The America Party Brand?

April 14, 2016 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.

 

Are the two preeminent political parties losing enough relevance that now a new party could actually emerge?

Unlikely is this cycle but what about the next?

History is full of new brands emerging out of the growing irrelevance of the incumbents … Fed Ex, Lexus/Kia/Hyundai, Home Depot, Visio, Starbucks and, of course, Apple (over IBM and Dell), to name a few.

When leading brands, even icons, lose relevance the stage is set for a new one to rocket.

Is this possible in this political arena?

The ‘voter’ market is certainly not happy with their parties.

Voters have overwhelmingly lost confidence in either party ‘regulars’ to solve economic or national security problems. Words like ‘Washington’ and ‘Establishment Politician’ have about as much brand cache now as ‘Wall Street’ and ‘Fund Managers’. Accordingly, the newer so-called millennial voters appear less politically engaged with the parties. Getting a job, paying off loans is the daily reality and petty, mud-slinging politicians with their party cronies and self interests are just not on their radar.

It’s easy to see why the political outsiders, Trump, and Sanders have energized voters. They speak to a simplified, less corrupt and more action-orientated view of government. A view, which again is not entirely aligned with the party planks. This has attracted new interest and record voter turn out. Voters are not stupid, and if they realize that the party delegates and super delegates can easily subvert their votes, then their anger and frustration with their party will only intensify.

On the larger scale, our culture is also changing in subtle ways that will challenge the traditional party foundations and relevance going forward.

New voters are often less religious and to a degree less nationalistic. Global connectivity and the increasingly mixed races are creating much more sensitivity towards the world at large and a deep ‘dislike of the ‘isms’ … racism, classism, extremism, elitism and anything that smells of subversism.

And relevance is a problem for both parties.

The Republican Party has been lost for a decade. The Tea Party set the table for Mitt Romney to win the 2012 Election but he didn’t. Now he and his establishment conservatives are spearheading an anti-Trump movement and splitting the party. Whether Trump represents a compelling new Republican voice or voters are just regaling against the seemingly ineffectual ‘establishment’ Republicans, is an interesting debate. Either way, it’s a hard to see how the Republican Party can stop their relevance from continuing to erode across the broad spectrum of voters.

The Democrats aren’t in much better shape. President Obama offered a positive, unifying leadership, which many believe has, after two terms, achieved little beyond his attempts at legacy building. Of their two candidates for President, one is a proud socialist and probably unelectable and the other with FBI investigations and single digit honesty ratings is in many ways the poster child for what angers many about today’s politicians.

Further, it’s, at least, clear to me that as both parties have become such adversaries any opportunities for compromise and moderate outcomes are zero. The extremes seem to be the norm. But how many voters are not hard-liners? Many Republicans I speak to are fiscally conservative and defense-concerned but socially moderate even quite liberal on some topics. Likewise, many Democrats are strong on equality and progressive issues but are also becoming increasingly worried about the fiscal, national security fears and yes big government debt concerns.

Is it possible for a new party, say The America Party, to emerge from the ashes of the incumbents and represent the best of both … not the worst of both?

Yes, I know parties like the Libertarians have made some impact but they have not succeeded to the main stage to date. Mostly I believe because they stand as a contrast to the others with fairly narrow platforms. And there is always a well of independents who just maybe waiting for The America Party.

If The America Party brand can represent a new and positive voice that appeals to the best of both parties, then why not? No one wants to fight against something. Always better to fight for something. Let us fight for America and without all the infighting, pettiness and old machine corruption and, of course, the ‘isms’.

Yes, I know more parties create more problems. Look at Europe. And yes a one party system won’t work but we are just talking here, and maybe The America Party could be a remake or evolution of either party. ‘New and Improved’ so to speak.

Overly simplistic you say? Well maybe but in history the biggest ideas have typically come from the simplest of notions.

Whatever the solution, this writer believes that if these parties do not look up and out a bit, their brand will remain as irrelevant and uninspiring as they certainly have become today.

What say you brand wizards?


Filed Under: Business Book Author Branding, Business Growth Branding, Global Branding, New Product Branding, Political Brandi9ng, Uncategorized

Brand America. Bruised or Beaten?

