The content of your logo is third in the sequence of recognition, behind shape and color, because the brain takes more time to process language.

Letterforms can be very powerful in creating content and meaning. The use of initials as an identifying mark has been around for centuries, since medieval kingdoms became economic enterprises. Letterforms are often abstracted to create clever symbols which act as metaphor for the core brand positioning.

These symbols combine a strong form and shape that influences content:

Many logos consist of only the name of the destination without any iconic symbol. These wordmarks or logotypes range in complexity from straightforward typesetting of an existing font, to a completely custom typographic mark. The most effective wordmarks have something unique embedded or changed in the typography that create metaphor and imply meaning. It can be a clever graphic inserted into the word, a texture applied to the letters, or the transformation of a letter(s).

Getting to the Heart

Too often brands rely on cliches such as script typography to denote luxury, even though it doesn’t necessarily distinguish or get to the heart of the brand. It’s not that these logos aren’t nice on the surface, but do they really speak to the core of the brand message?

For example, If you’ve ever had the pleasure of staying at the Lake Placid Lodge in New York state, the script type might confuse you. The Lake Placid Lodge is designed in the Adirondack Great Camp tradition – solid, rustic and earthy. The script type has little to do with the resort’s heritage and brand position.

Clearly, there are many decisions to be made in creating a new logo or identity for travel and destination brands; obvious considerations such as which words to include, to more subtle factors like shape and the emotional impact of certain colors. If you’d like to learn more about logo design and how shape, color and language content are interpreted by the human brain, we recommend these sources:

• Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheller

John Wiley  & Sons, Inc., 2006

• ‘Meggs’, A History of Graphic Design, 4th Edition by Philip B. Meggs and Alston W. Purvis

John Wiley & Sons, 2006

• An Osteopathic Approach to Children by Jane E. Carreiro

Elsevier Health Sciences, 2003

• “Dual perspectives give science added insight into brain” by Michael Purdy Homewood

The Gazette Online, the newspaper of The Johns Hopkins University 2002, VOL. 32, NO. 2

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Shape, Color, Content – The Language of Logos

Cosmetics, booze, fragrance, cars and apparel; we expect sexed-up selling from brands in those industries, right?

Take a look at some typical brands doing just that…and some not so typical having a go with sexy.

Behold.

Axe: The Axe Effect

Nothing new here…

American Apparel

And now for something different…

John West (Tuna)

Sexy Tuna (John West, Australia)

Trident (Insurance)

Auto Insurance (Trident UK)

PETA

Animal Rights Organization (PETA, International)

FGA Law Firm

via

Law Firm (FGA, Chicago)

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Sexed-Up Selling

The process of creating a strong brand* involves a lot of behind-the-scenes efforts that go unnoticed by clients, customers, and other key stakeholders.  When an organization decides to get serious about defining who they are, it is necessary to do a bit of soul-searching to determine how the company views itself (from the inside-out), and how it is viewed by external audiences (from the outside-in).

When it comes to the latter point, we can probably all agree that the aesthetics of certain brands simultaneously come to mind with the emotional connection we feel with those brands.

For example, when you hear the word “NIKE”, you likely have an emotional response to the name, as well as the image of the “swoosh” logo in your head.  The same goes for Starbucks – perhaps hearing the name, you feel the comfort of drinking your favorite cup of coffee or tea, while visions of Starbucks’ product packaging come to mind.

Customers connect with brands on many different levels – with the head and the heart – and the expression of the brand must be consistently presented to appeal to one or both of these aspects at any given moment.  As a result, the visual imagery of a brand will often be the most succinct and effective way to achieve these connections.  Images and color communicate in ways that verbal messaging cannot.  So, when it comes to developing your brand – or that of your clients – consider design as an integral part of your overall brand equity*.

*See below for a handy definition of terms

Brand Imagery: Realistic

Brand Imagery:  Abstract

Brand Imagery:  Wordmark

Brand Imagery:  Color

Brand Imagery:  Form

Brand Imagery:  Consistency

KEY TERMS (as defined via brandchannel):

• Brand – A brand is a mixture of attributes, tangible an intangible, symbolized in a trademark, which, if managed properly, creates value and influence.

“Value” has different interpretations:  from a marketing or consumer perspective it is “the promise and deliver of an experience”; from a business perspective it is “the security of future earnings”; from a legal perspective it is “a separable piece of intellectual property.”  Brands offer customers a means to choose and enable recognition within cluttered markets.

