10 Hidden Messages Inside Logos

We’re unearthing the 10 hidden messages in logos because brands who create logos with a purpose better connect with their audience. The key to connection is actually designing for your customer in mind. Whether it’s a logo, your brand story, the experience, packaging or messaging it all ties back to the consumer. The easier it is for customers to understand each of these aspects the quicker it is to forge that connection.

So let’s take a look at what messages are inside these major brands’ logos.

1. Amazon 

The curve in the logo represents a smile but also turned into an arrow that starts with the letter "A" and ends with a dimple under the "Z." It’s meant to emphasize that Amazon offers everything, from A to Z.

2. Tour de France

The logo actually includes a cyclist made up  by the body of the “R.” The “O” and the yellow sun creates the wheels.

3. BMW

The luxury car brand historically had manufactured airplanes. So many thought that the logo was a representation of an aircraft propeller. It was only recently that the company clarified that the logo actually represents the flag of Bavaria.

4. LG

The LG logo is made up of the letters "L" and "G," but also looks like a winking human face. If you rotate the logo and it looks like Pac-Man.

5. Northwest Airlines

The circle and arrow that makes up this logo is actually a compass that points to the northwest. When you put the arrow together with the “N” it also creates a “W” which has part of the left leg removed.

6. Baskin Robbins

Well-known Baskin-Robbins is infamous for 31 flavors and they make it known in their logo. Inside the logo, the number 31is hidden inside the “B” and “R."

7. Tostitos

If you put the two “T” together they double as two people holding tortillas, ready to dipped into salsa represented by the dot on the letter “I.”

8. Cisco

Headquartered in San Jose, the logo pays homage to San Francisco by hiding the Golden Gate Bridge inside the logo.

9. Vaio

The letters “V” and “A” in the logo represents an analog wave meanwhile the letters “IO” represents “1” and “0” of the binary code.

10. Starbucks

The Starbucks logo is slightly asymmetrical. If you look closely, the nose outline on the right side goes deeper down than the left side. This goes against all conventional rules of designing. The reason they did this was to give the mermaid a more human appearance.

Consistent Branding

When it comes to showcasing your brand you want to employ consistent branding. Brands that deliver their message, personality, and story over and over again, in the same way, tend to stick in the memory of customers. How many times have you seen that Nike Swoosh? Or how about that Apple? We all know what they are without anyone having to spell it out.

Global brands take care to deliver consistency across all platforms. Whether it's a simple social media post or a video on their website. Consistent branding is a key challenge for brands especially those with a large team.

These are the 5 keys to being consistent with your brand:

1. Create A Brand Guide

This guide can be a simple document that ensures your team is on the same page when it comes to branding. Things you want to cover in the document include brand colors, media formats, signage and logo usage.

2. Keep Your Colors Consistent

No matter where your brand appears, make sure it's consistent. If for example, your logo is in color it might be a good idea to create a logo in black and white as well. Using a color management software would be good to consider.

3. Review Your Media

It’s important to do an annual audit of your media it helps to eliminate inconsistencies. Things to be on the lookout for in this audit is your website, social media page, business cards, agreements and any other media that’s out here. Also, make sure that your brand’s personality is resonated throughout your social platforms.

4. Use The Same Font

This helps to pull your brand together by using the same fonts it gives your brand a unified voice. The tone of your brand will also reflect the type of font you choose.

5. Company Culture

Here is where you want to make sure that your brand is clearly reflected in the kind of company culture you create, from onboarding to training. When customers see that your brand’s values, personality, and beliefs transcend not just to them but to your team, they are more likely to buy.

5 Reasons Why Brands Fail to Launch

Ever wonder why brands fail to launch even though they have a fantastic product or unique offering? The truth is- it’s not about having a great product there’s an entire strategy that goes into crafting a brand from idea to something tangible customers need in their life.

Branding failure doesn’t just happen to start up brands but also well-established brands as well. According to Kristina Monllos, Senior Editor of Adweek, brands such as Pepsi, Dove, Uber, and even Mcdonalds have had their moment.

Brands who are consistent thrive in the marketplace while those who are chaotic tend to not resonate with customers. There are 2 categories that brands fall into.

For those brands who miss the mark usually are exhibiting few or all of these symptoms:

1. Identity Crisis

Be sure of what you want to portray to customers. Don’t decide that you’re going to be a sophisticated brand this week and next week you decide to discount all your products to $0.99. It’s impossible for you to attract the right customers if you’re sending out mixed messages.

2. Not Knowing Your Value

This happens too often where brands aren’t sure or don’t have a clear value system in place. The haphazard approach of throwing sh*t to the wall and seeing what works is a guaranteed failure. Sit down and write out what your brand’s core values are. For inspiration here’s one of Zappos, “deliver WOW through service.”

