Do we now have the biggest opportunity in history to properly build brand equity?

Remember this whole ‘brand’ thing started in the days when a cobbler or baker hung their shingle in front of their store. Customers came into the store, talked to the craftsman, saw other things he was doing, felt confident and assured, agreed on a price and business was done. If it worked out they told others to go to the store and brand advocacy and equity were established. Or not depending on the experience.

This then evolved centuries later into the world of ‘mass media and marketing’ with TV, print, radio etc. and the modern concept of branding emerged. Interestingly though most of this was really about the ‘shingle’…the name, the personality, the benefits. Everything was conceptual. It was hard to really emulate the actual in-store experience of the old days.

Then in the last decade ‘digital’ and ‘social’ happened and now for the first time you can get a lot closer to the actual in-store experience. With a few clicks or swipes you can see inside the company, meet the owner/craftsman, see how the products are made, see the full range of their products or services and prices, interact and get instant reviews and references.

Now with the combination of ‘mass, digital and social’ you can attract people to the brand and also walk them through the entire shopping process…brand marketing nirvana.

So how do you ‘rocket’ brand equity with all the weapons we have now?

Without ‘building a clock’, I would start immediately with one clear thought in mind.

Content clutter is going to be a huge issue. Everyone is rushing more videos, pictures, blogs, tips into all mediums.

So brand equity rule number one…

Do not just add to the noise ….. find your voice

It’s not just about your ‘shingle’ and out-shouting, out-contenting, out-mobiling your competitors.

It’s now all about who you really are as a brand and why ‘I’ should care….what’s in it for me? And execute this seamlessly across the entire brand experience.

There is a lot more to this discussion and we can certainly help you find your ‘brand voice’ and grow your ‘brand equity’ in this brave new world.

Visit us www.rocketbranding.com

 

 

 

Fast growing rocket brands can experience unintended consequences.

 

You are enjoying the dream. Everything is going great…your product is flying off the shelf, people are signing on in droves and then the ‘crisis’ nightmare hits…product problems, safety complaints, recalls, plummeting stock, strikes, under age workers, scandals and so on. Look no further than Facebook, Netflix’s pricing debacle, Apple’s maps, Tylenol tampering and BP. Nightmares everyday!

Unfortunately media today loves the negative ‘back story’ and feeds on the ‘nothing-is-as-good-as-it-seems’ headlines… especially for a brand that is enjoying mass popularity.

So what should you do if your rocket is being attacked for any ‘nightmare’ reason?

1. Prepare for it. War games. Plan it to happen.

Your rocket success will be a magnet for issues so even before you launch take a few days and answer these questions – as we take off what major issue could sink us, what should we have in place to manage it and how can we turn it into a rocket booster?

A great way to do this is by war gaming. Play out the scenario with different team members and role-play the various players. We did this many times in the early stages of launching brands like Splenda and Celebrex so we could understand what factions around the world would attack the safety, how this would affect revenue growth and, is there an opportunity to turn this into an advantage? Both brands were attacked aggressively and publicly.

Luckily we were prepared and won.

2. Act quickly. Understand the personal problem.

Immediately take public ownership of the personal issue. Remember this one fact. Everyone’s first impulse is to react personally to any ‘news’ crisis. How does this affect me, my family (or my pooch)? If Toyota pick ups are blowing up, and I have one, then I want to know more, if I don’t then I become a spectator. I did not take much note of the recent meningitis problems with a back injection drug until a good friend had one (luckily it was not contaminated). This is true for money issues. The makers of Twinkies just announced that they are closing their doors. Yes, for those that love Twinkies and Ding Dongs, that is bad however, it is also a personal problem for investors, employees and those that counsel them.

Make sure that you identify those most personally involved and understandtheir specific issue. Address those publicly right away. If not themedia will and that is never good.

3. Reset the boosters

The good news is that with quick news cycles today most nightmares are over rather quickly. The better news is that if you are properly prepared even negative publicity is rocket fuel. In the countries where NutraSweet in Diet Coke was most publicly attacked it gained twice the revenues of those where it was not attacked. Tylenol and BP are still minting money.

Plan to win and you might just get a nice new boost.

 

For a more complete answers and processes, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help you get ready for the inevitable. Visit www.rocketbranding.com.

 

No question we just love a good reality show and often the more reality the better.

‘Here comes Honey Boo Boo’ is one of TLC’s highest rating and sharply criticized programs…..”a horde of lice-picking, lard-eating, nose-thumbing hooligans” (Forbes/Wikipedia).

Hey you know what, they are a fun bunch and we at Rocket Branding are not here to judge. We do however certainly love to challenge our branding acumen.

So the challenge is how to rocket Honey Boo Boo beyond the current success which can easily wane into obscurity as the next crop of outlandish reality shows pop up.

