Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Steps to Sustain Brand Value

 Steps to Sustain Brand Value





When I broke the screen on my iPhone a couple of months back, I asked the Apple care team for help. And the experience that followed exceeded my expectations. The team member involved went out of his way, contacting the nearest store to arrange an appointment to replace my screen -- in less than an hour.

It was that memorable experience which increased the value of Apple in my eyes, through my positive brand experience with the computer giant.

The design, look and feel of the Apple store itself has always provided me -- and obviously many others -- a unique, carefully crafted consumer experience. Apple fought and won the right to protect that experience with a trademark registration that covers the unique design and layout of its stores worldwide. And here again is the core of a good brand experience: Steve Jobs chose a brand name that could grow in the minds of the public, be legally protected and add to the value of the company.

Apple thus is a great illustration of how and why every new brand owner should make a conscious choice to invest in a trademark or trademarks to represent his or her company's consumer experience. For many companies, after all, the most valuable business asset is their brand.


Studies have shown that somewhere between 30 percent and 50 percent of the purchase price paid for a company is for its intangible assets, which are often labeled "intellectual property." The most common IP assets are patents, trade secrets and trademarks, including words, symbols, logos, slogans, trade dress and even sounds used to market a business’ products and services.

When the day comes to sell your company, and prospective buyers take an interest, their first question will likely be, “What’s your IP?”

Brand building starts with a unique product or service, and a clear plan to establish a channel, a bridge to the consumer. Today, brand building is likely to be a series of channels that connect with the consumer in different ways -- television, radio, print, social media, Internet sales or point of purchase in a store.

So, that's the objective: to create a memorable consumer experience at each touch point. The next question is, how do you get members of the public to associate their experience of the brand names and logos you promote to the public with your products and services? How do you build and protect a sustainable brand?

How do you emulate Steve Jobs' bitten apple -- and the immediacy with which iconsumers think "great computers!"? Here are six strategies to begin with.
1. Investigate -- Turn on the lights in a dark room to see who is there!

A professional search is like turning on the lights in a dark room; a search shines a light on the competition. Entrepreneurs sometimes bypass this step, opting to rely solely upon what they can discern from an online search. But this is not the wisest choice, particularly when you're investing thousands in marketing materials and packaging. Don’t risk being derailed before you even launch.
2. “Noodle” on it.

Think about the results. With a professional search, you will not only learn whether the brand name merits a major investment, but will have a way to formulate a smart plan to register. It is better to know the issues prior to getting married, and that also applies to selecting a brand name.

I recently conducted a search for a new fashion brand, which allowed me to develop a strategy to overcome an anticipated rejection of my client’s application based upon an existing registration. We used the search to gather facts; those facts greatly helped us successfully register the brand.

Related: How to Conduct a Patent Search to Make Sure Your Brilliant Invention Doesn't Already Exist
3. Select wisely -- Search for the intersection where selection meets protection.

The most common mistake new brand owners make is choosing a descriptive term. Descriptive terms are not good trademarks and should be avoided. Descriptive trademarks require costly advertising to garner public recognition, and they are extremely difficult and costly to enforce. Take a moment and learn what types of terms make strong trademarks. Check out: 5 Choices for a New Trademark.

As Margaret Walker, VP of intellectual property for Xerox Corporation shared with me: “Let’s understand what makes for a strong trademark, and what does not, and what your risk tolerance is. Are you okay to go out and invest this much money in something you are not going to be able to protect down the line?”
4. Proper use -- Use them correctly or “lose ’em.”

Correct trademark use involves the manner in which the brand owner, distributors, licensees and the public (including the media) use the mark. A guide for proper use should be created early in your brand’s existence. Marketing materials should provide a consistent brand presentation and include the generic term for the product or service.

Equally important, public use should be periodically monitored to avoid the risk that rights in the brand name will be lost.
5. Register with a plan -- Strategic registrations are invaluable.

