The Credibility Branding Blog

Branding Strategy Insider Post Smash Your Brand

This is such an amazing post from The Blake Project’s Branding Strategy Insider, I just wanted to bring your attention to it. Packaging like the coke bottle in Derrick’s article even logo creation is an important piece of your credilbility.

I was going through an exercise with a group last night reviewing different ads in magazines. The quality of the ad and its level of professionalism was the first thing they noticed, the messaging and use of white space was second. These are also points of credibility. I also spoke yesterday with an interesting expert in logo creation Dr. Bill Haig who did his doctoral dissertation on credibility through logo design. Bill will be contributing an article soon to discuss this idea further, but the point is your logo is a fundamental part of your credibility. Now enjoy the article By Derrick Dey. Read it and think about it. This is great stuff… thanks Derrick!

Smash Your Brand

Back in 1915 Earl R. Dean, who was working at the Root Glass Company, was given a brief to design a bottle, which firstly could be recognized in the dark. And then, even if broken, a person could tell at first glance what it was.

Taking his inspiration from the pod of the cocoa bean, Dean produced a bottle with ridged contours. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

This led to the Coca-Cola Company’s contourization strategy, which used the shape to emphasize the very brand. The bottle he designed was the classic Coke bottle, which has become one of the most famous glass icons ever. The bottle is still in service, still recognizable, and been passing the smash test for every generation over the last 80 years.

Read the Rest

A nudge campaign – your own influencing an influencer marketing campaign

When pursuing an influencer or even a customer I employ what I have coined a “nudge campaign.” The idea is to continually nudge the prospect until the opportunity comes to invite them into the fold. The nudge involves delivering something of value, on a consistent basis, that is relevant to the opportunity with your company. Content is what is generally delivered and email is the usual conveyer, but you can use your imagination. I use email because it is quick and I can do it in the moment, especially since I often have many nudge campaigns going at once.

So let’s say you have an influencer in mind that you want to endorse your product. I recommend a direct approach to start; ask them. Explain why you want them, letting them know what is in it for them (WIIIFT), how endorsing your product can perhaps give them more credibility, or lead to other opportunities, or aligns them with their own messaging and positioning as an expert. If they say no then thank them and ask why they said no. One conversation I often use is: “in the spirit of improving our outreach was there a particular reason you decided not to get involved or was it the approach itself…” you get the idea.

That is usually the start of a conversation; it is human nature to want to help. I caution here that asking why they said no is not done as a manipulation, you really need to sincerely understand what was in their decision making process. The asking for feedback piece of this is what I call my “daily audit,” I continually ask what people are thinking when they say no (or yes) to see what is resonating or not.

Once you have them in a dialogue you can now continue that dialogue over time. So when I am doing my daily reading (Check out Public Relations: Pitching the Big Guys – How to Get Their Attention for advice on this and some additional insights on creating an ongoing dialogue) and I come across some news item that is relevant to that influencer I email it to them with a short comment. I like to include something in the comment that reminds them of my company. I also like to include my own insights about the piece they are receiving so they see me as someone who could have an intelligent conversation with them. You can do the same thing with a potential customer; offer them something that is relevant to what they do in their job, like a competitive news item, or a relevant industry trend article. Deliver something they can then pass on to their boss and you have made their job easier.

Another way is to track the target influencer’s writing by doing a Google alert on them. If they don’t write a column, then they likely have a blog, are quoted in other articles or an article was written about them. Send a comment on these items. When an accomplishment of theirs comes to light, send a note of congratulations. You are now on your way to having a friend and eventually that friendship will bear fruit. You have nudged your way into their hearts and minds.

Google as a Credibility Test for Your Brand

John  Follis writes an interesting article on the importance of your Google credibility over at The Brand Promotion Blog. I particularly like the first sentence: “In our hype-happy, what-to-believe Information Nation, more and more it comes down to one very basic, very essential thing -- credibility.” Aint that the truth?!? And John is right, where you rank in Google is now a point of credibility for your product, your company and you as an expert and should be part of any marketing program. If you are not paying attention and nurturing your Google relationship it is time to go to an expert and take care of it. I recommend the Google Tutor to get started, he seems to have some great insights and tactical suggestions. Any SEO specialist can also help you. How do you find a good SEO… Google them!

