Notable News - The Branding Myth

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Notable News - The Branding Myth

Notable News - The Branding Myth

How many times have you heard of seen advertising for a graphic design company that states that they do branding?

If you think branding is a logo, letterhead, or web design with all the same look, and colours, then it's true...they can "do branding".

Let's take a look at one of the world's best-branded companies, McDonalds. You may not like the food, but if someone says "golden arches" you know what institution they are talking about. Mickey D, McCoffee and Big Mac all bring the same familiar name to mind. You each may have a different reaction to the thought of eating there, but any one of the many product names will trigger the bigger picture.

Think about the things you know from each of your McDonalds experiences: You know they have salty fries, the food is fast, and there is a system to everything they do. The staff often says the same things to you. You can get the same core menu items all over the world. If you take the time to think about it, you can up with a huge list of features you can count on at McDonalds.

Doesn't that make the term "branding" when applied to logo, look and colour seem a bit of a misnomer?

We know that the concept was born in a single location in small town America. How do you think that McDonalds developed their brand? You can get the book and read all about it, but you don't have to do that to figure out how to build your own brand.

There is no secret. It's all about organizational culture. Brand is the personality your business has developed through your leadership and the systems you put in place. It's having a customer know that each time they go into your business, they will be treated the same way they were last time they were there. They will see some of the same products. The staff will say hello just like they always do. The business will have the same policies and procedures...in other words...a customer can count on you to be who you were during their last experience.

No one else can create a brand for you, ...unless you hired a CEO to run the business, set the parameters and standards, and writes the operational procedure manuals. Many businesses start small, with the owner doing most of the work...that's the time to write the procedure manuals, when the person with the vision is actually doing the work and can see what works best to achieve their pre-defined results. If everyone ran their business like a well-run franchise, there would be fewer business failures and many more strong brands..

Having a strong brand means that everyone who works in your business has a clear picture of why they are there. The business could run without you, because everyone would know what they were supposed to do and how they were to treat co-workers and customers alike.

Decide who you are as a business and be the best you can be at it every day. Write down the things that you do. Decide what your goals are. Share it with your employees...and you will create a brand.

Oh... and don't forget...you need a logo, letterhead and a web site that all convey the same message....but they are not the brand....YOU ARE!

Nancy Fraser - Nota Bene Consulting Results Driven Advertising and Marketing www.notable-marketing.com

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In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Finger-pointing begins as Senate nixes auto vote (AP)

AP - A Democratic Congress, unwilling or unable to approve a $25 billion bailout for Detroit's Big Three, appears ready to punt the automakers' fate to a lame-duck Republican president.

Fed sees economic woes persisting into next year (AP)

AP - Pounded by a fierce financial crisis, the country is sinking deeper into economic despair and is likely to be in the hole well into next year, forcing more Americans into the ranks of the unemployed.

Calif. Supreme Court to take up gay marriage ban (AP)

AP - California's highest court agreed Wednesday to hear several legal challenges to the state's new ban on same-sex marriage but refused to allow gay couples to resume marrying before it rules.

Daschle to take health post, another familiar face (AP)

AP - Barack Obama is enlisting former Senate leader Tom Daschle as his health secretary, embracing a third Washington insider in the early stages of Cabinet-building by the president-elect who promised change. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the capital's most famous woman for two decades, seemed ever more likely to be his secretary of state.

Bush set to relax endangered species rules (AP)

AP - Animals and plants in danger of becoming extinct could lose the protection of government experts who make sure that dams, highways and other projects don't pose a threat, under regulations the Bush administration is set to put in place before President-elect Obama can reverse them.

Arraignment set for Cheney, Gonzales in Texas (AP)

AP - A Texas judge has set a Friday arraignment for Vice President Dick Cheney, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and others named in indictments accusing them of responsibility for prisoner abuse in a federal detention center.

Astronaut who lost tool bag admits making mistake (AP)

AP - The astronaut who lost her tool bag on a spacewalk admitted Wednesday that she made a mistake by not checking to see if the sack was tied down, and said she's still smarting over the whole thing.

Herod may have been buried among lavish artwork (AP)

AP - King Herod may have been buried in a crypt with lavish Roman-style wall paintings of a kind previously unseen in the Middle East, Israeli archaeologists said Wednesday. The scientists found such paintings and signs of a regal two-story mausoleum, bolstering their conviction that the ancient Jewish monarch was buried there.

Publicist: Paris Hilton and Benji Madden split (AP)

AP - Paris Hilton and her boyfriend of nine months, Benji Madden, have broken up.

Terry leads Mavericks to 96-86 win over Rockets (AP)

AP - The Dallas Mavericks didn't need Josh Howard as much as the Houston Rockets missed Yao Ming on Wednesday night.

Global stocks hit 5-1/2 year lows (Reuters)

Reuters - A 6 percent fall in Asia pushed world stocks to their lowest in 5- years on Thursday, while oil fell below $53 and safe havens such as the yen gained on fears the global recession and a financial crisis will get uglier.

Prospect for auto bailout dims as Senate races clock (Reuters)

Reuters - Chances dimmed that a last-minute plan being crafted by Republican senators, with White House support, to provide $25 billion to bail out U.S. automakers would receive enough backing from Democrats to pass before the end of this week.

Financials need at least $1 trillion: analyst (Reuters)

Reuters - The U.S. financial system still needs at least $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion of tangible common equity to restore confidence and improve liquidity in the credit markets, Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst Paul Miller said.

Fed minutes: may need more rate cuts if growth ebbs (Reuters)

Reuters - Federal Reserve officials slashed economic growth forecasts through 2009 and some believed even deeper interest rate cuts may be needed if growth slows further, minutes of their October policy meeting show.

Obama taps Arizona governor for homeland security: report (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's top choice to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing multiple sources.

California court to hear gay marriage ban case (Reuters)

Reuters - California's Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a legal challenge against the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage and let the ban stand in the meantime.

U.S. woman posed as teen online, teased girl: attorney (Reuters)

Reuters - A Missouri woman established a fake identity online to torment a vulnerable teenage girl who later committed suicide, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday in a trial that is being closely watched by the burgeoning social networking industry.

Small businesses feel Wall Street's pain (Reuters)

Reuters - Wall Street's pain is rippling through U.S. small businesses, as bankers who once pulled in million-dollar bonuses lose their jobs and cut back spending on everything from parties to home improvements.

Asian markets slide as economic gloom deepens (AFP)

AFP - Asian stocks tumbled Thursday as global economic gloom deepened following a plunge in Japanese exports and a warning from the Federal Reserve that the United States could be in recession next year.

Russia to send more warships to battle Somali pirates (AFP)

AFP - Russia announced Thursday it would send more warships to combat piracy in the waters around Somalia, as the Saudi owners of the Sirius Star negotiated with the pirates holding their oil tanker.

Notable News - The Branding Myth

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