Archive for the Branding Category

As a marketer and brander, I support good branding and argue for it when I can. One of the counterarguments is that branding doesn’t make any sales. I think this is true as far as it goes. Very few people will make a purchase solely on the basis of good branding. But, this isn’t the [...]

Seth points out that great logos are about the meaning derived, not from the logo itself, but from the company behind it. While that’s certainly true, it underestimates the role of design in a good logo.

Earlier, we talked about how the current understanding of brand authenticity is inadequate. This time, we’ll outline a more intelligent notion of authenticity.

There has been a lot of talk lately about authenticity, esp. authentic leadership and authentic brands. It all seems very straightforward, but the concept of authenticity is much more complex.

In this epidode, we will examine the deep human roots of branding. Human beings naturally create and understand brands. Good marketing recognizes this and builds on it.
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I just heard a podcast of Maureen Blandford and Michelle Nichols (BusinessWeek) on reasons why business-to-business organizations should spend less on marketing and more on sales to increase revenues. I think Blandford was not only inaccurate but illogical.

A while back, Geoffrey Moore remarked on the ineffectiveness of B2B branding (at least compared to B2C branding). Today, I read an article by Jon Miller, who is holding the contrary position—that B2B branding matters. Who is right?

In the first part of this post, we discussed the nature of the ordinary kind of branding. Last post, we discussed the shortcomings of this approach and distinguished it from the true nature of branding. This time, we’ll discuss how to achieve this kind of branding and who is good at it.

Last time we discussed the ordinary kind of branding. This time we’ll look at the better kind.

Good branding creates an understanding of the essence of the company. Just as a writers characterization allows the reader to grasp the true essence of the individual (whether fictional or nonfictional), the brander must establish the true nature of the company.