Branding 101
A couple of weeks ago I posted BusinessWeek’s Top 100 Brands. Needless to say, this list reveals the value that effective branding represents. As a follow-on, I embedded an excellent slide show on branding on my Videos page. It’s from Marty Neumeier of Neutron LLC, author of The Brand Gap. Let’s take a look at it here:
[slideshare id=28886&doc=the-brand-gap-14630&w=425]
This is a visually impressive presentation. I love the sharp black and white appearance, the narrative flow of the information and graphics, and the suspense the presentation builds - ‘What’s next?’ The unique presentation urges us to be…unique.
As always I try to make connections between new stuff like this and what we’ve already explored. First, the idea that branding neither logo, identity or product - it’s the customer’s EMOTIONAL REACTION to all of the above. Customer experience again, in this case the emphasis being on the charismatic impact of the brand itself and instilling a sense of trust in the brand.
Breaking down the brand-building philosophy into five principles, several can be connected with types of innovation we’ve seen before:
- Differentiate - focus on your core capabilities, and what makes you stand out from the crowd
- Collaborate - integrate different perspectives from a network of experts
- Innovate - focus innovation on name and icon/avatar
- Validate - integrate the customer into the process by using cheap/dirty tests on your ‘prototype’
- Cultivate - influence the character of a brand over time
Now, how do we use this as an open source resource? What problems might you encounter in doing so? For instance, how might you assemble the collaborative network if you have limited funds to do so? Are some of these principles easy enough to implement as a solo innovator or a small team?
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Hi can anybody help me in geeting a ppt format of this presentation. I will appreciate your kind deed.
Thanks.