I was walking through the grocery store last night and thinking of my personal resistance to change…the remodeled store seems unfamiliar and alien.  It ties in with consumer reaction to the Tropicana logo, but it also raises an important question:  at what point do your clients own your brand?

Nobody knows whether the Tropicana rebrand was the result of a committee of marketing hacks or a frustrated CEO with a vision.  What I do know is that through years and years of marketing and exposure to Tropicana, I the consumer have developed a relationship with the brand to the extent where a new logo and identity felt like a betrayal of my trust and confidence.

It seems dramatic, but I believe that after a certain point the client or customer really does have an ownership stake in a good brand.  Sure, I’m not sitting on the board or determining pay cuts (and certainly I am not enamored with
Pepsi’ s own crappy logo), but in order to keep me shelling out the dough, you’re going to need to make me feel respected, heard, and part of your ongoing plans. Creating invested customers is a foundation of branding and smart marketing…let’s hope Pepsi and Tropicana learn from the smackdown and start to respect their customers’ intelligence.

What do you think?  At what point do clients develop a sense of ownership of your brand?

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This somewhat jarring experience certainly caught my attention…and reminded me of a growing trend I’ve been noticing:  personalized everything.  Unlimited budgets are a thing of the past…and savvy marketers are realizing that slipshod techniques should be, too.  Personalized marketing might be a bit more complex in the execution and even cost more on the outset, but its targeted nature makes it easier to track ROI and tweak for better results.

How are savvy marketers and salespeople taking advantage of the personalized trend?  This woman is creating “bespoke newspapers” and uses the personalized headlines as a seductive sales tool.  PURLs (personalized URLs) and personalized movies are also on the rise.

Remember, a personalized marketing attempt is only as good as the follow-through and tracking you pursue.  Make it memorable…it’s not often you have someone’s undivided attention.

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Remember the DEVO song “Freedom of Choice”?  People can get really overwhelmed at the embarrassment of riches that is free choice.  I encourage my clients to start SMALL.  Eensy-weensy, tiny even.  Know why?  Because small = manageable in a real world full of real-world distractions and setbacks.

It can seem like a huge bummer to think small when you’ve just gotten the macro view of your brand health.  However, small steps are what will bring you to your destination.

Example:  You’ve discovered that while your Web presence rates a 95%, your sales is coming in at a mere 25%.  You’ve delved into the details and realized that your sales and marketing need to be better integrated, perhaps through the use of a CRM system, a double sales/marketing plan, or a weekly check-in meeting.

Instead of plunging in and doing all three, prioritize.  Which one looks like it will have the biggest return on investment?  How quickly can you get going?  Can it be broken down into manageable tasks?  Who will take care of each one?  Most importantly, how will you measure and evaluate your success?

If you repeat this process, calendar in hand, you should quickly get a feel for which baby steps you’ll take first.  Voila — a direction for your brand!

This sounds simple, but it’s really as complex as you make it.  Go focus on the here and now…just make sure you check in with reality and strategy on a regular basis.

Happy New Year!

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Assessing your brand doesn’t have to be a daunting process.  Whether you’re a small firm or a large corporation, you have to look back before you can look ahead.  Should you get bogged down in details or past mistakes?  No.  Should you learn from what was and move forward?  Of course!

Step 1 of your year-end brand assessment essentially consists of one (deceptively) simple question: 

Where am I?

I don’t care about your ZIP code.  I care about hard data…facts and figures.  If you can answer these questions, you’re off to a good start:

• What one word would I use to characterize my brand’s progress this year?
• What specific actions have I taken to market and promote that brand?
• What kind of audience do I have?  Has that market changed in the past 12 months?  If so, how?
• How much money have I spent on branding this year?  What has been my return on investment?
• What metrics do I use to mark my progress?  What do those show me about my business?
• What am I happiest about with my marketing and brand strategy?
• What is my wish list for 2009?
• What is my budget?

Seem like a long list?  Maybe.  Consider it the kernel for your assessment.  These facts and figures are a great starting point.

Continue to join us this week…we’ll teach you how to use the answers you find to assess the strength of your brand and how to adjust if you don’t have all the information you need.

Photo courtesy of emdot

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Your pitch should not be all about you, it should first be about my audience and next me the blogger, and how my readers will benefit from your product or service, and how I the blogger will benefit by posting about your product. [Italics mine]  As a blogger this is what I care about; relevance, quality, traffic, exposure, and revenue.

