Have you noticed a recent slippage in brands? Some major "brands" taunt customers with incredible leaps. For instance, the Vatican recently issued credit cards. A mother-to-be gave away naming rights for her child in a Las Vegas Lottery. Author Lucas Conley's new book, OBD, Obsessive Branding Disorder, raises pointed questions and rollicking laughs at branding that's "jumped the tracks, barreling through popular culture unchecked."
For instance...
Tennis shoes by Kool Aid
Cologne by PlayDoh
Romance novels by Nascar
Doesn't this go against logic that a company is expert in one product line or service. Obsessive branding works against the human brain...
"Brands offer us mental shortcuts, helping us cut through the clutter of everything we buy and enabling us to communicate certain concepts quickly and easily. No one wants to sift through tens of thousands of packaged foods on every trip to the supermarket. Instead, we rely on the brands we know. And branding, when it's consistent, provides us with clarity and simplicity in a progressively hectic world."
But, Kool Aid tennis shoes doesn't fit the branding. What would be your reaction when you see them on the shelf? Would you laugh, or "pooh, pooh" them? The human brain frees up space for more critical facts. Do you sense that companies who go too far afield defeat their purpose?
The human brain's powerfully influenced by brands. "Simple exposure to brand names has the potential to activate goals," which then influence thrift or prestige choices, according to Duke, Standford and University of Wisconsin researchers. So you can see why great branding is critical to sales and advertising.
Lucas Conley wonders why companies focus so much on branding and miss innovation and invention in their products. Now that's where companies can energize sales and overall products.
Hmmm... Thoughts Chris, Dan, David, Drew, Mike, and others?
For instance...
Tennis shoes by Kool Aid
Cologne by PlayDoh
Romance novels by Nascar
Doesn't this go against logic that a company is expert in one product line or service. Obsessive branding works against the human brain...
"Brands offer us mental shortcuts, helping us cut through the clutter of everything we buy and enabling us to communicate certain concepts quickly and easily. No one wants to sift through tens of thousands of packaged foods on every trip to the supermarket. Instead, we rely on the brands we know. And branding, when it's consistent, provides us with clarity and simplicity in a progressively hectic world."
But, Kool Aid tennis shoes doesn't fit the branding. What would be your reaction when you see them on the shelf? Would you laugh, or "pooh, pooh" them? The human brain frees up space for more critical facts. Do you sense that companies who go too far afield defeat their purpose?
The human brain's powerfully influenced by brands. "Simple exposure to brand names has the potential to activate goals," which then influence thrift or prestige choices, according to Duke, Standford and University of Wisconsin researchers. So you can see why great branding is critical to sales and advertising.
Lucas Conley wonders why companies focus so much on branding and miss innovation and invention in their products. Now that's where companies can energize sales and overall products.
Hmmm... Thoughts Chris, Dan, David, Drew, Mike, and others?
No comments:
Post a Comment