Pepsi goes after those looking for a clear and pure cola alternative...as well as those looking for a pop first thing in the a.m.

1. Crystal Pepsi – This came out when I was in middle school, and I admit, I completely bought into it without ever understanding the point. According to Wikipedia, Crystal Pepsi was a caffeine-free “clear alternative” to normal colas, equating clearness with purity and health. I just thought it was funny that a pop that tasted like Pepsi looked like water.

Honorable Mention: Pepsi A.M. This was marketed to those who like to drink pop in the morning. Side note: I consume at least two Diet Cokes before 9 a.m. each morning. I am the target market. I would not drink this.

2.  Beer Gimmicks – Beer companies put other marketers to shame in the “Gimmick” department:

Ignore the ice running down the bottle, the blue mountains tell you this beer is cold!

• A label that turns blue when cold – I don’t know what to say about this…isn’t it cold when it feels cold?

• The “wide-mouth” can – I always thought this was to help you drink it faster, but after doing some research it is apparently to help ventilation…who knew?

• The “light beer” race – I was someone who looked forward to Michelob Ultra launching. And then the floodgates opened. Budweiser Select 55, Miller Genuine Draft Light 64…does it matter that none of these beers has any taste anymore? Give me a Guinness.

Honorable Mention: Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign. Did the announcer just say, “When he punches you in the face you will have to fight the urge to thank him”? It took me four times watching this commercial to figure out what it was trying to sell. I’m pretty sure I purchased this beer after that fourth viewing.

3. Cocaine Energy Drink – Who thought this was a good idea? We can guess what went on in that brainstorm session.

Honorable Mention: Red Bull “Gives You Wings.” The commercials are a bit offbeat, but I think it works for them, as they are a quirky brand. But more importantly, I love how they have taken this “gimmick” and translated it into the world’s coolest competition – Flugtag. This “homemade, human-powered flying machine” challenge is on my bucket list.

4.  Crayola – Quiz: How many times can a company sell you the exact same product? These are ALL markers in one shape or another.

A marker by any other name is just a marker...right? Not at Crayola.

• Glitter Paper – Sparkle built into each fun-tastic page. Just use clear Color Wonder Markers to create colorful, shimmering masterpieces.

• Color Wonder Light Up Markers – Simply connect the Color Wonder Marker into the light wand and click it. The barrels light up to identify each marker color.

• Color Explosion 3-D – With just one clear marker, create images that leap from the page in cool 3-D effects.

Honorable Mention: 3D everything. My husband claims he can’t see 3D because of some vision dysfunction he “thinks” he has, yet he wants the 3D television. And he calls me a “marketer’s dream.”

Spirit Airlines Online Ad

I am a brand strategist and have been a marketing professional for the past 25 years. I’m not sure of the last time I saw such a display of bad taste in marketing. Today, Spirit launched a campaign touting its “Check out the oil on our beaches” campaign. The campaign shows a series of beaches in locations Spirit flies to. I didn’t think it was possible to outdo BP’s lack of PR and marketing prowess. Really? Are you kidding me, Spirit Airlines?

A little research informed me that Spirit’s CEO loves shock-value marketing. CEO Ben Baldanza says Spirit has cut its marketing and distribution expenses by more than 80% during the past three years “by using edgy viral marketing.” The savings have resulted in very inexpensive fares, he says. Spirit’s advertising “may be more colorful than some,” but it isn’t “out of the norm” when compared with many retailers’ ads, Super Bowl commercials and the content of TV series, Baldanza says. Well, I think it’s time to start spending some money on a brand marketing and PR agency that can knock some sense into this inane approach to marketing.

I have to cry foul. This is, to use your terminology, out of the norm, Mr. Baldanza. It’s shameful. Offensive. And an assault to the people, like me, who are proud of the impact brand marketing has had in building businesses, adding jobs and fueling the economy. Millions of people in the Gulf states are worrying every day and night about where their next dime will come from. The environmental impact of this spill is nauseating. And you, Spirit Airlines, want to make fun of it for the PR value?

Yet here I am, writing about it and giving them the PR visibility they would hope for. Well here’s my PR, Spirit Airlines: I will never fly your airline. I will tell everyone I can about this. And I will use my company’s communication platform to be sure the word gets out.

This campaign does nothing to represent the American Spirit I grew up with and my father fought for in WWII. I’m just one brand marketer, but I’m taking a stand. I encourage anyone reading this to do so as well by writing Spirit and keeping your dollars far away from them, now and forever. Let’s not let this tasteless approach to brand building win, low fares or not.

