Creative Brand Management - What is It? By Larry Lew

In the sometimes cutthroat and very competitive business world, what separates your company and business from your competition? The main thing apart from the product itself is - your brand. You need branding and from this comes about creative brand management. This creative brand management article will tell and educate you about it, what it is, what it can do, for you and for your customers, and how important it is for your business and your bottom line. In other words, learning about creative brand management is an essential part of business education.What is it? Creative brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand - simply put into simple words, it is the application of creativity to a product, line or product brand. It is important for any business because it seeks to increase the product's perceived value to the customer and therefore increase the brand's franchise and equity.How does this work? Creative brand managers and creative marketers see a creative brand as an implied promise that the level of quality people have come to expect from a brand will continue with future purchases of the same product. This may increase sales by making a comparison with competing products more favourable, and in favour of the better brand. It may also enable the manufacturer to charge more and thus earn a premium for the product, thus boosting earnings. Since the value of the brand is actually determined by the amount of profit it generates for the manufacturer, this clearly shows that creative brand management is useful and in many ways actually great for any business.Specifically, how does it actually raise profits? This increase of profits can come about from a combination of increased sales and increased price due to the premium pricing of the product, and the reduced cost of goods sold, and perhaps even the reduced or more efficient marketing investments.What does it actually mean for you and for your business? This means that you can increase your sales. This means that you can increase your price to premium prices. This means that you can reduce the costs of the goods sold. This means that you can make marketing far more effective and cost efficient. All these are key improvements that will actually happen if you have utilised the powers of branding.All of these important enhancements will definitely improve the profitability of a product brand, and thus creative brand managers often carry line-management accountability for a product brand's profitability, in contrast to marketing staff manager roles, which are allocated budgets from above, to manage and execute. In this regard, brand management is often viewed in many worldwide organizations, not just in Singapore and China, as a broader and more strategic role than normal and common place product marketing alone, and in many ways brand management is more important than product marketing.If you wish to improve your sales and business, then creative brand management is definitely the most important differentiating factor separating your business from the competition.Larry Lew is the founder of Matrix Asia Brand, with vast experience in Singapore and China in brand management communication. Visit Matrix Asia Brand Communication to see brand management services offered!Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Lew

Target Market Terror By Luann Allen

It seems that one of the most difficult decisions for service professionals is choosing a target market. They are afraid that if they choose one target they will miss out on tons of business. Let me tell you that this is not true. It is difficult to make them understand that this makes them a generalist, and not someone who has an area of expertise. That they can then use to identify with their clients.Yet it is something that I always have difficulty making my clients understand. If they don't do anything else that I teach them, choosing a target market will increase their business. It will also get them focused.I'm always looking for good analogies to use so that they can understand the concept. Let's look at the online dating scene and compare singles who go on Match.com with those who choose eHarmony. Match.com has simple rules. Put up your picture and bio�(which may or may not be accurate) and you can start to email each other. eHarmony makes you fill out a 20 page survey, describing yourself, and then they send you matches that would be complementary to you. Which would you choose?Match.com has a larger database, but eHarmony has more successes to brag about. You can tell me that the people who go on Match are looking for something different that the eHarmony people and that's true. If you are looking for a long term relationship, wouldn't you rather find that person on eHarmony so that you are more compatible and so you aren't wasting time with someone who you can't last with and really be your best with?Another analogy would be fishing, for those of you who like to fish. If you don't use the type of bait you need to catch the fish you want, your line could be sitting in the middle of exactly what you want to catch, and you'll never attract them. You'll be busy taking the lousy fish off your hook and throwing them back!It's the same with finding the right clients. You need to find the ones who you can serve the best by understanding their needs and intricacies. You'll attract them by telling them in their�language that you are there for them, so you won't waste your time throwing them back if they aren't right for you.Where do you start? Make a list of things you know about. If you need to know more, read! Or talk to people who do know. Then you can choose your target market and find those you are meant to serve.Luann Allen is the Success Fanatic and a Certified Book Yourself Solid Coach. You can email her at luann@successfanatic.com or call toll free at 866-987-DO IT (3648). She is a successful marketing and business coach who helps clients develop and follow their own systems for success.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Luann_Allen

Brain Food For Banks By Fred Barson

Okay, the money's dried up.�There's panic in the market. The government's acting like a fussy midwife.�Consumers are skeptical about anyone who pretends to have anything to do with a bank.�Where's the foothold for a mid size bank to seize initiative?1. They must be clear about their value proposition.�There will be fewer large banks in the future, that is, fewer banks that can and do sell everything: investments, commercial loans and services, and transactional accounts like credit cards, personal checking, and savings accounts.�That means most banks will be competing in a very large, undifferentiated mid market.�Winners will be clear about two things: what they're really good at and who's buying it.��2. They must be clear who they're up against and position, position, position.�For years all but the largest banks have sniffed at the notion of competition.�Banking was one big happy family seated around the weekly table at Rotary.�No need to drop Rotary, but when they're at the table, a bank needs to think strategically.�Make sure they know what the other banks and credit unions at the table are capable of doing: what are their available reserves? What are their core competencies? How efficient are their deliveries?�That's a start toward understanding how customers see them compared to others.�With that information, a bank can position itself against its competition and give consumers a clear choice.3.�They must truly embrace their business.Banking is a service, whether it's for individuals or businesses.�Generally, service consumers look for help, which means they're emotionally vulnerable.�They'd prefer the help comes from a knowledgeable, sympathetic, non judgmental source.�So, in the present turmoil, banks are going to have to get really good at empathy. And they're going to have to get a whole lot better at building financial products that benefit consumers.�In other words, banks will no longer satisfy consumers who seek security, advice, or a step up by flashing a smile and giving away free coffee mugs.�They will satisfy consumers by helping them achieve their dreams.4.�They must innovate.The word for years has been: banks sell commodities - not pork bellies but cookie cutter products and services.�Well, the time has come to stop thinking about how easily they can make a loan and start thinking about how well they can make the loan.�More than any other skill - because it has been so lacking - innovation will differentiate the successful small and mid market financial services business from all competition.�It may require some late nights.�It may require outsourcing absent skills.�But more than that, it will require listening to customers, really hearing what they say and finding creative ways to cover risk rather than passing it on to the consumer.�It's a whole new ballgame, and the first inning is almost over.Fred Barson is an expert in financial services marketing and branding. He offers solutions at many levels: individual consults, management workshops, brainstorming, site analyses, customer research, all the way up to full blown

How to Choose a Great Logo Design By Sean Downs

Choosing a great logo design is important for branding your business. Branding is how you make your business distinctive in the minds of your current and potential customers. The idea of the logo is to portray a company image that reflects your products or services. The logo is that attention getter.Designing a logo is not an easy task, because you are trying to convey a lot of information in one graphic design in two or three colours. Most logos will have a company name or an acronym or letters which represent the company name. A good example is the coca-cola logo with its graphic flourishes in the name.Choosing the right logo is important for another reason. The logo will appear on all of the marketing materials including stationary, signs, business cards, presentational materials and many other items. The logo is intended to last for the life of the business with periodic updating.It's All About ImageA logo is really all about company image. The logo tells people in an uncomplicated way what your business is about. The idea is to convey the image in a well designed logo which only contains exactly what is necessary to promote the business. You don't want the logo to be cluttered with a lot of extraneous graphics which only confuse the viewer.There are some basic guidelines you should follow when choosing a great logo design.* Has consistent graphics blending graphic choice and company image* Uncluttered* Visually appealing* Easy to recall* Fits the company name* Uses a font that's easy to read* Works in both black and white and colourOne of the main mistakes companies make when designing their logo is creating one that is too complicated and does not copy well in black and white. The logo design should be simple and focus on portraying company image and not trying to serve as a full advertisement.Logo StylingLogos are styled in two basic formats. The first is in abstract symbols. The second is called a logotype. The logotype uses the company name and turns it into a stylized graphic. The logotype is the easiest to promote for branding purposes. Abstract styling can be too easily misunderstood and is also too difficult to market without a lot of money. You can be too creative when it comes to a logo.Using a professional graphics designer is the best way to create a great logo design. A graphics designer and printer can offer invaluable advice about how well a logo will work in terms of transferring to branding materials. The colour selection as discussed earlier plays an important role.Creating a BrandChoosing a great logo design is not as easy as it appears in the beginning. But it's one of the most important steps you will take towards creating a brand image. The logo design, graphics and colours should all blend together into a memorable image that people can easily recall and is easy to transfer to all of the marketing materials.Colorcraft have a range of printing solutions to cater to your business objectives, whether it be high volume or small volume printing, stock management or print logistics. We have a brighter way of making it happen. For a free quote visit Digital Printing Services.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Downs

Media Relations and Branding - Useful Tips For Promoting Your Business Or Product By Jules Price

