tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125577702012-01-12T14:58:54.777-05:00The good, the bad and the ugly -- a critical look at brand communications today.Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.comBlogger851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-83665455987811250072007-06-25T17:53:00.001-04:002007-06-25T17:53:03.959-04:00

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-27308519008984666352007-04-30T09:24:00.000-04:002007-04-30T09:37:14.808-04:00

First there were crops, then crop circles, and now, crop-advertising. What is crop-advertising? Check out these examples on TrendHunter Magazine. And you thought urinal advertising was an innovative medium…

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-59799708050422773602007-04-30T08:51:00.000-04:002007-04-30T09:03:14.348-04:00

We talk a lot about brand personality. But can a brand have a split personality? Take the case of BP. They’ve embraced “green” more strongly and outwardly than virtually any other oil giant. Their logo is green, their stations are green, even their annual report is green.As BP’s Web site explains: “A new breed of energy company demanded a new breed of identity. The Helios, our logo, was inspired

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-9968890602821785842007-04-02T11:18:00.000-04:002007-04-02T11:46:33.715-04:00

Trader Joe’s, an upbeat gourmet grocery store chain, recently moved into the Atlanta market. Soon afterwards, a copy of the winter 2007 edition of Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer hit my mailbox. It’s a twenty-four page booklet the size of a comic book, printed on newsprint (or else some type of tan vellum) with lots of old-fashioned stock illustrations (none of which are of the food). It’s dripping

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-24070555530393132072007-03-13T09:17:00.000-04:002007-03-13T09:32:32.888-04:00

“Well, the funniest woman I ever seenWas the great-granddaughter of Mr. Clean.”-Bob DylanIt’s great when a brand comes out of hibernation and finds there’s plenty of new ground to cover. For years (since 1958, in fact), Mr. Clean® was Mr. Muscle. He handled tough jobs like those dreaded black heal marks and greasy, grimy stovetops. But in the last few years, he’s started to extend himself with

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-91552833297542502352007-02-13T09:28:00.000-05:002007-02-13T09:35:08.581-05:00

I live in Atlanta, the home of Cingular, and I was at BBDO Atlanta, Cingular’s advertising agency, when the brand was born, so I have soft spot in my heart for “Jack,” the Cingular logo. Even so, I’m not sure how I feel about AT&T dissolving the Cingular brand. In the beginning I was against it, if for no other reason than it washed a few billion dollars of brand equity down the drain. But when

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-90348745436268547212007-02-09T10:37:00.000-05:002007-02-09T10:48:20.604-05:00

What do you call a Ford Five Hundred that doesn’t sell? A Taurus. Or at least, that’s what the folks at Ford intend to do. They are renaming the Ford Five Hundred, the full-sized sedan that replaced the Taurus in 2005, the Taurus—all in an effort to revive sales.The logic behind this move? Here’s what Mark Fields, Ford's President of The Americas, had to say at the recent Chicago Auto Show: “

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-41856673166836050432007-02-07T16:08:00.000-05:002007-02-07T16:17:46.261-05:00

Here’s a link to a post from Dino Demopoulos in chroma that I found interesting. It’s entitled “Dynamics of Viral Marketing.” Here’s how it begins >“My personal experience with music/DJs/underground culture, which is largely driven by word of mouth, has made me skeptical of any model that simplifies the process by which new ideas spread. I have repeatedly found that the process of finding stuff

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-78902693685824586622007-02-07T09:40:00.000-05:002007-02-07T10:15:10.456-05:00

Close your eyes and picture a Tiffany and Co. gift box. Now picture a gift box from, let’s say, Zales Jewelers. Unless you just bought something there, you probably can’t recall what the Zales box looks like. That’s the power of color. Too bad so few companies take advantage of it.Here’s one that is, however: CB2. They’re a division of Crate and Barrel, only they skew younger and hipper.

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-17279414856108914512007-01-10T08:57:00.000-05:002007-01-10T12:55:34.101-05:00

Office Depot, the $15 billion, global office products company, launched a new broadcast campaign centered around a “Helping Hand.” Literally. The spots feature a forearm and hand that protrude from an Office Depot box and guide shoppers around the store. I was all set to write about it, but the folks at American Copywriter beat me to it with their post "Office Depot casts Thing to battle Easy

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1165774085797393802006-12-10T12:56:00.000-05:002006-12-10T13:08:08.293-05:00

I think it started with Target, or at least, that’s when I first noticed it: the color red. It was a subtle clue that you were watching a Target spot. It was effective. So much so, that virtually every department store has added a red element to its brand identity. Some department stores have also adopted the quirky look and personality of Target’s broadcast spots in their own advertising. The

