Latest Branding Articles

Who’s buying luxury goods in recession?

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:11:17 -0700

Dissimilar with earthquake, the financial crisis is not a disaster which can’t be forecasted with difficulty, also it does not arrive in a night. The mortgage crisis in US, started a year ago,is much worsened at the present. A friend of mine who works in an airline company said that, except the Middle East and China, nowhere has spare money to lend.

Sounds truly “crisis”. But have a look at my friends in middle class, no matter whether they are engaging in financial circles or not, still have their jobs, and keep their well-off lives. Last Saturday, one of my girlfriends in Boston went to Neiman Marcus, and she told me when she came back that, it was as crowded as Wal-Mart, filled with girls noisily and panicly purchasing discounted goods. Mmm, this weekend, I also plan to join this army.
Looks like, the majority’s life has not come under substantive influence, but gain benefit from the discounts on the contrary. But, the financial crisis is a pressure without doubt, looks like the block dark cloud to gather over the head, very quick has not dispersed, and also does not have falls rains. How can everybody adjust own consumer behavior under “the dark cloud”, is one topic many people is very interested in. Should stick to one’s own way of doing things, buy what should buy? Or lower the class, give up the Burberry windproof coat and turn to buy the Gap windproof coat? Or lower the quantity, from five beloved Hermes silk handkerchiefs to three? Or take advantage of this golden opportunity, and crazily buy in alligator skin and python skin handbags? I believe when the financial crisis is past, there will be many interesting statistical data, I’ll wait for it.
Since the end of 80’s, luxury goods industry has rapid development, and is now facing most stern challenges for 20 year. However, for the luxury brands, the most challenging issue, is toforecast and explain the consumers, make the correct decision. The decision is right, then the brand will grow stronger; if the decision is wrong, the brand will suffer from loss and gets less prominent.
In front of the challenges, each luxury brand has their own strategy. To sum up, their countermeasures may divide into four kinds (take handbag brands for example). The first kind is gorgeously motionless, copes with shifting events by sticking to a fundamental principle, in the same old way keep expensive, does not offer discounts, for instance Louis Vuitton and Chanel. The second kind is politeness and sympathy, the price has not changed, but the design has shown restraint, more simplicity, less exaggeration (the guiding ideology being that, even if you have a lot of money to spend, you must consider others’ feeling, do not show off too over), for instance Prada, Dior and Chloe. The third kind is the slight adjustment, added some non-leather design handbags quietly, offer consumers more somewhat “rational choices”, for instance Fendi, Marc Jacobs and Tod’ s. The fourth kind is in disarray, hurries to promote “the thrifty version”, shows “makes a great effort to save” determination, for instance YSL.
First talk about YSL, because their ad campaign was really everywhere. You can see YSL yelling that 1000 US dollars can buy the YSL handbag, with logo, leather! on each big fashion magazine. In fact the design of these two new style patent leather handbags is succinct, not slightly ugly, does not have an unnecessary decoration; but look like the beautiful woman who puts on make-up all along but suddenly washes away the make-up, which may somehow shocks the others, people may think it does not look like YSL. But several months ago, Kate Moss carried luxurious feeling full alligator grain chamois skin Muse in front of the mirror looking about herself. Brand image change so quick, is dealing with the emergency intelligently, or outsmarts oneself?
Then the slight adjustment type. I thought this kind of brand is quite intelligent, maintains the brand completely in the design and style, but increases the non-leather design. The non-leather handbag is originally cheaper than the leather handbag, therefore is relatively inexpensive and cannot affect the brand image.
Politeness sympathy brand is quite rich in human nature, not blatant or overly aggressive in appearance. Dior’s several handbags this season, except for the hanging logo charms with superiority feeling slightly, may be called simple unadorned. The Chloe’s great lock and ultra big zipper have been displaced by practical usable design.
The gorgeously motionless really is gorgeous and I have nothing to say. The brand strength is there, let alone one financial crisis, ten financial crises won’t affect their brands.

7 Ways To Create Your Own Information Product

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:16:50 -0800

Believe it or not product creation is the easiest part of the information marketing process. People often get bogged down fearful they will not create a product that others find useful and interesting. However, once you have found a profitable and hungry niche market creating the product occurs without much grinding and gnashing of teeth.

Ask your customer base what they are hungry to learn and use that information to produce a product you will barely have to sell because they asked for it.

1. Taped phone interview or Tele-seminars. This is the simplest, fastest, easiest way to produce a product ready for sale within hours. Find an expert in your niche market. Is that expert you? Then find a moderator who can grill you for the dirty secrets you are keeping. At the end of a 90-minute interview you will have an MP3 file that can also be converted to a CD file. You will also transcribe the audio so you will have several different ways of delivering your product.

