Branding the Baby

I think the majority of people seeing an image of a baby...so cute, so innocent, so pure...branded with tattoos, would cringe and realize that said action goes against nature and everything that is good and just. (Adults have the choice and ability to make such a permanent decision...while babies are subject to the decisions of their parent/guardian.) While most people wouldn't go out and tattoo up all available real estate on their baby, it does bring up the important question...is it ethical to target babies/small children as a means of moving product and increasing revenue?

I recently read an interesting article in the WSJ about the creation of "Baby Couture." More and more top designers: Gucci, Chanel, Fendi, Burberry, Versace, and Armani (to name a few)...have developed toddler/children Ready-to-Wear lines that will be released later this year. In reading the article, it put the focus on the parents and how we often times use our own children as an extension of ourselves. We recognize that when they look good, it reflects back upon ourselves. So is the targeting of babies in these new miniature haute couture lines unethically? Hmmm, Probably not. Although the clothing is being made for the children, deep down, I feel the focus is actually being directed towards the parents. They are the ones that will be shelling out the thousands to purchase the mini-me outfits of such noteworthy designers.

And why not...if I was going out on the street and wearing my brand new Burberry trench, why shouldn't my 4 year old son sport a similar look? (See trench here) I see no problem. Besides everyone knows that dry cleaners can get almost anything out of a $525.00 cotton military trench...including formula throw up, mashed french fry grease, pizza sauce, grass stains, blood, and every other stain that small children attract. A paycheck well spent, I say. And if they don't ruin it with their eating habits, in 6 months they'll have outgrown it and then we can do it all over again.

The good news, at least, is the designers are altering the designs to be a bit more "kid friendly." So while you might be wearing that plunging neckline on your saucy Chanel cocktail dress, your lil' girl will hopefully have all her modesty and style intact. (Everyone knows that too much cleavage on a 5 yr. old only comes off looking cheap and like she's trying too hard.)

So to the designers...best of luck with the new frontier that is children's wear. If you keep to your competencies and have an offering that stays in line with what your label already connotes, you'll do great. The market for creating a new generation of label-loving fashionistas is an ever-growing one. And don't forget about the infants. My infant niece wouldn't love anything more than relieving herself in a soft, silk cloth diaper complete with cotton organza details and embellishments. Nothing says luxury couture like high fashion diapers. Happy Branding!

It's Mine...it has My Name on It

We've all had them...the roommates that insist on putting their name on EVERYTHING that they bring into the apartment. Be it food items in the fridge, personal hygiene products in the bathroom, or even the tags on their underwear, they tag their name on every square inch of real estate they own. While most wouldn't mind the normal bit of sharing within the confines of a "roommate-ship," these people never really learned that important sandbox lesson.

Branding Strategies
Like people, companies have to contemplate the same decision when it comes to their name: "do I put my name on everything?..because ultimately, it does belong to me." When it comes to the name game, companies typically fall into one of two categories:

1. A House of Brands
2. A Branded House

A House of Brands is a company that itself has a brand, but all the products and services it offers, have a brand of their own. Little attention is given to the umbrella brand, but the focus is on each brand or line extension itself. A great example would be Procter & Gamble. P&G has dozens of brands, yet there is little focus on the P&G brand and promoting it independently. Advantages to this idea is that each brand has its own identity and the various brands don't have to have a lot of congruency. Disadvantages include that the house brand isn't ever really associated with the various brands.

A Branded House, on the other hand, is a company that focuses on their brand, and uses it to expand their focus. They put their name on each and every line extension, thus giving you a brand with lots of different branches. The prime example of this is Virgin. From Virgin Cola to Virgin Comics, Virgin slaps their name of every new project they create...regardless of how successful it ends up being. Advantages to this is that you can expand your focus and reach. Disadvantages include diluting the brand and confusing consumers. The brand offerings have to be united in some way...either by industry, category, or according to the company's core competencies. 