Honey Boo Boo is a brand. And certainly from a simple branding view there are plenty of opportunities to grow revenues with typical celebrity branding via t-shirts and trinkets, retail, appearances and even program spin offs with family members, friends etc. But this is only as good as the program viewership and interest remains strong.

Strategically then lets also agree that the brand is dependent on the show.

Two other reality shows with similar somewhat ‘down class’ beginnings have survived and endured to arguably rocket brand status. The Kardashians gained early notoriety in large part from Kim Kardashians sex tape. The show has been running for 7 seasons and the family in 2010 was reported to derive $65 million from it. The Jersey Shore is a similar example.

What did they do that could teach us how to rocket Honey Boo Boo?

They are brands within a brand.Kim is the feature brand on the family brand just as Honey Boo Boo is the center of hers. And the key is that, just with the Kardashians, they have been able to build stories not only for Kim but for each of the family members. And they are committed to doing so in every show.

The key isbrand stories. We love human interest stories and cannot get enough of them. Some of the best brand communications is based on stories. Stories connect brands to our lives and drive the script for each 30 minute episode.

Above all Honey Boo Boo is just a little girl. We need to have more stories about her and her family…not just the superficial dumpster raiding, mud dumping episodes but a little heart tug stuff. Let the viewer see a little vulnerability and innocence amidst their seemingly absurd life. If we can learn to love a little then we may just adopt the brand and it will endure. As an example, demographically, it could be amazing what a new puppy could do…. particularly if Honey Boo Boo decides to want to bring it up differently than she is used to and protect it from the mayhem.

We believe that the brand can rocket and endure if the show moves from silly spectacle to human interest and involvement. There is plenty of good emotional material there to work with.

What say you? Visit www.rocketbranding.com.

 

Next to the economy, foreign policy is clearly the stuff of this 2012 Presidential Election and fireworks will surely fly between the candidates in tonight’s debate.

You know the script and some 60 million viewers will witness the spectacle of two heavy weights, fighting toe to toe and for every second.

Rocket Branding does not pick sides, but if either candidate wanted a true rocket idea that would blow away the other in the debate, then we would offer this one.

Rocket Branding is all about owning emotional beliefs and in this case as these beliefs relate to Leadership.

The winner will be the one that exhibits the greatest leadership and in this case that leadership is about trust in understanding what is really happening around the world and what has to be done…especially as it relates to all our people defending the front lines.

With all the emotional capital in this subject there is a very low tolerance for unnecessary or shady politics. And the one thing that turns the trust button to disfavor is when it comes to any implication of not supporting those in harms wayand their families back home.

So here’s the way to win in this debate.

As the first debate went to Governor Romney in part because he presented more energy, they both went into the second debate in attack mode. This debate should again be a full on attack with each trying to dominate with wall-to-wall words.

Each candidate usually gets two minutes to answer a question and each will use all this and as much as they can get.

What if one candidate in the midst of the frenzy stands up to answer the next question and does something totally unexpected?

In perhaps a more thoughtful and less hurried way he says something like this…

“We politicians will stand up here and expound for hours on foreign policy and all the great things we will do to ensure peace and prosperity but while we have the rare opportunity to have some 60 million good Americans watching, I just want to take the remainder my time to ask you for one small gesture. In the minute or so of my time left, I will be quiet and ask that everyone watching for just for one minute do one simple thing. Please just stop what you are doing and think about those who right now maybe sitting in a trench somewhere, or in a far flung outpost or in any dangerous situation at any second willing to give their lives for each and everyone one of us. Thank you”

And then he just simply sits down and bows his head until the minute is up and the fireworks resume.

Yes, of course, the opposing pundits will yell ‘cheap theatrics’ and the advocates will expound on the candidate’s passion and commitment but if he does this with authenticity and pride he will show the strength and commitment that the leader should have and for me, for his understanding of what is really ultimately at stake, he will get my vote.

Would this ever happen? Probably not…unfortunately leadership today seems more about winning than serving. What do you think?

We just like a chance to play with our Rocket Branding process and see how we can change the game.

For more on Rocket Branding and how it may be able to help your brand, contact us through www.rocketbranding.com.

 

What does a 100-year-old global enterprise; a 200-year-old newspaper and a dusty old man’s toiletry brand have in common with three new billion-dollar brands?

Two things

1. They all understood the concept of rapid growth.

2. They all used Rocket Branding

Yes a little self-serving for sure, but let me explain.

