4 Ways to Win The Customer Experience

Brands are racing for ways to win the customer experience as more of us are looking at brands that take us on a journey. Today’s customer isn’t just price shopping they are willing to pay for experiences and great ones at that.

When customers have a positive experience with your brand they are likely to share it and as well become returning customers. Today it’s not enough to just have a great product or service but every step of the customer’s journey needs to be thought out from the point of view of the customer. We all know our customers are the backbone of any thriving business.

So let’s take a look at how brands can create experiences that matter.

1. Personalize

Customers don’t all want the same thing. Who doesn’t like to have something that no one else does? Though each customer is unique if you’re looking to engage your customers for the long term you need to make this a priority because consumers are demanding that brands make the effort to really get to know their wants and needs. So things such as keeping track of their past purchases, making suggestions of new products based on their purchase history, or even allowing the customer to be part of the creation of products are all ways of personalization.

2. Make The Experience Seamless

Whether it’s online or offline customers want ease. The easier you make the buying process or even the return process the more it enhances the experience. This idea trickles down to your customer service reps as well. When customers get on the phone with someone on your team they expect your team to help solve their problem concisely and quickly.

3. Understanding Your Customers

As brands, we’re always looking at data and sales. But these are only part of the story. You have to also understand who your customer is, not just their HHI, age, level of education etc. Get to know their likes, words or phrases their using to describe a problem your brand solves, and even dedicating someone to actively listen on social media to comments will help you better understand customers’ mindset.

Another way is to create a customer persona, giving a potential customer a name and lifestyle description. This will help your team to understand and recognize who they are dealing with.

4. Customer Feedback

In order to know if your customer experience is a winner or a loser, you’ll need to get feedback. Ideally, you want to capture immediate feedback after an interaction. It’s best to attach feedback to your team members in order to recognize those who are making an impact.

Building Brands For Women

Women have long been the "must get" demographic who makes most of the buying decisions while marketers are constantly trying to figure out how to build brands for women. Often times brands implore strategy that isn’t viable or doesn’t resonate with women.

Lately, we’re seeing cult-like indie brands on the rise and the reason s that they are relating to women on a level that connects wholeheartedly with them while truly understanding the pain points. According to Kathleen Griffith of Forbes Magazine, "80% of women saying they don’t trust brands anymore, and this tension has grown over time, with 42% saying they trust brands less than they did 20 years ago. No longer are women loyal without reason — they’re less forgiving of brands in general. Women are abandoning brands at a greater rate than ever, and once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.”

1. Connect With Women Emotionally

Not only is it women but most consumers are moved by a brand that connects with them emotionally. This is why brand experiences have become the driving force in marketing and there’s an uptick in advertising spend when it comes to building experiences.

2. Show Instead of Tell

Stats don’t move us. We need to know how it can benefit us in a way that’s entertaining, fun, and engaging. It’s important to be upfront, show how your brand can make a woman’s life better, especially for mothers. Moms have very limited time juggling career and family so they want to know how you can make her life easier.

3. Keep It Simple

Women don’t want to sieve through a mountain of choices. We’re looking for just the right choice. Many times when women are presented with too many choices they either tend to abandon the brand or save it for later research and never come back.

4. Don’t Be So Obvious If You’re Targeting Us

Be subtle, women know when they ’re being targeted and it doesn’t feel great. Instead, brands should create organic ways of capturing the attention of women.

5. Pink Isn’t Always The Answer

Many marketers get it confused and think that women are attracted to the color pink. The color actually doesn’t always entice women, what does move us is the design and quality of products.

Co-Branding The Next It Trend?

There always seems to be a new marketing trend on the horizon so is co-branding the next “it” trend? Whether you call it a partnership, collaboration or anything in that realm it all falls under the marketing concept of co-branding. So what exactly makes co-branding the next it thing?

As more brands clamor into the marketplace, the competition will become stiff. In order for newcomers to quickly scale their brand, they’ll adopt co-branding as a way to build brand awareness and customers. The idea is to work with another brand that reaches a similar customer as your brand yet doesn’t compete for the customer’s attention.

What exactly are the benefits of co-branding and how do you even start looking for a brand partner?

1. Reach New Customers

When you partner with the right brand you will have an opportunity to reach new customers that you wouldn’t have reached alone. This also allows your brand the opportunity to engage with these new customers to not just potentially make a sale but also get inspiration to better your brand.

2. Create Unique Marketing Campaigns

This is the opportunity to allow you to come up with unique marketing strategies with your partner brand. Here you can test different marketing campaigns to see what will resonate with customers. Cross promoting contests on social media is a sure way to gain eyeballs for both brands, as well as increasing followers.

3. Be Clear on Your Brand Values

It very important that you are clear on what your brand values are because you want to make sure these values also align with your partner brand. If they don’t then the partnership won’t work. Brand values are simply what your brand believes in and that usually comes from the founder or CEO.

