Posts Tagged ‘branding’

Women Who Wow Me: A Series on Being Passionate, Real and Smart.

August 11th, 2010

If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that one of my big themes is choice.  The choice is yours to lead whatever life you want, to be the person you want to be, and go for whatever YOU define as success (not someone else’s definition).  Next to the “How do you do it all?” question, people often want to know who inspires me.

So, I wanted to share a few of my choices for inspiring women that I find smart, interesting and just plain fun to follow. That doesn’t mean they haven’t hit roadblocks or made compromises, either.  But as far as I can tell, that hasn’t stopped them from living life on their terms, and I get a charge out of that.

Wow Woman #1: Kristi Colvin.

Let’s start with her @KrisColvin Twitter bio: Chief Mischief Maker, Fresh ID. Creator of Intefy (Twitterface.) Opinionated user/brand experience designer & customer advocate. See, she already speaks my lingo.  You can learn more by checking out her blog, or going to her VisualCV which goes in depth about her extensive expertise in brand, user and customer experience.  In a sentence: Kris is one cool, capable chick with what seems like endless energy and drive. But what’s really terrific is that she is deeply engaged, she’s funny, and cares. That shines through in all the ways she interacts, and that’s what caught my attention. So, I chatted with Kris to find out what makes her tick, what she gets excited about, and probed for her secrets to packing so much into a day.

Me:  What are you currently working on that has you excited about what you do?

Kris: A couple of things, actually. We do a lot of design and development projects, and those phases of creativity and execution are always fun… but we have two unique things going on right now that are very exciting. The first is our own product, Intefy, which is a live event platform that began life as a Twitter client and has morphed into an aggregator of real-time media that we are using to let people virtually attend real events. We are making some product improvements and as a user experience girl at heart, I’m always excited about product design, but what really fascinates me are these live events that you can attend virtually. It is so fun and educational, to be able to attend conferences and see people who are my online friends, though I may be in my jammies at home or working in my office. I really enjoy attending as much as helping to manage the events for the people tuning in.

The second thing that’s a bit different for us, is a new client, WineChannelTV.com. They have hired us to do social media marketing and help with their star Jess Altieri’s branding, and it is so much fun working with Jess and the team. We’ve done a fair amount of social media work, but Jess has opportunities with television, retail sponsorship, vineyards and with a younger demographic.  That is going to stretch us beyond what we know today. I love anything that forces me to learn new information and challenges me to go to that next level, and she is the kind of client that does that.

Me:  How has your industry changed in the past 5 years and what do you see as the big opportunities?

Kris: My industry feels totally different! As a print designer since 1993 and self-taught web designer since 1995, I am used to a lot of technology changes and improvements.  The phenomenon of “social media” has completely changed my business. Word of mouth referrals still come, but often from people I’ve never met in person, which wasn’t the case five years ago. The sheer amount of intelligence and access to smart people I consume on a daily basis can’t be measured – if I have a problem, I go to Twitter, and 99% of the time it’s solved that day or within the hour. On top of every waking hour taking into account Twitter, Facebook, etc., our clients and prospects have such a need for social communications “stuff” that virtually every proposal and 9 out of 10 jobs we do now involves social tools, a social strategy, site socialization or a social marketing campaign. Our web strategies encompass much more than they used to.

Me: What’s a typical day like for you?

Kris: That depends. Much of the week I’m in the city, but I live in the country an hour and a half away from my downtown Kansas City office on the weekend. Mondays and Fridays I drive back and forth. So now that we’ve narrowed a typical day down to Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday… I get up between 6-7:00 am, try to get myself to run on the trail a mile or two, head home to bathe, change and put on office clothes, then hit Starbucks on the way to downtown. I catch up with emails, check the calendar and attempt to get some design or writing done but it’s very hard when in the office – especially if everyone is in, as there are numerous things to discuss, plot and plan. So the daytime is mostly about phone calls, taking meetings and communicating or researching online.  We eat lunch at our desks – I have to stop by the store at some point during the week and get groceries for everyone. I go to outdoor boot camp at 5:00 pm Monday-Thursday and it takes an hour to get there in traffic. I do boot camp until 7:00 pm, tweet about it, then grab a healthy dinner at a restaurant or grocery deli and go back to my city house or sometimes the office to work for a few hours.  I end up doing any serious writing, design or software product work on the weekends in the country, when alone and not needed by clients or staff. If I need focused time away from all the activity, I usually don’t go to the city/office or work from home a day or two, to get caught up. I love long holiday weekends because I get a lot of design work done. I also have to fit in all my high-maintenance personal chores in somewhere each week… often on Fridays on the way home. We always eat out Friday nights, but I try to cook healthy meals during the weekend and work out a few times. Sometimes it’s kind of exhausting. People get kind of frustrated I don’t do more socially in Kansas City, but it’s hard to add that in at this time.

