Branding and Brand Strategy for Growing Companies
Branding for Restless Companies and Driven Entrepreneurs
Most startups (over 97% by actual experience) begin with a fundamental flaw. It’s the first inclination commonly driven by the thrill and enthusiasm of entrepreneurialism and this mistaken thinking: that what the company does matters. This flaw shows up in the naming, the logo, the slogan, etc. I’ll explain. Fact is, people don’t care what …
Less than nine months ago, something unprecedented occurred. It was a simple video. With a simple message. Delivered by a 9-year-old boy with a remarkable (and awesome) spirit. Twenty-eight-million+ views later, this young lad (now 10-years old) has become an international source of inspiration to millions. (I know I’ve watched it at least 8 times and …
To date, over 515,000 people have viewed my branding presentations on Slideshare with 350,000 of those since January of this year. Two have made it to the 100,000 milestone and another is only few hundred away. So last week I figured it was time for a new one since it had been a while. I …
They’re quirky. They’ve got this stoic bearded guy who rarely utters a syllable (who you can’t help but notice). And they’re contagious as hell. They’re called Walk Off The Earth. And for as wildly unpredictable as their brand is, their videos are a lesson in branding, consistency and never losing that hunger. Four Guys. One …
Seth Godin wrote, “If we built factories as badly as we build marketing campaigns, this country would be in shambles” and I think this is highly applicable today. Too many companies get it wrong: using outdated ideas and unevaluated strategies, hoping something will stick, just by throwing more crap at the wall. Doesn’t work. Looking …
Want a more effective rebrand? Read on. Rebranding done well (like life and young love) is a dream. Done badly and it results in something only one word can describe. Before the word and the new video that exposes it in all its glory, the following teenage confession explains everything. Her name was Randy (last name omitted …
Independence Day. Is it only about grilling, fireworks, alcohol and another day off work? What Does Independence Day Mean to You? In a few days, we celebrate the 4th of July, our Declaration of Independence, a document that was written by a 33-year-old by the name of Thomas Jefferson. This is a valuable document that has …
Thursday, something magical happened. Some might say a miracle. I’ve written about Daymond John and Shark Tank for Fast Company as well as here and here and here. I will tell you Daymond is cool, down-to-Earth and a truly nice person. Well, this past Thursday, Daymond was the keynote speaker for the The Minneapolis Urban …
In my Fast Company blog, I discuss the nearly $1 billion dollar loss J.C. Penney had in 2012. I also discuss the ignorantly shortsighted comments by Abercrombie & Fitch’s CEO Mike Jeffries about only serving “cool and good-looking kids” (i.e., nothing for women larger than 10 or larger than 34 for men). America. The (Almost) …
Marketing today is filled with so much double-talk and corporate marketing-speak that it makes the DaVinci Code look like a simple crossword puzzle. So, when I was asked by Randy Bowden to be interviewed about branding and other marketing-related questions in straightforward conversation, I was thrilled (though a little hesitant since I find some of …
Clients look to branding professionals to make them and their brands look good. As in, rock star good. Don’t actors catapult their careers on the recognition factor of their work well beyond the box office with such tools as the Oscars and the Golden Globes? Or the Grammys for musicians? Or the Tonys for Broadway? Or …
“What is branding?” is one of the most common questions I get asked. I will answer this and many more questions about marketing, standing out, getting heard, rising above the noise, and gaining new customers this Thursday, which you can hear live and raw, with nothing pre-recorded. Hollywood has “called” before with James Bond, Brad …
After being alerted this morning by Slideshare that my presentations have collectively been viewed over 459,000 times (with two more of those nearing the remarkable 100,000 landmark), I decided to do a celebratory dance in the form of a new Slideshare presentation. I took one of the most popular posts on Rising Above The Noise …
James Bond. Ferris Bueller. ET. They all had a certain type of persuasion and influence. Persuasion. Even though it’s not a 4-letter word, people have strong opinions about it. Used well, it defines the skill of someone who rapidly engages others, gains near-instantaneous adoption of ideas and seems to get faster support when needed than …
It’s Facebook’s first refresh in years. They modified their logo! What does it mean for the jolly blue giant? And is Twitter taking this lying down? Facebook Facing Off? For those not yet exposed to this, here is what was just launched: I know. Pretty mind-blowing. I had to take a walk to calm down …
What do espresso, author Tim Ferriss (of #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller, The 4-Hour Workweek), Greek yogurt category leader Chobani, energy drinks and Twiggy have in common? And how can this help your brand kick ass in today’s insane marketplace? The answer is in today’s Fast Company post, where I …
“Shorty voters are 26 times more influential than the average Twitter user.” Whoa. The Shorty Awards, now in its 5th year, recently recognized the companies, people and the occasional puppet that have created the most engaging content for social media on April 8th in New York City. Even Ricky Gervais, not known for his holding …
Inspiring others to action. Selling. Persuading. Breaking down walls. Converting. Results that words can (and should) achieve. This series, “The Power of Words,” started out as a one-off inspired by my ongoing love affair with words, language and their power to change the minds of people through new understandings. I also care (a lot) about …
Being the #1 channel for branding and defying gravity, I was so honored to get the call from YouTube advising me about YouTube closing down. I woke up this morning to this message on my cell phone, “David, being an esteemed video creator, we wanted you to hear it from us first, not from the …
A tale of 2 letters and 4 plates and what can happen when nobody is looking. I love friends. I love chocolate. I love lettering. So, last weekend, with a dear friend of mine (whose initials are MB), I went for an after-event snack. Chocolate Abandon Naively, the waiters left on the table some caramel …
In September 2012, I noticed something: One of my presentations on Slideshare was reaching mid-5-figures in views. By the end of the year, I was starting to get a “social media contact buzz” as it was getting into the higher 5-figures in views. So in early February of this year, I figured I would put …
As many of you know, I see things differently. Like when I wrote my Fast Company post proving how “Design is Like Underwear.” (See the video here). And while I was minding my own business, along comes YouTube with new channel options. In short, I went crazy. YouTube Madness So, I made a new header …
I think we all need a pep talk (thank you Kid President). Social media has become one of the most abused channels of communication currently out there. Partly because everyone and their mother-in-law can post anything anywhere, for whatever reason. Another key reason is, people simply post anything with no quality check, or without any …
Startups rule, yet so much is stacked up against their success. (Fact: in the next 24 hours, there will be 18 new businesses that open their doors with 17 of them violating what’s covered in this presentation.) Startups need reliable guidance (like a precision GPS that gets you from point A to point B). That …
It was one of the most talked about commercials of this year’s Super Bowl. I was so moved by it that days later I had an inspiration which has now become a video. A video which features the amazing voice of legendary impressionist Jim Meskimen, with 45 separate images to emulate the incredible Super Bowl …
