Category Archive: small business branding
After watching the Groupon ads today I just had to write this quick blog post.
For most of us, a major highlight of the Super Bowl is the creative advertisements punctuating each break in the game. Brands and advertising agencies really put their noggins together to make sure they are getting the most bang for their buck in these astronomically expensive ad spots. But sometimes there are flubs or ads that push the limits of acceptable in order to garner mass press (remember the launch of the Godaddy Girls?). This time around one of the most talked about controversial ad campaigns was Groupon’s tactless bait-and-switch commercials.
If you haven’t seen the Groupon ads view a couple below:
We all love a good joke, but these ads were not really even funny. They are the kind of ads that a creative team may have come up with when they were still at the drawing board, but they should have never actually gone “to print.” Now this, of course, is just my opinion (well, and that of a few other people, too) but this is the point at which branding, including a set of company/brand values would have saved them from themselves.
The other day I was revisiting the book Rework and one particular concept stood out to me–an advantage of being “small”. In a chapter titled “Welcome Obscurity” the authors talk about being in the early stages of business. Specifically they say “Use this time to make mistakes without the whole world hearing about them…Keep Tweaking. Try new things.” When you’re the little guy and you haven’t built a large following yet you can test out some of your hair-brained ideas without the repercussions that a larger brand, like Groupon, will have to deal with. Groupon has really illustrated this point, we’re all going to make mistakes, but let’s try to do it when 100 million people AREN’T watching.
An article on CNN.com entitled “Groupon spends big on controversial (tasteless?) Super Bowl spots“ theorizes that dot.com startups like Groupon have acted like they were already established brands when they decided to shell out the dough for Super Bowl ad spots. Steve McKee, president of McKee Wallwork Cleveland (an ad firm) is quoted in the article as saying, “When you’re introducing a new concept to the marketplace, you have to focus more on positioning, rather than personality.” I do agree, to a certain extent that is. In this situation however I theorize that Groupon was actually acting like “too small” of a company, believing that an inside joke they found funny would resonate with the market. It may have been better to think it through a little further.
The sad thing is that Groupon apparently is actually donating a portion of their proceeds to the charitble causes it pokes fun at in their ads. Perhaps if they had actually communicated that fact the ads would not have left such a bad taste in our mouths. As for the rest of us–if your business is still “small” try a few things, but remember to always default back to your original brand values as your guide.
That’s my take on it anyway. 
What do you think? I’d love to hear your opinions on this subject.
Oh & here’s Conan’s take on the Groupon ads:
Five tips on how to build a successful brand utilizing a little common sense–
These foundations are the key factors I’ve seen come in to play time and time again when working with clients and in the observation of major world-wide brands.
1. Know who you are and what you are offering
Some of the top branding professionals have been quoted as saying that your market determines your brand. That’s all well and great, but if you don’t figure out who you are, what your values are and what benefits you offer your market may be confused by your brand.
If you want your market to appreciate your brand for what it really is/does then you need to have a deep understanding of exactly where you stand. You need to dig into the “whys” and “hows” of your brand so you can gain the 360 degree understanding that will help you communicate effectively. The best way to do this is to sit down for a “brand audit” with your top decision makers and take a honest look at:
- Who Your Company is and What it does
- What your products/services are
- Who your competition is
- Your vision, mission and values
- Your advantages
2. Get in touch with your ‘ideal market’
Take a step back from your marketing plan facts and figures on “what” your demographic is and re-familiarize yourself with WHO they are.
I recently had the opportunity (while working on my book) to interview a top marketing VP for a huge beverage brand (can’t reveal it yet, but trust me it’s one of the top brands in the world) about branding. One of the key points he made about branding success was to not spend too much time positing and researching what your target market might like, but get out there and actually find out. In other words, don’t rely solely on research to tell you how to effectively reach them.
Get in touch with who they are, what they like to do and how they live. Then get out there and listen, both to what they say and what your gut says.
3. Create a clear message (or messages) that resonates with your ideal market.
After you’ve done your research, figured out what you do and who your ideal market is, it’s time to distill it all down into a message that will really “sing” to them. A few years ago I had the opportunity to meet and pick the brain of Wende Zomnir, creative dynamo behind Urban Decay cosmetics. I remember her sage advice: your brand should be describable in three short concepts/words. It’s a busy world and chances are people won’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out what your brand is. So make it easy for them.
Start thinking…what are the top three things they simply MUST know about your brand?
4. Be consistent, Persistent and Expansive
Consistent
Imagine your favorite TV show had a new intro song, time of day that it aired and was sometimes known by a different name…it would quickly lose it’s brand value and your attention (not to mention confuse the heck out of everyone). Now think of some of the small businesses you’ve seen out there–any similarities? Consistency is key. You need to take the time to first create something great and then stick to it. Even if “singing the same tune” might get a little repetitive for you, it will help your ideal market remember you.
Your logo, colors, layout, messages and overall brand feel should be consistent, whether you’re launching a new marketing campaign or just sending an email.
