Entertainment Branding

In today’s digital age, the world of entertainment branding is constantly changing and new media outlets are always being explored. This week The Brand Show takes a look at how different companies are adjusting to the demand of an ever-changing market, and what marketing and digital strategies they are choosing to employ. What ways have you seen companies adjust to changing market demands?

ESPN’s Vice President of Sports Marketing, Aaron Taylor, was our guest this week. Taylor mentions new media platforms his company is exploring and where he believes the entertainment market is heading. He even discusses some missteps ESPN has made along the way.

We also talk about how networks are making more and more deals with companies to market shows around specific products. Do you think this is effective with consumers? Listen while we discuss major networks’ strategies for new forms of entertainment branding.

Be sure and listen to Taylor discuss how ESPN manages and tailors content in a relevant way to its consumers.

Brand Faux Pas

All brands face challenges in their efforts towards brand sustainability. Two West decided to examine past mistakes companies and brands have made in their goal of brand sustainability, and what exactly encompasses a “brand faux pas.” We discussed that faux pas are all about the decisions a brand makes. How would you define a brand faux pas?

Listen to the show while we discuss certain automobile, airline and beverage industry faux pas. We specifically discuss the airline industry’s current a la carte pricing and cost-cutting measures that infuriates customers. Take a look at a recent Southwest Airlines commercial that depicts that very situation, where a man is forced to insert a gold coin for every little thing he needs to do on the plane (recline his seat, lower his try table, etc.). Click on the commercial labeled “Coins.”

Also be sure to catch our guest, Wes Brown, Vice President of Iceology, a consumer research and consulting firm based in L.A. that explores the customer relationship and interaction with markets, brands and products. Brown comments on how consumers relate to different brands, and what companies can do to try and prevent mistakes with their brands. Do you think certain industries are more prone to brand faux pas?

As always, there were many discussion topics we didn’t get to on the show this week. We had hoped to discuss the challenges Euro Disney faced, and how Disney made the mistake of translating its American brand policies and theme park model to Europe, not mindful of certain cultural differences. Check out these pictures of Disneylands around the world – Japan, France and the United States. The same model was used in all three countries.

Euro Disney:



Disney Japan:



Disney World in the United States:

Financial Services Branding

Financial Services Branding is not only a profitable business these days, but a necessity. According to Vanguard CEO John J. Brennan, “Investing is the only way for most of us to meet significant expenses.” The problem is most consumers don’t understand this, or the financial services industry in general. Two West examined how money is an emotional factor for people and that should play a part in financial institutions branding themselves and are they doing it in an open and easy-to-understand way.

Check out the podcast to listen to our interview with Jean Hughes, VP of Marketing and Employee Development at CommunityAmerica Credit Union. Hughes discusses how CommunityAmerica markets itself differently from other financial institutions. Let us know what you think of the company’s strategies. Hughes also remarks on the different ways CommunityAmerica works to engage customers, especially those who are wary of financial services.

Take a look at some of the commercials we mentioned during the show. Do you think these financial companies are marketing effectively to consumers?

Charles Schwab commercial

ING Direct commercial

E*Trade commercial

Brands Going Green

With nearly every industry and company out there “going green” Two West decided to take a look at consumer reactions and the socially responsible efforts of different industries. Check out the podcast to listen to our interview with Mary Gorman, associate provost of Dartmouth University. Gorman discusses Dartmouth’s sustainability efforts and how they encourage students to “go green.”

There was a lot that we didn’t get to with this show. Check out “Man on the Street” interviews we conducted. Listen to real people discuss the greening trend and their own efforts towards sustainability.

In addition there were several surveys we weren’t able to discuss on the show. Let us know what you think of them. Do you agree with them? Do these brands ring true to being green in your opinion?

