By Karen Post, on March 18, 2012

Have you called yourself recently? On all of your phones? If not, it’s a fast find and fix to improving your brand impression.

How do I know this? Because I was grossly guilty of phone message neglect.

Fortunately, I have good friends who tell me the truth.  Here’s a recent call I received.

“Hey Karen, Ms. Branding Diva your phone message stinks. It’s too long, you sound like you are in a tunnel under ground and teetering on having a bad day.”

She was right. This was a big disconnect from who I am and what my brand stands for. Here’s the really sad part, it’s been like that for a year, YIKES!

Five simple tips to a better telephone branded signal.
1) Be clear – Always state your full name.
2) Be brief – In our fast paced and busy world, short and to the point are best.
2) Have tone – Include some branded attitude, for me it’s energy and confidence.
3) Be current and relevant – Keep things fresh, consider changing your message with the seasons, the months or for no reason at all.
4) Provide a clear call to action – What do you want the caller to do? Leave their name and what they need? Or even better their American Express number?
5) Manage expectations – If you can’t check messages for along period of time, provide a timely route to you, request a text message or email from the caller.

Don’t ever, ever use the default, computer message. That clearly communicates nothing except you are unprofessional or so unorganized you can’t find the time to set up.

Bottom line, your phone message is often the first impression a new contact has with you. Make it a great one. And it does not hurt to make sure your visible phone and accessories are on board with your brand too. It’s all part of the personal branding package.

Still don’t have a smart phone? It’s 2012. Plus, being a tech dinosaur is no marketing edge.

And if bold styling is part of your image, consider a retro hand set (like pictured above) to plug into your iPad, iPhone or other smart phones and a cool, matching phone protector. I’ve usually sport the Branding Diva® red set —phone case, handset and fire engine hot lipstick.  It’s an excellent conversation starter at coffee shops and airport lounges, after all that’s where new business often starts.

Got to go catch a call! Talk soon! Brand on!

By Karen Post, on October 16, 2011

Every Saturday I salute someone or a group that deserves a little extra attention for his or her good deeds, achievements, creative solutions, witty comments or meaningful acts of customer love.

This week my hat goes off to Jeff Bezos founder of Amazon.

I’ve admired Jeff for many years, but tonight after reading the WSJ and an essay by Richard l. Brandt about his new book, “One Click: Jeff and the Rise of Amazon.com” I was reminded of what an amazing journey Jeff Bazos has had as an entrepreneur and the incredible success his company has earned.

Wearing cowboy boots as I write this blog post, I do have an extra soft spot for Texas-breed business heroes like Jeff. Jeff spent many of his summers in Cotulla, TX at his grand daddy’s Lazy G Ranch. The Journal article recounts Jeff’s early inspiration from rural living and his grandfather.  Citing that self-reliance was an important value. “People do everything themselves and when something is broke you fix it.” This upbringing turned out to be a valuable entrepreneurial trait for Bazos as he built his global empire.

A great American success story for all start-ups and entrepreneurs with big dreams
From the early years of working from a garage office, to a diet of Pizza on most days, to answering customer emails himself, Bazo’s passion, vision, quirkiness and micromanaging have paid off quite well.

I admire so much about Jeff’s leadership and the company including:
Great brand name and branding.
It is cool, smart and simple (the original name was Cadabra, it was nixed after being mispronounced as Cadaver).

Amazing technology.
I enjoy and use often all the site features and intelligent marketing from their patents from “One Click” to many rumored others.

Remarkable experiences.
The ease of the shopping experience and thoughtful customer service.

Being an advocate and channel for other entrepreneurs.
I’m so thrilled and grateful that Amazon is such a dominant book channel for affiliate marketing and for promoting and selling books like: Brain Tattoos and my new title Brand Turnaround, my new baby that is about to be born in December.

Thank you Jeff. You inspire us!