• Brand Equity – The sum of all distinguishing qualities of a brand, drawn from all relevant stakeholders, that results in personal commitment to an demand for the brand; these differentiating thoughts and feelings make the brand valued and valuable.

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Developing Brand Imagery

via

Designing a new logo for a brand, especially travel/destination, requires careful consideration of the competitive set, content and how people perceive visual information. After shape, color is the most powerful element in creating brand recognition. It is also the most subjective element because it triggers strong emotions. And to further complicate the matter, individuals, as well as cultures, perceive color differently.

We often associate color with a variety of events, rites of passage, and objects. Things we taste, such as a lime or orange, generate color imagery. So does the scent of a pine forest or a bouquet of lilacs. Certain colors are often associated with emotions, such as blue with loyalty, yellow with cowardice, and purple with spirituality.

Some ancient societies believed in the healing power of color: red for energy, blue to reduce allergies. Although modern society is skeptical of such “powers”, consider this: babies born today with jaundice (a yellowing of the skin) are treated by exposure to a blue light which triggers a positive metabolic reaction.

In western cultures, some wear white to symbolize cleanliness, virtue or chastity. In China, white is associated with grief and mourning. In western culture black has negative associations — the dark side, blacklisted, the Black Plague, black magic and death. Our language uses color in euphemisms — the grass is always greener, don’t be a yellow belly, or his face was red as a beet. In the past few years the color green has taken on new-found meaning while becoming the color and word of the decade. Whether through subjectivity, spirituality or science, colors create meaning in our world.

Research shows that 60% of a purchase decision is based on color.

via

Sometimes that color is not defined in the logo itself, but how it is applied to the overall brand to stimulate recognition. UPS utilizes brown as their signature color on vehicles and uniforms, and even verbally in their campaign slogan “What can Brown do for you?” Tiffany’s is infamous for their little blue box and Target uses red everywhere.

via

But be careful: similar industries often use similar color palettes. Many beach resorts and coastal destinations use medium soft blues with some soft yellows and/or oranges in their palettes. Ski resorts tend to use a lot of cold blues and white. This is why carefully considering color palette for your destination brand is critical as you move forward with the implementation of your logo and the brand identity grid.

Sara Tack is EVP of Image and Identity for Wanderlust, a travel and destination marketing firm that specializes in communications strategies, Internet marketing, branding and management consulting for the tourism industry.

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The Emotional Impact of Color

via

An Ode to @Sharpies:

“Doodles, mustaches, straight edge and more. More brand-power than the Kleenex we implore?

Taggers and rock stars love you it seems. You even appear in two or three internet memes.

Artists rely on your bold, bright lines. We love all your points from wide to fine.

From boring meetings to celeb autograph’s, we raise our Sharpies..our mighty staffs.”

Inspiration and the Sharpie – Artist interpretation [VIDEO]

David Beckham and the Sharpie – Ad campaign [VIDEO]

Write Out Loud – Ad campaign [VIDEO]

via

“Things I’ve Drawn in Meetings”

via thingsivedrawninmeetings.com

Social Sharpie

encouraged over at sharpieuncapped.com and at their blog of Sharpie gurus.

Sharpie Fever

via

via

via

via

via

via

Sharpie, Primary Tool of Choice at The Hello Project:

Harder, Faster, Sharpie

Classic [VIDEO]

via

Sharpie’s brand messaging couldn’t be more true. Sharpies produce messages, ideas, images. No matter who you are, if you’ve got a Sharpie, you have a platform to get your message seen.

via

More? Check out Doodlers Anonymous.

Follow Sharpie on twitter: @sharpies

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Brand Spotlight: Sharpie

Brian Solis, PR 2.0 and Social Media superstar just posted an article on Mashable “Why Brands are Becoming Media“. Brian discusses how brands must stay consistent once a social object is chosen – and how this can become overwhelming with limited resources and knowledge (all the while convincing executives this is a necessary and permanent step).

This is a great topic, so what about brands anyway? Before we even go there, how much of a willingness do these guys have to take the plunge at all? Superbowl ads last weekend did next to nothing with regard to interactive and social media. Did I miss something? Yes, there was the first ever Google spot, the E-Trade baby and some .com references, but there was certainly not a big encouraging push for those to get on the networks and engage. Where was twitter, facebook, youtube or even foursquare!