So which strategy is right for your company? Well, it all depends on what you are offering. Honda is a branded house that offers lots of different things. At first glance the connection might seem odd, but when you realize that they offer products with powerful engines (their core competency), it makes sense. (Cars, ATV's, engines, pumps, lawnmowers, etc.) In contrast, take the branded house Yamaha. I struggle to see the connection with their product offerings. A bit sporadic and kinda all over the place. (Musical instruments, motorcycles, keyboards, and audio/visual equipment, etc.) 

While most companies will fall within the 2 above mentioned strategies, there is a gradient spectrum between the two that can accommodate some hybrid companies.

The Blended House. As it name implies, it is a blend of the two different strategies. It develops strength through the established parent brand, but still provides various sub-brands that differentiate its offering. Interestingly enough, many fashion brands fall within this blended house. An example will provide understanding:

Company: Marc Jacobs

Industry: Designer Fashion

Established: 1986 (1st collection under label)

Bio: Marc Jacobs attended Parsons The New School of Design, graduating with honors and various awards (Perry Ellis Gold Thimble Award in 1984). Considered a design prodigy, he established his own label in 1986, and later added the Marc by Marc Jacobs and Little Marc lines. He also designs for luxury brand Louis Vuitton. 

So how does this company fit the blended house model? First Marc Jacobs, like many designers, established his own collection line. (This would be the 'branded house' part.) Then, as success came, he expanded into 2 more various lines. (This would be the 'house of brands' part.) To not distract from his own collection line, he established 2 other distinct lines, that 1) are branded as their own brand, but 2) still carry his name.

The great part about this strategy is that as you expand your offering, you can expand your reach (usually to various price points) without diluting your name or brand. Marc Jacobs' collection will still be refined, high fashion, and sophisticated. Marc by Marc Jacobs can then stray and be more casual, fun, unpretentious, and playful. (Note: The MJ collection is not pretentious.)

Checking out their website, Marc Jacobs, you will see that you can get anything with Marc Jacobs' name on it. The key though, is that all the items they offer are consistent with their lifestyle brand (Marc by Marc Jacbos) that they are trying to portray. Swimsuits, bags, iPhone/iPad covers, headphones, keychains, notebooks, lipstick, and even surfboards are all part of the offering. It's genius and fun.

So...the next time you feel the need to tag your name on everything you own, consider what it will do for your reputation...and your brand. Happy Branding!

Overcoming Social Problems with Social Media - Sustainability & Transparency

Let's be honest...people don't really trust business people. They tend not to trust companies and consider them slightly less evil than a prison full of inmates. In a poll done by Gallup.com in 2008, they found that business executives were the 7th LEAST well-rated profession for Honesty and Ethics. (Yeah, that's 7th from the bottom. Looking at the list they were beat out by lawyers and labor union leaders. Now that's saying something.)

To combat this, companies have been trying to give themselves a better public face by developing and adhering to some sort of ethical code. Each company is different, but similar efforts are being made. Which brings up the topic of today's conversation...the Sustainability & Transparency of companies and how they are using Social media to combat social problems. 

Sustainability and transparency are just big words that represent simple ideas. It's what companies are doing to be less sneaky, less crooked, but ultimately, what they are doing to give back to the resources that they pull from and be held accountable for what they do by the public and their consumers. On Wikipedia, there is a great graph that describes this balance. 

Sustainability involves social, environmental, and economic issues.

To show an example, I took the sustainability of the clothing retailer, Gap. Below is a slide I made for a presentation on sustainability. From it you can see what Gap is doing to help each area they are involved in. This includes programs such as the Product (RED) program to a Denim Clean Water program. Not only do companies have to worry about making money, but now they have to worry about making a difference. These are the traits that will build customer loyalty because people want to know that the sweater they are buying didn't cost the life of some poor child in some 3rd world country.

Some Noteworthy Campaigns:

• Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty: 

I don't think anyone would argue that the media has a huge effect on what our perceptions of beauty are. The fashion industry thrives off of utilizing "ideals" for their advertising. The problem is that there exists a huge dissonance from what society perceives beauty to be and what real beauty is. There are those blessed individuals out there that are really ridiculously good looking, but for the rest of us...the other 98%...we don't look like that. Dove's campaign is to raise awareness of this discrepancy and promote healthy self-image to women and girls alike. We've all seen that crazy Evolution commercial...

Here we can see a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes to turnout a "great" ad. Dove also has a website: http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/  where girls and women can go to find tools to help them in accepting themselves and developing healthy self-esteem. There are videos, quizzes, places to chat...all in an effort to help women and girls see that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, ages, etc. It's what is on the inside that should be reflected out.

• Secret's Mean Stinks Campaign: 

Bullying is a growing problem that is plaguing schools and youngsters around the nation. Bullying is any aggressive behavior that involves negative actions and an imbalance of power. With all the technology that we enjoy, it is evolving with texting, Facebook, and blogging. Now it just doesn't stay at school, but it can creep into your home through your computer or phone. To remedy this, Secret has created a place for girls to go to face bullying...face on...on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/meanstinks 

Secret's Mean Stinks Campaign provides tools for girls to stand up against bullying and have a voice. It allows them to talk to specialists, make videos confronting bullies or giving apologies, give encouragement to build up other girls (Be nice behind someone's back), self reflect on your own actions, and deal with the many problems that come from being a teenager and going to school. They can interact with each other, be anonymous, and join the movement of overcoming bullying. The whole interface is done in a welcoming and cute "note-like" style that is trendy and fun. The focus is all about being positive and battling bullying. Innovative and genius. (I tip my hat to the brilliant copywriters.) 

The common thread with both of these campaigns and with ones just like it...it's where the focus is. The companies move their focus from sales and profit to standing for something meaningful. This, in return, tends to be so much more attractive to consumers than a witty commercial...with a beautiful girl...that is a bully. Happy Branding!

The Future of Facebook

We all know them...those people that spend more time on Facebook than they do on their appearance, health, education, work, etc. in a given day. They get on and just 5 short hours later they have successfully "liked" every individual picture that you've added in the last month, doubled the size of their Farmville farm, posted hundreds of quizzes to your wall, and still managed to update their status about "life" over 63 times. To them, Facebook couldn't get any better...it fulfills all their online needs in a convenient, one stop spot; like a proverbial online, social Walmart. But is the best, getting better?

I received a junk email the other day from GNC. For those of you unacquainted with GNC, here is their bio:

Company: GNC 

Industry: Health/Nutritional Supplements

Established: 1935

Bio: Health food store that started in Pittsburgh. They are corporate-owned and franchise out their stores all over the nation. They specialize in carrying products for various nutritional/health needs, namely: weight loss, diet, bodybuilding, and healthy lifestyles. 

In the email it talked about how GNC just opened their new Facebook store. Yes, that is correct...you heard right. GNC now has a tab on their Facebook page that allows fans & customers alike to buy vitamins and supplements directly from Facebook without ever having to leave! Genius! Now I don't have to waste all that energy typing CTRL+T to open a new tab, then type in GNC.com. Thank Heavens! (Below is a screen shot)

While many may think that being able to buy your vitamins on Facebook is not a big deal...let me enlighten you. The ramifications of this are huge! Though not that many people will probably do a lot of shopping on GNC's Facebook storefront, it will only be a matter of time before all your favorite online retailers will open up a "page store" on Facebook. I got looking on the internet and Amazon has teamed up with P&G, specifically Pampers (for all those Mommy Facebook-ers), to provide a store on Facebook for buying diapers. They also announced that they will be incorporating a similar plan with some of their other brands! (Click image for article)

It will only be a matter of time before we no longer have to navigate away from Facebook for our online purchasing. It will all be done within the comfort of our News Feed...or our Farmville farm...or our Profile. What does that mean for us? More time spent on Facebook! It will be our one-stop-shop and then we can simultaneously tell everyone what we are buying at the same time! Facebook is making the transition from online social tool to online social marketplace. Move over Amazon, Zuckerburg is here to stay. Besides, he needs the money...he is a college dropout.