What do you do? You have given birth to a great idea, a great big baby with massive potential. The problem is turning potential into genuine success. Where do you begin?Frustration can easily manifest itself if you hit a brick wall when it comes to marketing and PR knowledge. You yourself are convinced your idea is a good one but how do you let the world know about it when the market place is already drowning in all singing, all dancing products.A little bit of glamour and a little bit of carefully crafted polish can go a long way in promoting something that while showing undoubted quality, is really struggling to get off the ground. An informed nudge in the right direction can send your idea into the stratosphere that is the hungry market place.So what are the building blocks of success? How do you transform your brand from something you know is genius but you are the only that knows about it, into a household name that people can't get enough of?Your goals are brand awareness and brand recognition. How do you get there?Brand Identity: Does your product, service or event have an identity? Does it live and breathe or is it just a scribble in a notepad?Brand Strategy: Identity for your brand has been achieved and established. What are the results you are hoping to yield? The benefits you hope to reap? What is your target audience and how do you best reach them specifically?Brand Building: You have given your brand an identity you are happy with and you have devised a strategy for your brand. What tools will you use to make your strategy work smoothly and efficiently?Once you have climbed these particular steps your brand should be ready for the rat race that begins once it is in the public eye. The hustle and bustle of competition, the pushing and shoving of myriad other brands diving for the spotlight of fame and fortune.It is now that the tools you have chosen to employee will be needed the most. Have you chosen the correct tools for your brand? What tools are there? How do use them when they seem so bewildering? Many decide to manage their own brands but for some it is too daunting, to complicated and too technical.Media relations. Online Pr. Social media Pr. Crisis management. All of these you will most certainly need and the more professionally they are implemented the greater your success will be in the long term.For more information about brand awareness and how to get started, a pr company surrey can help you along the way, including advice about media relations.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jules_Price

Promotional Umbrella Helps Build a Company's Reputation By Natalie Smith

Building relationship with customers does not happen overnight. In the hotel and food service industry, where the primary goal is to please the customer, everything is done to highlight the customer experience. Even luxuries such as anti-stress pillows, soft sheets, and warm milk and cookies at midnight are provided with the sole objective of accommodating customers' requests.One of the many small-but effective-gestures that businesses in the hotel and food industry can do is to have a promotional umbrella on standby when the client needs it. Rain or shine, a promotional umbrella helps build a company's reputation. It's reflective of the company's ethos and character, because an enterprise that obsesses about details aims to give only the best.Nothing is more impressive to a customer than to have something on hand when it is needed. Hotels and bed-and-breakfasts must remember to have a promotional umbrella on standby at the reception. A guest arriving in the middle of a rain will appreciate being met at the hotel entrance with a promotional umbrella. It's a great way to welcome a guest, and a happy, impressed guest leaves a good tip. A promotional umbrella should also be placed conspicuously in guest rooms, whether at a bedside drawer or hung inside the closet, so clients can take it with them when it's needed. In addition, a bellboy or hotel personnel should be on standby at the entrance to receive a dripping-wet umbrella when a guest comes back.Golf clubs, especially, should never be without a promotional umbrella. Caddies should always have one within arm's reach when the sun's heat becomes unbearable or when rain begins to pour. Aside from being a form of customer service, a promotional umbrella, with its large imprint area bearing a trademark, is an effective way of building exposure.Promotional Umbrella by Branders.com. Buy from the world's largest online seller of Custom Umbrellas & Corporate Umbrella.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Smith

Stickers With Logo Are Suitable Direct-Marketing Tools By Natalie Smith

Stickers with logo may seem insignificant but they are actually effective marketing tools, offering brand visibility at minimal costs. These small patches of adhesives are seen everywhere-cars, notebooks, mobile phones, bags, glass doors-promoting a brand ever so subtly and yet so successfully.Stickers imprinted with logo or artwork can be used as handouts at conferences or trade shows. Unlike flyers, custom adhesives won't easily be discarded and people are more likely to keep them. They're great for sticker campaigns-just make sure you post them in places where you're allowed to. Stickers with logo are suitable direct-marketing tools, being flat and lightweight.Adhesives offer a limited imprint area, so you want to make sure people get your message. To maximize the use of stickers with logo, pay attention to copy, size, slogan, shape, and color. Try to achieve a simple look. You don't want to divert people's attention away from your copy, but you also want them to see beyond the marketing message and appreciate your logo stickers for their design. Another way of making full use of stickers is to imprinting the back with a logo or your marketing message. The adhesives' backside is always thrown out, but if you imprint a message, contact information, or an offer on it, your recipients are more likely to give these stickers a second glance.If you have no in-house copywriter and designer, you can subcontract the creative work for your logo stickers. Once you have this, you can start choosing from among the models at Branders.com. There are permanent and removable adhesives in black and white or color. Choose the right shape, size, and type that fit your artwork. On site, you can generate a mockup of how your logo will look. Choosing the perfect model will be easy from then on.Stickers With Logo by Branders. Buy from the world's largest online seller of Custom Auto Accessories for Tradeshow Promotions & Logo Stickers for Giveaways.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Smith

A Sweet Way to Promote Your Brand By Celine Benjamin

Here's a literally sweet way to promote you brand: logo candy. If you're thinking of a giveaway that you can use across age groups, sweets are it. Logo candy is a hit with both young and old. Aside from being popular with everyone, candy is the kind of treat that's passed on to others. You give a couple of them to one, and you can be sure two or three pieces will be shared with others. People just love sharing logo candy with their loved ones, and they end up being your brand ambassadors! You end up reaching more people than you thought possible.The next good thing about logo candy is that nobody refuses it, which is what makes it a really effective giveaway. Do you know of anyone saying no to some chocolate bars? We can't think of anyone who'd say no, unless he or she was afraid he was being poisoned! Companies can place ounces of logo candy at their reception areas, conference rooms, recruitment booths, and office workspaces, and you can be sure everyone will get a helping.Custom candy is also great for personal occasions like parties, anniversaries, birthdays, and even Halloween. Instead of serving dessert, why not place handfuls of logo candy at the banquet table, or maybe place a few pieces in a basket and add them to your table setting? Your guests will surely look forward to the end of the meal so they can savor these sweets.Logo candy is a subtle way of promoting your brand. You can offer these sweet treats at conferences and trade shows when you get a prospect's business card. If you haven't tried them in any of your promotions, you will find that they're an effective and inexpensive way of getting on people's good side.Logo Candy by Branders. Buy from the world's largest online seller of Custom Food & Drink for Tradeshow Promotions & Candy With Logo for Giveaways.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Celine_Benjamin

Custom Keychains Very Simple and Inexpensive Giveaways By Celine Benjamin

Custom keychains hold the key to your brand's success. They're inexpensive, flexible, handy, and practical items that recipients will always have within reach.If you're on the lookout for budget-friendly giveaways, custom keychains offer you a lot of value for your dollar. You can get a multifunction bottle opener keychain for as low as $0.50 for minimum orders of less than 500. A keychain with a built-in keylight gives you more logo exposure for less than a dollar each. Aren't custom keychains simple and inexpensive ways of touching base with customers?Aside from being cost-effective, custom keychains are quite flexible and fit any industry and theme. Do you want to reach out to golf players? They'd love the vinyl custom keychains that come in the shape of a golf ball. Promoting a tennis or a baseball event? The mini tennis ball and wooden baseball bat keyrings will bring you closer to your target market. The sleek Nero line keytags will look good with a new set of car keys-why not present these with flourish to clients with approved car loans? The metal heart keytag will look impressive with any laser-engraved logo, while the pink ribbon keychain will help raise awareness for corporate programs tied to breast cancer research.People are more likely to bring along a giveaway if it is handy, and custom keychains fit this criteria. You can enhance your logo exposure by giving out multifunction keychains. A number of these models come with a mini puzzle, compass, mini light, highlighter, pill holder, bottle and DVD opener, eyeglass lens cleaner, whistle, or condom holder. Flat rubber or vinyl custom keychains are light enough to send through mail, and you can use them for your direct-mail efforts. Recipients are more likely to use them than if you send bookmarks.Custom Keychains by Branders. Buy from the world's largest online seller of Keychains for Tradeshow Promotions & Custom Logo Keychains.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Celine_Benjamin