Interestingly, the big hubbub is that Pepsi chose to not make a Superbowl TV appearance for the first time in 23 years in order make cool things happen (solely) online with their Refresh Campaign.

While were on Twitter and Facebook multi-tasking and talking about the spots, what were the big brands doing? Watching themselves on TV?

What could be going on? Where are big brands? Three possibilities:

• Is this a strategy? Are the big brands trying to buy time before proceeding into the inevitable (two way engagement)?
• Are big brands trying to bulldoze consumer engagement by refusing to advocate social media/online engagement/etc?
• Or, do they still think social media is just a ‘phase’?

What’s your brand doing?

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[Inter]Actions Speak Louder Than Ads

We are stoked to share this past year’s FEED report (annual by Razorfish). This document is a solid tool and provides serious insight- chock full of useful information. FEED made it’s splash before the new year but it’s definitely something you need to read right now,  if you haven’t already. Razorfish shifted their focus from a “how to” analyze consumer behavior in the digital realm, to how consumers are now interacting and communicating with brands. They also include suggestions on what to do next.

The report includes brilliant insight and lots of statistics.

Suggesting realistic consumer behavior with community sites:

Evidence (if you still aren’t convinced) that digital is consuming and shifting average daily household behavior:

Quite possibly one of the best observations:

“Now “clicks” and “impressions” mean far less than conversations and brand behaviors. In our opinion, it’s about time.

With bold topics like “Goodbye Ad Wars, Hello Engagement Wars”, “The Outlet Malls of Tomorrow? Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace” and “Digital Drives Sales”, you’re going to want to sit down and dig in.

“The Digital Brand Experiences Create Customers”

In a nutshell, their thesis is: digital brand experiences create customers. Period. Things are moving, evolving quickly, at every moment out there – but online interaction and brand experiences are here to stay. Remember, this isn’t leaving anyone high and dry, in fact Razorfish predicts this year 17% of all (US) sales will be made online. What about next year? And the year after? All in all, good news for us sales and marketing folk.

That said, we should also remember that just because said brand has X,XXX fans on its FB fan page, or are followed by 6,793 people on twitter that these folks wanna be BFFs.

Fasten your seatbelts, read this and study up friends. We are only at the very beginning of the coming digital age.

Next up: mobile.

Hat tip to @jsmibert & @lisakribs

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FEEDing Time via Razorfish

It would probably be safe to say you’ve heard it numerous times (and uttered it a few more) because it happens to be true.  No matter the product or service that an organization is offering to its target market, their success or failure is dependent upon the consumers’ buying of what they’re selling.

Consumers make purchasing decisions based on any number of associations they have with individual brands, and companies spend millions on advertising and marketing activities so that they can influence what those associations might be.  Just as we each choose our friends based on their personalities, brands can elicit the same sort of response in consumers.  In light of this, wouldn’t it be interesting to know which human personality traits consumers tend to apply to brands?

Well, it’s good thing for us that someone has studied this and given us a few answers:

1^st Dimension – SINCERITY

Consumers interpret sincere brands as being down-to-earth, honest, wholesome, and cheerful.  Sure, some people find Rachael Ray annoying, but more people find her endearing – the kind of woman you can sit down with for a chat at the kitchen table.

2^nd Dimension – EXCITEMENT

The most exciting brands are daring, spirited, imaginative, and on the cutting edge.  Not only are Burton snowboards on the cutting edge of technology and performance, the products bearing the Burton name are designed with their audience in mind.  Funky graphics and forward-thinking designs make Burton a leader in their competitive industry.

3^rd Dimension – COMPETENCE

Reliability, intelligence, and success are the traits associated with these brands.  Even in these trying economic times, there are a few financial services firms that still manage to play well in consumer minds.  Charles Schwab is the stable, successful, smart guy next door who can tell you what to do with your 401k allocations.

4^th Dimension – SOPHISTICATION

A brand that is sophisticated is viewed as charming and fit for the upper classes.  When it comes to esteem and seemingly eternal longevity, the Chanel brand is unequaled.  In good times and bad, this brand remains strong as a symbol of a life lived in all the right places, doing all the right things.

5^th Dimension – RUGGEDNESS

Interestingly, consumers pick up on this personality dimension quite well.  Rugged brands are seen as outdoorsy and tough.  The North Face has built an empire by outfitting people who actually do scary outdoorsy things, and those who just like to look good on the streets of NYC.

