Posts Tagged ‘ branding ’

It’s Snowing on WordPress!

And now it’s snowing on our blog!!

Last week, I saw that it was snowing on the WordPress homepage as I was signing in.  I thought it was fun, played around with the direction of the snow using my cursor, and of course shared it with those around me.  Thinking it was a one-time thing, I was surprised to see that there was still snow this week.  Then I saw this little note from WordPress that explained it all:

December 1st makes a lot of us think of the holidays. It’s hard not to think about snow even if your climate doesn’t bring it. Once again, we’d like to spread snow around the world through WordPress.com.

So I activated snow on our blog to share the seasonal cheer with everyone!

Quick side note on the fun that is WordPress – love their personality when explaining the snow, including the “latin jazz version of Let it Snow” that you can listen to (I opted for listening to it while writing this post rather than when changing my settings).  But how fun!  Makes us proud to be a part of the WordPress community. 🙂

2010
12/06
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Branding
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There’s an App for That

There seems to be a mobile application for everything one would want to do with their phone. Not really, but “there’s an app for that” is frequently tossed around among smart phone users, especially iPhone and Android users.

However, more people actually prefer mobile websites over apps right now. At the same time, many brands feel like they need to develop an app, even if the functionality is minimal and many consumers expect brands to have mobile apps. So what gives? This seems contradictory. Well, the idea is that an app will be easier to use from a mobile device compared to a traditional website, but many apps can’t do all the things consumers want and so many consumers revert back to a website, especially if there is a mobile website. Clear as mud?

Essentially we have a need that is only partially filled and until brands become smarter about mobile apps, consumers will continue to explore multiple mobile brand interaction points until they find the one that works best for them. The only concern with this approach is that brands could be missing an important moment. If an app is only adequate or even “buggy” in the beginning, consumers could dismiss it, even write a bad review, and then never return. A lost opportunity.

Moral of the story: Don’t Create an App for App’s Sake

2010
11/22
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CATEGORY
Consumer Behavior
Mobile
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What Does Your Cell Phone Case Say?

I love this image found in TechCrunch for many reasons.

But I have an even bigger question that raises many funny jokes: What does your cell phone case say about you? Most people pick from a series of cases that are standard for their phone. But what about unconventional cases? What do those mean? It means conventional cases are not always the best choice and this idea can be applied to any situation. If we always pick from a standard set of options that others decided, then nothing new or interesting will come to pass.

I use an iPod sock for my iPhone. Totally unconventional and people either respond by laughing and joking or wanting one themselves. When I had an Android, the G1 BTW making me an early adopter, I didn’t have a case for it as the phone itself was encased in super thick plastic already. I have never had a Blackberry. I have inspired several people to ditch their standard case and others still are trying out their own unconventional options with gusto.

2010
11/12
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Cause Marketing

Everyone is supposed to wear pink today in support of breast cancer awareness. The entire month is dedicated to awareness and even the package for my mushrooms this week was pink. But does this kind of dedication actually impact what people do or buy? Apparently so.

Overall, 88% of respondents said they believed cause marketing was “acceptable,” 80% said such marketing made them likely to switch brands, and 19% were willing to pay more for a pricier brand that participated in a positive social or environmental cause.

Moms and Millennials are even more enthusiastic.

2010
10/21
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Branding
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Aspire to a High Brand IQ

When it comes to marketing, we’ve heard it time and again that consumers are more discerning, more sophisticated than ever.  So if we are super savvy and mature, why aren’t brands keeping up with the trend?

Taking from TrendWatching.com’s argument: rather than taking the lowest-common-denominator route and undermining buyers’ intelligence, we should instead respect their desire for a brand challenge.  A brand that makes us think, that pushes limits and in the end gives us a reason to consider having a conversation with it.

While TrendWatching brings this trend, called Maturialism, to life with examples of adult brands and taboo topics, I argue that this theory can be applied to many brands, sans risqué tonality.  Consider the below points that may keep brands up with the lingo of the times (consider it a My Fair Lady exercise):

  1. Don’t fall for old societal norms. “The way it is” is harder to define and definitely evolving
  2. People embrace the raw unfiltered aspect of the “live” online environment due to its unpredictability
  3. Status isn’t just about income, it is about seeking out and celebrating the next hot thing
  4. Being shocking just for the sake of shocking doesn’t work. Stay true to your core values
2010
09/08
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CATEGORY
Strategy
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Social Stenography

I found this fascinating article about social stenography given our increasingly open and public lives.

There are always things that people are going to want to share with some people but not others, like inside jokes.  Think of those cryptic messages (song lyrics, a random movie scene, an ominous status message update) that people are always sending out into these public places.

Who is the intended audience?  Who are meant to be led off track by these messages?  What is the hidden meaning?

I think savvy marketers are always trying to find more compelling ways to talk to their audience, giving them the benefit of the doubt that they will decode these messages.  No decoder ring necessary, just an affinity for the brand and the brand’s efforts to speak directly to you.

And as we dig deeper into this idea, more nuances can emerge.  A little bit of mystery in the mix and we’ve got a real eye-grabber.  How about the “mistake” made recently on Chipotle’s bags:

Looks like someone forgot to replace the filler text with actual content, but no – this was done on purpose:

Designers will get the joke right away. 95% of people who see the bags won’t. That takes balls. It also takes brilliance. One, because even people who don’t get it will realize that Chipotle isn’t making everything insultingly easy to understand like Taco Bell. I think people like a little mystery. It intrigues them, makes them feel respected and it’s just plain fun.

Even though “95% of people” aren’t supposed to get it, it grabbed their attention.  And then people started talking.  And then if they were really interested, they went online to figure out what was going on….cookie crumbs to the context.  Interested in more about this story?  Here.

Let’s hide more things in plain sight, let’s layer it on, get people involved with our communications, stir up a little debate and discussion, and ultimately communicate things about our brands in the way that we communicate to our customers.

2010
08/27
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Iconoculture: Subversive Brands

I attended an Iconoculture webinar a few weeks ago – “Subversive Brands:  How to Get Down with the Dastardly.”

Beyond being a pretty fun topic, I was kind of excited to hear how you can apply a bit of subversion even to the tamest of clients.  And Iconoculture did not disappoint, speaking to a range of subversion from baked-in to the company/product/brand from its inception to applying a little bit of sneaky subversion to some larger, established brands.

One of the opportunities opened up by the recession is to be a little rebellious as “divergent times call for divergent measures.”  Some of our systems are broken or have significant holes in them which has led to a trust gap, and from this people are not looking at the tried-and-true but what can be done differently to bring about change.  This can create a new kind of transparency.

This is about fun, self-expression, nonconformity, attitude, and novelty.  However, there’s a difference between what makes you laugh and what makes you squirm…

Think about your audience:  what level of subversion will they be comfortable with, are they already doing subversive things with the brand and can you build on that, and what will they think of your brand with a little kick of subversion?

Also think about the brand:  subversion could be a basic part of the brand (The Icecreamists) or may add nuance to the brand architecture.

What about the category?  Is it a category full of brands pushing boundaries, could it use a fresh personality, or is it a category that is somewhat uncomfortable with subversion?

This is all a little markety for me, and the topic of subversion, so I’ll leave you with this thought:  if subversion is viewed as a clever marketing gimmick, it will probably fail.  As always, be authentic.

2010
07/12
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