verb(media)

My new blog is at TheBrandDharma.com

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 09:29:16 -0800

I’ve moved over to WordPress to create my new blog. It’s The Brand Dharma where I’m posting stuff on branding and marketing to support the design professionals I collaborate with.

Please check it out!

"When you start your new business, especially one in an area of high competition like writing or..."

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:37:17 -0800

“When you start your new business, especially one in an area of high competition like writing or design, you need to think beyond the product you sell. Before that product hits the virtual world shelves, you have to decide on the image you’re going to portray to the public. If your image is boring, dull, or average, who will buy? Who wants to pay money for that feeling? You have to offer people more, a fantasy of emotions. You need to give customers an experience, not just a product.””

- Harry McLeod in his Men with Pens blog entry

Until I get my photos straight from my two weeks in China, this...

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:40:06 -0800

Until I get my photos straight from my two weeks in China, this is a favorite image of Beijing. To me, it says so much about China — the “exotic” food displayed for the gawking tourists … the surgical mask worn as much for food handling as for self-defense in the polluted air … and, most of all, the weary disillusioned look on his and so many migrant workers’ faces in the New China.

"Marketing is everything you say to customers, whether you say it in words, images or actions...."

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:57:50 -0700

“Marketing is everything you say to customers, whether you say it in words, images or actions. Marketing is the way you listen to what they say in return.””

- Sonia Simone in her always-insightful blog, Remarkable Communication.

Four steps to persuasive branding

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:41:00 -0700

At a recent conference, Cheryl Heller of Heller Communication Design reminded her audience that a good brand expressed an identity - it communicates who we are and what we do. But GREAT branding should convey a promise.

Heller said that brand promise “indicates to your audience what they can expect to get from your company in exchange for their money and time — whether they are a customer, partner, investor or employee.”

It’s a smart point about including employees. Without their involvement, the promise cannot be delivered.

Heller’s tips on persuading your audience to behave in a certain way:

1. Be brief. Be clear. “Clarity and brevity do not come naturally to entrepreneurs with a mission,” Heller said.

2. Don’t clutter your brand promise with references to how you differentiate yourself.“Who you are and what you do is core to your brand promise,” Heller said. “How you do it, that changes as you grow.”

3. Avoid common words used by other companies. Heller’s examples: strategy, core values, mission, vision, operational excellence, efficiency, value-added, character, integrity, positioning, sustainability, corporate citizen, cause.

4. Speak to all your constituents: customer, partner, investor, or employee.

"Marketing is never about a hammer hitting plate glass. It is almost always about the accrued power..."

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:49:11 -0700

“Marketing is never about a hammer hitting plate glass. It is almost always about the accrued power of a thousand drips, drips that accrue, drop by drop until they overwhelm the status quo and break through, starting a flood.”

- The so-often eloquent Seth Godin in his blog.

Terrific promotional idea from 1955. “Revenge of the...

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:30:56 -0700

Terrific promotional idea from 1955. “Revenge of the Creature” was apparently the sequel to “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

"A really good idea is simple, unexpected and relevant. And it unites extremes: it should risk a lot..."

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:10:15 -0700

“A really good idea is simple, unexpected and relevant. And it unites extremes: it should risk a lot but nevertheless be easy to implement. Everyone should talk about it, but existing customers should not be irritated by it.””

- Nadja Schnetlzer, co-founder of BrainStore,

"Having great taste is one of the most important characteristics of designers, programmers, and..."

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:59:38 -0700

“Having great taste is one of the most important characteristics of designers, programmers, and managers alike. Being able to discern what’s good from that which is bad. Which of the thousands of possible little details are key to make whatever you’re working on just right. … I think taste is mostly about developing an eye for the details that matter and that it’s absolutely something that can be learned. The best way to learn what details that matter is to examine the details of great and not-so-great work and contrast and compare.””

- Igor Asselbergs in his blog entry for 37signals

No more brochures

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:44:00 -0700

Most small businesses don’t need a brochure at all.

That’s the take of Sonia Simone of Remarkable Communication who rants about the ”things big dumb companies do that you can’t afford (especially now).”

“Brochures are typically “me-me-me” communications that talk about how great your business is. No one cares.” she writes. “They are inherently unremarkable. Brochures are created and printed to satisfy the ego of the business owner–and that’s a big dumb mistake you can’t afford.”

Sonia suggests that if you really want to give your customer something physical, assemble something like a media kit — a folder containing separate inserts that are relevant. These may be case studies, lists of resources, white papers and how-to worksheets, etc.

“Your folders might cost as much to print as those brochures do,” she says, “but now you have an infinitely flexible, configurable piece that allows you to start a meaningful relationship with that individual customer.”

Good idea. For more of her rants, click here.

