Getting a Brand Buzz
A while back I formed a group called the Brand Cafe. I wanted to see if there were like minded brand professionals in my community that are interested in getting together once a month to discuss brand trends and their application to us, and our clients. I was pleased to discover that there are many fellow brandiacs who wanted to talk shop over coffee.
Yesterday we met for the first time and shared our thoughts about what branding means to each of us, and what our expectations are for future meetings. One of my take aways was that we each defined branding as it applies to us. While that is not surprising, it does concern me that if we are not on the same page in terms of how we define the concept, how can we expect others to embrace it. Will people just think branding is just another buzz word?
Do you have a forum in your community where brand champions can gather and dialogue about brands?
I think that it is amazing that the idea of a brand can be so impacting that even the word itself can be personalized. Which I also think is reflective of how we are still in its infancy. My point is at one time advertising probably meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Over time the idea and the definition became more refined and this is what was shared with the masses that is now a common understanding. Brand and the idea of branding is still evolving and further defining itself and so it is not surprising to me that you can still get a wide variety of answers, definitions and perspectives. I am sure there are many counters to this point but I think it is great start to some very interesting dialog.
Posted by: Hot Irons | February 03, 2009 at 09:42 AM
Hot Irons,
I agree. Sometimes it is easy to forget that for many brand is new. It is even newer for many in the marketing profession and they are not sure how it relates to them. As a result, we need to make sure that we do not get frustrated with the fact that branding gets put on the back burner, or as a side bar.
Posted by: Rex Whisman | February 03, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Branding, brand, new? I'm not sure I'd say that. I think most everyone can relate to the fact that when a person wants a soda most often they say I want a coke, even if they are referring to Sprite or Dr. Pepper. This is branding at it's absolute core. I think the real question is how can we utilize all the technology tools available to effectively build our brand without confusing our followers and sabatoging our own efforts. With RSS, Twitter, Blog, etc, a company without a dedicated marketing dept can be overwhelmed with learning technology before it is considered yesterday's news. That to me is the real challenge.
Posted by: Julie | February 04, 2009 at 10:40 AM
Julie, great examples and insights!
Posted by: Rex Whisman | February 04, 2009 at 10:46 AM
Lots of people use branding as buzz words in sales. They do not really know what it means and I mostly see it when someone is selling me ( or trying to sell me) new logos and banner ads.
The brand is so much more about the soul of the company. Real people have to be a part of that.
Dr. Wright
The Wright Place TV Show
www.wrightplacetv.com
www.twitter.com/drwright1
Posted by: Dr Wright | February 06, 2009 at 02:20 AM
Dr. Wright, you are so right! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Posted by: Rex Whisman | February 06, 2009 at 06:39 AM