Here is Johns article you can also go directly to I at The Brand Promotion Blog here

Hows Your G-Cred? (Google Credibility)

By John Follis The Brand Promotion Blog

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

In our hype-happy, what-to-believe Information Nation, more and more it comes down to one very basic, very essential thing -- credibility. The Good House Keeping seal of the past is not the credibility barometer of the present and future. So, then, what are the new barometers of cred?

For many, it's blogs and other social networking sites that foster and disseminate open discussion and untainted perspectives on everything. That open source context has given way to the term "Street Cred" as a barometer of credibility. With the proliferation of this Internet/truth formula, I'd like to suggest another barometer: G-Cred.

If you haven't guessed, the "G" is for Google which has attained such universal acceptance that, "to Google" is part of our cultural lexicon. Checking out a new vacation spot? Google it. Looking for Cuban cigars? Google it. Need nude photos of Paris Hilton? Google it. From a business perspective, Google is a Godsend. If you're checking out a product, company, or person, Google is both informational resource and worldwide publicist. And, with that, Google has become a strong barometer of credibility.

As the Online Evolution zooms forward at the speed of bandwidth, online visibility will equate to professional credibility. It does now. If you're doing due diligence on someone and nothing comes up when you Google them, that doesn't score credibility points. The relevance of this is not limited to those creating scholarly works or running Fortune 500 companies. Many marketing gurus, such as Tom Peters and Seth Godin, have long preached the value of creating and building one's personal brand regardless of who you are. Godin's Purple Cow discusses the importance of standing out and "being remarkable." And, ten years ago Peters' The Brand You, told how survival is not about blending in, but rather, standing out.

"Regardless of age, position, or the business we happen to be in, we need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. (And) for most branding campaigns, the first step is visibility."

So, if The Web is the way, and credibility is king, then the new genesis is G-Cred. How's yours?

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The Right Influencers for Credibility Marketing

Part 6 – of “Focus on Business and Marketing Strategy”

Influencing the influencers to influence your customers.

There is a simple law of marketing, “perception is reality.” This speaks to the absolute importance of perception and how that perception is molded by credibility. Building credibility, as a focused and programmed campaign, will net quicker results, higher-paying customers, and long-term loyalty.

What in your life is more important than trust? Trust is often the filter you use in the most critical decisions you make. So building more trustworthiness into your product or company should be an important strategy. By firmly establishing credibility your product or company will stand above the competition or, even better, stand out as a benchmark of excellence.

When an influencer endorses your product whether that is a customer influencer, an editor, analyst, industry pundit or partner, they add instant credibility. These trusted third party influencers considerably reduce a customer’s decision making time when they vouch for the product. You are more likely to purchase a product that Bill Gates has waved around the podium at a keynote address, or with a customer testimonial, than if you had only heard abut it through advertising. And if that customer is a brand recognized company, it adds even more credibility.

So who are these influencers and how can you use them? Following is a small sample of the kinds of influencers are company could use, these could be subcategorized even further.

Industry	Possible Influencers
Technology and consumer electronics	Analyst firms
	Strategic partners: complementary products/technologies; consortia; development partners
	Blog personalities/user group moderators
	Customers
	Celebrities
	Press and media
Consumer packaged goods	Celebrities (actors, writers, sports celebs)
	Strategic partners / joint venture partners
	Mass consumer media and bloggers
	Individual users/customers
	Movies and TV (product placement)
	Social networking sites (YouTube, MySpace, Fark, Digg, etc.)
Books, videos, audio	Well-known writers
	Writers in the same genre
	Critics/reviewers
	Celebrities
	Strategic partners / joint venture partners
	Press and media, bloggers
	Amazon (There are a lot of ways to use Amazon to build your brand)
	Readers/viewers/listeners

How do you get these folks on board? Ask them. Start a relationship with them, pursue them with integrity as you would a sales target. Find inventive ways to initiate conversations. This is an inexpensive and yet very thorough way of establishing more trust in your brand, it just takes time in planning and relationship building but is worth the effort.

Improving Marketing’s Internal Credibility?