Registration is like recording the deed to your house, allowing you to kick out squatters. A federal registration also protects the brand from increasing risks of domain-name infringement. With dozens of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) now available, registrations to assist in enforcement have never been more important. Don’t make the mistake of believing that a domain-name registration is a substitute for a trademark registration. Check out: Domain Names

Effective registration allows for orderly expansion both in the United States and internationally. For example, foreign trademark rights often go to the first party that registers. Pinterest learned this the hard way last year when it discovered that an earlier registration filed by a company in the United Kingdom could not be stopped. Pinterest's error: It had failed to promptly seek registration of its name.
6. Enforce and maintain -- Snooze and you will lose.

Managing and maintaining the brand’s public persona and reputation is vital. Sometimes called “policing your mark,” monitoring the marketplace is legally required in order to maintain rights.

The goal of monitoring is to ensure that differentiating thoughts and feelings about the brand are protected. This includes watching for new users using your marks for related goods and services, as well as third-party uses of similar but not identical words and marks.

Remember: Words like cellophane, aspirin and escalator were once trademarks. But then they weren't: Even the “walking fingers” of the Yellow Pages was found to be a generic term as a result of widespread and common use; AT&T failed to sustain its rights. Each of these former trademarks is now free for anyone to use.

So, don't make the mistakes described. Follow these steps, and you will be well on your way to growing greater value for your business, knowing that your brand is protected for the future.

Steps to Sustain Brand Value

 Steps to Sustain Brand Value





When I broke the screen on my iPhone a couple of months back, I asked the Apple care team for help. And the experience that followed exceeded my expectations. The team member involved went out of his way, contacting the nearest store to arrange an appointment to replace my screen -- in less than an hour.

It was that memorable experience which increased the value of Apple in my eyes, through my positive brand experience with the computer giant.

The design, look and feel of the Apple store itself has always provided me -- and obviously many others -- a unique, carefully crafted consumer experience. Apple fought and won the right to protect that experience with a trademark registration that covers the unique design and layout of its stores worldwide. And here again is the core of a good brand experience: Steve Jobs chose a brand name that could grow in the minds of the public, be legally protected and add to the value of the company.

Apple thus is a great illustration of how and why every new brand owner should make a conscious choice to invest in a trademark or trademarks to represent his or her company's consumer experience. For many companies, after all, the most valuable business asset is their brand.


Studies have shown that somewhere between 30 percent and 50 percent of the purchase price paid for a company is for its intangible assets, which are often labeled "intellectual property." The most common IP assets are patents, trade secrets and trademarks, including words, symbols, logos, slogans, trade dress and even sounds used to market a business’ products and services.

When the day comes to sell your company, and prospective buyers take an interest, their first question will likely be, “What’s your IP?”

Brand building starts with a unique product or service, and a clear plan to establish a channel, a bridge to the consumer. Today, brand building is likely to be a series of channels that connect with the consumer in different ways -- television, radio, print, social media, Internet sales or point of purchase in a store.

So, that's the objective: to create a memorable consumer experience at each touch point. The next question is, how do you get members of the public to associate their experience of the brand names and logos you promote to the public with your products and services? How do you build and protect a sustainable brand?

How do you emulate Steve Jobs' bitten apple -- and the immediacy with which iconsumers think "great computers!"? Here are six strategies to begin with.
1. Investigate -- Turn on the lights in a dark room to see who is there!

A professional search is like turning on the lights in a dark room; a search shines a light on the competition. Entrepreneurs sometimes bypass this step, opting to rely solely upon what they can discern from an online search. But this is not the wisest choice, particularly when you're investing thousands in marketing materials and packaging. Don’t risk being derailed before you even launch.
2. “Noodle” on it.

Think about the results. With a professional search, you will not only learn whether the brand name merits a major investment, but will have a way to formulate a smart plan to register. It is better to know the issues prior to getting married, and that also applies to selecting a brand name.

I recently conducted a search for a new fashion brand, which allowed me to develop a strategy to overcome an anticipated rejection of my client’s application based upon an existing registration. We used the search to gather facts; those facts greatly helped us successfully register the brand.

