Marketing 2.0

Six design lessons from the apple store

Jesse James Garrett from Adaptive Path, provides six good tips on retail branding that he observes at the San Francisco Apple store.

adaptive path six design lessons from the apple store

The role of identity in marketing

Here's an interesting article from Wharton on the role of identity in forming our opinions and brand allegiances. I recommend that you sign up for this newsletter as they always have interesting content in a number of different categories.

"Why do so many smokers keep smoking, despite decades of health warnings? Why do Harley Davidson motorcycles and Ralph Lauren clothing engender such loyalty among very specific types of people? Why do teens and parents always seem to fight, and never seem to hear what the other is saying? Wharton marketing professors Lisa Bolton and Americus Reed have found through their research that judgments linked to a person's identity - from teenager to Republican, environmentalist or businessman - are virtually immovable. That has crucial implications for brand identity."

Your Boss Won't Agree? Might Be "Identity-Induced Stickiness" - Knowledge@Wharton

Cleaning Up Brand Clutter

Have you stood in a supermarket aisle recently, totally overwhelmed with brand choices and unable to find the one you were looking for? Have you ever picked up a cold six-pack to enjoy with the basketball game, got home and discovered that you bought Corona Light instead of regular Corona because the damn packaging looked the same? (This one actually happened to me). If so, you've been the victim of brand proliferation that is absolutely out of control.

Somewhere along the line, marketers bought into the notions of brand extension, mass customization, have it your way, blah, blah, blah and went crazy with line extensions. In some cases, stagnant unit sales may have driven them to develop alternate variations of a brand in hopes of stimulating sales. The trouble is, extensions usually end up dividing the same pie into smaller pieces rather than making the pie any bigger.

Peter Seeley is a consultant who advocates cleaning up brand clutter and simplifying things. Fast Company published an article on Seeley and his book. Though it dates back to 1991, the article and book are even more relevant today because marketers obviously aren't following Seeley's advice. Give it a read and clean out your brand closet.

Fast Company | Cleaning Up Brand Clutter

Brand Communities

Have you ever wondered how some brands attract a fanatical following? What are some of the strategies that marketers use to build a base of loyal customers? Many successful brands like Apple and Jeep have fostered brand communities - networks of customers who organize themselves around the brand experience. I have researched the concept of brand communities and published the results.
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