Branded Chocolates - Helping Your Company Stay Competitive By Daniel M Jenkins

To stay competitive in business there is a lot for you to consider. You have to make sure that you offer the best service/product and for the best price. Differentiation is the key; a buzz word in the world of marketing, the term should not be ignored nor underestimated. Whether your company is big or small its little touches which can give your company a bit of differentiation and with it burn an image of your brand on people's minds. A very effective way of differentiating your business is to augment your product and a very easy and cost effective way of doing can be done through branded chocolate.Trivial it may seem but this small token used in whichever way you deem fit can give off a perception of quality about your company.-no matter what you company does. Chocolate is widely considered a luxury, a product which we all know we shouldn't have but is too tempting to ignore. The compelling urge to eat them means that people will pay attention to your logo that is elegantly printed onto the chocolates wrapper.Inevitably if you are considering using branded chocolate for your company then the quality of the chocolate is important. If you are to give out a product as a token of good will then it is imperative that you understand that what you give a person will naturally be synergised with the company it comes from. If you give someone something that is shoddy and unattractive then invariably this does not look favourably on the company and so can weaken the brand image. Conversely if you were to offer someone something that is classy and then this will give off a perception of quality about the company and branded chocolates do just that.Branded and personalised chocolates are a very versatile gift making them ideal for many businesses. If your business operates in the catering industry offering a branded after dinner chocolate to your customers along with their bill can give off a very professional aura and create that vital lasting impression before they walk out the door. If you business operates in the financial sector then offering clients a branded chocolate in a conference or exhibition lightens the mood and again reinforces your brand to the people where it matters.Personalised chocolates are also good promotional products to use for exhibitions when promoting your company. Many companies have promotional pens but having something different like branded chocolates is a welcome change and will really make your company remembered.Of course having branded chocolates need not be purely for customers and clients. Staff functions such as dinners and meetings is a good place to give out branded chocolates and can help staff become more attached to the company in much the same way is it does for customers.Personalised chocolates are a very effective and versatile product for any business. Remember the perception of your company means everything. Augmenting your product or service greatly helps your business stay competitive and personalised chocolates offer this in a very easy and cost effective way.Daniel Jenkins is an expert in brand image and equity and specialises in promoting companies through products such as branded chocolate. More information can be found at http://www.delvaux.co.ukArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_M_Jenkins

Before a Brand Starts Running By Eric Zhou

Now the very problem that is facing China's architectural hardware manufacturers (and many other small to medium business) is that they do not have their own brands. In other words, brand managing is very weak in this industry (and many others). Most such businesses have been chasing orders and ignoring the right developing strategies. Order is the king! They have no understand of the importance of brand and marketing.Recent economic downturn, however, has brought the question on table and caught attentions. In the past six months, smaller businesses were closing, and others were striving. And they began to think over the question of how a suitable strategy should be built. And all thoughts come to the word, brand.What is brand? And especially what is brand to small to medium businesses? Simply saying, brand is awareness, value, loyalty and profit.And what should be done to achieve a value added, customer-loyal and profitable brand?Firstly a brand strategy is to be established. Brand strategy often follows and conform to corporate strategy, which should also be built. Brand strategy is to determine the followings:- The target market(s). - Corresponding product offerings and services - Brand image - Pricing - Sales channelsWhen a brand strategy is built, corresponding activities (tactics) must follow. They are- Slogan - Coding system - Packaging and labeling - Sales team - Customer service and the team - Ad campaign - Brand managerThe list can go on. And all of the above must be done before a brand is to be publicized.And there's one thing we must keep in mind: persistence. Once you've reached a decision to carry out a marketing approach, do it continuously and consistently. You may adjust your plan and practise, but do not abandon. Brand managing is not like sales, which can obtain earnings very shortly. It is a long term task. And the earning can not be easily measured.http://metalworkmarketer.blogspot.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Zhou

Branding - How to Succeed By Peter Radford

Brand ManagementOverviewThe application of marketing methods in respect of a particular product, range of products, or a specific brand is commonly referred to as Brand management. Its role is to increase the product's perceived value in the eyes of the customer, and at the same time increase the strength of the brand and its brand equity, which refers to the benefits associated with a product that has a particular brand name as compared with the benefits that the same product would achieve if it did not have that brand name.A brand is regarded as being synonymous with a product whose quality, effectiveness and desirability is perceived by the customer to be maintained no matter how often the product is purchased. The purpose is to increase sales by increasing the profile and desirability of the product in relation to competitive products. An associated benefit is that the manufacturer may feel able to increase the price of the product.A brand's value can be assessed in a number of ways, but a particularly pertinent method is the level of profits that it can generate for the manufacturer. Factors that can increase the value of a brand include increasing sales volume, increasing unit price, reducing the product's cost of sales, and more efficient marketing.The control and management of the marketing effort applied to the brand, and overall responsibility for its profitability, is a succinct definition of the role of the Brand Manager. He is seen as the driving force behind the brand and holds a pivotal role in the overall marketing strategy. For this reason, Brand Management is invariably seen as a broader and more strategic role than that of the Marketing function alone.It is an interesting fact that, in respect of many of the world's leading brands, from the viewpoint of the annual survey published by the prestigious Interbrand and Business Week magazines, the market capitalisation of the companies to which they are associated often consists largely of the value of the brand equity.It was the company Procter and Gamble who first introduced the concept of brand management.It has been suggested that brands with a strong marketing base generate the highest returns for shareholders. With all these factors taken into account, it is apparent that, from research conducted by the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, brands seriously impact shareholder value. This means that, in the final analysis, matters relating to the brand strategy of a company's products should not be left solely in the hands of the brand manager, but should also involve the participation of the most senior officer in that company.Brand CharacteristicsA good brand name should possess the following characteristics:Able to be protected under trademark law Easy to pronounce Easy to remember Easy to recognize Easy to translate into all languages in the markets where the brand will be used Attract attention Suggest product benefits Suggest the company or product image by: Distinguishing the product's positioning, which is the relative competitive comparison the product occupies in a given market as perceived by the target market. Being attractive and desirable by the consumer Stand out amongst a group of other brandsThis is by no means an exhaustive list, but certainly epitomises the essential criteria.Peter Radford writes Articles with Websites on a wide range of subjects. Branding Articles cover What Is A Brand, Brand Characteristics, Brand Manager, What Makes A Good Brand.Website has many more.View his Website at: branding-how-to-succeed.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Radford

