This past Spring Michael spoke to a group of CEO’s with the National Ground Water Association. Kathy Butcher with the NGWA had this to say about Michael, “Michael was extraordinary when he addressed our CEO Forum in April. He provided the insight they needed to realistically evaluate the potential of their current business models and how they could enhance them.” Following this meeting, the NGWA invited Michael to speak again at the Ground Water Expo in Vegas.
Michael is scheduled to speak at the 2010 National Ground Water Association Ground Water Expo in Las Vegas on December 8th. He will be presenting on “Strengthening Your Brand During Tough Economic Times.” In preparation for the event, the Well Water Journal conducted a question and answer session with Michael. To see what Michael had to say please check out the article here:
It has been a wild ride since coming on board four months ago here at Brand Iron. Working in the business development side of our business I have the good fortune to see the front lines of our prospects. It continues to astonish me the amount of companies who remain complacent about their business strategy and branding initiates.
In managing the business sales cycle I have seen several businesses uncertain on how they should maximize revenues. I have also seen several businesses in the “stall out” phase. Meeting daily with numerous business executives, I have observed many who are non-committed and unsure how to grow their business during this difficult business environment. I have seen others who are engaging a strategic business plan that has resulted into expanding market share. They are committed to further establishing themselves and be in position for their brand to gain momentum, staying ahead of the naysayers. The establishment of the brand is the fast lane to the customers’ trust. You have to get as many oars in the water as possible if you want to continue upstream in the face of the oncoming current.
Brand Iron specializes in the development of an effective brand strategy. We also specialize in identifying the tactics that support the strategy that can help generate revenue in the short term.
We understand that strengthening your brand may appear to be a daunting task during this challenging economic time, but this is precisely the time to do it. While others in your space are cutting back or “going dark” it’s the perfect time paddle harder and separate yourself.
If you are fighting the economic current, don’t wait. The threat of someone moving in to take your market share is very real. You must defend your turf and your business investment. The time to engage is now. We can be that source.
Lately, I can’t stop thinking about good, bad and sometimes ugly brand spokes figures in today’s media. Some of my favorite ad campaigns are smoother than your very best wingman. However, I’ve observed a few commercials that offer up some pretty hokey spokes figures that have me flipping the channel just to escape their cheese.
Let’s take Car Fax for example. I really used to enjoy their commercials, especially the one featuring a grandma trying (unsuccessfully) to back her car out of the garage, all while destroying all the contents. That was an undeniably funny spot. How can you not laugh out loud at this old commercial?
My question is, why did they think they had to develop an ultra lame brand figure? Check out the new fox:
I understand the need for the development of a brand figure to positively represent your brand. But…a Car Fox? Are you kidding me? The Car Fax Car Fox? No explanation, no cuteness, no redeeming brand attributes or values, no good old fashion funny spots like their former thirty-second gems. I honestly have no clue as to why their executive team OKed this bizarre puppet as brand spokes person. Can someone, anyone, explain this please? To me this seems like a lame attempt to associate your brand with a random figure so you can say you tried. It feels like there was no real thought or creativity put behind the campaign. Car Fax, I implore you: is a cheesy fox puppet really the best you can do?
Another great example of a brand figure gone wrong is the Bar None sock puppet. It was terribly cheesy and ineffective when Pets.com used it, so why would it would be any better now? See what I’m talking about:
Pets.com:
Bar None:
If this spot doesn’t say tired and low budget, what does? I am uncertain as to how the Bar None sock puppet conveys positive brand values or attributes. Does it even say cute, clever or funny really? No, no and no again. How original; buy the asset from Pets.com because you can’t come up with anything else better, funnier, or clever? I am also confused as to how a dog is related to auto financing; at least it made sense representing a pet supplier. Bar None, let’s go back to the drawing board.
So on the value side of the spectrum, your beer is a fringe product. Yet you are desperately trying to make it smooth and sophisticated. Even more mind boggling is the development of the brand figure/character Keith Stone. Do the head honchos over at Keystone really believe that Mr. Stone oozes smooth sophistication? Are you serious? Here is what I see:
Always smooth… really? Dude is the antithesis of smooth. Pardon my repetitive vocabulary, but this spokesman is CHEESY. When I first started noticing this guy on billboards, my first reaction was less smooth and more rough with a strong after taste. A few years ago Keystone aired a campaign that poked fun of the “bitter beer face,” made when one drinks cheap beer. Keith Stone gives me bitter beer face, and I haven’t even flipped the cap. Keith, is this really the best you could do to represent your brand?
Just like an afternoon special, there is a lesson to be learned. When choosing or developing a brand figure or spokes person/character, try creating ones that represent the brand in a positive light. It’s always best to communicate brand attributes and values with a clever and memorable character, instead of using an obnoxious representation that is cheesy, rough and has a strong after taste.
Stay tuned for a blog entry about brand spokes figures that could show Keith Stone a thing or two about “smooth.”
Brand Iron does websites. Actually, we do lots of websites, but not too many that we don’t celebrate the launch and birth of every single one. Below are some of our recent “prides and joys”.Launching a new site is an exciting time for our clients because they start seeing the rewards almost immediately. Benefits of a new site include: better positioning and messaging to prospects, improved SEO, or simply having a better, more dynamic presence on the world wide web.
Last Wednesday, our very own Brand Champion Michael Doyle gave a talk entitled “The Importance of a Brand. How to create one. And how to make it memorable.” It was an intimate gathering of about ten business leaders perched on backless stools and Michael had them all engaged.
The event kicked off with everyone introducing themselves and their industries. As always, it was great to see Brand Iron friends, clients, as well as some new faces. All the guests expressed how they felt their companies could be better branded, and the marketing issues they faced. It was great to see such a wide spectrum of professionals attending for a common purpose: to learn how to better brand their companies.