A 2007 ImagePower Green Brands Survey, conducted by WPP’s Landor Associates, Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates and Cohn & Wolfe survey categorized the top 10 green brands:

1. Whole Foods
2. Wild Oats
3. Trader Joe’s
4. Toyota
5. Honda
6. Sub Zero
7. Ikea
8. Body Shop
9. GE
10. Aveda
    

The top 10 green brands in the UK according to a a survey of 1,000 UK marketing pros from Marketing Week and Yougov are:

1. M&S
2. The Body Shop
3. Innocent
4. Co-OP
5. ECover
6. Honda
7. Waitrose
8. Tesco
9. BP
10. Greenpeace
    

The bottom 10 are:

1. Shell
2. Exxon/Esso
3. McDonald’s
4. BP
5. BA
6. Ryannir
7. BAA
8. Coke
9. E.ON
10. British Gas

UPDATE 6/17/2008

Our friends at ImagePower® Landor did a recent Green Brands Survey for 2008, and we wanted to share that information as an update to our 2007 statistics from them. Their survey indicates energy and economic issues take precedence over the environment during challenging times. Consumers in their survey identified the top ten greenest brands in their eyes.

U.S.

1. Whole Foods
2. Burt’s Bees
3. Trader Joe’s
4. Tom’s of Maine
5. Toyota
6. Seventh Generation
7. Honda and GE (tied)
8. Whirlpool
9. Aveda
10. Method
    

U.K.

1. Body Shop
2. Marks & Spencer
3. Waitrose
4. Tesco, Sainsbury’s (tied)
5. Asda
6. Dove and Google (tied)
7. Co-Operative Bank
8. E.ON
9. Morrisons
10. Nivea and Toyota (tied)
    

Similar to the 2007 Landor ImagePower® findings, US consumers believe body care and grocery to be the “greenest” product categories, while travel and energy remain at the bottom of the list. One of the most significant differences between the 2008 and 2007 findings is the shift in thinking about the most pressing environmental concerns. In 2007, most consumers were concerned about global warming, and this year’s survey shows that energy and resource issues have increased in importance. What do you think about the trends in “green brands?” What do you think consumers are most concerned about?

Luxury Brands

Hailed one of The Brand Show’s best hour of radio in months (at least by our in-studio producer). What defines “luxury”? In America it is all relative and traditional luxury brands are slipping into a new arena of status brands by servicing their products to anyone who has the cash. True luxury brands are slipping in numbers as they “sell out” to the masses. Today we debate: what is luxury? We also critique the top ten luxury brands of 2008 and praise one of the world’s greatest luxury automobile brands: Rolls-Royce.

Man, what a great example to have had today...talk about brand considering all the elements of a luxury brand, down to where it’s manufactured and spending more on wages to assure it’s “Made in Germany.”

Healthcare Branding

The crew from the transformation design firm, Two West, took at look health care branding. While we’ve covered health care branding a couple of times, we know that this industry is facing a much different landscape. The Brand Show focused on the new face of health care – clinics in airports, wellness centers and health care customer service.

Sarah Manning and Andy Rich of Palmer Health came on the show to share their new ideas about what health facilities could be and how they are breaking into the Kansas City market. Check out the podcast to listen to the interview in its entirety.

In our Brand Rant, Two West spoke about how the Lenexa, Kansas-based Flagler Productions was not re-hired for Wal-Mart’s internal video needs. They have responded with airing Wal-Mart’s “dirty laundry” by posting these videos for sale. Here’s an NBC news clip showing some of the videos. Lou Lou on The Brand Show doesn’t seem to think that this will hurt their brand. What do you think?

Branding Around a Vice

The crew from the transformation design firm, Two West, took at look at branding around a vice this week. We know that there are brands that are synonymous with a vice – alcohol, tobacco and gambling, to name a few. Advertisers and their agencies are required to make many difficult moral choices and its not always easy to make these decisions.

Gary Gonder of the Missouri Lottery was on the show discussing some of those tough decisions they have to make with responsible gaming messages and how the government affects their advertising budgets.

There was a lot that we didn’t get to with this show. While most NASCAR fans are accustomed to seeing driver Jamie McMurray in the cockpit of a fully loaded Ford Fusion, a new television campaign being launched by Crown Royal puts McMurray behind the wheel of a taxicab. The program is to reinforce the importance of getting home safe after drinking. The campaign’s funny, but will consumers listen to the message? Let us know what you think.



