“I want to read it when you’re done.”

My family rarely shares my love of marketing books. And I loved Martin Lindstrom’s last book, Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy. So I was ready to eat up Brandwashed.

And I did, at first. Lindstrom starts by describing a year-long challenge he undertook to avoid branded products. No McDonalds. No Gillette shaving cream. Even branded fruits like Adirondack tomatoes were out of the question. He called it “brand rehab.”

Not surprisingly, brand rehab failed. Brandwashed  documents why.

The Skinny on Brandwashed

Like Buyology, Brandwashed is chock full of research on our relationship with brands, from social experiments to surveys to fMRI brain scans. But unlike Buyology, Brandwashed borders on sensationalist.

Companies are “peddling panic and paranoia.” Stores are selling stripper poles to kids. And marketers are using data mining to discover our darkest secrets.

“Virtually every place you shop,” Lindstrom writes, “probably knows more about your wants, your needs, your dreams, and your habits than you do. And it’s using this information to make money off you in ways you couldn’t even imagine.”

Relevance vs. Privacy

Lindstrom takes a grim view of data mining. But he fails to mention its greatest benefit: relevance. This data helps marketers target their promotions to people who actually care, and avoid bothering those who might not.

Ever receive a flier for a home equity loan at your apartment, or some other irrelevant ad? Tacky. But receive a coupon for shampoo you were going to buy anyway, and advertising seems – dare I say it? – helpful.

But iPhones are tracking our every movements, Lindstrom says. And Facebook is selling our relationship status, religious affiliations and other details! He doesn’t actually specify any repercussions to this. Just a theoretical: health insurers could use this information to deny someone coverage.

 I’m not shaking in my boots.

But What About the CHILDREN!?

Lindstrom devotes an entire section advertising to kids. And while I don’t believe in advertising to young children, he fails to mention that many companies don’t, either.

Many brands now submit their marketing to the Children’s Advertising Review Unit, for example, which takes a strict approach on imagery and messages that could appeal to children.

I’ve even had to revise my own copywriting because of CARU’s feedback. (My last offense? Calling a snack “kid-friendly,” which could be construed as encouraging childhood obesity. )

Thanks to CARU and similar organizations, you’ll also find an “Advertisement Alert” or age verification on many brand websites, letting kids know that the site is trying to sell them something. This doesn’t stop Abercrombie & Fitch from selling padded bikinis for 8-year-olds, but it’s worth noting.

A Grain of Salt

This isn’t to say that I hated Brandwashed. In fact, I found it fascinating. But I also found it dangerous. By painting the industry with such a broad brush, Lindstrom perpetuates the stereotype that marketers and advertisers are out to get you.

I’ve seen that stereotype at work countless times. In the minds of small business owners who can’t make ends meet, because they’d been primed to see all marketing as shady and dishonest. It’s a flawed way of thinking that discourages innovation and kills dreams.

Or maybe my judgment means I’ve taken Brandwashed’s message to heart: Subliminal forces are indeed at play, so view all brands with healthy skepticism. Even brands like Martin Lindstrom.

You may have heard of Morgan Spurlock’s latest project, “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.” In it, he takes a first-person look at branding, advertising and product placement in movies.

I was watching Spurlock’s TED Talk this morning and discovered it contained a number of branding tips for small business owners. My favorite part is the man-on-the-street interviews where he asks people about their personal brands. The responses, as you can imagine, are pretty funny.

If you’re not interested in the movie itself, skip ahead to the 8:48 mark. But I do recommend watching the whole thing if you have time. It’s a little under 20 minutes long.

On a  related note – what’s with Spurlock’s porn star mustache?

If you watched any of this year’s SuperBowl commercials, you probably remember the Groupon spots parodying various social causes. (A video of the Tibet Groupon ad is above.)

While the commercials were meant to poke fun at Groupon by highlighting the triviality of  its coupons, they came off as dismissive of serious world issues– and offended viewers in the process.

Groupon CEO Learns Valuable Lesson

Advertising Age Magazine recently featured an interview with Groupon CEO Andrew Mason, who blamed himself for placing too much trust in the company’s advertising agency.

