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Brand Naming Smarticle

 

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Adversting that makes you go...."huh"?

In case you couldn't tell, I try to maintain a positive tone when writing this blog.  Sometimes, however, you just have to call it like it is, and this week two advertisements caught my eye which screamed for someone to point them out.

The first was a billboard on the Mass Pike, just outside of Boston.  Headline, 'FARM FRESH WIND', with a picture of a windmill.  Oh yeah, you can bet that the font was green.  Subtle...very subtle.  Did the creative director whip this up in 10 minutes?  I hope there wasn't a grand creative session to brainstorm this copy.  On the other hand, if the agency who created this billed for ANY creative time, than God bless them.  They've got some kind of racket going.  Clearly agencies should start targeting more energy providers. (I'm not exactly sure which energy co. this was , so that's inherently something to consider.  I think it was NSTAR.) 

Ok, so you're an energy co.  Do you now sell wind?  Sort of....I guess. 

Unfortunately, 'Sort of' is not a clear message.

You do 'provide' energy to the masses.  So why not talk about that?  Even if you did sell wind; is wind from a farm better than wind from the city?  I thought wind was wind?  It certainly does not discriminate against us city folk.  (If you have ever walked across the BU bridge, or down the vortex that is Boylston St. in the winter, you know what I mean). 

Now, if it was widely known that wind from some farm in NH or OK was 'better' than urban wind, which we individually could directly benefit from in some way I haven't yet learned, than by all means, sell me some of that. (perhaps it's a new organic way to dry your hair...??)   Bottle it up and send some by my place like the milkmen from the 'good ole days'.  If not, than why waste your time talking about wind?  

I don't benefit from the wind, I benefit from the energy you provide me, which you mined from the wind.  The earth can benefit from this 'green' energy, but that's a secondary benefit to the consumer.  Essentially, you are hoping for the target audience to put it all together on their own. 

Billboard advertising doesn't work this way.  You have 2 seconds to relay a message and generate an impression that hopefully builds awareness of your product/brand. and/or, its benefits/brand personality/values.  The message needs to be clear and concise.  Sure, I am 'remarking' about this billboard, so I suppose you have done something right, or REALLY wrong.  At the least your brand name needs to be recalled !  I'm writing about this billboard and I can't even remember the co !!!  I do remember the name was smaller than the aforementioned message, and it was not prominent.  How exactly has this message served their business needs?  It hasn't.

A few quick options that might have been better.  Take them or leave them.
Wind Energy.            For the earth.  For you.    (BIG company logo).
Thank your Mother (Nature).        Wind Energy from ____ (and Mother Earth).


Here's the second ad, this time a 30 second television spot. Where I do I start ! 

First, Reebok hardly ever advertises on TV, therefore, when they do, they should really nail the creative to maximize their ROI.  This is almost embarrassing, and is not a new idea. 

Second, Reggie Wayne, while being a fine ballplayer, does not have much household recognition (he's probably the 10th wide receiver a 16 year old boy would recall, let alone football player, and let's be honest, if they aren't trying to sell these shoes to 16 year old boys, than they have bigger problems than we have time to talk about).  Celebrity/athlete endorsers should be iconic figures that definitively elevate your brand.  Sorry Reg, but you're not that guy.  All this says to me is that Reebok couldn't afford someone with a higher profile.  This might be the worst problem with the ad, as it just doesn't serve the inherent purpose of why you would use a pro athlete. 

Ok, so Reggie's your guy.  That doesn't mean the creative should be weak too !

  Walking on water is an OLD cliche.  We all know he can't do this.  There's no mystery or intrigue here.  Clearly you are telling me the shoes allow him to walk on water, I get it.  It's the not the man himself, which brings us back to the fact you don't need a pro athlete when using this idea. 

"Reggie can't walk on water, but with these "Hexride's" he can" ! 

Who hoo !  Go Reggie. 

Pla - ease.....!

Then there is the tag line, "Superior Cushioning".  Sweet, a benefit message !  Thanks for that.  Too bad it makes no sense !  Why would 'cushioning' allow someone to walk on water?  Doesn't cushioning in a shoe help reduce impact on hard surfaces?  Last time I checked water was not a hard surface.  Now, if this was an ad for a 'lightweight' shoe, they might be on to something, but it still has the problems I noted above.  At the least, show the man running over some crazy boulders or something.  It might not be related to football, but at least it will more closely match the product benefit!

To me, this commercial officially sums up Reebok's position in the marketplace.  They are NOT a leading brand and hold no aspirational status.  Think hard if anyone you know actively wears a pair of Reeboks?  1 in 15?  1 in 20? I don't know a single person who wears Reeboks.

Talk to anyone at the co. and they'll say, "we can't try to out Nike, Nike".  We'll, if you mean, "come up with compelling creative", than clearly you can't.  Heck, you'd be better off just showing the shoes with a simple message like, "Reggie Wayne wears them.  You should too" !  Not creative in any way, but I bet just as effective, and a whole lot cheaper. 

Here's a classic example of a brand that used the idea of superpowers, attributed them to the product and pulled off some good creative. For a split second you have to wonder.   Did he really do that???

(too bad we now know Mike's true colors).

Like never before, there is no room for mediocre work. In tough times, consumers need good marketing to help them make the tough choice of how to spend their limited funds.

Someone out there can do it better.  

Don't waste our time with greenwashed messaging, or generally lame creative.  The consumer can see through this. 