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1164744293082465002006-11-28T14:47:00.000-05:002006-11-28T15:04:53.193-05:00

Fast Company ran a short piece in their October 2006 issue entitled "When Brand Extensions Go Bad". They showed three new brand extensions, which according to Brandweek, “least fit the brand’s core values.” Two examples: the Harley-Davidson cake-decorating kit and the EVERLAST Fragrance and grooming line.The marketing brains that thought those up could take a lesson from Crayola®.In fact,

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1163102715994198642006-11-09T14:55:00.000-05:002006-11-09T15:05:16.043-05:00

Forget the dingy floor and food-stained countertops. According to Susan Stellin in the October issue of Fast Company, Marriott Residence Inn is betting on a new upscale kitchen—complete with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, glass and stained wood—to keep you coming back. And staying longer. This is on top of Residence Inn’s self-described “new sleep experience,” which already

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1161267205418104402006-10-19T10:03:00.000-04:002006-10-19T10:13:25.446-04:00

In his e-seminar, "Experiential Branding," Professor Bernd H. Schmitt of Columbia University argues that it's not enough for marketers to promote the features and benefits of their brands. “With so many products of similar purpose and quality on the market,” he says, “managers need to provide customers with desirable (brand) experiences.”That’s only partly right. He should have said “customer

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1159970370125135922006-10-04T09:54:00.000-04:002006-10-05T12:15:57.420-04:00

Question: If a tagline is supposed to deliver your brand promise in a compelling and memorable way, why do so many fall short of the mark? Don’t answer that. Instead, study these three examples from Rogaine, Ziebart, Saturn. They are tag lines that increase sales. Of course, that’s assuming there is a correlation between tag lines and sales. Even if there isn’t, I like the way these three

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1159291207478953802006-09-26T13:16:00.000-04:002006-09-26T13:34:46.996-04:00

Repeat after me:HeadOn—apply directly to the forehead!HeadOn—apply directly to the forehead!HeadOn—apply directly to the forehead!Ah, the HeadOn TV spot. Annoying? You bet—but that’s what makes it so cunning. HeadOn is a homeopathic remedy for headache pain made by Miralus Healthcare. According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Miralus focus-group tested a number of potential commercials for

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1157751968777310622006-09-08T16:43:00.000-04:002006-09-11T08:19:44.460-04:00

Two more contenders have joined the hospitality industry's ongoing bedding war: Residence Inn (owned by Marriott) and Hampton Inn (owned by Hilton). Both are advertising a more comfortable and relaxing bed for weary business travelers.No doubt, each company hopes to differentiate and add value to their brand through the unique bed experience it offers. But judging from these two ads in the 2006

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1156595409474983082006-08-26T08:11:00.000-04:002006-08-28T15:28:57.383-04:00

(I apologize for the long interval between posts. I was overwhelmed with projects the last few weeks.)As I see it, a brand promise is just that—a promise. It’s the customer experience that determines whether or not it’s true. Unfortunately, many companies subscribe to the “say it and they will believe it” variety of branding. Take, Home Depot for example, the third largest retailer in the world.

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1154558297491742462006-08-02T17:58:00.000-04:002006-08-02T19:07:15.413-04:00

Can a pun be used as a tag line? You bet, just ask the folks at Gold Bond Products, makers of Gold Bond® Foot Powder and Gold Bond® Foot Cream. Like the good old Moon Pie people, Gold Bond hails from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it’s still 1940 in some places, at least consumer-products wise. (Take a look at Gold Bond’s packaging.)From the Gold Bond Web site: “Since 1908, Gold Bond® has been

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1153147235264255162006-07-17T10:32:00.000-04:002006-07-17T10:43:16.730-04:00

Last year, it was Juan Valdez and GEICO Gecko who strolled down the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame, along with two tag lines: “imagination at work,” and “When you care enough to send the very best.” This year, who knows? It could be Smokey Bear or maybe Fruit of the Loom Guys. The point is—you get to decide. Cast your vote for your favorite brand icon and tag line in the 2006 Advertising

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1152793055558564432006-07-13T08:08:00.000-04:002006-07-13T08:28:22.310-04:00

I just saw Hebrew National's latest TV spot. It’s one more example of a company talking to itself. The spot shows the good parts of the cow that go into kosher dogs vs. the “bad” parts that go into non-kosher dogs. But it stops short of telling you why that is important. It just assumes you know. And that’s where it goes off target.The spot speaks less to newbies and more to those who already eat

