NEW
&
is on the walls. No logos. No artwork. Stark white walls with a
plastic plant on the credenza. I said to the managing partner
during my branding presentation to the group, ‘This room is
cold and intimidating. No warmth to it. If I feel this way, your
clients and potential clients must feel the same. You lawyers
IMPROVED
He laughed along with everyone else at the absurdity of my
point. I showed the ‘befores and afters’ of the companies
I helped brand. I also showed the group mock ups of how
much better that single conference room would look with
plant. Needless to say, the ‘after’ pictures showed the value of
rebranding.
If you have a health club or training studio, you are trying to
inspire and motivate people to workout, and get in shape
and stay in shape, right? Then inspire and motivate me the
moment I walk into your place like a Hard Rock Cafe, a Nike
Town, or an Apple Store does. Show me that you ‘get me’ and
that you have the kind of place that I don’t mind spending
time at and giving my hard earned money to. I want to feel
comfortable. I want a home away from home. Just like every
other customer, I want to know that as I get better, you will get
better. I don’t want to outgrow you or get bored with you. Like
any relationship, I want it to feel… new & improved!
By Derek Barton
is constantly on the cutting edge – someone who is always
Like all customers, I want to trust you. A great brand is more
than a trademark, it is a ‘Trustmark.’ Then if it continues
to emotionally connect with its customers, it becomes a
‘Lovemark.’ And, if you’ve worked hard to get to that place,
you have to continue to work hard to stay there.
T
The world today is full of one-hit-wonders. Anyone can be
great once. It takes real talent, insight and hard work to remain
great year after year, decade after decade. So, what kind of
music are you making today? Is it the same song over and over
again? Are you singing it the same way as you always did? Your
customers on every occasion are looking for a new song – a
new sound – a new experience. So, give it to ‘em! Rebrand your
brand and rock their world!
o rebrand or not to rebrand? That is the question. To stay the way you are and hope
that people will change their minds about you, or rebrand yourself and inspire them to
change their minds about you!
If you and your company stay the way you are right now,
chances are you won’t see any changes to your bottom line.
People love to see products and services improve, which has
led to that age-old advertising line, ‘New & Improved.’ That line
is still being used today because it still works. People still want to
believe it!
Great brands are always evolving. They have to in order to
be great. Companies are never stable, they’re either going
up or going down. Great companies are constantly striving to
be better! They rebrand or reinvent themselves, trying to stay
current and cool while making that emotional connection with
their customer.
I was driving back to Los Angeles from my cousin’s wedding in
Northern California recently, listening to a great radio station.
They were playing a mix of songs from the 70s to the present.
An hour later I hear Rod Stewart singing a ballad from his 2002
Great American Songbook collection. These are songs from the
1930s and 40s written by people like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter,
and George & Ira Gershwin. Hardly rockers. But, this rocker, Rod
Stewart, whose songs like ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’ and ‘Hot Legs’
put him on top of the charts in t H