So many people pitch from a purely self-motivated perspective.  They forget that, whether it’s a blog or a major newspaper, audience matters.  If you have the demographic wrong or are just plain opting for the blanket cover-every-possible-base approach, your chances of success are woefully small compared to if you targeted one or two publications that you researched, read, and analyzed.

Bottom line:  do your homework.  A little respect for the people who could enhance your career goes a long way.

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From mailers to full-blown marketing campaigns, banks are struggling to get a message of stability and calm in front of anyone they can (even high school wrestlers).

But can a bit of advertising save an unstable product?  It remains to be seen.  As you take in the new “we’re safe; we promise” message, though, remember that American manufacturers and banks were able to feed consumer impulses over almost two decades during the Great Depression (when nobody had any money) and World War II (when nobody could spend it).  As we keep saying over and over again, the savvy players in the economy are going to keep marketing even when the chips are down.  And guess who you’ll remember once your stock is riding high?

thanks to icathing for the photo

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Read our testimonial here!

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Here at VOCO Creative, it’s a reflective and productive time.  We’re making big plans for the future and focusing on our own marketing and branding campaigns to make sure there is a future for our business.  With all the news about economic instability, it’s easy to freak out and buy into the financial panic that prevails on every television set and headline.  In that vein, I’m loving Christine Kane’s post on stopping a recession in its tracks (can you tell she’s a blog favorite?).

Advertising Age ran a great article about how important it is to continue advertising and marketing during a downturn.  Though people are cutting down on spending, an eyes-on-the-prize approach will float any business during this recession.

The OMD study tested consumer feelings about advertising and found that 81% said advertisers need to continue to communicate about their products during a recession, adding that they’ll be more receptive to cost-savings messages and products that are positioned as investments.

My mantra as I help my clients move forward through uncertain times:  Panic?  Bad.  Progress?  Good. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

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Surprise! As small business owners, we too juggle with the “everything on one plate” syndrome.  At any given moment I am juggling accounting, project management, sales, deadlines, vital iPod Touch updates…and it’s easy to let our own marketing efforts go to the wayside (hence my sporadic blogging!).

Today’s revelation:  oh, right.  We have to walk the walk.  That means treating ourselves like our own client.  We know what to do.  Now we need the milestones and discipline to make the difference between valueless promises and kick-ass fabulosity.

Off to polish our plan for world domination to a fine luster…

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I’m still in the process of achieving the perfect balance, but I think I’m well on my way. Here are seven of the top ways I’ve managed to achieve a relatively sane work-life balance:

1.  Intention, intention, intention: Balance can’t be achieved without getting clear on what you want, how it looks, and why you’re pursuing it in the first place.

2.  Cultivate healthy boundaries: This has become my mantra in both personal and work arenas.  I serve myself and my clients better when I have distinct boundaries as to time, scope of project, and ways in which I am contacted.  This means milestones, deadlines, and clear expectations.

3.  Enforce: It’s not fun to draw a line in the sand.  After all, nobody likes to break out of the “nice guy” mold, even when it means sticking up for yourself.  Still, boundaries are useless without diligent and kind enforcement.

4.  Play: One of the many reasons I quit my corporate job was because there was no sense of passion, fun, or levity.  If I recreate that in my own company, I’m defeating the whole purpose.  I take regular breaks to play, read gossip rags, and joke with my business partner.  This is a non-negotiable part of my job.

5.  Forgive yourself: I joke that I’m a recovering striver.  Years at a top-tier women’s college and with top-tier ambitions will do that to you.  Unfortunately, my perfectionist and people-pleasing tendencies won me a big fat case of anxiety, anger, and self-flagellation.  Today, I try to forgive myself for the long to-do list and my many failures in business.  Work without guilt is one step closer to being in balance.

6.  Disconnect: Everyone has their guilty pleasure.  For me, it’s an afternoon or evening away from the computer with one of my favorite books from childhood.  Add a hot bath, some tea, and the sounds of my partner puttering around the house, and you have a less stressed Erin.  Taking a break from the wired life can seem counter-intuitive when you want to get stuff done, but I’ve found that in the long run it leads to more energy when it’s time to get real.

7.  Re-evaluate and don’t be afraid to tweak: I like to check in with myself when I’m stressed and re-prioritize my to-dos.  I ask myself questions like why does this feel icky?  Is this really necessary?  What can I delegate?  What can I change?  We are all works in progress.  Constant vigilance and some gentle changes can help to keep work-life balance on track.

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