Forrester came out with a report on March 9th that offers ideas to improve marketing’s internal credibility. They postured that “Today's marketing function lacks authority, follows the lead of other departments, and operates disconnected from peer functions. To build momentum for marketing reinvention, marketers must focus on three key activities:

1) Setting executive expectations regarding responsibility and accountability

2) Building bridges with peer functions through communication and collaboration

3) Extending internal capabilities by balancing skills and resources.”

This is good advice yet so typical of the “lean,”  “efficiencies” approach to marketing. Marketing is not a product it is a strategy. While I would not suggest that what Forrester is recommending is wrong and is probably worth investigating. I would instead say that it is more about the marketing than the department and its relationship with internal constituents.

Question: Do you know how to make an internal marketing organization more credible? Answer: Outside results.

Question: Do you know how to gain outside results?

Answer: Leverage the internal points of corporate credibility to establish market credibility.

Question: How do you find those internal points of credibility?

Answer: Create them.

Question: What are these points of credibility?

Answer:

·        Listen to the breath of the market, listen to your customers, partners and vendors, listen to the product solution and deliver something that addresses the pain that customers are having

·        A strong credible management team; a product that delivers a clear value and answers a need; brand recognized customers; marquee strategic partners; and contributing your vision to the unique trends in the market (see Credibility pyramid)

·        Gaining third party recognition from influencers and leveraging that to find more influencers

·        Becoming an expert/influencer

Have you ever noticed, when the marketing programs are successful the marketing department has more resources and respect? Yes it is possible the marketing department in hampered by the departments around them, the lack of resources available to them and the executive ranks that don’t support them. I have been there I know that this is often the case. However, if your own “marketing head” is in the right strategic place and you have done your homework (the bullet items above), you can use under the radar programs to win points and elevate your status. Under the radar programs are low budget guerrilla programs that can confirm your marketing strategies. For example if you can’t get the big budget for that direct campaign you have been planning, do a viral program. If the advertising idea is not approved, do a survey of your web site users and leverage the results of that survey into a blogger outreach or broader publication PR program. If the fundamental strategy is being questioned, do an audit of customers or the media to confirm or change the strategy (an audit is also a strategy to gain credibility through influencers --to validate programs).

There are a ton of other things you can do. The bottom line is; get your passion back and do the great work that is inside of you. The marketing programs that you put out there, despite the internal hindrances, is a big part of the credibility you need to improve marketing’s internal corporate respect. I think the priority should be the marketing, and then do what Forrester recommends to clean up the remaining internal challenges.

Following is from the Forrester web site on the report:

March 9, 2007

How To Improve Marketing's Internal Credibility

Three Keys Set The Stage For Reinvention

by Peter Kim

with Cliff Condon, Cindy Commander, Sarah Glass, Jennifer Joseph

This is a document excerpt:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Marketing leaders are starting to take steps to reinvent their organizations in order to drive long-term success. But they are discovering that they lack the internal capital required to lead change. Today's marketing function lacks authority, follows the lead of other departments, and operates disconnected from peer functions. To build momentum for marketing reinvention, marketers must focus on three key activities: 1) setting executive expectations regarding responsibility and accountability; 2) building bridges with peer functions through communication and collaboration; and 3) extending internal capabilities by balancing skills and resources.

Brand Confusion and Credibility

Nice post about Nike’s brand confusion from Doane Paper Blog. This post asks a very smart question of why Nike would choose to cannibalize an already credible brand? Credibility is not only leveraged through influencers but also from how the company is positioned. I don’t have much to add to this one, it is pretty much covered in the post. Thanks Doane Paper Blog:

Nike Brand Confusion

From: Doane Paper Blog

 

I still can’t understand why Nike would create a broad “action sport” brand like 6.0 when it already has an established “action sport” brand in Nike SB (short for skateboarding)? Why would you position the two brands so close together? Why does 6.0 sponsor a skateboarder instead of that skateboarder being on Nike SB? What has made Nike SB such a success is that it’s a premium product that’s marketed to an exclusive demographic (skateboarders). Even though Nike SB is marketed to an exclusive demographic doesn’t mean that only that demographic is buying the product. I would wager that at least 60% of Nike SB sales were landing on the feet of non-skaters or other action sport participants. The only reason why Nike 6.0 has had some initial success is because it’s currently feeding off the established credibility of Nike SB. The two lines now look completely interchangeable, it’s difficult to tell the difference between a Nike SB shoe vs. a 6.0 shoe. In the near future its my prediction that skaters will turn on Nike SB because the SB line cannot be differentiated from the broader marketed 6.0 line. If the SB line dies then the “parasite” brand 6.0 has no brand credibility to feed on and will also expire.

