We are excited to share BIG news about WorldWide Papa’s, a client of ours who is the exclusive area developer of Papa John’s pizza restaurants in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region of Russia. As of Monday, Feb. 14, WorldWide Papa’s is now a publicly-listed and actively trading company on the Deutsche Böerse – Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE).

After introducing the Papa John’s brand and concept to the St. Petersburg area five years ago, the company is aggressively working to open 40 new restaurant locations over the next four years, and this listing should greatly support those efforts.

This is an exciting time for WorldWide Papa’s as they are being introduced to new investors, raising capital and expanding further into the region. WorldWide Papa’s founder Darrin Stock said, “We believe history is repeating itself, not only in the economic market but in the public sector as well, and we’re at the forefront of the progression in the marketplace.”

WorldWide Papa’s also has full support of Papa John’s, International, who shared: “We congratulate WorldWide Papa’s on its stock market listing,” said Tom Sterrett, Senior Vice President of Papa John’s International division. “As we grow our brand throughout the world, we have identified Russia as a priority market that we believe has the opportunity for significant growth. The first three restaurants opened by Worldwide Papa’s have produced some of the highest sales averages among our international markets.  We look forward to their continued growth in the Papa John’s system.”

Check out a few articles below that have already featured the news about our client

The Moscow Times

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/pizza-shares-more-alluring-than-gold/430892.html

St. Petersburg Times

http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=33566

Thanks to our partners and friends who made it out to our annual Holiday Partner Event at the Reserve List in Denver last week. There was wine tasting, food, and great conversation. Check out the shots below to see photographic evidence of the good times had by all.

You can view the rest of the photos on our Facebook page:
http://tinyurl.com/ybu3k2f
Thank you to the Reserve List for the amazing space and fabulous selection of wine. And thank you as always to our partners and friends. See you all in 2010!

Re-branding can be just the shot of adrenaline your company needs to stay competitive, relevant and modern. Adapting to the times – and presenting yourself in the best light possible can lead to big changes in the way your target audience perceives your company.

We wanted to show you some recent samples of our re-branding work. The examples below different greatly in industry, but share one important trait: they all felt their current brands were holding them back from reaching their full potentials.

CapitalValue Advisors
CapitalValue Advisors, sometimes known to their clients as CVA, wanted to integrate a standalone icon with their type treatment. In the future, they wanted the ability to use only the icon, but in the meantime, did not want to alienate clients and prospects who knew them as their full name, CapitalValue Advisors.

Forensic Laboratories
Forensic Laboratories has made great strides in their business in recent history. To capitalize on their business growth and increased national and local attention, Forensic Laboratories needed an updated brand to communicate not only where there are – but where they were headed: the best drug testing laboratory in the U.S. and industry leader in accuracy, technology and expertise.

MPEG LA
As the world’s leader in independent intellectual property patent pools, MPEG LA needed to communicate their leadership within the industry. One thing the client wanted to preserve was the red/green/black color scheme of their old logo.
The icon, which can be a stand-alone identity piece, symbolically communicates the value MPEG LA brings to its patent users and holders: making something great from the combination of many pieces.

Contact us today if your company needs to address its brand – whether visually (as demonstrated above), readdressing your sales, marketing and operations process, or leveraging the value of your current brand to drive more revenue.

Written by Josh Barker, Brand Manager

We wanted to quickly share some exciting news with everyone: Brand Iron has received the Art Directors Club of Denver Gold award for its advertising campaign developed for The Denver Athletic Club. The Gold award is for the best campaign and was presented recently at the 2009 ADCD Annual Show.

We are, of course, very proud and honored to be chosen for this award. It is a testament to the quality work of our team and we want to thank CEO Andre van Hall and The DAC for the opportunity to be involved in creating this campaign.

The Art Directors Club of Denver is a local non-profit, multi-disciplinary creative organization focused on strengthening the creative community through education, workshops, informative events and an annual design competition. Utilizing a national panel of judges, the ADCD annually recognizes top work from a variety of categories including graphic design, video and sound, print advertising, new media web and photography. More than 425 entries were submitted for this year’s competition.

The advertising campaign Brand Iron developed for The Denver Athletic Club was designed to convey a new and exciting club atmosphere. By focusing on and demonstrating the benefits of a holistic club – one that offers athletic, business and social activities – the campaign’s goal was to draw attention to the club and attract new membership. It is well on its way to strengthening The DAC’s presence and position in the marketplace.

The ad campaign for The Denver Athletic Club can be found at www.brandiron.net.

- Jim Miller, Public Relations

Last week we skipped out on a day at our desks and spent the afternoon at Coors Field for a Rockies Game. We also enjoyed lunch at the local brewery next door. After filling up on good food and local beer we walked across the street to Coors Field, lathered on the sunscreen and cracked open some peanuts (The perks of working at 2240 Blake Street), all the while becoming happier and more productive workers.

