The marketing strategy behind the world’s most well known brands really does pay off in the form of brand equity.

Definitely worth the watch, check it out here:
Fresh Impressions on Brandmarks (from my 5-year-old)

With advances in technology, consumers no longer admire brands that allow for customization — they demand it. I’m not talking about the ability to put a picture of your beloved pet, Spot, on a mug. Take Nike or Jeep, for instance. Whether you’re designing your own shoe or customizing your next car purchase, today’s brands are allowing customers to make their product one-of-a-kind. Even M&Ms let customers put their own message or logo on each coated-candy shell.

In a time where consumers are watching what they spend, their demand for the “perfect” product has never been more evident. Consumers spend more time than ever before researching and customizing products to fit their unique lifestyles. We’ve given consumers the power to decide everything from color and size, to personal quotes and individual names.

We challenge you to think about your brand/company. How do you allow the consumer to customize the product/service you provide?

The paper highlights a study conducted by the Design Council (UK), which analyzed a select group of public companies—we’ll call this group the “Design Portfolio”—who were led by professionally driven, award-winning design (sales literature, websites, etc.) and compared it to the FTSE’s (UK’s stock market index) performance as a whole. While HuebnerPetersen works primarily with privately-held companies, I found the results from this analysis quite relevant and compelling for any manufacturer selling products through dealers and distributors nationally or internationally.

The study reported that over a 10-year period (1994-2003), those companies in the Design Portfolio grew more than 230%, while the FTSE itself grew just 32%. During that period, the results also showed the difference in stock performance between the two groups INCREASING year after year.

My own interpretation of this says that Internet first impressions have become (and continue to be) more and more important when conveying a credible image and message. Oftentimes, a website or a printed sales piece is the first (and possibly only) impression a prospective customer might have with a brand. And according to this study, investing in effective use of design can and will make a big difference in the growth and value of the brand.

A 2×4, a kitchen blender and a video camera was all it took to help Blendtec build up its brand awareness among consumers.

Blendtec, a small company that produces high-power, professional-grade blenders, was an unknown name six years ago. With products priced at $400, it was uncommon to find a Blendtec blender in most household kitchens. But in 2007, when the marketing director surveyed the factory and saw the owner blending a 2×4, a brilliant idea was formed—film the company’s everyday tests and post the videos online.

They blended everything from a rake to an iPad, from a can of Coca-Cola to a pack of lighters (that one didn’t end well). Almost overnight, Blendtec’s videos exploded. Soon, every household was watching everyday objects turn into piles of dust. A series of Internet videos, called Will It Blend?, soon followed. The public loved it.

But Blendtec didn’t stop with just videos. Even more ingenious, the company asked for viewer involvement. People watching could go to their Facebook page and suggest things for the owner to blend.

More importantly, Blendtec listened, blending up item after item, achieving what every marketing campaign should be about—showing customers what your product can do. To date, Bledtec videos have held the attention of over 181 million people.

The trick to viral videos—they almost always happen organically. Trying to make a viral video rarely works, but when you work with what you have, sometimes those videos take off. Blendtec’s videos show the humanness of the company. The videos don’t feel like an advertisement; instead, they work off the shock value of showing these powerful blenders in action.

A furniture manufacturer I know insists on using a certain type of screw and a certain type of wood when producing his furniture. I remember asking him once if cheaper screws and different wood would increase his margins. His response — “Sure, but it would catch up with me.”

“People trust our brand because of our reputation for quality,” he said. “As soon as I start compromising the quality, my customers will start looking for a furniture maker who doesn’t.”

Your C-suite (particularly your CFO) needs to understand that manufacturing standards for product-building efforts are no different than the standards you need for your brand-building efforts. There’s a reason your sales literature isn’t just a black and white photocopy, your website isn’t designed by your 12-year-old nephew, and your sales people don’t dress like the Beverly Hillbillies. Every brand (like every product) has a threshold of quality that needs to be maintained, or you run the risk of diminishing the brand value you’ve already established.

According to a benchmark study (PIMS) by the Strategic Planning Institute, a well-positioned, well-marketed, premium brand commands (on average) a 9% higher price than one that isn’t. Money spent maintaining—or better yet, building upon your brand (when done correctly) only solidifies your margins and profits, helping to marginalize your competition.