Related: How to Conduct a Patent Search to Make Sure Your Brilliant Invention Doesn't Already Exist
3. Select wisely -- Search for the intersection where selection meets protection.

The most common mistake new brand owners make is choosing a descriptive term. Descriptive terms are not good trademarks and should be avoided. Descriptive trademarks require costly advertising to garner public recognition, and they are extremely difficult and costly to enforce. Take a moment and learn what types of terms make strong trademarks. Check out: 5 Choices for a New Trademark.

As Margaret Walker, VP of intellectual property for Xerox Corporation shared with me: “Let’s understand what makes for a strong trademark, and what does not, and what your risk tolerance is. Are you okay to go out and invest this much money in something you are not going to be able to protect down the line?”
4. Proper use -- Use them correctly or “lose ’em.”

Correct trademark use involves the manner in which the brand owner, distributors, licensees and the public (including the media) use the mark. A guide for proper use should be created early in your brand’s existence. Marketing materials should provide a consistent brand presentation and include the generic term for the product or service.

Equally important, public use should be periodically monitored to avoid the risk that rights in the brand name will be lost.
5. Register with a plan -- Strategic registrations are invaluable.

Registration is like recording the deed to your house, allowing you to kick out squatters. A federal registration also protects the brand from increasing risks of domain-name infringement. With dozens of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) now available, registrations to assist in enforcement have never been more important. Don’t make the mistake of believing that a domain-name registration is a substitute for a trademark registration. Check out: Domain Names

Effective registration allows for orderly expansion both in the United States and internationally. For example, foreign trademark rights often go to the first party that registers. Pinterest learned this the hard way last year when it discovered that an earlier registration filed by a company in the United Kingdom could not be stopped. Pinterest's error: It had failed to promptly seek registration of its name.
6. Enforce and maintain -- Snooze and you will lose.

Managing and maintaining the brand’s public persona and reputation is vital. Sometimes called “policing your mark,” monitoring the marketplace is legally required in order to maintain rights.

The goal of monitoring is to ensure that differentiating thoughts and feelings about the brand are protected. This includes watching for new users using your marks for related goods and services, as well as third-party uses of similar but not identical words and marks.

Remember: Words like cellophane, aspirin and escalator were once trademarks. But then they weren't: Even the “walking fingers” of the Yellow Pages was found to be a generic term as a result of widespread and common use; AT&T failed to sustain its rights. Each of these former trademarks is now free for anyone to use.

So, don't make the mistakes described. Follow these steps, and you will be well on your way to growing greater value for your business, knowing that your brand is protected for the future.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

14 Twitter Mistakes to Avoid

Mistakes are a good thing if you learn from them and they don’t kill you.14 Twitter Mistakes to Avoid
Well, that is the common wisdom.
The reality is that mistakes can cost you your job, your relationship and significant dollops of money.
All of these are painful.
Social media provides a public platform that make stuff ups visible at velocity. Humiliation on a global scale is the downside of the social web.
Tweet some stupidity and you have the potential for a viral campaign of the very wrong kind that provides a new category of embarrassment.
Embarrassment at speed.
Public relations agencies have made a lot of money from advising companies on how to be ready or recover from a social media disaster.
So not engaging your brain before you post to Facebook or tweet on Twitter is a mistake that should be avoided at all costs when participating on social media networks.

So what should you do?

There are are some basic principles to keep in mind when you next punch out 140 characters to 200 million people.
There maybe more but these will enable Twitter harm minimization that will help you retain your job, your business and your sanity.

What shouldn’t you do?

Here are 14 Twitter mistakes to be avoided to ensure that the boss values you on Monday morning, your wife still loves you on Friday evening and your career path is not hijacked by an insane moment.
How to Suck at Twitter
Infographic source: Boot Camp Digital 

So what about you?

