Category Archives: Branding

posted by Apprentices

Sep 20, 2011 @ 12:23pm

Love Talk: be useful or be interesting.

I follow Anthropologie on Tumblr. (And yes, someday I’ll stop talking about Anthropologie. When they stop being so cool.) Here’s why: their Tumblr blog, etymologie, reads like great editorial content, because it is. Each week, the folks maintaining this blog choose a word: “pet” or “garden” are recent examples. Then, they feature a variety of content – sourced from employees, customers, ordinary people – that expresses the essence of the word. The tone is casual, conversational. The photographs aren’t always styled. It feels like a community effort.

A photo that appeared on the etymologie tumblr during "pet" week.

The only marketing that ever appears in the blog is a small “shop anthropologie” link in the top navigation. So what makes the Tumblr blog such a smart marketing strategy? It obeys the two essential rules for communicating in our world today:

Be useful or be interesting. Bonus for being both.

Consumers are overloaded with information. Messages – of all kinds – fly at us from every channel. Still, organizations somehow believe that simply moving their marketing communications to Facebook or Twitter means consumers will listen to them. Nope. The reality is that none of us can process all the information that’s thrown at us everyday, forcing us to become more and more selective about the content we consume.

If brands hope to be heard, they must create communication that actually offers something of worth to their customers. It should instruct, inspire, ease, entertain. A few forward-thinking fashion brands have been quick to grasp this concept and have created their own editorial outlets – like the etymologie tumblr or like The Journal, an online magazine produced by men’s clothing brand, Mr. Porter. Consumers are attracted to the content for its own merit. It’s like going to a smashing party given by a cool host – your brand.

Granted, if you sell jet engines or potting soil, creating a lifestyle publication is probably not your best communication strategy. The question to ask yourself, then, is how can I give to my customers? How does my brand fit into their lives?

Perhaps the only “marketing strategy” that matters is simply love your customers.

When you love someone, you make a concerted effort to please him. You consider her needs, and how you can meet them. You listen. You pay attention to what he likes.

And when you open your mouth, that’s what you talk about.

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posted by Kevin

Aug 31, 2011 @ 10:05am

Details

Today I visited an Apple store and bought a Mac Air. I certainly value the design and product innovation Apple continues to deliver, and the in-store experience was similarly inspiring.

The products were arranged for me to test. A large staff offered customers one-on-one attention. My computer was ordered electronically from a demo on the floor. The sales person ran my credit card through a custom iPhone app. I signed electronically using my finger, and a receipt was sent to me by e-mail. The bag was a backpack.

Clearly, Apple is iconic, yet every brand has the ability to examine such details. Moe’s Southwest Grill rethought the greeting with: “Welcome to Moe’s.” Luxury stores pay reverence to their wares when they wrap them in tissue and put them in beautiful bags. Patagonia’s shoeboxes are printed to encourage reuse as storage vessels.

Patagonia shoebox

Rethinking something basic is a wonderful way to make your brand more distinct. Given the continued volatility of today’s economy, experience-centric brand thinking makes perfect sense. Think about it, a greeting doesn’t cost a thing.

 

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posted by Cathy

Aug 11, 2011 @ 2:42pm

New Work: Literacy 2030

 

Literacy 2030 is an initiative lead by the Central Carolina Community Foundation that unites literacy organizations across the Midlands of South Carolina. With the admittedly aspirational goal of achieving 100 percent literacy in South Carolina by 2030, the organization supports literacy service providers by facilitating member communication, encouraging collaboration and providing access to funding sources.

We loved developing this identity system and branding platform, and we’re hard at work on a website to be launched in mid-September.

Strategy and creative team: Cathy Monetti, Ryon Edwards, Kathryn White, Kendra Schaefer (thepixellary.com)

 

 

 

 

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posted by Apprentices

Aug 09, 2011 @ 2:24pm

Storytelling

I spent most of my weekend offline. Which was so nice.

Friday night lights.

It began with a high school football game, and moved on to lazy neighborhood strolls, impromptu jam sessions, and late night family dinners. This was a weekend fat with laughter. There was a moment at the table—our dinner plates empty but not yet cleared—when I looked around at everyone’s faces. They were fully engaged in the tale of the family’s legendary wiffle ball games, laughing, interrupting to share remembered details.

It reminded me how powerful a story is. Narrative is the engine that moves our world along. It’s what creates connection and inspires action.  We forget that sometimes, don’t we? Especially in our world of “likes” and QR codes and whatever the next batch of shiny and new turns out to be.

Consumers are hearing more messages in more places than ever before. Without a story to tell, a distinct brand voice, a rallying cry – your brand’s message will fragment and disappear in the never-ending stream of modern communication.