March 2, 2016 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.

 

America’s status at home and abroad is not at all clear. Is the America of the last century gone? The ‘global powerhouse’ done? The ‘American Dream’ over? Or just in a state of flux?

Dreary questions for sure. And yes we go through this every election cycle, but a lot of the mud flung on the walls by the PROTUS hopefuls is sticking. There are real concerns about America’s future across every demographic.

It’s absolutely astounding to me, that after a decade’s movement to moderate our culture (you know ‘everyone gets a prize’, ‘we need to sit with our enemies’, ‘share the wealth’, etc., etc.), the two earliest surging candidates, Sanders and Trump, are anything but moderate. Arguably they represent extremes on either side, and voters are turning out in record numbers to support them.

No question, anger at the seemingly dysfunctional government is driving this, and this isn’t new. Obama and the Democrats took over eight years ago with a kinder, happier mandate. Just two years later the Republican’s stormed back and won the senate as the ‘tea partiers’ pushed for dramatic change. Alas, not much happened to favor either agenda. The frustration grew.

Furthermore, today we have a world in deep doo doo. Global economies struggling, dire political and religious unrest, environmental decline, traditional cultures and ethnicities losing ground. And, closer to home, of course, adult children still at home. The list goes on. No matter your concern about the world and your life, it is a rather grim picture going forward.

So here’s the question or, at least, a question. What is the American ‘brand’ in all of this?

I see two factors – America’s role in the world and, the strongly philosophically, divided populace at home.

It’s possible that the first rules the second.

The world play is critical. The world has become a single marketplace where physical borders are less apparent. American Corporations aren’t necessarily American anymore but global entities with offices, plants and people working across time, space and currencies every second of the day. We may be upset with US companies moving facilities and jobs overseas but that’s how they have learned to compete in this highly leveraged and regulated world. And no one likes to talk about China’s influence on the global economy and our ridiculously high national debt.

No matter what your concerns, be they financial and personal security or cultural values, we need to look at the world to understand our future.

And on the personal level, the digital generations are now global. We communicate and share anywhere, anytime worldwide with a simple click or a touch. Our younger cultures are increasingly globally centric, connected and in many cases nationally ambivalent.

What the ‘baby boomers’ see as lost values the millennial sees as just the new norm.

Why even third world terrorist organizations recruit and terrorize anywhere they want via the World Wide Web.

The world is morphing into cultures beyond countries, and if America does not understand and succeed at the world level, it will not win on the home front…regardless of political doctrine.

So what happens to the Brand America? Can it remain the powerful symbol of a land and it’s people or does it have to change? Are we fierce, gun-toting, freedom fighters guarding our borders with our lives or are we open -minded individuals with a ‘cork -floating-on-the-ocean’ mentality? Or both?

As a traditionalist, I would rather not change but as a realist I believe we should deeply examine this question and find the right answer … and rather quickly.

One answer is to look into the emotional needs of the people. Americans of both parties are showing an angry reaction to their government and leaders.

Anger is not a good emotion to base a brand on. It usually does not last long. But what is behind anger can be useful. I believe in this case it is fear. People are worried about every aspect of their future and with arguably good cause. There is no good news or simple answers anywhere and leadership has been lacking.

So what do we do with this?

I would suggest that in a changing world with a deep fear of continuing to survive, the American Brand has to stand for two things to regain its power status in the world and continue to be the iconic, symbolic inspiration for its people.

The ‘brand’ has to be both TOUGH and FAIR.

‘Tough’ to compete and win on the world stage and ‘fair’ to optimize opportunity for all. It is extremely important that the world knows where we stand on key commercial or personal endeavors. We desperately need to take a hard line where we need to, but we’ll only gain respect and support, both domestically as well as abroad, if we are fair.

It’s quite simple. America has little trouble in the ‘tough’ department, but it does need to have precise positions and build its defenses to back them up.

The real breakthrough is in the ‘fair’ department. On the one level ‘lies, cronyism, lobbies, special interests’ all need to go. On another so do overreaching regulations and ‘PC’, controlling dictates like ‘the rich are bad’ and ‘everyone gets a prize’ and only certain ‘lives matter’. We all matter equally and can thrive equally if the game is fair.