3. Going At it Alone

Yes, we know the “Hero’s Journey,” is so sexy, strong and very true in many cases. But when it comes to branding don’t try to be the “Hero Brand,” find a strategic partner. It’s ok to collaborate with another brand or even influencers, this doesn’t make you weak. In fact, it makes you look stronger and much sexier because you’ll be connecting with customers that you couldn’t reach before.

4. Not Designing The Customer Experience

This is a deliberate process of mapping out from start to finish what you want your customer to experience both online and offline. It can start with your logo and website but it needs to also be much larger than that. This requires that you pull in how you want your customers to feel from the moment you say hello. At each step, you want to make sure that customers are consistently feeling the same emotions.

5. Ignoring Your Team

Your team ones on the front lines when it comes to working closely with clients. You need to figure out ways to have your team drink the proverbial company Kool-Aid. This has to be done in an organic manner. The same way you serve organic ads to customers is the same way you need to approach your team. Get to know them as people what are their passions, dreams, and goals. What makes them light up and what makes them sad are equally important things you want to know about. Keeping your team happy, inspired and engaged will help move your brand to the next level.

What's Your Brand Personality?

Brands are like people so if you want to captivate an audience you need to know what’s your brand personality. Learning about your personality helps you craft a marketing strategy and also create the way you showcase your brand, not just on social media but also across your organization as well. Before you craft a strategy on connecting with an audience first get to know who you are. 

1. The Outlaw

They are rebellious, wild, and all about breaking the rules. They are also known as the trendsetters allowing people to break from the norms.

• Setback: They could take it too far and be seen in a negative light
• Example: Smirnoff, Virgin, Harley Davidson

2. The Hero

Wants to make the world a better place. They are strong, confident, brave, inspirational and honorable.

• Setback: Can come off as arrogant or unapproachable
• Example: Nike, BMW, Duracell

3. The Creator

These are imaginative brands that want to create something that has meaning and value. They are also very entrepreneurial.

• Setback: Can be perfectionists or even impractical
• Example: Youtube, Lego, Crayola

4. The Explorer

Is a brand that finds fulfillment in new experiences. They are adventurous, ambitious, independent pioneers.

• Setback: Won’t fit in with the mainstream
• Example: North Face, Jeep, Red Bull

5. The Regular Guy/Gal

They want to just connect with other and feel like they belong. These are brands that are totally down to earth, supportive, who kind of reminds you of the neighbor next door.

• Setback: They lack a distinct identity and can risk blending in too much
• Example: Home Depot, Levi, eBay

6. The Innocent

These are happy brands that aim to be young, pure, optimistic, and romantic.

• Setback: They can seem boring and naive
• Example: Dove, Coca-Cola, Cottonelle

7. The Lover

They are brands that crave to create intimacy, inspire love, passionate romantic, sensual, committed and warm. These are also the brands that help people connect and feel appreciated.

• Setback: They may be overtly selfless and not grounded
• Example: Victoria Secret, Godiva Chocolate, Nars

8. The Magician

They are the ones who make dreams come true. Charismatic, imaginative, inspire change and spirituality are what drives this type of brand personality.

• Setback: These brands take risks that sometimes lead to bad outcomes
• Example: Disney, Apple, Lululemon

9. The Caregiver

Is nurturing and all about taking care of others. This maternal like brand is generous, compassionate, and above all super selfless.

• Setback: Can be taken for granted or even exploited
• Example: Johnson & Johnson, Campbell Soup, Toms

10. The Ruler

Likes to create order from chaos. They are leaders who are responsible, organized and are great role models.

• Setback: Lack a common connection with many or be too controlling
• Example: Microsoft, Barclays, Mercedes-Benz

11. The Jester

These are brands that just want to bring joy into the world. They are fun, mischievous, and have a great sense of humor allowing people to be more impulsive and spontaneous.

• Setback: Can be easily disrespected and people won’t take them seriously
• Example: Ben & Jerry’s, IKEA, Geico

12. The Sage

This kind of brand thrives on helping the world gain wisdom, insight and is a trusted source of information. They can be seen as the gurus or mentors.

• Setback: Can risk being overly contemplative or very opinionated
• Example: BBC, Wall Street Journal, Google

So what kind of brand are you? 

Brand Naming Made Easy

It’s time to name your brand and you’re probably spinning wheels so here’s to brand naming made easy.  At this point, you’re wondering should you use your own name? Or better yet maybe you should come up with some cool made up name. But what if it doesn’t catch on? These questions sound familiar?

It should because it’s the same questions that everyone asks themselves when naming their new business. Before we dive in trying to get funky with the names let's talk about the different types of brand names first.