MORE INFO:

• If you’re feeling “academic”, read the work of Stanford professor Dr. Jennifer Aaker.  Her 1997 paper, Dimensions of Brand Personality, inspired this post.

Are there any other personalities you would attribute to your favorite brands?  If so, let’s keep the conversation going – add your comments!

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The 5 Dimensions of Brand Personality

It’s a new year,

so it’s time to think about taking a close look at your branding to make sure it’s still fresh and relevant. Now I know what you’re thinking. “Brock,” you say, “I’m too swamped with the rest of my work to think about rebranding right now. Besides, my branding is just fine. Why would I want to change it?” I’d be the first to admit that you probably don’t need to do a complete rebranding. In all but the most dire circumstances, the equity lost in rebranding isn’t worth the shiny new marketing materials. And you don’t have to undergo a complete makeover. Sometimes, however, you should give your branding a much-needed spa treatment. After all, if you take care of your branding, it will take care of you.

Taking Stock

There are two things you have to do before doing any work to refresh your brand. The first is to understand that branding is a habit, not something you can “set and forget.” If you are responsible for branding your organization, expect to devote resources to maintaining your brand. We’ve all seen companies that use the same marketing materials for twenty years straight. It doesn’t work for them, and it won’t work for you. It doesn’t have to be much work, but you should plan to regularly audit your branding to ensure that it continues to align with your organization’s goals, mission, brand promise, market position and target market.

So that’s the second thing. Before beginning any brand refresh, make sure you know your organization’s goals, mission, positioning, etc. Without a firm grasp of the fundamentals, anything you do to tweak your branding will just be the proverbial lipstick on a pig.

Find the Balance

Keeping your brand fresh requires a careful balancing act of focused messaging and creative play. If your brand has become little more than a series of templates, it’s likely to be boring your customers as well as you. On the other hand, your audience needs to know that it’s you sending the message; your branding can’t be so inconsistent as to become unrecognizable. Remember, good design demonstrates a competitive advantage. Research shows that companies that invest in design are much less likely to compete on the basis of price alone. (For more on how quality creative can improve business results, visit Design Council.) Though it may have become a cliché at this point, discount retailer Target does a exceptional job at keeping their brand interesting and flexible. Their commercials, for example, are always wildly creative. And yet, you know that it’s a Target commercial the moment it comes on. Likewise, their inventive use — almost abuse — of their logo would make most corporate branding guides burst into flames.

Focus On Authenticity

When examining your brand and marketing communications, be sure to evaluate how authentic your messages are. Authentic messages are ones that speak to your audience and engage them on an emotional level. If your messages come across as too corporate or safe, it will hurt the value of your brand. This doesn’t mean that every brand should be edgy or extreme. Rather, it means that your brand should feel “real”. An absolutely stellar example is the new the Intel refresh. Their branding chief, Deborah Conrad, deserves huge kudos for their new geek chic, “Sponsors of Tomorrow”, commercials. Rather than promote a specific product or new innovation, the new branding admits — even celebrates — the nerdiness of Intel’s work.  Even though you know it’s just another commercial, it feels authentic in a way that most technology ads don’t.

Be Passionate About Your Work

According to Robert Kyosaki, author of “Rich Dad Poor Dad”, “Brands die if the leader’s passion dies, or if the leader’s passion is simply to make money.” If the only purpose of your brand communications is to make money, your customers will know, and they’ll lose respect for you. This may seem like a rehashing of my previous tip about authenticity, but it’s entirely possible for branding to be entirely authentic and still lack any real passion for the organization’s core mission.

Think about the last furniture commercial you saw. Maybe they had a nice spokesperson telling you about the great special they had on that new bedroom set. You probably don’t remember, though, because you were leaving the room to go get a snack from the kitchen. It wasn’t because the message was too corporate. It’s because you knew that there was no passion there. That furniture store is human enough, they just don’t seem to really care about what they’re selling. Like you, they’d rather be out getting a snack.

Become More Sociable

The new rule in branding is that consumers want interaction, not just action. The voice from God marketing strategy of the 20th Century just won’t cut it anymore. Consumers care about brands that they engage with. So provide opportunities for your audience to interact with your brand, and watch their attachment grow. This isn’t really new, it’s just been brought to our attention with all of the new focus on interactive social media. And so you every brand from Red Bull to Office Depot has some sort of interactive Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The important thing to remember about social media is to provide value in all of your communications. Minneapolis-based writer Kris Decker loves Walgreen’s Facebook fan page for exactly this reason. “As a fan, I get special coupons and deals that only their Facebook fans get. It gives me a great reason to interact with the brand.”

