Brand smart from the start: that’s my advice to any beginning organization whether it be a business or a non-profit. Branding a non-profit seems almost a sacrilegious act to some.

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The branding of franchises has its own set of problems and needs. Without thoughtful planning at every level – strategic, tactical, creative – expenses and logistics could be a nightmare.

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If you’re preparing a brand platform for a consumer product, you will find competitive analysis is vital to the positioning of your product within your product category.

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The brand promise turns out to be the delivery of the brand’s essence. It’s the most powerful aspect of a brand

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I have identified the five most popular “last names” of America’s fastest growing prively-held companies as reported in INC 500 over the past ten years. They are:

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As a business-to-business marketer, gathering information about competitors is relatively easy, but extremely important. you want to know how competitors perceive themselfs and how customers perceive your competitors.

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The Wall Street Journal will be publishing a slick insert for their Weekend Edition and calling it WSJ.. They’re diluting their brand. What has Rupert Murdoch wrought?

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Jack Trout, co-author of Positioning, thinks those Sears sub-brands (Kenmore, Die-Hard, etc - are the only way Sears can successfully differentiate its brand from J.C.Penneys, Target, Kohls and other general merchandise chains.

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You’re attempting to find a “position” in your prospects’ minds you can call your own - a positive, relevant position people will warm to. If a competitor already owns a particular position, you cannot own it, too. You must find another way to position and differentiate your business. It’s important.

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I set about analyzing and categorizing the names of the INC 500 for the past ten years. That’s 5,000 names I’ve scanned, pigeon-holed, described and charted.

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