In the Brand Rant Two West discussed Disneyland’s decision to replace anonymous children’s faces with Disney characters in The Small World ride. Here’s the Web site that has been established to try to keep the iconic look and feel of the ride, http://www.savethesmallworld.com. Should the ride change or stay the same? Let us know what you think.

In the Brand Spotlight we spoke about Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection’s “We” campaign. Check out the commercial or go to www.wecansolveit.org and check out their site. Let us know what you think.

Faith-Based Branding

The crew from Two West found this week’s topic very interesting. We took a look at how faith-based entertainment is marketing themselves and how places of worship are becoming marketing-savvy with blogs, videos and the Internet.

We spoke with Pastor Adam Hamilton from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. They are utilizing blogs, videos, e-mail newsletters and much more to engage their members and potential members. Check out their Web site, www.cor.org.

Here’s one of Pator Hamilton’s videos from You Tube to promote and upcoming series.



Check out this video of the remake on Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” with a Christian version of “Baby Got Book.”



We also updated listeners on Pedigree’s “Dogs Rule” adoption campaign and how that equates to big business because consumers have become loyal to the brand. Pedigree has updated Echo’s story – one of the dogs that was up for adoption. The spot is endearing and shows how they are bringing awareness to dogs being adopted. Check it out and let us know what you think.



All dogs that they featured in the spots have been adopted and they have been able to raise $750,000 for the non-profit foundation that has been established by Pedigree.

Political Branding

With the presidential races heating up, Two West decided to delve into the world of political branding. Check out the podcast to listen to our interview with Joe Erwin, president and co-founder of Erwin-Penland and former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Joe discusses how politicians are building a brand and how “user generated” politics is playing a part in this brand.

In the Brand Spotlight, Two West celebrated television commercials that won Effies. Here are the links to those videos. Check them out and let us know what you think.

• Vaseline’s “Keeping Skin Amazing”
• Dove’s “Pro-Age”

There was a lot that we didn’t get to with this show. We briefly touched on an article that was in Ad Week discussing how media contributes to political campaigns in hopes that their candidate will win and remember them when legislation comes around that can help or hinder them. Check out the top companies within different mediums that have contributed to campaigns this year:

Top contributors among Book/magazine/newspaper publishers include:
News Corp. - $113,350
Reed Elsevier - $66,850
Paisano Publications - $54,300
Provincetown Banner - $43,350
Newsweb Corp. - $43,000

Top Internet/Computer Contributors include:
Microsoft Corp. - $741,751
Cisco Systems - $523,943
Google, Inc. - $283,328
Hewlett Packard - $239,328
EDS Corp. - $195,085

Top TV/Radio Contributors include:
National Association of Broadcasters - $317,915
Clear Channel Communications - $299,150
Chartwell Partners - $134,600

Top Cable and Satellite TV Contributors include:
Comcast - $1 million
National Cable & Telecommunications Association - $486,873
Cablevision Systems Corp. - $228,363
Echostar Communications - $205,118
Time Warner Cable - $192,735

Two West also touched on a politician, Steve Novick, which is using differentiation to his advantage for his Senate race in Oregon. We love these spots and if he were running for Senate in our state, we’d vote for him. He even has his own lager now. How can you not love that? Check out the logo, the lager and spots and let us know what you think.

Animal Branding Pt. 2

Because there is so much going on in the world of animal branding, the crew from Two West decided to have a second show on the topic. Check out the show to listen to Lynn Parman on from the KC Animal Health Corridor. Her job is to recruit animal health companies to Kansas City.

So we know that Americans are becoming fat, we are making our children fat and now we are making our pets fat. So, Hills has teamed up with the American Veterinary Medical Association to bring awareness to how fat you are making your pet. Check out this video.

We love the “Dogs Rule” campaign by Pedigree that was crated by Chiat Day. We spoke about how they developed this campaign and some of the newest elements of this campaign with their Times Square store. Check out their print ad and let us know what you think.

Animal Branding Pt. 1

According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 63% of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 71.1 million homes. It is estimated that households spent $40.8 billion dollars on food, vet care, supplies and services. That means big business for brands in this category.