2. Public domain information is a gift. These are works that no longer have copyright attached. They have either fallen into the public domain or were intentionally placed there by the authors. You'd be surprised to find how much information no longer is protected by copyright. One large resource is Project Gutenburg, a digital library of over 1700 free e-books whose copyright has expired. Don't just jump right in though. Be sure to research the copyright status of the work you want to use and then have a certified written report generated from the Library of Congress.

3. Ghostwriters are writers willing to produce your written material without claim to authorship. There are several cautions with this suggestion. You can find ghostwriters through enlace or Rent coder (both web businesses). However, when you have hired the writer be sure to completely eliminate all doubt as to the copyright status and authorship of the work by using a contract. It would be in your best interest to have that contract drawn up by an attorney. However, you can then use the same contract for any other ghostwriting you might have done.

4. Software creation is also fast and profitable. You will determine what is most irritating to your customer and what software might solve that problem for them. You can then find a programmer through Rent coder or through recommendations from a friend. As in the case with ghostwriters is sure to have the copyright and authorship ironed out before sharing the details.

5. Screen capture videos are basic video that you can do using your computer and Camtasia. Camtasia Studio is an Internet based software program that allows you to capture your moving screen and add voice over with a microphone. For more details go to www.instant-video-suite.com. Using this technique you can shoot your own videos that teach your customers all they want to know about a software program or how to just about anything. This is affordable and easy to learn.

6. Writing case studies about the successes and failures of people within your customer base provides your customers with a road map to success. For more information login to www.instant-software-products.com. If your customers are in Network Marketing, for instance, you might write a book outlining the strategies of the top 10 Network Marketers across 10 different companies.

7. Private label information is being sold across the Internet today by the bucketful. Taken at face value it may not be worth much. But, tweaked with your own special personality and special bonuses you can make a small killing.

8. Mastermind groups are cropping up in all walks of life. They are wonderfully productive ways for like-minded people to gather together and brainstorm. You can utilize these groups in your customer base to produce an audio file that can be sold as an MP3, CD or transcribed book.

Product Creation: - Effective Way of Marketing

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:39:04 -0800

Promotional products have an important task to perform in any company's striking success. They are responsible for bringing significant results on the whole business as they shoot up the profits of a business. They also help in the amplification of the brand a company endorses.

Been usually offered to the employees, consumers or tourists; promotional products act as potent tools to market the company's product as they come to be known to a larger number of consumers.
These products prove much advantageous for the success of a company. Apart from augmenting the company's goodwill, these products also play the roles of vehicles of advertisement. When these promotional products are given to the consumers, these products create an awareness regarding the item and establish its proud existence thereby increasing the levels of the product's sale or the services that the company offers.
Usually these products comprise of incentives, prizes, awards, gifts or premiums. For more details go to www.product-creation-secrets.com. The item that is serving as the promotional product comes free of cost with the main product and usually matches with the function of the main product. For instance, if the main product is a shampoo then the promotional product coming along could be a sachet of hair conditioner. Likewise, if a packet of cornflakes serves the main product, another food item of the same company could be the promotional product. This way the product that needs to be introduced to the public is done in a subtle yet profiting way.
Companies also utilize some popular events to their advantage. Using the events like the product launch, conferences, seminars and celebrations, they distribute various other items of general use to the public. These items can be anything from coffee mugs, pens, t-shirts, key rings and calendars to tote bags, folders and alarm clocks. Not only are these promotional products attractive but useful too. Bearing the name, corporate message, slogan and logo of the company, these items promote the name and goodwill of the company. For more information login to www.product-launching.com. Moreover, when these free products are offered to the customers or the employees, appreciation is earned by the company concerned. When the consumers go to buy an item in the market next time, they always prefer the one they are familiar with and have used earlier. In short, promotional products always have a positive impact on the consumers and the business both.
Information regarding the products used for promotion can also be availed online. There are many websites that will answer all your queries pertaining to the subject.

