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iMediaConnection: The art of self defense against brand-jacking

As a follow up to our earlier post today, we came across another good article further emphasizing the need to actively monitor and protect your brand.

Tim Lynch, senior experience design specialist at Molecular, explores the concept of brand-jacking. "If your brand is online, it's susceptible to consumer influence -- both benign and malicious. See what steps your company can take to mitigate the risks."

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Economist: Companies & Social Networks - Losing Face

The Economist tells a cautionary tale of companies who find out after the fact that their employees are revealing or misrepresenting their employers' brand online with their own posted indiscretions, gossip or exchanges on community sites like myspace, Facebook and Twitter.

It's a must read for organizations who currently have not addressed social networks usage policies - not only "at work" usage policies, but also "general usage guidelines" that are highly recommended to manage your brand and online reputation.  The article has three important recommendations to consider:

• [Create] and reiterate online guidelines frequently
• Monitor online activity closely to ensure that rules are respected
• Frequent “online watering holes” where people exchange gossip and views [to be fully aware of what is being posted directly by employees or through their affiliation with the organization].

Read on>>

Rethinking the User Experience - AdWeek

AdWeek touches on User Experience this week in an article - Rethinking the User Experience, Web designers should consider how using a site reflects upon the brand. It's a great overview of how user experience (UX) is integral to the design and development of online interactions and perceptions. It is a helpful overview to see and understand how many different disciplines, from accessbility to usability play a role under UX design. Moreover, the article makes a clear connection that good user experience is equally tied to positive reinforcement of the brand. Good experience is a good reflection on the brand. Good experience design helps to establish and reinforce positive relationships, increased customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Bridging the Gap - Shopping Made Simple

Gap is one of those great brands and retail experiences that has taken some blows financially over the recent years. When you think of great, inspiring lifestyle brands, building extraordinary brand loyalty, the Gap is on par with Apple, Volkswagen, IKEA and now Target (of all brands), in my opinion.

But, the Gap has struggled financially as well in its classic identity. Today, I read a great article in Business Week about "A Fashion Guy Gets Gap Back to Basics." While Design chief Patrick Robinson is taking the Gap back to the quality of the basic, classic styles the Gap is known (and loved for), he also quotes he can "design the best T-shirt,...but if we don't put it in the right stores in the right amount of sizes," then it is out of his hands. Robinson says, "It's going to take this whole company to [succeed]."

From my morning read about the Gap to an email this afternoon, I received word that the Gap and its affiliate brands, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Piperlime, have launched Shopping Made Simple an integrated online shopping experience that allows online consumers to browse and buy from all four stores adding to one shopping bag with integrated check out. Additionally, another convenience built into the online shopping experience is one seven dollar flat shipping rate* and free returns.

The Gap and its affiliate brands are aggregating to create an experience much like what many consumers have come to expect by shopping online at Amazon.

As mentioned in earlier posts, Tis the Season to Redesign, which means we will be seeing more innovation in e-commerce and enhanced user experience models to optimize convenience, increase satisaction and build loyalty for the upcoming shopping season. This new 4-in-1 shopping experience by Gap is a competitive way to streamline the shopping experience around the consumer -- making it "simple" and convenient to shop with the Gap online.

Looks like the Gap is bridging the "gaps" of past challenges and unifying the brand experience to benefit the consumer.

Go Gap!

*Exception: Piperlime orders ship free.

OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder

Lucas Conley, an experienced journalist and contributing writer for Fast Company, has published his first book entitled OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder: The Illusion of Business and the Business of Illusion. The concept for his book was first fleshed out as an essay for Fast Company with the premise to "understand the strange marketing-infused atmosphere in which we all live—one in which consumers are inundated with branding messages; one in which executives are obsessed with their brand to the point of distraction; and one in which anything and everything is open to manipulation."

Conley appeared on the Colbert Report recently to discuss the concept of OBD, Stephen Colbert-style, "brought to you by Dr. Pepper."

Community Is Not a Tactic

There is a great article published in Adweek, "These Brands Build Community - How these Web 2.0 companies build good relationships to build their brands," that clearly and succinctly sums up what innovative (and successful) companies are doing, like Zappos, Threadless, Etsy, Craigslist and Yelp.

The key, the article clearly points to, is that these companies are "quietly building brands online on the strength of communities." While I would say there is nothing "quiet" about @Zappos interactive dialogue and "Tweet Evangelism" on Twitter or the "voice" of user-generated slogans and design and community ratings submitted for the latest and greatest Threadless T's slogans or the "raving fan base" of Etsy's marketplace, the article has a quote that is so worth stating over and over again...

"Community is not a tactic or marketing plan line item, but core to what [successful Web 2.0 brands] do. It means being hyper-responsive to customers, laser focused on usability, unapologetically human and OK with customers determining the course their businesses should take. The bonus: When they take off, these brands don't need to do much in the way of advertising, instead letting their customers spread the word."

