Brand America
June 30th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
With the 4th of July right around the corner, I thought this post would be a great opportunity to take a look at one of the world’s largest brands (and place brands)—America. Brand America is so unique. Think about all of the entities it represents, as well as all of the people who are stakeholders. This brand secures our status in the world and also shapes what many people around us think about our country as well as about us as Americans. Think of all of the things that come to mind when you think of America, and then you will really be able to grasp the complexity and sheer size of this brand. Recently Simon Anholt and Jeremy Hildreth wrote a book called Brand America: The Mother of All Brands. And it’s true, from my perspective as well, that America is the biggest brand I can think of—but of course, this means that Brand America also has the most to lose.
Anholt and Hildreth argue that Brand America is broken, and that in order to fix it we need to take a look at what America stands for now and then align our principals with our practices. I agree that brand America is broken—I mean look at the way that people from all over the world are reacting to us, and some of the decisions that we make. I also think that aligning our practices with our principals is a must, for everyone involved. But I think that the problem with Brand America is that while it is broken, it is still a powerhouse. And that is hard to swallow, because until it is completely broken I don’t see that it is going to get fixed.
But fear not, readers. All hope is not lost. America is still a powerhouse, and a brand force to be reckoned with. While there may be issues with our brand that need to be addressed, overall it is still a functioning and prominent force. If you have any interest in Brand America, check out the book here. I think it will be a great read–currently on the list to recieve it. Once I polish it off, I will let you know my thoughts.
Brand Audience: Bored or floored?
June 20th, 2010 § 2 Comments
The other day I posted about how important stakeholders are in the place branding process. Now chances are, if you found my blog, you already know the huge role that audience plays in any branding or communication effort. But here’s the thing, in branding the audience is so essential that they are the brand. If your audience doesn’t buy your brand, then they wont live it. And if they won’t live it, other people won’t catch wind of it. And if it isn’t being lived or spread, it’s dead.
This is troubling to some people– especially people who have dedicated their time (or even lives) to brands that have failed– because your audience is not always apparent. You may not know who they are, what they look like or what they want, and that makes failing very easy. If your audience doesn’t like your brand, it could mean back to the drawing board. Sometimes the brand needs some tweaking and can be re-released. Sometimes the brand is dead and a new approach needs to be taken. In either of the cases, your audience should be the one behind the wheel, telling you what route to go and why. Here’s an interesting post on the differences in branding, albeit not place branding, between Microsoft and Apple. Why does one brand struggle while the other flourishes? I’d say its the understanding of the audience.
This idea of audience plays an important role in our own lives, as well. Personal brands are something that have been coming up more and more in recent conversations, especially with the job market the way that it is. Your personal brand is becoming a way for you to open doors, or close them, and should be given the same type of consideration as a place brand or product brand would be. It is important to take your stakeholders into perspective when building a personal brand, because you never know what is coming next. You may think that it won’t matter that you posted pictures of binge drinking (buzz word) on Facebook until you don’t get a job because of it. Or that you ranted and raved in the comment section of a blog until you find out that blog is written by a client. You get the idea. Brands are meant to be enjoyed, lived and spread. Stakeholders are the medium through which that happens. Do right by your place (product, etc.) AND your audience in most any branding situation, and success will follow shortly behind.
Three lessons from Times Square
June 17th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Place branding is not like branding candy. With candy, you need to make sure that kids want to eat it. If kids want to eat it, management will like it because it increases sales. If it increases sales, stockholders will like it because they get more money. Get the picture? WIth a place, however, there are many more stakeholders and those stakeholders are not all in the process for the same goal. This is a delicate balance, and sometimes things that seem to be a great fit for one group may be a terrible cause for concern in another. Enter Times Square. Some may not know this, but Times Square is a great story of place branding success for NYC–but, ask any New Yorker how they feel about it and you’ll most likely hear another story. What lessons can we learn from place branding in Times Square?
1. Place branding is a catalyst for change. Times Square was seedy and run down before the 1980′s, when the mayor took it in his hands to make it a cleaner and safer neighborhood. The tool he used was not a shovel, it was legislation. This (among other factors) changed the landscape for the better. The results? 26 million visitors a year.
2. All parties need to be involved. While I think that the transformation has been hugely successful, there are many New Yorkers who do not feel this way–trust me. Why is this? Because not everyone was considered in the branding process. The mayor did not ask the locals what they wanted for their neighborhood, and while many of them might have wanted change it could be that change (and the rising prices it caused) that drove them out of the neighborhood all together. Locals are key when branding, because if locals do not believe the brand then no one else will. A major point of concern for locals is the ”disneyfication” of their neighborhoods. “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.” Well guess what, locals do have to live there, so check with them to get their input.
3. A brand is only as successful as the product. You may be fooled to buy the candy mentioned above one time, if the slogan is catchy. But when you eat that candy and it tastes like a foot, you are not going to buy it again, no matter what the wrapper says. This is also true in place branding. A place must refelct its brand or people will start to catch on and find the next best thing. This is an ongoing process. Once you are brand worthy, it takes maintenance, you must work at keeping what you have earned. Just because a brand is built, it must not be left to wither.
Overall, Times Square is an interesting study in place branding, as well as tourism and American history. Many of the triumphs and problems faced here are commonplace in any place branding endeavor. And it just so happens that if you work for change and you keep it up, your brand will speak for itself.