So did Pixar's Wall-E get it right when they predicted the future of our society and race? Maybe. I'm just waiting for Facebook to announce their new line of soda and snack cakes. Happy Branding!

Fashion Designers...technology laggards.

Prada S/S 2011

For those of you that know me, you know that I have a special place in my heart for fashion and fashion designers. This love has developed over the years...being incubated in the plains of Kansas where high fashion doesn't exist...developing from the pages of Vogue & Vanity Fair...and then manifesting itself during my 2 year stint in London. Now I follow, purchase, wear, tweet, blog, and "like" high fashion.

My only problem with high fashion luxury brands is, that for some reason, they suck at integrating technology into their business plans and furthering business by entering the Web 2.0. Don't get me wrong, there are a few companies that have been doing it for a while (these I will highlight in the following paragraphs), but as an industry, they are technology LAGGARDS.

"Dear Fashion Industry, pull your heads out of your sketchbooks long enough to see the world around you. Love, Branding Boy"

Here are some of the things that fashion house brands can do to enter the 21st century and join the rest of the business reaping the rewards of e-commerce and social media:

Gucci Tote

1. Create an online store/boutique for customers to buy your goods. By doing this, you are able to increase your market's reach and target audience. Living in Kansas, the "nicest" store I could shop at was Dillards! Yeah, I'm not sure if you know, but Dillards doesn't carry Dolce&Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Prada, or Gucci. (you can click on these to see some examples) By having an online store you make your goods and designs more accessible to more people. This eliminates many problems...first and foremost...it eliminates the desire for people to purchase your items through secondary merchants and from purchasing knockoffs. (Yep, I said the "k" word.) Knockoffs are one of the leading threats to fashion houses because they reduce sales, steal business from you, and could have an effect on your perceived quality if consumers think they are buying real pieces.
2. Get a Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. account. These social media giants are where all the people are. By having accounts on these platforms, you can interact with real customers, in real time, and develop real relationships. There can be so much rich data that you can extract from these sites, by using them effectively. Just to have an account isn't enough. Put someone in charge of them to effectively represent your company on that platform. You can increase customer satisfaction, incentivize customers, and promote/advertise your goods.
3. Create a blog. Write about topics that relate to your brand/company, fashion, and whatever else tickles your fancy. Burberry is a prime example of this. They started a site: ArtoftheTrench that features photos by The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman himself, of people in trenches. This website and their normal website feature music by local British artists. Burberry isn't just developing a brand; they are developing a culture.

So here we are. When fashion and technology meet...great things happen. (Namely I buy clothing!) So get working and make your company everything, we, the customers, want it to be. And while we're pointing fingers...H&M: I can't wait for you to open your USA online store. I know it isn't until the beginning of next year, but all I can say is, "It's about time." Happy Branding!

Strength Training for your Brand

I was at the gym today and I got to thinking..."why do I spend so much time and effort working out?" Now, don't get me wrong, I frequent the gym a few times a week, but by no means am I one of those dedicated, hours-on-end in the gym, muscle-heads. (I don't have that much free time.) After a little thought, I realized that I was there because I want to be healthy, I want to feel good, and I want to look good. Pretty reasonable conclusions, if you ask me. If I were to then go around and ask other gym participants, I'm sure I'd get similar responses to my own...we all want basically the same thing. If we all want the same thing, then why don't we all have it? Why am I not a bodybuilder? It's because I am not that dedicated...and because I just don't think I could pull off the Speedo look. (Here is where I can also insert the genetics comment.) 

Branding is no different. Companies want to have strong brands...ones with rippling muscles and a presence at the proverbial brand gym. Yet too often, companies are not willing to put in the time...and the work...to give themselves the strength their brands need. I have prepared for you today some ways that you can strengthen your brand. Consider it strength training...for you brand.