Bad Branding - Duracell Repositions Itself As an Inferior Battery By Ian Heller

It is this writer's sad duty to report on a terrible blunder by one of the world's great branding companies: Duracell. Duracell is a division of The Procter & Gamble Company, arguably the leading consumer packaged goods producer in the world and legendary for its branding prowess. Proving yet again that no organization is perfect (hey, the legendary '85 Bears had one loss), Duracell is currently running an ad in Newsweek magazine where they position their batteries as lower-cost, less-powerful alternatives to "Energizer e2 Lithium" cells.Over the past several years, Duracell has successfully positioned their alkaline batteries as more reliable due to their "copper top" construction (which is really just a color on the cell's wrapper). Even though Consumer Reports says that essentially all ordinary alkaline batteries are very similar in performance, Duracell has built a commanding market share lead through a series of brilliant television and radio commercials. In these ads, Duracell shows some highly critical situations in which their batteries are used, implying a unique and superior level of reliability. They repeatedly use the phrase, "when it just has to work," and then illustrate an ordinary battery application along with the critical one, implying that even in everyday use, your choice of battery matters.In one ad, for example, a young basketball player collapses on the court as his mother watches from the stands. Paramedics rush out and administer a defibrillator -- equipped with Duracell batteries, of course. The spot cuts to a subsequent high school graduation ceremony and shows the young man smiling in his cap and gown (he survived, obviously) and his mother is taking pictures with a digital camera. The voiceover (intoned by Jeff Bridges) implies that it's best to use Duracell in both the defibrillator and the camera.They have many similar commercials with Duracell batteries used in heart monitors and handheld video games, by NASCAR pit crews, etc. The consistently implied message (they never come out and say this directly, probably because most alkaline battery brands really do perform similarly) is that Duracell batteries are the most reliable and are unequaled in performance.Not many companies can take an everyday product like an alkaline battery and position it as a highly critical -- even lifesaving -- purchase. No wonder P&G does so well at branding!Now this: In the Nov. 10, 2008 issue of Newsweek, on page 75 in my version, is a full page ad proclaiming, "These are hardly the times to pay for more power than you need." The ad clearly shows an Energizer e2 Lithium cell on the left and a Duracell battery on the right. There are a few bullets describing the differences between the two batteries and then the statement, "Don't waste power. Don't waste money."Don't waste power? What the heck? "Don't waste power" says the company that has convinced us for many years that we need Duracell batteries because they are the only brand that has ENOUGH power! This is an absolutely horrible advertisement that flies in the face of the brand position that Duracell has built successfully over the course of several years and at the cost of many millions of dollars. The clear message is that the Duracell battery is the lower cost, less powerful battery vs. the Energizer brand.Okay, so why did Duracell do this?This type of ad occurs when a brand's stewards overreact thoughtlessly or incorrectly to a competitor's actions. What is happening in the battery marketplace is that there is a new type of non-rechargeable consumer battery available and it uses lithium to provide superior performance in some applications vs. an alkaline cell. Energizer -- whose "bunny" campaign simply isn't as smart and powerful as Duracell's "copper top" campaign -- has finally found an area where it can pick up market share, because it has done a nice job positioning its products in the new, lithium sub-category.This new technology poses a problem both to consumers as well as battery marketers because the lithium batteries are much more expensive and only outperform alkaline cells in some-- not all -- applications. For consumers, that means the best-cost solution varies: in some applications it's more economical to buy lithium batteries because of their longer life; sometimes you save money by buying alkaline batteries.While I have no connection to anyone at Duracell, I suspect what's happening is that they perceive Energizer's success with Energizer e2 Lithium as a threat to their standard alkaline batteries. Indeed, lithium cells are in fact a new choice in the marketplace and they are taking share from the alkaline battery market. But the problem is that most consumers don't really understand the details of current battery technology. So they look at an ad like the one in Newsweek and reasonably get the message that "Duracell doesn't last as long as Energizer."No brand that has positioned itself as a performance leader and has persuaded consumers to pay a premium for its products should ever reposition itself as the lower-cost, lower-quality alternative, and that is precisely what this ad does. In fact, it's a well-known marketing maxim that the leading brand shouldn't compare itself to competitors under any circumstances -- that's a "follower" strategy, not a "leader" strategy.Complicating things further, Duracell has its own "uber-cell," the Duracell Ultra. I don't know if this is a lithium or souped-up alkaline battery because the "How batteries work" link was down on the Duracell website when I clicked it. But clearly the Duracell Ultra is the brand that competes with Energizer e2 Lithium.I sympathize with Duracell's challenge in the suddenly-changing consumer non-rechargeable battery market. Their hard-earned and carefully-crafted positioning of their standard alkaline batteries is threatened by new technology and they certainly need to come up with a strategy to continue their brand perception and category dominance. But these things happen -- technology advances and categories change and Duracell needs to respond. But this ad is absolutely the wrong approach. It's just too likely that consumers will perceive that the core message of the ad is that Energizer (regardless of additional modifiers like "e2" or "lithium") is the superior and more expensive brand. Duracell has aggressively, thoughtfully and carefully established and defended its position as the superior alternative for a long time. To use their great brand name, credibility and marketing dollars to switch positions with their number one rival, thus handing Energizer the "best battery" position on a silver platter is simply foolish and counterproductive.Time for a new strategy, Duracell. Engage those great brand thinkers at parent P&G and come up with something revolutionary -- instead of this reactionary, counterproductive white flag. You still have the best equity in the battery category and if you don't believe that, search blogs under "favorite battery." Most consumers still believe that Duracell is the superior brand and you need to reinforce rather than undermine that position.To see a graphic of the ad discussed above, go to: http://realresultsmarketing.com/2008/11/bad-branding-duracell-repositions-itself-as-an-inferior-battery/Ian G. Heller is the founder and senior partner at Real Results Marketing, Inc. With senior executive experience at companies like GE Capital and Grainger, CEO experience at a private-equity owned firm and countless consulting engagements, Ian brings a realistic and bottom-line focus go strategic planning. Please visit RealResultsMarketing.com for engaging videos and articles on strategic planning.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Heller

Corporate Branding Marketing By Steve M Jones

Corporate brand by any measure is very important to contemporary organisations. Corporate brand has become a valuable asset for a company, which some times have value beyond the book value.To answer the question stated above it is important to explain what a corporate brand is. It is then also important to look into the issue how a corporate brand is beneficial to an organisation. What kind of financial benefit it can give to an organisation and to what extent it helps organisations to gain competitive advantages over its competitors.There are several definitions of corporate brand presented by different authors and scholars. Some of the defamations are as follow:David A. Aaker defined corporate brand as "As the brand that defines the organisation that deliver and stand behind the offering, the corporate is defined primarily by organisational associations. In particular, a corporate brand will potentially have a rich heritage, assets and capabilities, people, values and priorities, a local or global frame of reference, and a formance record."(Brand portfolio strategy by David A. Aaker, California management review vol46 no3 spring 2004.)According to Balmer (2003) the corporate brand is seen as a sixth identity type referred to as the covenanted identity, which is viewed as independent and distinct. Balmer (2001) developed the mnemonic C2ITE (Cultural, intricate, tangible, ethereal and commitment), this reflects the corporate brands unique attributes and helps understand key characteristics of the corporate brand.While Lawer and Knox (2004) state that a corporate brand is a way to conceive, manage and communicate corporate brand values in order to guide managerial decisions, actions and normative firm behaviour. It can then state that brand is generally the name of a product or mark of ownership.So being able to express its self truly and openly and then communicate the message to its consumers clearly."The corporate branding philosophy, at it's core, represents an explicit covenant between organisations and it's key stakeholder groups, including customers" (Balmer & Greyser, 2003)Corporate branding can be defined as "Corporate branding refers to the practice of using a company's name as a product brand name. It is an attempt to leverage corporate brand equity to create product brand recognition."wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_brandingThe keeping of an organisations promise can lead to corporate brand equity; this is when consumers hold favourable, strong, and unique associations about the corporate brand in memory (Keller 1993). There are many advantages of corporate branding as corporate brands represent the class and well known by every body, for example once David Beckham said, "I can't even imagine using any nothing else then Adidas". Though he is the contracted model for Adidas but at the same time it reflects that Adidas as luxurious and expensive item and also a status symbol. This made sports people with money buy that item. Rolex watches can also be an example for this, Rolex are known as the watches for high-class people. This makes people with money buy the Rolex watches to show the class. This is the brand equity of Adidas and Rolex.Brand equity can be transferred to other products as well. This can be seen in the case of VW buying the Skoda. Before VW took over Skoda's sales were declining but in recent years Skoda has improved and its sales has gone up as well due VW's transferred its brand equity to Skoda. G.M motors have also bought different corporate brands such as Daewoo and Volvo and have transferred the brand equity to them brands.This does not stop here there are so many other benefits an organistaion can have by having a corporate brand. Newman (2001) suggests that success rate of a new product or service can increase by twenty percent if it has a corporate brand behind it. Also costs could be reduced when launching the product or service than if it did not have a corporate brand supporting it.This is due to the trust and credibility build by the organisations. Consumers prefer to stay with the organisation they have dealt with before. When Mercedes build the 4*4 people have bought the vehicles even though it was the first time Mercedes has launched a 4*4 vehicle. Mercedes has achieved this through due to the string branding and consumer trust on them.Corporate brand has a longer life as compare to other resources with in the company. For example Coca Cola the brand is much older then the plants and location used to make it. It is also older then the human resources those make the product. Grant (1991) stated that the corporate brand tends to decay slowly, and strong corporate brands can decrease the competition in the market. Products have shorter lifecycle so corporate brands are preferred over just product brand.A corporate brand is an intangible asset so it is difficult to copy as it is not a product from a production line. Corporate brand represents a logo or a slogan that is protected by laws, which are in place. Slogans or logos are more secure then the product it self as it is easy to copy a product but it is nearly impossible to copy a logo.Corporate brand helps achieving the economies of scope, which means it is less costly for a firm to produce two separate products than for two specialized firms to produce them separately. For example Nike has a slogan of "Just Do It" across the globe and through its advertising Nike can promote its different products and services.Due to advancement in technology and in communication world is becoming a small community. Consumers are more knowledgeable then ever. Globalisation is common between all the big organisations. Corporate brand is important for the globalise organisations to show that their core value is same wherever the product is.Corporate branding is also very useful when organisations want to enter into a new market. This can be seen when Samsung entered into mobile communication market, Samsung did not have much experience in mobile market but their recent mobile model Samsung D500 has outclassed Nokia and Motorola's models. This is gain mainly through innovation but brand equity played its part as well. Samsung is brand which consumers can trust and is known for a time.According to Balmer (2001) a corporate brand is seen as a rare entity due to brands unique pattern of development. Companies with corporate brands have competitive advantages over those that do not have corporate brand. The brand name, logo plays a vital role in awareness and it also provides the peace of mind to customers. Olins (2001) classed Manchester United and British Airways as organisations with corporate brands. Reason that these organisations have corporate brands is because that's how they presented their brands through marketing such as T.V advertising, Billboards and other marketing campaigns. These companies have spend millions of pounds on advertising to have a corporate brand, as organsiations with corporate brand believes that this will give them a competitive advantage. It can be stated by considering Olins statement that corporate brand is important for the organisations.Davis suggests corporate brands are not required by some companies, for example those that may have a portfolio of brands such as Unilever and Proctor and Gamble, tends to use the branding of products rather than implementing a corporate brand. This issue of importance of having a corporate brand has not been taken by these major organisations in past for example surf is a product by Unilever. Unilever's general emphasis is on product branding as compare to one corporate brand. But the importance of a corporate brand has been explored on these big companies.Balmer stated in his journal of general management "Mighty proctor and gamble who traditionally espoused the idea that their brands should stand on their two own feet, have realised the importance of managing Proctor and Gamble as a brand. The company's chief executive decided that in the future the company would be presented as the ultimate corporate brand."(Corporate Branding and Connoisseurship by Balmer J.M.T Journal of management Vol 21 no 1 autumn 1995.)From statements above it can be stated that corporate brand provides loyalty which means that consumers will only stick with one brand and will not choose any other product. This can true in the case of products like Rolex or Mercedes but when it comes to ever day's essentials such as milk and bread corporate branding is in that important, as we will not travel an extra mile to get a Safeway milk. Many people will just go to a nearest corner shop or a service station to get a bottle of milk.Organisations are now dealing with the much bigger challenge in term of branding. It has discovered that corporate brand has complicated and difficult rapidly changing fundamentals. Balmer (2001) states that corporate brands are cultural as they reflect the organisations subcultures. Consider the example of Mercedes its corporate brand stands for high class, luxury and high performance and it can be clearly seen in sub culture of C-class S-class and M-class.The key question arises here should organisations adapt the concept branding? Corporate brands have generally longer life cycle then the product brand. There is a bigger drawback attached to corporate branding as if a company gets a bad publicity of its corporate brand it will affect its all the products. Balmer (2003) describes corporate brand as having the role of a driver for many stakeholders, therefore highlighting the increasing importance of corporate branding. Olins suggested that the organizations with no understanding of what are they about tend to fail in long-term.Corporate branding must be used properly and organisation with strong corporate branding must not take advantage of strong branding and keep the promises and behave in an ethical way. Coca Cola has used the advantage unethically when first introduced its water Dasani in U.K and it was later discovered it was nothing but Tap water from general water supply. It can also be seen in McDonald's case that they portray themselves as an organisation that care about its customers by offering them clean food but there has been occasions when some of McDonald's outlets were forced to close down due to supply of unhealthy food. It is important for the organisations with strong corporate branding such as Coca Cola, and Mercedes to stick with the values they present.Essay above suggests that the corporate brands are created to obtain the significance awareness in a competitive market. Corporate brand have impact both externally and internally. Corporate brand have many benefits such as gaining the competitive advantages over its competitors and achieving the economies of scale. Organisation must manage their corporate brands effectively and efficiently in order to get the maximum benefit.It can also conclude from the authors mentioned above that many organisations without a strong corporate brand will face difficulties in coming future. So organisations without a corporate brand such as Proctor and Gamble and Unilever have to work towards achieving one strong corporate brand.Effective and strategic support of a corporate brand can make it easier for organisations to do business. Corporate brand is stronger then the quality and price of a product but to make it successful right strategies are required.So as John Stewart, former CEO, Quaker stated, "If this business were split up, I would give you the land and bricks and mortar, and I would take the brands and trademarks, and I would fare better then you."BibliographyAckerman L.D., (2000) Identity is Destiny, Leadership and the roots of value creation, Berrett-Koelher publishersArgetni P & Druckenmiller B, (2004) Reputation and the Corporate Brand, Corporate Reputation ReviewBalmer J.M.T. & Greyser A.G., (2003), Revealing the Corporation, perspectives on identity, image, reputation, corporate branding and corporate-level marketing, Routledge, CornwallBalmer J.M.T Journal of management, Corporate Branding and Connoisseurship Vol 21 no 1 autumn 1995.Balmer. J (2001) ' The Three Virtues and Seven Deadly Sins of Corporate Brand Management' Journal of General Management, 27, (1), 1-17Barich, H and Kotler, P/ (1991), "A framework for marketing image management", Sloan Management Review, Vol. 32, No. 2David A. Aaker, California management review, Brand portfolio strategy vol46 no3 spring 2004.Davis S., Corporate Branding, Making the brand the strategic "driver" for the entire organisation, AvailableJohansson J.K. & Hirano M., (1998), Brand Reality; The Japanese Perspective, Available: msb.edu/faculty/johanssj/web/BrandReality.PDF (Accessed 12/05/05)King. S (1991) 'Brand-Building in the 1990s'-Journal of Marketing Management,7, 3-13http://www.study-aids.co.ukOlins. W 'How Brands are Taking over the Corporation' in Schultz.M, Hatch. M, Larsen. M 'The Expressive Organisation' Oxford Uni Press, 2001Steve M Jones http://www.study-aids.co.ukArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_M_Jones

