creative branding & marketing

Web design, graphic design, SEO, SEM and creative brand strategy thoughts to help you gain market share authored by the Metropolis Creative team and industry leaders.

8/17/09

Guess Who's Trying Too Hard To Be Cool?

What is it with brands trying to manufacture cool these days? You couldn't exactly do it in 5th grade, why do you think you can do it now?

Recently, Pizza Hut has tried it with sort-of changing their name to "The Hut", Radioshack did the same move by sort-of rebranding to "The Shack" (I say sort-of because officially both companies denied a full name change), and Microsoft's leaked retail concept is heavily Apple store inspired.

What do all of these examples have in common? They are trying to manufacture cool. After all, when did you ever think of these brands as cool? Pizza Hut dining experience cool? Please.

We've been seeing that most of the feedback from these examples has been negative. It's easy to say they are mistakes, because its clear that the brand is trying too hard. The advertising spin and copycat models that try to cover up real problems are so transparent it hurts. Relax. You don't have to be a cutting edge company to be cool. Look at office supply company W.B. Mason. How can you do it?

1. Have Genuine Passion

No one likes a company that does something half-assed. Be passionate about what you do, even if its selling paper-clips, and do it fanatically well. Chances are, your community is just as passionate as you are.

2. Know Your Brand

Passion usually doesn't show up in companies that don't have a solid knowledge of who they are, what they do, and how they fit in to the marketplace. Pizza Hut and Radioshack both come to mind. Know exactly who you are, what you do, and own your spot with meaningful value.

3. Have Fun

I always love brands that poke a little fun at themselves, and aren't afraid to lighten up. Being cool is being relaxed and not trying too hard.

In short: Be genuine, have passion, know your brand, and don't be afraid to have fun.

PS. Have you seen the very cool offer from Metropolis to help keep your brand coolness in check? Click here.

Labels: big brands, brand credibility, brand identity, branding stretegies

1 Comments:

Dan O'Sullivan said...: Right on, Seth. I had the same reaction when I heard about the Radio Shack and Pizza Hut rebranding. You can't force cool. I think Fonzie originally might have said that.; September 16, 2009 4:45 PM

5/18/09

Does Your Brand Have the Power of a Super Villain?

Everyone needs a brand. Super villains decidedly stand out as brand identity czars. Identities are created that are memorable and recognizable in various formats.

As a basic handbook, you can't beat Neil Zawacki's manual, "The Villain's Guide to Better Living." It covers such important topics as how to choose an appropriate lair, how to motivate your minions, and even resume writing tips. Aside from the obviously practical advice in this book, many of the topics help define the villain's personal brand by building on every aspect of their image.

When proper planning isn't done, you can end up more like the aptly named Mystery Men - unclear on who they are, and what they do.

Last year during the writer's strike, Joss Whedon seized the down-time (anyone have any down-time right now?) to write a personal pet-project of his own, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog". We see Dr. Horrible work on his evil laugh, and try to get respect from not only the evil community itself, but from his potential love-interest.

It's interesting that even though Dr. Horrible is a "bad guy", he is branded with "good guy" colors (all white). And the hero Dr. Hammer, who turns out to be arrogant and selfish, wears all black. (Other good villain colors are red, and sometimes neon green).

The design of a villain's costume, logo, and calling card must all be truly evil and impressive. Memorable icons and graphics, contrasting colors, and occasional flair are key to create a powerful brand. Additionally, allies such as business partners and organizations will help give your own brand additional power.

Help your brand to take over the world by:
1) Defining your brand identity
2) Applying your brand to your marketing strategy (evil or not)
3) Listening to your audience and respond to their reaction

PS. Who's your favorite or most feared super villain?

Labels: boston brand agency, branding stretegies, branding with color, dr. horrible, joss whedon, villain's guide to better living

3 Comments:

Alex_Turnwall said...: The Scarecrow, The Mad Hatter, Raj Al Ghul. But they would be nothing without Moriarty.; May 19, 2009 9:54 AM
Nark said...: Do you feel that your headquarters is appropriately evil enough? As someone who has spent a lot of time plotting from subterranean lairs, I'm not sure being so close to a flower exchange speaks of your inner darkness. Unless of course it is brilliant subterfuge. Then I must applaud your brilliance.; June 5, 2009 3:39 PM
web service development said...: I must say, you have a very nice site!; July 14, 2009 5:48 AM

5/14/09

Are Your Branding Strategies and Website Design on the Same Page?

Prospects and even current clients judge your website when making a buying decision. It could be their first impression or their information source for your news. If your website doesn’t match your brand and marketing strategy, you may be losing customers.

Put your website to a test to see if it matches your messaging. Here’s how:

Does your latest sales/marketing brochure design (or even your business card) match your website design? Are the colors the same? Are the fonts the same? How about dots versus dashes between phone numbers? Do they convey a consistent message about your company, product/services?

Ask someone who is unfamiliar with your company/product to read your homepage and reply with a quick summary of your messaging and how to contact you. Was this person able to easily identify your targeted message, reach you and receive a reply?

Ask a salesperson or company spokesperson to use your homepage and present it’s content to you as if you know nothing about the company. Does the homepage really match your elevator pitch and have a compelling call-to-action?

Make a list of 5 adjectives that describe your targeted audience. If your list includes young, hip, trendy, swank... be sure to have contempo images and slick technology like Flash animation.

In summary, everything you put in front of a customer should have a consistent message. Every ad, every brochure, your website, corporate identity elements, etc. An integrated campaign works wonders when designed professionally by a single designer or agency.

Content is king. Keeping your website updated with fresh, high-quality, informative content positions you as an expert in your field. People want to do business with experts. Moreover, keep your information current. An outdated news page makes one wonder if you are still in business. New content also provides protein for search engine spiders.

A website that is designed with all of your marketing activities in mind will reinforce trust in your capabilities, increases sales and build your brand online.

PS. Don’t have time to put your website to the test? I’ll do it for you. Send me your url.

Labels: boston branding, boston website design, branding stretegies, web site branding, web site design

4 Comments:

Anonymous said...: Great tips! It's usually the little details that slip through the cracks. Sounds like you have a good system for finding the problems people often miss.; May 17, 2009 4:47 AM
website design,web design said...: Your blog is very nice... i like your blog ....

web design company, web designer, web design India; May 20, 2009 7:57 AM
Bob.B said...: Michael:
Love this post. Wish more design pros understood what you obviously do! You point about brand consistency is particularly resonant. When marketers take care to reinforce their identity - fonts, palette, messaging, design elements - across multiple platforms, they increase the impact of each effort, and amplify reach and frequency. Well done, and I look forward to keeping up with your posts.; June 9, 2009 6:16 PM
Download games said...: Great post. Thanks for the information. Hope this will help me a lot.. more power to your blog..; July 30, 2009 2:22 AM

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creative branding & marketing

1. Have Genuine Passion

2. Know Your Brand