Strategic Brand Consultancy
(From Lippincott) The visible and tactile elements that can be used to identify a brand (name, logotype, symbol, structure, product configuration, service offering and packaging).
Are you considering to use numbers as a part of your brand? Then, you may want to learn about the symbolic meaning of numbers! For instance, why do you think 7 is the world's most popular number? Or does 5 have a gender? Which of the following is better to convey a sense of uniqueness? …
Donald Sterling, the disgraced owner of the Los Angeles Clippers has decided to sell his team, and Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft placed a bid of $2 billion to purchase it. Since the NBA approved his proposal, now many people are wondering the same thing: Should Balmer rename the LA Clippers? Do they …
Did you know that the success rate of a place-branding project is less than 15%? Turns out that most of the place-branding initiatives are prematurely ended within a year of introduction. You might think that such a high failure rate is outrageous. Unfortunately, as someone who has been involved in a couple of place branding projects, I …
Continue reading "How do you define success for a place-branding project?"
Previously, we analyzed the Czech Republic's new promotional logo, which did not receive a warm welcome. Unfortunately, the campaign failed to convey unique and compelling messages to the three major audiences of any place branding campaigns: Visitors, potential investors, and the locals. We think this campaign did the expected: Promoted "the stereotypical Czech Republic." However, successful branding requires us …
I have always thought that the most difficult branding projects are the place branding ones. As such, I have written quite a bit about the unique challenges of these beasts. The reality is, unfortunately, most of them are destined to fail and this is proven by hard data. Months ago, Czech Republic revealed its new …
Previously, I shared some of my thoughts on LeBron James, mythology and archetypal psychology. Let's continue from where we left off. This is the second instalment of a three-article series. About James’ recovering popularity I genuinely believe that LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of his generation. That has been obvious the last couple …
Continue reading "What does LeBron James’ first ring signify? Part 2"
I’ve been writing about branding for years, yet only one of my articles talks about the greatest brand of our time: Apple… Here is why: As soon as we start talking about brands and branding, it becomes extremely difficult to find an article that doesn’t refer to Apple. Every conference I attend, analyzes Apple as a …
Below, is the comment I left on an article on Brand New. My thoughts on Canada's new campaign generated some interest, so I decided to share them with you. Enjoy it! "I like the simplicity of the design, as well as applications and the selection of images. As usual, BMD has done an excellent "design" …
Previously, we talked about different structures of brand architecture. Let’s continue from where we left off and look at brand hierarchy and roles by studying one of my favourite brands: Mervin Manufacturing. Mervin is a designer and manufacturer of snowboarding and skateboarding products. What I love the most about Mervin is its culture, which is …
Continue reading "Brand architecture 201: Mervin Manufacturing"
Months ago the apparel brand GAP introduced its new logo in stealth mode, which created such a backlash that even the most experienced brand professionals were surprised. Truth to be told, no one was expecting such fury. Eventually, the brand had to take a step back and announce that it will use its old logo. …