Have We Over-branded Branding?

Daniel Wade

Whether we admit it or not, we’re attracted to good branding. Done well, it can set you apart in an increasingly competitive market and set the stage for life-long, loyal customers. But have we over-branded branding?

I spent a month in Texas recently and had to look no further than Shell, Dairy Queen and Whataburger for some great examples down there. Buc-ee’s, in particular, is a new phenomena for me – a monstrosity of a gas station/convenience store whose reputation for clean restrooms on the highway seems to command a following behind their brand promises of “clean, friendly and in stock" and a smiling beaver plastered across everything you could think of.

Heard of Dollar Shave Club? The founders said if Netflix could do movies, why can’t we do subscription-based razors? (I’m sure their business plan was more complex than this.) One well-done video gone viral, an endorsement from renowned marketer Seth Godin and – one website crash later – you’ve got a successful company with a snarky brand that screams anti-corporation and majorly identifies with 18-24 year olds. The best part? It’s making traditional razor-maker Gillette shiver in its boots.

Photo Courtesy to Flickr User jrtce1

Pick the first example of good branding that comes to mind. What resonates with you? More importantly, why do you feel the way you do about this established brand? There’s a balance that exists between these giants of great branding and the loyal customers we all desire. Award-winning logos and sleek collateral packages don’t ensure follow-through on the “brand promise” and don’t always keep the customers coming back for decades. While tempting to only focus on the visual branding elements, here are some quick reminders for businesses to ensure this isn’t the only focus

• Make your walk match your talk. You and your employees serve as ambassadors for your business and industry, whether you like it or not. If a customer’s experience doesn’t match what they were sold in your branding, word travels fast.
• Elevate customer service. According to Peter Shankman,“To be thought of as ‘good,’ we just need to treat our customers one level above the normal expectation of crap. That's it. Anything we do that goes above and beyond ‘one level above crap,’ is so rare, and so unexpected, that if you do that, you can rule the world.”
• Reach target audiences in areas that impact them. Be genuine, be credible and be relevant in all areas. Find where your audience sees the most value and pursue it.

Public relations is like the elevator button. When you want to go upstairs, you go to the elevator and push the button, and when it dings, you turn and walk in it. Very Pavlov. Through a myriad of branding efforts, businesses strive to get the point where their name is top-of-mind. When the phrase, “I need to _____, so I’d better call ________,” arises, public relations works to accomplish this. Try not following through on your brand promise and you’ll see the other side of public relations working against you.

Does Your Brand Need A Blog?

Ali Glemser

Not every brand needs a blog, but if you have the time and resources to maintain one, you should consider starting one today. Blogs are a prime example of content marketing that most any business can leverage. Content marketing is the abstract term for strategically delivering valuable, relevant, useful and consistent content to attract and maintain a clearly defined audience – and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

Thinking of that definition, can you start to see how a blog fits in that category? The nice thing is that a blog can develop your brand’s voice, too, and allow you to be conversational with your readers. You can speak to your blog readers like you would to your potential and current customers because hopefully that’s who is reading it. 

Once you’re on board with adding a blog, you should make space on your website and start writing one or two posts per month. In your posts, you can talk not only about your products or services but also about industry trends, company accomplishments and common questions you receive about your brand. Customer feedback, both positive and negative, is great inspiration for blog posts, as well. When addressing points from negative feedback, you can focus on the solutions being implementing to address the issues, as well as educate readers about how to avoid unfavorable situations or what to do if they do find themselves in one.

Photo Courtesy to Flickr User Dave

Now that you’ve got this great stuff going, you have to determine how people are going to find your blog. There’s a lot you can do to help drive your potential audience to the blog, such as send out monthly email blasts with a link back to the blog, post about it on social media and incorporate consistent blog language into your Google AdWords campaign to increase the blog’s search engine optimization. If you feel like you’ve created a post that’s worthy of a bigger audience, you can submit it to local newspapers or trade publications that welcome guest columns. Be sure to research each outlet’s specifications before doing this, so that you deliver the best submission possible.

It’s so important to stay timely and consistent with your blog content. A great way to ensure that you can maintain content for the blog is to create an idea bank for blog posts topics. And, round up some assistance - get your employees involved, if time allows. It can be tough to be the sole author of the blog at all times, and mixing in different voices can also help keep the content fresh and engaging.

Overall, remember to be informative and relatable, and let that brand personality shine through. Starting a blog may seem like a scary adventure, but when you weigh the benefits and greater uses of this avenue, it’s hard to deny the value it can bring to your brand.

Is it time for a website redo?

Lauren Hannaford

An organization’s website is oftentimes the first or second impression for a new customer, and if the site is outdated, dysfunctional or unorganized, it could be the No. 1 reason customers aren’t calling. The Obsidian team recently attended a PRSA Memphis luncheon where Amanda Mauk, digital marketing manager at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, walked attendees through the long process her team went through to develop Le Bonheur’s new website. I was amazed at the insight she provided and was impressed by the level of organization it took to complete their final website. 

