Check out this excerpt from one of my favorite books on branding, "Do You Matter?" by Robert Brunner and Stewart . . .

Your Brand is Not Your Logo

Another way to look at brand is that it is like an individual’s character. That’s really what a brand is, the embodiment of a company’s character. When you think of the character of people, you find things about them that encourage you to like or dislike them. When you first meet someone, you might draw a few conclusions based on how they dress and style their hair, and few more of their mannerisms. A lot of times you’re right, and a lot of times you’re not. But then, as you gain real insight into their ethics and values and how they treat others, you begin to understand the person’s character. That’s how you really start to define how you feel about somebody. It’s the same way with a company. You can dress up people in cool clothes, and give them a hip new hairstyle, and create some ideas about, “Wow, maybe they’re really pretty cool and hip,” but as you really start to get to know them, you realize that, “No, they’re really moving violations of the truth in packaging laws.” All this is a veneer. You start to wonder about them. It’s the same thing with companies.

Does Great Artist Always = Great Clothing?

We have seen many artist brand their way into a clothing line, some more successful then others. Many of the great labels are still flourishing today:

Rocawear - Jay Z

Sean John - P. Diddy

LAMB - Gwen Stefani

The list goes on . . .

However, should we be on the look out for a rising brand in the industry? If it's Wiz Khalifa's clothing line then the answer might be a yes.

With Taylor Gang being one of the fastest growing cliques across the globe investors might want to start paying attention to whats coming out of Pittsburgh. I know we are!

Maybe We Had It All Wrong . . .

We've spent the last month going on and on about some of the most amazing brands in existence today. We've been completely hyped up over the brands that were able to connect with amazing amounts of people and earn tremendous customer support however we missed one major factor that is present in all great brands.

They all fit a basic need and had a useful meaning.

For years I would tease my mom for buying what I considered generic house hold items, one in particular being Aim Toothpaste . . .

. . . I would always say that the only reason they were still in business was because she bought all of their supply. I felt like we should be brushing our teeth with brands such as Crest or Colgate. I would always see people on T.V. with their perfect smiles in the Crest commercials and think, "One good brush with that stuff and I'll have perfect teeth". However my mom had a basic understanding of brands that I did not, the same understanding that we all have but don't realize it.

She recognized that the brand she was investing in filled her basic need in its simplest form, that anything extra was unnecessary and that those two factors were enough for her to make the commitment to the brand.

Looking back my mom was an amazingly beautiful woman with an amazing smile. No she didn't use Crest or Scope but what she did use got the job done and that was enough to keep her committed to the brand.

In time's of such economic uncertainty people don't really have time for the "extras" certain brands offer as a part of their package. People will commit to what fits their most basic needs and occasionally visit the land of "extra" when resources permit. Sustainable brands are not built off of visitors but off of those who have made the commitment to the brand. The minute a song, shirt, vase, book or message losses it's most basic purpose is the minute it becomes "extra", something seldom visited. Keeping a true purpose and strong useful meaning attached to your brand is what keeps it from being something people have to fit into verses something that fits into people. 

What brand of Hip Hop does the East Cost create?

East coast hip-hop is sometimes referred to as New York Rap because it originated from block parties thrown on the streets of New York city in the 1970's. East coast hip-hop was dominant during the late 1980's and mid-90's (the golden era of hip-hop), and is still relevant today.

Unlike the simplistic rhyme pattern utilized in old school rap, or the call and response style present in crunk, east coast rap is almost synonymous with lyrical dexterity. More often than not, east coast rap is characterized by multi-syllabic rhymes, complex wordplay, a continuos free-flowing delivery, and intricate metaphors.

The East definitely has built a clear and identifiable hip hop brand never to be confused for something else. What do you think?

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Late Night Post . .

Sometimes the words of a song can be so true . .

"I've been waitin' on this my whole life . . ."

"These dreams be wakin' me up at night . . ."

. . Hopefully the ambition meter can be lowered so that rest can be gained.

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Rick Ross May Be A Branding Genius . . .

If you have been following our blog for the last few weeks then you've probably figured out that we go nuts when we discover new and/or successful brands and the people who build them. We would like to submit for your approval: Rick Ross

William Leonard Roberts II, otherwise known as "The Teflon Don" has mastered the art of branding himself and his music career by doing what we like to think of as clever brand association. 

From the time you were a child up to now there were many things that you deemed worthy of your time, attention, and resources simply because of what or who they were associated with. You bought certain clothes cause your favorite athletes wore them or used certain makeup because your favorite actress used it and even listened to certain artists because of who they collaborated with. No one in that last 3 years has used this method of personal brand building better than our good friend Mr. Ross.

From his stage name "Rick Ross" which he derived from the notorious 1980's drug trafficker "Freeway Rickie Ross" to his close association with high fashion brands, Ross has consistently portrayed the image of what a true "Don" should look like. Even his comparison between his music and the world famous Aston Martin luxury sports vehicle causes his listeners to feel a sense of exclusivity when listening to his music.

