Justin Murphy and I are really into the show Shark Tank right now! I guess it's the entrepreneurial spirit in our house that attracts us to it. On a recent episode, we watched a lady selling a sort of marker used to identify different meats after grilling. The product was clever and had attractive packaging. The owner seemed level-headed and mature in the videod background story shown before her pitch began. But there was something about her presentation that struck us as strange: This professional, articulate woman showed up at the pitch in a red, polka-dotted, retro-type dress and full out winged eyeliner. We couldn't understand it. To us, she seemed more like Minnie Mouse than a professional businessperson! The look she sported just didn't match the brand she represented. On the other hand, a pair of business partners selling a type of grease cleaner for cyclists ...
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Brand fragmentation will torpedo even your best marketing efforts. On the flip side, brand integration works to create informed and trusting customers. Which would you prefer? When put like that, the answer appears quite obvious. Many companies, however, default to brand fragmentation because the careful integration of each part of your brand takes both a laser focus and the investment of hard work, creative thinking, and a little thing called money. We are bombarded with marketing messages, most of them fragmented. On the way to work today, I passed at least 4 billboards, received 2-3 marketing e-mails (which I did not read while driving), and noticed at least 5 vehicles advertising their companies. When I arrived and opened my computer to begin my morning ritual of browsing several business websites, each site pushed flashy advertisements to try and attract my atten...
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A brand evolution. Successful brands usually reach a point where they have to evolve to satisfy the demands of a changing customer base. Since we both design and redesign logos quite frequently, we thought we'd take a look at four recent logo redesigns of large household brands. Before we jump into specifics, here are a few general observations about the logos. In our work with small and large brands alike, we have noticed a trend towards softened, lighter colors and unobtrusive fonts. You've probably even noticed an increase in the use of lowercase lettering over the last few years. Why is this exactly? Brands don't want big blocky letters and dark colors bespeaking powerful, dominating businesses in our nation's shaky economy. They are trying to minimize a certain perception and highlight another. The more a brand can communicate approachability, personalized servic...
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In our home, we love watching the Olympics. Our eyes were glued to the screen in amazement as we watched feats of skill, courage, and determination that worked to inspire us all. We marveled at the height the gymnasts got on their tumbling runs, the speed at which the swimmers glided from one side of the pool to the other, and the fact that it's possible to drop a 300 lb. barbell on yourself and still walk away unscathed (yes, that really happened >). We also couldn't help but be mesmerized and talk about the bright yellow feet that were flying at breakneck speeds across finish lines whenever track and field events were shown. Yes, we couldn't help but notice Nike's grand marketing scheme and notice those bright yellow-green sneakers every time they appeared on the screen. Just like Michael Johnson's golden shoes in the 1996 Atlanta games, Nike won the attention of th...
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