Brand Champions

Will More Apps Save the Blackberry Brand?

I know I have spent a good deal of time in this space sharing views about Blackberry. Well that is because I am a Blackberry user and want to stay that way. I am a brand champion. Although my eyes, ears and heart are periodically looking for new territory. All of us spend a good chuck of time each day attached to our smartphones. They are a part of us now. We rely on them to do business and to socialize.

It appears that Blackberry is now committed to giving us more app options. Having more apps would seem to enhance the Blackberry experience. I know in my case I would love to be able to blog from my phone. Right now I am unable to do so. There is no TypePad app on my phone. So should I change phones? Should I change blog technology? Should I do both? Right now I want them to change so that I can have an easier day and blog from my phone.

Will more apps result in more Blackberry users? Right now they need to keep the ones they have. So many questions. I hope Research in Motion has some answers.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

 

 

Brand Champion of the Day-Carmine Gallo, Author

On Mondays and Fridays I make every attempt to tip my hat to some one or some organization who understands what it means to be a brand champion. In between and around those days I share a few views on my experiences with brand development and engaging with brand champions. For the past few days I have been under the hood working with some clients, but have some time now to get back in the blog saddle.

During my flights back and forth to the east coast I had the opportunity to read Carmine Gallo's latest published work, The Power of Foursquare. In the past year I have been a convert to Foursquare. In fact I have featured the app brand several times here at the Brand Champions Blog. Like most people, I thought it was just a game app. Once I started using it, I realized the business benefits and how Foursquare can enhance your brand. Reading The Power of Foursquare I now know that I was just scratching the surface of what Foursquare has to offer.

Gallo unlocks the door to the value of Foursquare and its benefits to brand building. I suggest you take a gander. Does your organization have a Foursquare page? Does your organization reward your mayor as a brand champion? Thanks to Carmine Gallo I have a new way of thinking about how to engage our brand champions and those of our clients. Carmine Gallo is the Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Dan Weldon, Head of the Brand Class

Over the course of the past couple of weeks I have posted thoughts about personal brands who influenced me and led brands who were championed by others around the globe. Earlier in the month we lost the brand icon Steve Jobs of Apple. A few days later it was Al Davis the innovator of the Oakland Raiders brand. Now we suffer the passing of Indy Car brand champion, Dan Weldon.

Like you, one, two or three of these men had an impact on our personal or organizational brands. In the case of Jobs, even those of us who have never purchased an Apple product, pay homage and reference Apple and Jobs as best practices in branding. Who does not at some time or another consider themselves a maverick? A part of us wants to be the next Al Davis in our category. For me, losing Dan Weldon represents equal significance.

When I think of Dan Weldon, concepts like cerebral, confident, complex, courageous and class come to  mind. I do not if you ever heard him as race analyst but commentator is another c word that I associate with him. In fact I thought that would be his next job after his race days wound down. He was terrific. Let us not forget the value of our own personal brand and how it can be taken in an instant. Let us not forget the contributions of Dan Weldon. You will forever have a legion of brand champions. Peace.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Yesterday was the dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Each time I visit DC I try to carve out time to go to the National Mall. Every time I am there, I think about Dr. King's I Have a Dream Speech. There might not be a more moving experience than doing so looking down from the Lincoln Memorial onto the reflecting pool. What a reflection. The experience on the Mall also restores faith in America and being proud of our heritage.

Now I have another reason to go the Mall and to reflect on Dr. King. I look forward to thinking about him, his contributions and his legacy at his memorial. However, one does not need to go the DC to ponder regularly the impact Dr. King made on all of us. Now more than ever, it is probably a good idea to do so more often. Perhaps the memorial will help remind us. Watching Aretha Franklin and President Obama yesterday allowed me to consider the United States brand. Maybe we deliver on our brand promise more than we give ourselves credit.

Whenever Dr. King comes to mind, I connect with one of my favorite songs performed by one of my favorite bands about one of my favorite brands. Growing up in the 60s and watching the violence of the time, I was, and still am, amazed at Dr. King's advocacy of non-violence and how he delivered on that brand promise. No matter what side of the political aisle one stands, take a look at how brands can align.

 

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Is Occupy Wall Street in Need of a Brand Manager?

Since day one I have thought that the name Occupy Wall Street is confusing. When I hear or see the word occupy I think of take over, possess, capture and seize. Those have never felt like the right fit for what I think the purpose of the movement is. I was, and still am, under the impression that the people "demonstrating" are voicing their concerns about the financial services industry and the influence they have on the world's economy. And the fact that they were given huge bailouts by the government. I thought they were trying to do what they wished someone else had done a few years ago.

Although there now seems to be an increase in momemtum and the media appears to be getting closer to being in alignment, this branding process could have been much more effective with a brand strategy in the first place. When it is crystal clear what your brand stands for it is much easier for those who want to support your brand, your brand champions, and those who do not want to support your brand, your brand inhibitors, to do so. Without a brand strategy you look like you do not stand for anything and you are not sustainable.

