brands

They’d better start now. Brazil, that is. On greening the 2016 Olympics.

Russ Meyer — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:50:47 -0500

That’s what ran through my head this week when I heard the latest news about the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. On November 5th, the city officially handed over the athlete’s village to the Olympics, which prompted a flurry of news reports about the overall ‘greenness’ of the games. A former industrial area, the site boasts various LEED certifications for the new construction. The winning design was agreed upon back in 2006, long before any of us had heard about the global financial crisis or credit default swaps.

Razorfish's FEED Study: Brands Are the New Celebrity

Stephanie Schomer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:20:02 -0500

You know social media is a powerful tool for business when a grocery store attracts more Twitter followers than pop star Lady Gaga and almost as many as Miley Cyrus, whose departure drove her 2 million fans to make #MileyComeBack a trending topic for more than a day.

Packaging That Disappears

Russ Meyer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:45:40 -0500

Once again, it seems consumers and the general public are ahead of many corporations and brands when it comes to sustainability. San Francisco’s new composting law has gone into effect, and many SF residents are excited about it.

Leaping the Sustainability Divide

Russ Meyer — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:45:26 -0400

I’ve been on vacation for a couple weeks spending time in New Zealand, which seems to be a small country with a big commitment to integrating sustainability into daily life…but my blog posting on that will have to wait for another day. Because in the last week, I’ve run smack into several manifestations of what appears to be a growing “sustainability divide” with corporations and their brands opting to choose one side or the other.

Rock Star Farmers

Russ Meyer — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:30:36 -0400

Someone I follow on Twitter is an organic farmer (@friendthefarmer). He knows I work in branding and asked an interesting question recently: “How do we make farmers heroes like chefs or rock stars?” I grew up on a farm in the Midwest and can’t imagine my father even considering the idea of becoming a brand name. But it is an interesting question: why no “rock star” farmers?

How Many Green Brands Can You Name?

Russ Meyer — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:23:31 -0400

As the goal of this blog is to talk about Green Brands and the challenges companies big and small have in creating and marketing them, I thought a good place to start is with the latest data from consumers regarding their perceptions of sustainability and green brands.

“You can’t change the world, if you cannot change your perception of it.”

Russ Meyer — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:44:21 -0400

Powerful quote. Absolutely appropriate for this constantly evolving world in which we find ourselves. An acknowledgement that perception and reality are integrally linked. Squarely at the center of sustainability and brands. It’s a quote from the man whose name is on the business card I carry: Walter Landor, founder of Landor Associates. (You can find Walter interviewed on YouTube here.)

Internal Branding Conference

Clay Dillow — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:07:28 -0400

Are your internal brand messages getting crossed up with your external branding efforts? Untangle the mess through August 6 at the Internal Branding Conference, where speakers from such high-profile organizations as Hyatt, AAA, and Exelon discuss strategies for employee engagement, using Web 2.0 technologies to push steer your messages, and aligning internal and external brand identities.

August 3
Internal Branding Conference
Chicago

Burberry and the Next Big Brands to Come From the East

Anne C. Lee — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:48:14 -0400

The Biggest-and Newest-Name in Sports Stadiums: Populous

Jeff Chu — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:52:29 -0400

Inaguration of President Bararck Obama and the Brand Campaign

Chris DeNigris — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:20:00 -0500

Never have we seen an elected president, and maybe even any single person come into the spotlight as quickly, and with as much force as Barack Obama has over the last 4+ years. If online search (googling) can give any indication of a person’s visibility, then Barack has shattered records.

Test

Chris DeNigris — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:02:05 -0500

This is a test

Scenarios for the Future of Brands

Richard Watson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 23:12:23 -0500

Smart Planet:

This is a world where people are fully aware of climate concerns and other worries but have a belief in science, human ingenuity and the power of free markets to sort everything out. It is a world of radical re-engineering and inventiveness; biotechnology and nanotechnology, both driven by a free market. Clean tech is huge and brands are squeaky clean, both in terms of transparency but also in terms of carbon neutrality. Winning brands build platforms using science and technology.

