Create Anticipation for Your New Product (Strategy)

Hello. I'm Jim Glover that branding guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today we are looking at creating the right amount of attention for the introduction of a new product or service.

Generating buzz or hype is a great way to create anticipation and excitement for customers around the launch of something new.

Many companies don't understand the power of buzz and often wait too long to tell customers about a new product or service.  They want all their ducks in a row before going to market.  This conservative marketing approach works but leaves opportunity on the table by not having customers lined up to buy a product or try a service as soon as it becomes available.

On the other side of the coin, it is possible to create anticipation too early and/or saturate the market with so much content that potential customers lose interest and don't care once the product hits the shelf.

Your goal is to create the right amount of anticipation.  Apple does an amazing job of creating buzz for a product to the point where customers wait in line at stores to be the first to own a new iPhone, iPod or iPad.  PBS has also done a good job pre-promoting its popular show Downton Abbey, creating just enough buzz to drive record viewership for the series.

It is critical to manage a campaign that's just right.  Stay away from the pitfalls of too early, too much or not enough.  Find the balance that works for you and you'll have a ready-market from day of launch.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MST) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2015 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

National Brands Are Making Communities Homogenous (Knowledge)

This is Jim Glover, That Branding Guy and Marianne Tenenbaum, branding strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are taking a look at how popular national brands are impacting the individuality of community brands.

In our blogs we frequently stress the importance of a brand being unique, compelling and believable to ensure it clearly stands out in the minds of customers. Big brands like Target, Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Ashley Furniture, PetSmart, Applebee's, Best Buy and TJ Maxx do a great job at differentiating their individual brands.

Here is the irony: As communities across the country attract these large, well-known brands to grow their local economies and provide a better shopping experience for residents, they are at the same time losing their own brand identity and charm. Today strip development after strip development are jam-packed with the exact same storefronts, making it virtually impossible for a person to tell if they are shopping in Denver, Albuquerque or Des Moines.

When it comes to community branding, small and rural cities and towns should keep this in mind as they build their economy and their brand. They should strive to maintain a balance between being unique and serving the needs of their residents.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2015 Once a Day Marketing™. All rights reserved.

The Ripple Effect of Branding: ΣΑΕ and OU (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are taking a quick look at the ripple effect of branding.

Until a week ago or so, I wasn't giving any thought to Oklahoma University or its Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. But a video that captured some members of the ΣΑΕ fraternity singing a racist song on a bus went viral on the Internet now has me pondering about these students and these two institutions. And their act has generated a major ripple effect across the nation related to these brands.

 Remember a brand is comprised of the impressions formed in people's minds, favorable or unfavorable, about any person, place or thing. What are people now thinking about the members of the ΣΑΕ who sang the song and their fellow ΣΑΕ fraternity brothers at OU, the university itself, the president of the university, other students at the school, and the national ΣΑΕ organization? This is the ripple effect.

This incident and its outcomes will reshape these brands of the individual students, ΣΑΕ and Oklahoma University for a long time to come. In a nutshell, this example is the essence of branding. None of us can own a brand because it resides in the minds of our customer or general public. As brand managers all we can do is try to influence and move the brand in the right direction.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2015 Once a Day Marketing™. All rights reserved.

Branding a Gourmet Pub (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys™ radio show podcast: Branding The Loyal Hound Pub

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys™, we discussed branding and marketing for a new local restaurant.

Joining us on the show were Dave Readyhough and Renee Fox, owners of The Loyal Hound Pub here in Santa Fe, NM. Loyal Hound offers an updated pub menu focused on organic, locally-sourced food. They have positioned their brand as providing unique, gourmet food. Renee, also the chef, strives to serve menu items that you wouldn’t make at home or get down the street.

The gastro-pub style of restaurant was chosen specifically to fill a niche in the Santa Fe cuisine landscape. Dave and Renee are focused on attracting local clientele to establish the base of their business.

Glover suggested that creating a loyalty program and playing on the word “loyal” in the Pub name would be one good strategy to attract and retain customers. He also reminded Dave and Renee that social media is a powerful tool to engage customers, however, one caveat is the ensure consistency.

