Primal Change

Went away to the mountains for the weekend and took Primal Branding, good to scan that again. One note towards the end caught me eye, “All belief systems need to be reenergized lest they grow stale and risk public refusal.” I buy it.

I thought about why brands that I have worked with do refreshes. More often than not it has been for reasons that are not about re-energizing because it’s just time and the brand is due. Emergence from bankruptcy, lagging sales, fierce new competition, new chiefs, these are the reasons that have been the impetus for the branding work I have done. Maybe now is a good time to think about more frequent pulse-taking for your brand? Do consumers say you need to refresh?

On a personal level here is my list (it is Monday) of things I need to refresh for my “personal brand”:

1) Endurance

· Once on a path, if its good and right, stick to it

2) Extra Mile

· Everyday, try to do a little extra, for the family, faith, and the agency

3) Focus

· Research seems to be indicating we are all overdoing the multitasking thing, and it is hurting productivity

4) Simplify

· People get way too much data these days, boil communication down. Power point slides? No more than 3 points per slide and keep them clean

5) Fear Not

· At the end of the day, you can only control what you can control. Do the homework; give it your all, and what will be will be

Is it time for you to re-energize?

J

Above all, be true to thy brand

Interesting to look at the iPhone price cut from a brand standpoint. An analysis I hear on a Harvard Business Review podcast today was spot on. Essentially the point was that the $200 downward move was not true to the Apple brand in form or function.

Apple has been very much about being different and in control. Their products are stand out, unique; and they have thrived on closed systems that they control. However, they reacted to slower than expected sales by slashing price.

Some points:

1. As Apple, should they allow sales numbers to dictate pricing so quickly? Probably not:

   - What was the message this sent to folks who paid $600 bucks? Not a good one.

   - Do they look in control here? Or, do they look a little reactive? I argue the latter.

2. So they reacted. OK. But was the reaction at least in line with the brand? It seems not:

   - This is what many brands do when sales are weak, cut price. Nothing original here.

   - The cut itself was not interesting, it was a normal offer.

   - Why only ½ the difference?

So some trade-offs to consider, that maybe Steve did not this time:

• How will your action make your most loyal and profitable customers feel?

• Are you sure a sales bump is worth stepping out of brand?

• If you must react, are you doing so in a way that will help your brand and your bottom line?

J

Nine-Wonder-Brands-That-Made-It-to-the-Oxford-Dictionary

Interesting little post about some products and brands that became generic terms/nouns over the years. Very different from the verb phenomenon, but definitely a forerunner.

Nine-Wonder-Brands-That-Made-It-to-the-Oxford-Dictionary


J