What a Find

while doing these posts i did a lot of digging for examples and inspirations to aid me in getting my opinion across. While doing so i stumbled across a web site called "Brand New". It basically deals with Brand changes dealing with their logos. It shows both the old logo and the new refurbished logo. the site is Brand New.

For Example:














While this alone is something to witness. There is also a comments section where others can give their opinion on whether they like or dislike the new change. This Hertz logo got around 75 comments which is very good for such a small site.

Any ways i encourage you to take a look, it really is a great site.

ENJOY
j burry

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The People I See

here are two brand personalities for the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Wii

The Wii is male, early thirties. Who is married with 1 or 2 younger children. He like to bring his family together by doing something that is entertaining as well as being interactive. He enjoys friendly competition with close friends and family. His most favourite band is The Beatles.

Xbox 360

The 360 is definitely male, aged 25-30. He is unmarried with no kids. He loves being connected to all entertainment whether it be movies, games, or music. He is very competitive and will challenge anyone who gets in his way no matter what. His most favourite band is The Rolling Stones.

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Brand Extension

im going to look a a few quick brand extensions today. Most are not out in the market yet but are looking to penetrate into different markets. Some are kind of a long shot while other seem more realistic.

The first brand extension is a Dell cellphone. I say this in the citizen a couple weeks backs and thought to myself that it would be a huge long shot. With the iPhone already out now for a year or so now it have been gaining market share by the day. the iPhone has easily become the phone to have. Some of the preveious holders are beginning to feel the pinch as is, so bring in a new phone from a company who has never competeted in the category before will be a huge feet to grab any kind of market share. However. while looking for this story online i came accross and article that talks about Dell introducing a small hand held computer, some what like the Apple iTouch. This would be a much better extension in my opinon for a computer company to extend into.

link

After doing some research online about upcoming brand extensions I came accross a page done by a research company who did a servey which names the best and worse brand extensions in eight popular categories. This was really fun to read because I've never heard of some of these products before, like the Harley-Davidson's cake decorating kit or the Victoria Secret's romance novels. Have a look it really interesting to read.

link

ENJOY!

J Burry

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When Brand Loyalty Goes to Far.

Can someones brand loyalty go to far?

We all have our special brand that we buy exclusively over any other in its category. Whether it be Apple products, a kind of car, or even a certain type of dish detergent. Brand loyalty can stem from a personal connection with a brand, like those who are more artsy owning an Apple computer over Microsoft, or can be built upon you from family member over a long period of time that you just start to see that brand as the most trusted, like Sunlight for example.

Lets take a band for example because every band has their own personality. Some people enjoy bands like say U2 because they grew up listening to it or because they always heard it around the house. Others might have found out about U2 later on and connected with the music through emotion in a certain period of their life. Sometimes when you become really attached to a brand you tend to want to share it with friends, family, or even co-workers. This is a great way to share your love for a brand, but can it go to far?

I remember a while back i came upon a site dedicated to brand tattoos. Yes, some are so much in love with a brand that they have to keep it with them forever. Not just ,say, a bands logo (which might be ok) but an actual logo, like Dell or even Google. This to me a bit extreme. In my opinion, on the wrong body and where it is located might even hurt the brand in some ways. I searched the internet again for this little post hoping not to find more examples, but in fact found worse. Tattoos like fast food and high end brand names.

Here are two links I quickly found. One give a little write up on Brand logos and the other gives some examples.

Write up

Examples

ENJOY!

J Burry

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Are brand characters only for a younger audience?

Do brand characters only appeal to a younger demographic? Or is the other way around?

This question "sort of" came up today concerning our campaign strategy for Canada Post. As a group we came up with a little mailman that would be used for the new Canada Post e-mail service. Although this character was positioned to an older audience we used a cartoon version of a mailman. We thought it would just appeal to everyone, no matter the age. And from the reactions from the Canada Post employees we found that this to be true.

Sure on the surface it would seem that a little cartoon character with a squeaky voice should only appeal to a younger audience but it can connect with such a larger demographic based on its personality, mannerisms, and the way in which it presents himself. Tony the Tiger for example appeals to both audiences. While kids look up to him for his excellent sport skills parents can become attracted to him as well because of his routine of a well balanced breakfast.

Just by making a brand character with a catchy jingle just isn't enough any more. You must give him a personality as well as time to grow with the audience. This will make the character more relateable.

Today in class we learned about “brand stories” and how they can help propel a product above its competitors. Having a story behind your brand can bring about a higher level of awareness, consideration, and can ensure cycle repetition. It can connect a certain brand directly to the audience its trying to connect to by using similar experiences or feelings. Creating a great brand story, in my opinion, has to be created from the beginning and must be continuous throughout that bands life cycle. This way it can connect without sending mixed signals.

While listening in on the class today I thought about my groups brand that we chose (Crayola) and how it could be applied. I do believe that Crayola has a brand character, but is only used as a sort of logo and has no real back story. While doing some research online about different brand stories I came across Crayolas story of how it came to be. It used the three main points in crafting a good brand strategy: Clarity, Consistency, and Character.

Crayola is very clear to anyone who knows the brand. Just by saying Crayola you automatically know who they are and what they do. Crayola has been a staple in early classrooms around North America for as long as anyone can remember. They are know as a form of creativity that have been marketed over the years to both parents and children. There as also been a consistency over the years with Crayola. They have used the same green and yellow box since the beginning. And it has used character by introducing thousands of new colors throughout the years that, i feel, brings the brand to life even on a somewhat emotional level.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Crayola_crayon_colors

For example of Crayola connecting on a emotional level here are a list of some of the colors Crayola has created. Going through the list you automatically get a feeling of what that color will look like, taste like, or even get a feel for that color.

http://artbistro.monster.com/education/articles/6519-crayola-brand-the-color-purple---or-red-or-green-or

Here is a link to the story of how Crayola came to be and insight into the brand.

ENJOY!

J. Burry

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