Just last week, Cathy Monetti handed me a Boden catalogue to look through because she guessed (accurately) that I’d like the clothing. What immediately intrigued me was the great care they took to tell their story on every page. Every instance of copy, even down to the small “please recycle” message, had been carefully considered and crafted in Boden’s distinct, light-hearted voice.

On each page, Boden listed the first name of the models and their answers to questions ranging from: What scares the pants off you? to What do you think about when you’re traveling? Such a small detail, but it resonates because it reinforces the story Boden’s been telling all along: We’re human. We make feel good clothes. We believe in delight. I sauntered over to their website where I discovered other unique brand-building elements, like instructions for building a teepee and an end of summer bucket list.

Consider your brand’s communication efforts. Is there a story? Would your fans recognize your brand’s voice? We can build award-winning apps and deploy multi-faceted social media strategies and write snazzy ads—but in the end, what people will sit around their dinner tables and talk about is a great story.

 

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posted by Cathy

Aug 03, 2011 @ 5:12pm

Spotify: A Reason for Hope in the World

Between 24-hour news cycles and the sorry economy and the terrifying and distasteful catfight over the debt ceiling, it’s no wonder many people are feeling a bit downtrodden. I’ve been thinking a bit about that lately and want to offer this different perspective:

I find something new to be excited about every single day.

Today it’s spotify.com, an on demand digital music service with more than 15 million tracks you can play instantly on your computer, your cell phone or your home audio system—for free. The service is supported by all the major labels, so there are not many content gaps. You can build your own playlists, see what your friends are listening to, and maintain your account via cloud so it can travel with you.

How extraordinary is it that we live in world in which a music library of 15 million tracks is available at the click of a button, wherever you are?

It’s the same in this business. In the old days (last year?), our work was all about interruption. But today, the toolbox is filled with countless options for actually creating connection.

Think about that for a moment. Whether you are a nonprofit or a marketer or a business owner looking at this from the side of brand, or an individual looking at it from the side of the consumer (and we’re all both at one time or another, aren’t we?), connection is a wonderful goal with a consequential outcome. Connection offers a meaningful exchange—and getting a bit dramatic, but still— isn’t connection the point of life?

I’m excited, everyday, to find new ways to connect brands and causes to the people who will embrace them, to those whose lives will be enhanced because of the connection. I think it’s one of the most beautiful things about our world right now.

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posted by Cathy

Jul 28, 2011 @ 4:43pm

New Work: Goodwill Industries

 

Nobody gets more out of it than Goodwill. After spending several months in Discovery and Brand Development for this new RP client, of that we are sure.

A donation of I no longer need it toys, clothing, household goods, furniture, computers, books and more ultimately funds job training and placement services for thousands and thousands of people. In fact, Goodwill of the Upstate/Midlands spends 92¢ of every dollar they make on this mission.

It’s both an honor and a pleasure to work with our friends at Goodwill, sharing their brand story and reminding people around the state that a donation to Goodwill is a donation well made.

More to come as this cross-channel branding campaign makes its way to the marketplace!

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posted by Apprentices

Jul 19, 2011 @ 4:24pm

Out with the Old

When an agency proposes a new brand messaging campaign to a company with an established tagline or slogan, a level of tension is expected, and even healthy. Brand messaging is not to be taken lightly. A tagline can accrue priceless brand equity, which shapes corporate identity, adds market share, and even creates financial value. However, the goal of every company is to expand, and expansion requires new messaging to match new capabilities.

Think of slogans for products with serious brand equity — “make.believe,” “You know when it’s real,” “Is it in you?” These are current taglines for the companies Sony, Wendy’s and Gatorade, yet each replaced an equally powerful brand message: “Like.no.other,” “It’s better here,” “That’s G.”

If these global juggernauts believe refreshing their messaging with the times can improve their market position, shouldn’t we all agree?

When it comes time to retire an old, accomplished slogan in favor of something new, it does not mean the loss of all the effort it took to build brand equity. Rather, it’s a new opportunity to re-introduce your brand to a world that never stops changing.

– Pete Anderson

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posted by Apprentices

Jun 16, 2011 @ 1:56pm

Social Strategy: Make Yourself Useful

Last month, I jetted off to the West coast to explore Portland for a long weekend. I didn’t stay at a hotel. Instead, I rented my accommodations from Airbnb, an online service that allows regular individuals to rent their private residences to travelers. There are a number of reasons to choose Airbnb over a traditional hotel when traveling, but here’s the most appealing to me: its innately social nature makes traveling a totally different experience.

