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The Etymology of Responsible Marketing, by Tim Girvin

By on June 30, 2008 in about this blog, branding, creativity, truth

Tim Girvin and I go back. Way back. Okay, not that far back. We were on the advisory board of a before-its-time start-up six or seven years ago, then reconnected through social media recently. Tim’s firm, Girvin, is known in design circles for its work on identity programs for over 350 motion pictures such as [...]

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Archie Bunker as pitchman? Almost.

By on June 18, 2008 in branding, message responsible, responsible or not?, socially responsible, videos

Would you like someone that makes “tasteless jokes about sex, AIDS, religion and bodily functions, purposely offending just about every group of people you could name” to represent your product? How about a character that have “been criticized for everything from anti-Semitism and sexism to homophobia and overall disgustingness?” Sounds like Archie Bunker, the bombastic [...]

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Re-positioning requires more than words alone

By on June 9, 2008 in branding, positioning

Few brands ever truly reach the Holy Grail of marketing: Positioning so universal that the brand literally owns a word or phrase in the mind of the consumer. What pops into your mind when I say Starbucks. . . Volvo . . . Geek Squad? That word or phrase represents that brand’s positioning to the [...]

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Brand Tags reveals what people really think about brands

By on May 16, 2008 in branding, positioning

When speaking, I often do free association with brands, asking the audience to shout out any word or phrase that comes to mind when I name a brand. While most brands own a few words, in my experience, only one brand has delivered consistently: Volvo. When I say it, the words “safety” or “safe” are [...]

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I’ll take “responsibility” for $14

By on May 6, 2008 in branding, fun, positioning, simplicity, viral marketing, word of mouth

Ask a room full of people to shout out the single word that comes to mind when you say “Volvo,” 90% will say “safety.” Owning a meaningful word or phrase in the mind of the consumer is the holy grail of marketing, I’d say. To own a word is expensive and time consuming, isn’t it? [...]

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Good things come in small packages

By on May 1, 2008 in books, branding, creativity, simplicity

Earlier this year, I asked you to Help define the buzzword marketers love (and I hate). Yep, that buzzword was (and remains) the word “branding.” Enter The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design by Marty Neumeier. The first thing you notice, the book is perhaps the shortest 200 pages [...]

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Love it or hate it? Heineken’s “Share the Good”

By on April 24, 2008 in branding, love it or hate it?, videos, word of mouth

With the title “Share the Good,” Heineken’s new campaign sounds promising. But it’s not about Katrina relief, reducing the company’s carbon footprint or feeding hungry children. Nope. It’s all about the beer, and sharing your Heineken with a stranger. While the ad is visually interesting and the art direction is quite good, something isn’t quite [...]

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Swirly goodness? Pinkberry not all good

By on April 15, 2008 in branding, corporate responsibility, false advertising, message responsible, simplicity

I like Pinkberry‘s marketing. The chain of frozen confection stores based in New York and California speak in an engaging, human voice. Their branding is clean and simple, and they know that less is more. But Pinkberry’s founder claimed less when there was more — more additives and more calories, to be precise. And that, [...]

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Life flows better with Visa, especially if you are buck naked

By on March 24, 2008 in advertainment, branding, videos

Visa Europe is rolling out its new “Life flows better with Visa” campaign today. Here’s their first ad: Think it would fly in America? Via MarketingWeek UK

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Your agency is not your brand

By on March 18, 2008 in branding, execution responsible

Does your website have a link on the bottom giving credit to the web developer? Do your email blasts include a big logo with a link taking your readers to your email marketing company’s promotional page? Why? You’ve paid good money to have your website designed, then your web developer uses it to promote their [...]

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Should I drink a Guinness today?

By on March 17, 2008 in branding, corporate responsibility, polls, socially responsible, videos

St. Patrick’s Day on a Monday? Blasphemy! When in Dublin a few years ago, I visited the Guinness Storehouse and was most impressed by the section dedicated to their advertising archive, most of the second floor. “Guinness is good for you” was a claim made in the company’s adverts after market research revealed people felt [...]

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D2 Man swoops in to save Top-Flite’s sagging brand

By on March 14, 2008 in advertainment, branding, creativity, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

Think your company is too conservative to be creative? Think again. Top-Flite’s fading brand desperately needs help. On March 5th, D2 Man arrived to help the company become relevant again amid a sea of strong new competitors. In nine days, the following viral has generated nearly a million views on YouTube and a fair amount [...]

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Gary Vaynerchuk on personal branding

By on March 12, 2008 in branding, positioning, social networking

My partner, Eric Anderson, has been urging me to profile WineLibraryTV.com host Gary Vaynerchuk since I launched this blog. An avid wine collector, Eric has watched Vaynerchuk’s video blog since its debut. Vaynerchuk’s energy, authenticity and social media savvy caught Eric’s attention, and a few others as well. Vaynerchuk is now one of the Internet [...]

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The Star Wars franchise: Too much of a good thing?

By on February 19, 2008 in branding, commercialization, videos

I saw Star Wars Episode IV thirteen times in the theaters. Thirteen. In my defense, I was 11 years old in 1977. I know. I know. This raises a lot of questions, so I’ll answer them now. Yes, I’ve seen all the movies. No, I don’t know the names of most of the characters nor [...]

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Green cleaners that actually work?

By on January 24, 2008 in branding, environmentally responsible

Last year, Outsource Marketing was recognized by King County as Best Workplace for Recycling. But when we made the decision to become a green business, one of the sticking points was with cleaners–because they seldom work very well, are expensive and are often hard to find. Well, I’m hoping that’s changed. Clorox has recently released [...]

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Business cards: Little billboards for everyone

By on January 21, 2008 in branding, creativity

I like to think of business cards as mini-billboards: you only have a second or two to make an impression. I believe strongly that: Most companies need to be significantly more creative with their business cards (and spend more on design and printing). Irresponsible? Think again. What’s the most powerful form of marketing? You got [...]

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Help define the buzzword marketers love (and I hate)

By on January 17, 2008 in branding, creativity, polls

Each January, Interbrand shares its Best Global Brands 2007 report. They’ve been doing it for years, and they do a nice job of it. Back in 2002 we wrote an article for the Friends of Outsource Marketing entitled “The buzzword marketers love…and we hate.” Yes, the word I hated then was “branding.” I still do. [...]

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Is Target half pregnant with their eco-messaging?

By on January 10, 2008 in branding, environmentally responsible

Whole Foods isn’t the only place offering reusable shopping bags. Seems you can get them everywhere now. In fact, Kroger’s Fred Meyer chain took out full page ads recently touting their new eco-friendly bags. Target gives 5% of their profits to charities, and until recently has done little to tout it other than a sign [...]

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