AW in Review: Addison Whitney Brand Salsa Recap 7.17.15
Welcome to another edition of "AW in Review", our roundup of our latest brand salsa and Addison Whitney news and posts!
Don’t forget, you can stay up-to-date with everything from Addison Whitney by joining the conversation with us on our social media channels – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+
Branding with Emotion
It is well known that people often buy based on emotions, and justify with facts. PsychologyToday.com cites a study which showed “when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions [such as] personal feelings and experiences rather than information.”
Though offering very different products, two relatively new brands, Packed Party Gift Boxes and S’well Water Bottles have used this unique, human tendency to turn their brands from one-woman shows to nationwide phenomenon in a matter of years. Read More...
Branded on the Fourth of July
As June comes to a close, consumers begin to see the flood of red, white and blue wash over their favorite brands, as each looks to find a way to incorporate the Fourth of July into their branding, 
marketing and advertising efforts.
As with many holidays, brands can easily get lost in the increased noise of similar branding strategies – there are always the go-to ways to incorporate Halloween into branding, for instance – but the Fourth of July offers brands varying angles to which they can position their brand. Read more...
Diet Coke: A Case for Individualized Branding
Recently The Coca-Cola Company has revealed their plans to market all of their Coca-Cola related brands – Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Life, Coca-Cola Zero, and Diet Coke – as a cohesive team of products, rather than individually.
Market research has shown that there is some confusion about what differentiates these four products, and the Coca-Cola Company hopes that marketing them as variations of one larger product, Coca-Cola, will help not only to clear up this confusion, but also to strengthen the overall brand to the great benefit of each individual product.diet coke, good things come in fours I think bringing brands closer to a larger corporate brand, especially one as powerful and recognizable as Coca-Cola, is great strategy for three of these four brands. Read More...
Branding Beyond the Field
When determining the success of a sports franchise brand, the product on the field obviously plays a large part. Wins bring publicity, excitement and recognition, all which are important aspects for any team’s brand.
But much of what goes into building a strong sports brand can’t be counted on the scoreboard. When looking to successfully brand a sports franchise, many lessons can be learned from branding organizations. Read More...
Brand Sale: Procter and Gamble Shakes Up Brand Portfolio
Proctor and Gamble has been a case study for branding strength for the past 50 years. Its market insight, audience-centricity and ability to invest in brands have grown its brand portfolio to 180 total brands, including 23 different billion-dollar brands.
In order to meet greater global market complexities, P&G has decided to alter their approach towards the market with one of most publicized brand portfolio shakeups we’ve seen in recent years. A.G. Lafley, the company’s chairman, president and CEO has cast a vision of a future P&G that is “a much simpler, much less complex company of leading brands that’s easier to manage and operate.” Read More...
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
WEBINAR: New Health Canada Regulatory Guidelines: Are You Prepared?
In June 2015, Health Canada’s new guidance for the review and submission of drug brand names went into effect bringing with it significant changes in how your drug brand names will be reviewed, and the responsibilities of the drug manufacturers in this new process.
To learn more about these changes and how this will impact your preparations to launch a product in Canada download Addison Whitney Health’s webinar where we cover:
- Overview of the regulatory changes
- New steps involved in the process: Search, Simulate and Synthesize
- Name preparation & submission process
- FAQ's about Health Canada's changes
Download the video here: http://bit.ly/1e0tBEd
Branding Beyond the Field
When determining the success of a sports franchise brand, the product on the field obviously plays a large part. Wins bring publicity, excitement and recognition, all which are important aspects for any team’s brand.
But much of what goes into building a strong sports brand can’t be counted on the scoreboard. When looking to successfully brand a sports franchise, many lessons can be learned from branding organizations.
Understanding the audience is an important part of ensuring a brand’s success, and with sports franchises two major audience groups emerge – their fans, and the media. These two drive much of the success factors for branding in sports, and but hold much different places in a brand strategy.
The media sits at the confluence of two main arteries in branding – the need for a brand’s essential aspects (name, logo, colors, etc.) and the want for secondary branding (brand characteristics, persona, etc.) – in order to do their job.