“We turned off the part of our brain where we should have made our own decisions,” Mason said. “We learned that you can’t rely on anyone else to control and maintain your own brand.”

What does this have to do with small business owners, few of whom can afford their own advertising agencies?

In a word: everything.

What You Can Learn From Groupon’s Mistake

As you market your business, you likely look to others for inspiration and advice. How should you position yourself? What style of graphics and writing should you use? Your work  may be influenced by current trends or leaders in your field.

Over time, these external voices can clutter out your original vision for your brand – and the vulnerable, beating heart that makes it real. That’s why it’s worth constantly checking in with yourself to make sure you haven’t wavered from this vision.

The next time you design a flier, write an email newsletter or add a new product to your list of offerings, ask yourself:

•  Does this feel right?

•  Does this look and sound like me?

•  Does this align with my beliefs about the world?

Doing so will help keep your brand consistent and on target. After all, nobody knows your business better than you.

What do you think about Groupon’s Superbowl commercials – excusable? Inexcusable? Don’t care either way? Let me know in the comments section below.

For more about branding, listen to episode three of the One Woman Marketing podcast, “Living Your Brand” with Kimberly Wilson.

You’ve probably seen these “Historically  Hardcore” ads making their way across the interwebs recently. This viral ad campaign caught my attention because of their great copywriting. But it kept my attention because of the controversy surrounding it: once attributed to the Smithsonian Museum, the ads were later revealed to be the work of students Jenny Burrows and Matt Kappler.

Creating student comps for major brands is nothing new. But the Smithsonian Museum’s reaction to the ads was interesting, to say the least. It got me thinking: Who really owns a brand in the 21st century? Is it the business, its users, or the public at large?

Excited, I put on my journalist cap and got in touch with both the students and the Smithsonian, hoping to get more details. You can read what came of those interviews – and my thoughts on brand ownership in a digital world – on the JPL “Converge” blog.

So … who owns YOUR brand?

Forbes.com just published my article, “Who You Callin’ a Brand? Women and the Personal Branding Backlash.” I was inspired to write it after reading author Maureen Johnson’s recent blog manifesto, “I Am Not a Brand.”

For the article, I  interviewed brand strategist Robin Fisher Roffer, who’s been a hero of mine since I read her book, “Make a Name for Yourself.” During our interview, Robin shared a wealth of helpful tips about branding yourself and your business.

Naturally I couldn’t fit them all in my Forbes article, so I’m posting a longer transcript here.

The Interview with Robin Fisher Roffer

One Woman Marketing: Have you experienced a personal branding “backlash” in your own work?

I wrote the first book on personal branding for women in 2000, and I’ve never had a negative reaction. I think since I wrote that book most of the people teaching personal branding out there are teaching it in a very creepy style.

I wrote “Make a Name for Yourself” because I had been branded something that I never dreamt. While attending an industry conference, I was introduced by somebody who was a colleague, a client and a personal friend as “the sweepstakes queen of cable television.”

When I got introduced that way I thought, “I’m a brand strategist! How did this happen?” Certainly I had done many sweepstakes in the cable industry. I came up with them and executed them. You know, watch the Discovery Channel and you could win a safari. That label completely marginalized all my dreams and all my talents in one moment. I

realized in that one moment that how we perceive ourselves isn’t always how other people think about us. They pigeonhole us. They put us into a box and they lock the key. And when that happens, we lose our joy.

I don’t know if it’s just Americans, but we love to categorize people, make a judgment, and that’s it. And that judgment is very hard to change.

I sat down and wrote a brand strategy for myself. When people asked, “What do you do?” instead of saying, “I’m the CEO of Big Fish Marketing,” I started saying, “I am a brand strategist for the digital age.” In one fell swoop I could say I’m cutting edge, I’m in media, I’m a brand strategist, instead of being what you want me to be.

OWM: Why do you think women are so hesitant to promote themselves as a brand?

Somebody had written that brands are slick, and they’re fake. In my book, people are not being made into commodities. We are celebrating what’s real and what’s authentic.