Brand Loyalty - Alessi & BMW Show the Way By Ian L Webster

In today's highly competitive marketplace, it is more important than ever for high quality brands to retain and build on the loyalty of their customers, as well as attracting new ones.It may appear more than a little obvious that this is best achieved by offering designs that look great, perform well and offer some small but significant advantage over the opposition.It can take many years for a company to build a solid and reliable customer base that will happily wax lyrical about the quality, innovation and philosophy of a brand. This loyalty can become almost like a mantra, such as 'I always buy Mielle white goods - never let me down yet.'This sort of behaviour is worth far more than a pack of sharply dressed young advertising hot shots, with a budget near the size of the recent US bank bailout fund. Alessi and BMW are great examples of this effect. Both pride themselves on producing designs that offer high performance, beautiful build quality and arresting looks. The customer has to pay a premium for the designs and they are happy to do so because both brands bring a strong identity that people aspire to own.There is a flip side to this behaviour though. The loyal customers behave as though there has been an unwritten contract agreed, along the lines of 'you continue to produce the great designs and I will continue to buy them and promote them.' If that delicate balancing act between profit and quality is tipped too far in favour of the company accountants and an unfamiliar smile begins to appear on their faces, then beware - the big bad wolf of customer discontent may soon come knocking at the door.When Daimler Benz decided to maintain their profit levels whilst reducing costs, the end-result was not surprisingly a dramatic drop in quality. Loyal customers who had bought Mercedes cars for years suddenly found that their latest purchase was no more reliable than a donkey with a bad case of wind and swiftly walked (usually because their car had broken down) over to the opposition.Potential new customers did not want to buy into a brand on the way down and swiftly followed into the competitors showrooms. The whole episode had a seriously damaging effect on Mercedes that has taken years and a lot of money to achieve recovery.It is imperative that high quality brands continue to produce high quality designs in order to maintain a comfortable and lasting position in the marketplace. Attempts at short-term financial gain can have disastrous long-term consequences and history is littered with the casualties of such shortsighted thinking.Thankfully, many high quality brands such as Alessi, BMW, Louis Poulsen, Design E and Iittala see the sense in honouring the unwritten agreement to provide quality products at premium prices and have established loyal customer bases.http://www.dreamicons.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_L_Webster

Branding You Instead of the Product By Craig Garcia

If you are an entrepreneur, you may or may not understand the importance of branding. If you are a small business owner or an independent rep, branding is more important than you think. When I was a small business owner, I didn't think about branding. I thought branding was only for large corporations. Well, today, the internet allows the little guy to brand themselves just like a major corporation.Every year, billions of dollars are spent on advertising so that the buying public will recognize a particular brand of a general product. Now that the internet is here, we all the same ability to brand ourselves, just like a company brands itself. The only difference is we can do it for free.We have all heard the term 'branding' and 'branding campaign' used in the Internet marketing arena, but what exactly does it mean? It means that with the power of the internet and social marketing sites, we can compete with the big guys out there without spending any money.How does branding relate to my informational product? The fact is that every day there are hundreds of e-books published and offered on the Internet. Branding is one way to make you stand out from the crowd. The objective is always to stand out, stand above and be recognized. The purpose of branding is to brand you, not the product or company. Hence, you brand "YOU". It allows you to create other products without having to start your branding campaign all over again. The new product will simply be another product from "You, the ...." Example: here is another informational training video from "Craig Garcia, The Internet Trainer". Do you see how I've branded myself, no a particular product or company. This allows me to come out with another product and I am already branded, so I don't have to start branding it all over. Establish yourself as a guru...an expert in the field...the 'go-to' guy or gal and sales will increase dramaticallyThere are several things that you can do that will help you establish a recognizable brand for you and your informational products. One such thing is to have a logo made that is yours alone. Think Coca Cola or Tide! You would recognize those brand logos anywhere. If you are a graphic designer you can, of course, design your own logo. If you are like most of us, you will need to find a graphic designer to make one for you. Think of it as a one-time expense that will have value for you forever. Use this logo on all of your informational products and be sure that when it is reproduced the logo will be included in the reproduction.Another way of branding you and your informational product is to use your own picture as a part of the work. This will help to establish "you" as the "guru" and any reproduction of the work should include the picture.Use a slogan often enough that it becomes associated with your informational products. A slogan needs to be short and to the point. Think of the Walmart slogan...Always low prices...always!" It works for them and a slogan can help you brand your products, as well. This slogan should be used as a part of your informational product as often as possible.You can still have no idea how to brand your informational product, the one thing that you can do free of charge and every time is to put your name in the title of your informational product. "John Doe Teaches You How-to Whatever" is an effective way to brand an e-book or a CD or DVD.As small Internet business owners, we just don't have those beautiful multi-million advertising budgets that the big guys have but we can use some of the same tactics that have made them big guys and branding is one of those tactics. Brand you instead of your informational products, help establish yourself as an expert in your field and thereby increase you income.Craig Garcia http://www.CraigGarcia.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Garcia