By Karen Post, on September 24, 2011

Every Saturday I salute someone or a group that deserves a little extra attention for his or her good deeds, achievements, creative solutions, witty comments or meaningful acts of customer love.

This week my hat goes off to Martin Lindstrom, one of my good friends and fellow marketing visionaries.  Martin and I met in 2003 via the Internet (not from match.com but from me reaching out and complimenting his writing), than later that year we hung out when he and I were both in New York City.

Martin is one of the smartest cats I know and he has been very successfully building a global brand for himself as a marketing and brand guru and bestselling author. If you’ve not read his works you should. They are all excellent resources combining research, case studies and creative forward thinking.

His new book Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate our Minds and Persuade us to Buy is why he deserves an extra round of applause today. The book (with the forward written by film director and producer Morgan Spurlock) jumps out of the circle of what you should do with your brand to what is going on in the world of  “at all costs, get that consumer to buy”. Which was a bold move since he often works on the side of the consumer hunter.

Martin’s approach around his latest book is fresh, a bit shocking and very insightful, because as marketers we all have to continue to create, converse and captivate this brandwashed society. So to better understand what’s going on in the sandbox is a good thing.

I just received my Brandwashed book so this is not a review, but encouragement to grab a copy as I’ve never read a book Martin wrote that I did not love and learn from.

On a side note, while writing Brandwashed, Martin went on total brand detox. Which meant for one year he did not buy one new branded anything. He used what he had or consumed alternative non branded generic options. Phew, that alone needs a moment of special recognition.

Martin continues to push the envelope, the box and the marketing mindset to the edge challenging us all to better understand the world and the consuming residents who live here.

Congrats! Martin!

By Karen Post, on March 2, 2011

Recently, they’ve produced some polarized opinions.

Miracle Whip has launched a “Love Us or Hate Us” campaign complete with a YouTube channel which has a place for people to take a side and sound off, a Facebook page and a Twitter feed. The ads feature people stating how they feel really about Miracle Whip. Reviews range from, “I love it!” to, “it tastes like lotion.”  Not one person thinks it’s “just OK.” Spots also include celebrities that elicit strong reactions from people, the love ‘em or hate ‘em:  “Pauly D” from MTV’s Jersey Shore and James Carville, democratic strategist. The ads seem scripted, but you get the idea and the feedback on the social network supports the campaign’s theme.

Cate Blanchett boldly stepped out on the red carpet at the 83^rd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday in a Givenchy Haute Couture gown.  The internet was abuzz as journalists, bloggers and Twitter users weighed in. Opinions were extreme as people either raved about the dress or declared it awful. In her photos, she appears as a glamorous, fashion-forward woman who is not fazed by negative reviews. She could have easily selected a ho-hum gown thereby avoiding being placed on some worst dressed lists. However, she would have stayed off some best dressed lists, too.

The reactions that these two stirred up is what you want for your brand, company, product, service, book, art, etc. It may be difficult to hear the criticism, but your fans will be as loyal and enthusiastic as your detractors are harsh. When you conjure up these types of reviews, you know that you have clearly defined your brand. There is no question as to what you (or your company, product or service) are all about and you are building your awareness.

The worst thing you can do is to try to be all things to all people. While this strategy may spare you some criticism, it will probably also render you unremarkable and off the radar. A strong brand is authentic, fearless, full of conviction and self-confident.

Need some help differentiating your brand? Our Differentiate your Business Ta-Do List provides you with over 80 ways to be unique and create powerful distinction with products, service and how you market. Or, as always, feel free to email us your questions.

For more on how to define your brand, view:
Can a strong brand make a visit to the dentist less painful?
Blending in is so yesterday: Stand-up, Brand-up!

By Karen Post, on February 11, 2011

This week,  New York City celebrates fashion week. Thousands of style gurus from around the globe will get exposed to the hottest new looks, designers and trends as they all proudly prance on the catwalk.