What brand marketing has taught us and how I apply it to women in our careers is digging deep to unearth your real soul, real reason for being. Your passion, your talents, your dreams. I recommend all this is poured in to defining who you are, in a very clear, consistent and authentic way.

I’ve never seen anyone say to me, “This is all fake and you’re just trying to put a mask on.” As women we need to remove our mask as caretaker and whatever we put on to survive in business, and get to the real you. It’s an opening to reinvent yourself, to achieve greater success in life and feel fulfilled because we’re being seen as who we are.

OWM: Do you think this ambivalence toward branding hurts women’s success?

I don’t think they’re ambivalent. Women have been told to be good girls, to play nicely and fit in. It’s not like the way boys are raised. The real leaders today, be them women or men, live their lives with conviction, and that’s why women need to shift so that we can create a level playing field with men so that we’re all seen for our potential.

Powerful branding all comes from the true nature of the product. The greatest brands in the world – Steve Jobs, Ellen – they are all brands and I would not call those people slick. They’re authentic, they’re innovative, they’re passionate. That’s what a real brand is. It has nothing to do with screaming from the rooftops, and putting on a mask and being someone you’re not.

OWM: How can women create personal brands without feeling like they have to live up to an image or be inauthentic to their changing nature?

The BS radar is so high right now because of the internet. The last thing you want to do is be fake. It’s important to reinvent yourself in this new economy to be relevant, but that comes from peeling the onion even more than you already have to arrive at your true nature and your purpose.

Don’t live up to an image … We’re branding ourselves as caretakers, people pleasers, these are all inauthentic masks that we wear. My process invites people to peel all these layers away to reveal their real true nature. That’s how you’re going to succeed.

The greatest brands practice the holy trinity of branding: authenticity, clarity and consistency. If you’re authentic and you’re clear and you’re consistent, you’re going to be very fulfilled and happy and successful. You’re going to be living your truth. The greatest brands do that.

Robin Fisher Roffer is the CEO of Big Fish Marketing and the cofounder of The Institute for Reinvention and Relevance. Her latest book is The Fearless Fish Out of Water: How To Succeed When You’re the Only One Like You.

]]> http://www.onewomanmarketing.com/women-and-personal-branding-backlash/feed 3 http://www.onewomanmarketing.com/moxie-house-owner-speaks-about-lancasters-rose-logo http://www.onewomanmarketing.com/moxie-house-owner-speaks-about-lancasters-rose-logo#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:22:43 +0000 Kelly Kautz http://www.onewomanmarketing.com/?p=5631 The last blog post on Lancaster’s “authentic” rose logo has been generating lots of interest in my local community. While researching the blog post, I saw few comments from Moxie House, the design and marketing firm that has been pushed into the spotlight when it was falsely accused of copying the logo from another artist.

I assumed Moxie House wanted to stay away from the mud-slinging, but I was also interested to hear its side of the story. The fact that Moxie House is a boutique women-owned firm made me even more curious.

I called owner Deb Brandt, who agreed to speak with me.

“The rose was brought in by the city,” Deb said. “We proposed to design a logo, being the kind of business that we are, but we were told that the logo was in the process of being copyrighted … I knew the city had worked on it internally, and I was informed that it was created by a sign shop, but I didn’t know the origin of the logo. That was all surprising to me.”

“We’ve been working with the city for five years. I love the City of Lancaster, and I want to do as much as I can to promote it. Our mission is ‘design for good.’ Everything we do has some sort of philanthropic message. We do a ton of pro-bono work for the city and non-profits in the city.”

I asked Deb if it had shaken her trust in the Lancaster community.

“It makes me sad that a small group of people can make false accusations and be given a voice,” she said. “I wish that people would take that energy and passion and do something good for the City. The unity in this City is incredibly important. There are so many passionate, wonderful people that live and work here. We need to focus on the good of the whole and not let the few destroy its progress. “

“Over the past five years we’ve been told we’ve managed to rise above all the political muck, and now I know what it feels like be in it. We’ve done our due diligence with this project and are trying to deal with this less than professional situation in a graceful manner.”