A team without a name isn’t a very easy team to write or broadcast about, and one with an unfavorable color palette will cause headaches for the television producers. Additionally, a team with a strong brand and culture is one that breeds quality storylines, leading to additional media coverage. Therefore, when creating these aspects of a brand, the ease at which a franchise can help this group is beneficial in gaining appreciation and assistance moving forward.
The fan audience is one that not only engages in the resulting brand materials, but also looks to be actively involved in establishing a connection with the brand. Franchises would be wise to create brands that strengthen this relationship, from actions designed to ingrain the team into the local culture or fan groups or by including the opinions of their fans in franchise decisions.
New York City FC, a Major League Soccer team that debut this season and plays its games in Yankee Stadium, has embraced the concept of connecting to its city and fans by focusing much of its branding efforts on cementing its role as “New York City’s Team.” From crowdsourcing the decisions of various brand elements, such as the team’s logo, to focusing on what Tom Glick, President of NYCFC, said about branding the team, “We wanted to give birth to a new club for New Yorkers, to build it with New Yorkers.”
The team was smart in this strategy because they understood both the passion felt by soccer fans to their favorite clubs, and also the close connection many New Yorkers have for their city. Combine these two and you have a potential fan group who is deeply loyal to their hometown club, and one they weave into the very fabric of their community. Using them as a resource in building the brand and continuing to help it grow gives a grassroots feel that allows the fans to be involved and connected, strengthening their emotional bond with the club.
For instance, just as with other branding strategies, finding the right name goes a long way. As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and the majority of the time, the name is that first impression, one that will continue to resonate throughout its time in use.
It is also the brand aspect that carries the most weight in exposure for the brand, as any reference to the team will more than likely use some aspect of its name. The name should resonate with the fans, as the NBA's Charlotte Hornets learned when they researched a rebrand from their old name as the Charlotte Bobcats.
When the first iteration of the Hornets relocated, the NBA gave Charlotte an expansion team, which was named the Charlotte Bobcats - an example of a name that had no history with the area and no emotional connection with the local population. After years of this disconnect, the team announced to much fanfare the return to the original Hornets name and colors, and the introduction of a logo that hearkened back to the prior Hornets logos.
The acknowledgement of the strength of the Hornets brand and the actions taken to return to this brand showed how much the Charlotte franchise valued their fan audience.
Branding a sports franchise can be a long, sometimes bumpy, journey. These brands are some of the most visible in the world, and their impact can be far-reaching. But by understanding the audiences, working to help meet their needs and allowing for a brand to settle a strong foundation, this global reach can be a welcome return.
Image sources:
http://www.nba.com/hornets/gallery/hornets-brand-identity-launch
http://matchstic.com/blog/tag/oregon-football-uniforms/
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Branded on the Fourth of July
As June comes to a close, consumers begin to see the flood of red, white and blue wash over their favorite brands, as each looks to find a way to incorporate the Fourth of July into their branding, marketing and advertising efforts.
As with many holidays, brands can easily get lost in the increased noise of similar branding strategies – there are always the go-to ways to incorporate Halloween into branding, for instance – but the Fourth of July offers brands varying angles to which they can position their brand.
Branding on this holiday, and any holiday, must consist of careful and well-thought strategies that succeed in maximizing the inherent positive associations of the holiday but yet still stay true to the overall brand positioning. Going too far off that plan is a recipe for disaster, opening a brand up to seem as if they are willing to abandon their core brand principles in the name of an easy marketing campaign possibility.
Brands who understood how to walk this line and know how to connect the holiday to their branding characteristics continued to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
For instance, Brit + Co., an online media and e-commerce platform who has built their brand around providing women and girls with tools designed to teach, inspire and enable their creativity, created an email marketing campaign centered around the celebratory aspect of the holiday, highlighting some of their most patriotic and colorful merchandise. The design of the email matches the design of their website, promoting brand unity across all of the platforms.
Brit + Co. shows that they get how to fit the characteristics the holiday with the characteristics of their brand. Their brand personality is fun, quirky, creative and colorful – all of which can be used to describe their Fourth of July branding and marketing. By focusing on the beach/party atmosphere, they touch on their creative sides, showing people how to creatively throw their own Fourth of July soiree.