Spruce It Up

Finally, remember that the purpose of a brand standards manual is to ensure the highest quality branding that is conveying the right message. If you have to break the “rules” of your manual in order to achieve good results, by all means, break the rules. So go on and spruce up your branding in 2010. A little bit of tweaking isn’t going to lose any of your brand equity. ‘Cause let’s face facts: your customers aren’t paying conscious attention to your branding materials. They really won’t know that this month’s ad had the logo 2 inches from the bottom while last month’s ad had it 2.5 inches from the bottom. The only thing that matters is that you’re communicating the right message to the right audience. If you’re not, it doesn’t matter a hill of beans that your branding is consistent.

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Dirty Brand? Clean it up…

Professional brand consultants are a special breed o’ cat.  Building a strong brand requires a multi-dimensional skill-set that encompasses everything from HR to graphic design to wordsmith-ing.  The best brand stewards manage to play each of these roles throughout the life of a project as they help their clients develop their corporate – or personal – identities into a cohesive package.

So, what is it that the best ‘branders’ do?  What sets them apart?

Practice Integrated Brand Thinking

As noted above, brand development is a multi-faceted endeavor.  Thus, the most successful projects are the result of an integrated way of thinking that takes into account each of the parts that make up the whole of a brand.

Though not necessarily considered a ‘branding’ firm, per se, Pentagram is an exceptional example of the power of integrated thinking.  With expertise in architecture, interior design, graphics, and packaging, the firm is able to provide a holistic approach to the crafting of their clients’ image and messaging.  Pentagram’s experience in multiple disciplines means that they utilize a project strategy that reaches beyond the simple execution of narrowly-defined tasks.

Integrated thinking means understanding the totality of your client’s brand.  No matter the limits of your contract or project role, your guidance is key to helping them understand how each brand decision – from the logo, to the tagline, to the function of the website – is essential to the communication of their organization’s image and message.

Ask Good Questions and Explore Answers

Successful branding solutions are also the result of the thoughtful process, and that involves looking at project goals from diverse perspectives.  As a result, it is important for a consultant to continuously re-examine his or her own philosophy of brand development, in addition to staying abreast of what is happening in the industry as a whole.

Landor is a leader in this arena.  Through the publishing of an online newsletter and blog, in addition to white papers and case studies, Landor gives the impression that their organization is one in which perpetual learning and research are encouraged.  For Landor’s clients, the firm becomes an expert on branding matters because of their portfolio of work and their thinking.  Their exploration of branding and marketing trends illustrate an intellectual curiosity that can only serve to broaden their field of reference as they tackle the branding challenges of their clients.

As an independent freelancer or one of several branding experts in a larger firm, your continuing evaluation of industry practices will not only help you develop the best solutions for your clients, but they will help you maintain a fresh outlook on your craft.

In most instances, there are numerous strategies available to us for any given project.  And, while the two traits noted above seem to be essential to developing the most thoughtful solutions, it’s safe to say that none of us has all the answers.

With that in mind, we wholeheartedly invite you to use the comment section below to share your thoughts on the most important traits for the successful brand consultant to have.

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Two Things All Branding Experts Do

Kraft

February 2009: New Logo

Explanation: “With a new purpose and values setting a fresh direction, Kraft Foods also gave its corporate logo a face lift to more clearly deliver “delicious.” Starting today, people around the world will begin to see the new identity that deliciously features a smile, the natural reaction to delicious foods and experiences, and a colorful flavor burst. It signals to employees, consumers and investors what the new Kraft Foods is all about.” Press Release

July 2009: New Logo

Guess the first logo wasn’t what “Kraft Foods is all about”.

But I have to say the ‘New Kraft’ corporate is more than this logo.

Check out the New Kraft. This feels pretty damn corporate so I’m wondering why they use the old logo. But, that’s what I mean about 2009, weird stuff happened all over the place.

HTC

In early 2009, HTC (High Tech Computer Corp.) also launched a new brand.

Old Logo

via rebrand

New Logo

Then, in October, they did it again.

New, New Logo

via Tracy and Matt

Tropicana

Oh Tropicana. Brand-owner Pepsi screwed this one up. After removing the classic orange and straw design and replacing it with something reminiscent of a private label brand.