A noted item this season looks a lot like an old “fanny pack”. However, now it is called a “belted satchel” or as creative director for Diane von Furstenberg, Yvan Mispelaere proclaimed they are “hands-free bags”. Mr. Mispelaere refers to the smashing accessory as an item of functional shape, but with a touch of glamour, luxury and seriousness.

The old item with the new life sells for $325 to over $4,000.

A little strategic word-smithing goes a long way or should I say, a reincarnation of a nomenclature?

Here’s a few others that come to mind.

Mercedes, BMW,  high end cars
Old word, used car
Reborn word, pre-owned vehicle

Groupon and LivingSocial
Old word, coupon
Reborn word, deal

Name re-birthing does not just apply to products, people do it too.

Bernie Madoff’s daughter in law last name
Old word, Madoff
Reborn word, Morgan

Need more resources on brand naming? Check out these previous blogs.
3 A’s of an awesome brand name
Koolwordz
Name you business

By Karen Post, on January 24, 2011

Standout brands are distinct, memorable and own their turf. Think about Target (hip, cool and great design), Alfec (the duck icon), and Lady GaGa (outrageous style, no borders behavior).

They didn’t copy the pack, they lead it with a set of unique attributes. If you want to break through a clutter of the same old boring stuff that 95% of your competition are doing, then be original, odd and offbeat. And avoid these 5 costly mistakes.

1) Don’t use other people’s quotes in your marketing content and social media. Create your own original quotes, ideas, opinions and and insight.

2) Don’t use the same colors and graphic styles that are everywhere in your industry. Break the rules. And then rule your category.

3) Don’t use the same tired copy points and words that your competition uses. Tell memorable stories and create your own words that are unique and belong to you.

4) Don’t use, over used stock images and photos that everyone and their uncle has used since 1982. Find compelling pics, try adding treatments to them with cropping, borders, colors and filters. Or take your own.

5) Don’t expect everyone to love your distinction. Change or an unusual approached often get resisted early in the game. How may people loved Google when it first launched?

When you find your solid path of brand distinction and stick to it, your marketing dollars will have more power to help build a strong and sustainable brand.

Also check out: The 3 A’s of an awesome brand name.

By Karen Post, on July 31, 2010

10 questions to ask yourself to determine whether a brand makeover or change is in your near future.

Before we dive into the “do you need a brand makeover” checklist, let’s all get on the same page with what the brand is and the brand means today.

The definition of a brand has exploded from a very simple concept to an extremely complex and critical part of economies and life. The brand is no longer limited to the mark, tagline or latest marketing campaign. The brand is the spirit, soul, purpose and promise of any entity. Operational or buried on the History Channel®, the brand is, as I called it in my first book, metaphorically a brain tattoo—a mental impression that the buyer allows into their head. The brand is the sum of tangible and intangible assets and liabilities, every touch point, every experience and every memory. It is what the markets, stakeholders, influencers and consumers think and feel, and what they expect when they choose one (brand) offering over another.

By now, most business leaders figured out the basic brand game. We were on our merry way, marketing, advertising, promoting and publicizing and then came the most monumental change to life and business as we all knew it. The Internet entered the planet. Brands and branding morphed from being a pure premium identity choice to an any-price-point offering with a story and a promise. We could now conduct business, building our brand messaging 24/7 and with no limits on geographical boundaries. For many, the Internet represented endless opportunities and reach, efficiencies, low production costs and a new sense of control for their brands. That didn’t last too long.

Then, technology got cheaper; Web engagement and functionality spawned like weeds and open source applications became the new oxygen, welcoming Web 2.0. The branding platform expanded too. We were no longer just buying our way into consumers’ worlds, pushing strategically crafted messages on them with hard selling tactics. We were instead having two-way conversations, listening, helping and educating. A new marketing mindset moved in. Brands everywhere went beyond brick-and-mortar, offline business environments to now earning new relationships and stronger brand loyalty thanks to the new army of digital branding tools at their and the market’s fingertips.