Question:  How do you tweet so much yet accomplish so much in a single day?

Kris: I have trained clients, prospects, staff and contractors to reach me on Twitter. I actually make everyone who works for us tweet, during work. It’s what we do – it’s important to me. Actually, because of what I just described, short bursts of communication are easy for me during the day, when I am mostly juggling projects, people and things to do. I like to read (fast) and am constantly thinking about work – there is just so much more I would like to do than I can get done. A lot of friends have seen me on Facebook more lately and were excited because they think I might start liking it more. What they don’t realize is that I am usually there because a portion of my work involves Twitter and Facebook, as applications, so it’s hard not to be on them. I do need a bit more time to design and to write, but have to be alone to do that well – I need more time to think than I sometimes have in a day, whereas sending a quick message or retweeting something interesting requires less focus.  We’re in a very fortunate position of having plenty to do, but need some more help to get things done faster and more efficiently.

Me: There seems to be no end to your creative energy and fresh ideas, so it’s fun to follow you. Who do you admire? Who inspires you?

Kris: Well, I appreciate that. I do have a lot of ideas of things I want to do or that I want my company to do – more than we can execute on. I am not sure where that comes from, but I’ve been in the creative industry a long time now, so it may partially be a habit. I get inspired from various sources, that change all the time. The other day I went on an online shopping spree and found several sites that are cheaper than Anthropologie, my favorite store, but have similar things. I got in the zone and spent several hours doing this, and was making a mental list of how I think we need to improve e-commerce sites, and writing blog posts in my head! Another day, I might get embroiled in some fascinating social media or neuromarketing-oriented conversation that sparks my synapses, and then just as quickly go on a healthy cooking tangent and seek and respond to people talking about that. I am inspired by lots of people, living or dead (from books) in a moment in time. That’s why I follow so many people on Twitter.

Me:  It’s a great time to be a woman — the media reports, we’re role models in many ways — whether to our children or our colleagues.  What do you think the challenges are for today’s working woman?

Kris: Sitting here tired and working at 8:00 pm, with only a precious Labrador for a child, I cannot imagine how mothers of multiple children cope. I wanted children badly but it hasn’t worked out. I think for both parents and non-parents, time to think and do our best work is desperately needed. So childcare considerations, more money for what we do, more time to do our work and take care of ourselves and our families are pretty big concerns right now. I don’t see a lot of areas where women can’t go. If you have drive and ambition and are willing to get up and do some hard work and take some hard knocks, you can break down the door where you want to. It may not be the exact company you want, or in the exact town, but if you are passionate about what you’re doing, you’ll command attention and be able to find challenging, rewarding work to do. We should never be resigned or think we have to endure “our lot in life” as I know some people feel. We can always improve things, even if only in small increments over time. I am having to do that now with my health and fitness, after being too lax since I moved to Kansas, away from my familiar lifestyle, food sources and gyms. I just look at it like every day we can make smart choices or not-so-smart ones, and I choose what’s smart and right for me. But it takes deliberate focus, which can be hard to maintain when faced with battling priorities.

Me:  What’s your smartest piece of advice you ever got?

Kris: Actually, I saw something recently, written by a friend of mine to another friend who wants to lose weight. Olivier Blanchard said:

You can do it.
You can DO it.
YOU can do it.

I don’t think I will forget that – it can be applied to so many things I have insecurities about, or self-doubt, or when I am just feeling lame, as a person. I’ve taken that advice for myself – never be afraid to steal great advice meant for others!