If a new leader emerges who can execute on toughness and fairness and the American populace can see this happening, then I believe that Brand America for the next 50 years will shine through.

What say you?

We love talking brands. Let us work with yours. www.rocketbranding.com.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Business Growth Branding, Global Branding, Political Branding, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

What Can Business Learn from Microbiomes?

January 4, 2016 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.

Actually quite a lot.

If you haven’t heard, microbiomes are the ‘communes’ of life, so to speak, and quite possibly the source of the next big breakthroughs in health and agriculture.

Microbiomes are all the organisms that co-habit a living organism.

Our human cells are only a small fraction of us. There are also some 100 trillion microbial cells … good bacteria, and the like, that live within us and keep us healthy. Same with plants and animals. Without these symbiotic, interdependent relationships we would not exist.

As scientists are now delving into collective genomes, they are understanding that the old way of just focusing only on the ‘host’ cells misses the enormous importance of the whole microbiome entity.

Business is arguably the same. We traditionally think of our company as a separate, independent organism that lives within itself and only interacts with the world through sales and marketing.

What if we learnt from science and created our company’s microbiome? What if we sat down and truly defined each of the entities in our entire business eco system and then built interdependencies with each so that we all thrive and survive together?

What the heck am I talking about?

A simple example. Let’s play with ‘advocacy’.

We all know in today’s digitally connected world that the more people advocating your company and brands the better. Right? Personal referrals are king.

Yes, we already have tactics to motivate and even incentivize advocacy and, yes, from time to time this works, but what if we actually make it our master strategy?

What if we deliberately set out to make it a priority in our relationships with every organism or entity that lives within our company’s microbiome? This would include employees, neighbors, customers, consumers, partners, affiliates and communities.

In each case, we can develop an ‘interdependency’, whereby it is in the best interests of all to vigorously advocate for each other. In fact, we could get to the stage where we only hire or, work with entities, that actually have our advocacy linked to their ongoing success.

Tons of ways to do this but if every entity in our microbiome is offered a different deal for advocacy (employee bonus, cost or price incentives for others?), then even in small ways we are working as one.

Heady stuff granted but one heck of a philosophical approach to building a company’s future. Right?

We love this stuff and are always looking for creative, innovative and sustainable ways to grow companies and their brands. Come play with us. And we’ll help you work out the best way to grow your company.

We are Rocket Branding and honored to serve. www.rocketbranding.com, 312 951 5178

Thank you.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Can You Hear the Rainbow?

December 2, 2015 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.Katy asked this innocent question as she tugged at my sleeve and stretched her little eight year-old, bubbly self to show me the pretty rainbow outside the plane’s window.

Her mother hovered in the seat behind. I offered to change places but no, she said it was good that Katy (with a ‘y’) could spend some time with strangers.

OK I guess. But this stranger was hard at work drafting a three-year brand strategy for a client – the result of a two-day work session.

Katy persisted and for a lovable time this little person and I tried to work out what sound does orange make? Is blue a bubbling water sound or the gurgle when Katy finishes that last gulp of lemonade, (which is yellow of course) and what sound does red make … no clue! And what sound does the whole rainbow make?

She finally fell asleep and I went back to banging away on my laptop.

But an idea popped into my head. Little Katy, that sweet little mind, may well have just nailed why some growth strategies succeed and others fail.

Most companies build long-term growth strategies at one time or another. So why do some get traction and drive the company and others just sit on a shelf collecting dust?

We know that without properly defining the future growth goal, it is unlikely that there will be a powerful focus to the plan. At best it will be uninspiring and at worst miss a huge opportunity to set the company up with a lucrative competitive advantage for years to come.

But is this enough?

Katy would have us do one more thing. Have the courage to ask big, simple maybe even nonsensical questions.

Too often we get trapped into asking the same questions of a brand or a category, and yes, we end up with the same answers.

I remember being in a Coca Cola meeting where a research firm was presenting their annual report on drinking behavior. They were highlighting the remarkable growth in water consumption in the US population. The senior Coke representative scoffed at the idea of ever selling water in a can (They were predominantly a can company at that time). So the trend was disregarded. Katy might have asked. Why does it have to be in a can? It took Coke almost a decade after that to sell water in a bottle and, during that time, losing a huge chunk of business to others.