Pepsi Co. chose Ominicom agency, Arnell, on the rebrand.  In an attempt to ‘refresh’ the Tropicana brand, Arnell removed the orange and put a goblet of juice on the package. Consumers were pissed. They wanted their orange and red-striped straw back. Peter Arnell, Chief Creative Officer at Arnell was surprised by consumer reaction saying, “Tropicana is doing exactly what it should be doing. I’m glad Tropicana is getting this kind of attention.” Oh Peter.

So the old design is back. GO CONSUMERS!!!

But Why?

Well folks, here again we see the mighty power of the Interwebs. In the early days of the world, pre-1995, we had TV. TV pushed everything at us. We were just waiting for brands to push their nicely packaged messages over the tube. They had time to prepare. Now, not so much. But there is a lesson in all this. Do your homework. Get a focus group together at least. Get some loyal customers and some prospectives in a room and get their input. If you can do it in a controlled white room with one-way glass, you’ll be much better off than on the Web.

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2009 Rebrand…Again

Oh 2009…what a year. What a crazy, chaotic year. This one caught us with our pants down. 2008 was pretty fat and happy. We had an app, we had 100k Facebook fans, our personal brand flourished, our video went viral–life was good. Then the economy collapsed and somebody had to mention those three letters that send marketers everywhere racing to Monster.com: ROI.

You’d think this would create a slew of bad decisions, horrible campaigns and suicides…and it did. However, some people got busy. They used the Web. They talked to consumers. They got creative. So, instead of meeting with the CEO to justify your ’social media’ line item in 2010’s budget, take a look at some of 2009’s movers and shakers.

Sprint

For Sprint, it was the year for “Now”.

They took home the highly coveted “Gold Lion”.  Sprint’s mixed media “Now Network” campaign by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners scored them best Interactive Campaign in Cannes.

“All content rated N, for now”.

From “words most used right now” to “planes in the air now” or “how many people are getting spray tanned now“- we cannot stop looking.

Sprint spent big bucks on TV, but with the intention of driving us online to the digital Now Network for some 2009 connectivity.

YouTube banners enticed us to upload our own video to appear on the Now Clock and on the network site.

Sprint wants you to know they get it. “We are trying to give a face to the network and talk about the fact that Sprint understands this whole consumer need of having things now,” said Mike Goff, vp of national advertising at Sprint (via). Will be interesting to see how the campaign effects market share. But for now, much respect.

Coca-Cola

Simply put, Coca-Cola is king. The guru’s over at Interbrand have rightfully crowned Coca-Cola as the top Global Brand for 2009. If you’re looking for pointers, Coca-Cola is one of the best (if not the best) examples of how to manage your brand.

This example floated around the web earlier this year; Coca-Cola’s logo vs. their biggest competitor’s logo:

Coca-Cola’s “Open Happiness” campaign hit an emotional chord during this year’s tough times.

The campaign incorporated music tracks via Myspace/iTunes and a “Happiness Factory” gaming website.

Coca-Cola has flawlessly maintained brand consistency for decades and, continues to do so on a global scale. And that, my friends, is no easy task.

You

Hey you, congrats! 2009 was the year of the personal brand. What did you do to strengthen your image and improve your skills?

The life coaches, the personal branders, the career developers – let’s face it: Each and every one of these guys can help.  But c’mon. Could personal branding have been hyped just a wee bit?

Some advice on the personal brand thing–just be yourself.

Congrats, you’ve earned it.

Runner-Up 2009

Oh Snap, It’s Radio Shack

Watch all 8 spots here by BSSP.

Yes, it’s true. Radio Shack is on twitter and even facebook. Lance Armstrong has joined Team Radio Shack, and while perhaps under the radar, stuff is happening with the brand this year.

They’ve got a fabulously weird  (good weird, not bad weird) holiday campaign going right now. It’s possible this whole “Shack” thing could revive the company. While the nickname is unofficial, most of their advertising budget will be spent name-dropping “The Shack”– other brands *ahem* watch closely.

Radio Shack sticks closely to their brand heritage while working to attract a younger, technology-confident shopper back to an old-school brand (88 years).

The Shack’s emphasis on mobile and a more intimate experience (vs. going to Best Buy) could be enough to get The Shack back in the game.

So go have a seat on Santa’s Lap this year thanks to The Shack.

