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Posts Tagged ‘brand development’

June 23, 2010 | Jeff Cohn

Slimy brand marketing, courtesy of Spirit Airlines

I’m not sure if there’s anyone minding the brand at Spirit Airlines. If there is, they have their heads in the sand, not at 30,000 feet. We all know Spirit. They are the geniuses that brought us the “pay for carry-on” idea. They show up in the news all the time with passenger dissatisfaction, employee upheavals, and general bad PR. But their foray today into the mindset of “any PR is good PR” is unconscionable. Clearly, this is a company that has no regard for the power of brand touchpoints.

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.

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June 15, 2010 | Brittney Cox

For the love of the game. For the love of the brand.

With the enormous buildup and kickoff of the World Cup comes another example of superior branding. Nike has intimately tied its brand to nearly every facet of communication the World Cup has to offer, including the faces of key English players. This massive sculpture billboard “feature(s) the faces of England squad members Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and James Milner, as well as absentee Theo Walcott…and is predicted to be seen around six million times in the lead-up to the opening fixture.”

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.

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June 10, 2010 | Melissa Eggert

TOMS: The Outstandingly Marketed Shoes

Have you heard of TOMS? I first heard of the company two years ago when a roommate in college starting sporting the simple, canvas slip-ons. I was attracted to the style of the shoe and inquired further, only to find that for every shoe purchase, another pair would be sent to a child in need. You’re telling me I can buy cute shoes and help a third-world country at the same time? Sold.

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.

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February 22, 2010 | Melissa Eggert

Is Twitter right for everyone?

I read Brandweek this past week and have been thinking over the feature article titled “The Tweet Hereafter – Just how effective is Twitter as a marketing tool?” The argument in the article is rooted in the lack of participation on Twitter, the decline of new users per month, and the disconnect between large brands and their audiences on Twitter.

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.

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December 18, 2009 | Jeff Cohn

A “fish story” of a different type.

Some companies understand that every customer transaction (we call it brand touchpoint) is an opportunity to build that brand with the customer. One of the key ways to get this done is through internal brand strategy whereby everyone within the organization understands their role in living the brand. No one understands this more than Southwest Airlines with their empowered brand of travel. Their people are trained to understand the brand and live it everyday. From rapping flight attendants to gate agents who make the inexperienced nervous flier comfortable, they are well versed in the brand and have the freedom to create fun and efficient flying experiences for their customers.

This went through my mind last night as I dined at Bonefish Grill, a national chain of fish and seafood restaurants. Our customer experience was minor but it does speak to the power of empowered brand trained employees who live their brand and those that don’t. Bonefish is in the latter category.

My friend ordered the sea bass. This item is offered in 6 and 8 ounce portions. He ordered the smaller portion. The waiter, who offered exceptional service in every way, came back and told us that they had run out of 6 ounce portions and that he could order something else or accept the 8 ounce portion. My friend said he would accept the 8 ounce portion, but didn’t think he should have to pay for the larger order. The waiter agreed that this was something they should be able to offer and said he’d go to bat with management. That was that. Until his order was placed on the table that is.

My friend was given a piece of fish no more than 6 ounces. We were all somewhat surprised by this. He asked the waiter, “so…did they find a 6 ounce piece of fish” and the waiter said that they had taken a larger piece, took off 2 ounces and served what he ordered.

We all looked at each other in amazement. Someone in management would rather throw out 2 ounces of fish than unexpectedly delight the customer. We asked about this and the waiter said he was just as surprised and would get the general manager. Apparently the kitchen manager made the call.

The manager came over, was very apologetic about what happened, and handled it well.
But this was a huge missed opportunity to build the Bonefish brand with some regular customers! Rather than bring the customer a small extra serving at no additional cost, the kitchen manager only saw his job to live to the order. He had no understanding on his role in creating a memorable experience for the customer, and thereby building the Bonefish brand with us.

We were filled to the gills, but our brand experience of Bonefish Grill was certainly, well, fishy…all because of two key missing ingredients. First, the waiter should have been empowered to do what it takes to satisfy the customer and build the brand. And second, the kitchen manager needs to know that, despite being behind the scenes, his decisions can impact customer’s brand touchpoints everyday. Will we go back to Bonefish? Probably. But our expectations of their brand are definitely lower.

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