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1151248236989083572006-06-25T11:04:00.000-04:002006-06-26T14:58:56.626-04:00

CRAVENDALE® is a dairy company in the UK. Launched in 1998, it went to market with a unique (and hilarious) tag line:Milk so good, the cows want it backTheir Web site is truly entertaining. It's a comical call to action, imploring milk drinkers to join a grassroots movement of milk-loving activists - passionate believers in the taste of CRAVENDALE®. Their mission: to protect the supply and

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1150311963105734152006-06-14T15:01:00.000-04:002006-06-14T15:06:03.116-04:00

I love straight talk, especially when it comes out of the mouth of a CEO. In the June issue of Fortune Magazine, there is an article on the rebuilding of Lego. (Yes, another Lego story) This time it’s about their new CEO, Jorgen Vig Knudstrop. He’s made the company profitable again. He’s also rocked Lego’s culture like an earthquake. He replaced the old mission statement, “nurturing the child,”

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1149772270694603022006-06-08T09:03:00.000-04:002006-06-08T09:11:10.710-04:00

(This isn’t branding, but it’s interesting.) Performance counts, as all of those CEOs who elect to earn a $1 in salary will tell you. But here comes a new twist. W. Alan McCollough, departing CEO of Circuit City, says he will forfeit long-term compensation worth about $6.9 million. Part of that includes a grant of 400,000 stock options (worth approximately $3.6 million). The stock options will be

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1149080445661637992006-05-31T08:57:00.000-04:002006-05-31T09:21:28.690-04:00

In the early 1960’s, my friends and I hung out a lot at the Flamingo Park tennis courts in Miami Beach (where I grew up). We kids were only allowed to play on the concrete courts; they saved the clay courts for the privileged few who had the right shoes—and the right shirt. In this case, it was a white polo shirt with a green embroidered crocodile appliquéd on it. A Lacoste tennis shirt.René

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1148909973563926842006-05-29T09:29:00.000-04:002006-05-29T09:39:33.586-04:00

Like Safe Auto (scroll down for their story), Stanley Steemer International, Inc. is another company shaping their brand around fear. Stanley is one of the nation’s largest in-home carpet cleaning service—backed by more than 50 years of consistent, reliable, quality service (according to their Web site). But now they are selling more than just clean carpets; they are selling “clean” carpet

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1148301457514686562006-05-22T08:23:00.000-04:002006-05-22T10:11:20.963-04:00

In the old days, when you went prospecting for gold, all you needed was a shallow metal pan and a riverbed. Today gold mining is unbelievably complex. The law of diminishing returns has set in. All the easy-to-find gold ore has been mined. But opportunities are still out there. Using new technologies, for example, mining companies are now squeezing nanosized particles of gold ore from long

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1147880526841492052006-05-17T11:30:00.000-04:002006-05-17T11:42:06.863-04:00

If you haven't heard from me lately, it's because the email notification service I was using to alert Making Sense subscribers stopped working. Of course, I was slow on the uptake (I automatically assumed I had done something wrong), but I've now switched to FeedBlitz. They look very promising and buttoned up. So watch for my emails. Thanks.

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1146411158916014662006-04-30T11:27:00.000-04:002006-04-30T12:05:57.626-04:00

In his book, Brand Sense, Martin Lindstrom wrote about building powerful brands through all five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. I think the folks at York Air Conditioners must have bought a copy. They've just launched their new Affinity™ series of air conditioners -- the first air conditioner that gives homeowners a choice of seven designer colors.Actually, it took more than

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1146149504154868172006-04-27T10:39:00.000-04:002006-04-27T11:02:39.676-04:00

What can you say about tag lines? Some are good. Some are bad. And some make no sense at all. The tag line featured this month, however, makes a lot of sense. It works from the outside in, connecting brand to customer in a clear, concise way. It not only delivers a strong brand promise; it defines who that promise is for. Who are we talking about here? None other than Safe Auto Insurance Company.

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1144095493300961302006-04-03T16:07:00.000-04:002006-04-03T16:18:13.323-04:00

Corporate brands are down. “Market facing” brands are up. As reported in Brand Republic.com, a new research study by Millward Brown Optimor interviewed 650,000 consumers globally to provide measures of brand equity for more than 30,000 brands. The result is a new BRANDZ™ Top 100 ranking—unique because it is the first ranking to combine consumer research with public financial data to measure the

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1144002613876012102006-04-02T14:20:00.000-04:002006-04-02T14:30:13.893-04:00