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Best of 2009 in the Branding Industry

On an 8-hour flight, if you find a US Weekly in the back pocket of the seat in front of you, there’s a good chance you’re going to read it. It’s exciting! It’s juicy! It’s awful!

In a similar vein, we have gathered gossip & speculation from industry red flags, brand reputation, employee gossip and the cloud of doom hanging over brands headed for the branding graveyard.

Enjoy!

*Note:  FYB’s observations should not be held in the same light as sales reports, stock value or other actual means of real analysis.

“Guitar Hero” Brand

Death to a hero? They cut their sales prediction in half for the most recent music video game, DJ Hero.  The hope that DJ Hero might be the next big thing in faux-musicianship has shifted to anticipation and wonder of what’s next.

Did we get burnt out?

Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero III
Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero V
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
Guitar Hero: Metallica
Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80’s
Guitar Hero Smash Hits
Band Hero
DJ Hero
etc…

Despite possible over-saturation, rhythm gaming is still hot. We think downloadable tracks will increase/stay steady in 2010, but the days of fancy pads and colorful plastic shapes for $200 bucks are slowing down.

I’ve gotta say, we’ve come a long way since the first rhythm game was produced:
Dance Aerobics (1987)!

Blockbuster

I love the concept of Blockbuster. Popping into the brick and mortar on a rainy day, browsing the genres, renting a movie in PJ’s (and noting everyone else in theirs as well) can be an event in itself.

So these guys didn’t innovate, they had prices all over the map and managed to bring themselves down shortly after running out the mom-and- pops.

Remember when “no more late fees” first hit? Do you remember it “not really working that way”?

The end of late fees campaign:

Unfortunately, we don’t think this one is a matter of “if” just “when”.

Uncrustables

Smucker’s just closed the plant that employed an uncrustable team of 140, saying they are “consolidating locations”. This is after the headline “No More PB&J”.

The Uncrustables brand had a rocky start from the get go – what with controversial patents and its secret recipe almost being leaked — just kidding about that last part.

However…fact: Smucker’s attempted to patent the process of making a sandwich. Talk about a legal jam! (Sorry for that.)

We predict 2010 is the year Crustables will say good-bye.

Crocs

via

I had a feeling it was all over when they started being banned from hospitals.

‘Nuff said on these guys.

Saab

A “challenging time” in the auto industry is putting it lightly. GM has given to the end of the month for a buyer to step forward and take the Swedish-engineered brand off their backs.

We may not be seeing anything more from Saab.

Brand Obama

There will be no talk of politics here. However, one thing we can probably all agree on is the emotional and fever-inducing campaign the Obama marketing team courageously led is finally fading.

The world ate up the messaging (“hope”, “change”, “yes we can”), modern typography (Gotham typeface), thoughtful design and an online presence unlike any other politician before.

Even the mass-market brand, Pepsi rode the “Hope” bandwagon into their own campaign.

While we obviously don’t think the Obama brand is going to “die” – the international novelty has definitely worn off and the fever has subsided. I’ve got to hand it to any past, present, and future presidents: toughest job in the country, ever!  Here’s to 2010, friends.

As with predictions, who really knows? But one thing’s for certain: nothing is certain.

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Brand Fail 2010

Before starting an identity project, it is essential that you analyze the competitive set and then determine what gives your brand distinction. Since the competition is so broad, its important that travel and destination brands understand where they fit so they can successfully stand out from all of their competitors.

Distinctive design can give a brand a unique presence and expression.

While a logo is only one component of a brand, it’s purpose can be thought of as a visual ambassador. The right logo will help create desire. It will have a point of view. And set the standard. It should represent a body of core ideas, yet rarely can it perform this task literally. The best logos imply meaning through representation and metaphor. They can take their form as wordmarks, or letterforms, as graphic symbols or a combination of words, letters and symbols. They range from the literal to the illustrative to the abstract.

With so many possibilities, how do you choose the right direction?

When creating a travel or destination logo, we examine the competitive environment and then consider three elements – shape, color and content. It is unrealistic to expect a logo to represent every detail of your brand, but having a good ambassador with a unique, authentic expression will serve your destination well for years to come.

Competitive logo review

Given the benefits of a distinctive identity, it’s a wonder that so many travel and destination brands within a competitive set use similar iconography in their logos. Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Days Inn all have a sun icon. The MGM Grand and Ritz Carlton logos both sport a beautiful lion.

