Some things in our culture disappear. Even in the world of branding, change happens. Part of the challenge of being in business is keeping tabs on changes that affect our operations. This is not to say you need to react to every change that comes your way … but you need to be sensitive to them. Here’s a short list of some of the changes we’ve seen in just the past couple of decades: Culture Public Libraries Communication Pagers Beepers Landlines Media Blockbuster BetaMax/VHS > DVD > BlueRay > Streaming Vinyl > 8 Track > Cassette > CDs > Streaming…
Read MoreYou see ALL kinds of company names out there. Almost 2/3 of a million new companies, in the U.S. alone, are spawned each year. And, although some of those names are good, what we’re talking about today is bad company names and how to avoid them! Here are some things to consider: Make it Memorable Brevity matters … however, don’t go too short as it can make it hard to remember. Make it defensible You MUST check the UPSTO.gov website!! Stay Within Brand Emotion-based This is more important than just about any other issue!!! A story behind it: Benjamin Holt…
Read MoreKevin Breaks down five episodes from the relatively new brand, Ladder Life Insurance. They get classified into three groups; The Good, The Bad, and …. you guessed it … The Ugly.
Read MoreAmy is a graduate from Michigan State and Kevin from Michigan, it’s obvious they are both fans of the Big 10…. But today we’re talking about the Big Five. The Big Five Archetypes, that is. Those that get embraced most often by organizations using archetypes for their brand strategy. Let’s start by listing them. Here they are in no particular order… Jester – Humor/Fun Hero – Being heroic or energetically successful Neighbor – Being easy-going/relatable Mother – Caring and service-oriented Guru – Being intelligent/wise Why does it matter? Well, for starters, these ideas seem to me like they’re the most…
Read MoreAmy comes back this week after a week off to work on the Marketing Summit. Shameless plug: Zeedia Media is hosting a Marketing Summit on May 6, 2022, in Lansing, Michigan. Amy is the key note speaker, talking about Brand Archetypes (of course) and there will be 16 other speakers – all big bosses in the marketing game taking about different marketing topics like, How to make a logo that doesn’t suck, starting your own podcast, get better at public speaking, how to use Canva, and lots more. Big prizes. Great info. Get your ticket today! Ok, back to the…
Read MoreHere are the ten commandments of branding that I reference in this podcast: STRATEGY Hyper-focus on your strategy No flip-flopping Be Consistent EMOTIONS Know your emotions Avoid all other emotions What’s the energy level of your strategy? Understand The Law of Attraction (stay positive people) AUDIENCE Know your target audience demographics & psychographics Establish personas Create a tribe Know that people hate being sold to, but they love to buy PRODUCTS/SERVICES Create GREAT products and services Create GREAT customer service COMPETITION Know your competition Know how you’ll position yourself amongst your competitors Lead the market — Don’t chase your competitors…
Read MoreWONDER TWIN POWERS ACTIVATE!!! Today we’re talking about combining archetypes in the process of coming up with a brand strategy. Listen in to hear how Kevin and his twin sister pretended to the Wonder Twins. Here are some of the big ideas when combining two archetypes: It’s possible to pair archetypes, but you have to be careful The energy level is a strong indicator if two archetypes can be paired, but that’s not 100% There are a handful of pairs that are obvious “no go” combos And, of course, we have the prom King and Queen … those popular pairs…
Read MoreWe have a special treat for you today. Amy had the opportunity to be a guest on her show, Open School of Business and now we have the please to chat with Anar Umurzak as our guest today. Anar is committed to bringing real-life experts from different walks of life to share different perspectives and paths to success with her listeners. If you are a business owner or thinking of starting a business, or what to up your professional game, we highly encourage you to check out the Open School of Business Podcast. An added bonus is that Anar is very…
Read MoreWhile Kevin goes to get himself some more coffee, I’ll go ahead and let you in on the topic for the day. Today, we’re talking about high-energy archetypes. Those choice few archetypes where being high energy is a strategic decision and can when done properly, lead to super-strong brand strategies AND higher levels of excitement. For you, your products, and your services. To be clear, high energy does NOT mean you need to come across as looney. As in our review of low-energy archetypes in our last episode, let’s start out by listing which ones we’re talking about. So, which…
Read MoreToday, we’re talking about low-energy archetypes. The choice few where if you chose them because of their mellowness, can be a strategic decision. When done properly leads to super-strong brand strategies AND higher levels of customer trust and engagement! Low energy does NOT mean a lack of power. The low-energy archetypes, in no particular order, are: The Neighbor This is all about being an average Joe, hanging out and chillin’ (with or without Netflix) The Mother This one is all about caring and comforting others The Guru Which is all about knowledge, experience, and wisdom The Innocent This one is…
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