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Changing a Name Brand. A name brand you recognize decides to change their name. The world is shocked, right? Dunkin’ Donuts goes to just Dunkin’. Weight Watchers goes to just ‘WW.’ Kentucky Fried Chicken is just ‘KFC.’ Well, annoyances aside, changing a company name can be a smart move, if aligned with the brand strategy. Changing a name brand in a vacuum is never a good idea, and the result will be a piecemeal company with glaring inconsistencies.   Real World Examples. Take the above example. Dunkin’ Donuts changing their name just to Dunkin’. When this move happened, I saw numerous comments on the internet about how stupid this was. How this would be regarded as one of the biggest branding blunders in history. [tweetshare tweet="Changing

You know the feeling. You’ve just left another meeting where there’s a half-hearted agreement about a course of action that, much like those before it, will either never come to fruition or if it does, it will simply fail. It doesn’t matter what, really. A marketing campaign, a client retention effort, or a new way to build morale. Deep down, everyone knows that it won’t work, but it’s better than doing nothing at all. When Groundhog Day happens every day, you have a problem and we are willing to wager the problem lies with your brand strategy. After all, the brand strategy has one goal: nurture and protect the relationships you have with those most important to your success. Namely,

On our own website, we state that no logo can exist in a vacuum. To create a new logo, without any clear marketing or differentiated branding strategy behind it would, as we say, require magic. Meredith Verdone, Chief Marketing Officer at Bank of America, seems to understand this well. She says that Bank of America’s recent logo and brand strategy are going together hand-in-hand. The new campaign’s focus? “What would you like the power to do?” [tweetshare tweet="To create a new logo, without any clear marketing or differentiated branding strategy behind it would, as we say, require magic. " username="SB_Branding"] By focusing on the fact that their new campaign is empowering the consumer, they are thus making their consumer base care about their

New video capabilities were one of the major CES themes. AI and robotics was, of course, the other. Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay—and—it’s much further along than most people realize. From bots to robotics, AI will quickly take over soul-crushing and back-breaking work. As that work shifts, so too will our relationship with our customers and employees. Brands will have to stay ahead of those changes to ensure they stay relevant and competitively differentiated.

All businesses, particularly small ones, need to work as efficiently as possible, which is why tech for agencies is an important subject for me. It doesn’t hurt that I love technology: gadgets, software, AI (artificial intelligence). It brings out the inner geek that’s not so inner. Here’s what we use at Spencer Brenneman to deliver branding services as efficiently and effectively as possible. >>> G Suite as the foundation First, we use Google G Suite as the foundation of our communications and data storage. “Growing up” professionally, I was chained to Microsoft Office as most are and were to this day, I still don’t understand why one would choose to live that way. For me, using Office was like working after eating a

Winter. Love it, hate it, tolerate it, the season brings out a lot of emotions in people. If you’re lucky enough to live in Southern California, then you have a bit of a different definition of what winter is compared to those of us who live in New England.   Winter up here can be cold, snowy, and emotionally draining for many people. The most important thing on people’s minds during the season: staying warm.   Now, this may not seem like an opportunity to retune your brand strategy. Why would you bother getting people to care about your brand when they’re busy caring about staying warm?   Well, winter can actually be the perfect time of year to engage your consumer base

What are your new year’s resolutions for your brand? Sure, as we start another trip around that big yellow dot in the sky, you may be thinking about breaking up with Netflix, actually going to the gym and not just paying for it, or trying that meditation thing everyone’s talking about.   Those are all great and best of luck! But given how important your brand is to your business and career, doesn’t it deserve some resolutions of its own? Here are some suggestions. [tweetshare tweet="Given how important your brand is to your business and career, doesn’t it deserve some resolutions of its own?" username="SB_Branding"] I resolve to drive consistency. Inasmuch as inconsistency is enemy #1 of a strong brand, resolving to

‘Tis the season… when some 2 billion holiday cards and 500 million e-cards create a blizzard of good wishes. We’ve all received ones that wowed us (and others that made us cringe). So how do you make sure yours stands out and makes the right impression for your brand? Here are a few tips. 1. Ask yourself why you are sending the card. Start by asking why are you sending this card in the first place? Send a holiday card to clients/customers, contacts you hope to work in the future, people that you talk to regularly, and people that help your business' work (like lawyers and accountants). Thank your customers. But don’t “ask”. This isn’t the vehicle for a year-end sales pitch. And

Using our hearing sense, sonic branding builds a relationship between the product and its target market and helps companies communicate more genuinely.   The concept of connecting to customers with sound isn’t new. The first jingle was created sometime around 1926 when the concept of radio emerged as an entertainment medium for the masses.   But in the 50s, television invaded households, sending audio and video signals at the same time. As a result, most companies started focusing on text, visuals, and video, using sight as the main sense in their advertising communication campaigns. Surprisingly, they had forgotten to embrace the power of audio and have since neglected sound as an integral part of an experience. [tweetshare tweet="Sonic branding builds a relationship between the product

A Buzz Brewery Here in Boston, we have a lot of great beer options. Most obviously, the big name ones like Sam Adams and Harpoon; however, there are a number of smaller outfits as well. One brewery in particular that has garnered a lot of buzz over the years is Trillium Brewing in the Seaport neighborhood. Founded by JC & Esther Tetreault in 2013, Trillium’s focus has been on cranking out hazy and juicy New England IPAs, sours, stouts, and more to be enjoyed and shared by many. [tweetshare tweet="A strong brand rests upon happy employees, and Trillium learned this lesson the hard way. " username="SB_Branding"] Growing Pains Known for genuinely incredible beer, Trillium has enjoyed quite a lot of good press over the