The professional sports industry is one that has never been shy about strategically branding itself for these patriotic holidays. For the past few years, professional baseball leagues have welcomed the holiday with patriotic-themed, one-time-only uniforms and hats. From the lowest levels of the minor leagues all the way up to the clubs that make up Major League Baseball, teams across the country wear these uniforms and hats, which are supplemented by various red, white and blue accessories, from batting gloves and undershirts to bases and themed designs cut into the field.
In a vacuum, these special uniforms and hats can seem to fall within the realm of celebrating the holiday while without going too far outside their comfort zone – as do most uniform modifications. However, much criticism for these leagues when they trot out “special” uniforms is that they immediately put these items up for sale, seemingly proving that the reason for the re-branded product isn’t to celebrate or commemorate, but to make some extra money on merchandise sales.
The Fourth of July is a holiday commemorated by all Americans and has turned into a day to celebrate all things red, white and blue. Any time you can find a way to connect a brand to such a large audience, and to have a little fun in the process, go for it. It’s what the Founding Fathers would want.
Image Sources:
http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/july-fourth-marketing-examples
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
AW Global Office Spotlight: Munich
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm that is part of a large network of companies providing clinical, commercial and consulting services in various industries around the world. Our global reach gives us the experience needed to develop strong brands, regardless of geography. Our presence around the world comes in the form of our global offices – Charlotte, New York City, Seattle, London, Tokyo, and Munich. All this month, we will be shining the spotlight on these offices, showing you what makes them unique and some of the great people and work that make up each of these locations!
Today, we will be taking a look at Addison Whitney’s Munich office!
When Addison Whitney took its first steps outside of the United States and made the decision to establish the company’s inaugural global office, it arrived at one of Europe’s top cities – Munich.
Munich gave the company another touch point in an area that sits at the intersection of many European home bases of companies. It is also a city that boasts an up-and-coming business reputation, seeing major brands find homes in Germany and the surrounding countries.
Addison Whitney opened its Munich office in 2008 as the company’s first global foothold, and since then has found a strong pipeline for its work on the continent. In addition to its standing as a powerhouse business hub, Munich is an easy trip to many of Europe’s key markets, allowing the AW team quick and efficient travel options to meet with clients (Munich airport is Europe's top-ranked airport and third in the world - World Airport Awards 2014).
“Since our opening, we noticed a high demand for a branding firm like AW throughout Europe,” says Sascha-Marcel Poschet, Director Europe. “Our strategic approach and focus on building long-lasting relationships have been a great fit for many clients.”
Munich also hosts about 40 trade fairs and multiple key conferences (e.g. BIO-Europe 2015, a leading pharmaceutical industry event). With Addison Whitney’s location in the city, setting up meetings within and around these events is an efficient way to meet our clients and stay up to date on industry trends.
AW has the ability to serve a wide range of clients, including healthcare (Pharma, Biotech & Medical), industrial, FMCG and technology.
AW’s offices are located within the German hub for inVentiv Health, Addison Whitney’s parent company. This conveniently allows for collaboration with other brands within the inVentiv family, allowing Addison Whitney to assist in providing extensive and comprehensive services to clients.
But it’s not all work and no play for the residents of Germany’s third-largest city. Boasting one of Europe’s biggest city parks (larger than London’s Hyde Park and New York’s Central Park), the “Englischer Garten” gives visitors plenty of open space and a number of architectural wonders within its boundaries.
For those looking to stay indoors, a visit to “Deutsches Museum”, the world’s largest museum of science and technology, is a must. Drawing over 1.5 million visitors a year to its 50 exhibition areas, the museum adds to Munich’s diverse and thriving educational scene.
“All clients who are visiting us in Munich for the first time are touched by the special vibe & “Gemütlichkeit” (coziness) of our town,” adds Poschet.
Image sources:
http://www.mybestaddressbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/munich.jpg
http://athleticmindedtraveler.com/browse-cities/munich-ger/english-garden-englischer-garten-munich
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
AW Global Office Spotlight: London
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm that is part of a large network of companies providing clinical, commercial and consulting services in various industries around the world. Our global reach gives us the experience needed to develop strong brands, regardless of geography. Our presence around the world comes in the form of our global offices – Charlotte, New York City, Seattle, London, Tokyo, and Munich. All this month, we will be shining the spotlight on these offices, showing you what makes them unique and some of the great people and work that make up each of these locations!