The experience varies with the host, but generally, Airbnb hosts (and guests) are interested in sharing highly personalized recommendations. In Portland, I got to stay in the heart of the city, with people who know the city intimately. They pointed us to the best food trucks in town, gave us an insider’s tour of the Oregon coast, and chatted with us over locally roasted espresso. It was a pretty perfect introduction to Airbnb. I’d recommend both my Portland host and Airbnb to my friends. But let’s say a casual college acquaintance of mine decides to visit Portland next year. I probably won’t even know she’s going, so I won’t be able to tell her where to stay in Portland. Enter Airbnb’s latest smart decision: Airbnb Social Connections.

Now, when you browse Airbnb, you can choose to link your Facebook profile to Airbnb search. Instantly, Airbnb will generate a list of accommodations that are personally connected to you. You can view fascinating connections like hosts who are friends of your friends, places your friends have stayed, or people who attended your alma mater. I linked my profile and found the results amazing. I was connected to people I have never met in Barcelona, San Francisco, and more—all via my real life Facebook friends. Genius.

This was a brilliant move by Airbnb because, most importantly, it adds a layer of trust to the search for accommodations, an element that’s missing for first-timers. But more than just putting wary travelers at ease, Social Connections was a good decision because it’s social in all the right ways. Rather than just yammering about themselves on Twitter or Facebook, Airbnb’s social strategy focuses on the people who are actually using their brand.

Integrating Facebook to Airbnb search is smart marketing because it quietly encourages people to travel more while raising Airbnb brand awareness. However, what makes Social Connections so great is that it actually benefits consumers. It’s a social networking function that makes using Airbnb easier. And when your social strategy is about making people better at something they want to be better at, you’re headed in a good direction. If you want to build a strong social network of brand champions, stop focusing on the latest gimmicks to attract more followers. Instead, ask yourself: how can our brand add value to our fans’ lives? Then get busy on that.

Airbnb, you’re doing it right. Let’s all take notes.

 

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posted by Ryon

Apr 20, 2011 @ 5:07pm

Logo Makeover 101

We recently completed an identity update for New Morning Foundation, an organization that seeks to improve young people’s access to reproductive health education, counseling, and clinical services throughout South Carolina. We were asked to give the existing logo a “facelift” and to redesign existing brand identity collateral.

Why do we “rebrand” anyway? That word and the word “branding” are thrown around quite a bit, but it’s important to remember that the logo is not the “brand.” The brand is all about the customer touchpoints and the experience one has when interacting with the organization — when you boil it all down, the brand is someone’s gut instinct about a company or organization. I remember Marty Neumier stating years ago in a workshop that “the brand” is what OTHERS say it is, not what the company says it is. That statement has stuck with me for years.

And the logo is a small, but very important part of the brand. It must strike the right balance of the rational and the emotional. It must convey the spirit of the organization in a split-second. The cross-sensory experience is the brand, but the logo has to uphold and to support that.

Changes or redesigns could mark an internal cultural shift, a change in business objectives, or change in ownership. Often times, as in the case of New Morning Foundation, it’s a matter of staying relevant and is born from the desire to have visual consistency across mediums. Lay a solid foundation with a strong, meaningful logo, and that will help branding efforts at any level.

 

Old logo

 

 

New logo

 

 

 

New identity package

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posted by Cathy

Apr 07, 2011 @ 3:41pm

Smart Brands Pay Attention to Detail

When a brand gets it right, it’s obvious.  Last week, I left my desk just to show my apprentice, Kathryn, my latest package from Anthropologie. I knew she’d love the details that went into the lovely packaging as much I did. We exclaimed over the sparrow-patterned tissue paper, talked about the button & thread receipt envelope, and then browsed through their captivating blog. Fifteen minutes passed—we had been talking about a brand the entire time.

Great branding happens when organizations understand two things:

  1. The brand is their story.
  2. They better tell it on every page.

Kathryn and I love Anthropologie for varying reasons, I’m sure, but Anthropologie’s commitment to their brand “story” in every layer of the experience—down to the shipment packaging—got us talking. Successful companies understand that the brand essence should be well-represented in every part of the brand experience. In a recent Fast Co. Design article, Ken Cabrone highlights Moleskine as an example of exceptional branding. “Everything about Moleskine’s retail presence is built to reflect the four core characteristics [of the brand],” he notes. Moleskine doesn’t miss the details either—from controlling the set-up of merchandise display to including a small insert that tells the Moleskine legend in each notebook.

Recognize that the small details represent key opportunities to reinforce your brand message. Chick-fil-a perfected this by requiring their employees to reply “My pleasure” when a customer said thank you. Thank yous are exchanged at thousands of drive through windows every day. By giving emphasis to a seemingly insignificant interaction, Chick-fil-a distinguishes itself from other fast food companies while constantly reinforcing the customer service that is key to their brand. If a brand is working, every component should reflect the organization’s identity—from significant company decisions to everyday consumer interactions to, yes, even the packaging paper.

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