarrassment. I certainly would not take on Watson.

Until recently I thought the computer system was named after Sherlock Holme's trusted sidekick My Dear Watson. But I now believe the system is named after IBM's first president, Thomas J. Watson. IBM led by principal researcher, David Ferrucci is responsible for creating Watson and probably should be the one I am recognizing as the Brand Champion of the Day. His work and others are keeping us on our toes and creating a great deal of dialogue about what the future holds for us.

I look forward to following the Watson brand. I anticipate he, she, is recruiting and retaining a good number of brand champions around the globe. I am sure my good friend, professor Bill Weaver from La Salle University in Philadelphia has an interesting perspective or two on this subject.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Do Awards Enhance a Brand?

The other night I watched The King's Speech for the second time. I rarely watch movies and it is even rarer for me to watch a movie more than once. This was truly one of the best pictures I have seen. Let us see how well it does Sunday night during the Academy Awards. Remember the Oscars are king. That event and reading about a local Chamber announcing its annual award nominees got me to thinking about the significance of awards, or the lack thereof.

It has always seemed a bit odd to me when organizations make announcements about their award nominees, since most organizations are honoring their own members. They are not really paying homage to the best this or the most deserving that. They are simply responding to a list of nominated fellow members. In other words they are giving out a statue, ribbon or gift certificate to an organization or person who has paid dues to the organization.

Once the organization is given an award they are then given permission to tell others that they "won" this award. Does getting recognized by one's peers enhance one's brand? Does getting the award lead to the likelihood that an organization is going to be successful in recruiting and retaining brand champions?

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

 

Core Values Create Brand Value

When I begin discussions with organizations or with individuals concerning their brand I often ask them to tell me about their core values. You know, their guiding principles, what they stand for. Most times the person can answer that question quicker and more effectively than the company can. Let us remember why they are called core values.

The majority of organizations were started because the founder(s) thought that there was an unmet need in the market place. I founded my organization due to the belief that education brand consultants focused too much on logos, taglines and advertising campaigns and not enough on on mission and core values. Most companies forget why they were founded and what they originally stood for.

In the 21st century of transparency and the new normal where the economic playing field is being leveled, people around the world expect organizations to stand for something and at a minimum, know what they stand for. Organizations realize this too and there is a renewed emphasis on core values. Core values get at the essence of the organization allowing it to create value. What does your organization stand for? How do you engage your stakeholders in the process of discovery or re-discovery? When we do it is so much easier to recruit and retain brand champions.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

60 Minutes, a Time-Tested Brand

Last Sunday evening I watched 60 Minutes. If I had to, I could not tell you how many times in my life I have repeated that ritual. There have not been too many times when the experience was not a positive one. Every brand hopes for the kind of success and that type of advocacy from its brand champions. Few brands have stood the test of time like 60 Minutes.

The programming is usually timely and the content is usually enlightening. I learn something new each time I watch the show. A few nights ago I was particularly drawn to the story of Tunisia. Even though I possess an undergraduate degree in history, I must admit that I do not know as much as I should about the recent history of the nation of Tunisia. I do understand how Facebook is changing the world, not to mention revolution.

Not knowing the behind the scenes operations of the program and not being clear about how well the network engages its employees in the 60 Minutes brand building process, I can only speak from the outside looking in. Based on that situation, I tip my hat to this time-tested brand.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champions of the Day-NPR and PBS

In the past couple of years I have recognized both of these brands as the champion of the day. On Mondays and Fridays I do such things. In recent weeks we have learned that many in the U.S. Congress are seeking to cut federal funds that support these dynamic and educational networks. You have got be kidding are the words that have been on my mind since.

The gap between the U.S. intelligencia and the rest of the world continues to widen. I do not see how cutting budgets of programs that help people learn is going to help narrow the divide. My guess is that if every person at a very young age in the United States were introduced to NPR and PBS grade point averages would rise, graduation rates would increase and economic development would be enhanced. Education brands would be enhanced.

I heard one congressman say now that we have hundreds of cable stations, we no longer need public radio and television. I can watch Frontline or Rock of Love. I can also compare apples and oranges. Perhaps I am smart enough to make that revelation because I am a champion of the NPR and PBS brands. Here is hoping Congress comes to their senses. In the meantime, NPR and PBS continue to be Brand Champions of the Day!

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Personal Brands Need to Align With Client Brands

Yesterday I met with graduate students that I am "mentoring" from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. Each month we meet to discuss ways for them to effectively position themselves in the job market. A great deal of our time is devoted to the process of developing a personal brand strategy. By so doing, they will be a step ahead of their competitors who are concentrating on resumes and happy hour networking.

In previous conversations we have talked about the importance of personal brands aligning with organization brands. This will help ensure that the graduate students find the right fit. Yesterday I encouraged them to take their thinking one step further. It is also important that they understand who the organization's they are interested in work with. Who are their clients, and how do the organization's and their client brands align with one another? And how do the client brands align with the graduate student's personal brand?

Your brand should align with your employer's brand. Your employer's brand should align with your client's brands. Thus, your personal brand needs to align with your client's brand. That is when collaboration amongst brand champions is at its best.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

 

Brand Champion of the Day-2011 Thought Leaders in Brand Managment Conference

For the past several years I have followed the Thought Leaders in Brand Management Conference. Each year I had hoped to attend, but project commitments and other travel needs prevented me from going. This year I have the pleasure of not only being there, but presenting too. A colleague of mine will also be presenting.

The 2011 conference is in the City of Lugano, Switzerland. I have had the opportunity to visit Switzerland many times, most recently I presented at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich a couple of years ago. This will be my first time in Lugano and I am very excited to go. I will be presenting on a topic I am very familier with, higher education branding.

The topic of my presentation is "an academic enterprise approach to higher education branding: finding common ground, establishing common language and ensuring common outcomes." I look forward to sharing my experiences with others from around the world and learning from them. I anticipate quite a lively exchange between brand champions.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

A Borderline Brand Seeks Help

I was saddened to learn that one of my favorite spots while on the road, Borders, is in financial straits. I thought something was up a few months ago when two of the stores I frequented went bye-bye. Today I learned that Borders filed bankruptcy. My first thought was, bummer.

After hearing GE Capital is helping with the refinancing, my second thought was, perhaps things are not as bleak as I first thought. A brand like GE Capital is not going to take on that kind of risk without believing in the Borders brand.

I shop for books online and shop at Barnes and Noble. But I liked the third option of shopping at Borders. Perhaps I will still have the chance. Or maybe it is time for me to stop putting off what I know I need to do and that is go buy a Kindle, Nook or other option.

I need to step up to the plate and be a brand champion for one of those alternatives. I am an advocate of 21st technology so I best get in this ball game too. In the meantime, here is hoping Borders is able to retain its brand champions and recruit a few more.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group