That discussion got me thinking. When should a company redo their website? Well, there’s no clear or definite answer, but Amanda’s presentation gave me a few ideas. Many of our clients, new and long-term, ask us what we think about their websites and if we think it’s time for them to update. It truly depends on a number of things, like budget, goals, purpose or potential rebranding. Let’s start with a few questions:

1. Did you create your website yourself? 
2. Do you have to pay boatloads of money just to make a few content changes on your site? And, does that take forever?
3. Is your website stuck on the second page or further of Google organic results?
4. Do you have the right amount of content on your site?
5. Can you track results or leads from your website?
6. Is your website compatible with Google? (Is the platform doing its job when it comes to search engine optimization?)

If you answered “yes” to the first three questions (and you aren’t an expert web developer) and answered “no” to the last three questions, it may be time for you to redo your site. 

Jumping into a website redo is no easy task. I think one of the first and most important things to remember is that you should not rush. It’s important to get it right so that your investment does not go to waste. Amanda talked about how Le Bonheur’s website redo took a year to complete, but the end result was exactly what they wanted and needed. 

Secondly, don’t go with the cheapest company you can find to redo your website. Go with a company who has proven results and a great track record. Ask for a list of clients you can speak with about their experience before you make a decision. 

Thirdly, identify your target audience. Drill it down to exactly who you believe the primary customer utilizing your site will be. 

Then, make sure your company’s branding materials and messages are consistent across the board. Your collateral should also match your website. 

Finally, don’t do it alone if you don’t have to. Form a website committee that can work together to complete the redo. If you don’t have someone to help, ask friends or family to review your content and the proposed design before you finalize the project. 

Whether it’s the right time for you to completely redo your website or not, don’t let the site become stagnant. Take time often to update sections with relevant information. Otherwise, people will stop visiting. 

Tag, You’re It.

Thomas Whitehead

Hashtags. We get it. To some, they are all the rage. To others, they are just a fad. And to even others, well, they just don’t get their purpose. Even Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake had another video go viral showing just how extreme and ridiculous they can be. 

And let’s be honest, brands have jumped all over using hashtags. You cannot see a print or TV execution without a plethora of clever and timely hashtags associated with different campaigns and products. 

So, with that in mind, here is a quick pop quiz for you. I am going to list some recent hashtags associated with brands, and I want you to see if you know the company responsible:

• • #PretzelLoveSongs
• • #FirstDayLooks
• • #GetYourOwn
• • #UnwrapWhatsFresh

Well, how did you do? It was pretty hard, wasn’t it? Well, let’s see if you do better with this quiz. Now, I am going to give you taglines that have been associated with these brands. Let’s see if you do better this time around:

• • Now That’s Better/You Know When It’s Real
• • Every Day Matters
• • Eat Fresh
• • I’m Loving It

Okay, the answers are Wendy’s, JC Penney, Subway and McDonald’s. Did you do better? 

Let me be clear, in this day and age, a brand needs both a strong tagline as well as solid hashtags when appropriate. I don’t think there is any coincidence that they both share the word “tag” in them. The word symbolizes a label, a culture and an experience. It works. However, there are two important factors to bear in mind when trying to create both of them in this day and age. 

1. Regardless of how creative or unique they are, both have to represent the brand’s culture and mission. They have to be recognized by the consumer as an association with that company. We all know the great ones – Coke, Nike, McDonald’s, but what about all the other forgotten ones that we cannot recall? They failed to create that connection. Hashtags don’t have the intended mileage of a tagline, but they should be easily identifiable with the brand. Too many hashtags created by brands often cannot be traced back to that company. In a later column, I will address this in further detail as I gain more examples, but remember this down the road. 
2. Taglines and hashtags also have to be consistent with each other. Yes, most brands will have one overarching tagline and then several hashtags depending on the campaigns at any given time. But, the hashtags should be driven behind the brand essence that was determined to spark the creation of the tagline. If the tagline is chosen to represent what a brand’s promise, mission and intent are to the customer, then a hashtag should be chosen carefully as well to represent how the brand wants to engage with customers online. In essence, that is the brand’s suggested calling card for sparking a conversation. 

With all the hype now around hashtags and every communication/marketing professional pushing companies to fully engage in digital media, they are here to stay and to be executed in a smart way to help gauge feedback. However, it is important to not forget the tagline. After all, this is the overarching quick statement a brand wants its audiences to know. Everything else will flow from that. If it weren’t important, it would never be changed. That might sound counterintuitive, but as brands emerge, change focus, change missions and direction, then the tagline is the first thing amended to signify how important it is. Many times, that cannot be captured in a quick hashtag. 

Taglines and hashtags will continue to be a force in your marketing arsenal. The question is, are they being created with the brand’s longevity in mind?