You only make your competition look brilliant, and turn off those of us who know better.

One idea to improve your business today.

As I was re-reading Jim Collins' best selling book, Good to Great, I was struck by a quick passage that everyone should consider:

When teaching by the case method at Stanford Business School, I issued to each MBA student an 8.5"x 11"bright red sheet of paper, with the following instructions: “This is your red flag for the quarter. If you raise your hand with your red flag, the classroom will stop for you. There are no restrictions on when and how to use your red flag; the decision rests entirely in your hands. You can use it to voice an observation, share a personal experience, present an analysis, disagree with the professor, challenge a CEO guest, respond to a fellow student, ask a question, make a suggestion, or whatever. There will be no penalty whatsoever for any use of a red flag. Your red flag can be used only once during the quarter. Your red flag is nontransferable; you cannot give or sell it to another student.”

With the red flag, I had no idea precisely what would happen each day in class. In one situation, a student used her red flag to state, “Professor Collins, I think you are doing a particularly ineffective job of running class today. You are leading too much with your questions and stifling our independent thinking. Let us think for ourselves.” The red flag confronted me with the brutal fact that my own questioning style stood in the way of people’s learning. A student survey at the end of the quarter would have given me that same information. But the red flag—real time, in front of everyone in the classroom—turned information about the shortcomings of the class into information that I absolutely could not ignore.

______________

The red flag is your reality check; your tactic for keeping everyone on task and accountable for their actions, while delivering a sense of control to each member of the group.  They key is everyone receives just 1, there-by establishing value and creating a culture of self moderation.  If you use your flag, it best be for something of great concern to you, the team, or your leader/boss/partner etc...

If you match all three, you have no doubt identified your subject.

________________

So, each of you today has been given by me, one hypothetical red flag. 

You can use it for anything you like. 

You only get 1. 

Will you call out someone in the office who has failed to make a decision?
Alternate strategy for a product?
Reject a proposal that may harm long term growth?

__________________

The red flag is just a tool.  The intention for it's use is what's important. 

__________________

Incorporating a similar instrument or doctrine into your business will ensure you're vetting facts and confronting the most compelling and important aspects of the firm.  The use of an actual tool can be helpful, but the spirit and EXPECTATION that everyone is required to hold each other accountable can help you get things done.

Inject this, after you have the right people (right Jim?), and you may see dramatic results.

 If you have the stomach for it.
__________________

What are you going to use your flag for?

Leverage. CC and Bonobos have it. Do you?

Many of you might not be aware that this off-season one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball is free to sign with whichever team he chooses.  That pitcher is the hard throwing lefty, CC Sabathia, a Cy Young winner with Cleveland in 07 and a THE reason the Brewers made the playoffs this year after a mid season trade sent him to Milwaukee. 

He is arguably the best pitcher in the game, in his prime, and has been relatively injury free his whole career.  He is a commodity like no other in baseball, and given the other available free agents, he is without peer. 

Almost 3 weeks ago now, the NY Yankees made an offer of employment to CC for 6 seasons.  Reported salary....$140 million dollars!

Has he accepted?  No.

Why not???

CC has lev-er-age. (no, not the Finnish band)

Certainly this is a by product of his skill, but it has as much to do with the rarity of this skill, the rules of MLB free agency, and the presence of a team from NY with more money then many countries.

He is one of the best at what he does, can choose to go where he wishes, and knows that every team on earth could benefit from his talents. 

What a great place to be! 

__________

Leverage is defined by the Random House dictionary as; noun- "power or ability to act or to influence people, events, decisions, etc.; sway". 

Having leverage is a good, in fact, GREAT, thing when used appropriately. 

Unfortunately, the verb usage of the word, "to exert power or influence on" is what often comes to mind, denoting a devious act. 

While many have leveraged their position for less then righteous reasons, being in a place where one can call the shots is a nice luxury to have.

__________

Here's an example of how a business can leverage an asset that they create.

Bonobos is a menswear company focused on a singular thing: Making pants that fit great, and look good.  They've built an attractive brand personality and have a fine product.  However, this is not expressly unique to Bonobos.  What is, is their creation story, which they are leveraging to shape their spirit and market strategy. 

Founded by Andy Dunn and Brian Spaly, Brian conceived the product after a dissatisfaction with the ill fitting pants he'd find in a typical menswear store.  His frustrations came to a head, leading him to buy his own fabric and sew up a pair of trousers that actually fit.  Sharing this creation with Andy and some of their friends, they realized they were on to something, so decided to give it a go, formalizing the company and brand in 07. 

Since they both also shared a distaste for the mall shopping experience, they decided to launch the business strictly online. 
(Added features like free shipping and returns account for the current "try before you buy" mentality in clothes shopping).

What they have effectively done is taken something that is their personal story and build a business on the fact that most men would agree with them.  They are connecting with their consumer by leveraging this insight and innovation, and carving out a nice share of the marketplace because of it ! 

________

It might seem obvious, but it's done less often than you would expect.

Anyone know the story of Polo off the top of your head?  How about Blackberry or Rolex?  Definitely successful brands, but they haven't leveraged their creation story, instead relying on product benefits and marketing to maintain their position.

How many more of you can tell me how Nike and Gatorade began; companies, who (like Bonobos) have utilized their genesis to convey a mission and connect with their consumer.
________

Consider what you or your company have for leverage. 

Are you utilizing it to it's fullest potential?