Very few listeners of Ross' music know that prior to his days as a rap star he actually served as a corrections officer in a Florida prison facility. While for an ordinary rapper such uncovered truth's could mean the end of a career, Ross' ability to create an unshakable brand has allowed him to withstand the criticism. People are so bonded to his brand that they're okay accepting his false portrayal of a South Miami drug lord. I guess its true - perception is reality but at Name Branderz we still believe in living authentic. 

9 Successful Brands Launched During Downturns

Economic downturns aren’t only about damage. Throughout recent history, opportunistic companies have taken advantage of downturns to launch brands that enjoyed success for decades to come. Using timing and ingenuity, these 9 successful brands turned downturns into windfalls.

Rice Krispies
More than 75 years later, Kellogg’s Great Depression-era brand remains a hit.

When the Great Depression hit, Post cereal cut back heavily on ads in order to conserve money. Kellogg, Post’s main competitor, did the opposite. The company poured money into ad campaigns, creating a new cereal called Rice Krispies. Snap, Crackle, and Pop helped boost Post’s profits by about 30% by 1933, according to the New Yorker’s James Surowiecki. Kellogg remains on top to this day.

Plymouth
Chrysler overtook Ford as the country’s second-biggest automaker in 1933, thanks to Plymouth cars.

Plymouth, launched as a separate brand 1929, was Chrysler’s first foray into the low-priced market. The cars’ crowd-pleasing features, which included hydraulic shock absorbers, helped it become one of the Great Depression’s only successful car brands.

Miracle Whip
Kraft’s cheaper version of mayonnaise become an instant hit during the Great Depression.

Max Crossett must be rolling in his grave. The Washington state-based inventor of Crossett’s X-tra Fine Salad Dressing sold brand rights to Kraft in 1931 for $300. Kraft rebranded the stuff as Miracle Whip, then sold it as a cheap mayonnaise alternative. It became the nation’s bestselling dressing in only six months, writes the New Yorker’s Surowiecki.

iPod
Apple launched one of its flagship products during the 2001 recession.

Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod in October 2001, when the country was still reeling from the September 11 attacks. It’s now one of the decade’s biggest success stories. By 2005, Apple owned more than a quarter of the worldwide mp3 market. In April 2007, Apple announced it had sold 100 million iPods. Apple is on fire, thanks to its penchant to innovate in all kinds of economic climates.

FedEx
Federal Express launched just six months before the 1973 oil crisis, establishing a brand new industry amidst economic turmoil.

FedEx began with 14 small planes at the Memphis International Airport. Founder Frederick W. Smith hoped to address a market need for 1-2 day package and freight delivery, which at the time was very difficult. His plan worked. By 1975, the company became the number one carrier of high-priority goods and set a new standard for the industry it established, according to FedEx’s website. Today, the company’s couriers log about 2.5 million miles a day through seven global operating companies.

Healthy Choice
ConAgra’s low sodium, lowfat frozen meals became a hit during the early 1990s recession.

Former ConAgra CEO Mike Harper had a rather auspicious heart attack in 1989. He came up with Healthy Choice, a new line of frozen meals for health-conscious consumers, after reevaluating his own eating habits. The brand launched just in time for the 1989-92 recession. Sales reached $350 million, with 10% market share, in under three years, according to this BNet article. Today, Healthy Choice is successful enough to have Julia Dreyfuss as a spokesperson.

Hyundai
By providing the best warranties and guarantees in the industry, Hyundai is becoming a prominent US auto brand.

Previously plagued by quality issues, Hyundai righted its reputation by providing a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, previously unheard of in the auto industry. In 2008, it created the popular Hyundai Assurance program, which lets customers return their cars if they lose their jobs. The plan worked. The January, Hyundai’s US sales were up 14% compared to last year, according to Knowledge@Wharton. Between January-April of this year, its market share rose 0.7%. Not bad for an industry where double-digit declines have become commonplace.

Scott Paper Company
The Scott Paper Company’s napkins and paper towels became household staples, even though many products launched during economic downturns.

The Scott Paper Company (now part of Kimberly Clark) practically mastered the art of launching brands during recessions. Founded at the head of the 1879 US recession, Scott introduced the nation’s kitchens to paper towels in 1931. By 1939, it was the best-selling brand in the country, according tothe Scott website. The company launched pastel-colored products and jumbo-sized paper tower rolls just in time for the 1958 recession. It remains a household name today, although one wonders how many more ridges and plies a company can create to mark up toilet paper.

9. Penguin Publishing
Quality books for cheap: A business model that endures.

In 1935, publisher Allen Lane came up with the idea to sell good books for rock-bottom prices. Penguin Publishing was the result. Lane made sure that his cheap, quality books found their way not only to bookshops, but to general stores, corner stores, and railways as well.

Before Penguin, paperback books contained gaudy, unliterary content. With his new model, Lane changed the game. Less than a year after launch, Penguin had printed one million paperbacks. Today, Penguin publishes globally through owner Pearson PLC, a London-based media conglomerate.