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An epiphany is a sudden insight into reality—something you might have known all along, but simply didn’t see. It’s the big “aha!” moment clients have as a result of our work. One of our recent clients described it as, “Wow. It’s the first time I’m hearing it, but it’s like I’ve lived this all my life.”

How does the branding process uncover epiphanies?

Companies get entrenched in their thinking. They lose outsider perspective as cultural norms and groupthink take hold.

Branding, when you start with external research, brings in a new perspective about your organization’s value. There are all sorts of barriers keeping your brand from being its best: an organization’s bureaucracy, negative cultural norms, lack of focus. There’s something very elegant in how we help organizations make simple shifts to set them free.

That’s my favorite part about this job. Lifting the veil and delivering the epiphany to help organizations say, “Wow! That makes sense. A lot of sense.”

- Bianca Abate

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Speaking of resolutions, I heard a great story on NPR by Radiolab this week, which basically says, if you’re prefrontal cortex is too busy with remembering things, you’re more likely to succumb to emotional reasoning and your willpower will fade; in the experiment they did, someone memorizing seven digits was twice as likely to choose cake over fruit for a snack than someone memorizing a two-digit number.

So that’s why I make stupid food choices: I’m thinking too hard about other stuff!

So what does this mean for marketers? Since we’re all running around with too much in our brains, employ emotional reasons to buy. That’s what good branding does—hits both our reasoning and our emotions with messages that speak to us whether we’re operating from one part of our brain or the other. And good luck saying no to that cake.

-Lynn Parker

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Social media yahta-yahta-yahta. I think the last time that the business world was overtaken so completely by one innovation was when computers started appearing on desktops a couple of decades ago. Social media is just as revolutionary and takes just as much planning to make it work for you. But it’s critical because it’s where brand communities are built. And it’s overwhelming.

Most of us don’t have the resources to pull off intricately orchestrated marketing campaigns like Coca-Cola’s Expedition 206 or for a full-time engager like Lee Aase, Mayo Clinic Social Media Manager .

I say, so what! You can do some Internet research on your own to see what’s going on in your market space and what (if anything) is being said about you. You can start a Facebook page and build it up over time. You can join the throngs on Twitter and tweet when there’s something relevant to say. Start with a goal, create a plan and then stick to it. Be realistic about how much resource you can devote—even if it’s only 2 hours a week.

Why now? Because the world isn’t going to come rushing to your door the minute you get engaged. Just like any new friendship, it’s built in phases. First you meet, then you go out for coffee. If there’s chemistry and they find you interesting enough, your new friend might invite you to meet some of their friends…and so it goes. Brand community-building is the same. One-by-one steps that deepen the relationship.

If you don’t get out there now, your competitors will be out there tempting your customers to have coffee with THEM. You’ll have to dive in at some point—so why wait?

Your friend, Beth Woolley

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My New Year’s resolution isn’t for one brand in particular. Heck, it’s not even for what most of you would consider a “brand.” Rather, it’s for my favorite pastime—TV. (Yes, that may be an embarrassing admission, but don’t pretend TV’s not in your top five)

This is what I have to say to my favorite TV shows—Big Love, Glee, Modern Family, Mad Men, True Blood, Gossip Girl (yes, another shameful confession)—start using social media like it’s nobody’s business! You don’t have to wait for Nielson Ratings or Sweeps any longer. If you want to know what viewers think of a new character or a controversial plotline, turn to Facebook, Twitter or read a blog or two. Social media is a cheap and painless way to get these answers—in real-time, nonetheless.

One of my favorite shows, HBO’s Big Love, premiered its fourth season on Sunday, January 10th. Much to my surprise (and to many viewers’), the show had a new opening sequence. The new intro threw me off so much that it was difficult to enjoy the long awaited season premiere. I missed the old sequence where the four main characters—the husband and his three sister-wives—skate on thin ice to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.” The ice breaks and then they find themselves separated from one another only to be reunited in the celestial kingdom. The music and the symbolism did a fantastic job of setting the tone for the show. The new one falls flat—no pun intended.

Old sequence

New sequence

HBO knew that changing the opening sequence was a risky move, so they took to Facebook the day after to poll the fans. The response was overwhelming with over 1,000 fans commenting on the new opening sequence and only 1/3 of those comments positive. We’ll see this Sunday if HBO moves back to the old sequence as a result.

-Hiley Spaet

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Trader Joe’s has carved out a strong niche in the market with their quirky, socially and nutritionally responsible brand that is best described by a fan who said:

“There’s this kind of feeling when you go there that you’re partaking in a sort of secret club.  Like you and the folks that run the store are kind of winking at each other, showing off little treasures found off the beaten path.”

Trader Joe’s delivers on this promise in almost every aspect, creating an atmosphere completely counter to that found in any super-chain grocery store.  Their easy-going spirit paired with their organic products offers an inexpensive choice that their target audiences—the health food segment, environmentally concerned, and the weekend gourmet chef— have been craving.  The perfect formula for creating die-hard brand loyalists.

My beef: Although they’ve mastered nutrition and fair trade, I’m disappointed by their excessive use of plastic and paper packaging.  What’s the purpose of wrapping three zucchinis on a small polystyrene tray and sealing it in plastic? To prevent a veggie coup d’état?

If your brand is based on a commitment to social responsibility, this sort of disconnect will only tarnish what you’ve worked so hard to create.

