Brand packaging speaks loudly to customers who are looking for your services or products to fulfill their needs. What does your brand message say about your? Does it herald that you have the ability to supersede your competitors in providing top of the line products or services? Has your brand message made it easy for customers to recognize your services or products?

Let’s look at what it takes a look at some of the things that help create a successful brand message. Below are a few things that you need to keep in mind when developing a successful brand message:

• Determine your mode of branding. Research and find what works in your industry then determine how that will fit into creating your brand message.
• Take control over your brand. Make sure that you monitor how it is used and where it is communicated to your customer.
• Assess your business environment. Get feedback from your customers, employees/contractors, and business associates in regard to how they preceive your business.
• Define how it will be managed. Review what you have done in the past and plan for what you will do in the future to manage your brand.

This was a starter list to help you develop a successful brand message. Please feel free to share your brand message or feedback so that others can learn from you.

With all of the popularity of the iPhone, have you wondered if it was possible to brand your business on it? Maybe you’ve had thoughts about how you could receive your part of the market share for your industry regarding the mobile business branding? Then let’s take a look at what it takes to be successful in the mobile branding market.

Image: SXC.hu

According to the article entitled “Pandora: Unleashing Mobile Phone Ads” which can be found on BusinessWeek.com and was written by Tom Lowry,

Since Pandora launched a mobile edition two years ago, it has signed up 6 million people (total users for mobile and Web versions is 27 million). That has prompted the likes of Best Buy (BBY), Dockers, Target (TGT), and Nike (NKE) to buy ads on Pandora and experiment with what remains a cheap advertising medium—one most companies have yet to figure out.

Image: Newscom.com

Seeing that Fortune 500 companies are experimenting with this ways of branding their business using Pandora, then it seems that mobile branding is becoming a mainstream way to brand your business. To help you develop your mobile branding plan, I felt I should share a starter list with you of things that you should include in your mobile branding plan.

• Research. Research what your competitors are doing, what the Fortune 500 companies are doing and then develop your mobile branding plan.
• Ever-ready. Be ever-ready to explore new ways that you can advertise within the mobile network.
• Adventureous. Don’t be afraid to make it an adventure as you search for ways to develop your mobile brand for you and your business.
• Daily. Keep your eye on your statistic so that you can see what’s working and not working for your mobile branding plan.
• You. Don’t forget to involve “You” in the plan which means look for opportunities that appeal to you  and your consumer so that you can make sure you are reaching your target market.

As a business, do you know what your brand says about you? Have your asked for feedback to see what type of reaction you receive. Understanding what your brand perception says about you is very important.

To help identify what a business owner should include in their branding strategy, I want to share an article entitled, “How to Analyze a Brand“. This article states that….

Brand and reputation are closely linked. Sometimes customers will form emotional attachments to specific brands, and they will spend more money to obtain one brand over another. A strong brand stands out and contains an element that customers identify with.

Below are a lists of components that you should include when you analyze your brand strategy.

• Brand Attributes
• Brand Identity
• Brand Definition
• Brand Messaging
• Brand Relevance
• Brand Differentiation
• Defend Brand
• Branded Content
• Rankings for Brand

The video below shares key information about building your brand. Watch it and then share your feedback.

During a recent interview with Patrick Moran of Fuze Meeting, he shared how Fuze is a webinar service that is worth checking out. When you think about Web 3.0, you need to keep in mind that this type of software allows interaction with web visitors, can run on different platforms such as smartphones or computers. Fuze is a Web 3.0 software program that can help you deliver your brand message.

Using Fuze as a Web 3.0 branding tool means that you are focused on delivering your business message to the masses using an interactive software. To help you better about Fuze Meeting, I have included the interview with Patrick below.

Please introduce yourself and your business. Then share about your expertise and how long you have been in your industry.

How does Fuze Meeting work? Does it take training to get started? Do you provide support in case there are problems?

Does Fuze Meeting require a software download?

Please share some of the ways that Fuze Meeting is being used by your current users.

