Posts Tagged ‘business strategy’
Monday, July 19th, 2010
Branding has been shown to be a very effective activity in an organization’s efforts to increase its influence in a marketplace. This increased influence equals increased sales, increased awareness, increased understanding, increased margins, increased business valuation, etc. And this strategy is as effective for non-profit organizations as it is for companies.
The Young Men’s Christian Association is a charity well known by its initials, YMCA. And as is popular in the marketplace, names are shortened in common use. Jennifer Lopez is known as JayLo. And the Young Men’s Christian Association has for years been known as the “Y.”
Now the Young Men’s Christian Association has formally dropped those four descriptive words in favor of the single letter “Y.” And they have modified the visual identity and logo as well. Is this a good idea? The short answer is (more…)
Tags: asset, brand equity, Branding, business strategy, choosing a name, communications strategy, influencing purchase decisions, marketing strategy, rebranding
Posted in Branding, Logo Design, Naming | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Most companies during last year’s recession thought it wise to reduce marketing budgets, and the drop has been extreme as spending plunged 12.3% — the largest annual drop ever, more than three times more severe than the next worst drop of 3.9% in 1991.
But 26 of the top 100 marketers bucked the trend and boosted 2009 marketing spending. 70% of those spending more saw a U.S. sales increase – double the success rate of those who reduced their spending according to (more…)
Tags: Advertising, brand equity, brand value, Branding, business strategy, communications strategy, competitive advantage, influencing purchase decisions, Marketing, marketing strategy
Posted in Advertising, Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, March 26th, 2010
What to do when faced with declining sales.
Sales in the “refreshment beverage” category are falling. The segment includes colas, energy and sports drinks, juices and bottled water. In 2009, for the second year in a row, sales were down. Down 3.1 percent according to a survey by Beverage Marketing Corp. This represents a steeper decline than was 2008. And there was one unusual statistic: (more…)
Tags: asset, brand equity, Branding, business strategy, choosing a name, communications strategy, competitive advantage, influencing purchase decisions, marketing strategy, rebranding
Posted in Branding, Naming | No Comments »
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
Palm seems to be on life support.
According to the Bible, the first task given to man by God was to name all the things on earth. And he’s been doing that ever since. And it is very important work. A name represents characteristics and properties that identify a particular thing.
Selecting a name.
Many think coming up with a name for a company or product or service should be simple. Some may even think it’s not even very important, convinced there are “bigger’ issues than naming to deal with when launching a new venture. Those who believe that are hoping (more…)
Tags: asset, Branding, business strategy, choosing a name, communications strategy, influencing purchase decisions, Naming
Posted in Branding, Naming | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
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 (more…)
Tags: asset, brand, brand value, Branding, business strategy, competitive advantage, competitive marketplace, evaluating brand value, Marketing, marketing strategy
Posted in Branding, Marketing | No Comments »
Sunday, January 17th, 2010
Houston 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. … (more…)
Tags: brand, Branding, business strategy, communications strategy, competitive advantage, competitive marketplace, evaluating brand value, Marketing, Olympics, rebranding
Posted in Branding | 4 Comments »
Thursday, June 29th, 2006
Originally published by the American Bankers Association, June 2004, also published by the Brandchannel and the Houston Business Journal. It was also published by several Asian websites and the Belgian Management and Marketing Association.
Wachovia Corp. has agreed to purchase competitor SouthTrust Corp. Hibernia Corporation acquired Coastal Bancorp, Inc. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is cleared to absorb Bank One Corp.
Whew! Banking is no longer boring.
The Chase merger will form the second-largest bank in the United States, with $1.12 trillion in assets. For Chase, this requires a significant investment in new signage, business cards, letterhead, envelopes, displays, imprints on about 51 million credit cards, etc. There will be employee issues and expenses as well.
And consider the thousands of other banks providing the same service: How will they compete? How can they compete? (more…)
Tags: bank marketing strategy, banking, Branding, business strategy, communications strategy, competitive advantage, competitive marketplace, local bank, Marketing, marketing strategy
Posted in Branding, Marketing | 2 Comments »
Friday, February 7th, 2003
Originally published in the Houston Business Journal, February 2003
The penalty that businesses pay when they ignore the power and value of strategic branding is usually fatal, especially when facing savvy competitors. This is true even if they are the category leader.
Attention Kmart Shoppers! The bankrupt discounter is ending its 40-year presence in Houston, closing all 17 area stores and eliminating hundreds of jobs as the nationwide chain sheds low-performing stores. The giant retailer, formerly one of the best known in the U.S., announced this past week it would shutter another 326 stores and lay off 37,000 workers nationwide. It is a classic example of a company failing to comprehend the critical need for competitive positioning in a highly competitive economic environment.
(more…)
Tags: Branding, business strategy, communications strategy, competitive advantage, competitive marketplace, influencing purchase decisions, managing identity, Marketing
Posted in Branding | No Comments »
Friday, September 11th, 1998
Originally published in the Houston Business Journal, September 11, 1998
Companies striving to thrive—not just survive—in the new millenium are beginning to recognize a neglected asset that, left undeveloped and unmanaged, is a liability to acheiving their goals. And the more competitive their market, the more of a liability this neglected asset is. Companies are discovering the bottom-line value of (more…)
Tags: asset, Branding, business strategy, communications strategy, competitive advantage, customer focus
Posted in Branding | No Comments »
Friday, September 15th, 1995
Originally published in the Houston Business Journal, September 1995
On a cold, dark day in the middle of the Depression, surprisingly, Americans plopped down what little money they had to watch a feature-length animated film called “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The rest is history.
From his first big success, a graphic designer with good business sense named Walt Disney (more…)
Tags: Branding, business strategy, company symbol, competitive advantage, managing identity, Mickey Mouse
Posted in Branding, Graphic Design | No Comments »