Yet another American icon is attempting an international comeback: Bazooka brand bubble gum. The gum, manufactured by The Topps Company, has been a staple in kids’ mouths since 1947. The brand is best known for the “Bazooka Joe” comic strip that comes wrapped around every piece.To get its brand ready to duke it out with Wrigley, Hubba Bubba, Double Bubble, Bubblicious and others in the

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1143556091286771782006-03-28T08:54:00.000-05:002006-03-29T10:04:59.886-05:00

As a Dell computer owner, I’ve enjoyed David Pogue's articles in Circuits about the ineptitude of Dell’s outsourced customer service. The stories are hilarious. They are 100 percent true, even if they are made up. And therein lies a competitive advantage for someone. As I see it (and I bet I’m not the only one to see it this way) all of those great strategic reasons for going offshore have left a

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1143056694983988742006-03-22T14:41:00.000-05:002006-03-22T14:44:55.006-05:00

This post isn’t about methamphetamine or crystal meth, although we all know how devastating and lethal that drug is. This is about the makers of Sine-Off, who have launched a campaign against meth and are using it to reposition their products.Here’s the deal: pseudoephedrine, an essential ingredient in the production of methamphetamine, is derived from inexpensive cold medications, like Sine-Off

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1142877349515609132006-03-20T12:52:00.000-05:002006-03-20T15:24:32.676-05:00

Do you know the difference between an Alessi tea kettle and a Revere tea kettle? Aside from about $80, the difference is mainly in design. Good or bad, design is an integral part of every brand. Design changes the context in which we perceive brands and can either enhance the user experience or detract from it.What’s true for tea kettles is also true for tractors. Take the new high-horsepower

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1142182703549896132006-03-12T11:49:00.000-05:002006-03-12T11:58:23.563-05:00

According to the New York Times, if Edward E. Whitacre Jr., chairman and CEO of SBC and now AT&T, has his way, he will dump Jack, the Cingular Wireless brand’s orange spokeslogo after SBC’s takeover of BellSouth is complete. This is bigger than the sock monkey. I worked at BBDO Atlanta (Cingular’s ad agency) in 2001, the year Jack was born. (Actually, he was conceived at VSA Partners.) I liked

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1140705179260995102006-02-23T09:22:00.000-05:002006-02-23T09:32:59.283-05:00

Improve your work. Here are two online reference tools that every writer or copywriter should have: The Visual Thesaurus and 1-Click Answers™ from Answers.com.The Visual Thesaurus is a dictionary and thesaurus with an intuitive interface that maps out word relationships and encourages exploration and learning. Available in both a Desktop Edition and an Online Edition, the Visual Thesaurus is a

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1140369193669993202006-02-19T12:06:00.000-05:002006-02-19T12:32:49.526-05:00

I don’t why I keep writing about LEGO. I’m not particularly enthralled by them. But every time I turn around, it seems there’s something new in the media. This time, it’s a LEGO PC. The folks at PC Magazine commissioned famous LEGO artist Nathan Sawaya to build a PC using only LEGO components, which he did. But to go one better, PC Magazine turned it into a working computer and is now giving it

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1139837002981207082006-02-13T07:51:00.000-05:002006-02-13T08:29:30.046-05:00

When you think about it, brands are a lot like our children. We dress them up, feed them well, fix their teeth, and when the time is right, send them out into the world, hoping they will be successful.In this process, we are "positioning" them for success. But the truth is, their success depends more on how the "outside" world perceives them, than on how we want them to be perceived.That's what

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1139340152013842862006-02-07T14:18:00.000-05:002006-02-07T14:22:32.016-05:00

The sign at the entrance to the super-secret LEGO Global Innovation and Marketing facility reads: We will do for robotics what iPod did for music. Guess what? Someone beat LEGO to the punch. An artist named Tomi creates PodBrix and sells them on his Website. According to Tomi, PodBrix are minifigs inspired by the popular ad campaign for portable music players. “I start with a standard LEGO® brand

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1138661481457603492006-01-30T17:49:00.000-05:002006-01-30T17:55:51.186-05:00

Three annual reports and a giant collateral project are converging on me. So this is the best I can do. It’s a link to another blog where they apparently have a lot more free time than I do. It’s called Media Orchard, and it’s worth the trip. Good stuff on PR, branding and advertising. I’m adding it to my Links section as well. Hopefully will have some new posts soon.

