Tuesday, July 26, 2005

"Brand" new day?

As I've confessed before, I'm pretty fascinated by the whole concept of branding, trends and why people like what they like. Creating a successful brand, and doing it well, takes a whole hell of a lot of thought, time, effort money and luck (hello, Jet Blue!).

I recently came across this great article from Entrepreneur that follows the ever present debate on whether to brand, or not to brand. I also think its interesting to consider that some industries allow much more room for branding than others. Sure, everyone has heard of hallmark, but if you find yourself buying a cute box of purple polka-dotted notecards at the gift shop, you probably only remember that they are purple...and polka-dotted, and not the name of the company that produced them. But if I ask you to tell me what kind of sneakers you are wearing, I'm sure you could immediately give me an answer. And likely recall some recent ads of theirs you've seen in a magazine, a commercial that aired on TV or a favorite celebrity that you know that likes to wear those brand of shoes too. It's interesting to think about the images and associations that certain brands evoke, just by hearing their names. I *am* a bit of a brand "groupie," so here are a few of my faves: Apple, Tivo, Jet Blue, Puma and Google

No comments: