Vanity Fair Discusses Personal Branding
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A recent article in Vanity Fair Magazine by contributing author, James Walcott, titled, What’s a Culture Snob to Do?, discusses the current dilemma facing Culture Snobs caused by the pervasive effects of technology. In our society today, many people personally brand themselves by the material possessions they own. The book you read proudly while riding on the bus; the CD collection waiting to be perused by the next passenger that hops into your car; and the DVD collection that is displayed on the shelves in your home waiting to be fawned over by the next house guest, are all outwards displays of your inner being. Whether or not you would like to admit it, our society is quick to make snap judgments about a person’s character based upon the book titles seen in the arms of their readers. This judgment serves as a bit of a Read more
The Power of a Brand Name
Image from www.taglines.org
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What makes a great tagline? Is it longevity; has it endured the test of time? What about influence; has it exercised influence on our culture, media, and language? Or maybe is it originality; has it set new trends or broken through barriers in the advertising industry?
Most likely, it’s a combination of all the above. However, the ten great taglines below follow a different criterion: they each include the company’s name somewhere within the tagline. Take a look at the list below; I’m sure you’ll recognize the power of the brand name.
| You’re in good hands with Allstate. (1956) | Allstate Insurance |
| There are some things that money can’t buy. For everything else there’s MasterCard. (1997) | MasterCard |
| Please don’t squeeze the Charmin. (1964) | Charmin |
| Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation. (1964) | Pepsi |
| Have a coke and smile. (1979) | Coca-Cola |
| With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good. (1962) | Smucker’s |
| Nothing comes between me and my Calvins. (1979) | Calvin Klein Jeans |
| Yo quiero Taco Bell. (mid-1990s) | Taco Bell |
| The few, the proud, the Marines. (1991) | U.S. Marines |
| Don’t get mad. Get GLAD. (early 1980s) | Glad |
By Kelley Blakewood
Hospital Branding
Have you ever asked yourself how hospitals in your city seem to be everywhere these days? Here in Charlotte some have commented on how Carolinas Medical Center went from one hospital in the center of the city to a network of centers all across town. There is even a CMC branded facility in a newly built YMCA down by our office. In the last few months hospital administrators have tapped our brand consultancy to provide insights on strategic branding plans.
According to a recent article, there are four ways most hospitals across the country are achieving brand recognition. The first is through specialization. In this scenario focus is placed on building a practice around a very specific niche and all the communications reinforces that area of expertise. If an ailment comes up having to do with that specialty, a properly executed brand message would reinforce how specialization is synonymous with being the best in treating the condition. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America comes to mind in such a scenario.
We have also observed organizations, such as HealthSouth and Kindred, utilizing their master brands across multiple locations. No matter where you go, the same brand seems to remind you who the dominant healthcare player is in the area. Repetition of a brand identity is known to establish high levels of brand recognition under unaided market research. A new building brings with it a new place to expose the name.
Similar to the previous strategy, some medical groups have decided to build a brand in multiple directions. In this method multiple practices across numerous specialty areas are acquired and during the brand transition the previous brand goes away while master brand takes priority. The thought process here is to have your target audience think of you first when they get sick regardless of medical condition.
A fourth option can be illustrated by examining The Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic. The two have extended their brand well beyond the physical territory they serve with the establishment of a technology partnership. Mayo has a venture with Microsoft and Cleveland with Google. In this type of collaboration all parties benefit by providing target audiences with an online tool featuring healthcare resources in what is perceived as trusted brand names.
If we think ahead don't be surprised to hear about future branded partnerships when it comes to the new online personal health records being proposed.
Contributed by Ninh Nguyen
Package Makeover
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Next time you’re walking down the drink aisle at the grocery store take a look at the amazing selection of shapes and sizes that the carbonated soft drink industry offers its consumers. What’s that? You can hardly tell the difference from brand's bottle to the next? Oh . . . that’s because there’s really not any. Please see exhibit A.
Enter Coca-Cola. The widely-popular beverage company is innovating its packaging with the introduction of a new 2-liter bottle. Coca-Cola decided that it should not be in the same 2-liter bottle as every other brand, which seems like common sense, right? Well, it turns out that the company has actually been offering a wide range of package shapes and sizes overseas, but the North American market is dominated by three packages that we are all familiar with: a 2-liter straight-walled bottle,12-pack of 12-ounce aluminum cans, and a 20-ounce plastic bottle.
Really Reality?