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1136479263392513982006-01-05T11:24:00.000-05:002006-01-05T11:41:03.423-05:00

In the past ten years or so, we’ve experienced a renaissance in packaging. In the old days, according to Scott Young in Design Management Review, “packaging redesign almost inevitably meant a change in labeling graphics, rather than shape, structure, or functionality. However, marketers are now recognizing the power of innovative packaging systems to differentiate brands, justify price premiums,

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1134688241474661662005-12-15T17:55:00.000-05:002005-12-15T18:10:41.500-05:00

One minute you’re a floundering British retailer; the next you’re on top of the world. Essentially that’s what happened to French Connection in 1997 when they re-branded themselves fcuk. The name is an acronym (French Connection United Kingdom). Needless to say, it caught on. They used it on everything, from clothing to advertising. It was hip. It was cool. It was a great way to engage the

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1134082313736689022005-12-08T17:36:00.000-05:002005-12-21T18:17:25.660-05:00

To a non-techie like me, the story of Sony BMG and its XCP content protection technology isn’t really a story about copy protection. Nor is it a story about a global entertainment giant invading our hard drives and depositing unsecure code. To me, it’s a story about denial and an almost great moment in corporate humility.First, some facts. To protect its content, Sony BMG added content

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1133792295618686632005-12-05T09:11:00.000-05:002005-12-05T09:21:37.450-05:00

I've added a new link to reveries magazine. If it has to do with marketing, you'll find it here--with just the right spin. They publish a daily marketing email and have a comprehensive Web site. Check it out.

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1133108593800830102005-11-27T11:19:00.000-05:002005-11-27T11:46:57.573-05:00

With all the carping I do about tag lines, it’s nice to be able to say something good about one for a change. In this case it’s the new Spice Islands tag line used in their recent TV spots: "What the World Tastes Like"Established in 1941, the Spice Islands brand has always held the high ground on supermarket shelves. According to the Spice Islands Web site, they travel to exotic locales around

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1132160784535713162005-11-16T11:56:00.000-05:002005-12-15T18:14:56.576-05:00

Why do so many state and municipal branding efforts fail to catch on? For one thing, they’re stupid. Take what’s happening in my hometown. Back in February, Atlanta launched The Brand Atlanta Campaign. Public and private forces immediately jumped on board. What came out of it? Three ground-shaking words: Opportunity, Optimism and Openness. “We conducted extensive research and what came back to us

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1131288966366522062005-11-06T09:42:00.000-05:002005-11-06T09:56:06.386-05:00

Those funny folks from LEGO are in the news again. This time, however, it might be good news. In the article "Why Some Brands Can Stand Alone" (Business 2.0 October, 2005) Paul Sloan writes that LEGO is opening LEGO Stores in malls and tony suburbs across the United States. Actually, that’s old news. LEGO has been opening LEGO Stores for a couple of years now, not just in the United States, but

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1130712142592015542005-10-30T17:30:00.000-05:002005-10-30T17:50:02.776-05:00

I’m back. Sorry for the long gap in posting. Annual reports are heating up, and I’ve been traveling here and there. One of the places I stopped at was Bettendorf, Iowa, where I gave a presentation to the Ad Fed group there on copywriting. Out of that presentation, came “Robert’s Rules of Copy.” They are mostly focused on advertising, but if you write at all, I thought they might prove useful to

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1128789301573941562005-10-08T12:24:00.000-04:002005-10-09T09:13:14.666-04:00

International Networks ArchiveCheck out their fascinating maps on social dynamics. One shows how the global presence of Starbucks coffee shops and McDonald's restaurants acts as global hubs that connect some of the world's poorest, most remote countries with some of the wealthiest.Stefan's Branding BlogYet another perspective on branding. Strategic Name DevelopmentAn interesting blog about

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1128182882838204152005-10-01T11:57:00.000-04:002005-10-01T12:17:30.523-04:00

The USMC Web site that I worked on this summer is finally operational. Take a look when you gat a chance.

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1128181171448080792005-10-01T11:35:00.000-04:002005-10-01T11:41:21.030-04:00

First it was the "The War on Terrorism," but that sounded so destructive and warlike. To soften it a bit, the Pentagon tried “The Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism," but that sounded too much like the title of a white paper. So now the Pentagon has brought in Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts for a new spin on an old war.His line: "The Fight for a Better World.” (I think they used that

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1127135780456055172005-09-19T08:39:00.000-04:002005-09-19T09:18:48.020-04:00

(This is a follow-up to my 08-26-2005 post) LEFT: Minor Threat's album coverRIGHT: NIKE's skatboarding posterWhat drives some big companies to do dumb things? Perhaps it's the result of being enormously self focused. They can't conceive of anyone having a problem with their actions. NIKE is a good example. Last July, they blatantly appropriated the cover art from punk band Minor Threat's

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1126211716303702832005-09-08T16:29:00.000-04:002005-09-08T16:35:16.310-04:00