I also remember Bob Shapiro the head of The NutraSweet Company after reviewing proposed brand campaigns he commented on how small they seemed. Being a revolutionary new sweetener was fine but really so what? Yes the campaign would work for the packet sweetener business under the Equal brand, but what about the ingredient business with the NutraSweet brand? Do all the beverage brands that can use aspartame want to promote a new sweetener? Packets are a profitable $200 million+ business but the ingredient business that could be featured in the launch of the new diet soft drink category (Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi etc.) would be in the billions. A simple question that led to the idea of not introducing NutraSweet as a new sweetener but as new taste. Simple question that lead to a positioning campaign of ‘why some things taste better than others’ and a relevant message and logo for Coke and Pepsi, and some 3,000 other food and beverage brands throughout the world, to promote on their front labels.

So if you planning the next three to five years of solid growth don’t be afraid to sit back and ask the big, possibly silly, ‘Katy’ questions. And of course sometimes its good to have an outsider like us facilitate that. We are Rocket Branding and as always, honored to help. www.rocketbranding.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

THE REPUBLICAN BRAND?

November 4, 2015 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.Now it’s getting interesting. Last week’s GOP debate was different. Are we seeing the Republican ‘brand’ beginning to take shape? How so and so what?

I’ll stick my neck out once again and say that ‘brand’ is the key determinant in political success today. I predicted Obama to win over Romney because he was a ‘brand’ and Romney was not. After the first debate I predicted Trump to remain on top, because he is his brand. And he continues to lead much to the chagrin of many political pundits.

It maybe a little early to tell, but you could also argue that other GOP hopefuls, like Carson, Rubio and Cruz, have started to become brands. Fiorina may also have big branding potential (though I’d advocate a more ‘Carly’ emphasis) while Bush’s brand, even with all the awareness, has not hit the mark as yet.

So why has a brand become so important to politics and how does this relate to Republicans?

Political brands are very simple. Politicians are people. They have names and they stand for something. Their ‘brand’ emerges when you recognize their name and it conjures up an image. If that image is relevant to your beliefs, then advocacy and favorable voting follows.

On the flip side, of course, having a name that few recognize or an image that is irrelevant or worse negative, keeps you off the stage. And, in this day of social media, where ‘gotchas’ and ‘get ’ems’ travel faster than light, having a strong brand is almost the only defense. This is why two of the strongest brands in the race so far, ‘Hillary’ and ‘Trump,’ have been able to withstand media onslaughts that would have crippled lesser branded entities.

Two things have happened in America over the last two decades. Political Parties have lost their credibility and humanity has snuck in. There was a time when voters pretty much followed the party and, whoever was their Party nominee for President, usually got the support of the faithful. Politics was mostly political and boring.

Things have not been going so well, however, and the constant bickering and little progress in Washington have left the populace with a much-renewed interest in who is actually going to make things better. Neither party seems to have had the answer. So we look for real leadership. The question of who is going to be the President is looming larger than ever … and their brand credibility is going to be a deciding factor.

But from last week’s debate, a new brand may well have shown itself. For the first time the Republicans seemed to be speaking with a ‘party’ voice. Clearly there were many individual assertions of greatness, but the overall GOP message of “less government and smarter policies” was echoed across the lengthy stage of candidates and the chorus of moderator rebuke seems to have shown a unified GOP bravado.

Now, of course this is a long race but it is going to be really interesting to see how each candidate’s ‘brand’ emerges on both sides. And it will certainly help the GOP candidate if the party can for the first time, in a long time, provide a clear and hopeful brand premise that will engage the voters.

We’ll be watching and reporting. What say you?

We are brand growth experts and would love to help you grow yours.
Ian Miller, www.rocketbranding.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized

TRUMP! PRESIDENT??

August 6, 2015 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.Six years ago I predicted Obama would win over Romney, largely because he was a ‘brand’ and Romney was not.

Tonight, Donald Trump takes on 16 co-hopefuls for the GOP nomination on a Fox televised debate. Great theatre. Trump, a non-Washington candidate, is ahead in the polls so he will be center-stage, surrounded by a sea of typical, dark suited, red tied politicians, who will look and sound pretty much the same. No one looks or sounds like Trump.