Two West took a look at some different brands and what they are doing to brand themselves in that category. One of the brands that we looked at is PetsHotels, a sub-brand of PetSmart. This was voted one of the best brand extensions by BrandWeek. Check out their television commercial.

We discussed some of the products for animals. Check out this sequined top and nail polish from Juicy Crittoure for your pampered pup.

Best & Worst of 2007 & 2008

Two West commended Old Navy for their makeover in the Brand Spotlight. Check out their new logo and look. Let us know what you think.



Every year Landor Associates publishes their Newsmaker Brands Survey. This survey examines Americans’ perceptions of high-profile brands that made headlines in 2007 and are expected to make headlines in 2008.

On the Brand Show, Two West was excited to have Landor as a guest on the show once again to discuss the winning and losing brands of 2007 and their predicted winning and losing brands of 2008. Russ Meyer, Landor’s Chief Strategy Officer, explained how Americans continue their obsession with online brands and the indications of an upcoming recession have consumers searching for brands that will help them stretch their dollar.

Here’s the top 5 predicted winners & losers of 2008 according to Landor. Let us know if you agree with this list.

Winners
Google
Amazon
Wal-Mart
eBay
Target

Losers
United Airlines
Delta Airlines
Blockbuster
Countrywide
Gap

Restaurant Brands

On the Brand Show this week, the Two West crew took a look at restaurant brands. A restaurant brand is a lot of different things, but above all the brand should be about food and customer service. We take a look at different examples of how restaurants do a good and not so good job of this such as, Red Robin, Planet Hollywood and Applebee’s. Believe me, there is a lot going on. So much so, we didn’t even get to all of our topics.

In our Brand Rant, we spoke about Equinox Fitness. They’ve chosen Fallon as their agency of record and their new campaign is getting all kinds of buzz. But is it all positive? Check out these ads and you be the judge. Would you know that this is an ad for a gym?























Jen Gulvik, director of marketing for Houlihan’s came on the show to discuss the payoff of re-branding themselves five years ago. Jen also gave us a teaser for their new promotion coming up in partnership with Skyy Vodka and the new Sex and the City movie. Check out the podcast to hear the interview in its entirety.

We touched on a little bit Applebee’s new branding campaign. They have changed everything – from their logo, uniforms, restaurant motif and of course, a new advertising campaign. Can all of this turn the Applebee’s brand around? We think it’s going to take more than comedian Wanda Sykes, who plays the voice of the talking apple, to bring their brand back to cool. Check out the article to find out more of what they are doing.

See Article


Something that we didn’t get to on the show, but thought it was worth mentioning was that O’Charley’s is coming out with a new branding campaign. They needed a way to stand out from a competitive field of casual dining. They did some research and you know what they found out? Customer’s love the roll experience! It’s like we always say at Two West, you need to get to the heart of what customers think about your brand through some in-depth research. That’s what they have decided to focus their campaign on. Check out the link to the article and see their new spot.

See Article

Active Lifestyle Branding

The crew from Two West explored the world of brands that are engaged with active lifestyles. These consumers are very loyal and emotionally attached to these brands for the lifestyle and values they represent. Check out the podcast as we delve into whom these consumers are and what brands are doing to keep them loyal.

If you listened to the show, you heard about our Brand Rant with Barbie. We addressed the Barbie Collectors Series and how these dolls are dressed very risqué and even marketed as such. Here are some pictures from the Barbie Collectors Web site that we found. Are these dolls appropriate for the Barbie brand? Post a comment and let us know what you think?
















Marty Ellery and Dawn Finnegan from Hanson Dodge, a Milwaukee-based active lifestyle agency, were guests on the show. They shared details about their new Active Insights Program. Check out more insights about the program that they posted on our blog.

So there were a couple of articles we didn’t get to on the show because there was so much to talk about! Here is an article about North Face and their new in-store kiosks that they have installed in their stores. It’s a great way to showcase all of their items that they couldn’t sell in their store and it even has the ability to purchase items from the kiosk.

North Face Kiosks

Another article we didn’t get to, but mentioned in the show is that REI has just completed a green prototype store in Boulder, Colorado. It’s amazing some of the things that they did with this store. REI has reduced energy consumption by 20% and water consumption by 30% against industry standards. Check out the article and here are some pictures of the store.