The LEGO Group has found a way back from their staggering $328 million annual loss in 2004 (see my July 23, 2005 post -- "Navel gazing at LEGO"). They have seen the future, and it is mass customization. They call it the LEGO Factory. LEGO fans can now download LEGO Digital Designer software, a free desktop application that allows them to create their own LEGO designs. They can then upload their

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1125612741042001012005-09-01T18:04:00.000-04:002005-09-01T18:12:21.050-04:00

In 1917, the Chattanooga Bakery Co. introduced a new graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow snack, dubbed the MoonPie. The South hasn’t been the same since. Even today, the great duo — RC Cola and MoonPie — still reign supreme in rural towns throughout the Southeast. (Read a review of the MoonPie.)Now MoonPie has set its sights on a much broader market with the national launch of a new product

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1125083340642811482005-08-26T15:01:00.000-04:002005-08-26T16:43:09.876-04:00

I’m sorry for the long delay in posting this. The vertebrae in my neck decided it would be fun to compress themselves and pinch a few of my nerves while they were at it. I’m on the mend now.I’ve been a loyal subscriber to WIRED for years, but sometimes the magazine gets on my nerves. They have a way of elevating the most mundane thing into something that’s creative, cool, and futuristic. Take the

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1123946556334041462005-08-13T11:13:00.000-04:002005-08-13T11:22:36.353-04:00

Design is not a strategy; it’s part of the brand. At least, according to designer Yves Béhar, founder of fuseproject, an integrated design firm dedicated to the development of the emotional experience of brands through story-telling. Béhar is dismayed at the vast amount of me too-ism in design that exists in the marketplace today. The problem is that many marketers think of design as an add-on,

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1123095776136412572005-08-03T14:55:00.000-04:002005-08-03T15:02:56.143-04:00

It used to be that Chiquita brand bananas and Dole brand pineapples were the major labelers of fruit. But lately, colorful little labels have been popping up on everything from apples to zucchini. In addition to showing the country of origin, each tiny label sports the grower’s brand identity. There are hundreds of these unique labels from around the world. You can see them at The World of Fruit

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1122466532230625422005-07-27T08:10:00.000-04:002005-07-27T08:15:32.240-04:00

Sophie Howe, a Toronto-based freelance copywriter, emailed this for inclusion in the Talking to Yourself file. "The City of Toronto recently unveiled a new brand and logo - after the unveiling, the shrieks and howls could be heard far and wide (well, as much as Torontonians actually shriek and howl about anything.) Even the mayor has derided the resulting brand and logo as indefensible and an

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1122149847475917942005-07-23T15:54:00.000-04:002005-07-23T16:23:20.086-04:00

Fifty years ago, LEGO put some plastic bricks in a box and introduced a new system of play -- one that would ultimately garner a 10 percent share of the global toy market. Of course, that was in the days before PCs, Xboxes and licensed super-heroes. I remember those days well. It was the 1970s, and our seven-year-old son would pull out his box of LEGOs nearly every day to build something fun or

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1121521552300138672005-07-16T09:42:00.000-04:002005-07-18T08:29:18.970-04:00

Nick Wreden is a Malaysia-based, self-described "brand futurist" who sends out an email newsletter every so often. His latest issue is about "Wikification," or as he defines it, "the process by which customers define brands based on the economic, experiential or emotional value they receive - represents the biggest force in branding today. Wikification is occurring on Intelliseek, Epinions and

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1121293457294198842005-07-13T18:14:00.000-04:002005-07-14T08:10:08.660-04:00

Think of some top American brands. What names come to mind? Coca-Cola? Starbucks? Nike? Well, here's one you might have missed: The United States Marine Corps (USMC). Recently, I did some writing for the Marines' new Web site. I was struck by how perfect the USMC brand architecture was. Here are some points to consider: First, the Marine Corps' brand heritage goes back to 1775 (way before

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1121005125296997662005-07-10T10:10:00.000-04:002005-07-12T09:43:53.606-04:00

On June 1st, Haier, the top Chinese appliance maker, together with equity giants Bain Capital and The Blackstone Group, offered $1.28 billion potential bid for Maytag, the nation's No. 3 appliance maker. Haier's strategy, according to CNN/Money, is to use the Maytag brand to create brand equity for its products outside of China. That's funny, because in the U.S., Maytag has virtually washed

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1120583561894592682005-07-05T13:02:00.000-04:002005-07-05T14:14:13.306-04:00