And what a difference five years makes. As the Internet continued to power economies and businesses, a new dimension of activity and media sprouted. It is called social media. Pioneered by companies like Friendster, MySpace and Facebook, user-generated content fueled this technology-driven, but century-old behavior better known as socializing. Blogs, wikis, micro blogging and podcasts are just a few options in the buffet of communication choices and tools. At the start, many skeptics were convinced this was purely a social pastime; a not for business movement and was a trend isolated for teenagers and techno-geeks. Today businesses, governments, religious groups and even grandmothers are active participants in social media. So did branding get a new friend, or is it a loose-cannon foe? It’s all in how you navigate the ever-changing terrain, manage the utilities and stay with or ahead of technology.

If a modern-day brand is the sum of an entity’s actions, a collection of emotions, attributes and delivered promises, then social media seems like a surefire way to provide businesses and organizations with many more branches to grow their brands. That could work in the perfect fantasy, a great dream or candy-land novel, but in our world, it’s not so easy.

And that puts new light on the the question of does your brand need a facelift, makeover or radial change?

My list starts here. I’d love to learn about your thoughts too concerning the question, is it time for change?

If you answer YES to more than 5 of these questions, I’d say its time.

1. Does your brand (the look, feel, language, mental image) represent and reflect your current customer base or does it appeal to a dying base of used-to-be buyers?
2. Has your core business model changed and does your brand reflect what it was?
3. Does your brand blend into the landscape of competitors (a sea of sameness) and if you covered your logo, could your business be mistaken for anyone else?
4. Do the graphic elements of your brand’s identity look dated, like a light blue leisure suit?
5. Do your brand touch-points tell a story? And is the story compelling and distinct?
6. Is your brand just plain, unexciting, boring and unremarkable?
7. Is there a disconnect? Does your messaging imply one thing, but you are someone completely different?
8. Do your brand identity and graphics work well in the digital communications world?
9. Is your brand memorable?
10. Do your current brand identity and story have legs to travel in a multitude of touch-points?

Brand makeovers can be scary and expensive. Often change will not be accepted by everyone including your employees and some customers.  And there is cost related to the execution of a new brand. But, there is is a lot of upside too. Leadership needs to look forward and understand that the brand is who you are, your voice and connection to the market. A new brand can be momentous and newsworthy. It can also send a strong message to the market that your company is progressive, innovative and relevant. Even the biggest companies like Xerox®, UPS® and WalMart® have had brand makeovers.

If it looks like it might be time for a brand change or makeover for your organization, Oddpodz, my community of creative-minded entrepreneurs, and my team of branding professionals at Brain Tattoo Branding are launching a very cool Win a Brand Makeover contest.

The lucky company or individual will be awarded over $10,000 work of branding services. And every applicant will get a gift just for registering. We hope to make this an annual contest. Contest details just went up. In a few days we will have a voting tool by each post as the winning company scores extra for popularity along with 6 other criteria.

Please help spread the word. We will be chronicling the brand makeover throughout the process too.

By Karen Post, on July 23, 2010

Karen Post, international branding authority, and Oddpodz will be giving away a $10,000 brand makeover to one lucky company. The winning organization will receive a brand audit of their current brand, a new brand identity, brand strategy, brand language and a brand touch point map. Full contest details will be announced within the next 30 days. All candidates must be opted-in to the Oddpodz email list to be eligible to win. You can register in the upper left corner of the home page. Help spread the word, tell your friends to sign up too. If you have any ideas on how to select the lucky company please post a comment.

By Karen Post, on June 19, 2010

When it comes to branding, a rose by any other name does NOT smell as sweet. In fact, it can stink like dead fish at low tide. Your brand name helps you put a face on your business, differentiates you in the marketplace and can be instrumental in making you the talk of the town.

A new business or product is like a baby. You conceived the idea. You’ll nurture it through its life. And if you’re like most business leaders, you have big hopes and dreams for its future.