Scenarios for the Future of Brands

Richard Watson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:34:40 -0500

In these times of rampant uncertainty looking forwards has become something of a necessity. What will life be like in 2020 for a new generation experiencing the impact of such things as climate change, biotechnology and virtual reality and what will brands look like in this world?

Thinking about the future of brands has been done many times before, but I think that using a scenario-based approach may be something of a first. I will post some detail on each 'world' over the next few days. This work has been developed with Wayde Bull and Oliver Freeman by the way.

Pepsi’s new brand identity: Not what I call "refreshing".

alfredo muccino — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:16:44 -0500

Occasionally brands need a little refreshing. Pepsi recently announced that it is canning BBDO Worldwide, which has produced campaigns for the brand since 1960, in an effort “to refresh Pepsi’s communications,” according Dave Burwick, the new chief marketing officer for the PepsiCo North America beverages division. PepsiCo also selected the Arnell Group as its design agency for brand identity and packaging.

Liquid Agency collaborates with Michael Graves on product design project.

alfredo muccino — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:57:30 -0500

Liquid Agency is helping to guide the development of the Slice brand, a maker of innovative products that cut, slice, grate, etc. Part of the brand development includes the selection of world class designers and architects with whom we collaborate on product design. We started with a series of office and kitchen products by Karim Rashid, one of the brightest stars in design today. Next, we engaged none other than Michale Graves - easily one of the most influential architects of the century - who is working on an entirely new category of products.

Will small bank brands on Main Street seize the day?

Dan Gershenson — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:00:37 -0500

Obviously these are not the greatest of economic times, but believe
it or not, there is good news to be found in the midst of the financial
crisis — particularly if you are the Chief Marketing Officer of a
smaller community or regional bank.

Retail Strategy

Tim Manners — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:33:52 -0400

For all intents and purposes, retail strategy is an oxymoron. Most marketers view retail as a tactic, not a strategy. They see it as a function of sales, not marketing. But those who understand the potential of a "retail strategy" to make or break a brand have a real edge over those who don't.

Quick Start to Social Media Change

Jason Kintzler — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:15:43 -0400

Since I started blogging about social media and PR, I've managed to
spark a lot of discussion around some seemingly overlooked
opportunities for newspapers, journalists, brands and agencies to
embrace and integrate social media. Sometimes I just stir things up,
but my goal is to generate some practical methods for integration.

The Future of Green... Everything

Brian Reich — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:43:26 -0400

I have spent the last few days at the Sustainable Brands conference in Monterey, CA. The event brings together some of the most infuential people in corporate, nonprofit, media, and other key arenas for a conversation about how to operate in more environmentally efficient and appropriate ways and what impacts of the green movement have on marketing, branding, and the like. I was a member of the planning committee for the event and led a discussion about social networking.

Choosing a Political Brand

Rip Empson — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:29:29 -0400

I just read Danielle Sacks’ post on Europeans Hearting Obama, which stirred me into a heartfelt response of my own…

‘StarBUCKS’ Status | The cost of Cool.

hajj flemings — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:30:45 -0400

‘StarBUCKS’ Status. What is the cost of cool? And are you willing to pay the price?
I got the inspiration for this blog in the Minneapolis airport this
weekend. As I went from gate F14 to A6 I saw ‘StarBUCKS.’ I stopped to
get my usual White Chocolate Mocha Grande
with caramel drizzled on top. I wasn’t craving caffeine or necessarily

Indiana Jones and the Resiliency of Brands

Kevin Ohannessian — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:58:24 -0500

Brands that establish emotional connections can survive twenty years of stagnation.

In other words, I can't wait to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

I Like B&N’s New Return Policy

Jason Marcuson — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:50:29 -0500

Retailers seem to be cracking down on returns lately, and I don’t really blame them. I’m all for fairness if a product is defective, or the wrong size, but you have to draw the line somewhere. The customer isn’t right if the customer is trying to rip you off.

Barnes & Noble made some waves this week with this announcement:

So what’s so wrong with that?

Breaking Down the Best Companies to Work For

Jason Marcuson — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:15:58 -0500

Shouldn't it be "The Best Companies For Whom to Work?"

Whatever. Let's take a look at the companies making this highly-publicized list for 2008: