Thank YOU to everyone who participated in the CHAT! What an amazingly educational discussion about “what IS a brand”? How do YOU define it? How do you measure it? How do you make it bigger? And, how do small brands take advantage of opportunities with large brands falter?
Here’s the recap of high points of the discussion. Hope you’ll join us next Wednesday, May 13th, at 10 a.m . CST for the next edition of #BRANDCHAT. To see or suggest discussion questions and topics visit the #brandchat Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/brandchat-FB
Sadly, some people said that their employer blocks FACEBOOK (sadness for their grief and frustration that their employer just doesn’t understand the power of this amazing online database!). So, for those stricken with employers not yet “in the know” the #brandchat questions will also be posted on Monday at http://www.yourbrandplan.com in the FORUMS section under NETWORKING. Of course, if you can join us on the Facebook page – you’ll get the questions quicker…along with some other tidbits!
Here’s the RECAP – MAY 6TH:
Q1: from @bradfordshimp – What makes a brand a brand?
nrohrbach: Q1: brand becomes a brand when it’s more than a logo, when you make it your reputation #brandchat
tmonhollon: @brandchat Q1 Depends on who’s defining it. All stakeholders may have a different definition. Important to consider all. #brandchat
andrewmueller: You have ‘brand” when a critical mass of your customers arrive at at gut feeling about your product, service, or company #brandchat
neilmckenzphoto: Q1: A brand is how the market sees you – can be either good or bad, strong or weak, common or unique. #brandchat
BrandAide: Q1: A brand consists of the feelings, emotion, and opinions “consumers” have about you or your company. #brandchat
andrewmueller What do you consider a “critical mass”? Or, does each company need to define that? #brandchat
ideaAnglers: Q1: The best logo or slogan won’t help a company with poor customer service, branding is about how your customers react to you #brandchat
tmonhollon: Last year, we rebranded our 25-year, $2billion, franchised company. You learn a lot about your brand when you redefine it. #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: Q1: Point of connection betwn U, ur biz, niche market, & marketing where U b/c THE “fix” 4 their prob #brandchat
BrandAide: Q1: You can try to manage that perception to enforce your desired brand but ultimately the market will decide. #brandchat
AllanDeYoung: Q1: when the company consistently delivers upon its promise and becomes recognized for that value proposition #brandchat
andrewmueller: Critical mass is determined by the size of your market- enough consensus among customers so that the feeling spreads orgaincally #brandchat
@tmonhollon Lessons from rebranding: 1) Logo and name matter but are just one part of the package. #brandchat
neilmckenzphoto: Q1:Brand consists of everything you do, products, service, marketing, quality.. and the list goes on. #brandchat
@AllanDeYoung Q1: when the company consistently delivers upon its promise and becomes recognized for that value proposition #brandchat
andrewmueller: @tmonhollon logo and name can help, but are often over emphasized at the expense of customer interaction at each touchpoint.
BrandAide: Q1: A great brand represents a firm or person who follows through with their messaging, has a competitive adv, and fills a need.#brandchat
tmonhollon: @brandchat 2) A brand is a living thing that can evolve to best reflect your values + respond to perception of the market. #brandchat
neilmckenzphoto: Q1: A great logo or name can not make up for shortcomings in other areas of a business or organization. #brandchat
tmonhollon: @brandchat 3) People are a critical part of the brand. Internal and external, they are what truly defines u w/in the market. #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: @andrewmueller @tmonhollon – Agree – name & logo one element -have b/c oversimplification and identification w/ brand #brandchat
tmonhollon: @andrewmueller Absolutely. That’s why it’s important to think of your brand in terms of user interface. How do ppl experience it? #brandchat
neilmckenzphoto: Q1: Can you really “rebrand” a company or are you just “repackaging”? #brandchat
andrewmueller: @tmonhollon “brand” as user interface, interesting idea, maybe better to think of “company” as user interface + brand as result #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: @neilmckenzphoto Yes you can re-brand. It’s not your father’s oldsmobile. Fiats working on it now! #brandchat
andrewmueller: @neilmckenzphoto if you can change the gut feeling your customers have you can rebrand if not you just change your corp identity #brandchat
mariaduron: @neilmkensphoto – I think U can evolve UR brand – which is often how people define rebranding. #brandchat
neilmckenzphoto: Q1:@DrFernKazlow-Oldsmobile would be more like “reinvention” than “rebrand” – much more than a slogan to be successful. #brandchat
DianeRines: #RTathon RT @BrandAide Q1: A brand consists of the feelings, emotion, and opinions “consumers” have about you or your company. #brandchat
Q2: How do you turn a local brand into a national brand?
tmonhollon: Q2 B4 you go national, ask how big a system you can support. Think biz 1st or your customers will feel it & brand will suffer. #brandchat
nrohrbach: Q2: this may seem like a no-brainer, but make sure you’ve succeeded in branding at the local level before going national #brandchat
ideaAnglers: Q2: @nrohrbach exactly, if you’re struggling at the local level, moving National won’t fix your problems! #brandchat
brandchat: @nrohrbach Not a “no brainer”. Have seen many “brands” thinking that they have more chance giving nat’l a go than local. #brandchat
neilmckenzphoto: Q2: To take your brand nationally you must first have a “local” brand. #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: Q2 Your Pt of Connection may morphs or changes when U go from local to national – every aspect must be re-examined #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: @neilmckenzphoto Re-inventing is beginning of re-branding! #brandchat
tomcomber: @neilmckenzphoto Not sure I agree with you there. Plenty of companies have national presence without developing locally. #brandchat
tmonhollon: @nrohrbach Also, ask why you want 2 go natl. Not always the best growth strategy. Regional, service lines might be better. #brandchat
andrewmueller: @neilmckenzphoto disagree completely! You can launch a national brand it is done all the time #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: @brandchat @neilmckenzphoto Sometimes u go local 2 national other times esp w/ internet direct national/ global #brandchat
mariaduron: #brandchat @@tomcomberI don’t agree – think that’s why U see franchisors looking 4 local connections..it’s all local + people focused.
Whistletree: @tomcomber Could it be that a brand begins with a niche/focused group and then builds from there? #brandchat
nrohrbach: @tmonhollon this is true, local to nat’l does seem like an awfully big jump, especially if “local” is a small town! #brandchat
andrewmueller: Examples of national brands launched nationally include car companies, internet properties, etc. #brandchat
tmonhollon: @mariaduron Interesting that you bring up the franchise model. Typically, you buy a “national” brand to implement it locally. #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: @brandchat @neilmckenzphoto Sometimes u go local 2 national other times esp w/ internet direct national/ global #brandchat
Whistletree: @tomcomber Could it be that a brand begins with a niche/focused group and then builds from there? #brandchat
andrewmueller: Examples of national brands launched nationally include car companies, internet properties, etc. #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: @nrohrbach @tmonhollon Part of prob going local 2 national/global is ppl afraid of “getting big” & taking their space #brandchat
tmonhollon: @andrewmueller Web-based is a good exception, but with natl brands, sales is still usually local. Feet on the street = sales. #brandchat
mariaduron: @@tmonhollon #brandchat – agreed that happens but it was local somewhere, sometime + created community b4 going nat’l Look @ MickeyD s
bradfordshimp Agreed + they created community online. That was THEIR location, location, location. #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: @bradfordshimp Morning – agree abt internet companies, totally changes biz dev paradigm #brandchat
BrandAide: Q2: National brands also have local brands – depends on how they are managed in your town #brandchat
andrewmueller: problem of going national from local is one of business model #brandchat
McCourtRealtor: RT @neilmckenzphoto Q2:@andrewmueller Nat’l launches start locally w/research – could be many locales. If it works there then exp #brandchat
McCourtRealtor: Franchises all developed local communities (followers) even if that group ‘lives’ online. From there must have biz model 2 grow #brandchat
andrewmueller: Many corporation lauch products as “brands” nationally after local research which is not launch, true for “house of brands” co’s #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: Q2 Always a location, online loc = community, ranking, brand recognition/visibility #brandchat
Q3: Are smaller brands taking market share?
