Category Archives: Brand Management
(From Wikipedia) Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand. It seeks to increase the product’s perceived value to the customer and thereby increase brand franchise and brand equity.
Careers in branding
I had the privilege and pleasure of making a guest lecturer appearance at McGill University last week. It was a wonderful experience. I must admit I was impressed by the quality of questions I got from business students. Not surprisingly, most common questions were career related. This post is an over-simplified guide to career trajectories in branding. Read the rest of this entry
What can you learn from Porter Airlines? – The Bad
Last week we talked about the good branding decisions Porter Airlines make. However, we ended by saying that nobody’s perfect. Porter is not an exception. Here is why… Read the rest of this entry
Brand as a status symbol
What is status? According to Wikipedia it is the honor or prestige attached to one’s position in society. (one’s social position) In consumer societies status can be achieved by owning certain brands. For instance, if you drive a Ferrari, you are considered as a higher status person than an owner of a Sebring because buying goods that others can’t afford has long been an ultimate status symbol. While this is still true, other forms of status are emerging. For example, suddenly you might get more social acceptance by driving a Toyota Prius, because caring about the environment is “in”. Who would have thought? Or instead of going to a three-star Michelin restaurant, you might prefer to show off your cooking skills at home and get more praise. After all everybody can cook but being a “chef” is a status skill. Read the rest of this entry
Branding lessons from a Chinese guru
There is a tea shop in Montreal’s Chinatown. Its name is Speacialtea. We found that shop totally by chance. Since then we have been regulars. There are a couple of things that make that shop special and it is very easy for your business to replicate those. Read the rest of this entry
Branded customer experience
In 1999, B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore wrote a book titled “The Experience Economy”. In a nut shell the book argues that merely offering products or services is not enough for a brand to demand premium anymore. Authors state that firms should deliver memorable events for their customers and that memory becomes the product – the “experience”. 11 years later this theory is more valid than ever. Read the rest of this entry
When do you need to hire a branding expert?
When you create a new company or product: A branding expert can offer you many services including: conducting research, clarifying strategy, naming, tagline development, designing identity, business card and website design and creating customer touchpoints.
When you decide to change the name of your brand: Some names don’t age well. Some names don’t have passports. Some names become too restrictive. A branding expert can help you solve all these problems. Read the rest of this entry
Indisputable rules of branding
Previously we defined a brand as a promise and we talked about the importance of your brand’s purpose. Defining your promise and purpose are the first steps of branding. Next, you have to deliver your promise and create a pleasant experience for your customers. Read the rest of this entry
How to conduct a 360 stakeholder audit? -3
Previously, we talked about how to identify your stakeholders and how to prioritize them. Today, I will give you some insights on the common characteristics of your key stakeholders. As you may recall, we use two criteria in assessing the importance of a stakeholder: its power and its level of interest. Let’s analyze some of your stakeholders and see what they want and what they can do. Read the rest of this entry
How to conduct a 360 stakeholder audit? -2
Previously we talked about the importance and identification of your stakeholders. Let’s continue from where we left off.
Not all stakeholders are equally important. You should focus your attention to the “key” ones. Who are they? They are the ones who can affect (and will be affected by) your branding project. You have to get those people on board as early as possible. Next question is… Read the rest of this entry