1. Descriptive Names

The classic style of brand naming that simply describes what the company does. The challenge with this kind of name is that it’s constricting, it’s as good as its name. Some examples are Toys R Us and Paypal

2. Acronym

These are names derived from descriptive names. Tech companies are known for acronyms. IBM, SAP, HP are some of the global giants we recognize today. Not many of us know what these letters really stand for but we know exactly what kind of products or services each of these companies offer.  

3. Made Up Name

Made up names are great in that they don’t come with any stigmas. But the tricky part about it is that you want to avoid using Latin or Greek words when you make up your brand’s name because it will take tremendous marketing dollars to educate the audience. Some examples of made up names are Acura, Kodak, and Xerox.

4. Experiential Names

Brand with experiential names such as Virgin and Caterpillar is based on the feeling or experience that they want customers to feel when using their products. This type of name can be quite powerful because in today’s market where consumers are collecting experiences this may provide you with the extra boost.

5. Founder’s Name

Using the founder's name is probably the easiest way to name your brand. What’s great about this is that most likely the founder will already have a personal brand which exists and cross-promoting their business and personal brand makes it easier to get your brand out there.

So how do you know if you got a name that a winner? Here’s the ultimate quick and easy way to test your new name:

When you assess your brand you need to consider

• Distinctiveness: How does your name compare to your competitors?

• Sound: When you say it out loud how does it sound? Is it easy to pronounce?

• Stickiness: Is the name easy to remember?

• Expression: Does your name match your brand’s personality?

• Appearance: When you print it out using the Helvetica font 30 font size how does it look like? Is it easy on the eyes?

• Decide what your name needs to accomplish and make sure it aligns with your brand’s core values. You will need to be clear as to which kind of brand name you’re going to go with descriptive, expressive, acronym, etc. and start naming.

Branding Reality Check

This is a moment of truth- branding reality check. Are you over complicating things? I mean are you making things harder than you need to? If you are here’s a large dose of check yourself before you wreck yourself. According to the Siegel+Gale Simplicity Index:

• 63% of customers are willing to pay a bit extra for a simple experience

• 69% are likely to refer a brand that provides a simple experience

So are you now convinced that your brand needs to serve a need or solve a problem with simplicity? Successful brands are those who are extremely focused on simplifying the customer’s experience. Now if you’re wondering how you can streamline your brand and create a leaner business here’s what you need to know:

1. Be Easy

The more complicated you make your offerings the less likely it is that customers will think of you first. Customers want to use a product that not only solves a problem for them but makes it as easy as 1-2-3 in the process. For example, if your brand is offering multiple promotions at the same time, it will create major confusions. Keep it simple to maximum 2 different types of promotions. You want your brand to be easily understood.

2. Position From Power

You always want to position your brand from a power position in order to succeed. In order to do that your brand needs to answer these:

• Your company is …

• Your company does …

• Your company serves ...

3. Study How The Pros Do It

If you need some inspiration, check out how these pro’s do simplicity branding.

• Google (Simple website, yet provides a ton of valuable information)

• Zappos (Allows you to try on and return at ease)

• Warby Parker (No need to go to the optical store to get glasses, they come to you)

• Netflix (A monthly subscription gives you limitless movies without ads)

• Amazon (Buy almost anything on a single platform

Emotion AI: The New Frontier

If you haven’t heard about it, emotion AI is the new frontier reshaping the way we live. This technology has the ability to analyze, compute, detect, process and responds to your mood. It can identify emotions from happy to shame. “By 2022, your personal device will know more about your emotional state than your own family,” says Annette Zimmermann, research vice president at Gartner.

So which industries are early adopters using this technology already? Here’s the short-list of those who are brave enough to go there.

1. Smart Fridges create personalized experiences by interpreting your mood then suggesting foods to match those feelings.

2. Emotion-sensing wearables will be affecting the healthcare industry by monitoring a patient’s mental health. Or it can provide doctors and caregivers an analysis of patients or children’s mental well-being.

3. The automotive industry is already looking at how this technology can be used to determine a driver’s mood and reaction.

Currently, emotion AI is still very proprietary and not widely used by major brands. But brands who eventually utilize this technology will better connect with customers by creating a super customized experience which means a higher ticket item.

On the flip side, this kind of disruptor technology will spark the debate about privacy with many questioning if privacy will be obsolete. Or will we still have some variance of it that won’t be subjected to being analyzed and data mined? These are questions that many are debating today as we inch closer to the new frontier.

9 Powerful Things Brands Say That Gets You Emo

Why are we so obsessed with emotions? It doesn’t matter if you’re an average person or a big-time brand we’re all constantly trying to understand emotions and learn how to tap into it. Why? You see the most powerful thing about emotions when you learn to tap into them you can motivate others to take massive action.

