Branding - Monday Morning Muse - Excelsior Marketing

Putting Out The Welcome Mat

For communities, regions and states, the revenue generated from tourism and travel, both leisure and business, can often be perceived as a marketing “catch 22.” It is a classic example of needing to spend money to make money.

To attract tourists a destination must have activities and amenities. While most of these are funded through private investors and entrepreneurs, municipalities must do their part to provide an infrastructure and environment that makes the traveler feel welcomed.

I first started working with destination marketing back in 1976 and continue to do so today. As a result, when I travel, I pay attention to how regions and destinations present themselves to visitors. With the economic vitality available through tourism, it is puzzling that so few Read more »

Published on: September 21st, 2009 | Posted in: Branding, Community Marketing, Web Marketing

A Discount Recovery

In the last two weeks of August, a muse article called “The Discount Dilemma” was the third most popular topic read by thousands of people who visited the Muse page on our Web site.

Discounting continues to be a topic of interest, especially as we are about to enter the busy 4th quarter retail season. What will drive holiday shopping? How much discounting can you expect as a consumer and will you do as a marketer?

Since I am on vacation this week, I thought it would be beneficial to take another look at “The Discount Dilemma.” So once again, as you look at price-cutting as an answer to slumping sales, or a way to gain a competitive edge over others in your market, consider the ways discounting can Read more »

Published on: September 14th, 2009 | Posted in: Branding, Customer Loyalty, Design & Copywriting, Lead Generation, Sales & Service, Strategic Planning, Target Marketing

Radical Change

Mention General Electric (GE) and the name that comes to mind most often is Jack Welch. Rarely, if ever, will you think of Lawrence Bossidy. Bossidy was a contemporary of Welch, but never garnered the same degree of fame. It was Bossidy, however, who guided the growth and success of GE’s financial division, GE Credit Corp. As the COO he doubled the assets to $16 billion in one five-year period.

Bossidy operated on the premise of, “Show me a great company and I’ll show you one that has radically changed itself and is looking forward to the opportunity of doing so again.” He embraced adaptability.

Adaptability should be at the core of your marketing strategy for 2010.

To be a leading brand in your market or product category will require Read more »

Published on: September 7th, 2009 | Posted in: Branding, Community Marketing, Customer Loyalty, Design & Copywriting, Marketing, Sales & Service, Strategic Planning, Web Marketing

The Red Dress

In 2006 Delta Airlines unveiled some new looks in flight attendant uniforms. Among them was a red dress. The dress was designed to provide attendants with a classier, and somewhat sexier, look. But there is a problem. It seems that the dress is only made up to a size 18 and now the union representing the flight attendants wants it made to a size 28.

The fact is, a red dress in a size 28 is a different image than a red dress in a size 18 or smaller. And every company should be able to put forth the type of image it feels best represents their brand. Image is one of the key elements in marketing and branding.

In the case of Delta, the significance of the color red for the dress is important. Red exudes power and sex appeal. Color is the Read more »

Published on: July 20th, 2009 | Posted in: Branding, Design & Copywriting, Marketing

Mastering the New Media

Nikola Tesla, Philo Taylor Farnsworth and Tim Berners-Lee are three names not typically associated with advertising. Each, however, is credited with the invention of a new form of communication and technology, each of which eventually became an opportunity for merchants to hawk their wares to an increasingly bigger and broader marketplace, changing the face of advertising.

Advertising is the opportunity that knocked with the invention of radio (Tesla), television (Farnsworth) and the World Wide Web (Berners-Lee).

As with all new technologies, it took many years for the mastery of each to be developed as a source of advertising. We can Read more »

Published on: July 13th, 2009 | Posted in: Branding, Marketing, Media Integration, Strategic Planning, Web Marketing

Get the Customer to Find You

In the first quarter of 2009, U.S. Consumer spending actually increased 2.2%. The challenge is to get consumers who are spending to spend it with you.

This is where some different thinking is required.

Traditional marketing and branding still have the power to keep your name and message in front of consumers so you are foremost in their minds when they are ready to spend. Which is why you must continue to advertise even though the return on your investment is not as high.

But the way consumers receive and relate to advertising, and the way they shop, is changing. The consumer is Read more »

Published on: May 18th, 2009 | Posted in: Branding, Community Marketing, Lead Generation, Web Marketing

The Value of Your Brand

Each year major brands in foods, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and technology spend billions of dollars growing and protecting their brands. From Coca Cola to McDonalds, it is the public’s understanding and acceptance of the brand that makes the names more valuable than the products.

An established brand is a powerhouse.

Local and regional businesses frequently think of “branding” as something done by Fortune 500 companies or global enterprises. Which is why at the local and regional levels of marketing, the concept and application of branding is often Read more »

Published on: April 13th, 2009 | Posted in: Branding

Power Words

The cover of the April 6 New Yorker is a funny look at what might be called advertising hucksterism at its most obvious. It’s the April Fool cover done by popular artist Roz Chast.

Chast’s combination of ad cartoons promise “Lottery Winning Secrets! This Could be You!”, “Finally: A Candy Bar that Burns 500 Calories as You Eat It!”, ‘”Vitamins That Make You Smarter!” and other enticements from investing to amazing sex to eternal youth.

Of course satisfaction is guaranteed or double your money back. That promise always boosts response. The words you use in Read more »

Published on: April 6th, 2009 | Posted in: Branding, Design & Copywriting, Marketing, Public Speaking, Sales & Service

Learning from the Best

In “Reason in Common Sense,” Volume 1, George Santayana wrote “Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it.” For the world of marketing, I would paraphrase his words to “Those who ignore history are bound to make unnecessary mistakes.”

There is much to be learned from the greats of advertising and marketing. Despite new technologies, expanded media and a marketplace exploding with product choices and competition, the ways to influence consumers, position brands and motivate purchases are basically unchanged.

Advertising creates brands. Consumers align with brands. They buy the brands that reflect their image of themselves. Consider that there are Read more »

Published on: March 30th, 2009 | Posted in: Branding

The Power to Persuade

As Washington continues to allocate funds to financial sectors and select corporations, and as it supposedly puts money back into consumers’ wallets through the stimulus package, I can’t help but observe the greatest oversight of all when it comes to stimulating the economy.

And that is advertising.

There is not a penny put in any package to stimulate advertising.

Yet advertising is the single most important industry that needs to survive if Read more »

Published on: March 23rd, 2009 | Posted in: Branding, Customer Loyalty, Lead Generation, Marketing, Strategic Planning, Target Marketing, Web Marketing

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