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This is such a relevant topic I am starting a new posting category called “Brand Confusion” please contribute when you find brands that seem confused out there. Email me (jennifer@credibilitybranding.com) with what you find, and what you think.

Another Way to Look at a Commoditized Brand

Riamo van de Klein, blogger for thinkmobile, wrote this unique and insightful look at the phenomenon of rethinking who you are as a company. This compliments yesterday’s post about what to do when your brand gets watered down and commoditized especially when it is an established brand. The reality is every brand will eventually face that situation as it moves from being a trend, to a reality, to success, then a universal brand in the habit stage (see post about this credibility branding template). Raimo poses the thought that Companies are actually tools and maybe even delivering value. I believe the opportunity is then to maybe even know what value they deliver... MAYBE even thinking about that as a mission statement (a conscious marketers dream)!!! The notion of "the empowered and connected human" that Raimo discusses is just great read on…

What business am I in?

Feb 25th, 2007 by thinkmobile Raimo van der Klein

NOTE OF WARNING: COMPLETE UNSCIENTIFIC THOUGHTS ENTERED THIS POST

All around me I see businesses and complete industries asking themselves this question. How is it that right now so many people are asking themselves this question? It is almost like finding an object in your basement and asking yourself where did I use this for? Or in the middle of a fight you asking yourself why the hell did we start this fight? Strange to see people sitting in the middle of their resources and tools questioning their purpose or reason of existence. What changed? Just like in the example of the tool and the fight time passed and the use or purpose of the item diminished. Therefore becoming obsolete. In other words the energy just went out of it. It is Autumn in company land. Why would this happen. Why do we have a changed view on the use or purpose of companies (maybe we don’t see it yet that conscious). My personal belief is that the belief system of “welfare = happiness” isn’t right. Also the belief system of “stuff = happiness” isn’t right anymore. Well companies are the centerpiece of both these belief systems. So now our pursuit of happiness continues towards new beliefs. Basically we created machines that would bring us happiness but didn’t. We also created a belief system that isolated growth (careers, market share, beauty) would bring us happiness. We believed that a free market meant healthy competition. All these beliefs are crumbling currently. Basically resulting in companies ignoring it, companies that are apathetic, companies that sell themselves and companies that are adapting.

How are the new beliefs looking? Well again in my opinion in random order: people = happiness, collaboration = happiness and contribution = happiness. What will be building as the centerpiece of such beliefs? Well it is US. Not the United States but YOU, ME and WWW. The empowered and connected human. No longer slave of the tools he builds. No longer dependent on the institutions he builds to govern him. A flat world. Total democracy. What role do companies have in such a world? They are no longer the motor of society. They were great to create strong countries but they are not great to create a strong world. Or are they? Is it unthinkable that these thoughts might even influence the perceived value of money? The motor is a connected virtual marketplace of millions and millions of individuals. Sharing, creating, trading, recommending, changing, influencing, exchanging and demanding.

I believe this future brings companies back in the role of creating tools and being tools. Like the blacksmith in any medieval village. Access to resources and happy to serve you.

So if you ask yourself what business am I in. Here is the answer: whatever business you choose to be in. Look at your access to resources. Look at your skills. Ask yourself how you can support the new belief system and create tools to support this new world.

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I would add; your choice is based on several factors or really questions you might consider. What/who were you when you started? How has that changed and why? What is your customer expecting (ask them! This link is to way of doing that)? What are the benefits you are now delivering or what pain are you solving? What are the market and consumer trends and how can your vision leverage those trends or even change them?