Then an anonymous YouTube video appeared showing the rose logo to be virtually identical to one used by artist Dard Hunter.

The YouTube video points the blame at Moxie House, a Lancaster, PA design firm that worked with the city on the new branding campaign. So far, Moxie House has remained quiet about the issue. Owner Deb Brandt told the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal that her company received the logo from the city, and did not check the design origin because she was told the city was seeking copyright for the image.

No mention of the controversy was made on the Moxie House”s Facebook page or Twitter account.

According to the same news article, the city first received the image from the company who designed city wayfinding signs, which prominently displayed the rose icon. City officials then sought copyright for the image, and received a certificate of registration from the U.S. Copyright office in April.

The Origins of the Rose Logo

Since Dard Hunter Studios had used the rose logo before the city of Lancaster, I emailed them to ask about the image’s origins. Hunter’s heir, Dard Hunter III, responded:

We have been using the logo since 1997 when we founded Dard Hunter Studios. [Dard Hunter designed the logo in 1906.] To the defense of Moxie or whomever used the design, the rose design is available as a graphic element in the P22 Typefoundry Arts and Crafts Font.  It could have been lifted from our website, or, from the font package. However, commercial use of the square rose is prohibited no matter what the source.

… I am not a litigious person and will not be pursuing any legal action.  However, I do wish to thank the many people who are looking out for my best interests.

Lancaster City Officials Remains Silent

I called the city of Lancaster for comment, but received no response. In the Lancaster Intelligencer article, Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray did say that he didn’t think the logo controversy undercut the meaning behind Lancaster’s new tagline, “a city authentic.”

I beg to differ. Whether Lancaster City’s rose icon comes from intellectual theft or just legal naivety, the situation reeks of irony … and has left many Lancaster residents scornful of the whole initiative. Even before the logo controversy started, many were asking questions such as:

•   Who decided Lancaster needed to be “rebranded?”
•   What is this costing taxpayers?
•   Why didn’t the city of Lancaster get any public input on this?
•   Why weren’t other Lancaster designers a part of the conversation?

Since the logo was revealed to be a copy, even more questions have surfaced: who’s really responsible? What does the city plan to do now?

So far, none of these questions are being addressed.

My Two Cents: It’s Not About the Rose

The controversy surrounding Lancaster City’s rebranding goes much deeper than a copied logo. City officials chose the concept of authenticity without considering all its nuances. True authenticity, in today’s Web 2.0 world, means  honesty. It means transparency. It means two-sided conversations.

And let’s get real. City officials aren’t ready to embrace any of these concepts. They’re still hiding behind canned press statements and heavy-handed marketing that tells its audience what to think.

That breed of marketing went out of style long ago. Unfortunately, Lancaster is behind the curve. And paying lip service to a modern marketing concept — “authenticity” — won’t bring it back to speed.

In the meantime, local marketer Daniel Klotz has offered one alternative to Lancaster City’s new logo:

What do you think?

If you’ve ever spent a night in a hotel, you probably remember how each glass was individually wrapped so you were assured your lips would be the first to cross its spotless surface. Why is that important?

These days, it’s not just enough to provide a quality service. You have to make that quality obvious if you want the competitive edge—much like the way housekeeping makes their presence obvious by folding the toilet paper and wrapping each glass.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy.

People Buy With Their Senses

When you’re purchasing an object—whether it’s a new car from your local dealer or a piece of fruit at the grocery store—you can immediately judge its quality.

Not only can you see quality with your eyes, you can sense it in other ways, too. You can run your hand over the car’s squeaky clean surface or feel the fruit for bruises. You can breathe in that new car smell, or smell the fruit’s peel to tell if it’s ripe.

Services—such as room keeping—don’t come with that option, because we can’t see the service being performed before we buy it. And in many cases, we aren’t be able to judge the service’s quality even after it’s performed.

This makes consumers nervous. They’re worried they’re going to pay too much, or get swindled without even realizing it. It’s the same apprehension you feel when you agree to have some expensive car repairs done, not being able to tell if they’re really necessary.