Now I am not smart enough to predict that he will be the next POTUS, but I can say that he is for now the lead GOP and unless someone creates a news worthy, sound byte, moment like Reagans ‘there you go again’ to Carter and/or, of course, Trump does not get trumped on some issue, then the Trump ‘rocket’ will keep shooting up.

This, of course, has very little to do with substance and, like it or not, this is the new way.

Our digitized world is based on shock headlines and stunning images. Fresh, new relevant brands get media attention and win quickly.

Obama was such a brand. His name was unique and gained awareness quickly. His story was simple and relevant … first African American, educated, articulate with a promise of ‘better’.

Romney was not such a brand. He looked and sounded like the typical Washington politician and his story was not clear. Even his name had little brand cache.

Trump knows all this.

The political pundits have been salivating over the chance to pick apart Trump’s policies, but quite frankly he is way too media savvy to let them.

Trump is a media brand. Say the word Trump and just about everyone can see a picture of him and the picture isn’t bad for the times. This tough, independent, successful businessman wears a suit and leads. His name is on buildings. He has been the ‘boss’ star of his own popular TV show. He owns beauty contests and knows how to ‘play the stage’. My guess is that his aided awareness is over 80% in the US. He has been in the mass public eye probably more often than all other candidates combined.

Interestingly his unique brand persona is actually now working for him. Brand awareness is one thing but if an audience can feel a little pain for a candidate and relate to see his or her humanity then the brand relationship grows fast. Trump’s weird hair and bruff, straight-talk style, have not stopped him so far and now if nothing else it keeps the cameras on him and people curious.

And at the end of the day, a simple brand story survives. For the less politically engaged voters, the Trump brand can easily be seen as a regular guy taking on Washington and winning, as opposed to ‘more-of-the-same failed’ politicians. The political insiders and pundits, who marvel at polls and seeing a continually growing Trump candidacy, will change their sage comments from negative to positive real fast.

Now my intent here is not to support or even predict the winner. I am just commenting on how in this world of politics a candidate’s brand, or lack there of, is the new X factor in predicting success.

And if I was in the Hillary Clinton camp right now I would be quite concerned about her brand persona. No question she has brand awareness but what is her story other than her e-mail issues etc.? How is she relating…first female President? Maybe?

What do you think? Let’s kick it around. In a few hours we can sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

We are brand growth experts and love to help do so. Look us up at www.rocketbranding.com and lets chat.

Filed Under: Business Growth Branding, Political Brandi9ng, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

ROCKET BRANDING NEW TECHNOLOGY

July 8, 2014 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.Branding is the most undervalued ROI asset for a new technology based product or service.

Yet with a little creativity and strategic rigor, branding is one of the easiest, cheapest and quickest assets to build.

Snausages (a new doubly extruded pet treat) was created over a slice of pizza, Celebrex (a new cox-2 inhibitor) on a napkin over lunch. The new, Old Spice (advanced deodorancy) from a couple of focus groups.

Branding is the short hand surrogate for the technology. Would you rather put sucralose or Splenda in your coffee? Would you rather send a ‘fax’ or a facsimile transmission? Do you ride a Harley or a motorbike?

Branding is also an opportunity to create new category language. Celebrex was the first new ‘smart’ drug. ‘Social collaboration’ was the new space for content management and intranet software. Being the first or best of a new space is a great positioning for a new technology. It tends to bring in the media, which loves to name and anoint new categories …4X4, SUV, laptop, cross trainer, designer drugs and so on.

A well-positioned and designed brand identity (name, logo, tag, message) will accelerate acceptance and, importantly promote advocacy (and buzz) among key customers, consumers and their influencers.

New technology has created revenues and market share for centuries with examples in every category … medicine, food, transport, fabric etc. and now with the digital age new technology applications are producing new products and behaviors at an unprecedented rate.

So why do so many new tech brands fail to gain traction and deliver their early revenue and ROI goals?.

Three reasons.

