Brand Strategy (3)

How to Make Your Brand Stand Out in a Crowd

June 30, 2016

in Addison Whitney, Brand Strategy, Marketing

On a hot Monday afternoon, July 4th, 2016, competitors will gather at the boardwalk on Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y. to compete in one of the most famous Indepedence Day traditions around – the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Now, despite what some may think of the contest itself, there is little doubt the impact it has had on the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog brand. That’s right – a brand was able to build an entire branding strategy off of a competitive eating contest. How did they do it?

The Appearance of Assortment: Why Kraft-Heinz Cross-Branded

June 28, 2016

Facing a highly competitive packaged food industry and a shift in demands and drop in growth, Kraft-Heinz decided to take an offbeat-path to win consumers back. In a series of collaborative efforts with other brands, Kraft-Heinz has been able to achieve the appearance of more premium and diverse products .Variegating its products with similar or better brands makes Kraft-Heinz look more appealing in the less popular packaged food aisle, even if they’re collaborating with other packaged food. Two seems to be consistently better than one in the eyes of an untrusting consumer.

Speaking Their Language: 4 Tips in Branding for an Age Group

June 23, 2016

by Trish Drees

in Addison Whitney, Brand Strategy, Branding

If a company’s message falls down in the forest with no one to hear it, did it really even make a sound? Just like the lonely tree tipping, a brand irrelevant to its audience’s age group is non-existent. Creating a desirable brand means creating an observable one, and sometimes that means translating your message to match the desires of those you want to buy in. To prevent your business’ generation gap from showing, here are four tips to guide branding for your target age group.

Living the Brand: How to Build a Strong Brand Persona

May 19, 2016

by Matthew Harris

in Addison Whitney, Brand Strategy, Branding

Why do we gravitate towards certain brands while actively avoiding others? What is causing the rise in “lifestyle” branding? When does a brand become something more than just a brand? The answers to these questions could be the basis for an entire blog series, but for this one, we are going to focus on the common theme that runs throughout all of the answers: creating a brand that connects with your audience.

Stick With What You Know: How to Achieve a Successful Brand Extension

May 11, 2016

When looking to expand a brand’s influence by introducing new products in different product categories, brand extensions can be a risky move. It’s been said before on this very blog that when it comes to brand decisions, there’s no need to recreate the wheel. Sometimes, the brand extension that makes the most sense, or the one that comes to mind first, is there for a reason – it’s the best choice.

5 Ways to Begin Your Branding Before You Begin Your Branding

May 06, 2016

by Matthew Harris

in Addison Whitney, Brand Strategy, Branding

Sometimes, the work done prior to the project is just as important as the work done during. This same idea is in play during the branding process. Jumping right into a new brand development or a rebrand is akin to jumping in a pool before finding out how deep it is. Those brands who begin their branding journey by following these five steps ensure they’re starting off on the right foot.

Looking toward the Branding Future with an Eye on the Past

May 03, 2016

by Matthew Harris

in Addison Whitney, Brand Strategy, Rebranding, Visual Branding

It’s a common misconception that a “rebrand” automatically means a brand new start – that when a rebrand occurs, the slate must be wiped clean and all subsequent branding elements must possess totally original characteristics. In fact, the best rebrands take the opposite approach. They take the time beforehand to identify and research what brand aspects of the previous iteration carry the most weight and provide the most benefit, then find ways to incorporate or pay homage to these aspects in the new brand.

Don’t Reinvent the Branding Wheel

April 26, 2016

Innovative. Transcendent. Groundbreaking. Many brands would love to be associated with these characteristics, or at least have the words used as descriptions of their brands. But for some, this may not necessarily be a good thing. As discussed in a recent study from York University in Toronto, finding the right balance of when and how much to update the brand is crucial to brands, especially those who are seen as “sincere” and whose brand perception does not include a propensity for change.

The Importance of Branding on a Community

April 13, 2016

by Matthew Harris

in Addison Whitney, Brand Strategy, Branding, Verbal Branding

Institutions in which the branding includes a place name often include this perspective in their branding efforts. Communities are built on commonality, and place-focused brands provide that on a large scale. The most prominent examples of these are sports franchises, where the name is front and center and which serve as a uniting force for their home bases.

Why Successfully Building a Brand Starts with Shutting Out the Noise

March 31, 2016

by Matthew Harris

in Addison Whitney, Brand Strategy, Branding

There are many aspects that go into developing and establishing a successful brand. But they really have nothing to do with it. That may sound confusing and close to oxymoronic, but it’s true. One of the best moves a brand-building organization can take is to forget all of the substance that goes into building a brand. Once the auxiliary noise is quieted, then finding the perfect note to start the song becomes significantly easier.

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