Now for ideas on how you can use Fuze to help with your online branding, I’ve shared list below from their website called the “Top 10 Uses” of how you can use their software:

1. Manage remote teams
2. Join meetings on different continents
3. Stay at home in your slippers
4. Conduct sales presentations
5. Demonstrate products and software
6. Train customers, partners, and employees
7. Hold a meeting…on a train
8. Hold a meeting…with a dude from Spain
9. Conduct a meeting going 600 miles per hour
10. Share your next big idea

With the popularity of social media - viral marketing campaigns, blogs, twitter, etc - large corporations have the opportunity to listen to their customers and engage on a more personal level. This can lead to more transparency from the company as it communicates with its customers in real language and not through marketing speak.

Can we, as consumers, trust these big brands more because of a switch in tone? Do we assume that what they write on their blogs, what they tweet every hour, or what they tell you in a viral video is genuine rather than thoughtfully constructed and highly produced?

I believe that the even when the tone or the medium of the message adapts to the available technologies, the original positioning is what still shines through. So that positioning needs to be honest and socially aware. If a company enters the social space without knowing what consumers want, and thereby not fully asserting its position in the space, then it needs to be forthright and clear that it is searching to re-establish a vision that can make a difference. Auto companies might be in this position, while they try to gauge how drivers want to see the industry change (or be rebuilt after it’s burned to the ground).

Some of the major brands that are more socially aware have accomplished this by listening to consumers and positioning the brand in a way that will reach their target audience. The Brand Channel noted that, “socially aware brands such as Dove received praise because their marketing campaign “talks to real women and not skinny models.” In the early stages of Dove’s campaign, Brand Channel remarked that, “Dove’s refusal to bow to aesthetic convention is a clever piece of branding, unifying its products around a compelling idea and setting Dove apart from rivals Johnson & Johnson and Nivea.”

With these goals in mind, Dove can easily enter any conversation with a clear statement while still listening to women and adapting to what they need.

Late last week, The New York Times threatened to shut down The Boston Globe unless cost cutting concessions were not given by its union - $20 million in cost cutting concessions that is - including pay cuts and the cessation of pension contributions. This after already undergoing “several rounds of deep cost-cutting and staff reductions,” according to the NY Times.

This week, the newspaper is launching a branding and subscription campaign.

With “One Story” as its tagline, the campaign focuses on the Globe’s photography and range of storytelling. According to EditorAndPublisher.com, the campaign will include 30- and 60-second TV spots on NESN during Red Sox games and more than two dozen prints ads in the Globe and the Metro.

To view the TV Spots, visit the Boston Globes promotions page.

How long will The New York Times give this campaign before pulling the plug and shutting it down? Is this the right step for a print media company?

TechCrunch’s Duncan Riley recently reported on the state of U.S. print media in Decline Of US Newspapers Accelerating. He wrote that “Declining revenues will ultimately force consolidation across print media in the United States, and many of those that fail to embrace change will be on borrowed time.”

Does the Globe really believe that a marketing campaign highlighting its photographic excellence and range of storytelling is “embracing change”?! I can hear the clock ticking for The Boston Globe. One thing’s for sure: If they want to focus on stellar photography, the Globe’s going to need a shiny new update to their website template - one that has the power to showcase those great shots!

For a taste of the Canadian media landscape, just visit @CanMediaLayoffs, a hard dose of news items relating to layoffs in Canadian media. Warning: It’s not pretty.

… Out of a Bad Economy

Tough time all around, but those who are getting creative and innovative in order to ride out the storm are the ones who may come out in a better position once the dust settles. That might translate to better products, more tailored services, more thoughtful approaches, or simply a repositioning of a brand message.

The old First Citizens' Federal Credit Union logo

What better industry than banking to step up and declare yourself a leader - differentiating from the big bad banks and giving the people a safe haven to keep their money secure.

Earlier today, First Citizens’ Federal Credit Union announced a new marketing message, “Think First.” The slogan is meant to remind customers to be careful and deliberate when making financial decisions. But wouldn’t it be more powerful if this message were openly intended for the bank itself? Wouldn’t that give customers the peace of mind they’re likely seeking?

Perhaps they are practicing what they preach. The new branding will take effect gradually, with the website and some signage changing immediately and forms and documents changing once current supplies run out. Now that at least screams responsibility to me.

