Archive for December, 2006
Wikipedia: Brand
Posted by: | CommentsI thought I would post the meaning of “brand” from Wikipedia just for future reference and later discussions.
A brand is a collection of images and ideas representing an economic producer; more specifically, it refers to the concrete symbols such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the accumulation of experiences with the specific product or service, both directly relating to its use, and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary. A brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to a company, product or service. A brand serves to create associations and expectations among products made by a producer. A brand often includes an explicit logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols, sound which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality.
The brand, and “branding” and brand equity have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as “cultural accessories and personal philosophies”.
Stupid Marketing!
Posted by: | CommentsI just received a “Christmas card” in the mail from someone in Chicago, Illinois. It was hand addressed (a great tool in direct mail by the way) and as I opened it I kept trying to remember who I knew from that state. After I pulled out the card I noticed it was an advertisement from a car dealership in Oklahoma! Now I am not against direct mail or advertising but I will share a couple of thoughts:
- If you are going to send a Christmas card (or special event card) than let it be just that! I would have been impressed if I received a card that just said “Merry Christmas from The Joneses.” It’s more meaningful to send something authentic and not a cheap advertisement for something like this.
- Make sure you know who you’re sending to. Update your list people! This dealership was in a small town in which we lived and were members of our church. We needed a car and decided to buy from “family”. Well, they sold us a lemon and a warranty program that was bogus – they knew this and admitted it! Do you think we are going to go buy from them?
- Mail it directly from you. I understand that some companies hire an outside marketing firm to do their work, but how simple would it have been to produce a label from the dealership as opposed to a generic label from another state? If you have to make it look like it’s coming from someone else for it to be read, maybe you shouldn’t be sending it. Plus, why not brand your own name?
I don’t like stupid marketing and bet you don’t either. I recommend really thinking out what your are doing and determine if it is the best way/method/tool for it’s purpose. It will serve you well.
Blogging Tip: Backup Your Blog
Posted by: | CommentsMicah’s recent near disaster with almost losing his blog database reminds me of a great blogging tip: Backup your blog!
Here’s how with WordPress: Get the WordPress Database Backup plugin. This neat, handy plugin will email you a file of your database. I do this about once a month, but probably need to do it more often, especially considering I’m up to over 350 posts.
Here’s how with Blogger: The easiest way I know to do this is to have your posts emailed to you. This is how I backed up CCP before I switched to WordPress. To do this, in your Blogger Dashboard, click on “Settings,” then “Email,” and fill out the “BlogSend Address.” This won’t bundle everything like the WordPress plugin … but it does give you a record of each post.
Blogging Tip: How NOT To Email a Fellow Blogger
Posted by: | CommentsThis is probably personal preference (and I don’t care) … but one of the things I loathe is getting publicity emails from other bloggers those that are merely CC’s or worse BCC’s to a whole swath of bloggers.
Don’t misunderstand me … I like getting emails from other bloggers and promoting the work of others. But for me … the kind of emails I mentioned earlier get dangerously close to being SPAM.
If you want to announce something to me, do it personally — email by email, blogger by blogger.