Today, we will be taking a look at Addison Whitney’s London office!
For Addison Whitney, London was an ideal choice to base its European operations. As the headquarters of a substantial number of pharmaceutical organizations, London provided convenient accessibility to clients and potential clients for the AW team.
London is a city that seemingly has it all. History, culture, business, finance – it sits at the top of the list of cities in a number of categories. In terms of global business power, London has been the center of operations for centuries.
Additionally, London houses the headquarters for the EMA and NRG, two organizations that oversee pharmaceutical guidelines throughout the European Union. Addison Whitney team members are able to attend a number of events at these offices, including consultative meetings on naming best practices and other topics.
“With our presence in London and its standing as the epicenter of the business and pharmaceutical industries allows us to more easily establish relationships and go the extra mile for our clients,” says Barbara Gerber, Managing Director of AW Europe.
As you may know, the history of London is long and eventful, with some locations in the city tracing their lineage back thousands of years. A perfect example of this historical weight is the Covent Garden area, which is the home of Addison Whitney London.
Located in London’s West End, Covent Garden was initially laid out in 1631 and developed as an open-air market in 1654. It sits within walking distance of Soho, the river Thames and Trafalgar Square, and derives its name from the presence of a garden in the Middle Ages.
After going through many difference uses, including a recreation ground, bohemian resort location and a center of the theater district. It has now evolved into a modern tourist location, with cafes, pubs, shops and the Apple Market, along with housing a number of office buildings and business locations.
As AW continues to grow in Europe, the benefits of this office location will also continue to play a part, and allow Addison Whitney Europe to fulfill its potential and chart a path to a bright future.
Stay tuned later this week when we shine the spotlight on our office in Munich!
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
AW Global Office Spotlight: Seattle
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm that is part of a large network of companies providing clinical, commercial and consulting services in various industries around the world. Our global reach gives us the experience needed to develop strong brands, regardless of geography. Our presence around the world comes in the form of our global offices – Charlotte, New York City, Seattle, London, Tokyo, and Munich. All this month, we will be shining the spotlight on these offices, showing you what makes them unique and some of the great people and work that make up each of these locations!
Today, we will be taking a look at Addison Whitney’s Seattle office!
The Seattle area is a hot bed for technology companies, in addition to being one of the nation’s top places for business growth. These are some of the reasons why, when Addison Whitney was looking where to locate its Addison Whitney West office, Seattle was an obvious choice.
"We are excited to be a part of this fast-paced culture and a couple of us in the office come with deep technology backgrounds,” says Wendy Jacobs, Vice President of Addison Whitney West. “These companies churn out a lot of new offerings that need names or brand strategies and we are right in the heart of it.”
The Seattle office serves as the home for Addison Whitney’s operations through the western United States, and includes some of the company’s largest and longest-tenured clients.
For instance, the office sits just a short distance from the headquarters of Microsoft, with whom Addison Whitney has shared an over 20-year-long relationship, one that has continued to grow since the Seattle office opened.
Additionally, one of the many benefits to having the office in Seattle is that the city is close enough to Portland, Oregon and Vancouver that Addison Whitney team members have been able to extend their same “local support” approach to those markets as well. They also have the ability to easily travel to meet with clients and businesses throughout the west, from Hawaii to Montana to California.
“We like to highlight our long-term relationships,” Jacobs says. “We opened our doors here to be closer to clients/companies we had been working with for many years and our location has not only improved our support for them, but have been able to attract new customers and build similar deep relationships.”
Stay tuned next week when we shine the spotlight on our European offices in London and Munich!
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
AW in Review: Addison Whitney Brand Salsa Recap: 6.19.15
Welcome to another edition of "AW in Review", our roundup of our latest brand salsa and Addison Whitney news and posts!
Don’t forget, you can stay up-to-date with everything from Addison Whitney by joining the conversation with us on our social media channels – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+
Addison Whitney to Host Webinar Series
Addison Whitney, a global branding firm who has developed some of the world’s leading brands, will be hosting a three-part webinar series in June titled, “Three Questions You Should be Asking About Your Brand Portfolio.”