Rocket Branding helped…

• Monsanto reposition its corporate brand to quickly take advantage of the new global life sciences market opportunities
• Charleston’s very own Post and Courier News find a way to bridge the paper and digital worlds without missing a beat.
• Old Spice regain brand appeal among young men (and women)
• NutraSweet and Splenda both find a way to grow rapidly across all sweetener channels
• And helped Searle /Pfizer find the way to create a whole new space to launch the blockbuster arthritis drug, Celebrex…even before it was launched.

You can certainly read the full story about each of these in my book but let me cut to the chase and talk about one thing that really fuels rocket growth.

It’s a simple concept called accelerated acceptance.

Regardless of the kind of brand we are working with (company, product or service brand), revenue growth depends on the right decisions being made by the right target and earlier rather than later. ‘Interest’, ‘awareness’, ‘preference’ are all great goals but until some one accepts the brand and plunks down the cash how can you be sure that revenue is going to happen. Taking that a step further how do you actually accelerate that acceptance. Well yes it takes a certain amount of courage and creativity but by really focusing on the right growth target and creating a brand belief (and often an emotional appeal), you can most definitely drive accelerated acceptance which will in turn drive rapid and sustainable growth.

Here we are again in yet another horrific season of President picking.

Heat up the popcorn and pull up a chair for prime viewing of the gutter sniping and the demeaning back and forth. And believe me now that we have the Internet and all its ‘gotcha’ info we are going to hear about every single misstep that any candidate has made at any time in their entire life. Oh boy!

Let’s have a little fun at least and Rocket Brand the winning strategy for a candidate.

We’ll apply the Rocket Branding principles of Growth, Focus and Simple.

What does rapid growth look like for the winning candidate brand?

That’s pretty clear. Everyone in America and for the matter, the world, wants to work. They want a job. So the winning candidate will grow votes rapidly if he (assuming an Obama/Romney choice) can promise more jobs than the other. The key here is promise because obviously proof is in the future once elected. This is where branding comes in. Branding is a belief.

So rapid growth (votes) for the winning brand will come from creating the belief that they will secure more jobs. So that’s the Growth, what about Focus and Simplicity?

So where is the brand Focus for this Growth?

The jobs need is pervasive and affects everyone. Even the ungodly rich and powerful still need the masses working to fuel the economies.

So the focus is not necessarily on a demographic. It is somewhat philosophic however. It’s the old 30% rule. 30% love you (your base), 30% hate you and the 30% in the middle make the difference . So lets focus the brand on the 30% in the middle ‘undecided’ mindset.

Now we know from successful Rocket Brands that creating a belief in a brand is very emotional. Sure you can look at the record of each candidate and see which one has proven their job growing history and create all sorts of reassuring images and messages about their proven successes. Unfortunately with today’s gotcha, ‘go get em’ media mentality, and the gifted ‘spin doctors’ on both sides, it’s unlikely that either candidate will be able to sell any clarity around their jobs record.

So lets dig into this emotional mind set especially among the undecided in the middle. What’s going on? What emotion is behind all this? Why is having a job so darn important right now?

Ready for it? The answer is actually quite simple. We are in an age of unparalleled uncertainty. There is no emotion that is more debilitating than uncertainty. Today in the world every facet of all our future life is vague to say the least. All economies are essentially in trouble with pretty sad prospects for future rebound. Personal security for our families is at risk worldwide from invisible enemies (terrorists, cyber terrorists) and even nature appears to be rebelling. We want some degree of certainty. At least being able to get up each day, go to work and get paid is a sign of some certainty. Not having a job with all this uncertainty creates even more despair and uncertainty.

So the Focus is on getting key undecided’s’ SOB’s (source of business target) to vote for the candidate based on their belief that that candidate will provide the jobs and more deftly the bigger sense of certainty that is sorely needed.

Finally then what is the Simple brand message and image for the winning candidate ‘brand’ here?

Certainty’ is certainly a powerful emotion but is also very tough to promise without proof. How can one be certain unless one knows? There is however a brand platform that if executed with confidence and surety can create the belief in certainty. Yes you are right. It is the platform of leadership…with a big ‘L’.

Our history is built on the back of leaders that have mustered the forces and lead us out of the darkness. Clearly it is very hard to point to one country in the world right now that has a strong, credible leader. Arguably Reagan was probably the last one of that breed of US leaders that showed those values of stature, courage and resolve in the face of both security and economy problems.

So this being true, Rocket Branding would suggest that the candidate that wishes to win this election, and early in the process, will the very wise to truly build a brand based on Leadership. And the first sign of this will the one that decides to sell a jobs plan and a vision of certainty rather than focusing their time on money on just beating up the other one.

Make sense?

It will be interesting to see if either candidate takes advantage of this leadership branding? Perhaps we should add a little pep to the unfolding theatre of the elections by establishing a Rocket Branding Leadership barometer or Index and see how high the winner scored. What do you think fellow Rocket Branders?