I was talking to a friend in Atlanta the other day who also happens to own an agency. I said, “Let’s get some friends together and go to the beach on the Florida Gulf Coast, support these folks down there and bring some much-needed money to the region. She jumped at the idea. Oh yes, we’re going. It’s the American thing to do. But you can be sure we won’t be traveling on Spirit Airlines to get there. Or anywhere. Their brand has no value as far as I’m concerned.

What an amazing concept. Closely identify your brand with a sport that is fueled by the united passion of nearly every country in the world. When people see, hear and think about soccer (or “football” for most), they see, hear and think about Nike.

Such tremendous brand saturation does not come easily. Nike has “launch(ed) its largest-ever presence at a World Cup,” and its tireless efforts have effectively put it in front of every fan of every team. I can’t help but to see its brand swoosh across my eyes on a daily basis…and I’m not even much of a soccer fan.

Strategic ambush marketing tactics have led to “Nike (being) mentioned twice as often online as sponsor Adidas.” It has employed everything from a captivating commercial that is quickly climbing the charts to be one of the best in history, to sustainable efforts by providing sponsored teams with shirts made from recycled polyester. Its ad campaign “Write the Future” successfully links Nike to the World Cup in the consumer’s mind by evoking the fervor and intensity felt worldwide by soccer fans.

So what does all of this mean for Nike in the aftermath of the whirlwind World Cup experience? The passion and excitement of the game’s final matchups, and Nike’s forefront presence in the entire event, will continue to resonate with fans around the world. Fans of both winning teams and losing teams will continue to write their future with Nike.

Cause marketing is nothing new. And according to reports, it’s known to be effective. Bob Gilbreath, chief marketing strategist at Bridge Worldwide and author of “Marketing with Meaning,” stated this year that:

• 71% of consumers are giving as much or more now as they were before the economic downturn.
• 87% of consumers would switch brands based on association with a good cause.
• 50% of consumers would pay more for products from brands that support causes.

Yet what sets TOMS apart from the rest is the company’s holistic understanding of creating brand ambassadors. From social media to its website to packaging to ad campaigns to designer contests to founder Blake Mycoskie’s talks around the nation (shout out to Vanderbilt!)  customers are able to plug in, converse, interact, advocate, and promote TOMS shoes. The company informs you via videos about shoe drops in Africa, posts pictures of you wearing your TOMS wherever you are, asks you for advice on the next line of styles, replies to your tweets, encourages you to host TOMS parties, and always, always keeps its mission clear and simple – One for One.

This week, I received my first pair of burlap slip-ons at the office. In the sustainable box were my shoes with One for One inscribed on the insole. Collateral told me to take the fabric TOMS flag that was wrapped around the shoes and post a picture of myself holding it to their website. It also told me how to find out more information about the impact TOMS has around the world. Finally, they included a sticker for me to slap on my Nalgene.

Today, you’ll see my TOMS flag on my bulletin board. You’ll see my TOMS sticker on my Nalgene. You’ll see my TOMS shoes on my feet. And most importantly, you’ll find the newest TOMS Brand Ambassador.

I was so taken by her message that I called Anna back immediately, wanting to share my concern and acknowledging her message. In the heat of a customer service and business emergency, she was calm, thoughtful and considerate. She even asked me to come by and have a drink with her to celebrate their reopening.

I have only been to the Samba Room once, but my memories of it were positive. Now, through the professionalism exhibited by this manager, I am a brand ambassador. I cannot wait to go there again. She has given me confidence that the operation is well run and that I, the  customer, will be well taken care of.

Anna and her company should be celebrated for this and there are some great lessons about service here. I wish them well and I am happy to share this positive experience with anyone that reads this post. After all, Anna made lemon mojitos out of lemons. And that is a tasty way to build any brand.

I bring up this article because I see validity behind the points. I think it’s something to consider when suggesting Twitter to clients or for your own company. One director of social media strategy stated that Twitter was effective for only a few areas of marketing:

• customer relations management

• deals and promotions

• conversations for smaller, lesser-known brands.

The statistics also prove a point. Large brands, such as Verizon and Target, have 5,000 to to 10,000 followers. Smaller “organic” brands like Woot and Someecards have almost 2 million followers. And some celebrities? 3-4 million. Why? Because the smaller brands and the celebrities have distinct personalities that larger brands simply cannot have on Twitter (unless it’s the CEO or a customer service help-line like Best Buy’s Twelpforce). Think about how many checkpoints corporations have to go through if they want to get their tweets approved, etc. It takes a long time, and the personality gets lost in the process.