If you’re thinking well who cares, that’s grimy. Well, guess what? Whether you like it or not your emotions are being analyzed, processed and learned at every moment. Behind all the algorithms there’s a whole system learning about your likes, dislikes and figuring out how to manipulate your emotions.

According to NY Times, “Facebook Tinkers with Users’ Emotions” using your newsfeed. Marketers are always looking for the edge in order to increase brand awareness and ultimately sales. On the front end marketers are using words to tap into your feelings and here’s what they’re saying to evoke emotions:

1. TRENDSETTING- “Be like your favorite celeb”

2. TRUST- “There’s no hidden costs”

3. FEAR/ FOMO- “Don’t get left behind”

4. VALUE- “There’s nothing else better than this”

5. BELONGING- “Join now and see what everyone is talking about”

6. TIME- “Do your taxes in half the time”

7. LEADERSHIP- “Be the first to take advantage of this special offer”

8. GUILT- “Your contribution can provide clean water for these children”

9. INSTANT GRATIFICATION- “Call today, speak to a representative today”

Olympics Bring On The Drones

The Olympic games have begun and like so many of us, we’re glued to the screen checking updates as to which countries took home gold and following updates on the youngest snowboarder of team USA, Chloe Kim.

These games are an opportunity for athletes and brands to showcase themselves and reach a global audience. This year it was announced that longtime sponsor Mcdonalds bowed out of continuing to sponsor the Olympics and making room for Intel’s new announcement that they will be bringing Drones to the games. The new game-changing partnership announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will start with the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea and run through 2024.

Tech continues to grow at the Olympics, as photographers are already using underwater cameras and 3D cameras to capture unique footage. The best part about Intel’s partnership with the Olympics is that it allows home users to choose which angle they want to view the games from through virtual reality or 360 videos.

Intel’s partnership with the Olympics isn’t its first sports partnership. The company also announced a three-year partnership with Major League Baseball using its True VR to broadcast live games, show highlights, and on-demand replays. In 2017, Intel also partnered with the National Football Associaton with “Be the Player” campaign showing the point-of-view shot from any player using 360 videos.

The world of sports and events will forever be changed by Intel’s entrance into this space. Their goal is to aggressively target Millennials so bringing onboard celebrities like Lady Gaga and Michael Phelps is how they are looking to better connect with their audience. As of now this strategy for Intel is looking very ROI positive.

Candy Meets Facial Recognition

Facial recognition, a hype or a must have as part of your marketing strategy? According to Lolli & Pops, it’s a must. The renown candy brand touts one of a kind sweets and customizable gift boxes ranging from $20 to upwards of $200. You’re probably thinking it’s just candy, well in today’s competitive market your brand needs to think creatively because servicing customers is all about an experience.

Brands that deliberately design these experiences tend to have more of a following and an uptick in sales. Lolli & Pops recognized this and announced that it will be rolling out the use facial recognition software in multiple stores this year. They plan on using technology that utilizes computer vision to spot loyal customers (those who are sweetly obsessed enough to register their faces beforehand) upon entering the store. The staff will be able to view a customer’s preference, past purchases in order to make suggestions and identify if the customer has any allergies.

Candy stores aren’t the only adapters to using facial recognition. Here are some other industries that are jumping in:

Airlines

JetBlue and China Southern Airlines are the latest airliners who announced that they will be using facial recognition to replace boarding passes.

Security

iPhone utilizes this same technology in order for you to unlock your phone.

Fast Food Restaurants

Your face is the new currency at a local Chinese KFC store

Entertainment

Star Citizen’s facially responsive video game avatars

Now you get to decide, is facial recognition really a hype and how will your brand use the technology for a creative force of good. If you want us to showcase how your brand in our blog tell us how you’re creatively using facial recognition send us an email info@thechigroup.co

5 Reasons Why Brand Collaborations Work

Brand collaborations, who really cares and is anyone even still doing it? Matter of fact, it's a new rising star next to influencer marketing. Brand collaborations are done in a subtle way that you as a customer might not recognize. You’d probably think it’s cool or interesting that these two brands are working together and it makes sense. What you don’t realize is that it’s simply a strategy to not just gain your attention but also evoke curiosity. Which translates into more time you’ll spend with a brand.

This can be a powerful strategy for startups because when you’re starting a business you might not know how to get your brand out there. Yes, our go-to autoresponder will always say, social media, Facebook, or even create videos. Those are tools that can help but if you’re looking for a quicker response, look for collaboration opportunities. Here’s why it works:

1. More Attention  

More eyeballs more chances of a sale. When you partner up with another brand you reach people that you wouldn’t have reached before.