These “BI Fun Days” have become an important part of the work culture here. It may sound counterproductive to take your employees away from their e-mails, calendars, and reports but we’ve found it to be quite the opposite. These fun days have brought several benefits to our office, and in turn to our clients. Here are some of those benefits:
1. Enhancing communication, chatting over beer and peanuts has turned into a great way for us to get to know more about one another’s personalities, habits, and characters, fostering more positive communication.
2. Building Morale, getting out in the sun not only does the body good, but the mind and spirit as well. Healthier people are happier people, and happier people are just so much better to work with!
3. Team Building, gathering around a lunch table versus the conference table changes up the entire dynamic of the BI team, being together in different places and different situations allows a chance to enhance the feeling of being part of a team. Laughing with someone makes it easier to work with someone.
4. Sparking Creativity, we all know too well what it feels like to run into a creative block, being stuck at your desk, staring at the same project for hours is bound to make anyone hit a wall, by spicing up the atmosphere we get a chance to revitalize and spark up new ideas.

When a client walks in our office we want them to feel the positive energy. We want them to feel like this is a team they want to work with. The BI Fun Days have helped us maintain a work environment that people enjoy coming into every single day. And that’s worth more than money can buy. Fun at work is possible, and sometimes even necessary.

No, this is not a headline in The Onion.  Someone I may or may not know was fired for twittering about how they were enjoying a day in which they called in sick.

Twittering.  Is it a fad we will be ashamed of in 5 years?  – OR – Is it a long-term, useful marketing tool?

Only time will tell.

Written by Mike Slife, Brand Iron Ranch Boss

“Luck? I don’t know anything about luck. I’ve never banked on it, and I’m afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work — and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’t.”
-Lucile Ball

You can’t avoid that these economic times are putting a lot of companies out of business. Here at Brand Iron, we have been constantly reminded of that; in the past 9 months, we’ve seen two, very local marketing companies close their doors.

We are happy to report that through a lot of hard work, our clients are going strong and Brand Iron is going strong. Everyone at Brand Iron is very excited that we are a finalist for the DMCC’s Small Business of the Year Award.

We wanted to pass on a few things that have helped us confront and dampen the economic blow:

• Build you database – broaden your world of potential clients
• Go to where the money is – focus on your most profitable vertical markets or geographic areas
• Keep your brand message relevant to your target market – adapt to their pain points
• Increase your sales and marketing activity levels – it is vital to “touch” your prospects

At Brand Iron, we don’t believe in luck – we believe in hard work, targeted work and working intelligently on the aspects of your brand strategy that make the biggest impact. Our goal is to help you keep your doors open, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, to keep new clients and customers coming through them.

Please contact us today to learn more about how Brand Iron can help you develop a holistic brand plan that addresses your sales, marketing and operations.
Written by Josh Barker

At lunch the other day at the Blue Bonnet Café in Denver, Colorado (not a client by the way), this very warm and friendly gentleman approached me and my guest at lunch. Gary was his name and he expressed his true desire to make sure we were having a great lunch and if we needed anything, please let him know. He also communicated his sincere thanks for coming in today and eating at his restaurant. This isn’t a once and awhile occurrence, Gary does this all the time, making sure all his guests are treated well and taking care of. I eat there regularly and Gary is always there taking great care of his guests. Gary is an example of a true brand champion. He exudes customer service and appreciation of the people that come to dine in his restaurant. Whether you run a restaurant, a one-person company or a multi-billion dollar company, we can all learn from his approach to leading and “riding” for his brand. We can all get out in front of our clients and communicate our brand’s value and what it stands for. Customers enjoy hearing from brand champions. Let’s all lead our teams as brand champions to communicate and deliver our company’s value. “Hats Off” to Gary and his restaurant, the Blue Bonnet Café, in Denver, Colorado.

Written by Michael Doyle, President of Brand Iron

I think we can all agree that after going through this past year, it is certainly time for a “New Start” for the New Year. We could all use a fresh start for the economy, housing, banking, government and business. As it applies to your business, if you aren’t prepared and proactive to the challenges that are certain to arise, you will be left behind.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard recently from our partners, clients, prospects, leads, etc. that people are “just waiting to see what happens”. Unfortunately, most who take this “wait and see approach” end up losing time and results.

With things being tight and people and businesses being guarded with resources, it’s a more competitive landscape than ever before. People and companies are struggling and the weak are getting ravaged. Are you positioning yourself and your company to be as competitive as possible? Now is the time to take advantage of the current economic situation and propel yourself to be the leader in your field.

Since it is the beginning of the New Year, it is time to make a “New Start”.

Revenue
Let’s start the thing that most people and companies are in need of: Revenue. Have you evaluated your lead generation activities? Are you doing enough to fill your pipeline? Are you utilizing online marketing, networking, partnering, calling and mailings to get people to say “yes” to meetings or walking through the doors of your business?

Sales
Do you know what it is going to take to get prospects to convert to clients? Do you know what it is going to take to move them off the dime? Are you asking for the business?

Brand Positioning
Do you have the right message? …a strong call to action? … positioning that separates you from the competition? Do you understand not just why you are as good as the competition, but why you are better than the competition? Why should someone purchase you, your product or service over the competition?

Are you being pro-active and creating enough opportunities for you to reach your goals and objectives? Are you doing enough marketing and sales activities to make the numbers work in your favor?

