The brand platform begins with your mission statement

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Martin Jelsema

In building a corporate brand, or if you wish call it a corporate identity, I strongly suggest you begin with a brand platform.

The brand platform is a document that encompasses the many components upon which the brand is built. It is a way to focus these diverse elements so your brand can be consistent and relevant to the stakeholders you wish to relate to. Once prepared and approved at the very top management level, the platform should be used as a guide for all branding decisions, strategic and creative. It will also become an integral part of your company’s strategic plan.

Developing the brand platform will mean borrowing some elements from your existing strategic plan, beginning with the mission statement. But in case you’ve never created a mission statement, here are some thoughts about developing your first one. Continue reading →

Branding and Positioning Go Hand-in-Hand

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Martin Jelsema

Branding and positioning combine to deliver an integrated and powerful presence in the marketplace.

Branding, coupled with positioning, can differentiate your business and its products and services from your competitors, That combination can also establish a personality that is both unique and appealing to potential customers. It is a multifaceted, process and discipline. Continue reading →

Branding in Multiple Languages and Cultures

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Martin Jelsema

The following blog was contributed to Buzzworthy Branding by Christian Arno, founder of professional translation services provider Lingo24, Inc. If you’re planning to market in multiple countries, this advice will serve you well

Creating & Adapting Brands across Cultures

Just because a brand is big, doesn’t mean it always does things right – as South Korean car manufacturer, Kia, recently proved when they unveiled their latest model. The Kia Provo model caused outcry from Northern Irish politicians who linked its name to the street name for the Provisional IRA during the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Continue reading →

A Strong, Integrated Brand Usually Comes from Savvy Sequencing.

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Martin Jelsema

I’ve discovered two characteristics driving many of the entrepreneurs I’ve served: possessiveness and impatience. Together they may be valuable in creating energy to get the idea rolling. It’s the idea that success loves speed. But that rush to market mentality can also sabotage a fledgling brand before it takes wing,

Quite often a startup will have been named even before a business model and plan have been created. This impatience may well result in the need to rebrand a company or product in a year or two because the first branding decisions were made with little understanding of markets, competition, consumer trends, and, yes, good branding practices. But these are just the first and most obvious problems. Continue reading →

A Compendium of Branding Ideas

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Martin Jelsema

Here are three ideas that might be adopted for your branding activities. The first introduces newsjacking, the second suggests the importance of branding for destinations, and the third speaks to personal branding. Just click on a headline to read the original story.

Breaking Bad: How to Use Newsjacking to Your Brand’s Advantage – Business 2 Community
Breaking Bad: How to Use Newsjacking to Your Brand’s AdvantageBusiness 2 CommunityNewsjacking, also known as culture-jacking, is the process of injecting your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, to generate media coverage for your brand. Done effectively, it can validate your brand as a thought leader in your industry …

Colorado Gears Up For Ambitious Branding Effort -

Colorado Gears Up For Ambitious Branding EffortOrganizers believe this campaign is different because they are calling on everyone across the state to bring ideas to the table. “Engaging every citizen in the State of Colorado. Giving them the opportunity to express their point of view and give their …

Easy, Universal Blogging Idea for Personal Branding Success – Business 2 Community (blog)
Business 2 Community (blog) Easy, Universal Blogging Idea for Personal Branding SuccessBusiness 2 Community (blog)Easy, Universal Blogging Idea for Personal Branding Success image RCP AireyWork4MoneyTWO75 186×300 Serendipity and a willingness to look for inspiration everywhere can play big dividends. Often, the best ideas for building your personal brand come …

Brands: an investment in growth and stability

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Martin Jelsema

I contend that the brand is the most long-lasting and valuable asset of almost every successful business.

Companies can switch physical facilities innumerable times and brand awareness will not change. They can go through several CEO’s without customers noticing any basic change in the brand. Economies will cycle through good and bad times without affecting a brand’s image.

Think investment when you think of branding

Successful companies know their brand(s) are valuable assets. Continue reading →