Video: Social Dreams
August 8, 2008
“If you build it … will they come?”
Many companies invest a lot of expense in developing their own custom social networks, tools and spaces. Although, this isn’t always ill-advised, we discuss some ideas to keep in mind when considering going it alone.
What is Social Branding?
July 23, 2008
“Social branding” combines the principles of social media with the principles of branding.
An explanation …
Most of us know the principles of branding - reputation, image, positioning, name recognition, consistency, customer experience, product quality, etc. These are still true. The difference today is that most brands are at the mercy of The People. Less gently put, social media empowers people to grow or kill a brand in the blink of an eye. And you really can’t do much about it - other than manage the customer experience and keep open lines of dialogue.
The common denominator between brands and social media is people. Brands grow because of people. And social media accelerates relationships amongst people. With the exception of e-Commerce, most customers equate their brand experience with the people they interacted with. This is why social media allows big brands to act small and personal, while allowing small brands to reach more people. This is what makes social media such a powerful branding tool - people talking to people on a mass scale.
What has really changed are the rules of marketing - CPM, repetition, message control, promotion, etc. Consider some of the principles of social media:
- Social media is not a broadcast medium. It is a conversation platform.
- The heart-and-soul of social media is the conversation.
- Social media is person-to-person not company-to-person.
- Social media requires a transparent and open culture from all parties.
Of course, there are more principles, but these suffice to get the point across that almost all of the commonly held rules of marketing are diametrically opposed to social media. Simply put, nobody likes the guy who talks too loud and hands out his business card to everyone.
So …
What happens when you are transparent about your brand’s personality and purpose? What happens when you allow your employees and customers to be the “face” of your brand? What happens when your brand becomes a conversation topic? You get “social branding”.
To learn more about how to develop your social brand, click here.
Video: Social Media
July 15, 2008
“Why am I using this tool?”
People start using a social media tool often and end up asking this question. We discuss how to find momentum and usage for social media tools.
Have you ever felt this way? Which tools do you feel are more relevant to your toolset than others?
Video: iPhone Brand
July 15, 2008
Is it possible to be product-centric, even user-centric, and still not be customer centric?
We discuss Apple and the iPhone and how these brands dominate even after cashing in good amounts of customer equity.
What do you think?
Time & Transparency
June 19, 2008
“Time is truth’s best friend”
Based on a few recent events where companies have had a series of negative turn of events … and then tried to ’spin’ their way out of it, we thought we’d talk a bit about what avoiding transparency can do to your brand.
Whether you or your company chooses to be transparent, the truth gets out; today faster than ever thanks to Twitter and other social media tools
Has anyone worked for a company that didn’t get this?
John McCain’s Idea
June 17, 2008
With the upcoming presidential elections approaching, we thought we’d analyze the two candidates and whether or not their brands were backed by a solid ’simple idea’; the core cause behind their campaign.
Here’s what we think John McCain’s simple idea is …
What do you think?
Share your opinion on what you think John McCain’s simple idea is or should be!
Barack Obama’s Idea
June 17, 2008
With the upcoming presidential elections approaching, we thought we’d analyze the two candidates and whether or not their brands were backed by a solid ’simple idea’; the core cause behind their campaign.
Here’s what we think Barack Obama’s simple idea is …
What do you think?
Share your opinion on what you think Barack Obama’s simple idea is or should be!
Coke - 1000 Year Brand
May 24, 2008
We sent a question out to our viewers:
What is a current brand that will be around 1000 years from now?
It may not be around in 1000 years, but a brand whose impact or recognition will be felt.
Below is our discussion on the topic
What do you think?
Share your opinion on whether you think Coke has the potential to be a 1000 Year Brand.
Event Calendar
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