CNN/Money.com reports today that according to a report in AdAge.com, McDonald's has asked Tommy Hilfiger, P. Diddy, Russell Simmons and other urban youth fashion designers to turn McDonald's drab store uniform into hip street wear. Bill Whitman, a spokesman for McDonald's, told CNN/Money that the company has held "informal" discussions with a brand imaging consultant on a potential uniform

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1120173166489717282005-06-30T19:09:00.000-04:002005-06-30T19:14:58.983-04:00

You have to love a book whose first line reads: "Let's face it: Business today is drowning in bullshit." For Father's Day, my son gave me a copy of Why business people speak like idiots by Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardway and John Warshawsky. It's an insightful and humorous handbook for avoiding the inane corporate-speak and jargon that American Business is so hopelessly mired in. The real-world

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1119747730769907702005-06-25T17:54:00.000-04:002005-06-25T21:06:21.100-04:00

Change in the marketplace is inevitable. In my June 13th post, I wrote about the change "search" is bringing to business-to-business advertising. Business should be ready for change, I stated (like you didn't know that already). Of course, being ready for change works best when you recognize what is changing. For some companies that's difficult to do. Take AccuWeather, for instance. They used to

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1119356076253880702005-06-20T16:59:00.000-04:002005-06-27T14:43:15.040-04:00

Sorry for the lateness of this post. I was out traveling last week. This is basically a follow-up to my post on Tuesday, May 03, 2005 entitled "Sensory Branding -- What's That Smell?" It was inspired by the book Brand Sense by Martin Lindstrom. In it, he makes the case for "smashing" your brand and rebuilding it to engage your audience on all five sensory levels. Where that idea is really

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1118666379485548762005-06-13T08:30:00.000-04:002005-06-13T08:43:44.166-04:00

ADWEEK.com reports Google is targeting business-to-business advertisers, extolling the advantages of search. To add firepower to their pitch, Google commissioned a survey from Millward Brown showing how technology professionals use search to buy.According to ADWEEK, Millward Brown questioned 900 technology professionals through an online poll. Three significant findings came out of that:Search

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1118100669077364262005-06-06T19:22:00.000-04:002005-06-06T19:34:03.720-04:00

I bank with BB&T, which happens to be the 9th largest financial holding company in the U.S. Most people don't know that. That included me until I looked them up for this post. Anyway, last week they sent me a flyer for their financial services. Down at the bottom was a bold line: "At BB&T Investment Services, you can tell we want your business." I could see where they were going with that line --

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1117469613146077042005-05-30T12:04:00.000-04:002005-05-30T14:35:22.706-04:00

What do a seedy motel room and billboard space have in common? Both can be rented by the hour--all thanks to the wonders of digital technology. Dynamic digital displays are breathing new life into the outdoor industry, creating new revenue streams for a marketing sector beset by sluggish growth. New LED (Light Emitting Diode) screens are enabling outdoor companies to change their messages with

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1117146038299024342005-05-26T17:59:00.000-04:002005-05-26T18:20:38.306-04:00

This is old news, but Wendy's is off the hook chili-wise. They discovered that the severed finger found in their chili was put there by the same women who reported finding it there in the first place. The undeserved bad press from that incident combined with some branding and marketing issues is creating an uphill challenge for Wendy's marketing department. In an article in today's BRANDWEEK,

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1117029008977557142005-05-25T09:40:00.000-04:002005-05-25T15:17:15.123-04:00

According to Stuart Elliot in the New York Times, GE wants more from their ad agency than conventional :30 spots. That request hit their ad agency, BBDO, a little below the belt.Despite the internet and the creative opportunities it presents, most ad agencies still feel comfortable only thinking in 30-second increments. But BBDO was up to the challenge. Its solution was to create an online "seed"

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1116939943842197172005-05-24T08:56:00.000-04:002005-05-24T09:19:04.690-04:00

If you haven't heard the term before, Freakonomics is economics and social science put in a Cuisinart. It's also the title of a best-selling book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dunbar. Dubbed "rouge" economists, Levitt and Dunbar ask and answer a variety of weighty questions, including "Do Sumo wrestlers cheat? Which is a whiter name for a girl, Molly or Holly? And what do crack gangs and

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1116774183287475272005-05-22T10:54:00.000-04:002005-05-23T18:23:22.570-04:00

When you order a Greek salad, you expect it to be made with genuine Greek Feta cheese. That's what the European Union Commission concluded after surveying 12,800 Europeans. Even so, of the approximately 200,000 tons of Feta cheese produced each year in Europe, only 80,000 comes from Greece. The rest is produced in Denmark, Germany and France So what's the difference? According to traditional

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1116611770469002882005-05-20T13:54:00.000-04:002005-05-20T14:35:11.226-04:00