Like many organizations or movements, Occupy Wall Street seemed to start out as a tagline, rather than a brand.  A few people lock themselves in a room one afternoon and brain storm ideas for a tag. They do not spend the appropriate time discussing purpose, developing and then testing the strategy. As a result they come up with a tag that sounds like take over and is confrontational. When this happens your organization runs the risk of being influenced by those who do not share your purpose. Violence then erupts. No one really likes that do they? Or you let others like the media define you.

If you are going to have a tagline, have one that makes sense and represents your purpose. Something like Wall Street Divides. Manage your brand.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Can Research in Motion Live Up to Its Brand Promise? Will RIM Turn Into RIP?

 

This has been a frustrating week for the Canadian brand and for users like me and many of you. For years we have championed the Research in Motion (RIM) Blackberry brand and relied on the smart phone to keep us up to date and in sync with the rest of the world. Especially when we are on the road. When those of us who were on the road this week who experienced the outage, we felt out of sorts.

Coupled with the emergence of iPhones and Droids we Blackberry folks are feeling left in the dust. I know many Blackberry users decided to give others options a go this week. I must admit that I was thinking the same. As a brand consultant and someone who loves to feel loyal to a trusted brand I want to stay with RIM. But I anticipate that unless RIM lives up to its brand promise I might go the way of Apple or Google.

I am always reminding people that a brand is a name, what that name stands for and the associations that people make with that name when they see or hear that name. In the case of Research in Motion, I think about technology, keeping ahead of the game and providing users with efficient results. I want to keep doing so. If not RIM might evolve to RIP.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Walmart

I cannot remember the last time I was inside a Walmart. I would estimate that I have been in one of their stores only a handful of times in my life. That does not mean I am not a brand champion. Not in the way one might be as a customer, employee or vendor. So I am a fringe champion.

Yes Walmart has had its share of ups and downs. What company does not? But it appears that employee challenges and slower sales are in the past. When its quarterly report comes out next month it appears that sales are growing after a two year slow down. Despite the fact that many customers are facing financial challenges, sales are growing. Could the economy be attracting newer consumers who are giving the brand a test drive?

Walmart positions itself as the low price option in its category, so some new customers will probably be short-lived when things turn around. A time-tested brand is one that stays true to its core. Walmart understands that and ss the world's largest retailer and a strategy that has not often strayed from its founder, Sam Walton. Today Walmart is the Brand Champion of the Year.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand is About People and Organization

As we know all too often those who are responsible for brand development think in terms of advertising and marketing. They are trained to focus on creating an external campaign that targets an audience or two. They are caught in systems that prevent them from connecting with internal stakeholders and are expected to generate a quick return on investment.

Despite the planet's economic hardships, the days of thinking and acting like that are over. Brand is about people and organization. Those are terms and concepts that should be synonymous with brand. Branding is the process of aligning our internal culture with our external reputation. Our employees who are charged with delivering on our brand promise must be valued first, our customers second.

If we do not develop a culture to support our brand and provide systems by which our internal and external stakeholders (reminder, these are your brand champions) can connect and demonstrate passion for our brand, then we might as well go back to the days of Don Draper and the other Mad Men of the 20th century. By the way, I wish that show would get back on the air soon. I am in need of more advertising fodder!

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Al Davis Was the Epitome of a Brand Champion

Growing up in Denver and being a life-long Broncos fan, one of my least favorite people on Planet Earth was Al Davis. Why? Because his Raiders always seemed to beat up on our poor little ponies. Seeing him prance around on the field during pre-game warm ups dressed in those black and white jump suits made me want to scream. It was if some criminal had broken out of jail and was given safe haven on our stadium floor. The gaul!

Deep down inside I was jealous of Al Davis. If the truth be known I wanted to be Al Davis. He seemed to have it all. An owner of one of the most successful teams in American sport, a one time coach, owner and even commissioner in the most popular sport in the United States. As a youngster I could not understand why the Raiders had such a passionate leader, players and fans. I now know it was because the Raiders had one of the most effective brands.

This week the Bay Area lost two of its icons. Earlier in the week Apple lost Steve Jobs. Today the Raiders lost Al Davis. In both people the world lost two of its greatest brand champoins. What wonderful case studies for anyone or any organization wanting to understand what it means to be a brand champion.We will miss them.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Jobs

Steve's job was to think differently. Your job is to have confidence in your way of thinking. We all do it, but sometimes we have a challenge of understanding how the way we think fits into the thinking of the organization that we work for. Of course the process is much easier when your organization has a brand platform to help guide the direction of the organization. This allows you to determine if your brand aligns with your company's.

Steve Jobs understood the value of thinking differently. It was not a case of him sitting down and trying to figure out how to think another way. It was him having the confidence in his way of thinking to guide him and his organization. As a result his way of thinking allowed a legion of people who shared similar ways of thinking to become champions of his brand and brand champions for Apple.

As he said in his commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, "Do not lead someone else's life." Understand your purpose in life and what your guiding principles are. This allows you to have confidence that your way of thinking is right. It is our Brand Jobs.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group