Green Apple

5 Signs You Need a Brand Tune Up

1. Apologies. You begin business conversations apologizing for your logo, materials or web site.
2. Where’s the love? You were sold a logo, but you’ve never loved it.  It doesn’t make you dance -- or at least smile!
3. Client confessions.  A client you respect confessed to you that your image just doesn’t cut it.
4. Competitive energy. Your competitor just rolled out a hot new identity and your employees and customers are talking about it.
5. Millennial Mindset.  Did a young, new hire tell you that your look was tired? 

  
  
  

10 Trends to Ponder

What I love about trends is that they are idea-starters.  They are fuel for thinking about things in different ways.  Here are ten trends that I'm thinking about and watching right now.  I was on Cheetah Radio today talking about these trends with Project Management guru, Michelle LaBrosse.  I'll post that link once it is up.

1.    Economic slim-fast.  It’s a focus on frugal living and gardening, as Americans rediscover budgeting and saving. 

THINK:  What can you do to save your team or your family money?  The new super hero is going to have a piggy bank on his or her chest.

2.    Whole life living and healing.  Armed with information and frustrated with the cost of healthcare, people are exploring new ways of thinking about health and wellness – from what they eat to how they live.

THINK: Taking care of your team and making wellness part of your work environment is good for business.  What are small changes you can make that make a difference to the health of those around you?

3.    Entertainment as escapism.  Just like during the Great Depression, movie ticket sales are on the rise and sales of gaming entertainment is still strong.  People are looking for ways to harmlessly escape.

THINK: Business doesn’t have to be boring in the world of YouTube and interactive experiences, what can you do to make your product or service more fun?

4.    Back to the basics.  A return to the kitchen and looking at food the way our ancestors did, organic is no longer for “granolas,” it’s mainstream. 

THINK: How about cooking as team building event?  What are your new recipes for success?  This is practical, fun and with no scrutiny over tickets to the Caribbean! LOL.

5.    Novel perks.  Frequent flyer miles are so last century. People want more creative and novel perks such as securing a prime parking spot when you drive a hybrid vehicle.  (That’s happening now at the Seattle Airport.)

THINK:  How can you reward your team or your customers in an unexpected and novel way?

6.    DIY.  The hobby and Do it Yourself kit crowds are growing, as people get a pioneering spirit – however small – think scrap booking. 

THINK:  Do you have a hobby that could be a business or cottage industry?

7.    The Full Monty.  Transparency and honest have a whole new meaning.   Technology brings us a whole new level of honesty whether we like it or not, but underneath the technology is a new human desire for trust and transparency like never before.

THINK:  Is your documentation in good shape?  Are you leaving a trail that you’re proud of?  How can you be more transparent in your business?

8.    Generation G.  The g is not for Greed.  It’s for generosity. Trendwatching.com coined this term, as they saw the growing importance of 'generosity' as a leading societal and business mindset. With growing disgust over greed and its current dire consequences for the economy, people want to see and be part of a more generous world.

THINK:  How can you be a part of sharing, giving, engaging, creating and collaborating in your own community or in virtual communities?  Give people what they’re craving with some good old-fashioned generosity, just like Grandma and Grandpa did.

9.    Redefining Community.
 Communities can now transcend geography in the social media world.  And back in the real world, people are buying local and using technology to choose where they live and work. This will redefine our traditional ways of thinking about work place and home.

 

THINK:  What is community to you?  What is community to your customer?  How can communities be part of any solution?

10. ECO-Buzz.  The image of the tree hugger is out.  Now, being green in whatever way you can is hip and cool.  Even governments are focusing on sustainability in a whole new way.  This trend is here to stay because our survival depends on it.

THINK:  How can you, your business or your team be green?  Engage your team and ask for ideas.  Have a green storm and watch people’s eyes light up.

Lifestyle marketing in a cup

Some gifts stay with you longer than others.  This was the case with the tea that I received as a birthday gift from Tay Tea.  Artisanal, hand-crafted teas that transport you right out of your office or kitchen into a dreamscape.  Just the names alone are enough to get you day dreaming:  Marry Me Again, Better than Sex, Raj, A Day in Provence, Persian Rose, Muse and Dream.  And, these names live up to their own fantasy with the taste.  For tea lovers, there are black tea, oolong, green tea, rooibos tea and herbal tea blends...and for any one who just needs a little vacation sitting simply in a tea cup, sip up!  

Look for the Unexpected

When it comes to marketing, people want a silver bullet or a secret to success that is lurking somewhere out in the ether.  When you look at marketing breakthroughs or anything that stands out in the information overload, many times it is about the unexpected.  Thinking about Sunday night's Grammy Awards, a good example is Raising Sand, the Alison Krauss and Robert Plant CD that was masterfully produced by T-Bone Burnett.  What did Burnett do:  he combined two unexpected musicians together for a five Grammy night.  The angelic voice of country/bluegrass crooner, Krauss with the edge of Robert Plant.  Sheer musical magic that was purely unexpected.  So, when you're looking at your marketing and your customers, ask yourself what would be pleasantly surprising and completely unexpected?

I was recently thinking about the 2.0 version of Andy Warhol's quote about everyone having their 15 minutes of fame.  I think today it'd be about every one having a brand.  We've been talking about personal branding for about a decade, but with the explosion of social media, personal branding takes on a whole new dimension. Now, your personal brand is also who you are in the digital world.  So, the question to ask yourself is:  do you show up in that world?  And, if you do, do you like what you see?  Is your Linkedin or Facebook page something that a prospective employer or prospect would be impressed by?  (Yes, you might want to take down that picture of you with the beer bong.)  Today, reputations take life and burn out as fast as you can say youtube video.  So, when you're thinking about repositioning yourself, make sure you're thinking beyond your resume.