3 Simple Ways to Generate Buzz for a Launch with Infographics1

3 Simple Ways to Generate Buzz for a Launch with Infographics
Have you ever been through a launch? Or perhaps you’re preparing for one now?
Whether it’s for a fresh new startup, a brand new product, or the re-launch of an old product; generating attention and buzz is a vital ingredient.
A successful launch builds suspense BEFORE the fact. It stirs interest on social media, encourages big click throughs to your website and prepares for an immediate up-tick in launch day sales and revenue.
Beyond the typical elements of a launch, such as email marketing, ads and remarketing, webinars and events… There is something that a lot of people don’t make use of as often as they could.
Infographics.

Why use infographics to hype your launch?

You know that everyone loves a good infographic, right?
Why not use this to your advantage and help create a memorable image that connects to your new startup, product, or content?
The brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than written content, which means that people will get the information you’re trying to impart in the 15 seconds the average person spends looking at content.
A visually dynamic and interesting infographic will help you attract more attention better than a short line or a long blog about your “amazing, exciting, NEW” product.
In addition to simply attracting visual attention, infographics also help with information retention. Did you know that up to 65% of visual input can be recalled 10 days later? If you want your target audience to remember your name or your product, using a visual representation (like an infographic) will get the job done.
Creating brand awareness with an infographic can be highly effective in your marketing campaign prior to a launch, and can be the difference between a flop and a fortune.
There is also the added benefit of increased interaction when you use infographics. Bloggers and marketers find that infographics get viewed 30 times more than written articles, and increase their engagement (click-throughs, conversions, sales, shares, etc.) by at least 12%.
What better way to test interest than to have actual analytics connected to your infographic?
what is infographics for buzz for a launch

How to effectively market your launch with infographics

The beauty of the infographic is that you can share it across pretty much any medium you can imagine: websites, social media, and even in emails, printed materials, and advertising.
Just like any visual, it is easy to consume, easy to share, and easy to remember. Because of this, you need to make sure you fully harness an infographic’s potential when launching your business or product.
Here are three ways to share and analyze your infographic to help you during launch:

1. Social media

Everyone knows that infographics look great and attract attention on social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or even Instagram or Pinterest, infographics let you span the distance between these very diverse platforms.
Not only do each of these sites give you your own analytics (how many people the post reached, how many people engaged with your image, how many people shared the infographic, etc.), but when you create an effective infographic you actually can track who does what with it.
Embed codes allow you to ensure that your infographic will be shared but still lead back to the source (hopefully your landing page, if you’ve played your cards right).

2. Landing pages and websites

Even when you create an infographic and share it via email, social media, or in your promotional materials, having a link or embed code back to your landing page or website will give you an entirely different set of analytics.
Depending on where the “click-through” came from, potentially email or affiliate connections, you can track the types of people who are engaging with your image, how long they spend on your site, what else they looked at, and what came out of their visit (subscription to email, interest in your product launch, purchases, “likes” or “Follows,” etc.).
This gives you a great snapshot of what people are interested in with minimal market testing requirements on your end.

3. Blasting brands

Creating infographics is more than just what you put into them; it’s about what they look like and how recognizable they are, as well.
Do not underestimate the power of a cohesive brand appearance using infographics. You can use as many infographics you want, but the style and tone of the images can be matched across your entire campaign. Use your logo, your slogan, or similar icons or color schemes.
Make sure your infographics (and how you share them) are connected back to your product always. By the time you’re ready to launch, people will be familiar with the look and feel of your business, product, or message, and will be ready to support you because they recognize you.
blasting brands for buzz for a launch

But will it work?