Brand naming should be created with care. Just as you poured through 18,007 names for your child, before settling on “Blanket,” you need to make sure your brand name is meaningful, adds a symbol to your story, is memorable, easy to understand, yet versatile enough to grow with your business.

I’ve got some very strong opinions on brand naming, from how you find the best one, to what the most effective style and approach is. For all the details check out my new ebook:

Go for it! Name your business.

A step-by-step ebook on brand naming.

In the meantime, your first step to finding a great brand name is:

1) Think before you name. Whether you hire an agency or brainstorm business names on your own, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Are you naming a company, product, service or event?
• What is the purpose of your business?
• What is the expected life of the name?
• Will it be used only in the United States or will it go global?
• (Remember that the world has changed. Today, global can mean on the internet.)
• Who is your customer?
• What are you promising your customer?
• Who are your competitors, and what names are they using?
• What is your price point?
• Where do you hope to be? Where do you want to be positioned within your business category?
• What kind of personality are you trying to convey?

2) Now, start making a list of root possibilities. WRITE THEM DOWN. Then, put them down and pick up the list a few days later and explore variations, try combining some of the best ideas, shortening some or even rearrange them.

3) From here, explore the best naming formula for your situation.

Here are a few to get you started. For a comprehensive list of naming formulas see: Go for it! Name your business.

Alliteration — Peter Piper Picked A Pen Name

One way to make sure your name is catchy is to begin words with the same letter or sound — Coca-Cola, Krispy Kreme.

Onomatopoeia — Sound It Out!

Some businesses use names with words that imitate the sounds with which their business is associated — Sizzler Steakhouse, for instance.

Acronyms — Think Like A Texter

Anyone with a teenager in their life knows the most popular texting phrases like OMG (Oh, my God) and TTYL (Talk To You Later).  Anyone who’s spent half a second in the corporate world knows that they, too, love their acronyms — HR (Human Resources), PR (Public Relations) and ROI (Return On Investment).  Consumers like their acronyms, too.

Abbreviating — Clip Off the End of a Word

One popular naming technique is to shorten words, similar to the way words can be truncated to create slang.  Not too long ago, a college kid might order a “za with shrooms.”  Translated, that meant a pizza with mushrooms.  Companies form names using that same technique. Clip off the end of a word so that it stands alone, or joins another word or clipped word.  Some examples include FedEx, CompuServe, Intel and Intuit.

Arbitrary Names — Think Apples and Oranges

Another technique, which definitely falls in the abstract category, is to choose an arbitrary name for your business.  Take the Apple Computer, for instance.  An arbitrary name has no connection to what your business is about.  While this is a controversial technique, there are naming experts that think the most important quality of your new company or product is that it be memorable.  A computer named after a piece of fruit definitely fits the bill!

4) Do your research. This is where brand naming gets complicated.

• Is there open space for you in your business category? This means is your name open to be trademarked in your class of operations?
• And is it available in cyber world too?

No matter which route you take, what style, what formula, for me, awesome names cover the 3 A’s

1. They attract attention (they standout)
2. They are admired (likeable to the mind, eye and ear)
3. They are aligned to the core brand values of the product or organization

For a variety of reasons, here are few of my all time favorites names.

SoyJoy

Google

Zappos

Wired

Monster

Tahari

Spanx

Brain Tattoo Branding (OK, I’m bias, I still love that name)

What are some of yours?

By Karen Post, on June 11, 2010

If they are not, I’m missing a piece of this story. Yesterday in Tampa, my hometown, Live Nation announced that they were renaming the Ford Amphitheater the 1-800-ASK-GARY. Which is a lawyer referral firm.

Shocking, an embarrassment and an ugly, ugly mole on Tampa’s face.

This is called a triple-edged brand, great for Gary, Great for Amphitheater’s bank account, a joke for Tampa.

Dear Mr. Economy, please get better soon, so more of this, take the money, forget the bigger picture does not happen again at least in Tampa.