REI 'Eco-Sensitive' Store

Holiday Promotions

Slower than usual sales are expected this holiday season, forcing many retailers to offer additional discounts and promotions in their stores to help increase sales in the final days of the holiday shopping season. Companies like Gap however, are electing not to markdown items, and instead relying on its product and giveaways to boost sales. Thanks to companies like PayPal and Google Checkout, customers can save money on shipping through partnerships with online merchants. Today we will look at the latest promotions that companies are using to increase their holiday sales figures.

This week’s Brand Rant discusses how Ice Breakers newest product, Pacs, resembles packaging for heroin and cocaine. And in the Brand Spotlight, we look into how Home Depot is getting into social media by giving away a chance for customers to win $25,000 by submitting videos on why they want a home makeover.

Advertising to Children

The holiday season is in full swing, so the Brand Show takes a look at how marketers try to position themselves in front of children. Also, we look into what will be the hot toy this holiday season. Marketers have come under fire in recent years for their aggressive marketing towards children. Some claim that marketers targeting children for fast food restaurants have led to the growing obesity crisis in the United States. Countries in Europe have attempted to halt advertising to children through strict regulations in hopes of calming the obesity crisis among children. On this episode, we will look at different tactics advertisers are taking to reach children and the delicate line they often walk.

This week’s Brand Rant looks into how Facebook’s latest application has its users upset. And in the Brand Spotlight, we look into how Apple is receiving competition from an interesting place for digital music, Pepsi. Andre Lawless, Director of Marketing for Hidden City Games, joins us to discuss the launch of a trading card game, marketed to girl’s aged 6 – 12.

Facebook is feeling the heat from its users after launching an application that its users feel is intrusive.


Pepsi is looking to challenge Apple for digital music via a song giveaway.


Bella Sara is the latest trading card game, except this game is not being marketed to teenage boys, instead it is being marketed to girls aged 6 -12.


McDonald’s is getting into the homes of children by marketing on report cards.


Wal-Mart offered discounts on toys in October in hopes of starting the holiday shopping season early.


A new study has found that food is the top product seen advertised to children.


The Army’s latest campaign has it marketing itself to parents of potential soldiers.


RJ Reynolds is under fire for an advertisement in Rolling Stone that uses cartoons, worrying people that the ad was targeted towards children.

Branding Loneliness

With millions of Americans looking to the Web for love, this week’s Brand Show looks into how online dating sites are trying to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Match.com and eHarmony.com have traditional marketing models, however, sites like SugarDaddie.com market themselves through public relations. Sites like SugarDaddie.com, which attempt to pair good looking women with financially successful men, are becoming even more popular and in turn targeting a different type of online dater. On this episode, we will look at how online dating has grown and how it has become more socially acceptable since its inception in the mid 1990s.

This week’s Brand Rant discusses how retail stores like Target and Toys “R” Us continue to advertise a recalled toy despite the toy being recalled nearly a month ago. And in the Brand Spotlight, we look into how Subway, the nations largest fast food restaurant, is attempting to be green by using 100 percent recycled products. Dr. Steve Pasternack, the owner and creator of SugarDaddie.com joins us to discuss his online dating site. Also, Brandon Wade, founder and CEO of SeekingArrangement.com discusses how his site has grown to have more than 100,000 users in just a year.

The toy “Aqua Dots,” which was recalled weeks ago, is still showing up in advertisements for popular stores.


Subway has become the first fast food restaurant in the United States to go green by offering recycled napkins, cups and cutlery.


Online dating sites that market themselves to beautiful women seeking rich men are becoming more and more popular.


Visit the web sites of our two guests at www.sugardaddie.com and www.seekingarrangement.com

A new program allows online daters to search for dates that look familiar to celebrities.

Online dating has become vastly more popular and more socially accepted since it was introduced in the mid 1990s.