What to do with a commoditized brand

There was a great post put up by Scott Weisbrod in early March at his blog EP / Experience Planner about Starbucks (Starbucks: A Brand In Decline? Suggestions For Growth And Change). The essence is that Starbucks has been forced (due in part to reduced stock process) to looked inward and re-evaluate their brand. They have lost some credibility for the sake of efficiency. They have become a coffee shop instead of a coffee experience. In Chairman Howard Schultz’s own words, “we have had to make a series of decisions that, in retrospect, have led to the watering down of the Starbucks experience and what some might call the commoditization of our brand.”

So what do you do with a commoditized brand? The answer usually lies in re-invention. The focus changes from efficiencies to investigating the industry landscape, identifying the market need based on the success and failures of your products as well as competitive products. What’s working? What is the market embracing? What are the pundits touting as the next best thing? Look beyond just your product sector at broader product, marketing and design trends. Apply these things into either a revised version of your product or pull your product into a new sector. Take your revised product and establish a new category that you become the leader of by default.

Look at the broader consumer trends (even if you are a business-to-business company). For example there is a sea change in the reality shows, moving away from some of the more soap opera like shows (Survivor, Big Brother) to professionally oriented contests. Shows like “Grease the One That You Want,” “Tops Chief,” “Top Designer,” etc. are about professionals rising to the top of their game. What does that reveal about the market as a whole? Is there a way that you can leverage this into your product, messaging and communications strategies? Can you even use the shows themselves for product placement? This is just one example among many.

Lee Iacocca’s case study for leveraging market trends is the mini van. Chrysler examined what the new consumer culture was doing. The baby boomers had kids and gear. Their lives involved more carpooling; the traditional car wasn’t as delivering or meshing well enough with these new lifestyles. Lee and his team invented the mini van and positioned it to this soccer mom audience. Apple recently did this with the iPod, how can you do that with your product? What is your next mini van, or iPod? While research and market sizing is still important, thinking and observation is imperative. The creative part of the equation is essential. Having conversations with your customers is crucial. Listening to the breath of the market is the only way to delver back what the market will embrace. This isn’t marketing this is thinking.

From a practical marketing perspective Scott Weisbrod ‘s post sums it up perfectly offering sound, fundamental marketing advice directly addressing Starbuck’s problems:

EXCERPT FROM SCOTT’S POST:

Some specific ideas for growth include the following:

·        Re-invest in the customer experience - The customer experience makes the brand and Starbucks, while still a powerful brand, needs to get back to customer experience basics and renew the intimacy it once had with customers, solve the long line-ups created by inefficient drink making processes and re-establish Starbucks as the “third place” in customers’ lives following home and work.

·        Re-discover its core business in coffee - Schultz believes that Starbucks sources and buys the highest quality coffee available. High quality coffee is a differentiating attribute; as a result Starbucks should focus on product differentiation if this is in fact the case. Starbucks can reinforce differentiation at every customer touch-point whether it be the merchandise in store, marketing communications, or their web site. Differentiation also includes rediscovering and promoting Starbucks’ heritage, tradition, and passion for the coffee drinking experience.

In short, Starbucks needs to get back to basics and focus on the customer experience and product.

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Using Social Networking for Research and Creating Evangelists While Your At It

The foundation of credibility branding is to leverage the good parts of the company into points of credibility that will build trust with your customers and speed up their decision making time. In the world of Web 2.0, and the collaborative environment it has created, many people don’t buy without seeking an opinion first. Who they turn to most of the time is an influencer, a resident expert of that category. Whether they are looking for advice for shoes gadgets, or home renovation they will seek this information from a trusted friend or an outside influencer.

So how can you become that trusted influencer? I recently spoke with Jason Smith at Vision Critical a Research firm in Vancouver who specializes in a new form of research panel that leverages the social media environment. They create an 'advisory board' or 'online community' of current and potential customers and engage them in discussion. They don’t ask them to fill out an online form, they create a forum of users that can open and honestly discuss what they like and don’t like about the company’s products.

This is what Jason calls a “semi-harnessed” environment. Vision Critical and the companies they are working with create the online advisory panel that can consist of hundreds of participants. They set parameters of discussion, mange topics and have a structure but the “advisors” have an open dialogue. It isn’t like the old focus groups where the facilitator has a set agenda and tightly controls the discussion. The discussions flow like they would in on online community but around a topic. When there is someone on a rant there is usually a defender that comes to the rescue. These panels become social networks with built in check and balances. To qualify, it is not a true social network, participants know they are being “watched” and understand there is a purpose for the group.