BrandAide: Q3: There are no small brands only small brand managers 
#brandchat
tmonhollon: @brandchat Q3: Niche brands thrive when they R lean, nimble, custom. Small brands that act too big may suffer due 2 less support. #brandchat
Whistletree: @brandchat I feel social media levels the playing field & allows smaller brands 2 capture % of market share they wouldn’t have. #brandchat
christinetonkin: @BrandAide What is the brand manager’s job? #brandchat
bradfordshimp: I see smaller soda brands right next to the big brands more and more – same for other products. #brandchat
tmonhollon: @mariaduron Franchises can be a great balance local v. natl, small v. big, b/c you can act local but get global support. #brandchat
andrewmueller: @brandchat P&G is an example of “house of brands” P&G their products are branded individually + have little cross influence #brandchat
neilmckenzphoto: Q3: Company size is not a condition for having a brand. #brandchat
ideaAnglers: Q3: I’ve even seen LARGE company brand one of their products to look like a “house/small brand.” Even the big dogs see that niche #brandchat
BrandAide: @christinetonkin Brand Mgrs ensure that core values are communicated and felt at all consumer touch points #brandchat
bradfordshimp: What about when large brands stumble? Is your small brand ready to take market share? #brandchat
mariaduron: RT @BrandAide @christinetonkin Brand Mgrs ensure that core values are communicated and felt at all consumer touch points #brandchat
tmonhollon: @ideaAnglers The idea of the niche is being embraced more and more even w/in corporate brand strategies. SM plays a part. #brandchat
McCourtRealtor: @ideaAnglers Yes, big dogs are seeing the niche + that’s why there’s such a LUV 4 social media 2 level that playing field. #brandchat
nrohrbach: @bradfordshimp GREAT point,mom and pop need to be poised to fill a gap when big co. perturbs a vendor or sparks a scandal in news #brandchat
andrewmueller: small co’s take advantage of market niches that big co’s are feel are too small to pay attention to #brandchat
Whistletree: @McCourtRealtor Agree, It’s happening in traditional advertising. How many Super Bowl ads came from Youtube or the like? #brandchat
sjhalestorm: @BrandChat, Q3: SM gives small brands the power to steal market share from the big boys. Little brands can make big noise. #brandchat
bradfordshimp: I don’t think a big national brand protects a company as much as it used to. It is far easier for smaller, nimbler ones to gain #brandchat
SirHendrix: @tmonhollon @ideaAnglers for corporations “niching” would mean active market segmentation. #brandchat
Q4: How are you on a weekly basis tracking your brand?
neilmckenzphoto: Q4: How to measure and track brand? Probably a lot of clients asking their agencies this question. #brandchat
tmonhollon: @brandchat Weekly is mostly digital. Media clippings, Google alerts, Twitter search, blog comments, etc. #brandchat
andrewmueller: Q4 answer = SALES #brandchat
ideaAnglers: Social media, google docs & analytics help us monitor our brand both weekly and even daily. Surveys/newsletter signups, etc #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: @andrewmueller Products may be unrelated but a brand umbrella is formed. What would happen if P & G bought Playboy? #brandchat
BrandAide: @tmonhollon Also data and feedback from internal orgs that interact with market… executive, support, sales, etc. #brandchat
tmonhollon: @BrandAide Definitely. Direct customer & client feedback is invaluable. #brandchat
andrewmueller: @DrFernKazlow would have little effect on the individual product brands – most customers would never know #brandchat
neilmckenzphoto: Q4: The measure of brand that is most important in the long run is sales. #brandchat
MarkoMentor: Building a brand online depends on your communication skills and ability to demonstrate Value #brandchat
DrFernKazlow: @andrewmueller Not true! Many won’t buy ANY P&G products b/c they r IDed as uncaring animal testers. Even if ppl luv prod! #brandchat
MarkoMentor: Its no longer a case of selling to its a case of value attraction #brandchat
andrewmueller: @DrFernKazlow and social media is making this a bigger and bigger problem breaking down the walls of houses of brands #brandchat
SirHendrix: Q4 the measure of brand is brand equity. #brandchat
tmonhollon: @bradfordshimp @prsarahevans likes to say social media is not about ROI, but ROE – Return on Engagement. #brandchat
andrewmueller: @DrFernKazlow social media has made the sharing of infomation +coalescing of groups much easier, there voices r more easily heard #brandchat
SirHendrix: Q4 tracking brand perception is an integrated, possibly niche-specific task. doesn’t make sense weekly. #brandchat
SirHendrix: @andrewmueller @drfernkazlow regarding Procter&Gamble, for the consumers the brand images are with the products not the company. #brandchat
SirHendrix: short-term earnings and short-term mentions aren’t any criterions for the success of a brand. #brandchat
SirHendrix: cust xperience can undermine / reinforce brand image, but it’s not the same. preconceived opinions are stronger than xperience. #brandchat
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