2. Create Something 

Partner with a brand that’s in the same industry or vertical as your’s and you get to co-create something new that’s not out there on the market.

3. Increase Marketing Dollars

It’s always great to have extra dollars allocated to your marketing efforts. By partnering together you increase the marketing budget and alleviate the stress of squeezing blood out of a turnip.

4. Marketing Time Decreased

This is always a plus, double the budget and save time on marketing efforts for both sides. It leaves you time to do the things that really drive you when you’re starting a business and that’s the freedom to create.

5. More Creativity

When you’re both start-up brands working together towards a common goal you will get creative. The fun part is always here, figuring out how to do something new and different.

Brand collaborations aren’t without their challenges. The word collaboration has been thrown out so much that the obscurity becomes trying to figure out if this is a paid or non-paid opportunity. Before you enter into any collaboration or partnership be VERY clear with the other person about this opportunity and what your goals are. If you’re both are not on the same page then you’re wasting precious time.

Unstereotype- The New Advertising Rules

It’s been an eye-opener year so far from the #metoo to #timesup movement, we’re seeing a shift in the world that can’t be ignored. Consumers are demanding for equality and this isn’t a new hype, matter of fact the shift is already happening. You can see changes across all industries from fashion to tech.

Last year NYFW had seen transgender models grace the runway along with curvy models. Hollywood was rocked by the Weinstein scandals and even Vice had its own share of run-ins. So what does this all mean for the advertising world? Marketing and advertising are consistently morphing with new rules and regulations in order to keep up with the fast-paced changes in technology and the way customers are consuming content.

Gender roles have undoubtedly been portrayed in the wrong light for the last decade or more. LGBTQ representation is few and far in ads. In order to address some of these challenges, the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) started to develop some new rules which will be enforced and executed by Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Here are a few ads that will be problematic:

• Advertisement showing family members creating a mess while a woman is solely cleaning it up.

• Ads suggesting certain activities is inappropriate for boys because it is stereotypically associated with girls, or vice-versa.

• Ads featuring a man trying and failing to simple parental or household tasks.

According to Ian Barber, director of communications at the Advertising Association, the challenge will be “consistency and certainty for brands and agencies, in what is a subjective debate.”

If you’re looking for some inspiration on gender equality video campaigns, here’s a few:

T-Mobile #LittleOnes

Courtesy of T-Mobile

Under Armor and Misty Copeland I Will What I Want

Courtesy of Under Armour

Always #LikeAGirl

Courtesy of Always

Connecting With Gen Z's

This year the new hype generation will be Gen Z’s. Last year brands started to take the necessary steps to ensure that they understand this generation. Since they’re going to have the most spending power in the marketplace in the upcoming years. The oldest of Gen Zers will be turning 21 this year.

This is a generation which is also tech-savvy and is going to have different needs compared to those of Millennials. According to Nielsen, 97 percent of Gen Zers have smartphones, 78 percent have tablets, while only 70 percent of millennials and Gen Xers have smartphones and tablets. So what does this mean for your brand?  

If you’re going to market to this generation you will have to learn how to connect with them, So it starts with speaking their language. If you’re having FOMO (fear of missing out) because you’re totally lost here, don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Here’s a working list of Gen Z lingo terms:

Adulting

Describes actions that appear mature or grown-up.

Glow up

Too #blessed to be stressed.

Gucci

Something that is good; can also be used to agree with someone. "Wow, your handbag is so Gucci right now."

HMU

Hit me up

LMR

Shorthand for "like my recent."

Move

A big party. The move got shut down.

Salty

When someone is angry, upset or irritated. "Don’t be salty because someone stole your idea.”

TFW

"That feeling when ..." For example, TFW when you glow up.”

Thirsty

Coming off as extremely desperate.

Woke

Socially or culturally aware

The Future of Digital Shifts

Will the tectonic shift in our digital future make or break brands? Every year a brand survives in today’s competitive landscape, becomes a race to understand the new “it” trend and how to integrate it into their marketing strategies. After this year’s CES we saw how businesses have gotten creative with AI, VR, and robotics. Brands turned mundane tasks into extraordinary digital experiences, that not only wow’d but left many of us feeling like we’re already behind the times.

So what exactly does this shift look like and what will it mean for your brand? We already know that VR and AI are here to stay. Here’s what else your organization should pay attention to:

Vocal Browsing Becomes King

It wasn’t long ago that we were all clicking on a keyboard to do a Google search. Now with Apple’s AirPods, Google Home and Amazon’s Echo, these brands have changed the game. They are creating an experience by totally eliminating the use of our eyes and hands. Vocal browsing extends to various parts of our lives such as socializing, driving, cooking waking, exercising, and even machine operation.