Finally, consistently communicating your brand attributes to your target audience is paramount in reducing the cost of making a sale. Consider the landmark Morrill Study and what it revealed. Although conducted in 1971, its findings are timeless as it relates to the human brain and the effects of advertising on consumer perceptions. The study concludes that “advertising with adequate frequency can reduce selling costs by 10% to 30% … a substantial boost to ROI.” On the other hand, it shows that “failure to advertise in a well-advertised market can increase the non-advertiser’s selling costs 20% to 40%.”

The difference between advertising or not advertising can be directly proportional to the difference between profitability and unprofitability for many companies.

At least, that’s a firm belief here at HP, and I am strong advocate for it, especially since I come from a newspaper background.

Here’s a story to illustrate my point. A fellow photo journalist once told me that you could have a Pulitzer Prize winning photo. It could be the most beautiful photo in the world, BUT if the subject’s name was misspelled in the caption or some other piece of information was wrong, it would no longer be a Pulitzer Prize winning photo.

The same holds true in the marketing/advertising world. A stunning ad or a compelling design loses all its impact—and, more importantly, credibility—the moment there’s a glaring error in it.

So forgive us when we get held up on the smallest of details. They make a world of difference.

The web as we know it is a continually changing beast.

Nearly 10 years ago, it started out as static web pages, textbook-like design and noisy modems that beeped and crackled to tell us our Internet connection was starting up like an old car. Then, Web 2.0 arrived with broadband video and growing online conversations.

And now, to the present day, the online world is evolving to recognize individual users. You. Think of it as your own personal assistant that understands what you like, recognizes whose opinions you trust and values the resources you use to make decisions.

Just this week, Google’s announcement of its “most radical transformation ever” is evidence of changes to come. Google’s update, called “Search, plus Your World,” will deliver search results using the public Internet, AND now, social network data. Basically, Google aims to make sharing on the web more like sharing in real life. The Internet no longer sees names as a bunch of binary numbers but instead recognizes that we are people with relationships and preferences.

For businesses, participation is a must to stay relevant with their core audience. Content creators will be pushed to the back of the line and become less relevant in terms of page ranking without participation. This means your online reputation and responsibilities will be more important than ever, becoming a real-time reflection of your expertise and trustworthiness in the public’s eye. The benefits will be worth the effort as this new medium for word of mouth marketing allows you to analyze your reach and understand your audience in even more profound ways.

Web 3.0 is happening. Are you ready?

More on Google+’s new search integration:
From the New York Times
From Google
From TechCrunch
From Mashable

At any rate, we have a slight dilemma at HuebnerPetersen. There are two Jim’s in the office, and it’s becoming an identity issue for us.

The first Jim—Jim Huebner—is the boss man. He’s a 6′8″ gentle giant, who you could immediately pin as “slim Jim” or “BIG Jim,” but again, too easy. Plus, since he’s the boss, we all agree I should be the one to suffer with a nickname. So Jim “The Boss Man” Huebner will go on, being referred to as simply “Jim.” The second Jim is me—Jim Schlichting. I recently started here at HuebnerPetersen and found out on Day 1, I’m going to need a nickname.

As for nicknames my co-workers have tossed around, here are a few. “Newjum,” “Little Jim” and “Junior.” But none really are sticking.

So, I am broadcasting to the worldwide blogisphere to take the challenge and submit nicknames you feel would be appropriate for me (Jim Schlichting). Because really, it’s getting annoying when both Jim’s, in unison, respond to every “Hey Jim” that is uttered in the office.

And don’t think that your efforts are going to go unnoticed or even unappreciated. The winner of the nickname contest will receive a signed photograph of both Jim’s together in the same photo. I hope our server can handle all the traffic, but we’ll try to manage. So best of luck to all of you!

Sincerely, Jim “No Nickname” Schlichting

As is tradition, we’ve designed and produced an ideabook to say thanks to our clients, vendors and friends. This year’s 2012 ideabook is the fourth installment, and we’ve brought back one of our most popular formats, a 6” x 9” spiral bound book with a “notes” section, “doodles” area and “next steps” rail.

At HuebnerPetersen, we realize an idea is a flash of brilliance, a glimmer of the possibilities to come. An idea can strike at any time, come from any direction and be gone in that same fleeting moment.

We hope our ideabooks inspire you to chase down ideas that define brands, differentiate companies and inspire commitment.

If you would like to receive an ideabook, let us know. (But hurry because this format has always been a huge hit, so we’re certain our supplies won’t last for long.)

May 2012 be full of brilliant possibilities.