4. Authenticity With Your Partner Brand

Be clear with your partner brand what you’re looking to gain for the partnership. Is it sales? Profit sharing? Or maybe it’s something else. Make sure its spoken about early on before you launch a campaign together.

5. Platform to Beta Test

This could also be a great opportunity for your brand to have a platform to beta test any new product or services on a small scale.

3 Ways Brands Redefine The Customer Experience

Brands, our customer's needs, and wants are constantly evolving at a faster pace that we can keep up. It’s key to be able to identify what your customer's specific needs are in order to better connect with them. Whether you’re actively listening on social media or offline, brands need to be limber in order to adjust accordingly.

The way customers experience your brand is key to building a sustainable brand for the long game. There are too many brands out there that are overnight sensations and gone the next. So if you’re looking to play the long game here’s what your brand can do.

1. AR That Brand

Augmented reality may be in its infancy but more brands are experimenting with it to create an experience that will stand out with endless possibilities. When it comes to shopping, some fashion brands have taken on the position of creating an entire experience which allows customers to shop online as if they were in a store. Sephora’s Visual Artist tools on its app allow you to try on lipstick and even eyelashes before you purchase the products. Buying furniture? Wayfair has created a 3D simulation on how furniture would look in a room allowing customers to better visualize the products in a space.

2. Save Time and Personalization

Consumers now are expecting these features from brands. Part of creating an experience you always want to ask yourself, is your brand saving the customer time? Or is it grabbing their attention at each step of the customer’s experience? When it comes to personalization, customers only want what relevant to them. In order to connect with customers, you need to market your brand in a way that is relevant to your customers. Successful personalization happens when there is a deep understanding of who your customer is, their preferences, likes, and dislikes. It’s no longer just about simple demographic information but it's about the customers’ mindset.

3. CEO’s Are More Involved in The Customer Experience

CEOs and founders set the tone of any business and when they are involved with the customer experience it shows customers that brands care. Every successful brand from Amazon to Starbucks all have CEOs who are very active in the customer experience process and also actively listening to customers’ needs.

Chatbots and Their Influence On Marketing

Contributor Writer: Josh Wardini

Technology has come a long way and with it the birth of artificial intelligence. When Alan Turing came up with the Turing Test back in 1950, you could not have believed that the world will soon come to rely on artificial intelligence. Today, artificial intelligence has led to the development of chatbots. Chatbots have become a core part of the major brands that you love and cherish. Especially, when it comes to marketing.

Marketing is a phenomenon as old as time itself. Proper marketing will always give you top figures in your sales department. Of course, in the digital world, we live in today, customer service is a huge part of marketing. Convenience is a huge part of marketing. You do not want to use the services of a brand that has difficulty addressing your queries. You want to get total and maximum value for your money.

Chatbots have become a huge part of marketing a brand via reliable customer services. From 2015 till 2016, the global chatbot market increased by 622%. In dollar terms, the industry is projected to reach an estimated $1.225 billion by 2025. You might not like it but chatbots are here to stay, and many brands like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus are not at all shy about following the movement. https://www.16best.net/blog/chatbots-gone-wild/

Amazon was the first brand to hop on the chatbot movement. Its virtual assistant Alexa was developed in 2014. Alexa can chat with you, play music for you, set alarms for you and provide you with weather and traffic updates, among other things. Today, that success has paved the way for other brands. Alexa boosted sales for Amazon massively after its implementation. A proof that chatbots are the future of brand marketing.

Google is another brand that makes use of chatbots, and this is one of its major selling points. Google maps already have chatbots that give you direction while driving and it plans to implement better technology in self-driving cars. You can also have conversations with Google's voice assistant.

Microsoft and Apple have not been left behind. Microsoft has Cortana while Apple has perhaps the most popular chatbot in history - Siri. You cannot deny the fact that Siri has been the reason many people decide to purchase Apple phones. A perfect marriage of marketing and chatbots.

Even brands that are not software geared make use of chatbots. Sephora uses less intrusive chatbots to make suggestions about products and deals. Starbucks allows you to place orders with Alexa. It also has 'My Starbucks Barista' which allows you to place orders and set pick up locations.

  Numbers That Back Up the Advantage of Chatbots in Other Sectors

• Chatbots save up to 44 minutes per customer inquiry when compared to traditional call centers

• $0.7 will be saved per interaction with a chatbot by 2022

• Chatbots meet 20% of banking needs without any form of human contact

• $0.019 million has been saved so far by chatbots in banking and healthcare sectors

• This figure is estimated to reach $8 billion by 2020

Chatbot Opinions Among the General Populace

• 96% of people believe chatbots are here to stay for good

• 56% of people think chatbots will soon begin to outperform humans

• 80% of major brands plan to build a chatbot

• 47% of consumers would buy items recommended by a chatbot

Diversity: A Buzzword or Are Brands For Real?

It seems like everywhere you turn there’s that gawking word “diversity,” is it just a buzzword or are brands for real? Inclusion isn’t a new concept but it's been pushed to the forefront as brands scramble to understand how to either capitalize on it, implement it and or revamp a better brand message.