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Just flipping on your TV will open your eyes to the plethora of Reality TV Series on our stations these days... but just how real are these shows? According to a recent study, the average sized woman in the United States is approximately 160 pounds and wears size 14 clothing. Last time I checked, you don’t see these average women on TV. Nope, these “reality” TV series are cluttered with women who are all about a size 2…on a “fat” day. In an effort to put the ‘reality’ back into reality TV some television stations have taken a new approach to these reality series. Shows are now receiving names such as Dance Your Ass Off, More to Love, and The Biggest Loser. These television series aim to show the lives of real people, not size 0 or size 2 celebrities.
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Lowe's Says 'No'
Last year, the Concord, NC street that takes hundreds of thousands of racing fans to Lowe's Motor speedway was re-named Bruton C. Smith Boulevard in honor of the Speedway Motorsports Inc. owner. Next year, the track itself will undergo a name change as well. On Thursday, Lowe's announced that it will not renew its naming rights for the Concord speedway.
Lowe's brokered exclusive naming rights with SMI in 1999, making Lowe's Motor speedway the first major naming-rights deal of a NASCAR track. The partnership has been viewed by many as a success, as the fairly young Lowe's brand has enjoyed exposure to millions of NASCAR fans for nearly a decade. But, but as priorities and budgets shift to survive in the recession, so too will the marketing resources of the company.
According to a NASCAR press release, SMI owner Bruton Smith expects the track to work to find a new title sponsor. If a new sponsor can't be found, the track's name will revert to Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Of course, this is not the only corporate sponsorship to dissolve within the past year. Professional sports across the board are having more trouble holding on to their lucrative deals with companies, specifically those in the financial and automobile industry. With this decline, yet another reflection of a downturned economy, might we see the pendulum swing back to a world of stadiums and fields without corporate monikers?
If so, which sports venues would you like to see returned to their original names?
Contributed by: Maghan Cook
My Bank? Or My Best Friend?
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While flipping through a recent magazine, I was caught off guard by a pretty lilac background and the name Ally in elegant cursive writing. After initially dismissing the name as either an oral contraceptive or a weightless supplement, I realized that Ally was neither of the above. Ally was actually a bank (the former GMAC bank rebranded.) The quandary raised two important questions in my mind. When did we start adding emotional attachments to the names of financial institutions? And more importantly, when did my bank become my best friend?
As Steve Martin pointed out in his recent comedy routine, if you are going to name a bank, it’s got to be something big and strong like Security First Trust and Federal Reserve. The comedian went on to explain that, you have to name a bank like that because nobody wants to put their money in ‘Fred’s Bank.’ It feels like Fred can just walk up to you and say “Hi, I’m Fred, I have a bank. You got $1500? ”
I must say, I have to agree with Martin on this one. Typically, I am a fan of emotional branding. However, when it comes to banking and money, let’s leave our friendships out of it.
By Kelley Blakewood
Daddy, May I Borrow Some Money to Buy a New Car?
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With so many brands cluttering the marketplace, it can be difficult to stand out. Many marketers have realized that it is much more beneficial to talk to consumers before brand loyalties have formed. It is easier to help form a brand loyalty with a product from scratch rather than try to convert an already brand loyal consumer, hence the emergence of Read more
Need a “Mentally Stimulating Diversion”?
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Have I got JUST the thing for you. Put down your crossword puzzles, forget the Sudoku, and don’t even think about wasting time with Solitaire or Mindsweeper. All you need to know to give your mind a creative jumpstart is this one little word, Read more
U.S. City Nicknaming
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Here at Addison Whitney, we know branding. We know how important it is to have a brand name that reinforces your overall strategic plan. The following are a list of "nicknames" that some U.S. cities have been given or have adopted themselves. How successful are these nicknames at making the connection to the city they are referencing? These nicknames were found on the official Wikipedia site for city nicknames in the United States.
How many U.S. cities can you match with the following nicknames. (Try and pick the cities before looking at the list of choices!)
Hanging Basket Capital of the World
The First Town in the First State
The City of Five Flags
The Classic City
Turf Grass Capital of the World
Ice Cream Capital of the World
Bourbon Capital of the World
Horse Capital of the World
The Birthplace of Jazz
Crab Cake Capital of the World
The Mini Apple
Firefly Capital of the World
The Queen City
Furniture Capital of the World
The Sweetest Place on Earth
Emerald City
The Magic City of the Plains
See below for list of U.S. City choices
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