The Big Challenge for Big Brands Today: Authenticity
Before the internet, marketers had a relatively free reign for making questionable competitive claims, creating a brand image of superiority and hence demanding a premium price. But the internet has changed the ground rules. Instant access to endless information and objective feedback from friends has enabled consumers to seek and find the truth behind such promises. This has also led to an atmosphere of extensive mistrust of companies, CEO’s and even many established brands, especially among Millennials. Today consumers want authenticity. We are living in an age of growing skepticism...
Read MoreWhy the Trump Brand is in Trouble
Donald Trump’s candidacy seems to be top-of-mind for everyone these days. His provocative style and proclamations have definitely hit a sweet spot with many Republican voters, while the rest of the world remains bewildered at his high poll ratings. To understand his success, and his future, it is helpful to view Trump from a branding perspective. To develop a strong a brand, one has to begin with the marketplace and the potential audience or customer, to identify any particular problems, needs, frustrations or essentially new opportunities. Obviously all the Republican candidates are...
Read MoreThe “Name Game” Challenge: Creating That Ideal Brand Name And Archetype
Branding is more than finding a new name or image. It is about developing a compelling promise and making the right impression, one that will resonate and stand out. It is strategic, with the long term goal of cultivating a relationship of trust and loyalty. But a clever, meaningful brand name will indeed generate that positive first impression which is so essential for attracting your target customers. Our fascination with fashionable, sometimes outrageous brand names extends from companies to products to even novel names for types of consumers – Baby Boomers, and then Generation X, Y...
Read MoreThe ISIS Brand: A Case Study For Shrewd Brand Building
Few recognize “ISIS” as a successful brand, but it is. We just see their despicable beheadings, destruction of ancient ruins in Palmyra, and all the other grotesque forms of brutality and violent extremism. The ISIS Caliphate is an extreme terrorist group which has overnight conquered a large territory in Syria and Iraq, and continues to recruit new members from around the world. But “ISIS” is also a strong brand with a distinct impression, personality and message. And it is a classic example of effective branding, dedicated to gain worldwide recognition (and fear) and expand by...
Read MoreWhy Preserving The “Face of the Brand” Is So Important: Burt’s Bees and Ben & Jerry’s
The beauty of many entrepreneurial start-ups these days is that their brands can be so refreshingly eccentric and charming. Often they succeed by creating new space in mature categories that no one ever anticipated, and the persona of the founder can make these brands even more distinctive and memorable. Two classic examples are Burt Shavitz for Burt’s Bees, acquired by Clorox in 2007, and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield for Ben & Jerry’s, purchased by Unilever in 2000. When these were acquired however, there was an immediate fear that the folksy appeal of each brand would be...
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