If the Obama brand is around change, youth, hope, and unity, what makes sense, from a brand extension point of view, for his choice of VP? The rules in brand extension (new product lines stemming from a parent brand) are: stay close enough to the meaning of the parent brand to make sense (does Hooter’s Airlines make sense?), use the brand extension to fill in gaps in the parent brand (grocery store Starbucks Frappacinos), and use the extension as an opportunity to attract similar, but distinct new customers (performance Volvos). With these rules in mind, how do the following suggested candidates for VP stack up?

Bill Richardson
Close enough to parent brand? Policies similar, multicultural, both uniters
Gap filling? National security expertise
Brings in new customers? Hispanics, Westerners

Hilary Clinton
Close enough to parent brand? Policies similar; styles different
Gap filling? Experience a plus
Brings in new customers? Attracts the women’s vote; balanced by strong negatives with independents

Gore
Close enough to parent brand? Policies similar; both ignite enthusiasms
Gap filling? Experience a big plus
Brings in new customers? White male demographic may respond

Jim Webb
Close enough to parent brand? Used to be Republican, maybe not.
Gap filling? National security expertise
Brings in new customers? Could make a difference in Virginia, a state in play.

Sam Nunn
Close enough to parent brand? His age (70) and gay rights stances are a far reach.
Gap filling? Solid national security record
Brings in new customers? A Southern moderate that may bring in more

So as a branding consultant, what would I recommend?

The choices that optimize all three rules of brand extension? Either Gore or Richardson, with Clinton a third. Who do you think would be the ideal VP from a brand extension point of view? And does classic branding theory apply in the presidential race?

-Lynn Parker

Secret #1 is to Be yourself. Secret #2 is to Be different than your competitors. Secret #3 is Be yourself, both inside and out. Here’s Secret #4 in our ongoing series on Secrets of Strong Brands:

Know who you are.

And articulate it. Many of my clients think they know what their brand promise is, but when they try to articulate it, it turns out they have 15 different, vague ones. When you actually codify your brand promise, in a way that your employees can use as a compass for making decisions, then you have the raw material for a strong brand. We worked with one non-profit organization that helps people remove the barriers to finding work, be it child care, English skills, job training, or even bus fare. They described themselves (I’m not making this up) as “a workforce intermediary with wrap around services.” We helped them frame it as “Opening doors to living wage careers.” Which organization would you rather donate to?

-Lynn Parker

Secret #1 is to Be yourself. Secret #2 is to be different than your competitors. Here’s Secret #3:

Be yourself both inside and out.

Walking the talk is just as important as talking the talk. You can’t solve a company problem with a marketing solution (except in the short term). So figure out how to align your organization with your primary promise and make sure you’re keeping it all the way through, from how you hire and train, to how you bill, to how you answer the phone. If you’re the friendliest company, make sure you have a friendly atmosphere inside; if you’re all about speed, then your website better load quickly. You get the point.

There once was a bank that did an ad campaign around helping use credit wisely. But brand managers were compensated based upon loan volume. Talk about setting up cognitive dissonance!

-Lynn Parker

On Tuesday, June 17th, Lynn Parker will be speaking on the topic of “Secrets of a Strong Brand.” This event is by invitation only.

A couple of weeks ago I promised to cover the seven secrets of strong brands: here’s Secret Number Two: Be different. This takes courage, but when Doubletree Inn hands me my warm cookie, I remember, and associate good feelings with the hotel chain. When a Southwest Airlines employee cracks a joke, I remember to relax and enjoy the flight. When Ikea names its children’s desk “Fartful”, which of course, means “speedy” in Swedish, I feel like I connect with the company. Don’t be like your competitors; be different, dammit!

-Lynn Parker

Described as a “collective experiment in brand perception,” Brand Tags is a word association web site that displays a series of logos, and asks the visitor to input the first word or phrase that pops into his/her head.  The visitor is then given the option to view the accumulated responses of previous visitors.

Why I think this site is worth checking out if you are a brand manager:

1. It captures information companies usually pay millions in marketing research to discover. Capturing people’s thoughts is a difficult task, because although people can usually indicate whether they like or dislike a company, they can rarely ascertain why that may be the case. Think of it as a worldwide focus group.

2. This site arms the consumer with a new highly powerful tool– visibility. It can no longer be assumed that the consumer believes whatever it is that that company and its advertising team wants them to believe. It is a wakeup call to companies that consumers can, do, and will continue to judge the product based on anything and everything, from news headlines to stock prices.

3. This is a forum for consumers to relate to each others’ thoughts and opinions. You can compare how your perceptions measure up to the majority and either be reaffirmed or surprised. The number of interpretations is limitless.

Things to think about as a brand manager:

1. How powerful is this site in influencing consumer perception?

2. Does this site reveal the intrinsic value of brand personality?

3. Without knowing who participates in brand tags, is the information relevant for your brand?

Log onto Brand Tags to see for yourself.

-Bianca Abate

I like Apple. I like how easy and fun they are to use, and how they make me feel kind of hip and on top of the latest technology (even though I’m not). I like how they are pretty reliable and that they make software that my whole family can use. They cost more, but I am more willing to shell out the big bucks for them because of all of this. I’ve bought into their brand–hook, line and sinker.

What brands have you bought into (hook, line and sinker) and why?

(we will post some your comments in the next blog post - so give us your best stuff!)

–Jen Travis