Renee shared that among current branding challenges is the constant need for communication. One of the ways The Loyal Hound accomplishes making their presence known is through participation in fund-raising events.

Dave’s tip for anyone branding a new endeavor is to believe in your concept and be passionate about your business.

Enjoy the show.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2015 Once a Day Marketing™. All rights reserved.

An International Take on Branding (Knowledge)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys™ radio show podcast: Russia and President Vladimir Putin

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys™, we discussed how governments are using branding to shape their political images.

Joining us on the show was Risto Haataja, CEO of the Temi group, an International security firm. The Temi Group is in the business of protecting their clients' interests and enabling them to work successfully by proactively identifying challenges and threats.

Haataja shared that western countries have capabilities to secure their nations; often foreign countries or factions groups that don’t have the same level of resources have turned to other means to get out their message and have created an information war.

Information war is not propaganda which puts a specific spin on the truth. According to Haataja, after the Cold War we moved into a new era of groups using culture and information to create facts or a “reality” and spin it in any way that suites their goals. He cited examples of how Russia and President Vladimir Putin use this approach.

Those Branding Guys reminded listeners that companies have to be prepared for social media attacks such as the Sony/The Interview movie late last year. They should have processes and procedures in place to respond to such a threat and make decisions. This will ensure a planned, thorough response and avoid the potential of making the situation worse.

Tips that Haataja shared include not believing everything you hear or see on social media. Take the time to investigate, especially before you take action on anything.

Enjoy the show.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2015 Once a Day Marketing™. All rights reserved.

Capturing the Latino Market (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys™ radio show podcast: Javier.LA - Latino Branding Experts

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys™, we discussed branding with a focus on the Latino market.

Joining us on the show were Javier Samudio, Founder, Francisco Gonzalez, Co-Founder and Claudio P. Korinko of Javier LA, a Los Angeles-based branding & marketing firm specializing in Latino market. They assist clients to reach outside their usual channels to create additional Latino connections to their brand.

Javier LA also conducts research around demographics to better define insights into the Latino market and leverages this information to better serve their clients.

Fast Fact about the fast-growing Latino Market:

-          55 million Latinos in the market place

-          $1.5 trillion $ in spending power

-          Voting population expected to double by 2030

-          Median age 27 years

-          Family/Community minded

Brands are taking notice of this market and targeting their message accordingly. If companies are not engaging the Latino market they are passing up a significant opportunity. To be successful, it is critical to recognize family/community values and create messaging that will resonate and create a link with the Latino consumer.

Javier LA tip for businesses looking to reach the Latino consumer: avoid common pitfalls including following stereotypes rather than knowing your audience and believing that reaching is the same as connecting to the Latino customer.

Enjoy the show.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2015 Once a Day Marketing™. All rights reserved.

Is Rebranding Worth the Risk? (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are looking at risks and rewards of rebranding your company.

There are many circumstances that may prompt a company to rebrand including use of a name that is too common or confusing or even a name that has taken on another meaning.

When considering rebranding, analyze the risk and rewards. Ensure the new brand name aligns with what your company is all about. Promote the new brand prior to, during and after the change so you reach all of your current customers.

I have been following a recent real-life rebranding example. The New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union is now known as Nusenda Credit Union. It sounds interesting but it is hard for me to make the leap that this name represents a leading financial institution. Because the name sounds similar to the artificial sweetener Splenda, I instantly think of a food product. Nusenda is promoting heavily on TV and radio to get the message out so I'm sure they will rebrand properly over time.

When you choose your brand name, give thought to how long it will take to generate sufficient mindshare with your target audience. Whatever naming convention you use, if it's going extensive resources to remind customers of your new name and then the benefits your company provides, it might not be the right direction to go.

You can choose to name your brand just about anything as Nusenda, Amazon, Google and Yelp all evidence, however, you will have to put sufficient branding and marketing muscle behind it.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2015 Once a Day Marketing™. All rights reserved