Proof Of Quality Yields More Sales

If you provide a service, putting customers’ fears at ease increases your likelihood of making sales. Hotels have discovered long ago that physically wrapping each glass emphasizes cleanliness by making it more obvious. You can do something similar.

My dog groomer finishes each haircut with a little bow or bandana, so my dog Bailey looks extra-special when she leaves.

My mother, a watercolor artist, keeps a list of juried shows entered and awards won on the back of every painting. That way, future buyers will know exactly where their art has been shown and how many awards it’s won.

How can you show proof of quality? Do you have examples from other business owners that you can share? Leave your tips in the comments section below—I can’t wait to read how other business women are utilizing this tool.

Guest post by Lori Baer, a freelance writer who crafts marketing and corporate communications copy as well as feature articles. Her work appears at www.lbaer.com along with free resources designed to help individuals boost their writing skills.

Running your own business, like jogging, is an individual sport. No one else laces the jogger’s sneakers and no one else carries their butt to the top of that hill.

Just the same, many women business owners have no marketing department to sell their services for them, and no new business development team working to take their business to the top. Marketing falls solely on the individual—a fact that should be empowering regardless of how steep the climb.

Marketing is all about promoting your brand, and in a one-woman operation the brand is you. By charting a clear course with strategic planning—like the big brand boys do—the individual freelancer’s ability to define and control their brand with precision affords a race advantage most large companies only theorize about in conference rooms.

Absent marketing departments, committees, boards, bosses, and apathetic employees, your brand can be shaped and molded, scrutinized and honed with ongoing planning until your brand essence is as obvious as the North Star—shining clearly in your mind to help navigate your every business move and twinkling brightly for all prospects to notice and admire.

Consider the following currents that inform my everyday marketing practices that might also help you keep pace as you stride toward the top.

• Trust your own inner guidance. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, writes, “Each of us has an inner dream that we can unfold if we will just have the courage to admit what it is. And the faith to trust our own admission.” If having trouble believing in your dreams of business success, read Cameron’s book.

• Create a vision. Define those dreams and hopes for your business and literally write down and sort out your goals, aspirations, and the ideal direction for your business to take.

• Know your target market. Continually research, seek to better understand, and segment your target audience with discipline. Doing so will help you frame your marketing messages with relevance, attract the clients you want, and save time and money by avoiding prospects and activities misaligned with your vision.

• Write well. Because words send verbal and non-verbal messages, your marketing copy must be strong and clean if “competence” is the non-verbal message you wish to send; basic errors in language or facts instead say “incompetence” and “poor attention to detail.”

• Stay persistent. The journey is as important as the finish line. Day by day, put one foot in front of the other and maintain pursuit of your vision.

• Be professional. Remember that you are a business woman first and an expert second. Establish business hours, be available for clients, meet deadlines, follow through on promises, and be polished whenever presenting yourself.

• Be genuine. Living your brand offers a level of transparency that clients can trust and also makes marketing yourself feel natural. Kimberly Wilson, founder of Tranquil Space and author of Hip Tranquil Chick, offers some basic tips on living your brand.

• Network, network, network. Like a former colleague always said:  “You’ve got to circulate to percolate.” Step out of your home office and network.

A brand is usually defined as a collection of images, ideas, feelings and experiences surrounding a certain product. But each woman in business has her OWN brand – even if she doesn’t realize it. That’s why it’s important to spend time thinking about your ideal brand: Brand YOU. Ask yourself:

·         How would a friend describe you?

·         What do you believe in?

·         How do you want people to feel around you?

·         What makes you different than your competitors and peers?

By spelling out your best qualities and your beliefs, you’ll have something to shoot for in your day-to-day life. And then living your brand will come naturally.

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I also give tips on how business women can create the perfect elevator pitch, and explain why networking meetings and trade shows are like trick-or-treating for adults. Just check out all the fun swag I got from the Lancaster Business Woman Power Lunch:

Leave your comments and suggestions for upcoming shows – what aspects of branding and marketing just aren’t working for you? What secrets have you learned along the way? Perhaps you have a huge marketing or branding success to share. Let me know, and you may see your name and site on a future blog post!