The new First Citizens' Federal Credit Union logo.

The new logo is a bright blue square with a simple, sans-serif F in the upper right corner, tilted so that the letter bleeds off the edge of the square. Compared to the former 20-year old burgundy logo with traditional lettering, beveled edges and a stuffy, law-office feel, this new logo is upbeat and positive. According to SouthCoastToday.com news, “The angle and location of the letter is intended to evoke the roof line of a house, suggesting the credit union’s commitment to community banking.”

The credit union is hoping customers will see First Citizens’ as competitive with the local and regional banks and not limited to workers in a specific industry. The new logo and message aims to add to the customer base. Chief executive officer Peter Muise said, “It’s an image that will prompt people to think ‘modern, efficient, invigorating,” he said. “This is kind of a bold statement at this time. We’re not hunkering down — we’re reaching out.”

The Classic Blackspot shoe, via brandchannel.com.

A hand-drawn anti-logo and a red toe tip dot (for kicking corporate ass). Isn’t this itself a brand? One that promises to rail against the big bad corporation and stay true to non-conformism - sure. That’s the brand promise.

Brandchannel.com reported recently about this anti-brand effort, saying that, “it seems odd that anyone should be against branding. Brands are merely a badge, a promise of quality, an assurance of consistency.”

And this anti-brand shoe is no different.

The Blackspot campaign was in response to the use of sweatshops. The shoes are made at a Portuguese union shop, hours from 8am to 6pm, a 1.5hours, and pay over the minimum wage. Other working conditions are clearly outlined on the Blackspot site.

The Adbusters site describes the campaign:

Blackspot campaign was born almost three years ago when we decided to stop merely criticizing the status quo and actually do something about it. It was born on the back of Nike, capturing the attention of the global media as a lively attack on the brand idolatry and sweatshop production methods of that multinational. Encouragingly, over 25,000 people are now wearing Blackspot shoes. Earth-friendly, anti-sweatshop, and cruelty-free, Blackspots are the only shoes designed to give Big Business what it needs the most: a swift kick in the brand.

So even if this anti-branding effort is itself a brand, does it really matter? Maybe the point is more about transparency in terms of your favourite brand’s promise. What are you standing behind and why does it matter?

Do you know everything about the brands you support? Do you make a point of standing behind brands that make a difference? Do you think a campaign like Blackspot can open people’s eyes?

For nearly 20 years, International Falls, Minnesota has been fighting with Fraser, Colorado on and off and in one way or another over the trademark rights to be called the “Icebox of the Nation.” The battle ended this week when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office declared International Falls, Minnesota victorious.

In terms of temperatures, it seems obvious that International Falls, Minnesota is the clear winner anyway (my in-laws live not far from International Falls in Northern Minnesota, and it’s unbearably cold there), but it seems there was more at stake than a simple tagline. Apparently, a brand image was at the core of the battle. Read more

The results are in. The most TiVo’d Super Bowl commercial featured a talking baby that spits up by E-Trade. How was the data collected? TiVo took a random sampling of 10,000 households who watched the Super Bowl and measured the percentage of the TiVo audience who watched each commercial during the game in “play” speed.

Here’s the winning E-Trade Super Bowl commercial.

What do you think? From a branding perspective, I’m not sure what to think this commercial is telling consumers about the E-Trade brand. I’m not sure if I want to trust my financial decisions to a trading site that’s so simple even a baby can use it.

And why would anyone want to see this baby spit up? Maybe it’s because I remember cleaning spit up far too well since my triplets are only 3-years old, but I’d be very happy to never see spit up again. Does E-Trade make users want to vomit? What are consumers supposed to walk away from this ad thinking about the E-Trade brand?

I guess E-Trade knew something I don’t, because Super Bowl viewers apparently liked this commercial. I wonder if that will actually translate into generating new customers for E-Trade though.

If nothing else, it looks like E-Trade may have a new slogan. “Use E-Trade. It’s spit up easy.”

Tags: E-Trade, Super Bowl Commercials, Tivo Super Bowl Commercials, E-Trade Super Bowl commercials, top Super Bowl commercials, branding