Ethnography for Your Brand

On the day before Thanksgiving, the Brand Show looks into the latest buzzword in marketing, ethnography. Ethnography is the study of culture and people. Ethnographers are studying people in their daily lives and gaining better insight than focus groups and in-depth interviews. Previously ethnographers were primarily used in the academia sector. Now, advertising agencies and companies are hiring them to learn more about their brand. Today, we will look into the growing use of ethnographers in marketing.

This week’s Brand Rant discusses how Wal-Mart’s latest price claim of saving the American family $2,500 might actually be false. Consumers do not actually have so shop at Wal-Mart to get the savings. Only the existence of Wal-Mart saves consumers money. And in the Brand Spotlight, we look into how the NBA’s New Jersey Nets are trying to benefit from the Broadway strike in New York City. Dr. Don Stull, a professor of anthropology at the University of Kansas, joins us to discuss ethnography.


Wal-Mart’s price claim of saving American’s families $2,500 a year may be a little deceptive.

The NBA’s New Jersey Nets are hoping to attract a new type of fan as they offer ticket discounts to those who are unable to see a Broadway play because of the Broadway strike.


Ethnography is starting to replace focus groups and in-depth interviews as the best way to learn about consumers.


Eight O’Clock Coffee studied groups of coffee drinkers in different cities, hoping to find out more about its target consumer.


Procter and Gamble have used ethnography to determine how American families plan parties.


Market researchers are using ethnography to determine what people do rather than what they say.

Ad agencies are increasingly hiring ethnographers to follow people in their natural settings like in their homes or in a bar.



Marketers are looking into the science of ethnography to better grasp who their consumers are.

Collegiate Branding

With the college football season in full swing, we look into how colleges are branded. Beginning in the mid 1990s, state colleges realized the need to brand themselves because of declining state funding. Now, colleges are using blogs, the internet and social media to appeal to potential students. Also, colleges across the country are realizing the importance of their names. Many are changing their names in hopes to appeal to a broader number of potential students. In the last 10 years, five schools in the state of Missouri have changed their names.

The first of two Brand Rant’s discusses how Corona is hoping that country music fans will start to think of them for a cold beer thanks to a new partnership with country music star Kenny Chesney. And in our second Brand Rant, we look into how Southwest is trying to appeal to business travelers, hoping that they will pay for the highest priced flights in exchange for a cocktail and an “A” boarding pass. Paul Kincaid from Missouri State University joins us to discuss its name change and how it increased enrolment. Also, Christopher Simpson from SimpsonScarborough, a collegiate marketing firm talks to us about other tactics colleges are taking to appeal to potential students.

Corona looks to Kenny Chesney to appeal to the country music market.

Southwest is increasing its highest priced fares in hopes of offering incentives to business travelers.

Many universities are changing their names in hopes of becoming more appealing to potential students.

Rural colleges are using new tactics to attract students from cities.

The Science of Branding

New technology is being used to determine what is successful and what is not successful in advertising. A new practice, known as neuro-marketing, measures the brainwaves of individuals while they watch or look at ads. Advertisers are paying thousands and thousands of dollars to use this technology, in hopes of gaining insight about their consumers. While some claim that this is the future of studying brands, others claim that this is not conclusive and even an invasion of privacy. On this episode, we look into neuro-marketing and other strategies that marketers are taking to study their consumers.

This week’s Brand Rant discusses how NBC is considering a new show where two advertisers would be involved weekly in the show. The show would follow a fictional advertising agency as they go after two real advertising accounts. And in the Brand Spotlight, we look into how Holiday Inn is spending $1 billion dollars to remodel its hotels and improve its image. Dr. Paul Bolls, co-director of the PRIME Lab at the University of Missouri - Columbia, joins us to discuss new technology that marketers are using to learn more about their consumers.

NBC is considering a new program where two advertisers would be showcased in the script each week.

Holiday Inn is remodeling all of its hotels and getting a new logo.

Neuro-marketing, where advertisers look at brain waves of consumers to determine whether an advertisement is effective or not, is being used more and more by marketers.

Drug makers are constantly trying to find the perfect name for a drug that will appeal to consumers and not cause medical problems.

Adding a nine to the end of a price can have an effect on the decision of the consumer.

Read how Wal-Mart uses a pricing strategy that creates a psychological feeling for shoppers.