Entries by Bob (15)
Logo Design Graphic Manipulations
One possible strategy for logo design is to depict the name of the company with one minor graphic manipulation which serves to reinforce the company’s brand image or raison d’etre. The added feature engages the viewer, encouraging extended cognitive processing of the brand name as the logo is noticed, examined, and appreciated. The brand name is therefore stored more firmly in memory and is stored in conjunction with positive feelings generated via the appreciation of the graphic manipulation. Some interesting examples follow:
Note that the Staples example is particularly interesting in that the top of the "L" is not only shaped like the end of a staple, but the brand name is depicted at an incline, sybolizing the top bar of a stapler.
Bob
in Brand Logos
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Branding and Humor
While the effectiveness of using humor in advertising is well-documented and certainly one of the most commonly used advertising strategies, the use of humor in branding is a less commonly used tactic. It can, however, be an extremely successful strategy for a number of important reasons. An underlying strategy of many branding tactics is to encourage supplementary cognitive processing about a brand, thereby increasing brand awareness, recall, and recognition. In short, it is a way to grab the attention of the consumer for a crucial extra few seconds. Humor is a particularly effective way to increase cognitive processing because at the same time consumers are becoming familiarized with the brand, they are also associating positive affect (thoughts, feelings, emotions) with the brand. So consumers will not only remember the brand, but they will remember the brand favorably. Humor can be used in any aspect of a branding strategy, including the brand name itself, the logo, the slogan, and the domain name. Here are some examples:
Note that humor is often derived from unusual graphics and linguistic devices such as rhyming, alliteration, wordplay, and use of colloquial language.
Bob
in Brand Names
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Multi-Perspective Brand Symbols
A similar technique is used in the brand symbols for logos, exclusive of the brand name itself. This branding strategy creates images which can be viewed in two or more different ways, each having a different or complementary meaning. Here are some interesting examples:
Three of these logos use this device fairly subtly. Suite101 depicts a child formed from the numerals 1, 0, and 1. Urban seed depicts a green leaf in a "U" (for Urban), which doubles as a flame in a lantern. And Trickle Up is particularly ingenious as the "U" is pushed "up" by the pointer below it; This pointer also doubles as the legs of a person with raised hands; And these raised hands are, of course, also the letter "U" in "up".
Maximizing the Effectiveness of your Phone Number
The phone number as a component of a branding strategy has decreased in importance over the past two decades as the web has become the first point of contact for most companies and organizations. However, it remains an important element, especially in market segments with limited access to the Internet, such as the senior citizen segment, or where the nature of the business makes the phone number the logical first point of contact.
Many companies and organizations, in fact, use their phone number as the primary element of their branding strategy:
Note that while the domain names of 1-800-Flowers and 1-800-Got-Junk are Flowers.com and GotJunk.com, even if your phone number is a much less important part of your branding strategy, the value of your brand is enhanced by having a correspondence between your domain name and phone number. Such is the case with Comcast(.com), which can be reached via 1-800-Comcast, 1-877-Comcast, as well as 1-888-Comcast, and Best Western(.com), which can be reached at 1-800-Western.
Of course, it helps if your brand name happens to be seven characters long. If the name is shorter (or longer) than this, the phone number is often presented with a mnemonic combination of numbers and/or letters, either using the brand name, or a word or words related to the brand name. Orkin, for example, uses two very effective phone numbers, 1-888-OrkinMan (in association with their most recent ad campaign) and 1-800-800-Orkin.
In another example, Super 8 Motel's phone number strategy illustrates a particularly interesting and ingenious tactic which uses a mnemonic yet meaningful string of numbers:
Others use a variety of tactics in their efforts to make their phone numbers more memorable than what would otherwise be a string of a 10 digits which only the cognitively gifted would be able to successfully store and later retrieve from long-term memory. The examples presented below represent an array of effectiveness levels.
Bob
in Brand Management
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Ad Campaign-Specific Domain Names
Many companies use campaign-specific domain names in order to emphasize newly advertised features, attributes, or services. Websites are developed which display promotional materials for the company which are created specifically to reinforce the messages conveyed in television and print advertising campaigns. For example, in order the emphasize the primary benefit of the new Windows Mobile, Microsoft established WorkWherever.com:
Similarly, Fedex Kinkos developed NoMoreAllNighters.com to promote their new “Print Online” service:
Lexus also created TheLexusEvent.com to facilitate the promotion of their annual Summer sale:
Finally, the American Heart Association also uses this strategy in conjunction with their "Beat Your Risk" campaign. BeatYourRisk.com appears as follows:
Other campaign-specific domain names include EnvisionYourGoals.com (Wachovia Securities), GetHealthyLegs.com (VNUS Closure), BeyondPetroleum.com (British Petroleum), EnergyTomorrow.org (American Petroleum Institute), ObeyYourThirst.com (Sprite), ThinkOutsideTheBun.com (Taco Bell), FedExFootball.com (FedEx), and BeATiger.com (Accenture).