Building a Clear and Consistent Identity By Joe Love

In the new business era of the 21st century, a great product or service must have a strong identity in order to attract passionate customers. Although many organizations hide their identity behind layers of packaged messaging and advertising the most successful businesses are the ones that promote their true identity in the new customer universe.Who you are and what you do should be the basis of all your marketing; having your customers and prospects know who you are and remember what you do is what makes your business authentic. Your identity is what people remember and know your business as. It is based on truth and honesty rather than being phony and something that your business is not.The identity of an organization is not a combination of character traits as it is for individuals. Identity is about being unique and authentic; it is about the soul of your business, and that is what people get passionate about.Here are four ways to make your company unique:1. Find the uncontested space. This is the most reliable, but most difficult method. It involves finding a business a business that no one else in and then defining it through your company. It is also the hardest to rely on, because as soon as you create a new industry there will be other competitors entering and ready to take you on.2. Position yourself. Positioning is the art of defining how you want to be perceived without necessarily changing the product or service you offer. Ultimately, this is closely linked to storytelling.3. Create a twist. Many times, you will be in a business where finding that completely different position seems impossible. In these businesses, you need to find an element that is unique and part of who you are that sets you apart. This is a twist. Finding this twist can be tricky, because it should be about more than just finding your signature product or service. It needs to be more significant.4. Think outside your region. This is not about changing your business, but about changing where you do it. If you have a regional business that is the same as that of several competitors, consider uprooting and establishing it elsewhere. This is not possible for everyone, but for those who have the option, it can offer a strong way for your identity to stand out.Authenticity influences how your business is truly shaped and how your customer's perception of your business is formed. Authentic businesses know how to keep their real voices and use them to build credibility and trust with their customers. Authenticity must be built from four key components:1. You must define your heritage. Where your company comes from is a great place to start to build your identity. Having a real heritage that customers can identify with brings your identity to life and demonstrates that there was a real struggle by real people to start and build the company.2. You must demonstrate passion and belief. The real passion behind a company is something that cannot be faked or manipulated, and people easily recognize when this is being done.3. You must foster individuals instead of people. Authentic companies have individuals working for them who are the ones that demonstrate passion and belief in their products and services.4. You must have motives beyond the profit. If a customer feels like every interaction with you is noting more than a chance for you to sell something, trust erodes. If, on the other hand, the interactions are about something more than profit, you can build trust.Whether your business is a one person consulting operation or a ten-person service organization, every business needs a strong identity to be successful. Understanding and incorporating company goals and visions are as important to the development of identity as it is to strategies and planning.Copyright�2008 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and success coaching programs. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in career coach training. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many businesses around the world, on the subjects of leadership, achievement, goals, strategic business planning, and marketing. Joe is the author of three books, Starting Your Own Business, Finding Your Purpose In Life, and The Guerrilla Marketing Workbook.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Love

Effective Branding Strategies By Mohita Bhargava

We prefer to go for branded things. Similarly, when people visit online, they prefer to shop from the stores that have a good reputation & well known among the masses. If you want that people should remember your store and come back to it on regular basis then you need prepare an effective branding strategy.The preliminary thing that you to do is conduct a comprehensive research on requirement and expectation of people. Usually a marketing companies has also those figures available with them, hence you can take their help. Then you need communicate your brand and creatively position them in the market. You need to keep various facets of marketing in mind and see that interest of anyone is not hampered.Often people are interested in knowing the stories behind the scenes that made one to be part of the brand. This could be something inspirational as well. It is important to identify the core elements of the brand successfully. Few elements that one needs to focus on in your branding strategy are company's name, item name, logo, color combination, advantages of using the product, etc.Online people prefer to read the details of products, which are written in simple language. Further they go in for product that clearly tells about its advantages. All this will help the customers in talking about the products in detail & create an interest among the users to buy them. If you think that you solely cannot handle the marketing strategy for your website, then hire an e marketing specialist now. They will do the needful to promote your site, products and services. Further, they will carve a niche for themselves easily.Mohita, is a SEO Copywriter at a SEO company India, Icreon Communications, software outsourcing India offers - SEO Services India. Their team of experienced SEO consultants offers wide range of services that include Offshore SEO Services, outsourcing content writing India, Online marketing India, social media optimization India, Website Marketing Company India.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mohita_Bhargava

Custom Water Fountains Give Businesses Sophistication By Ian Patterson

Custom water fountains create some of the most beautiful, relaxing places to sit and contemplate nature's beauty, in the middle of a bustling hospital or medical center. Doctors' offices and dental offices have begun to place indoor fountains throughout their buildings.There is nothing new about the popularity of water fountains as a focal point but now the medical profession is beginning to see the advantages of them as a way to get patients to relax. Similar to the use of fish tanks as a means of relaxing guests in the waiting room, water fountains are quickly becoming the focal point.As well as being a focal point, water fountains are very therapeutic. Listening to the gentle murmur of flowing water and watching it cascade down a wall or gush from a statuesque floor fountain relaxes patients and takes their mind off their visit. They are also beneficial to ones health by helping to remove allergens from the air.Doctors, dentists and medical centers are always searching for a way to add a new dimension to their medical practice branding. Corporate style floor fountains are the answer they have been searching for. Interior designers and architects love to use custom water fountains in office and hospital designs because they are remarkably beautiful, quite inexpensive compared to other decorating options and easy to install with low maintenance.A brand is important in the medical profession as it is in any business and it is just as important how it is presented it as clients walk through the front doors. Utilizing custom water fountains in interior design of medical facilities has become very common. Just close your eyes for a moment and imagine a custom waterfall as a divider between reception and waiting area with water flowing gently down the glass face and creating soothing sounds for everyone to enjoy. Imagine the impression that fountain will leave on the patients and clients while they sit in the waiting room or lobby.Custom water fountains come in all shapes and sizes, from wall mounted fountains, floor fountains standing against a wall, and free standing fountains. Many practices that boast a large foyer or lobby make use of floor standing fountains where patients may sit while awaiting their appointment. Others who have smaller facilities have been using table top fountains or wall fountains with their mirrored backs and subtle lighting. If your own doctors or dentists practice has a fountain, you will know just how relaxing they can be.One thing that they all do is to have them customized to their own unique practice. Corporate logos are one way of customizing. Logos are being engraved into stone and etched onto glass to reflect their brand. Custom indoor waterfalls can have a very naturalistic look and logos shimmering through the moving water on fountains make great signage.If you have a medical or dental practice, you may want to consider a water feature in your offices. Wherever you decide to display your custom water fountain it is sure to generate a lot of attention.Now emerging from the mist of a colorful and varied career, Ian Patterson was born early in is life somewhere in a long forgotten postal code. The mantra that he learned from his parents, while growing up on their farm was "if you want it done right, then do it yourself".That's just what he did.Ian Patterson is someone who's been there, done that, printed the T shirt and wrote the book. A firefighter, soldier, yachtsman, skier, climber, mechanic, plumber, electrician, data technician, business continuity planner, and web writer are just some of the things he's been.He was a pescaterian before it was fashionable and is an avid animal lover and a longtime dog handler. He has travelled to most countries around the world. Set up home in three of them and learned their language and culture.Now he is the founder and CEO of Write Research Office since 2004.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Patterson