Me:  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Kris: I have NO idea. Five years ago I could never have predicted I’d be living in Kansas, married to an ex-motorcyle racing oilman with a house in a town of only 3500 people (I like the city life!) What I hope is that our business will do well, I’ll be able to travel more eventually and go to Greece, England and France regularly so I can experience the people, places and things that call to me, and that I’ll make a spot of difference for the people and companies that I influence. That would be enough. :-)

With a daily dose of inspiration from Kris, I feel like I can do anything!

Know inspiring, awesome women like Kristi Colvin? Join the conversation! I’d love to hear from you. And watch this space for more Wow Women we can all learn from.

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Posted in Buzzcloud-Worthy People, The Latest Buzz

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Who Are You?

February 24th, 2010

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Best-selling author and blogger Seth Godin said, “It’s not who you are, it’s what you say.”

Seth has been inspiring me, like so many others, for years.  I found myself thinking about this “law” of his from his book small is the new big because it is more relevant today than ever.

In my profession, I help businesses of all sizes and shapes define who they are.  And in that process, I help them get relentlessly focused on what makes them different.  By using this as the foundation, you have to be really honest about who you are and what you do.  For brands, this bit of clarity can make a world of difference in their marketing efforts, and ultimately, if we do our job right, it will help drive business results as well.

The recent media circus of late — Tiger Woods, Conan O’Brien, NBC, Obama, Healthcare, Economy…pick a topic! — also shows us that current times require a bit of an edit to Seth’s statement.  We now live in a society where you damn well better know who you are because it’s just as important as what you say.

Turn back the clock 2 years.  I bet everyone felt comfortable with who they were and where they were going — the sky was the limit, money was cheap, and America offered opportunity and no limits. Today, it’s a different story.  We are a country under pressure.  As a result, every household, business and  brand — even if you are one of the lucky ones (Target, Honda, Whole Foods, Pepsi, J Crew, etc.) — is being forced to learn what it means to live by the New Normal.

Consumer psychology and behavior have changed dramatically and perhaps permanently.

As a brand if you haven’t tackled the “Who Are You?” question in the past 6 months, it’s time to revisit it. Owning your story means developing it over time and keeping it fresh and relevant when the marketplace shifts.

At TMG, we’ve developed a strategic brand audit process that examines a brand’s key driver. By knowing what drives your brand — is it a process? is it an experience? is it a competitive infrastructure? — then we can develop an integrated media, marketing and communications strategy relevant for current times and influential among target audiences to help you achieve your business goals.

When you look to your communications experts and ask them, “Do we know who we are?,” you need to feel confident that they are answering from a deep understanding of your brand identity and that they aren’t just rehashing your brand narrative.

The marketing landscape has changed – and it’s more exciting than ever. With the social web providing so many new tools, the barrier to high-touch engagement is now much more cost efficient. As Mashable reports today Fortune 100 companies are utilizing these tools — and that’s progress for all involved.

One can achieve great results quickly — including honest feedback from customers or prospective ones. Traditional media and marketing tactics are still important and provide a tremendous amount of value. When an integrated marketing and communications plan is developed and properly executed, the questions of Who You Are and What You  Will Say line up to a compelling story. One that your stakeholders gravitate to, and one that helps you grow your business in today’s new world.

Tell me: who are you?

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Posted in The Latest Buzz

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No Brand is Impervious: Even Apple Makes Mistakes

January 28th, 2010

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This is not a tech review. Plenty of tech reporters and bloggers out there will comb through the abundance or lack of features on Apple’s newest product launch of, perhaps the undeniably cool, iPad. But all of that is a non-starter for me. You see, first I can’t get past the name. And second, I was mesmerized by what was unfolding as Apple’s Steve Jobs was telling one story about the snazzy new debut of what looks like a giant iPod, and the social web was ablaze with commentary that was spurring quite another. The jokes were flying.

Quite frankly, I had to keep checking to make sure I got it right: Apple was now forever associated with feminine hygiene products…huh?! Could this uber-cool brand that seemed impervious to anything but branding excellence have taken this horribly wrong turn?

Yep.

The Wall Street Journal reported:

Within hours of the announcement, “iTampon” was a hot topic on Twitter. “iPad. Feminine protection for the future. And the future is now,” wrote one. Another: “So does this iPad thing mean that Apple has finally breached the gap between technology and feminine hygiene products?”