You’re probably thinking that an infographic is a great way to get some notice on social media, or a fun way to spruce up a presentation – but increase conversions? Improve visibility? Boost your launch?
It’s normal to doubt, but the reality is that infographics have been proven to help people start new ventures, boost sales, and improve their business reach overall.
In some instances, infographics can increase total revenue and conversions by 400%. Then there are professional marketers who say that, without a doubt, the fastest way to grow your website traffic (and therefore boost interest, sales, and conversions) is to use infographics.
Other startups get 200,000+ sign ups and subscribers with one single infographic, as in the case ofLaunchrock.
Not interested in testing website traffic or conversions? What about social media shares and highlighting your cause or message to see how it’s publicly received?
As you can see in the infographic below, 43% of the content shared on social media is in images. Of course, everyone wants to “go viral” and simply sharing your infographics across a targeted audience can help attract millions of people who share, like, and retweet.
Social media marketing is one of the best ways to attract attention, and to develop relationships with consumers and your target market. It also creates an environment for brand loyalty and launch support, according to the Harvard Business Review.
If images are the most shared content on every social media platform, why wouldn’t you use that information to create infographics that can boost your newest venture?
Will it work for buzz for a launch

Wrap

It’s hard to imagine that an infographic could do the work of an entire marketing campaign, and while it’s probably best to market in other (and possibly more traditional) ways as well, infographics can make all the difference.
Getting your brand out there, engaging with your community and target audience, and seeing how people interact with the content you share will help you turn your newest venture into your biggest hit.
Infographics are more than just images; use them to their full potential so you can reach yours

15 Unconventional Advertising Ideas That Set The World On Fire

How do you catch and keep the attention of your audience, and galvanize them into action?
This is the Holy Grail of marketing and promotion professionals, and they have to nail it each and every time. That is, if they want to keep working in the industry. The thing is it has all been done before.
Or has it?
The Internet has not made coming up with ad campaigns any easier, either. Of course, that also levels the playing field, so ANYONE can try out a crazy idea without having to spend a ton of money.
Shock and awe are two emotions that are very useful in advertising because they are new, different, and memorable.
However, some of the best ad campaigns did not even start as an ad campaign, but it drew so much attention, it ought to have been.
Check out these 15 game changing advertising ideas.

1. Create drama with the push of a button (it doesn’t have to be an ACTUAL button)

The “Push to Add Drama” button was a series of elaborate setups created by TNT in the quiet corners of towns in different countries. It  concerned a big red button, and a sign (in different languages) that said “Push to add drama.”
Unsuspecting pedestrians and drivers witnessed fights, accidents, and bikini babes on bikes in a carefully orchestrated event, culminating in a drop down banner ad for the TV channel.
Lesson learned: Everybody needs a little drama in life. Buttons can be virtual or metaphoric triggers.

2. Make it bigger


Staedtler image for advertising ideasImage Source: Ads of the World
This poster ad by Staedtler features a pencil where the tip is a cathedral, implying that all big things built start with a pencil sketch.
It creates a compelling visual image for its target market. This series ad ran with Church, chair, and car as a print campaign in 2012 and won the gold and silver award for illustration in the 2013 Andy Awards.
Lesson learned: Scale creates different effects in design advertising. Use it in any clever way you can.

3. Make it smaller

IKEA pushed the envelope in space saving ideas by creating an ad banner about their smallest IKEA store.
It featured a visual representation of ALL their merchandise in a particular store. You could browse by department, choose an item, and click to buy. It was space saving to the extreme!
Lesson learned: Novelty can come in small packages. 

4. Post content about obscure but interesting facts

Insurance company Geico posted a series of “Did you know…” videos that always started with it’s “Fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more on your car insurance” slogan, and the repartee of “Everybody knows that”.
While the research can be tedious, you can outsource the time consuming tasks to experts like the professionals at Scholar Advisor so that you can focus on the creative aspect like script writing and video production.
Lesson learned: Be interesting. Be informative.

5. Develop a game for your business; it’s easy enough, and fun too!

How do you get people to care more? Give them something to think about.
Melbourne’s Metro Trains “Dumb Ways to Die” is an animated video with a catchy tune, using cute characters coming to a sticky end by being careless or stupid.
It was black humor at its lightest, and spawned a slew of games for Android and iOS after it came out in 2012.
Lesson learned: Games reinforce your message and keep the fun alive.