During the three-part series, members of Addison Whitney’s Brand Strategy team will focus on the different ways companies should be thinking about their brand portfolio. Through strategic plan discussions and real-life examples the following topics will be explored: June 18 – Organizing Your Portfolio – Are Your Brands Working For You In All Their Capacity? June 25 – Identifying the Opportunities in Your Portfolio – Are You Capitalizing on Every Potential Business Opportunity Your Portfolio Provides? Read more...
Intern Intro: Meet the 2015 AW Summer Interns!
Every summer, Addison Whitney welcomes an outstanding group of college students into the office as our summer interns! This year, our class consists of four interns representing three schools from around the area – these four will be working in the marketing, brand strategy, market research and verbal branding departments, and we are excited to have them on board this summer!
Now, let’s learn a little more about the AW summer 2015 intern class! Read More...
AW Global Office Spotlight: Tokyo
Addison Whitney opened the base of Japanese operations in Tokyo in 2011. This office has led the way in Addison Whitney’s ever-increasing presence in the area since its opening.
Recently, Shusei Ichikawa joined Addison Whitney Japan as Managing Director. Shusei is based out of the Tokyo office, so for this edition of AW Global Office Spotlight, here is a little more information on the newest member of the office! Read more...
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
AW Global Office Spotlight: Tokyo
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm that is part of a large network of companies providing clinical, commercial and consulting services in various industries around the world. Our global reach gives us the experience needed to develop strong brands, regardless of geography. Our presence around the world comes in the form of our global offices – Charlotte, New York City, Seattle, London, Tokyo, and Munich. All this month, we will be shining the spotlight on these offices, showing you what makes them unique and some of the great people and work that make up each of these locations!
Today, we will be taking a look at Addison Whitney’s Tokyo office!
Addison Whitney opened the base of Japanese operations in Tokyo in 2011. This office has led the way in Addison Whitney’s ever-increasing presence in the area since its opening.
Recently, Shusei Ichikawa joined Addison Whitney Japan as Managing Director. Shusei is based out of the Tokyo office, so for this edition of AW Global Office Spotlight, here is a little more information on the newest member of the office!
- What has been the most surprising aspect of working with Addison Whitney so far?
The most surprising aspect is having the chance to meet with the street-smart pharma and B2B branding professionals in the office - and people are so nice and friendly.
- Give us your elevator speech – what do you do at AW?
I build the Addison Whitney brand in Japan and increase projects and credibility as a result of my activities.
- What is it about branding that gets you excited to come to work in the morning?
A favorable appraisal to be given by clients is something that is very exciting to me.
- What is something about you that would surprise people?
I love walking to explore the neighborhood. Sometimes I walk eight to ten miles on a weekend. The success key is to set a goal for shopping.
- Where do you see the branding industry going in the next few years? What are some trends you think we should be on the lookout for?
I believe that the pure branding market is sluggish in Japan as ad agencies enter into the branding space. Some branding firms hire professionals from specific backgrounds for the strategy piece.
Stay tuned next week when we shine the spotlight on our Seattle office!
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Addison Whitney to Host Three-Part Branding Webinar Series
Addison Whitney, a global branding firm who has developed some of the world’s leading brands, will be hosting a three-part webinar series in June titled, “Three Questions You Should be Asking About Your Brand Portfolio.”
During the three-part series, members of Addison Whitney’s Brand Strategy team will focus on the different ways companies should be thinking about their brand portfolio. Through strategic plan discussions and real-life examples the following topics will be explored:
-
June 11 - Recognizing All of Your Brands - Are You Getting Credit For All of the Brands in Your Portfolio?
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June 18 – Organizing Your Portfolio - Are Your Brands Working For You In All Their Capacity?
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June 25 - Identifying the Opportunities in Your Portfolio - Are You Capitalizing on Every Potential Business Opportunity Your Portfolio Provides?
Each session will outline what each question means for organizations and their brands, and provide solutions and strategic-planning ideas to assist in answering these questions. During the live webinar event on June 25, Addison Whitney will hold an extended Q&A session addressing all of the questions from the previous sessions.
Register for the webinar sessions by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1PpnsNY.