1. The ‘What it is vs. What it does’ syndrome. New technology creators are brilliant. New features and functions can be world changing. Unfortunately most of the world is too busy and occupied to notice. The trap is in believing that all you have to do is tout the features …the what it is and people will flock to it.

The truth is that most people don’t care as much about what it is as what it does for them. Does it it make their lives, easier, healthier, happier? And even further does it provide an emotional or psychic reward? And even further what does it allow me to give up?

2. Creative Fear. One of the great ironies I come across is how creative, technology innovators, can be and yet how uncreative they think they are in branding. Scientists, engineers, inventors, invariably feel that they are not equipped to create brands. No so. In fact in my experience some of the most creative branding exercises have been conducted with exactly that group.

I hate to break the myth but branding is simple logic and common sense…typically two of the key strengths of creators.

3. Asking the wrong questions

Here’s the magic. Take notes. This is a product of 35+ years of building successful brands and particularly technology fueled brands. It is called Rocket Brandingâ„ .

It’s all about growth, focus and simplicity.

Understanding what the role of the branding is in building company growth, focusing on the target that will contribute most and quickest to the growth path and if it isn’t simple no one cares.

Answer these 5 questions and you will be on your way to branding nirvana.

1. What revenue are we looking for over the next 3-5 years?

2. What target consumer or customer is going to be our most important revenue generator?

3. What does our new technology enable them to do better or more of?

4. How are they going to feel in using our technology?

5. What words, thought, ideas best describe or symbolize that experience?

Start here and go for it. You’ll be surprised how creative you can be.

For more on this thinking and cases read my book Rocket Branding,buy at www.rocketbranding.com, visit www.tbpllc.com and contact us if you’d like some help.

Filed Under: Business Growth Branding, career building, Global Branding, New Product Branding, social media, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

JUST DONE IT!

November 23, 2013 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.My favorite question on my weekly Chicago radio show is what is the one thing today that separates success from failure, winners from losers?

Here are quotes from three recent guests who work across a broad cross section of companies and industries.

“Putting your head down and getting your work done. It’s all about execution.”

The key point Kristin Barrett VP Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center makes when seeing what creates success with her 300 high value start-ups at the 1871 incubator.

” When there is something in front of you that you can do, do it. Execute and learn”

Advice Kent Gladish, Senior Marketing and Sales Director Technology and Manufacturing Alignment Association provides when counseling his the 1,000-member organization on moving ahead and being successful.

“Its one thing to have a great idea but without a strong bias to action and execution the idea is typically under-served and unrealized”

Observations from Bruno Gruaz a senior executive and Guest Expert Host on the show who counsels company owners on sustainable growth and prosperity.

Get the point? It ‘s all about getting it done. Executing. Making it happen.

Why is this? Are we not in a new world of digital productivity capabilities that enable us to get connected, get information and get action anywhere in the world, any time of the day?

So how has not getting it done, become such a factor?

I’m actually not surprised at this. In working across a wide range of people, industries and generations I see a new syndrome emerging, which I call the ‘Comfort Tunnel’.

Bit obtuse yes, but at least for me it attempts to describe the way some people tend to work today. It is very easy to spend a ton of time on-line sitting at a computer, connecting, conversing, scheduling. It is engaging, comfortable and seemingly ‘busy’ work. Getting a little bored? It’s easy to jump on Twitter or check into Facebook or play with your calendar.

The next thing you know the day is gone. This is a comfortable, narrow existence, which tends to perpetuate work with little to show for it. You feel like you are working but are things really getting done?

So what is the answer? How do you get more done?

Again my answer is simple. Successful execution is all about a proper plan that is focusing on growth and simplicity…as often said…if you don’t know where you are going, you will never get there.

Focusing on a 3-5 year growth plan gives you a clear way to organize your plan and actions. If actions or decisions you make do not contribute directly to the growth plan at any point, then don’t do it.

And then, if the actions aren’t simple and instantly relevant in today’s high ADD and no time world, trust me they won’t work.

And the good news is that if you adopt this approach then you can still be in a ‘comfort tunnel’ but just much more productive.

For more about how to create a successful and simple plan see www.tbpllc.com or email [email protected].

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

ARE YOU A SMART UP OR JUST A START UP?

July 28, 2013 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.Not all start-ups are equal.