"Collaborating with others brings out the best in us. We spark off one another and build on shared..."

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:09:21 -0700

“Collaborating with others brings out the best in us. We spark off one another and build on shared ideas. Our different talents, backgrounds, knowledge and personalities complement each other. We challenge each other to raise the bar. Sometimes there are tensions, arguments and fights. But when you put a group of gifted, ambitious and fired-up stars to work together, the results are bound to be interesting. I gather the parties are pretty good too.”

- Mark McGuinness in his blog post, the latest in his “Creative Rock Star” series.

"Where will your business be when the market (finally) recovers? Get back to work today, I know I..."

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:59:25 -0700

“Where will your business be when the market (finally) recovers? Get back to work today, I know I will. I pledge to ignore the market today — and I’m sure it’ll go up or down without me. Meanwhile, I’m piling on some Customer-love. Please join me.”

- The always positive, always thoughtful Tim Sanders in his blog today.

Do we really need an iPhone grocery list?

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:41:02 -0700

OK, maybe things are getting pushed a bit too far. This week, iPhone developers have released an application called Grocery iQ that “makes grocery shopping easier, saves time, and helps organize the chore.”

Makes grocery shopping easier? Easier than pushing a cart down an aisle? Easier than reading off a handwritten list of items? Or simply using the Notes function on the iPhone?

Ah, but Grocery iQ has a search engine that accesses a database of 130,000 items for more detail. You also can store your favorite items and shopping history. Or you can group items by aisle in your local market “to avoid wasted time backtracking.”

And all this for $4.99.

Start with the physical

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:43:00 -0700

Like so many good ideas, this one sounds obvious — once you’ve heard it.

Blogger Steve Pavlina suggests that when you’re faced with many improvements that you’d like to make in your life — whether career, health, relationships — it’s smart to begin with your own body.

“Improving your diet and level of fitness will produce positive results in every area of your life because you’ll have extra energy available to you every day,” Steve writes. “This means more energy to invest in your career, relationships, and mental and spiritual development.”

He points out that seeing physical results helps chart your progress and builds momentum toward other goals you’ve set.

“Of the many stories I’ve read from people who’ve transformed their lives for the better,” he writes, “physical fitness was nearly always a significant component from the beginning.”

Create a mantra, not a mission statement

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:31:00 -0700

I rarely read old blog entries — especially my own — but one from Guy Kawasaki in 2006 sticks with me. In it, Guy argues for organizations to develop mantras instead of mission statements, which tend to be wordy, and lack relevance or impact.

“A mantra is three or four words long. Tops” he writes. “Its purpose is to help employees truly understand why the organization exists.”

He gives his own examples: Federal Express: “Peace of mind” Nike: “Authentic athletic performance” Target: “Democratize design” Mary Kay: “Enriching women’s lives”

“The ultimate test for a mantra (or mission statement) is if your telephone operators (Trixie and Biff) can tell you what it is. If they can, then you’re onto something meaningful and memorable,” Guy says. “If they can’t, then, well, it sucks.”

"A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. A..."

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:15:28 -0700

“A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it means is more important that what it looks like.”

- The late graphic-design king Paul Rand, from a 1991 piece for AIGA that I ran across.

"Marketing storytelling is not about doing everything differently. You do many things the same,..."

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:13:18 -0700

“Marketing storytelling is not about doing everything differently. You do many things the same, intentionally, because those ‘same things’ aren’t part of your story. It’s the different stuff where you will be noticed, and the different stuff where you tell your story. … If you’re not telling a story with some aspect of your marketing choices, then make sure that aspect is exactly what people expect. To do otherwise is to create random noise, not to further your marketing.”

- More wisdom from Seth Godin

Let’s see. Book a trip between Sept. 9th and 21st, travel...

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:57:23 -0700

Let’s see. Book a trip between Sept. 9th and 21st, travel between Oct. 15th and Nov. 15th, and I’ll get a voucher to use between Jan. 8th and Feb. 9th. But the vouchers won’t be mailed until Nov. 30th, and the offer expires Sept. 21st. Sounds simple enough. Thanks to the guys at 37signals for sharing this.

The book we all should be reading this fall. Why? Click here.

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:11:43 -0700

The book we all should be reading this fall. Why? Click here.

"In a sense, we are the story of the brands we use. A brand is a reflection of how we want to be..."

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:28:42 -0700

“In a sense, we are the story of the brands we use. A brand is a reflection of how we want to be perceived by the world. It sums up our hopes and expectations as to how we want to interact with the world. If I consider buying your brand, I’m choosing to enter a conversation with you, and that conversation better tell a story if you want to keep the conversation going. The brand better be of high quality as well, or the conversation will stop right then and there.””

- Marketing guru Karen Hegmann of K-Vision Communications.