Viva Vivera !

HP has branded their ink cartridges with a new name. I guess they didn't think that the respected HP brand was enough to differentiate their inks from the lower-priced refills and substitute cartridges marketed by after-market suppliers.

So they're now promoting their Vivera inks.

But the radio ads I've heard recently for their inks reveal a real problem with coined words.

In this particular case the very articulate voice-over was speaking so fast that the word, Vivera was swallowed and blurred into garble. Hard to promote a brand if it's not articulated.

Did HP consider audio-exclusive applications when selecting Vivera?

Another problem: how well does the verbal pronunciation equate to the print on the retail package?

It's important that coined words are pronounceable, and that they can be recognized equally and correlated in all media.

Coined names can be hazardous. Consider them carefully from all perspectives before adoption.

Martin Jelsema
Signature Strategies

Helping smaller companies profit from the power of branding

The Gap Gets It

Recently my wife and I visited a semi-rundown shopping mall where several shops were being rented for purposes other than retail. The regional The Gap stores had their training facility there.

As I walked by, I saw a sign on the inner door to the classroom. The sign, bigger than life, said: "You are the Brand".

The Gap gets the idea that the brand is not createded by a corporate identity guru, a high-priced ad agency, or even an award-winning marketing department. Although those entities contribute to The Gap's image by attracting the younger population with refreshing ads, trend-setting clothes and a unique graphic presence. it really gets down to how the sales preople on the floor interact with customers that defines the brand for those customers.

This is true whether a retailer acknowledges it or not.

The Gap gets it. They're training their people to represent the brand and to be a vital brand component. This is important to the company, but it's important to the people who can say, "Yes, I make a difference" here at The Gap. It's a motivator.

Refreshing and smart. Congrats to The Gap.

Martin Jelsema
Signtature Strategies

Helping smaller companies profit from the power of branding

Passion Brands

Colin Bates, a branding Guru from the U.K., has a weekly e-letter and a website called BuildingBrands. (hppt://www.buildingbrands.com) In the latest issue he introduces us to a concept, complete with book, whose premise is that passion is required by a company before it can sire a successful brand.

The book is called Creating Passion Brands by Helen Edwards & Derek Day. From it, Colin extracted this idea: Passion Brands are created by those with "a passion that comes from inside and the courage to live by their beliefs.

"The five big factors that make them different?

·       The have something important to say about modern life

·       They act out of deeply-held beliefs, not the latest focus group findings

·       They are good at something that's good for people - and stick to it

·       They have a moral integrity that penetrates every fiber of the business

·       For all that, they are never sanctimonious, boastful or dull".

So passion may just be the ultimate differentiator. It's certainly a strong contender.

Martin Jelsema
Signature Strategies

Helping smaller companies profit from the power of branding

Long memories trump current efforts

People are continually classifying, and looking for ways to reinforce their already-in-cement opinions about the products and businesses they have been exposed to. They form and stick to their perceptions even as the years pass.

A company may have established a poor reputation some time ago. Then, realizing their image is impacting sales, management decides to change its ways and people's impression of the company.

Well, the original impression will linger with a large percentage of the target market no matter how good they become. Dislodging an impression borders on the futile.

They may decide to sell the business. The new owner may announce it's now "under new management". But if  the location, the decor, the offerings are the same or similar, the old brand impressions will linger and taint the new. That's just the way people are.

What to do? In many cases the smart thing to do is start over. Kill the original brand. Distance yourself from it. If you're in retail, find another location. This may sound drastic and expensive, but it's the most economical solution in the long run.

And this time, differentiate and position your business by "branding smart from the start".

Martin Jelsema
Signature Strategies
Helping smaller companies profit from the power of branding

Differentiation is not a tactic.

It's not a media selection. It's not a specific appeal. It's not a copywriting technique.

To really differentiate a company and their offerings from their competitors, they must identify and adopt a meaningful (to customers) and desirable position. It must be unique as well.

Then comes the vital part: they must make that differentiator the core of their business. All activities must surround and support the difference.

Some who've set good examples:

FedEx : their entire business was structured around the differentiator - overnight deliveries, guaranteed.

Hallmark: "When you care enough to send the very best" is the watchword in product design, TV commercials, store promotions and everything else they're associated with.

Home Depot: "You can do it. We can help." That slogan reflects the position of being helpful. So Home Depot has weekend classes and demonstrations. They hire knowledgeable and personable trades people to answer questions, counsel customers and configure projects. They give us confidence that, with their help, we can do it.

One could define the differentiator as the "corporate culture" expressed through words, image and deed. It begins as the corporate vision and is then translated and transformed into the BRAND and the brand promise by keeping true to the position.

At every decision point, the first consideration should be, "How will this decision affect or reflect the brand?". This is true in every department and every function, from establishing employee benefits to setting delivery schedules.

Stay true to the brand, its position and promise.

Martin Jelsema

Signature Strategies
Helping smaller companies profit from the power of branding

Employees that "Get It"

I've switched my phone service now that my wife and I have moved.

What difference!

Our new service - VOIP through Opex Communications with an assist from Comcast for the broadband connection - is working well. But I've had occasion to call Opex five or six times with procedural questions.

Those customer service people - the source of my most vivid impressions of the Opex brand - are wonderful representatives of the company. Actually, it's the entire customer service operation that functions extremely well.

The recorded message at the beginning of the call is short and precise. I knew which button to push. And once I pushed it, a rep answered almost immediately. Every time!

They were pleasant, helpful, knowledgeable and truly concerned.

During my last call, I suggested that they make some reference to access codes for foreign calls. The response was, "I can see that that might cause some confusion. I'll pass that on and see if we can't incorporate it on our site."

Most often when "communicating" with CSR's, any suggestions are ignored. They know their management doesn't want to hear any of that "stuff" from customers anymore than they do.

But Opex is different. They have created the right environment,  provided the right training and hired the right people. They know that CSR's, their behaviors and attitudes reflect the company, and have gone to great lengths to make the promise of their brand a reality.

Bravo, Opex.

Martin Jelsema
Signature Strategies
Helping smaller businesses profit from the power of branding.

Living up to the brand’s promise

I've not posted a blog in several weeks. My wife and I have been moving. What an experience!

Particularly after we've lived in the same home for over 30-years.

We "downsized", which for us means squeezing all the stuff we've accumulated into a townhome. It never occurred to us to get rid of our seldom-used possessions. You never know when you'll "need" them.

Anyway, we had a ton of valuable stuff to move.

So we went with a "world-class" moving company - the one with the slogan, "The Careful Movers".

Only they weren't. Careful, that is.

The "trained and experienced" staff weren't trained in a least two areas: how to be careful, and why it's important to the customer and to the van line to fulfill the promise of being careful.

Another way to put this: the crew (and be inference and practice the company management) did not embrace the brand.

They were not prepared to deliver what the brand promised - careful moves. We see this happening in all sorts of businesses. The founder or the sales manager or the ad agency develops a tagline and pastes it on all promotional and corporate materials. They believe they've differentiated their brand - made it unique.

But the brand is more than the words of a slogan. The brand is the promise and the fulfillment of the promise. Hence, all employees, agents and associates should understand what the promise is and what part they play in fulfilling it. If "careful" is the by-word, then just telling employees to "be careful" isn't enough. They must be trained and measured on how careful they are.

The brand is only as strong as the implementation of the promise behind the brand.

Martin Jelsema

Signature Strategies

Helping smaller companies profit from the power of branding.

www.signaturestrategies.net