Many cities utilize a rendering of their skyline. Golf course logos all too often incorporate complex illustrations or clip art of golf clubs. According to Logo Design Guru, a website where you can buy a logo starting at just $99: “A golf course logo graphic should be very creative and must highlight the salient features of golf, like clubs, balls, etc.” In other words — make it look like every other golf course.

A few years back, when the Wanderlust team was rebranding Windham Mountain, we collected the marketing materials of 52 competitors, to better understand their competitive set and search for an opportunity to create meaningful differentiation. What we found was nothing short of cliché: 90% of the competition had a mountain in their logo. The mountain iconography ranged from the abstract to the literal, but in the end each of these resorts built an identity around what makes them similar, not what makes them different.

The folks at Windham learned from this exercise that mountain imagery in whatever form was something they needed to stay away from in order to stand out from the crowd. The place to draw inspiration for their identity was their unique brand positioning — that differentiating, relevant, deliverable and ownable mojo that makes Windham Mountain desirable to its customers.

There are actually a handful of ski resorts who have gone so far as to eliminate references to anything to do with skiing and snowboarding in their logos. The ones that have done this are attempting to communicate their brand essence, what makes them different. Now one might argue, for example, that a logo like Beaver Creek’s has nothing to do with skiing and therefore doesn’t communicate to skiers, especially if you had never heard of Beaver Creek before.

Beaver Creek’s logo is about luxury. Its monogram of interlocking ‘B’ and ‘C’ letterforms are reminiscent of Coco Channel’s C’s or Gucci’s G’s. The script typographic wordmark would more likely be found on a bottle of champagne.

While Beaver Creek’s logo is effective at differentiating the resort, script type and monograms are not necessarily the best way to communicate luxury in all situations. In fact, scripts and monograms are actually pretty common in the broad category of luxury. However, Beaver Creek was the first to successfully and sustainably position themselves as a luxury ski resort and, as a result, they own it. No competitor can take this position away from them as long as they remain true to the promise.

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Express Yourself: Logo Development Best Practices

Successful brand development rests upon achieving a thoughtful balance between optimizing the objective and subjective attributes of a brand.  When making the decision to purchase an iPhone versus BlackBerry, for instance, consumers are considering objective attributes – such as picture quality, compatibility with other media components, and the communication features available.

In addition to these factors, though, the purchaser will also make subjective judgments about the products before them.  What is the reputation of Apple versus BlackBerry?  What will it say about me if I am carrying an iPhone?  Would I prefer to type emails on a touch-screen or a standard keypad?

Brands that are able to capitalize on both subjective and objective criteria are subsequently able to create value for its target market. Often, this effort involves shifting the perception of a brand within the marketplace.

The role of the brand consultant is to identify the brand’s attributes and present them in a way that speaks to the target market and shapes their response to the product or service.

There are three commonly used approaches:

Change consumer beliefs

This is of particular importance when there are, or could be, negative associations with a product or brand.  Take the iPhone, for example.  When originally introduced into the market, the iPhone was cutting edge, unique technology.  Had Apple simply dumped the product into the marketplace without proper advertising showing how easy it is to use, and how it is similar to other technology consumers were already familiar with, it could have been rejected.

Perception is reality when it comes to brands.  You must shape your message to respond to your target market’s actual, and potential, concerns if they might negatively affect your brand’s place in the field.

Change what’s important

Before the iPhone, how many of us sat around thinking that our lives would improve immensely if only we were able to watch full-length films on our mobile phones?  Exactly.

Consumers are responding to various levels of need when they are making buying decisions for products and services.  They are accounting for everything from the basic necessities of food and water, to the need for social interaction, to the ultimate need to be self-fulfilled.

If a brand is able to respond to an existing opening in the market (meeting an unfulfilled need) or, better yet, to create a need in the market, it is well on its way to success.

Add a new attribute

In response to the new Apple-created need for multi-media capabilities in a mobile phone, those who distributed media began to create new ways to reach this opened market.  Thus, online news and media providers like the New York Times, YouTube, and others began to tout their web pages as easily-viewable on the iPhone and other handheld devices.

Adding new attributes to existing products and services can refresh a brand and give it renewed relevance in the marketplace.  As a consultant, when you recognize a differentiating feature in the brand you are developing; move quickly to capitalize on it and make it known to the consumer.  Draw attention to the fact that you have recognized a new way to add value to their experience of the brand.

What are your experiences with shifting consumer attitudes? How have you responded?

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Objective + Subjective = Brand Balance