• Deliver benefits that your customers desire: Any company that wants to excel knows their customers. Anyone can do a little market research to figure out what their demographics are...but it takes a little more effort to find out what their psychographics are. What does your customer want and expect from you? This is where social media comes into play. Interact with your customers, ask them what they want, get their input on decisions, have a conversation with them. If you can do this, your brand can be strong.

• Stay relevant: Don't get left behind. The world & the market are always changing. A good company stays relevant with new technology & how their customers are changing. This means use the internet effectively. You use social media effectively. Don't just spend time on social media sites, but in them, drilling down and refining data. But this doesn't mean that you abandon traditional methods either. Classic marketing will still get the results...just don't be afraid of change, or incorporating new methods & vehicles into your already established strategy.

• Your pricing strategy matches your consumers' perceptions of value: Pricing is a fun and tricky game. Pricing too low could imply your quality is rubbish. Pricing too high could mean that you cut off a huge section of your target market. You have to find a healthy balance...and it has to reflect how your consumers perceive your quality and value. 

• Have proper Brand Positioning: It is key that you position your brand in the right place, as compared to your competitors. Also important, is developing your points of parity, and points of differentiation. These two concepts are key. Let them know who you are in competition with (points of parity) but also let the consumers know what makes you different from your competitors (points of differentiation).
• Have consistent messaging and Marketing: Identify the audience. Identify the message. Have an identifiable voice. Have a consistent format. Repeat the message. Make sure there is uniformity in all you do. This requires working effectively across the various fields in your company so that everything you put out is defined by who you are.

So here are some exercises to get working on. Do these and in no time you can start flexing those branding muscles. Show off a little bit because everyone is looking. They will give you confidence and you will be the envy of everyone else. Happy Branding!

*Results may vary.

What's in a Name?

Names are a funny thing. They often times carry so much meaning that whenever we hear a specific name, it invokes a series of memories or emotions. (Ted: Oh that Ted, he was such a jokester. I could never take him seriously. Valerie: I never really liked that Valerie, she was always so petty.) 

In business, consumers will always associate our company's name with certain words; good or bad. The key is to position your company so that the associations that consumers have will build your brand in their minds and thus, be correlated positively. Let's have a little practice quiz:

Write the first thing that comes to your mind:

When I say soda, you think: ____________________?

When I say Toyota, you think: ___________________?

When I say laundry detergent, you think: _________________?

When I say Apple, you think: ___________________?

When I say designer clothing, you think: _________________?

Now in looking at the answers, everyone's are going to be different. That's because each of us, as a consumer, has different brands that we associate with different words, and vice versa. (My answers would have been: Coca-Cola, death trap, Tide, innovative, and Marc Jacobs.) See how that works? We all assign different words to brands, and brands to different words or categories. 

Now when it comes to branding, you want to OWN the word that describes that category. Let's give an example or two. 

Company: Q-tips
Industry: Beauty/Hygiene
Established: 1923
Bio: The famous cotton swab company bringing a tool that has so many uses. Though we aren't supposed to, we all stick them in our ears anyway.

No one goes to the store looking to buy cotton swabs. Everyone asks for Q-tips by name. When you are the first in your category, you can own that category's name.


Company: Kleenex
Industry: Beauty/Hygiene
Established: 1924
Bio: The original facial tissue that has owned the category for decades. Bringing the masses a sanitary alternative to a handkerchief (also known back then as "carry a cold in your pocket.")

Just like Q-tips, Kleenex owns the facial tissue category. Other facial tissue brands are "Kleenexes" and Kleenex has a very narrow focus.


Company: Scotch
Industry: Office supplies/Stationary
Established: 1930
Bio: The popular brand of tape and all things sticky that make our lives simpler, happier, and adhered together.

You know you have arrived when consumers begin to use your brand name generically. "Hand me the Scotch tape." (Ries, 24)

So what's in a name?..it seems everything! Go out there, find a good word, and own IT! Once your company has the word, it will take a lot for someone to take it from you. Own the category, not just an attribute, and it will be happy sailing. Happy Branding!