Also making the rounds in inboxes was an image of a sanitary napkin with Apple’s logo and the slogan: “iPad. Like a tampon. Only more expensive.”

Oddly, this is so ironic to me, as I’m gearing up to launch a campaign next week for one of my clients. Essentially, the cornerstone of this campaign is a proprietary research study we conducted where 1,000 affluent women from around the country were interviewed about their financial attitudes and behaviors in the wake of the recession. More to come later, but it’s a fascinating study, and one that reveals more and more women are controlling not only the purse strings, but are holding the CFO position in their household. Women have more money, more power, than ever before. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that for the first time in history, women will surpass men in the workforce. Their own customer research aside, surely, the R&D department at Apple keep up to date on current events and the national economy, right?

Here we have Steve Jobs coming out yesterday to announce to the world the debut of a snazzy new gadget called — in all seriousness and importance — the iPad. APPLE! It’s so bad, it’s funny. But not funny in a ha-ha way, funny in a “Hey, Apple, you are starting to lose your grip. Not only on your brand, but your audience kind of way.”

Anyone who knows or works with me, knows my mantra is “Own your story.” Owning your story means that when you stand up to tell it to the world, you’ve also done your homework. Somehow, I don’t think the Apple folks, Steve Jobs included, considered just how badly the name iPad would be as a story detractor. Or, did they profoundly underestimate the consumer mind-set? As far as I can tell, the comments and jokes weren’t coming just from the female gender. It was almost as if guys were looking at their Master of All Things Cool, and saying, “Really , Steve, you want us to carry around an iPad, and we’re all ok with this?”

What do you think?

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Posted in The Latest Buzz, Twitter buzz

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Authenticity, For Real

January 5th, 2010

Three cheers for SPECIAL K, the 54-year-old cereal brand from Kellogg! Come on, who doesn’t know about the “Special K Challenge,” right? I bet at some point in your life, regardless if you’re a woman or man (although 65 percent of its consumers are women), you tried it. Now, just in time for the new year, here comes a refreshing twist that takes the concept to a whole new level. And it’s a good one. (Have you caught the new TV ads yet?)

Today’s advertising column in The New York Times, Pitching a Product, Without Showing It by Andrew Adam Newman reviews Special K’s latest advertising effort …which is an excellent example of a brand that knows who it is, understands its customers inside and out, and is embracing the new marketing normal: authenticity. As Newman points out, Special K unveiled a new ad campaign this week featuring 6 real women they found while doing consumer research describing fitness goals. The campaign, which even though is essentially about weight-loss, isn’t about the “end result” from dieting, but rather reveals the vision these real women have at the beginning…how do they want to see themselves? What are their challenges? What’s really important? In one woman’s case, she wants to show her young daughter “that mommy feels confident.”

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Six different spots blanketed the airwaves during the national morning television news shows, and what makes the campaign, in my opinion, incredibly fresh and unique is that not once do you see a logo or product shot.  Unlike Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, the Special K ads are not about featuring “idealized women.”

Leo Burnett, Chicago produced the commercials. And despite the rather predictable problem/solution set-up, the execution works incredibly well throughout.

Quoted in the NY Times piece, Jose Alberto Duenas, vice president for cereal marketing in the U.S. at Kellogg, said showing no Special K products or logo in the ads was unprecedented for the brand.

“We’re trying to be faithful to giving real women a place to declare victory without the piece feeling overwhelmed by what the brand brings to the table,” Mr. Duenas said. “If you want to make a connection, you have to give consumers a chance to take part of the spotlight. Authenticity is what we’re looking for.” Bravo.

There’s even a new website that goes more in-depth on the personal stories of these women, and features resources, tips and information designed to help women plan their own victory. What I like about this even more is that it’s an integrated effort, a mix of traditional spots on TV and an online component that’s interactive, and user-friendly. It’s meant to surround the consumer, yes, but in a softer way that isn’t all about “look how cool my brand is” and more about “we’re a brand that gets you, we’re a brand that puts you first.” The follow-through is flawless.