What To Look For When Renting A Trade Show Display For Your Next Convention

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

One of the most difficult parts of preparing for a convention is renting and setting up the trade show display for your company. There are dozens of companies offering dozens of different products for rental to display items for the trade show and having the right equipment and advertising can make your trade show experience even more effective. So what should you be looking for when renting a trade show display for your next convention? There are a couple of things that you should keep in mind. One of the most important things that you should keep in mind when renting a trade show display for your next convention is how much space you will need for the display. As the size of the display gets larger, the price of renting the display increases, so you will want to get the smallest size that will still be adequate for the amount of information that you will want to display. You will need to be careful not to choose a display that is too small because a small display will have all of the information crowded together in a cluttered and unattractive fashion. People tend to ignore things that they cannot easily see or read, so a small crowded display may be worse than having no display at all. Another thing you should look for when you need to rent a trade show display is an attractive price for the display. Different vendors will have different prices for their products, so you may be able to find a great deal on a rental display by shopping around for the best price. Be careful of deals that seem too good to be true or prices that are significantly lower than those from other vendors in the area because there may be a problem with renting from that vendor, such as a very low quality display or a scam that steals money from the company. Ask several different vendors for their prices and base your decision on the price and the reputation of the vendor. The reputation of the vendor that you are thinking about renting the trade show display from is another important element that should be taken into consideration. Trade show display vendors that care about their company know that a good reputation is very important in the business community. The old saying goes "nothing travels faster than bad news" and that is especially true for a vendor that has repeatedly given bad service to those in the business world. If the majority of the information that you hear about a vendor, either by talking to business associates or reading reviews on the internet, is negative then you will want to find another vendor to rent your trade show display from. In some cases, the price of renting the trade show display includes the cost of a professional assembly at the location of the trade show but in other cases, the renter will be responsible for assembling the display on their own. If this is the case, then the person renting the display will want to make sure that the display is one that will be easy for them to assemble. Even though more complicated types of displays may be more attractive, not being able to assemble the display in a reasonable amount of time and the frustration that is causes is not worth the appearance of a complicated display.

The Importance of Branding in Internet Marketing

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

In the internet marketing business world, competition is cutthroat. Businesses come and go, failure is almost expected, and newcomers give up before they really even knew how to get started. What distinguishes those that last in this fickle market? Branding. Businesses and people that brand themselves and their products tend to drastically outlive those that just fumble their way through without leaving a significant impression. Wikipedia introduces a brand by stating that "Powerful brands can drive success in competitive and financial markets, and indeed become the organization's most valuable assets." In the internet marketing field, branding leaves an impression that sets you apart from others. Maintaining a brand allows you also to continue your reputation for an ability to thrive over the duration of your career, and your brand becomes a recognizable symbol of your success to anyone that has dealt with you along the way. Several main methods help you to utilize branding to positively impact your customer base and eventually your sales. One of these methods is a catchy name, either personally or as a company. Company names do not even tend to be real words as evidenced by current market trends. Companies like Google and Squidoo have used memorable names that leave a mental impression, thus their name itself assists these companies in the process of branding. A good name can go a really long way. Also, having a unique logo can help achieve brand recognition. Nike dedicated massive amounts of marketing to make sure that their trademark swoosh logo is now practically immortalized. The swoosh is a perfect example of how a great logo can leave an impression and prompt immediate association with the company it represents. Another key to branding is, of course, repetition. By constant and repeated use of a logo or name, those exposed to the repetition are much more likely to remember and potentially use the company associated. This ultimately is the desired effect. How does all this branding information relate to the highly competitive field of internet marketing? Those individuals or companies that truly brand in such a flooded business niche inundated with countless names of marketers and almost innumerable fly-by-night businesses greatly increase their chances of success and longevity. By repeating your own name, you become the brand yourself in essence, and this may help you to sell yourself more efficiently. Also, by having a unique logo associated with your product, company, or person that is repeated continually on your advertising and website, this helps people to repeat an image in their mind. When people remember the image or see the image in advertisements, they immediately associate back to the product, company, or person it refers back to. Branding is an exceptionally helpful tool that can assist the internet marketer to achieve greater success by creating a more universal level of recognition.