This cannot be expressed enough in every aspect of your interactive/marketing plan. Community is so core to successful engagement today that it has got to be where your message becomes dialogue, your consumers become relationships and those relationships become inter-personal.

Status Stories & Social Media

There is an excellent report out from Trendwatching as a follow up to their TRANSUMERS, THE EXPECTATION ECONOMY and STATUS SPHERES briefings. Trendwatching identified STATUS SPHERES as one of the Top 8 trends to watch for in 2008 and now drills in more into STATUS STORIES.

One of the interesting things we see with Extraordinique is that people naturally rally around things that their peers, friends and other influencers think are cool and remarkable.  Look at the cool factor of all things Apple (iPod, iPhone, Macbook Air) and how these devices become mainstream "status stories" as the first-to-have, must-have technology of the day. In more niche markets, many of the emerging products and brands listed in STATUS STORIES will do the same, but on a micro level -- retaining a more exclusive "status" and appreciation by a select group of "fans."

Brands are vying for attention and are looking for that angle to be "extraordinique." Extraordinique is about early-adoption consumers who are searching for the next best thing. Who are looking to be impressed or be impressive. Items we feature as "extraordinique" are typically creations that fuel a passion, i.e. for foodies, techies, fashionistas and "all of that combined" with the savvy, socially-connected (online and off) mommies and SavvyAunties.

Updated: I like that Trendwatching's STATUS STORIES briefing includes the element of ‘cache and cast’ and addresses the fact that online social networks are becoming a key factor in the Status Story.  Social Media outlets are creating a lifestyle status of the "connected" and even more so within the "connected." There are the early adopters, the influencers, the authorities -- also categorized as Egos on Alltop, who by nature of their leadership, credibility and "status" (# of followers, fans, friends, etc.) create a STATUS SPHERE people are drawn to. If you are in certain social circles and have the means to connect from anywhere, anytime -- these privileges become part of a larger status story. It is status within professional circles just as much as it is in private social circles (family, friends, friends of friends). It is about how much you participate and with whom. Social Media, in some ways, is a STATUS STORY all to itself.

Blogging and Your Brand, Part I

Blake Cahill of Visible Technologies and Clint Schaff of M-80 facilitated a "Panel 2.0" on Blogging and Your Brand at BlogWorld this afternoon. This was an excellent interactive discussion that took a look at social media and its influence in business and brand. The discussion addressed questions like what's social media's role today in business? How do businesses "control" the integrity of their brand where consumer-generated content now is a viable and prolific source of information.

A great quote provided in the presentation hit the bullseye:
"Selling and telling is defunct and gone forever. With the increase of consumer-generated media…consumers are showing a greater need for making connections with other people and brands."
- James R. Stengel, Global Marketing Officer for P&G

A keypoint to the discussion was the basic premise that "Opinions Impact Your Brand."

Consumer opinions are the most valued consumer tools in a crowded marketplace.

Brands need:
- Insight into what consumers are saying
- Awareness in social media networks
- Excitement for products
- Engagement with audiences

You can run but you can’t hide
Whether or not we choose to be part of the dialogue, the dialogue is going to happen,” … “I believe the challenges is to make it happen with us.” Coca Cola – Tim Kopp

In the end, the critical steps Cahill notes about social media is this chain of events:

• Join
• Listen
• Learn
• Participate
• Share
• Evaluate

Bottom Line: You Have Two Choices
Join the conversation or procrastinate and then join the conversation later on anyway…

Join In
It’s no longer an option not to.

Side Note - This is the quick notes from today's session. This session was very good and gave me a lot of additional side notes I will want to blog on when I can sit back and focus more. More to come...

Barristas Believe in the Brand

This weekend I visited one of our local Starbucks to buy a couple gift cards. Walking up to the register, I put the gift cards on the counter and told the cashier the denomination I wanted.

You've Got to Buy (Into) It
Next, the cashier asked, "OK, and what would you like to drink today?" Surprisingly, already having my cup for the day, I wasn't there for Venti, Grande or Tall of anything. I said, nothing today, just the cards. The place went dead silent! The cashier laughed outloud and said, you came in here and are not going to get a drink?  "Nope, not today." "I don't think I have ever seen anyone come in here and not buy a drink. I've sold a ton of these gift cards, but they always go with a drink," she said in wonderment.

At that moment, I realized two things -- one, a hot cup of coffee is an (overly) easy sell even at $3.50. Two, Starbucks staff really believe in the "must have" nature of their product. They really believe in their brand.

Another Jolt at Breakfast...This One Has Bubbles
For more caffeine-related news, Stephanie Quilao of Getting in to my Skinny Jeans, shows that Coca-Cola wants in on this caffeine consuption phenomenon. Coke wants you to think Diet Coke in the morning.

Let the caffeine wars begin.