Jason said that in some cases they have found that these advisors feel like they are participants in the company not just customers. They feel like they are having an impact, and in some cases they actually see the result of their effort come to fruition. That advisor is on the street telling their friends that they had a hand in guiding the product their friend person is now holding. That is credibility. This lack of transparency is the next generation in research and marketing in general. The more open you are with your customers, and the more open you let them be, the more loyalty and trust is built. These customers become evangelists that create more evangelists -- Influencers influencing influencers.

Influencing the Influencers & Creating Something Worthwhile

Steve Rubel the prominent author of Micropersuasions wrote a perfect post yesterday (found below) about the role of influencers. It appears that this post was in part inspired by  Jason Calacanis post of calacanis.com fame (worth a read too).

The idea is you too can be an influencer BUT you have to work hard and offer something great. If you look at yesterdays Credibility Branding post, part of what creates credibility is a product that delivers a clear value and return on investment. That applies to a blogger (which is what this story is about) as well as a product or company. This inevitably leads me back to strategy. Think before you post, plan before you create. Find the market need and deliver that in a great usable interesting product. But also deliver sound emotive, compelling communications strategies and messaging. Back to Steve’s point all of that requires effort and consistent work ethic… strategy is a commitment.

Now this post happens to include a link to what he calls new voices, I am proud to say The Credibility Branding Blog is on that list. Steve Ruble is an important influencer in the blogosphere as well as corporate America. I am using my own credibility branding model; Steve is an influencer, influencing you and adding credibility to by blog and brand. See this stuff works. But the qualification is create something customers will see as worth having and willing to invest their time and energy into.

Following is Steve’s Post or you can click here and go to the source:

Work Ethic: What Dirk Nowitzki and the Big Influencers Have in Common
By Steve Rubel

Jason Calacanis and I share a few passions - tech, business, blogging and sports. He's dead-on right when he says the so-called "A-list" is an open club. Anyone with talent can become a key influencer, no matter what community they inhabit. There's also always a changing of the guard. New voices replace the "fading stars." Everyone has a chance to "rise." BL offers similar advice.

By the way, even if you are part of a community and you don't shake trees with your words, photos or videos, it doesn't mean you're not just as important as everyone else. You are. That's why I love to link to new voices. Still, there is a hierarchy in every social network and many do aspire to rise. Just spend time on digg and you'll see how tough the competition is.

If this is your goal, zero in on the common bond that unites the influencers. It doesn't matter if it's Scoble in the blogosphere, Thomas Hawk on Flickr or Ask a Ninja on YouTube. They share an essential trait and that is an unbelievable work ethic and a commitment to quality.

If you want to become an influencer - not that it needs to be your goal - you have to show up every day. You need to know the community inside and out, produce quality content and work your butt off. There is no other way in. There's no hall pass. The most influential (I say most because we all influence) post every day - weekends too. Some never miss a day ever and when they do, they're upset. Look at Fred Wilson, for example. He missed a day blogging for the first time in years because he was moving and he was shocked that he did.

In addition to my peers, my family and business leaders, I look to the sports world to inspire me. One of my favorite players ever in any sport is the Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, who just might be this year's MVP. Dirk's nickname is "the work." The odds were against Dirk. He's a German ballplayer in a league dominated by Americans. Further, for awhile he was a poor on defense. The fans even nicknamed him "irk" because he had no "D".

But Dirk didn't care. He focused relentlessly on the prize. No, not the MVP title. The big kahuna - the NBA Championship. When the Mavs blew a two-game lead last year to the Heat in the Finals, Dirk took it personally. He worked extra hard all off-season and all season because he's obsessed with perfection. He's a champion. Take a look a the stats in the widget below from the NBA's site and you will see what I mean. He's one reason why the Mavs are dominating the league.

So if you aspire to be an influencer, it takes work and it's an open door. If you want it, be like Dirk. If not, that's cool too. We need as many voices as we can in this conversation. Together, we're a team. But every team has all-stars.