Using digital slides to illustrate his main points, Michael touched on important points such as scouting out the competition, owning the market space and being the next big thing (easier said than done.) He stressed the significance of branding yourself before another company brands you, using the popular television ad war between AT&T and Verizon as a relevant example.
At the conclusion, Michael and the rest of the guests exchanged business cards and mingled like it was a cocktail party and not an 8:00am lecture on branding. The event can definitely be considered a success and Michael was even asked to come back. Aside from a repeat of last week’s talk, Michael has a lot more speaking engagements already scheduled for this year. Stay tuned!
A close friend of Brand Iron, David Avrin is currently touring the country with his new book, “It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You.” For more than 20 years David has been on the forefront of the marketing, public relations, and branding industries. Now he is taking his show on the road to share his wisdom with small business owners and entrepreneurs all over the country, promoting his fresh off the press publication.
Recognized as “The Visibility Coach,” David is a well-known international speaker and consultant. He has been able to come to the rescue of many professionals and entrepreneurs by refining their messages, building their brands and promoting the unique aspects of their business. Avrin understands the plight of small businesses’ inability to afford hiring outside firms. He has developed strategies to build market awareness without the high costs.
Avrin’s published argument that “it’s not who you know, but who knows you,” makes perfect sense in this economy. It’s impossible for a professional to know all his potential clients, but it is perfectly feasible for all the potential clients to recognize a business. Avrin believes this is possible through raising the profile of the business and creating a strong brand implementation. Below is a passage from his introduction (which he explicitly asks you to not skip):
“The fact is that you can never know all your prospective customers, but if you’re going to attract new customers or clients, they’d better know you. As I am fond of reminding my audiences: “If they don’t know who you are, they can’t buy what you’re selling.”
Check out his book, recently ranked No.1 in Small Business Marketing Books on Amazon.com.
This morning Tiger Woods broke his three month silence and apologized on national television. The under 15 minute press conference gave Woods a chance to apologize for his actions and clear up some “rumors” that had been spreading since the Thanksgiving night incident.
Woods read line for line from a sheet of paper which he reportedly wrote himself and every once and awhile would look up to stare deeply into the camera as if “look into camera” were written right on his sheet. Many people hoping to get a heart-felt and sincere apology were extremely let down.
Despite weather or not you feel Woods meant what he said, much of the nation was tuning in to hear what he had to say. The Wall Street Journal reported that there was a slight lull in market activity during Tiger Woods’ press conference “it seems like there was something of a lull and definitely a clear pickup during and after Tiger’s somewhat creepily choreographed apology.”
So how will Woods attempt to regain forgiveness from his family, friends and fans and win back the respect of those in the golf world as well as his once faithful sponsors? I know if I were him I’d start with a real apology, one not rehearsed, one from the heart, and I’d look into my friends and families eyes when I gave it. As for his sponsors, in my opinion he’s tarnished his name forever. The sport of golf may accept him back, but his name will always carry a connotation beyond just a great golfer.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce has just informed us that we are one of the three finalists in their Small Business of the Year, Business Award Program. For those of you keeping track of Brand Iron news, this is the second year in a row we’ve been up for this honor.
We are very excited to be a finalist as three are many great small businesses in downtown Denver. We would like to thank all our clients and partners in helping us achieve a great 2009.
The announcement will be made at The Business Awards luncheon on Wednesday, April 21st at the Hyatt – Colorado Convention Center from 11:00 am – 1:00 am. Stay Tuned.
I saw nothing short of a miracle the other day when I went with one of my clients to experience one of their assessments. My client is Infinite Health & Wellness, their President & CEO is Christine Bartel, she has a special gift when it comes to understanding the messed up health care system, understanding the people that can’t fight for themselves and how to help those who need healthcare help the most, the elderly.
We went and visited with a mother who was around 90 years old, and her daughter of about 60. The daughter suffers from Cerebral Palsy and is deaf and the mom had a stroke in the past, leaving the left side of her body paralyzed and restricting the use her left hand, causing her terrible pain to the point where she was crying on the day we visited. They both need help to live their daily lives; they need 24 hour care. Christine talked with her nurse who said that they had finished treatment on the mother’s hand. Our question was, if they were done treating her, why was this mom still in so much pain still?
Christine asked to talk with someone regarding the treatment of this elderly mom and her disabled daughter, the charge nurse at the nursing home didn’t want to talk with Christine because of legal issues, which I understand, but even after the mom and her daughter gave them authority to chat with Christine, the lead nurse was indignant and started to question why Christine was there and commented that she should mind her own business. She didn’t want Christine to get involved because the mom and her daughter weren’t getting taking care of properly.
Unfortunately this kind of treatment isn’t that uncommon for the elderly, if fact not only do they not get properly taken care of, they get taken advantage of. Take the mom and her daughter for example, they have been taken advantage of repeatedly, one healthcare worker stole from their bank account, another stole their credit cards and racked up a bunch of unauthorized charges, another one claimed to love the daughter just to get close enough so he could steal money from them and yet another took thousands of dollars and a car to help with his “non-profit” organization.
It is appalling what happens to our elderly, they are the great forgotten class who can’t speak up for themselves and they need a need a champion to fight for their rights. That champion is Christine Bartel and her company Infinite Health and Wellness, they fight for healthcare reform and are fighting to make sure the elderly don’t get taken advantage of anymore.
Christine is currently waste deep in trying to get this elderly mom and her disabled daughter properly taken care of, I’ll keep you posted as to the progress she is making. In the mean time you can find out information about Infinite Health and Wellness at: www.Infinitehealthandwellness.net
Look for updates on: Infinite Advocacy for the Elderly and the forgotten generation
at brandiron.net/blog
RSS
LinkedIn
Twitter
FaceBook