6. Feature something local and interesting on your website

Local ads tend to be cheesy, and well, pretty bad. But they continue all the same because the locals like them.
You can do the same by featuring something local on your website; it doesn’t have to be professional. The important thing is to use geographical hashtags to make you easier to find.
Lesson learned: You can get in on the action by giving attention to what is happening in your community.

7. Run an off-the wall photo or video contest on social networks

Singing toothbrushes may not be on the top of your grocery list, but Brush Buddies generated a lot of interest in the product by hosting a contest on Facebook to find the best singer to put in the toothbrushes.
Participants uploaded videos of them singing, and people could vote, comment, and share them.
Lesson learned: Get people to do something unusual for your social contests to engage them more.

8. Share shocking photos or videos

The Penguins video released by BBC on April Fool’s Day in 2008 was both funny and shocking.
As a promotion for its online player released on YouTube, it tapped into the human subconscious desire to believe in something unbelievable. It was a prank, but an amazing one.
It went viral, snagging 100,000 views on its first day, and currently nudging 5 million views today, more than 8 years later.
Lesson learned: Think about how to make the impossible seem possible.

9. Get an expert to reveal startling information

This Dove commercial shows behind the scenes footage of what it takes to “evolve” ordinary women into extraordinary ones for a billboard ad.
Lesson learned: Things are not always what they seem. Deliver content about everyday things people did not know.

10. Challenge amateurs to come up with their own ad campaigns for you Doritos image for advertising ideas

Image Source: Wikimedia
Crash the Super Bowl” was a Frito-Lay campaign for Doritos in 2006. It challenged ordinary people to come up with an ad campaign for Doritos. It was a risky move ($2 million worth of ad money) considering social networks were in its infancy at the time, but it worked.
It hurtled Doritos to the top of the most effective brands for the Super Bowl, and boosted sales significantly. Some of the ads even won the top spot in the USA Today Ad Meter! The company launched its last Crash campaign in 2016 after a successful ten-year run.
Lesson learned: Engage consumers through user-generated content.

11. Make fun of yourself

The funny and iconic “Whassup” Budweiser ad nearly didn’t make it out as executives thought it was too “urban”. It did though, and the laid-back, cool, dare-to-be-silly attitude resonated very well with the mainstream when it came out in 2006.
Lesson learned: Have fun, and others will, too.

12. Post a controversial question or statement

The “Mac vs. PC” was a series of 66 30-second commercials that featured a conversation between representations of the two desktop giants head-to-head, with Apple (played by Justin Long) always coming out as the cool one. It created quite a reaction among both PC and Mac users, spawning memes and parodies galore.
Lesson learned: Create controversy, become part of the conversation.

13. Post memes on your social networks

Finding the most viewed memes is hard. Cats are particularly popular though, particularly Grumpy Cat, who as it turns out isn’t grumpy at all. But who cares, right? The face is funny, so have at it!
Lesson learned: Memes are one-shot culture packages, and you can really get some great attention with very little effort. Use a meme generator and make it even easier.

14. Give a new twist to an old saying

Memes are also good for giving a new twist for popular quotes or sayings. You can make up your own, or use some on this list, stick it on a funny image, and post in on your blog, site, or social networks.
Lesson learned: You can always repurpose something familiar or old to suit your own ends. It makes people think.

15. Exercise social responsibility and give back to your community

Unicef image for advertising ideas
Image Source: Wikimedia
Two ad campaigns come to mind for this one: UNICEF’s “Tap Project” and Chipotle’s “Back to the Start”.
The Tap Project was a poster campaign that encouraged diners to donate $1 on top of their bill to give drinking water to a child for 40 days.
Back to the Start began as an introductory video for the restaurant chain’s commitment to sustainable and humane food system.
Lesson learned: Goodwill is the best form of promotion!

Wrap

Marketing and promotion doesn’t have to be hard. All you need is a good idea, and to run with it for all its worth.
These 15 advertising ideas and actual implementation is a good place to start, but don’t let that limit you. If you have some ideas of your own, we would love to hear about it. Remember, sharing is caring!