Brand Champions

For Microsoft Brand, the Skype's the Limit

You probably heard about the mega deal, Microsoft buying Skype for $8.5 billion. Besides not being able to fathom that amount of money, I had the same feeling when reading the news as I did the day I read about the proposed take over of T-mobile by AT&T. My initial reponse to both stories was wondeirng how that news would affect me, and hopefully not be a pain for their brand champions.

Often when organizations the size of these brands do business, it does not feel like there is a whole lot of regard for the external brand champions, us consumers. Even when I read about the deals like the one with Microsoft and Skype I seldom feel adequately informed. If I feel that way, I wonder how the employees, the internal brand champions are being informed and considered.

I am a champion of both the Microsoft and Skype brands. I use Microsoft products every day. I use Skype when the need arises for a video call. How will the marriage of these two technology brands come together? Will the collaboration end in divoce? How will this connection affect other brands like Google and Apple?

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Branding Saves Jobs

 

You might be saying, "Ya right?" No, it is true. That is if branding is executed correctly. As many of you know I define branding as the process of aligning your internal culture with your external reputation. In addition, I believe a sustainable brand strategy is developed based on mission, core values and stakeholder engagement.

Arguably the most important stakeholder group that an organization has is their employees. Brands like Southwest Airlines and Starbucks rank their stakeholders in the following order. Employees are number one, customers are number two and investors are number three. I could rest my case there, but I will not. When employees are invited to play a significant role in the brand development process, win-win outcomes result. Jobs are saved.

This process provides opportunities for employees to share their opinions about the brand they work for and provide recommendations for improvements. Often the employees start placing a higher value on the brand. The organization garners valuable information about their brand from their employees, and at the same time, the organization places a higher value on their employees. Priorities shift.

During the past decade I have had the pleasure of leading brand initiatives from within an organization and as a consultant for many clients, mostly education brands. In that time, we have all witnessed and many have experienced jos being eliminated. I have witnessed first-hand very few jobs being eliminated, in fact many being created. Organizations that realize branding is about engagement, place higher values on their employees and their brands are more likely to be sustainable.

Branding saves jobs, and jobs save companies. Companies save economies. These same economies, companies and the employees understand what it means to be a brand champion.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consutlants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Coca Cola

This year Coca Cola celebrates its 125 year anniversary. Talk about a time-tested brand. The Atlanta-based beverage brand is one of the true international icons. There are not too many menus around the world that do not have Coca Cola on it. I know when I travel internationally it seems like my travel companion is a bottle of Coke. It is everywhere.

About once a year I drink a bottle of Coke. So in honor of the 125 year celebration, I plan to do so this week. I am not a soft drink consumer, but as a brand strategist I pay homage to what Coke has accomplished. The legions of fans on the planet who evangelize the brand is truly amazing. Every brand can learn something from Coke's ability to recruit and retain brand champions.They are probably the best at it.

I look forward to saying cheers as I taste a Coke this week. For consistently being the number one valued brand in the world for most of your existence, Coca Cola is the Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Go with the Flo Brand on Mother's Day

I cannot count the number of times that I see a television ad for Progressive Insurance when I am working out. During that daily hour I am usually watching CNN to catch up on news around the world. It seems like every other ad is for Progressive Insurance. Usually television ads annoy me. These do not.

I must admit that somehow watching zany Flo as the spokesperson for Progressive does not get old. Progressive does an effective job of delivering its brand message of comparing insurance rates, while at the same time providing a creative ad experience with an always on-brand Flo. The sets for the ads are also quite interesting.

Why do I usually not like television ads? Because too often they feel like an interruption and do not have anything to do with brand values. In the case of Flo she seems like she would be a nice mom. She is a kind personality. Not someone yelling at you. At a minimum she is an effective brand champion recruiter for Progressive.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Pink Enhances Major League Baseball Brand

For the past several years, Major League Baseball has broke out pink bats, wristbands, and other gear to show support and increase awareness for breast cancer. The kickoff of the campaign has traditionally been on Mother's Day. So tomorrow recognize your mom and wear something pink, along with your favorite player.

Some players within MLB were laggards thinking somehow pink would diminish their own personal brand. Now most players are over that silliness. In fact those who do not sport some pink are not in alignment with the MLB brand and risk diluting their personal brand.