My New Year’s resolution for Trader Joe’s, and other brands alike, is to create a new standard of packaging that is:

1. Reusable
2. Recyclable
3. Made from recycled materials
4. Biodegradable

Or, just avoid unnecessary packaging altogether.  Happy 2010!

-Bianca Abate

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In the onslaught of social media throughout 2009, one brand stands out more than others because of the social revolution it continues to propel–Facebook. From giving people a place to share their lives or connect with long lost friends and family to giving brands new ways to connect one on one with their customers, Facebook has continued to evolve with the many ways users are using it.

It has embodied the spirit of social media in constant transformation and innovation based on listening. While some can argue its usability or the efficacy of its design, Facebook has listened to these arguments and continues to improve the experience–upgrading its interface ongoingly, adding new features monthly, and making its data more usable for marketers and casual users alike.

And, with its steady growth of users (over 350 million as of this month) and stable retention rates, it has beat out Twitter and MySpace for audience share. My prediction: in the shake out to come in 2010, we will see a very clear distinction between Facebook and Twitter. Facebook will continue to evolve and deepen its relationships with all of its users, as well as become an invaluable data source for brand managers and marketers, while Twitter will solidify its position with companies and thought leaders by providing a valuable public relations and communications channel.

Anybody want to wager?

–Jen Travis

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 2009 was a killer for the airline industry as it continued to reel from the one-two whammy of high fuel charges and increasing price sensitivity among its bread-and-butter business travelers.  Most carriers responded by passing on every conceivable cost to customers and then creating attendant annoying marketing programs  — my personal favorite being the opportunity to buy back your own frequent flier miles that were prematurely yanked away (gee, thanks anyway Delta).   Since Americans resent being overtly nickel-and-dimed to death, the brand perception of most major U.S. airlines took a huge hit. 

The bright spot in this sorry travel landscape was Southwest Airlines.   Isn’t it ironic that by simply sticking to their brand values, business strategies and operational policies while others changed around them, Southwest went from being the ‘bus-in-the-sky’ to feeling rather premium?   The one tweak they made to their seating procedure fixed the problem of having to come early and stand around unproductively, so business people choose the airline more often too. 

In the 2009 J.D. Power and Associates study of airline customer satisfaction, Southwest Airlines was the only company to demonstrate overall improvement from 2008. 

Warm and friendly – check.  Reasonable prices – check.  Treat you like they want your business – check.  Now if they only flew in to Chicago O’Hare instead of Midway. 

- Peggy Brown

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The brand that’s made me the happiest this year is Wolfgang’s Vault. I go there on a regular basis, often on Friday afternoons when I’m finishing up administrative tasks and need some ear candy. The more I listen, the more often I return. I’ve heard concerts by artists I wish I’d gone to and concerts from the same tours I saw “back in the day” by artists that hadn’t made it big yet. I started going to the site a couple of years ago to relive some great musical moments in my life—but now I’m getting much more.

I love that the Vault has branched out to newer artists and more recent concerts. Their A to Z list of performers is huge and inclusive, so I can experiment. There are artist interviews as well as concerts. There are lots of free downloads as well as ones you have to pay for. Plus concert listings in my area.

The website has improved steadily. It’s become increasingly easy to use and what Wolfgang’s Vault is adding, I’m enjoying. I must be in their target demographic—they’re hitting me in my soft spot and I love it!

What’s the brand lesson? Do one thing really well and build from there. Innovate around what you know and give your customers and fans an easy path to follow as you lead the way. If the substance is there and you demonstrate that you’re listening, you’ll keep your die-hards and win new ones.

Have a great 2010!

Beth Woolley

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There’s no denying that Google has attained a great deal in a relatively short time frame:

1. Top search engine and nomenclature status
2. A net revenue which experienced a 10% increase this year despite a recession
3. Huge range of products from Google desktop to Google Earth, empowering everything from discovery to collaboration
4. A seemingly endless string of innovations that transform our daily lives, culture and technology infrastructure

The key to their success? Smart management:

1. Attract the best of the best and hire purposefully
2. Create an open, relaxed environment to create the optimal environment for innovation
3. Place an emphasis on autonomy—employees organically figure out what needs to get done and are challenged to do it free of micromanagement
4. Produce wicked clever branding and PR
5. Keep things fun—both internally and externally
6. Always create from the lens of the consumer

Boiled down, their brand is this: continually push the limits of innovation in a simple and fun way to make the users’ lives more convenient. To users, it’s loud and clear that this company has their best interests in mind.  For example, take Google’s avoidance of pop-up ads. Not only are they annoying, but they run counter to the belief that searching on Google should be fast, simple and straightforward. By keeping the focus on both the user and their brand, Google is better able to deliver an authentic experience.

And the best part? Google’s brand value is not just generated by its utility, but also by its whimsical approach. According to Google, life wasn’t meant to be taken so darn seriously and they are thus committed to raising the bar of what used to be horribly dry technology. Who doesn’t appreciate a Sesame Street themed logo to add some cheer on a dreary day? And that’s an emotional connection worth its brand value’s weight in gold.

-Bianca Abate

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We’ve handpicked this year’s best brands to bring you a list of our personal favorites—from coffee to the web and everything in between. Please join us as we get to the heart of their value and pick apart what makes them unique.

And to wrap up this series and ring in the New Year, we’ll review the shared commonalities between these brands to gather insight for 2010.

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