Optimism Pays Off?
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If you’re a soft drink company what do you do to keep market share high in a down economy? Let the good times roll, and put on a happy face? Well, I’m not sure, but that certainly seems like the plan for mega giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola.
According to Pepsi, 95% of their target market (individuals born between 1980 and 1990) prefer to maintain a positive outlook on life. Additionally, those born from 1980 to 1990 (individuals referred to as "Millenials,") are confident about the remainder of 2009. (Data according to StategyOne)
With those statistics in mind, Pepsi launched a new campaign which includes a redesigned logo that looks like a smile and welcoming greetings such as: Hi, Yo, or Howdy.
Coca-Cola on the other hand, is no stranger to marketing happiness (think their early 90’s polar bear campaigns). The company is at it again, with their newest slogans: Open Happiness and The Coke Side of Life, around billboards nationwide.
As for who has it right, I guess only time will tell. For now, let’s just hope the glass is half full for both Coke and Pepsi.
By Kelley Blakewood
Did slot miss their shot?
Remember mixed tapes? The old school cassettes made for friends containing your favorite songs, with clever titles such as "Road Trip Mix 91"?
Fast forward 20+ years and enter slotRadio. From the looks of their advertising, the new music player + music card is targeting moms ... busy moms in particular (although really, what mom today ISN'T busy?). I fall into this category, and it seriously took reading the ad several times plus a visit to their website to help me understand exactly WHAT they were selling. Is slotRadio a music player? Actual music? A big idea?
It's really all three. slotRadio is a music player, with special "pre-filled" cards loaded up with music from specific categories. For example, I can choose a card with 1000 country-specific songs ready to play in my slotRadio player. Or a health and fitness card that has seven playlists created with specific activities in mind (cardio, cooldown, yoga, etc.). Great concept. Appropriate target. So what's the problem?
The name. slotRadio. Sure it's descriptive. Yes, it's functional. But this is a category definer. No other manufacturer has a product like this. Imagine if Procter & Gamble had chosen to use "Dust-Trapping-Cloth-on-a-Stick" for their inventive product in 1999.
To make things even more confusing, the pre-loaded cards are branded slotRadio, as is the player. But the slotRadio card can actually be played on the Sansa Fuze and the Sansa Clip+. Seems to me a better option would have been to name the player slotRadio, and give the card (new, unique, different) a (new, unique, different) name.
Apple defined the personal music category with the iPod. Now SanDisk has a chance to redefine the playlist. Unfortunately I think the choice of name leaves the door wide open for a second player to come in and dominate with a more original brand name.
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
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
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.
Read more
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
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
Read more
A Brand New World
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Out with the old, in with the new.
In order to keep up with our fast-paced marketplace, companies, products, and services are constantly exploring fresh ideas and new identities. Many of these rebranding efforts result from a number of needs including, but not limited to: ridding a company of negative connotations, entering a product into a new market segment, merging companies, or simple updating. Many notable entities have succeeded in rebranding efforts focused on the company itself (utilizing new logos, mottos, taglines, names, etc.), and have retained unwavering brand loyalty. And now, to turn the spotlight on one such company …
Coca-Cola. This exemplary brand has undergone a makeover to add a fresh new twist to their bottles and cans. Coke cans and Sprite cans are now donning new looks with clean and fresh features. Not to say the old cans were in desperate need of a change, but it is nice to keep consumers on their toes in order to truly appreciate the value of the brands they patronize.
On the Coke Classic can, the excess clutter of bubbles, stripe of yellow, and plentiful swirls have been eliminated to allow full attention to be focused on the red and white logo of Coca-Cola. In my opinion, this rebranding effort was a brilliant move for such an iconic company. Coca-Cola has established itself as a powerful brand and has earned its claim in the soft drink industry. This rebranding effort acknowledges the bold, confident, and trusted name of Coca-Cola that so many people worldwide know and love.
Sprite, a Coca-Cola product, has also received a can makeover. The new cans appear to be somewhat edgy and revolutionized. The colors are vibrant, edges are jagged, and logo is somewhat futuristic. The same basic color schemes and font have been incorporated into this updated new look. This rebranding effort reveals careful positioning and planning on behalf of Coca-Cola. With all the new soft drink variations entering the industry, something had to be done in order to keep Sprite on the leader board. The new look connects with the target market using a fresh, inventive, and confident approach.
These two examples of rebranding show the important impacts of staying one step ahead of the industry. With more creativity than ever before, companies are constantly competing for top-of-mind awareness amongst consumers. Researching, experimenting, updating, reinventing, and connecting; these terms are becoming the common vernacular of today’s companies.
As the saying goes, the only constant in the universe is change.
Don’t get left behind.
Contributed by Carrie Friedrich
Branding Social Responsibility
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On the way to work one morning I saw a large white van parked on the side of the highway assisting a stalled, sad car. As I drove by I read on the side of the van in big red letters, “CVS/Samaritan.” Having never heard of this I was eager to investigate what kind of service this was? Is there a fee or a helpline?
CVS/Samaritan has been around since 1978 but it is limited to a few cities: Chicago, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Boston, Detroit, Indianapolis, Providence, and Washington DC. CVS hired Samaritania, Inc., a private company in Massachusetts, to design, build, and run the CVS/Samaritan bus program. The CVS/Samaritan vans are staffed by drivers who are certified in many areas, including auto mechanics, medicine, and animal control. CVS/Samaritans cannot be summoned butRead more
Trader Joe, meet Trader John
I worked in New York’s Union Square for 5 years. If I needed a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk, I had 6 grocery stores to choose from: D’agostino, Gristedes, Whole Foods, Food Emporium, Garden of Eden, and Trader Joes.
So what could possibly be newsworthy about another grocery store opening on West 14th street?
It’s the name. In January the store affixed its new awning and on it were the words: “Trader John’s”. Yes, you read that right. John’s. Trader Joe’s, unsurprisingly, has filed a suit against the operator of the new store, suggesting the name infringes on their trademark. The CEO of Gristedes Foods, who owns Trader John’s, says that his name is John, and therefore he has a right to name one of his chains after himself.
So where is the line drawn between borrowing equity, and stealing it? I can’t help but be reminded of aRead more