Create A Brochure That Talks To Your Customer

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

We can create a brochure that is customer oriented and with the right structure. In a paragraph were the words on the left line up evenly and the words on the right do not. This is called a "ragged right." This format is easier to read than "justified" type which lines up evenly on both sides. Why? Consider this: Do you enjoy repeating the same task over and over again exactly the same way? How long before monotony takes over and you need a break? Your eyes are no different than you. In justified text, each line of type is exactly the same length, over and over, with no break, and your eyes get tired and you get bored. The ragged edge gives the eyes variety and a break from the monotony of justified type. Use ragged right whenever possible. Here are a few tips to make the right brochure for your company: 1)Ask your employees to write the brochure copy. Or, better yet, ask some of your better customers to help write it. You may be surprised at what you get. 2)Try to eliminate as many decisions as possible. Always assume the customer will eventually buy the product or service. Don't use the words, "if" and "maybe" which invite the possibility of a negative response from the customer. 3)Never ask open-ended questions in a brochure. Make sure you phrase any questions in such a way that the answer can only be "YES". 4)Companies always want to list the many important features of their products. The problem is that customers could care less about any feature unless there is a clear benefit to them. A "feature" is what a product has. A "benefit" is what a product does. The more the product does, the more attractive it becomes. "This car has four doors." So what? Compare that to: "I notice you have three children." "You'll love the convenience of having four doors when the children are with you." 5)You want your brochure to sound and look professional. You can accomplish this without using "stiff phrasing" or a formal tone. To most readers, "professional" is just plain boring. Pick your best customer and pretend you are speaking only to him/her. Get a tape recorder and tape a conversation telling them the points you want to cover in the brochure. Your brochure shouldn't be a textbook, it should be a conversation between friends. You can avail the services of any business printing company for printing your company's brochures. They will use the method that is best suited for your requirement. If you want the conventional offset method to be used on your materials, you should meet the required minimum order of 500. But if you need less than 500, the digital method will be utilized. In terms of quality, you are a winner in either printing ways.

Embroidered Shirts and Apparel Are the Perfect Holiday Gift

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Finding the perfect holiday gift for clients and employees can often times be a very hard task. With a wide range of interests, hobbies, and age differences it is almost impossible to find one gift that will please everyone in your company. A great employee gift can be the foundation of them building a much stronger relationship with your company. There are some items that will make great gifts no matter what age or interest your employees may have. A great way to make a lasting impression on any employee and to advertise your business at the same time is to give embroidered shirts or apparel. Not only will your gift recipient be sure to love the item, but you can advertise your business at the same time every time they wear their gift. Just think of how ecstatic your employee will be when they open their gift and see you have taken the time and initiative to have their item embroidered. Your gift will be practical because it will be an item that the person can wear on an overall every day basis. Items to consider embroidering include jackets, golf shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts, rain coats, and fleece outer wear. These items also are great to wear to company outings. With this embroidered apparel your employees will be sure to look their best when they go to important business meetings, trade shows or any kind of conferences. Your whole staff will look and feel like a member of one unified team with apparel logo. With so many options available for styles, colors, and sizes, you can get pretty much get anything you want made for corporate embroidered apparel. You can also use any extra or leftover to give away to clients and new employees, or just use them for incentives to get your employees to work harder. These embroidered apparel items will let your employees know just how important they are to you and your company since they will not be the same old pens or coffee mugs you may give away to just anyone while trying to promote your business. Important clients would also love this embroidered shirts or apparel. It will make them feel that they are important to your company and its business practices. Many of your company's clients will really appreciate your business for going that extra step and providing them with embroidered apparel. Again many clients are used to the usual pens, coffee mugs, or mouse pads that are normally given out as promotional items. By providing something your client can wear, you will be showing your appreciation of their business while at the same time cleverly promoting your own business. Anytime your client wears your embroidered logo apparel their friends, family, and their own clients will know and recognize that your company really appreciates their clients by providing such unique and high quality items. You will be setting a high standard for any company to compete with.

Cross Atlantic Commodities Embraces Diversification

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Diversification has always been an extremely successful way to reduce financial risk while making consistent and positive gains. Cross Atlantic Commodities, Inc. (CACI), that trades on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) under the symbol CXAC, whose diversified product offerings are in a number of multi-billion dollar industries, is a benchmark of corporate product diversification. Cross Atlantic Commodities, a Florida-based company with offices in New York and Miami, is a commodity importer and holding company, that specializes in the coordination of bringing unique products to commercial world markets. CACI Brands recently acquired a waterless car wash and wax product, effectively placing it at the center of the multi-billion dollar car care industry. The product effectively removes and cleans dirt, grime, water spots, bird droppings, tree sap, or road tar without harmful CFCs and most importantly, without consuming precious water. Cross Atlantic Commodities' Fruit2 Go is a packaged fruit product with a large market in Europe and manufactured in South America. CACI Brands owns the brand in its North American incarnation, which is 100% natural with no additives or preservatives. This product is extremely appealing as a healthy snack for people on the go and packaged in a state-of-the-art pouch container, using the NASA design for food storage during space flights. Cross Atlantic Commodities also decided to establish the company business ad leadership foundation on the shoulders of Mr. Jorge Bravo, CEO of CXAC. Mr. Bravo has been instrumental in laying the groundwork for CACI and for establishing many of the distribution and marketing relationships that the company currently enjoys. Prior to coming on board with CACI, he was the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for a Frozen Food Manufacturer where he grew sales to over $12 million/year from $500,000/year. While there, he developed an Independent Distributor Network and sold to Major Retailers throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. He also developed and implemented a private label program, which took the company to the next level in sales. Many investors in the market today are being exceptionally cautious when choosing which companies to support. They are thoroughly weighing all of their options, as they should, to determine which companies have a chance to reward their investment with a minimum amount of risk. What better company to invest in, than one that is already concerned with diversifying their products and assets to maximize on any opportunity that may arise? Jorge Bravos is responsible for the CXAC previous business model and its current success. He developed and managed relationships with manufacturers as well as national retainers and club stores. Previously he was the Vice President for Sales and Marketing for a Frozen Food Manufacturer where he grew sales to over $12 million/year from $500,000/year. While there he developed an Independent Distributor Network, sold to Major Retailers through out the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. He also developed and implemented a private label program, which took the company to the next level in sales.