Mobile Apps Gone

Brands have already started to see a decline in mobile apps downloads and a steep drop in ROI’s from apps. The app store is extremely crowded and we will continue to see companies simply allowing their apps to expire and disappear from the store.

Wearable Cut Down Cost of Healthcare

Companies will aim towards creating a healthy lifestyle culture inspired by gamification and fitness trackers. The anonymized data collected will allow organizations to make better choices for health insurance packages and coverage. Companies will start to sponsor wearable fitness trackers as part of an added bonus.  

Immersive Shopping

As we start 2018 we’ve already seen a lot of brands from fashion to cars that have added in an immersive shopping component. This phenomenon is not just stateside but it’s become a global trend as China’s mega-giant, Alibaba had announced the use of VR way back in 2016.

Digital Giants Part of Our Lives

According to Gartner, “By 2021, 20% of all activities an individual engages in will involve at least one of the top-seven digital giants.” So what does that mean for you? Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent are already in our lives. As our physical life, finances, and healthcare become digitized, it will for sure be connected to one or many of these digital giants.

Museums Throw Snowballs for Brand Awareness

In the midst of the northeastern bomb cyclone snowstorm, Twitter was filled with snowball fights by museums across the East Coast. Using the #museumsnowballfight museums shared some of their iconic snow photos and fun trivia facts about winter weather. So who threw the first snowball? It was none other than the Museum of the City of New York.

This kind of campaign may seem pointless to some but when it comes to building your brand it’s a brilliant approach that won’t drain out your marketing budget. The cost merely zero the upsides are also pretty great. In fact here are the perks of witty social media banter:

Brand Awareness

You get to build awareness by reaching people who you might not normally reach. When you engage other brands in a conversation people will look, they’ll respond and even share your content.

Being Part of a Viral Campaign

Viral campaigns have the power to boost your brand. Take for example the #metoo movement, it garnered over 600K mentions on Instagram alone. The movement is still going strong even after many months.

Gain New Followers

Friendly brand banter can, in fact, help you gain new followers on social media. Your brand will have the possibility of gaining hundreds of new followers within a short amount of time. Now, who doesn’t want new followers? We all do, of course.

Build Engagement and Community

This is also one of the results of witty brand banter on social media. Brands aren’t the only ones who will get involved but so will other users who will post their own personal message while using the hashtag. Just a word of caution here, make sure you’re starting a respectable banter. One that isn’t so will cost you followers and also bring forth the critics.

The next time you want to boost your brand’s awareness, do consider some witty banter and engage other brands. Don’t be shy.

Supreme's Secrets to Success

Supreme that highly coveted streetwear brand with an insane cult-like following that other brand envies. It’s products exclusive and supplies always limited. But yet even with that people are willing to stand in line for endless hours when new products ‘drop.’ With over 6 million followers and products fetching 1200% resell value what exactly is the secret sauce to this kind of wild success that seems effortless.

When it comes to marketing they don’t invest in paid search and do very little when it comes to advertising. Here are Supreme’s super secret strategies uncovered:

LIMITED SUPPLY

In true Supreme style, they stick to this strategy hell or high water. By controlling the supply it increases the hype. Once the product is sold out you will never be able to purchase it again. This entices customers to be tapped into the brand. Supreme has one retail distributor called Dover Street Market and they sell products through their online store and limited retail locations globally:

• USA: New York City, Brooklyn, Los Angeles

• Europe: London, Paris

• Japan: Tokyo (Shibuya), Tokyo (Harajuku), Tokyo (Daikanyama), Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka

New products are dropped weekly, every Thursday both online and through international retail locations. Japan gets the new products on Saturdays and here’s the kicker they never announce what products are coming.

MODERATE WEBSITE

If you really study Supreme’s website you’ll see it’s pretty stripped down to the bare basics which align perfectly with the brand’s value of limited supply. You’ll find zero calls to action buttons and only one graphic, their logo. The message they want customers to know is that you will need to chase them, they will never chase you.

THE EMAIL MARKETING STRATEGY

On Supreme’s website, there’s only two places that you’ll find the signup to emails alerts.

1. The bottom of their homepage

2. Their ‘shop’ page for a few months before their next collection releases

The only two reasons that Supreme use’s email marketing is:

1. To update customers on weekly ‘drops’

2. To send exclusive insider email to certain customers

 SUPREME COLLABS

Influencer marketing is part of their strategy but they also are quite choosy as to which celebs/influencers they partner up with. In the past Supreme has worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Drake, and Kate Moss, to name a few. The key is to create authentic relationships by following these few tips:

• Helping with things that influencers are involved with (attending events where they are, connecting via social media, etc.)