Flexing Your Brand Muscles Can Cause Injury By Rosemary Grace Brooks

David Taylor, founder of the Brandgym, and a marketing thought leader in Europe, warns of the dangers of over-extending brands, that is, using an established brand as the platform to launch new products in new markets. With a portfolio of airlines, financial services and telecommunications, Richard Branson does not agree. Virgin has been extended into new markets very successfully. However, it has also been very unsuccessful - anyone remember Virgin Cola? Both Taylor and Branson are right. Brands are like muscles; the more you stretch them the more you can stretch them. Virgin went from music to airlines as a first move. This was risky but Branson pulled it off and created the reputation of Virgin as a peoples' champion. That built a strong muscle, capable of being stretched still further into other markets with entrenched players and poor service levels in need of shaking up.Virgin's muscle is based on values first, product second. Where a brand is inextricably linked to a product with values, like Coca Cola or Levi's, the muscle is stiff. A quick stretch into a new market (like shoes or suits in the case of Levi's) and there is a risk of injury. As Taylor says, better to grow the core of the brand and extend the market footprint in a more evolutionary way.But why is it that in developing brand strategies and marketing ideas some marketers have this tendency to over stretch brands? It is because they want to generate growth and believe, often wrongly, that using an existing brand to attack new markets rather than focusing on building growth in their core markets is a less risky way of doing this. It is the result of marketing and finance trying to get on the same page - growing brands and making money - but taking the quick fix rather than addressing the real issues that would lead to shared objectives.The late Peter Doyle, Professor of Marketing at Warwick University in the UK, used to emphasize the purpose of marketing as the creation of profitable growth. It is easy to confuse the tools and processes of marketing with the ultimate purpose. Doing consumer research or making ads are a significant part of marketing, market segmentation and brand positioning are important processes but, as Doyle stressed, they are just means to an end. The end in question is the same as for business as a whole, to create and sustain growth. We should stop referring to 'marketing ideas' and use business marketing ideas instead, to make this higher purpose more obvious.Marketing's obsession with brands also obscures the role of marketing. Brands are a means to the same end. Brand management is effectively reputation management and the purpose of developing brand strategies is to strengthen reputation in order to secure long term income flows. As the influence of marketing has grown in business a tension has been created between the finance community and the 'brand managers'. Finance sees the purpose of business as making money whereas brand managers only care about their precious brands.This is nothing more than an argument about timing, as Doyle also pointed out. Every decision in business has a risk profile and a positive and negative effect on cash. In finance, the decision, for example, to reduce working capital has a short term positive effect. Working capital goes down, cash goes up - normally within one fiscal year. However, lowering working capital means lowering stock cover and that can run the risk of spaces on the shelves where your brand should be. In the long term this can cause reputational damage with distributors and the chance that people will buy the competitors' brand. Short term cash gain, long term risk. When a brand manager invests money behind a brand the short term effect on cash is immediate and negative (marketing spend cannot be amortized). The potential gains in terms of enhanced reputation, more buyers, higher prices are long term and uncertain. Short term risk, long term gain, hopefully.This is over simplified but illustrates the potential disconnect between marketing and finance. Of course the purpose of business is to make money for its shareholders, the question is with what risk profile and over what time scale. Brands enable a business to lower its risk profile by building intangible value in terms of reputation and, as has been proved, they offer higher, more secure income returns over a longer time frame. Coca Cola makes superior returns than any manufacturer of unbranded fizzy drinks.For marketing and finance to get on the same page there needs to be a shared understanding of what the risk profile and timescales for income flows should be. The problem is measurement and the time frame over which measures are applied. Public companies have to issue results every quarter. Brands, the tool to deliver those results, are built over years, decades even, and the methods of measuring brand strength and brand value are much less precise than the measurement of purely financial returns. The result can be over stretching brands to chase short term financial gains and a painful pulled muscle. Taylor's advice to focus on core brand growth (build the muscle up to stretch an analogy!) is wise. As he points out, there can be less risk and higher returns in doing so which keeps everyone happy.Author Bio: Shoulders of Giants is an online business resource discussing various topics relevant to business and features giants such as David Taylor who are well respected business gurus and renowned for smart business thinking in their fields.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rosemary_Grace_Brooks

Brand Marketing By Gwyn Estember

Brand represents your product to the consumers. It is the image of your business and is vital to your success. If you have a good product then your brand will be remembered. But not only that. Through your brand you can create customer's trust. So a good name is important. Creating a name is pretty simple but how could you create a brand that will last and a sounding name to consumers?Brand marketing for your business is something you should give time because your brand will carry your success later on. Doing brand marketing is making the right impression on prospects. You are not only giving your product a good name but you are creating and bringing the right image to your company or business to the marketplace. Most businesses focused on the promotion of the product but little they know that in marketing a product, you should take a look first on the first process which is branding your product.Your brand differentiates you from your competitors. In establishing your brand, it should suggest something about a product. Think of a successful brand you trust and realize the impact on you. That brand should be short but memorable. Right? Making a wonderful logo and putting some colors in your brand are just a part of building your brand but a successful brand marketing is a complete process of researching the market.Other businessman noted that branding is not marketing but rather an integral part of their marketing strategy. Brand is the image of your business. All the services you offer with your product speaks of your brand. All the features that your product carries affects your brand. Therefore, brand marketing is essential in developing a product. A thorough market research is important in building your product.A strong brand marketing can create a steady sale that can lead you to a higher profitability. A strong brand can create loyal customers. Strong brands will stay competitive in the market. When your brand projects what market you have chosen, consumers will just hook on it and repurchase your product. When you have an established brand in the market, the less important price it becomes in the sale process.A solid brand will give you the confidence to create another product with less obstacles. In this way your giving chances for new opportunities and for the expansion of your business. Thus, your brand is the most valuable asset to your business. So state a brand that will create a link between you and your customers.About the Author:Gwyn Estember is an employee of DotComSecrets which teaches various internet marketing strategies to internet business owners.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gwyn_Estember

Personalised Pens - An Inexpensive Branding Tool By David Tinney

Using personalised pens to promote your business is becoming increasingly popular. With increased demand, manufacturers have increasingly diversified the types and styles of pens available to achieve competitive advantage, providing you with substantial choice to find the personalised pens that best matches your specific campaign .Eco-Friendly Personalised PensPressure is increasing on businesses to be environmentally-friendly, and purchasing is one area you can make a difference. You can now purchase recycled pens produced only from recycled material, recyclable pens, and biodegradable pens and pens made from sustainable materials. For example, personalised eco pens are made from recycled paper, and many ranges of recyclables are made from ABS plastic, that is used to made CD cases, mobile phones, etc. "Vegetal Pens" are made from vegetable oil derived from corn starch, that is reprocessed into a solid, plastic-like material suitable for printing logos to.Cheap Stick PensThe bread and butter of promotional pens are your stick pens: biros and ball types like the Firenze and Flamenco branded types. These are best for use at conferences, tradeshows, exhibitions and other large corporate events where promotional pens are a dime a dozen and you're giving out as many as possible. In contrast, when sending out direct mail sent to existing customers, while you may not wish to splash out on more expensive executive pens, you may wish to show you value their custom by choosing a product in between.Engraved Pens and Business Gift PensExecutive pens are more expensive, and so might be reserved for highly valued customers and/or employees. Examples might be a Parker Vector Rollerball Pen, or a number of other Parker or Windsor models. These pens are generally made of metal instead of plastic, feature a more traditional or stylised design, and are often engraved with your personalisation as opposed to printed. Executive gifts, such as rosewood pens, are often given boxed.More Controversial PensSome personalised pen distributors have attempted to design novel models that are more likely to seize your attention, such as glow-in-the-dark, flashing lights, multi-coloured nibs, lasers pointers, logo projection, etc. Pens such as these are likely to be more effective for a shorter, high-impact campaigns, exploiting the novelty factor that will soon become annoying and be trashed. As such, be careful with flashy pens that lose the longer term brand recognition benefits to be had from less controversial options.Personalised PencilsIt might be that a pencil is more suitable for your campaigns needs, in which case there are a number of styles of pencil for you to choose between, for example natural wood pencils, pencils with or without erasers, triangular shaped pencils, push-nib pencils, and many more.By selecting the most appropriate personalised pen, you give your campaign the best chances of success.Foremost Products offer a range of personalised pens at wholesale prices, including eco pens and many other types and styles.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Tinney

Police Challenge Coins By Frank Cassidy

Coin collecting has been around for many years. You might have started collecting coins when you were younger at the encouragement of your parents, you might still have a dusty book of them somewhere too. There are many types of coins to collect, you can start with your birth year and collect a coin for each year of your life or start with a centennial. It's fun and it's a great memory to pass on to your children. What type of coins you collect depends on what you're interested in. The true collector starts with a certain theme and stays there.Police challenge coins are special because they can be custom designed to reflect the departments attributes. Although some collectors are more interested in obtaining these precious one of a kind coins for collector reasons only other people think that it devalues them when civilians seek them as prize possessions without understanding the meaning behind the coins design.Perhaps you've have had somebody in your family that has been in law enforcement. A police challenge coin can be a symbol of their hard work and dedication while on the force. Those who are lost in the line of duty can have a coin made in their name and their remembrance can be minted for those to keep and pass on to others.The whole premise behind the term "challenge coin" is that a person who is in law enforcement can use their coin as a challenge. The coin is seen as a right to challenge others who walk the blue line too. A person who has a challenge coin can bring their coin out for show and tap it in a bar and those who possess police coins have thirty seconds to show their coins or they own the person a beer. It's also a way to show your pride in your department.Because coins last forever and can be handed down to the next generation for bragging rights they also encapsulate a time that somebody served and protected. Coins, unlike rings or badges, can be enjoyed by everyone who remembers them. Police challenge coins are created to keep the police force family as close knit as possible. It's best to keep your police challenge coin on you at all times. There is a time and place to use it for a challenge, don't make a rookie mistake and challenge it at the wrong precincts bar.Police challenge coins can be made to highlight any department or agency. Those who want a special coin can design one that only a few people have and even though a collector might want one, they would not be able to obtain. Some coins are so rare that even some police departments only show them to each other as a symbol of brotherhood among themselves. Those coins will live and die with the owners.Frank Cassidy is the owner of UnitCoins.us your online resourcefor creating and customizing your own Police Challenge Coins.Get a free quote by filling out the request form at: http://www.unitcoins.us/quote.shtmlArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Cassidy