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From a branding perspective, I love this campaign.  It’s relatable, it’s inviting, it’s not slick. It’s not perfect. Even better, as the marketing world is all a-Twitter about social media and the role that “being authentic” plays, here is Kellogg taking it a step further. They get it, and they aren’t afraid to embrace it. Remember, this is a brand that’s been around for 54 years! They are doing all the necessary work to stay in touch with today’s consumers, and taking the steps –bold ones, even — to stay relevant in their lives. Special K, as a result, is more than just a cereal to the consumers who purchase it. It’s their “weight-loss partner” or their “self-confidence booster” — it’s the “healthy lifestyle” brand. As Newman’s article points out, they take a soft sell approach with incredible appeal, and thus, rejuvenated the brand to have real meaning. We can all learn from that. I wish Kellogg the best with their brave efforts. Looking at your business and marketing plan for 2010, are you taking bold steps or baby steps on the path to authenticity?

P.S. Can you take a guess as to what will be on my grocery list this weekend?

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Posted in Great marketing, The Latest Buzz

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2010: The Year To Embrace Social Media for Your Brand

January 3rd, 2010

Reading David Carr’s New York Times article today, Why Twitter Will Endure, I was struck by a simple thought: say what you want about social media, Twitter is one intelligent source for using the web efficiently. David does a great job at drilling down on how even a tuned in, plugged in, at times overloaded and busy journalist went from skeptic to advocate in the past year. And I agree with his piece, wholeheartedly. That’s right, in this age of connectedness, and access to more information than we know what to do with, much less how to process the multiple sources available to us, Twitter is the best way to cut down on surfing the ‘net or spending hours researching the essence of any topic because when everyone uses Twitter –and that is pretty much the case as usership approaches the 100 million mark — anything you want to know is instantly at your fingertips. That is incredibly valuable, regardless of what you are looking for or what you may be interested in. At any given moment. In real-time. It’s where breaking news breaks first, so as a media professional myself with a variety of clients from different business sectors, Twitter is my go-to source for keeping ahead of the curve, and in the know.

In David’s case, he shares:

“I have found transcendent tacos at a car wash in San Antonio, rediscovered a brand of reporter’s notepad I adore, uncovered sources for stories, all just by typing a query into Twitter.”

It’s this collective voice and eternal pipeline of information that will result in Twitter’s evermore usefulness, and therefore, longevity.

THE TIME IS NOW

Make this the year that you embrace social media basics, not just Twitter, but everything from blogging to Facebook, for your brand. Spend time figuring out your social media strategy and what tools make the most sense for your brand. If you are already building your digital footprint, congratulations! Take some time to evaluate what is working and what isn’t. Look at ways to take your community to the next level. How can you drive engagement, and really learn from your fans? Your customers? Your followers? What will you do with all the information you are discovering on the social web to make your brand’s customer experience better? What is your cost/benefit ratio? Have you peeked in on your competitors and looked at how they are leveraging social media tools for their brand? What can you learn from them?

If you are a marketer who has been reluctant to embrace social media, I hate to sound like a therapist here, but what is holding you back? Don’t you want to be wherever your customers are? The livelihood of your business depends on your ability to adapt, leverage and thrive in the new rules of customer engagement. Take baby steps, but step forward you must. Simply get yourself set up, and do nothing more than listen. Listen in on all the conversations that are happening. Find out where your customers are. Where the thought leaders of your industry are. Where interesting people are talking about the things that you care about. Trust me, you will quickly find out the beauty of social media. At some point, you will decide when you want to engage, and then the real power of the digital age will kick in for you. You will be part of a community building process around your brand, and you will be taking an important step to securing your future.

When people complain about social media like Twitter, for example, and say things like “I don’t really care what someone is eating for lunch,” they really aren’t taking the time to adapt to the modern age, and that unfortunately is like holding on to your rotary phone or refusing to buy a cell phone.

Sure, having all this access to all this stuff comes with the realization that we also now live in a world of major distraction and this can often lead to procrastination. It also means that the lines have blurred between personal life and professional life. But, the age of social media means that we are all one connected global community, and the world is more transparent than ever. People are sharing important information, as well as the experiences they are having. As marketers, we need to know which ones impact or influence our business. On the positive side, the cost to figuring out who your brand advocates are also just got a whole lot more manageable, as well as your ability to adapt or react to the experiences they are having. Like this one, from David’s article:

“Beyond the throbbing networked intelligence, there is the possibility of practical magic. Twitter can tell you what kind of netbook you should buy for your wife for Christmas — thanks Twitter! — or call you out when you complain about the long lines it took to buy it, as a tweeter on behalf of the electronics store B & H did when I shared the experience on my Blackberry while in line.”