The CEO of Someecards, which has 1.7 million followers in a little over a year, credits his success to his ability to express his creative personality within his brand on Twitter (snippets of wisdom, random links, etc). Twitter matches with the company mission – their cards are all short-form communication. They are known for great one-liners. Twitter works.

Bottom line: No one is really certain how long Twitter will be around. But what I am learning is that before we jump into these social network tools, we need to be thinking about what purpose they serve us. Does Twitter really work for your company? It’s easy to set up an account, it’s easy to acknowledge that everyone in involved in it currently – but are you asking: Why is it good for me?

Being on the cutting edge is crucial in this industry. Equally so is our ability to evaluate these cutting-edge trends and decipher whether or not they align with our brands’ goals. I would love your feedback.

Brand strategy is the hard work of defining a brand’s distinction in the marketplace. In the case of brand Obama, there was a clear focus on “Change” – change from the policies of the past, change in who is driving policy, change from a new generation of voters, etc. But rolling out that brand through our complicated political process is a much more difficult challenge. This is also a challenge for CEOs at companies of all sizes. They first have to find their brand distinction and bring that brand to life through internal and external brand activation. A single voice for the brand should manifest itself through advertising, human resource communications, websites, public relations, corporate social responsibility initiatives, etc. The idea of the narrative in governing is the same thing and Mr. Friedman totally gets this as reflected in his piece.

In public or private brand messaging, it’s a difficult thing to find consistency in message. Many large and some smaller companies understand the importance of this and, partnering with their brand and marketing agencies, test the validity of brand in every program, initiative and customer touch point. Seeing it as an opportunity in the political and government arenas is the message brought forward by Mr. Friedman. Whether the terminology is narrative or brand activation, the message is the same. Consistent brand messaging creates distinction and understanding among target markets and helps to leverage the brand to achieve the business objectives at hand.

H&M Window in New York City

H+M, the Swedish retailer, has taken the U.S. by storm in recent years. They do it right every step of the way. The company has a clear brand position and definite understanding of whom their target customer is and her lifestyle and they constantly work to build that brand position with every customer touchpoint.

I was fortunate to be in New York City last week. While my associate Robin Lybarger and I were walking to a meeting, we were both taken by the signage in H+M’s windows. Well, not really their windows but the communication about why there was nothing in the windows. Wow, do they GET IT!

Using simple but highly effective copy on a plain background, the retailer covered their windows while in transition from one display to another. They could have said something mundane like, “Sale” or “New arrivals for Fall” but no, instead, they used humor to support their overall brand message and voice.

Copy lines like, “Sometimes even our mannequins have a hard time deciding what to wear” are fun, imaginative and spot on for the woman that shops H+M. Brilliant.

It speaks to the power of using every customer touchpoint, in this case window signage, to express a brand strategy. When looking at your brand, you have to first identify all the ways your external and internal targets interact with the brand and use those touchpoints as a platform for communications. Even things as simple as an invoice form, a company internal newsletter or intranet, a social media site or even a window display message. Every touchpoint brings the brand to life, every step of the way.

With the onslaught of communication channels people expect “transparency”. While I am not a big fan of this buzzword, I think the idea it conveys is here to stay. Put simply, today’s consumers demand companies and individuals to be open and honest. If a company or celebrity tries to hide from an issue, it will certainly spiral out of control. Please note, that if a situation is legal in nature other rules apply.

Now, take the recent situation with David Letterman. Okay, I definitely do not condone his actions of infidelity, but the way he handled the situation publicly was a good example of how to deal with a crisis situation. It was obviously painful to address his infidelity on air honestly and openly, but it squashed rumors and allowed him to own up to what he had done and whom he hurt. A very humbling experience indeed. In my opinion, the fact his fans heard the confession firsthand will certainly bode well for him.

With nearly two decades in the public relations business, I have always counseled my clients to get in front of a crisis. It is important to communicate YOUR message as the conversation will go on with or without you. This is an approach even more important in a world that includes instant communication tools – such as Twitter and Facebook.

At the end of the day, it is only human to respect and appreciate when people are open and honest. I remain amazed at how many companies are still afraid they will lose control if they say too much. Let’s be honest, in most situations if don’t speak up you will lose even more control!

As the Harvard Business blog says, Letterman’s ability to manage the crisis on his own terms helped him contain the damage.