If memory serves me right, women's collegiate basketball teams were the first to go pink. Now most major league sports in America don the color from time to time. NHL sticks go pink as do NFL cleats during their respective seasons. Pink can enhance your brand too. It will provide a trigger for recruiting and retaining brand champions.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Karen Butler

Yesterday I learned of a new, but very rare, phenomenon called Foreign Accent Syndrome. I was watching a story on the Today Show about Karen Bulter from coastal Oregon in the United States. Apparently a year and one-half ago, Karen underwent oral surgery and when she came to her voice sounded like she was from the United Kingdom, not the United States.

It appears that Karen is  handling the situation very well, although physicians caution that there could be some neurological changes causing this condition. I thought about  how important sound is to a brand. In this case our voice is what helps distinguish our personal brand. For Karen people might think that she is now a different person. 

As long as Karen sticks to her core values she will be the same brand as she was before. But with an accent that might catch a few of her brand champions off guard. For now she is gaining a following of new brand champions and today she is the Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

A Brand Platform Can Operationalize Your Strategy Plan

A few days ago I read a university's strategic plan. Within the document was made mention of a brand initiative. Most organizations, higher education included, have undertaken or are planning to undertake a brand initiative. The intent is for the organization, in this case a university, to more effectively position itself in the competitive market place of higher education.

When brand initiative's start or when they are reignited they usually appear as a strategic priority or a bullet point in the strategic plan. The good news is that the organization understands that the equity in their brand is critical to sustainability. Once the brand development process takes shape and stakeholders understand that branding is not advertising, but the alignment of the organization's internal culture with its external culture, the value of branding increases and people realize this process is more than a bullet point on a plan.

They begin knowing that the brand platform should be the organization's overarching strategy. They have the aha moment that the brand strategy is the business strategy. The brand platform becomes the key to operationalizing the strategic plan. The strategic plan is more than a document that is required, it is the metamorphosis from which brand champions are born. It is a wonderful thing to experience.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Boingo Can be a Brand Saver

This morning I learned about the initial public offering of Boingo Wireless. They must be recruiting many new brand champions. I am glad to see that they are doing well. They have pulled me out of some tough spots, hot spots, in the past. If you are not familiar with Boingo, they are a Los Angeles-based company that offers Wi-Fi in places like airports and fast-food restaurants.

As an education brand strategist who does most of my work in places away from my home city, I relay on airports and other public spots to conduct business on the fly. There are more occasions that I would like to report when there is no Wi-Fi or it does not work. That is when Boingo comes in handy. Just about the time I ready to shut down my laptop, the welcome logo of Boingo appears and makes my connection.

Yes, the monthly feed can get a bit annoying. Especially when you have not used it that month. But in those tight situations when you need to respond to a client email and send a file larger than your smart phone can handle, the yearly expense is worth it. I find Boingo to be a brand saver. I am a brand champion. As a sidebar, I suggest Boingo think about adding a multisensory branding element to its service. A Boinggggggg to accompany the pop up logo would be a calming sound.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Panera Bread

Over the weekend I spent a good deal of time in meetings at three local Panera Bread locations. That sounds like too many within a short distance from one another. That was my thought when I saw them being built. Fast forward a good deal of time later, they are always packed.

People like the Panera Bread menu, the atmosphere is casual and the employees are kind. Those attributes add up to a pleasant experience. It is very middle of the road. Let us face it, most people are. The brand kind of grows on you. At first I was a bit skeptical because it was not like Starbucks. Then I put my brand hat on and reminded myself that it should not be like Starbucks. It should not be like any other place.

I think Panera Bread realizes who it is and what it stands for. That way of thinking is what all brands aspire to do, but not all succeed. Panera Bread understands how to recruit brand champions and is the Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Can We Control Brand Speak?

Yesterday I posed a similar question in reference to security breaches when brands get hacked online. After that post I thought further about this subject and recalled a book that I read a few years back. Alex Wipperfurth's, Brand Hijack. I interpreted the premise as being that in the 21st century brands take up more space on the Internet and embrace emerging media, and at the same time more users are able to share opinions about brands. Because of this we need to let go. He said it would be ok for your brand be hijacked. I think he was referring to word of mouth marketing.

This morning I took another look at Wipperfurth's book which was published in 2005. I was curious about the relevancy of his thoughts today. I recall that one of my motives for reading the book six years ago was back then I was new to social media and was interested in his thoughts about the market controlling the market. Since then I have dived into the social media mix and much of what he had to say back then is true. Indeed you need to relinquish some control. For example, you should let people weigh in one your brand.

But I am a believer that those organizations who have developed a brand strategy and have made social media a part of their strategic planning process are less likely to have their brand hijacked than those who do not. That is an effective way to help guide the conversation, and then let the market respond. The control thing requires a delicate balance. Even those who question your brand can still be your brand champions.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group