The cost to ignoring this important cultural development? You do the math.

Bottom line: figure out how to tap into the power of social media to build your brand and your sphere of influence.

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Posted in Social How-To's, The Latest Buzz, Twitter buzz

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The Year in Branding

December 26th, 2009

by default 10BrandWeek posted an article that summed up their most read stories for 2009, and it seems fitting to share it here, as we embark on a new year. Let’s hope the standards are raised in 2010. I’m personally feeling more energized and creative than ever, and looking forward to working with great clients, on juicy initiatives where creativity, clarity and collaboration come together in exciting ways.

So, Happy New Year…let’s get to work and make stuff happen!

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Branding Excellence

December 7th, 2009

With so much excitement in the news lately, and no end in sight to the number of women that have slept with Tiger Woods, I wanted to pause from that topic, and start the week off on an entirely new tangent. Clearly, we have seen what can happen when a brand can’t evolve or stay true to itself, or becomes misguided — whether its lack of vision, know-how, or scruples. But from time to time, I will share examples of brands that, in my opinion, capture it all: the look, the walk, the talk, the customer experience online and off.

This is one of them:

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You might think I started off with an easy one: after all, beautiful girls and underwear. But, it takes marketing and branding excellence, not cleavage, to make a brand like Victoria’s Secret stand out as a mega-brand, for the long-haul. It’s fresh, feminine, and always on the cutting edge. Sure, at its core, it provides a good quality product at an affordable price. It’s not La Perla, an upscale luxury lingerie line, so it’s not trying at all to be something it is not. Victoria’s Secret is a mass market brand that promotes an all encompassing attitude, a lifestyle and standard of beauty most women aspire to. What are the key factors to its success? Every one of its touch-points delivers (or generally exceeds) on the customer expectation and experience. From ongoing traditional above-the-line advertising initiatives to support its storefronts and catalogs as well as drive online sales, to model search contests and prime-time TV specials (Did you catch the VS Fashion Show on CBS last week, with the Black Eyed Peas performing?) and community-building channels on the social web, it’s no secret that Victoria’s Secret knows its customers and how to deliver on its brand promise. It’s consistent regardless of how you come into contact with it. In fact, with its “all access” website, I’d say that the Victoria’s Secret brand takes customer engagement to the next level. (And it’s refreshing.)

Victoria’s Secret makes “sexy, feminine confidence” accessible, affordable, and fun.

Here’s a quick exercise. What is your brand’s promise? If you don’t know, now is a great time to figure it out. Boil it down to 2 or 3 words only. What you want is an overarching brand story that can translate into a marketing strategy and even better, helps to build a visual identity or campaign. If I say “sexy, feminine confidence” as I did with the Victoria’s Secret example, you can conjure up a whole set of images, colors, typefaces, phrases, channels, media, and more to help guide strategic thinking around development of a branding campaign or marketing platform.

Next step: Tune in; look at all the ways you engage your target audience. Are they consistent? What is your brand saying? Does your brand talk the talk, and walk the walk? Do you know how to engage your customers on the social web? How can you develop your brand to its full potential so that you’re delivering, evolving and engaging in critical ways that add to your bottom line? Take the time to know these answers now, and your brand will flourish for years to come.

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Posted in Great marketing, Social How-To's, Uncategorized

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People forgive. Brands are forgetful. The Internet is perpetual.

December 2nd, 2009

The Tiger talked, but does he walk? By now, you know that Tiger Woods’ statement has been published on his website for all to see.  From a communications standpoint, it’s an amateur move.  Any pro knows: he needed to come forward (yes, sooner) and deliver the statement on-camera.  A video statement would have humanized him even more. This is important because, if genuine, he would have made a deeper connection with the public-at-large, and it would enable him to rise above the messiness of his personal life faster.

