BrandCultureTalk

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s axiom that there are no second acts in American lives does not apply to Eliot L. Spitzer. He has enjoyed several acts (and entr’actes) already. Assistant District Attorney. New York Attorney General. The Sheriff of Wall Street. The Steamroller (a self-generated moniker). Mr. Clean. Democratic Party […]

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Most marketers, designers, and consultants understand that there’s far more to a brand than a logo, but that doesn’t mean that logos don’t matter.
Your brand is the intersection between the promise you make to stakeholders, and the reputation (or lack thereof) you’ve earned in their minds. That reputation emanates from their interactions with your products, […]

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With Republicans accusing Obama of buying the vote and the uproar over $150,000 wardrobes just subsiding, it’s a dangerous time for an expensive half-hour infomercial.
While the Obama campaign has largely been a model of branding perfection, its occasional outsized confidence (Berlin? Greek Columns? Thoughts of delaying the Phillies’ victory when Pennsylvania is a game-changer?) may […]

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There are a few meta-brands that can be many things to many people (Coca Cola and McDonalds, for example), but the vast majority of brands can’t, and too many die trying. We submit that this is a lesson that every organization needs to learn, including a company we’re keeping an eye on: Zipcar.
In today’s economically […]

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Let us begin with an understatement: The economy is in a bad way. No doubt you’re aware that one of the first casualties was Merrill Lynch, whose acquisition by Bank of America was just the first of several since.
With our brains perpetually attuned to the branding and cultural implications

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In a world inundated with logos, taglines, and packaging, where it seems that everything that can be said or designed already has been, is it truly possible to differentiate your brand? And at what cost?
Think back to Econ 101 and the principle of comparative advantage. In simple terms,

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Ask any outdoor enthusiast about favorite brands and a handful come up over and over. Patagonia. REI. The North Face. Others are more specialized. Orvis for fly fishing, hunting and dogs. Camelbak for portable hydration. Atlas for Snowshoeing. But there is one brand that makes the pursuit […]

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The transformation from financial high-flyer to defunct also-ran happens today with stunning speed. Decades of hard-won reputation disappear in days. Amid the sturm und drang accompanying the meltdown of Bear Stearns (b. 1923), the Federal conservatorship of Fannie Mae (b. 1968) and Freddie Mac (b. 1970), and most recently the bankruptcy of Lehman […]

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It seems that Microsoft’s new Gates/Seinfeld TV commercial is the ad that everyone loves to hate. If you haven’t seen it yet, here it is:

Now that you have (and if you’re not already navigating to your own blog to write yet another anti-Microsoft/anti-Seinfeld diatribe), we encourage you to sit back, take a breath, and consider […]

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A tweet does not a brand make. Well, maybe it does if you’re a high school student trying to create a personal ‘brand’ for the consumption of your fellow math club members. But not if you’re a business or organization interested in establishing and nurturing its brand.
There’s more and more talk these days about the […]

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