Every industry seems to have its challenges while making small steps in the right direction. We see some brands blunder the efforts while others have systematically managed to excel. Brands such as Netflix are doing it from the inside out, hiring more women in executive positions while other brands are starting from the outside with their customers, working inward to their team.

So which brands are getting diversity right? There’s no real answer to this one but there are industries making visible changes and strides for inclusiveness

Fashion

The fashion industry has always been under extreme scrutiny when it comes to runway models and ad campaigns. It’s quite prevalent when brands such as The Knot selects only blond hair blue eyed models at a recent model casting call. But the mainstream fashion show, NYFW has made a point to include transgender, curvy, and mature models in the past two seasons which starts to exemplify the shifting paradigm of what is now defines fashion and beauty.

According to Sergio Delavicci, SAG/AFTRA actor and internationally published model who has walked over 250 shows including New York Fashion Week said, “The fashion world constantly changes. However, with the rate and direction it’s currently going I think ad campaigns will continue to feature transgenders, curvy models, mature models, LGBT models as long as they fit the brand. At the end of the day, we are all unique and talented.”

Fashion Week Brooklyn is also another mainstream Fashion Runway Show that touts diversity across the board while supporting emerging talents which was prevalent in this season’s show, “Haute Brooklyn.”  

Tech

Tech has been long been criticized for it’s “bro” culture that hasn’t been as inclusive as many companies give off. For example, 50% of employees at Apple and Google are still white. Based on Apple’s recent diversity report, minorities employed at the company grew from just 19% in 2014 to 23% in 2017. While the tech giant claims that 50% of its new hires in the US this year were from underrepresented groups in tech.

Hospitality

Hospitality is also making a shift when Time Asma Hotel in Dubai announced that it will open this year with 80% of its staff attributed to women.  

Beauty

While beauty brands have received as much criticism as the fashion industry, Covergirl made strides to feature the first ever male spokesmodel. Glossier which exploded onto the beauty scene for its famed approach of women empowering women in the purchasing cycle.

Publishing

Has also begun to embrace diversity in a big way when National Geographic Magazine featured the first transgender child on its cover, it gained widespread support and popularity. Playboy has also featured its first transgender playmate.

Fast Food

This is an industry that many haven’t paid attention to. A local Los Angeles El Pollo Loco restaurant vowed to only hire transgender staff members. Owner Michaela Mendelsohn stated, “I am a trans owner supporting trans people.”

In the end, diversity is what the new consumer is looking for in brands. They want to be part of your brand’s story and not just a piece of the story. It’s time your brand starts to consider your diversity strategy whether it’s in house or how you market.

Marriott Hotel Experiences Life With You

Today’s traveler wants the creature comforts of home so the solution, Marriott Hotels experiences life with you. What that means is that they have created guest rooms that provide you with a variety of ways to keep up with life even on the go.

We’ve all come across guest rooms where it was dingy lacking something that we needed whether it’s that flimsy notepad to write down our midnight ideas or that green juice that you always have for breakfast. In sweeps Marriott, they have solutions and want to solve some of their guests’ travel woes.

California  

Marriott has transformed the shower door to a digital notepad. Many of us have brilliant ideas that come to us during the show but never a place to write them down. Here’s how it works: once the doors get steamy enough, guests can draw or write on it. Your masterpiece will then be emailed right to your inbox and your moment of inspiration won’t be lost. This shower door is currently being tested and is designed with business travelers in mind.

This idea came after Marriot survey their guests and discovered that many of their business guests said that most of their inspiration comes while showering. You can check out this shower door in action through their “Splash of Brilliance” campaign.

Atlanta

The hotel chain has also adopted a healthy hotel to help travelers maintain a health focus lifestyle even on the go. Guests rooms include items such as:

• Air purification to reduce pollen allergens, mold spores and other particulates and microbes in the air

• Aromatherapy all-natural essential oils to create a calm, mood-enhancing environment

• Circadian mood lighting for guests to personalize the in-room light environment to enhance sleep, energy, and productivity

• Cleaning protocol that uses non-toxic cleaning products and UV lighting to reduce bacteria, viruses and other microbes

• Specialized lighting including a dawn simulator to gently wake you, energizing light to suppress melatonin and reduce jet lag and longwave night lighting to minimize sleep disruption

• Stay Well Shower Infuser that reduces chlorine to keep hair and skin soft and smooth

• Stay Well™ mattress and encasements with natural memory foam for optimal support and comfort to help maintain a more enjoyable sleep environment

• Stay Well mobile app with information about in-room features, a Jet Lag tool and complimentary Cleveland Clinic Wellness programs

The hotel chain has been disrupting the industry with consistent out of the box approach to rooms attracting more and more travelers. So what exactly is the lesson here? As a brand you want to listen to your customers, find out what they are missing and come up with a unique solution to stand out in a crowd. The key is to create experiences.

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