Top Five Corporate Branding Mistakes By Jerry Glynn

A good branding strategy is essential to the growth and success of any company, but many companies make mistakes at the start that end up costing them brand recognition and revenue later on. Do not let this happen to you. Keep reading to find out more about some of the most common corporate branding mistakes.The number one mistake is assuming that you do not need a brand at all, that your product or service will magically sell itself, and you would be surprised if you knew just how many people truly believe this. Word of mouth advertising only counts for so much, and to truly succeed, you must develop a brand that represents what makes your company, product, or service unique.If you cannot stand out from your competition, then no one will ever find you, especially if you are in a competitive industry. Find something to focus on, some unique angle, and use that to develop a marketing and branding strategy.While you are developing this strategy, do not give into the temptation to promise more than you can deliver. Word of mouth will work against you in this case, and truth in advertising is a rule for success that should always be followed. Unrealistic expectations made in the hopes of securing business are rarely, if ever, able to be met.You should also be sure that you truly understand your customers and the demographic that you are targeting. Ask yourself if your customer experience lives up to its promises, and whether or not you would be satisfied with the product or service if you were a customer. If not, then it is obviously time to reevaluate your process.Another corporate branding mistake that is very common, particularly with new businesses and companies, is an inexperienced branding approach. If people within your organization do not have the expertise and skills necessary to develop an effective corporate branding strategy, than you should consider hiring a professional with experience in the field. This may be more expensive initially, but will save you considerable amounts of money in the long run.Finally, while you are busy building a client base, developing a branding strategy, and making your business a success, do not forget about your existing clients and the services and products that you have promised to deliver to them. Developing a reputation for quality and credibility with your existing clients is just as important, if not more so, then courting a new clientele.If they are happy with your company, your current clients can become effective business generation and referral resources, which will help you to further promote your new corporate branding strategy.For more information about corporate branding please visit our website.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_Glynn

3 Tips For Business Card Graphic Design By Patrick Cannon

Less than 10 percent of the business cards people receive are kept by potential customers. There are many reasons for this. One of them is the perception that the quality of the business card graphic design did not exceed their expectations of the service that would be provided to them.Anyone can come up with a business card graphic design they personally like. They can print it out on their home printer with materials from the local office supply store. That's the easy part. The hard part is convincing the sales prospect you handed the card to that you are serious and professional with the design you like, but they don't. Some people specialize in building relationships and selling, others in the art of business card graphic design. Know which one you are. If you are not the designer, one of the best options is to look for a business card designer and printer on the Internet. A little known fact is most local printers send out the orders for high quality business cards to a wholesale printer. They are just the middle man, increasing your costs.There are hundreds of printers on the Internet. Do a search on Google for instance for "realtor business cards" or "unique photo business cards" and you will get a gazillion links. Only a few of them are capable of meeting your expectations if you do not possess specialized skills in business card graphic design. Otherwise, you may be paying cheap, but you're not going to be getting excellent quality for the price you paid. At the end of the day the price you pay for the cards is less important than the lost sales from not having the best cards! Just to make sure that you can find the right business card designer to work with here are some of the best characteristics to look for:Business Card Branding The printer must be able to deliver the right kind of message. Your glossy business cards are not only meant to provide contact information. They can be used as the first piece of business branding materials, marketing collateral from your company, that the prospect sees. Business Card Genius is one printer that understands business cards and branding and will work with you to keep it all in sync. They are not the only one. Send me an email and I will give you a few more!Creative Business Cards The printer's designers should be creative. Creativity can go a long way, and your chosen business card designer must have a knack for artistry. A professional should be able to include logos, photos, and other graphics your business cards. The more eye catching the business card is, the more it will be kept by your client. You can browse through the printer's portfolio page for impressive samples in different categories like automotive, realty, mortgage, and retail. If they don't care enough to show you their graphic design work, you should consider that before you establish your printing relationship with them.Good Value For The Price The printer should be cost effective. Business card printing is not expensive nor is it reasonable to expect to get effectively free business cards to sell a product that costs thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Business card graphic design is expensive. Designers with an eye for the business, the flair and creativity that goes into it, are not THAT common. From a business perspective, it costs more to staff the designer for a job than it does print the product. If you are paying under $100 for 1,000 business cards, you probably did NOT have a designer involved. In other words your cards are based on a template they give to everyone. There is no unique message customized to your business. You won't stand out. Your NOT in the 10% of cards that will be kept. I hope you close the sale on the spot!The printer should never "save" you a few bucks by using reduced quality materials if your target sales prospect is an affluent buyer. It costs you sales. There are different types of papers that can be utilized by a business card graphic designer, including uncoated and coated stocks and various specialty treatments. The best companies make use of coated stocks for glossier as well as a more professional and impressive appearance. Moreover, their card stock is 16PT, which means they are very thick and will resist being bent out of shape better. They also stand out in the typical stack of 10PT and 12PT business cards. The sides of the business cards may also be coated to further increase the thickness.If you spend $100 or $200 for a few thousand business cards, the cost of the card is pennies per sale. Invest in the very best business cards. If you are a realtor splitting an 8% commission on a $300,000 sale the marketing collateral costs are very minor. Same thing for other sales people targeted at the affluent buyer market.Patrick lives and writes on a variety of topics in Connecticut. The principal behind Business Card Genius, an Internet Printer catering to sales professionals focused on affluent target markets, he is deeply involved on a day to day basis with technology and small business operations. He can be reached at pjc@businesscardgenius.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrick_Cannon

Personalised Pens - An Inexpensive Branding Tool By David Tinney

Using personalised pens to promote your business is becoming increasingly popular. With increased demand, manufacturers have increasingly diversified the types and styles of pens available to achieve competitive advantage, providing you with substantial choice to find the personalised pens that best matches your specific campaign .Eco-Friendly Personalised PensPressure is increasing on businesses to be environmentally-friendly, and purchasing is one area you can make a difference. You can now purchase recycled pens produced only from recycled material, recyclable pens, and biodegradable pens and pens made from sustainable materials. For example, personalised eco pens are made from recycled paper, and many ranges of recyclables are made from ABS plastic, that is used to made CD cases, mobile phones, etc. "Vegetal Pens" are made from vegetable oil derived from corn starch, that is reprocessed into a solid, plastic-like material suitable for printing logos to.Cheap Stick PensThe bread and butter of promotional pens are your stick pens: biros and ball types like the Firenze and Flamenco branded types. These are best for use at conferences, tradeshows, exhibitions and other large corporate events where promotional pens are a dime a dozen and you're giving out as many as possible. In contrast, when sending out direct mail sent to existing customers, while you may not wish to splash out on more expensive executive pens, you may wish to show you value their custom by choosing a product in between.Engraved Pens and Business Gift PensExecutive pens are more expensive, and so might be reserved for highly valued customers and/or employees. Examples might be a Parker Vector Rollerball Pen, or a number of other Parker or Windsor models. These pens are generally made of metal instead of plastic, feature a more traditional or stylised design, and are often engraved with your personalisation as opposed to printed. Executive gifts, such as rosewood pens, are often given boxed.More Controversial PensSome personalised pen distributors have attempted to design novel models that are more likely to seize your attention, such as glow-in-the-dark, flashing lights, multi-coloured nibs, lasers pointers, logo projection, etc. Pens such as these are likely to be more effective for a shorter, high-impact campaigns, exploiting the novelty factor that will soon become annoying and be trashed. As such, be careful with flashy pens that lose the longer term brand recognition benefits to be had from less controversial options.Personalised PencilsIt might be that a pencil is more suitable for your campaigns needs, in which case there are a number of styles of pencil for you to choose between, for example natural wood pencils, pencils with or without erasers, triangular shaped pencils, push-nib pencils, and many more.By selecting the most appropriate personalised pen, you give your campaign the best chances of success.Foremost Products offer a range of personalised pens at wholesale prices, including eco pens and many other types and styles.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Tinney