Let me emphasize a key point, I am commenting on this story from a communications/PR perspective, and how it has played out in the media. People who love golf (or not), love Tiger, and the fact that he posted a statement at all is certainly just fine by them. His fans will forgive him and encourage him to keep playing. Those that resPicture 3.jpgpected him for his professional accomplishments are certainly not going to argue with a man who wants to spend time working on his personal issues behind closed doors. In fact, comments on his website are pouring in (over 6,200 last I checked), and mostly comprised of that sentiment. See, people now recognize Tiger for the human he is — faults and all — and are rallying around the “you’re just like us” feeling.

But if only it were that simple. And it isn’t enough. You see, the media is interested in all aspects of Tiger Woods, not just the parts he wants to put out there.  If you know this, then you understand the rules of the press game, and you don’t do anything that plays into the media’s hands in a way that causes more damage to yourself. If you don’t know this, then you hire someone who does so you don’t dig yourself into a deeper hole.

And if you’re Tiger Woods, for goodness sake, you should know going in that if you say things like “No comment” or worse, you don’t comment at all,  you look like you’re covering up something. You set off so many alarms with the media that you essentially set yourself up for failure, because they will hunt down the “story.”  The story, then, means a cast of characters will surface, who may or may not be deserving of being in your story in the first place. So, by the time you release the written statement, the media is already way ahead of you.  What you want from people (privacy, for example) may no longer be possible.  Now, the public is engaged in “the story” and you’ve just put yourself in reactive mode.

I feel sad on a personal level for him and his family. After all, he’s a husband. A father. A friend. But he’s Tiger Woods, the brand too. So this is where things  get more complex. As a global brand, there’s so much money invested in making it thrive and succeed that there are enough resources in place to also make sure “personal inconveniences” associated with the Person get diffused as fast as possible. So, in this case, a brand can forget personal strife quickly and move on with its business.

But we live in the digital age, the age of information gathering and sharing at warp speed, and whether we like it or not, the Internet’s memory is infinite. There is no distinction between Tiger, the uber brand, and Tiger the flawed person. Everyone’s voice and opinion gets equal space. The current digital footprint that is being created has grown much bigger than either would like. It’s permanent. The “story” will live on. He missed an important opportunity to own how this would play out. Sure, people will forgive him. His brand, while currently hemorrhaging will have a healing phase (meaning no appearances or tournaments for awhile, and then a great comeback will be planned…how many times have we seen this now?), and thus will forget this dark period. But the Internet will remind us all of a time when a great professional athlete who so successfully managed his golf game, misstepped badly in the life game. The toll it takes on the Person as well as the Brand, and all who come into contact with each, has yet to be realized.

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A logo change, a brand failure.

November 24th, 2009

This week you will hear all about AOL changing its logo to…drum roll, please: Aol. And yes, the period is part of the logo. And yes, the “A” is capitalized, the other letters aren’t. And yes, it’s going to be very awkward when the brand name appears in the middle of a sentence, like this Aol., and you’ll feel like it’s a grammar and punctuation lesson gone all wrong. But alas, I digress.

The Aol. brand is designed to be “open and generous, to invite conversation and collaboration, and to feel credible, but also aspirational,’” said Karl Heiselman, CEO of Wolff Olins, the branding consultancy that created the logo (as reported by PC World’s Jeff Bertolucci.) Seriously? That period now part of the logo sticks out like the first pimple on a pre-adolescent and is kind of a non-starter then. It’s a dead stop.

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Really, this makes me cringe. I can only imagine how designers and creatives around the globe are wincing as the news spreads and images are shared. How could a company such as Time Warner/AOL with all its resources — however limited they are now, they still made the decision to invest in a logo redesign for the AOL brand — make such a catastrophic mistake? If the brand is designed to be “open and generous,” how on earth does the new version being launched on December 10, with the period at the end no less, capture that? I’m dumbfounded. I’m disappointed.

It’s being reported that  AOL, er, Aol. is reinventing itself as an online media company. As a pioneer of the Internet, and particularly, social media, I’m sad that this is a wasted opportunity for a brand that has so much potential, and has had so much impact on the digital world.

Sorry, Aol., but you’ve just confirmed to the world that you have no idea what you’re doing. Maybe we’ll all be pleasantly surprised. But I don’t think that was your strategy. And I don’t think that is a risk any brand should be taking in times like these, or otherwise.

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