In today’s marketplace a Brand is one of the very very few sustainable competitive advantages a company can own. Credit Suisse research shows an index of companies spending at least Read the rest of this entry »
Outperform the market.
March 2nd, 2010Valentine’s Day logo redesign.
February 12th, 2010
If a card with a sappy four-line poem, a cellophane-wrapped dozen roses, a box of not-so-heart-healthy chocolates, a clutch of pink balloons, or a pink oversize teddy bear fail to make you feel romantic, well, we understand. As Alissa Walker, writing in Fast Company says, Read the rest of this entry »
After weeks of news about the Toyota vehicle recall, what do you think?
February 10th, 2010I
Does MTV have a new logo or
did the browser download stop too soon?
February 9th, 2010
Good thing they announced the “change,” otherwise we would’ve missed it. Of course, a new logo won’t turn around the channel’s image without improved programming. That said, a change in visual identity could
Who dat owner? David or Goliath?
February 2nd, 2010
The National Football League in a public display of foolishness sent official cease and desist letters to several small Louisiana T-shirt shop owners ordering them to stop producing and selling t-shirts bearing the phrase “Who dat.” It seems the NFL Read the rest of this entry »
Insulate your company from the effect of a failure of your product.
January 29th, 2010
Now we can see the value of a branding investment.
If Toyota ever struggled to determine the value of spending money over the years to build a brand in the competitive automotive marketplace, it is suddenly becoming clear. With the revelation that 2.3 million cars must be recalled and tested for a potentially deadly flaw – their sticking accelerator pedal. This in addition to the recent recall of 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus automobiles, the car manufacturer is getting a clear revelation of the precise value of its brand. Read the rest of this entry »
What is more important in the marketplace, the Brand or the Product?
January 17th, 2010Houston made the short list of cities under consideration for the 2012 Olympic Games but ultimately lost out in the final culling. But then, regarding the 2016 Olympics, Houston didn’t even make the short list. This despite having the best collection of physical assets and excellent leadership. In 2006 I wrote an article for the Houston Business Journal about this Olympic site selection review.
U.S. Olympic Committee Board Chairman Peter Ueberroth said of Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Bob Eckels, “They were spectacular. They were in a class by themselves in terms of administration. They were just so far ahead of any other city, it wasn’t close. … Read the rest of this entry »
BCS National Championship and Brand Identity.
January 7th, 2010Which Brand has the best team?
We’ll soon find out. Meanwhile, which school has the best logo? Well, the University of Texas has a much older logo, designed in 1950. That’s 60 years ago! Few logos have survived that long. The University of Alabama’s was designed in 2002.
Evaluating brand appropriateness.
What do these animals represent? Are they suitable to each school?
Why do I want to see the Univ. of Cincinnati in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl?
January 2nd, 2010I’m not from Cincinnati. But while watching the Florida Gators embarrass the University of Cincinnati Bearcats in the 2010 Sugar Bowl with some friends, I couldn’t help commenting about Chick-Fil-A when I saw the Cincinnati logo on the team helmets. Why? Because their logos are so similar. And since Chick-Fil-A sponsors a Bowl Game, how funny it would be to have Cincinnati play in the the Chick-Fil-A Bowl Game. In fact, it looks like they could have an advantage, ha!
This is noticeable because the logo designs have some level of uniqueness and the element of uniqueness is similar. When… Read the rest of this entry »
Being recognized for who you are.
December 31st, 2009
The risks and rewards of “Profiling.”
Profiling has become a “dirty word” in America. Probably because of its association with the practice of “racial profiling.” Indeed, in a perfect world people would not be judged by appearances. Of course this is no perfect world but with laws against it and public opinion all across the country firmly opposed to it, do we still see it in operation? Does it provide some unique benefit to those employing it? A benefit that we cannot replace?
The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 forced a debate. And this week’s two incidents involving Nigerian Muslims on Delta flights to Detroit have renewed the debate. Read the rest of this entry »