On the way to Longhorn Steakhouse last evening we passed by a SunTrust Bank (one of the largest commercial banks in the country). Lo and behold, they had replaced their old sign with one of the ugliest signs I have ever seen on a bank. This on a street that had Wachovia's and Bank of America's stylish identities in close proximity.They kept their current SunTrust identity but added a stylized sun

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1116360826275704412005-05-17T15:55:00.000-04:002005-05-17T16:19:40.336-04:00

This in from CNN/Money: According to online auto news source Inside Line, a surprising number of Hyundai customers said they didn't want Sirius Satellite Radio installed in their vehicles. Why? Because they objected to so called "Shock Jock" Howard Stern, who will begin broadcasting on Sirius in 2006. Hyundai knows all of this because they surveyed about 400 customers and asked whether they

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1116071596434637422005-05-14T07:53:00.000-04:002005-05-14T18:02:20.880-04:00

Well, the merger between Peters Group and Polaroid is a done deal. I put in the quote from Thomas Peters below only because it sounds so ridiculously corporate. It almost doesn't make sense. Why do companies talk that way in press releases?Polaroid MergerThe big deal here is the Polaroid brand. That's what Peters shelled out $426 million for. Look for it to be used on more than just electronics -

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1115903770565471532005-05-12T09:06:00.000-04:002005-05-12T09:16:10.570-04:00

I wish this article, A Walking Dream by David Thompson, wasn't so damn true. Though I have to admit, I've been caught up in that branding babble myself. From personal experience, I can tell you that nobody babbles better than The Coca-Cola Company. (What a coincidence, they're a soda pop company, too.) Here's an excerpt: "The archetypal prose of the branding guru manages to be both simplistic

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1115740211400619712005-05-10T11:47:00.000-04:002005-05-10T11:50:11.413-04:00

I finally braved HTML to add some links. Some are funny, some are serious -- sort of like life.

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1115676885021232082005-05-09T18:00:00.000-04:002005-05-11T15:57:18.206-04:00

A story in Adweek.com caught my eye today. It was about retailers looking to build up their brands. '"Retailers in general are taking a bigger view ofmarketing than they have in the past, when they were very merchandising andmerchant-driven," said Steven Feuling, chief marketing officer for PublicisGroupe's Starcom in Chicago and a former svp of marketing for Kmart. "Whatyou're seeing is the

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1115496124593597762005-05-07T15:45:00.000-04:002005-05-08T07:28:46.593-04:00

Things aren't looking too rosy for the beer industry.According to this article in AdAge.com entitledU.S. Beer Business Continues Decline, beer sales accountedfor 53.2% of the alcohol beverage market in 2004,down from 56% in 1999. This according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.The spirits segment, however, grew to $15.1 billion in 2004, or 31.3% of the market, up from 28.2% five years

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1115239720627856592005-05-04T16:41:00.000-04:002005-05-07T16:53:06.603-04:00

This post doesn't have much to do with branding other than demonstrating how visual cues influence behavior.According to an article in the New York Times, Canadian researchers have made a startling assertion: parents take better care of pretty children than they do ugly ones.When it came to buckling up, pretty and ugly children were treated in starkly different ways, with seat belt use increasing

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1115140877839905062005-05-03T13:17:00.000-04:002005-05-07T16:53:55.750-04:00

Automobile manufacturers spend millions of dollars developing the sensory side to their brand. That includes an aerosol spray of "new car scent" and doors that have a distinctive sound when closed. I learned this from Brand Sense by Martin Lindstrom, which his publicist recently sent me. The book is based on Millward Brown's 5! Senses Study. http://www.millwardbrown.com/BRANDsense/research/

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1115070305692068422005-05-02T17:44:00.000-04:002005-05-07T16:54:22.440-04:00

Tired of being just another bottom feeder for the teen apparel market in the U.K., The French Connection took a bold stand. They changed their brand name to FCUK. The inspiration for that change (so the story goes) was a fax sent from their newly opened French Connection office in Hong Kong that read "From FCHK to FCUK." The rest is branding history. No longer just a jeans maker, today, FCUK has

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12557770.post-1114982533587317282005-05-01T16:42:00.000-04:002005-05-07T16:54:45.783-04:00

Despite the loftiness of the description above, you'll find Making Sense is pretty down to earth. If I can figure out how to work the image thing, I'll replace it with the official masthead.Before it was turned into a blog, Making Sense was an e-digest that I wrote and emailed out about once every two months. Each issue was on a specific area of branding, and exposed the good and bad of what was

Robert Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649107512394154231noreply@blogger.com0