Persistent
A common complaint of new bloggers or email marketers is that they posted a couple blog posts and deployed a few emails and nothing much happened. There is no “free” lunch in branding/marketing. If you want results you need to keep offering value over an extended period of time and show that your brand is worth caring about.
Think about the amount of information you are inundated with on a daily basis. Sometimes you’ll see a post or an email that you are actually interested in, but just don’t have the time to even look at. You are not alone. Provide persistent branding communication so that when your audience DOES have time they won’t want to miss what you’re sharing.
Expansive
Take time every week (or at least every month) to put your feelers out there and look for new ways to reach your audience. Times are a changin’ and there are so many new opportunities for you to engage with your ideal market. It’s all the better for you if you can get there first or do it better than your competition.
5. Adapt
No one likes to be told that they were wrong (especially me ) but in reality sometimes things will work and sometimes they won’t. So don’t be married to your ideas, be willing to allow your ideal market guide you into creating the best brand possible. It’s important to note, however, that I’m not advising you to change your values–those are the safeguard for your brand’s integrity.
One of the hallmarks of successful businesses and brands is the ability to adapt when circumstances change. If you’re stuck in your ways, you’ll just end up there–stuck. So embrace one of the only absolutes in life: change.
Great to meet Scott Stratten (upper left), photo (cc) Kenneth Yeung - www.snapfoc.us
It took me a little time to fully process everything I learned at BlogWorld 2010. While many other attendees produced glowing blog posts within hours or days of the Oct 15-16th conference, my head was still a little “spinny”. I can’t wait to implement and share what I’ve learned, but that will fill waaay more than this blog post. So I will attempt to share at least SOME of the awesomeness with you right now!
Start by Being Awesome
The opening keynote practically felt like a dialogue with Scott Stratten, President of UnMarketing (@unmarketing) and set the tone for the entire event. Scott spoke about the traits that have contributed to his success namely: connecting with your audience by giving a damn and providing awesomeness. Scott quipped “When you are your authentic self you have no competition.” I love it! This is a message we all need to take to heart. It’s time to discover and use our strengths, the traits that make us great, if we want to succeed. As for his definition of providing awesomeness, Scott talked about creating content that your followers and clients will find, what else, AWESOME! My favorite quote of Scott’s keynote though, which made me burst into laughter, was “When somebody gets a notification that your new blog post is up, I want them to crap their pants and say, ‘I’ve gotta read this now.’” It certainly drove home the point for me—so I’ll be working on more awesomeness to come.
My Top 7 Take Homes
So here’s your abridged Cliff’s Notes on Blog World 2010:
- Be yourself (your most awesome version) and you’ll blow the competition away
- For love of Pete, Use Common Sense when it comes to blogging, social media (or any branding/marketing for that matter). And if you don’t have any common sense, hire someone who does.
- Get ready for big changes in the way people consume information (hint, hint: mobile)
- Don’t be afraid to take the risk and put yourself out there! As Mark Burnett said in his keynote: “People who need all the conditions to be right [to take action] don’t have the intention of following through anyway. …Take the Risks”
- Work together. It’s time for the marketing, branding and sales teams to work together to achieve social networking success.
- Provide meaningful [read: awesome] Content that your clients, customers, friends will actually want to read!
- Get networking already. If you don’t have a social media or blogging presence, get going, this isn’t a trend, it’s a great opportunity to connect on a meaningful level with friends, colleagues and customers. So don’t miss out.
The Future of Blogging (& Social Media) – A Recap & Some gratitude
Some of the great people at Blog World: Ashly, the guys from SMReach and even Top Chef Rick Moonen!
So as many of you know I got a free ride to go to Blog World 2010 in Las Vegas, a few weeks ago via Mashable.com. (I know ‘Lucky’ 19 right?) I won my ticket as a result of answering a single question, namely: “What is the future of blogging?”.
This was my answer: “As blogging grows and matures it will continue to provide a venue for transparency and community/connection in business. I see it evolving from “everyone writing about everything” to more and more experts writing from their wealth of knowledge whether that’s in parenting or rocket science. It will become more clear who is providing fluff and who is providing meaningful content.”
Someone recently asked me, after attending Blog World, do I still agree with my winning comment? Yes, yes I do—content is king and it will continue to weed out the mediocre. But, man I learned a lot more at BlogWorld than just that! I look forward to sharing some exciting new things in the coming months!
Thanks again Mashable & Blog World for probably the best time I’ve ever had in Las Vegas!
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2
|
The Lucky 19 Blog
Welcome to the Lucky 19 blog! I am Andrea Guevara, founder of Lucky 19 and I specialize in helping businesses decipher, plan & manage their brands through brand strategy, design & development. I hope you find lots of great info here! To get the latest posts as they arrive "hot off the press," please subscribe below. And if you have some comments/input on anything here please join in! I look forward to hearing from you.~Andrea
This site is in beta (nearly complete just a few bugs here & there). But we just couldn't wait to go live so here it is, a few blemishes & all. (ironically, similar to the humans who created it.)