The Hot Benefits of Marketing Online

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Marketing rules are the same no matter how big or small your business is: (1) brand your product, (2) determine who your target audience is, (3) get the sales, and (4) establish repeat customers. Online marketing is very effective in managing all four of these rules. Online marketing is much more than putting your advertising online. Marketing includes such areas as communicating with your customers, promoting your business or product online, and making sure that your website content is useful and up to date. The great thing about online marketing is that you don't need to have a huge budget to put together a marketing campaign that is effective. There are tools that you can use to make your marketing techniques easy and profitable such website templates, shopping cart templates, and online marketing templates. What do you need in online marketing to be successful? There are some important points to consider before you get into the strategies and intricacies of online marketing: Communication. An important part of online marketing is how you respond to your customer's e-mail. You don't want to lose potential customers after you've made the effort to have them visit your website and then contact you for more information. E-mail is a very effective and cost efficient way for you to generate more sales. The key to this effectiveness is "consistency". You need to be consistent in your response to your customers. You'll also want to make sure that the tone of your e-mail corresponds with the tone you've set in your website content. Human Resources. If you're going to succeed online you need to have enough people working with you. Efficient websites incorporate a personal touch with a fast response time to customers. Your goal is to turn the visitors to your website into customers. The standard time for a return e-mail is from 48 to 72 hours. If you wait any longer to e-mail back you risk losing the customer. This means that if you don't have the man power to return e-mail in two to three days you need to take another look at your marketing strategy. Products people want to buy online. Before you start marketing online you need to be sure that you have a product or service that people want to buy. Customers need to find a value in what you're selling. There are two motivating factors when it comes to selling online: cost and convenience. Ask yourself if customers will find it easier to buy online than finding a local store. Does it make sense for them to buy this from you online?

How To Design A Business Brochure

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A well designed brochure is an asset to the marketing department of a company. Nine out of ten businesses will want to develop the copy (words) first. Why, because you only have a certain amount of space to tell your story. You can always select graphics and pictures that will re-enforce your message later on. Write your copy from the customer's point of view, not yours. It's not what the business wants to say, it's what the customer wants to know. Once the copy is completed, work on making it shorter and more descriptive. Mark Twain was supposed to have said, "I'd have written you a shorter letter but I didn't have the time". Paint descriptive word pictures wherever possible. A picture is retained in the mind much longer than mere words. Did you ever tell someone a story beginning with the words, "Picture yourself", we do that because it's powerful. If you or your designer has created a visual look to your advertising, by all means, continue it in your brochure. The "family resemblance" will be more comfortable to the reader. There are two types of brochures: Function Number One: This brochure is designed to attract attention. It plays on the emotions of the customer. When they see it in a display rack they must pick it up and see what it says. It has an attention getting headline. It is designed to spend all its time, on public display, exposed to as much of your target market as possible. It will contain lots of white space and short thoughts rather than long paragraphs. It contains a "call to action" that requires or asks the customer to make a phone call, come on down, clip a coupon, mail a reply card or some other action that puts you and the customer in contact. Think of this brochure as the appetizer of your business. Something to tickle the pallet but still leave them hungry. Function Number Two: Think of this brochure as the main course. This brochure is designed for the customer who has learned of your company and has requested more information. He/she may have seen your "Type One" brochure I described above. Unlike Type One, Type Two can be crammed with information. Customers who request information want to know everything. They become insatiable for product knowledge. No matter what you send, it may not be enough to satisfy some customers. This style of brochure should never be used in display racks or laid out for the curious passerby. A casual customer who is unfamiliar with your business will be "turned off" by the thought of wadding through this mountain of information just to see what you do.