• Allow your collabs to actively participate in the collab with you by creating a product together.

• Outlining the benefits of working with you (massive exposure, tapping into a new market, etc)

Make sure that the celebs/influencer you’re reaching out to have values that align with your brand.

POSTER CAMPAIGNS

Most brands will use PPC to help build brand awareness, but Supreme hits up the occasional poster campaign to further build upon the hype. If you remember they worked with a few well-known celebs in the past for these poster campaigns.

• Raekwon & Elmo, 2005

• Dipset’s Jim Jones & Juelz Santana, 2006

• Mike Tyson, 2007

• Kermit the Frog, 2008

• Lou Reed, 2009

• Lady Gaga, 2011

• Prodigy of Mobb Deep, 2011

• Three 6 Mafia, 2012

• Kate Moss, 2012

• Neil Young, 2015

• Morrissey, 2016

The two biggest takeaway from Supreme’s strategies is scarcity and consistency. If you’re looking to launch a luxury product in the future, I’d say it’s worth studying up on how Supreme does it.

Brand For Originality, Not A Copy

Contributor Writer: Trejsi Hushi

The thing is, you have an incredible idea in mind but you don’t know where to start. You do your research and found a bunch of information online. Great! Now you are influenced by all these “internet lies”. You check out a website where you found tips about how to create a brand based on someone’s view. But guess what? You are doing the wrong thing.

Sit down. Close your laptop, take a pen and a paper and write down whatever comes to your mind. Create a map, connect all your ideas and boom there is your future brand. I made it sound all easy right? What I’m trying to say is be you! Find something that you care about, something you’re passionate about because then you be so interested and work harder every day.

See, if you look at other big companies, they all did the same. It started with Facebook and now it’s Instagram. They’re both very popular in their own way. They both have their own target market. Many people thought Instagram was “stealing” a part of Facebook (the “photo saving”) and Facebook was going to lose most of its customers because of Instagram taking over, but that was not the case. Facebook is still strong!

In the real world we learn from other people and get their ideas and we come up with something similar and it’s the same for other companies. And don’t forget, well-known companies fall into this category too. Just because a company has the same idea as another one doesn’t mean they are copying each other. What makes them different and unique in their own right, is the way they operate.

Let’s go back to Facebook and Instagram and analyze it!

Facebook: Stories, photos/video sharing, messenger

Instagram: Photo sharing, like video, filters, direct messaging, mobility

As listed above, you see many similarities, BUT realize one thing, Instagram is about creating your own content. It’s unique in its own way. And the same thing goes for your brand. It doesn’t matter if it has some similarities with the other brands. Instead, the way your brand operates is the key difference to making it unique. There’s always a lot of room to be yourself.  Just get your idea out there, create something YOU like and test it. Let your customers and clients give you feedback and understand them. If you locate yourself where demand is, you will form supply. Nowadays you have to stand out and be yourself to be noticed. And that’s exactly what you have to do with your brand. Give it life and make it stand out.

Reach The Future: The Power of Our Customers

Contributor Writer: Trejsi Hushi

Creating a powerful brand doesn’t come from the popularity you have.

Let’s say that you have the idea of what you want to do or that you even created your brand and have everything organized. Now, you ask yourself if there is anything else you have to do and the answer is simply yes. If you think about it, being successful is all about your customers. They are the key! You, as the founder of your brand, have less power than your customers. Listen to your customers because they will lead your brand to the future you want it to be in.

We live in a world where the customers have control over a brand and that is because the today’s technology has developed so much over the recent years.

They are the future of your brand because they decide how to rate it, how to speak of it, they believe whatever they want to and most importantly they listen to other customers. It is true that your marketing team can influence them, but it is very important to keep in mind that your customers speak different languages.

If your brand can learn to speak in its customer’s language, then it can transform possible to normal and impossible to possible. By speaking the same language as theirs and listening very carefully to the words they use. Your brand will benefit by getting the most important information out of it. You, as the founder of a brand, cannot build your brand based on your imagination, but instead in a way that your customer will feel welcome in.  

In today’s digital world, a good image of your brand is a priority, but to create a good image you have to listen to your customers. There are many websites that allows customers to write reviews about your brand and to even find information about it. They are able to communicate with former customers and collaborate with them, so the experience you offer to your customers is very important. Communicating with them to make sure they are satisfied can lead to a better image online, since your brand is more likely to be in their “favorite” list.

Online reviews serve to highlight your brand in a positive or negative light. As a brand, you want to always have positive views because online reviews spread across the internet and they influence other customers’ views when it comes to buying decisions. However, having some negative reviews as well, will not hurt your company but rather it shows that your brand is human. In the customer’s point of view, a brand with positive and a few negative reviews will be more favorable because they are being sincere about their image and not trying to hide their imperfections. That can build customers trust.