This may be the first year ever where I actually watched the entire football game.  I'm one of those people who likes the human story and drama behind sports, but easily gets bored with the technical aspects of any game. However, this year, I was rooting for the Steelers because my sister is a die-hard fan and I knew she was waving her terrible towel and scaring the heck out of her cats.  My conundrum this year was when I was going to run to the kitchen and take biology breaks since I wanted to watch the ads and the game.  What's a marketing girl to do?  Behave like a wild child and sprint between living room and kitchen and make my husband call out plays and ads.  Luckily, I have hardwood floors, so I can skid between the two rooms which not only is fast, but makes you feel 10.  So, in my skidomania, I did see all the ads and didn't miss any major plays and danced to Bruce at half-time like I was at Madison Square Garden.  My favorite ad was Pepsi's Refresh Anthem featuring Dylan and Will.i.am singing Forever Young.  There's no technical rationale for this being my favorite ad.  It simply was how I felt yesterday.  I got to forget about the economy for a few hours and feel the simple, pure joy of rooting for a team.   

I'm not even a big football fan, but I tuned in too. Partially because I wanted to be there to see whatever history was or was not made. Partially because I wanted to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. And, yes, the ads. I still like to watch the ads on Super Bowl Sunday, even though now I don't expect to be wowed...I just hope to get at least one good laugh or two. And I did. My favorite ad was Coca-Cola's spot between James Carville and Bill Frist. I liked that ad because it felt good to see political rivalry in an upbeat, warm display -- a direct contrast to the primaries and typical political attack ads. Three others that made me laugh out loud: the Doritos spot where the mouse attacks the man; the Planter's peanut spot featuring the eau de Peanuts and the e-Trade baby. You can view them, too and see what tickles your ad fancy.

Re: the 97.5 million stat, it is second only to the last episode of M*A*S*H on CBS -- this is according to the Nielsen Ratings. Interesting that a SuperBowl and M*A*S*H stand next to each other in TV history. Football and War. The hunger to win and triumph on one hand and with M*A*S*H, it was the hunger to understand what war does to us, how it affects our lives and our world. Thank you Alan Alda and team for giving us M*A*S*H and a new way to talk about war together. Thank you Patriots and Giants for giving us a great game and for letting some of the soldiers overseas lose themselves in the game for awhile, too.

Is your Brand helping you get a job or get ahead?

I was recently thinking about the 2.0 version of Andy Warhol's quote about everyone having their 15 minutes of fame.  I think today it'd be about every one having a brand.  We've been talking about personal branding for about a decade, but with the explosion of social media, personal branding takes on a whole new dimension. Now, your personal brand is also who you are in the digital world.  So, the question to ask yourself is:  do you show up in that world?  And, if you do, do you like what you see?  Is your Linkedin or Facebook page something that a prospective employer or prospect would be impressed by?  (Yes, you might want to take down that picture of you with the beer bong.)  Today, reputations take life and burn out as fast as you can say youtube video.  So, when you're thinking about repositioning yourself, make sure you're thinking beyond your resume.

Forever Young

This may be the first year ever where I actually watched the entire football game.  I'm one of those people who likes the human story and drama behind sports, but easily gets bored with the technical aspects of any game. However, this year, I was rooting for the Steelers because my sister is a die-hard fan and I knew she was waving her terrible towel and scaring the heck out of her cats.  My conundrum this year was when I was going to run to the kitchen and take biology breaks since I wanted to watch the ads and the game.  What's a marketing girl to do?  Behave like a wild child and sprint between living room and kitchen and make my husband call out plays and ads.  Luckily, I have hardwood floors, so I can skid between the two rooms which not only is fast, but makes you feel 10.  So, in my skidomania, I did see all the ads and didn't miss any major plays and danced to Bruce at half-time like I was at Madison Square Garden.  My favorite ad was Pepsi's Refresh Anthem featuring Dylan and Will.i.am singing Forever Young.  There's no technical rationale for this being my favorite ad.  It simply was how I felt yesterday.  I got to forget about the economy for a few hours and feel the simple, pure joy of rooting for a team.   

97.5 Million People Tuned in to the Super Bowl

I'm not even a big football fan, but I tuned in too. Partially because I wanted to be there to see whatever history was or was not made. Partially because I wanted to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. And, yes, the ads. I still like to watch the ads on Super Bowl Sunday, even though now I don't expect to be wowed...I just hope to get at least one good laugh or two. And I did. My favorite ad was Coca-Cola's spot between James Carville and Bill Frist. I liked that ad because it felt good to see political rivalry in an upbeat, warm display -- a direct contrast to the primaries and typical political attack ads. Three others that made me laugh out loud: the Doritos spot where the mouse attacks the man; the Planter's peanut spot featuring the eau de Peanuts and the e-Trade baby. You can view them, too and see what tickles your ad fancy.

Re: the 97.5 million stat, it is second only to the last episode of M*A*S*H on CBS -- this is according to the Nielsen Ratings. Interesting that a SuperBowl and M*A*S*H stand next to each other in TV history. Football and War. The hunger to win and triumph on one hand and with M*A*S*H, it was the hunger to understand what war does to us, how it affects our lives and our world. Thank you Alan Alda and team for giving us M*A*S*H and a new way to talk about war together. Thank you Patriots and Giants for giving us a great game and for letting some of the soldiers overseas lose themselves in the game for awhile, too.