If you can’t answer “yes” to all of these questions, it is probably time to get off the dime and make the New Year a “New Start” to reaching your goals and objectives. Brand Iron can help you develop proactive goals for 2009 and a roadmap of what it is going to take to get you there.

It’s time to get started and map out a plan to succeed in this New Year.

Written by Michael Doyle, Brand Iron President

I am guilty of being a sports junky since my early childhood. And in that time, I have noticed athletic teams, both college and professional, always changing their logos and uniforms.

Most likely, everyone’s first thought is: “they change their uniforms for the obvious reason—money.” But this is not the case. Major League Baseball teams do not directly make profit from jersey sales. The MLB as a whole has official licensing revenue sharing from official MLB merchandise sold. The New York Yankees lead the MLB in apparel sold, but they do not receive direct revenue from those sales. The NFL and NBA have similar revenue sharing models. This opens the question, “why do they change their logo or uniforms?”

The first reason teams re-brand themselves is that they are starting a new era. Many times it is a front office change in ownership. The new owner wants fans and its competition to know that not only will there be a change in its uniform, but also a change in how they will run their operations. We have seen this in many professional teams. For example, the Dallas Mavericks made a change in their look when Mark Cuban took ownership of the franchise. You can see here their old logo and uniforms changed to the new look after Cuban took ownership. Not only did the Mavericks change their uniform, they changed how they compete and how they were coached and run from the front office. The same can be said for the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose old uniforms went from black and blue to their new look. The new uniforms changed when Lebron James was drafted, but the logo changed when new owner Dan Gilbert took ownership of the team in 2005. More examples of ownership changing and the uniforms changing related to a team’s success is the New England Patriots. They went from the angry Pat the patriot to a more statuesque look. Here is a better view of the old Pat. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim went from a Disney owned uniform to a more traditional look, and after the change, won the World Series.

The second reason for a team to re-brand its uniform is a change in venue. Some teams change uniforms when they get a new stadium. An example was when the Buffalo Bills rebuilt Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2002. The Bills went from these old uniforms to their new look. The Cleveland Indians did the same when they left Municipal Stadium to Jacobs Field (now called Progressive Field) in 1994. They went from old block lettering that was even used in the movie Major League to this fresher look.

Another reason for change is an attempt to disconnect itself from a long history of losing. Some of these eras can be a few years but some have been a few decades. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a great example. The Bucs were on a decade-long losing season streak with these beauties and changed to these more modern looking uniforms. After the change, it took Tampa four years to make it to the NFC championship game and the following year, Tampa won the Super Bowl. The Los Angles Kings started the “silver and black” era when they acquired Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers. The Kings went from a men’s league look to the more recognizable sweaters. The Cleveland Cavs had similar success after making a switch in uniforms. Once dead last in the league standings, the team made it to the NBA finals before losing to San Antonio. The Denver Nuggets made a change to their colors in 2003 when they drafted Carmelo Anthony out of Syracuse. They had a more traditional color scheme that was changed to a fresh and bright colored jersey.

Sometimes teams change the logo. The Seattle Seahawks once had this logo and moved to a fiercer looking hawk. The New York Football Giants made a change with this helmet logo to the current one. Sometimes a change brings good luck, the Denver Broncos went from these uniforms and logo to this new look. After the Broncos made the change, they won back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. The Anaheim Ducks, formerly the Mighty Ducks, went from the Disney classic uniforms to today’s look and won the Stanley Cup two years after the change.

Not all changes have been for the better. Here are some that have gone wrong. This space look from the Dallas Mavericks only lasted one game. The MLB dabbled in this futuristic look shown by the Rockies and Seattle, which I deem horrendous. The one season NASL (National American Soccer League) team Caribous of Colorado may have the ugliest uniform in history of all uniforms which featured western style tassels. The University of Oregon football team has 384 different combinations of uniforms which range from unique to ugly. This is because Nike’s founders are former Ducks themselves and the world headquarters are located near the Eugene, Oregon Campus. The University of Colorado stole a play from the Oregon playbook with their new shoulder pattern design. When creating a logo or corporate image you might want to also make sure that it makes sense in that industry or within your company brand. In 1976 the Chicago White Sox had a double header against the Kansas City Royals and they ran onto the field wearing these interesting uniforms. Surprisingly the Sox only wore them for the first game of the double header. An opposing Royal, John Mayberry exclaimed, “You guys are the sweetest team we’ve seen yet.”

We can learn from the success and mistakes of sports uniform branding. You might want to consider creating a new logo when your company makes a change. If you change your mission statement or services you should consider doing a re-branding. The new logo or corporate identity created should be done simultaneously. You want to show this improvement in your approach and in all of your company’s materials. The change in your look should and will be reflected in the change you made internally within your company. This change in your brand must be calculated and well thought out to convey your message to your target audience and to the general public. At Brand Iron, we have made some great improvements in a company’s identity when they change their message or services. A great example of this is with our clients David, Hicks and Lampert and Caring Hands Chiropractic which can be see here.

For improvements in your brand or suggestions please call us at 303-534-1901.

For more information on the history of sports uniforms email Mike Slife: mslife@brandiron.net