In addition to building customers trust, online reviews can help your brand show its personality. Of course, when you have reviews either positive or negative, a response from your brand should always follow up. Not only does it makes the customer feel like you care and pay attention, but also the way you respond to a review, or if you not respond at all, will show the brand’s personality to the public. If your brand is always taking care of the unhappy customers and thanking the happy customers, your brand personality will stand out more.

Listen to your customers, they will guide you!

Marketing & Branding: The Sisterhood That’s Stronger Than We Thought

Contributor Writer: Trejsi Hushi

Let’s start off by saying that a great logo, beautiful bright colors in your designs will bring you success because that’s exactly what most people want to hear. Everyone wants the easy way out but that’s not the case when it comes to building a business. Not only does it take a lot of planning and effort but the key success is branding and marketing. Now let me answer a question that people tend to ask the most. “What is the difference between Marketing and Branding?” They don’t sound alike but many people confuse their purposes for the business.

Marketing is simply the process a product or service goes through from the moment it was created until it is sold. Another way of explaining it would be a promotion. We use marketing techniques such as promotion to sell products. How does that work? Simple, we as marketers develop a great message that will result in sales. So basically, we push this message out and try to gain the attention of consumers until they like the product and consider purchasing it.

Branding is another concept, it is a story. Imagine the culture behind your business, who you are. It doesn’t tell you to buy products the business offers, but it tells you its value and what it can offer. Branding is so much more than that. Since marketing is like a “one night stand,” branding is always there and motivates you as a consumer to buy their products. A good, strong brand will determine how loyal your customers will be based on what you offer them. It doesn’t push you to simply buy a product like marketing does but it pulls the consumers closer to the brand.

I call them a sisterhood even though they are very different from each other. Yet without both of them, the business will not grow. The bond they have is very strong and that’s what we need both in order to succeed.  We first need branding in place, then Marketing comes after. Without branding, marketing doesn’t work and vice versa.

By having branding and marketing connected to each other, the business can benefit in different ways. When we try to market a product of a brand that is very strong and has many loyal customers, it is more likely to succeed because the consumers are more likely to be involved with this brand. In this situation, while marketing takes over, we can gain as many sales as possible which is the goal of any business and is much easier to accomplish in this case.

Even with a weak brand, this can still work as long as the marketing strategy is strong in this case. If marketers are able to go all the way to gain our consumers’ trust and be able to sell, we not only will gain loyal followers, but it will also help us to meet their needs as well.

Being that marketing and branding can lead to a successful business, we need to make sure that we go through each step to get a positive result. You simply won’t earn much in sales if marketing is not taking place and cannot be as confident and strong if the branding process hasn’t taken over.

Infographics: A Step Closer to the Future of Branding

Contributor Writer: Trejsi Hushi

Who would even be that interested to read a paper full of words? Simply, no one has got the time to pay attention to an endless paper. Now take a minute and compare that to a paper that punches you in the face the moment you see it. Now THAT is what got your attention! As ironic as it sounds, it is very true.

An infographic is the use of graphs or diagrams in your context to represent information in an easier and more visual way. Many brands try their hardest to use the best format or words to explain their ideas, but sometimes it takes a little effort as creating an infographic which can help you take a step closer to the future of your brand. A brand’s dream is to be in the long-term memory of an individual and infographic helps that happen. Not only is it simple to create, but it brings plenty of benefits to the table. Who wouldn’t love that?

Human Brain’s Best Friend

Infographics are an easy way to access someone’s memory since the human brain reacts more positively to information that contains a colorful context with graphs or diagrams, straight to the point, rather than just a plain one.

One-Click Makes You Go Viral

It takes one second for one click and your information is out in the media. By having an attractive infographic you are more able to go viral in no effort due to the fact that it is so shareable and very eye-catchy.

Brings You Subscribers and Followers

The powerful visual that infographic owns can help your brand gain more subscribers and followers. Once they are very well created and attractive they are able to go viral. A lot of people who are interested in them will be more likely to check them out and want more of them. That is what gets you more subscribers and followers.

Connection is Key

More sharing equals more seeing equals more attention equals more connection, and that is exactly what you want as a brand. The people who care about you and are interested will begin to contact you, bringing in more customers and/or clients.

Beyond Your Marketing Skills

Who doesn’t love an easy task? Having an infographic can give you another skill to add to your Marketing expertise. Everyone loves flyers and the pretty ones to look at, but what if you turn your infographic into a flyer? Great idea right? All you have to do is turn your infographic into a flyer instead of creating a new one. Not only will it be interesting but it will also grab your target market’s intention since it is so much better and visual than a simple flyer.