5 Traits of a Great Brand
June 28, 2010
Simply put, great brands have 5 common traits. You will find these traits in many of the top brands from manufacturing to retail to b2b to politicians. Overall, the question is: Does your brand have these traits?
Here they are:
1. Purpose.
They have a purpose; and this purpose inspires action. Does your brand inspire others?
2. People
They are driven by people – customers, employees, and stakeholders. Are your org charts based on on process or people?
3. Legends
They grow because of legends; stories told by the people that drive the brand. What is your story and who is telling it?
4. Transparency
They are high-integrity organizations that are naturally transparent. Are you excited to show people what your company is actually like?
5. Relevance
They respect heritage, but embrace the future – as such, they are always relevant. Are you top of mind with your audience?
Does your brand have these traits? If yes, continue on your path and help others along the way. If no, make changes. This economy will not let poor brands succeed. It is time to take ownership.
Justin Foster on KTVB
June 24, 2010
The 5 areas mentioned in the discussion:
- Present your brand as fresh and relevant. This includes all areas of first impressions such as logo, lobby/storefront, web site, etc. It is critical that you look modern - and that you take your brand seriously.
- Tell positive stories. Focus your messaging on positive things you are doing right now for your customers. Don’t incite fear; inspire confidence in your brand.
- Focus on your existing customers. They have stuck with you through tough times, so be sure to reward them first. Don’t insult them by offering better deals to new customers.
Don’t be lazy. Just because you have less competition, don’t get lazy with your brand. This includes the first impression areas mentioned above, but also sharp messaging and a compelling story.
- Act now! As the economy improves, competition will increase - so go after mind-share right now. This doesn’t just mean spending more money. It simply means be more aggressive and bold in your marketing.
60 Seconds BP and Toyota
June 22, 2010
This is our fifth video in our “60 Seconds” series. We will be posing a number of questions in this series. We will attempt to answer one question per week in video form. There are two rules for the “60 Seconds” series:
1) Justin has 60 seconds to answer a given question.
2) The video is unscripted. Justin has not seen the question before taping. What you see is raw footage, there is only one take. We do this to keep ourselves down-to-earth and transparent.
This week’s question: BP and Toyota are spending a ton of money on advertising right now, what are they doing right?
Is your brand a great idea?
June 21, 2010
Is your brand a great idea?
All great brands are also great ideas – and great ideas have seven traits. How does your brand match up?
________ Is it simple? Do people quickly “get it”?
________ Does it incite curiosity or amazement?
________ Is it tangible? Can people touch it – or at least create an image in their mind?
________ Is it credible? Does it seem real and/or attainable?
________ Does it spark emotion? Is it polarizing?
________ Does it generate stories? Is it buzz-worthy?
________ Is it sustainable? Does it have natural momentum; a sense of inevitability?
If you have all seven traits, then the purpose of branding is to amplify these areas and accelerate the natural viral traits of a great idea.
60 Seconds Bonus!
June 15, 2010
This is our fourth video in our “60 Seconds” series. We will be posing a number of questions in this series. We will attempt to answer one question per week in video form. There are two rules for the “60 Seconds” series:
1) Justin has 60 seconds to answer a given question.
2) The video is unscripted. Justin has not seen the question before taping. What you see is raw footage, there is only one take. We do this to keep ourselves down-to-earth and transparent.
This week’s question: If you were the CMO of a company like Qwest, what would you do?
60 Sec To Turn A Company Around
June 15, 2010
This is our third video in our “60 Seconds” series. We will be posing a number of questions in this series. We will attempt to answer one question per week in video form. There are two rules for the “60 Seconds” series:
1) Justin has 60 seconds to answer a given question.
2) The video is unscripted. Justin has not seen the question before taping. What you see is raw footage, there is only one take. We do this to keep ourselves down-to-earth and transparent.
This week’s question: How do you take a good company with a poor perception and turn it around?
Rules of Engagement
June 14, 2010
Tricycle’s Social Media Rules of Engagement
Social Media is not a fad. It is not just for “kids”. It is an accepted, proven tool in an increasing number of organizations. However, there remains a lot confusion on the rules; of how to properly use social media in a business environment. We believe the following are the 5 foundational rules of engagement for any organization that wishes to utilize social media.
1. Social first; media second. Simply put, social media is not an advertising platform. As such, you don’t broadcast your message through social channels. Instead, you focus first on being “social” – by connecting with people and having conversations.
2. Person first; corporation second. Social media is a person-to-person medium, not corporate-to-person. As such, each employee within an organization is connecting with the audience as themselves, not as an official representative of the company. In short, social media doesn’t have “spokespeople”.
3. Keep it real. Social Media is not a place to create an image of something you are not. It is a place for organizations and their people to be what they really are. Occasionally this means dealing with negative situations. The best thing to do is to be authentic and transparent.
4. When to sell. Social Media can be a business development tool. It is just a matter of the right timing. Remember this formula: conversations create relationships which create transactions. Go out and talk to people, get to know them – then politely let them know what you are selling.
5. Attention to detail. Just like other mediums, first impressions matter; so it is important to pay attention to details. A few examples: having a decent head-shot, having a well-crafted bio (including what you do for your company), making sure that all areas of your profile are as complete as possible.
You will notice that many of these rules are just age-old common sense. This is because Social Media is ultimately about people. So be civil, look people in the eye, and sit up straight!
June Events
June 9, 2010
Ultraclean Smokeout
When: June 17 from 11am to 2pm
Where: Hawk’s Stadium
Why: This is a fun networking event.
About the event:
Brandon Wright of UltraClean stated, “The Boise Hawks is opening up the stadium at 11am and we are going to have a contest, 20 people are going to give their 30 second commercial, we will pick the top five (crowd decides) and then its a show down with new rules (announced at that time to make it interesting). The top winner will get an amazing prize. The Value is you get to pitch your business to the crowd. Then at 11:30am we will open up the concession stands, the field, the dugout, locker rooms, take a tour of the park, play catch or Frisbee in the outfield, batting in the infield, do what you want and have fun. This event is all FREE donated by the Hawks. June 17th at 11am till 2pm. See you there.”
Note: This is not a Tricycle event, but an event we highly recommend.
60 Sec: Marketing Degrees
June 8, 2010
This is our second video in our “60 Seconds” series. We will be posing a number of questions in this series. We will attempt to answer one question per week in video form. There are two rules for the “60 Seconds” series:
1) Justin has 60 seconds to answer a given question.
2) The video is unscripted. Justin has not seen the question before taping. What you see is raw footage, there is only one take. We do this to keep ourselves down-to-earth and transparent.
This week’s question: What is the usefulness of a marketing degree?
New Director of Marketing
June 4, 2010
Thomas Golden Moves from Brand Coordinator to Director of Marketing
At Tricycle, we believe that every organization needs to have discipline and accountability with their marketing. Every organization needs to have a position who’s role is dedicated to focusing these efforts. We often recommend to our clients that they should hire a brand evangelist. As Tricycle continues to become more focused and disciplined, we have decided to take our own medicine.
Tricycle is excited to announce that Thomas Golden, formerly Tricycle’s Brand Coordinator, has been named as the Director of Marketing. Thomas will now be in charge of all Tricycle’s marketing efforts. This new position will allow him to dedicate his time to specifically managing Tricycle’s brand.
Thomas commented on his new role as the Director of Marketing, “I am excited to take on this new role. I know the organization and I can’t wait to help Tricycle focus our marketing, while striving to remain the quirky brand we know and love.”
Find more about Thomas on his blog, his Twitter page or his LinkedIn profile.