Some rocket. They attract funding, rise fast, and have a good grasp on profits and future growth.

I call them SMART UPS.

While others, with arguably as good a chance, tend to stall on the launch pad and never really get off the ground.

They remain plain old START UPS.

What distinguishes a SMART UP?

Well as the name implies they tend to make smarter decisions. Not always earthshattering or mind-boggling decisions but certainly smart ones.

Smarter decisions especially when it comes to what matters…the three F’s. Funding, Focus and Fuel.

Funding goes to a start up that has a focused growth plan and the marketing fuel to make it happen.

Unfortunately many start-ups are big on explaining their unique product or service and painting a glorious picture of the opportunity … just watch Shark Tank.

The smart ones, the Smart-Ups, however also produce a very clear plan on how they are going to market themselves.

Investors are not stupid. They can understand the ‘size of the prize ‘ so to speak but if they do not see that well thought out plan on how the marketing funds will be deployed then they are very reluctant to participate. Strip it all away and investors these days, quite simply, want to know why the offering is unique and appealing, what the company or brand message is and how the marketing plan will deliver a high and sustaining ROI.

We proffered this on my new radio show The MAD ROCKET Business Show and the phone lines and email lit up.

So my co-host (Mark Imperial) and I created the MAD ROCKET process for converting Start Ups to SMART UPS by helping:

1. Define the growth plan that will dictate the focused initiatives

2. Create the emotional brand positioning and messaging that will drive immediate acceptance

3. Develop the detailed marketing plan that will ensure the right actions and ROI.

The principles and techniques behind this MAD ROCKET end-to-end system utilizes the proprietary Rocket Brandingâ„  process that has already helped launch over 300 SMART UPS around the world including some in the billion dollar stratosphere and the some of the most successful new products in the CPG, Technology and Health, Fashion sectors in history with names like, NutraSweet, Splenda, Celebrex and Old Spice (Yes even this dusty old name needed a new start up).

Please feel free to contact us at www.rocketbranding.com or http://www.madrocketbusiness.com for further information on MAD ROCKET and how we can help you become a soaring SMART UP.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

SKIN DEEP

March 1, 2013 by


A soldier is putting something on another soldier 's face.Beauty is skin deep, so they say. So is branding today.

Appearance is becoming the new arbiter of preference.

In last week’s Academy Awards, the actors and actresses were judged as much on what they were wearing on the red carpet as for their award winning roles.

The entire political arena is now more about how a candidate looks on the “national news” and, in a recent study, apparently if you are overweight you will have a harder time swaying a jury than if you are slim.

And check this out. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=pLgJ7pk0X-s

It’s hard to believe this great track came from this group.

No, this is not a lament about superficiality. I think it goes deeper than that. The pace of preference has quickened. With immediate, 24/7 digital access to anything and everything, single action-touch/click/swipe decisions, instant news in 140 characters, we are learning how to quickly see and judge what is most right and relevant for us. So, we at Rocket Branding are thinking about how this new behavior effects the creation and building of fast growing brands.

In some respects this actually makes branding easier.Get the visual appearance of your brand right (logo, product/package design, site, marketing materials etc.) and you are already on the road to preference. Easier said than done of course.

One tip is to use the ‘squint test’.Seeing the brand package or logo is one thing but ‘seeing’ what the brand story is another. Identify your brand’s key growth customer or consumer, have them squint their eyes at different brand presentations and have them tell you what they see.

Often they will tell you what they want to see and ‘boom’ there it is…you have your winning approach. Importantly they will also tell you what doesn’t work…the visual presentation just does not connect the dots for them and as such fails the appearance test.

Study brands like Starbucks, Apple and Harley Davidson. Icons no less, in large part, because they got the visual aspects of their brand right. Certainly they did receive some advertising support in their history but this is not what drove their appeal. No, they built visual brands that consumers flocked to and still do. They understand the power of appearance and made it a foundation for their brand.

We at Rocket Branding live this stuff everyday and would be honored to help you build your brand fast. Visit www.rocketbranding .com and buy our new book.

Filed Under: Business Book Author Branding, Business Growth Branding, Global Branding, New Product Branding, social media, Uncategorized
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