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And how changing the conversation, helped increase the value their brand.

Taking over a former Armani store in Santa Monica, a new high-end shoe company, held a private launch party this past Thursday night with key influencers and high-end early adopters to celebrate Italian designer Bruno Palessi.

For information on these strategies, check out these Razor Branding Blogs:

• HOW PAYLESS CHANGED THE CONVERSATION
• TECHNOLOGY AND BRANDING
• MODEL OF A BRAND

And for everyday branding tips follow Jaci Russo on Twitter: @jacirusso

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The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.

As a child of the 80s, I was fortunate to grow up during the evolution of the cell phone, the home computer, and the Internet. In the early days, cell phones were carried in bags, computers were slow and bulky, and to get online you had to sometimes wait 20 minutes for your modem to kick in. Today we live in a world that I could not have imagined when I was in college. Although I am still waiting for my rocket jet pack and personal robot to clean my house, I am constantly amazed by how technology has continued to not only changed our lives, but also change how we do business.

For information on these strategies, check out these Razor Branding Blogs:

• TECHNOLOGY AND BRANDING
• MODEL OF A BRAND

And for everyday branding tips follow Jaci Russo on Twitter: @jacirusso

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If you haven’t had a chance to read the book “Scramble” by Marty Neumeier (author of The Brand Gap, Brand Flip, Brand A-Z, and lots of other awesome branding books), I hope this blog will be the catalyst that makes you pick it up. The subtitle of Scramble is “How agile strategy can build epic brands in record time.”

For information on these strategies, check out these Razor Branding Blogs:

• MODEL OF A BRAND

And for everyday branding tips follow Jaci Russo on Twitter: @jacirusso

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And why one cannot survive without the other

For some people, marketing and branding is close to the same thing. There is some truth to this if your marketing is influenced by sound branding, but this is rarely the case. More often than not, marketing is developed without the use of consumer insight resulting in a one-sided conversation. Before we get to that, though, let’s break things down a bit further.

For information on these strategies, check out these Razor Branding Blogs:

• THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MARKETING AND BRANDING
• WHY SO MANY BUSINESSES HATE ADVERTISING
• DISCOUNT BRANDING AND WHY IT NEVER WORKS

And for everyday branding tips follow Jaci Russo on Twitter: @jacirusso

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And why it doesn’t have to be that way

I’m just going to throw it out there before I begin – I love advertising, and I always have. But I know for many businesses, advertising is a necessary evil. It is something that is either blindly pursued with skeptic hope that it might work or a burden on the bottom-line that they would rather do without.

For information on these strategies, check out these Razor Branding Blogs:

• WHY SO MANY BUSINESSES HATE ADVERTISING
• DISCOUNT BRANDING AND WHY IT NEVER WORKS

And for everyday branding tips follow Jaci Russo on Twitter: @jacirusso

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How to maintain your brand equity through difficult times

I think it would be safe to say that if you own a business, run a business, or manage a business, you have had a few sleepless nights even when things were going well. Sure, you follow the adage of “never let them see you sweat”, but inside, you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, particularly when things begin to slow and the projections you had for the month fall short of expectations.

For information on these strategies, check out these Razor Branding Blogs:

• DISCOUNT BRANDING AND WHY IT NEVER WORKS
• REBRANDING FROM THE INSIDE OUT
• BRANDING, RELATIONS AND LOVE
• WHAT IT MEANS TO LOCALIZE YOUR BRAND
• HOW B2B BUSINESSES CAN BENEFIT FROM B2B BRANDING
• WHY HIRING AN EXPERIENCED BRANDING PROFESSIONAL IS SO IMPORTANT

And for everyday branding tips follow Jaci Russo on Twitter: @jacirusso

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Is it time to rebrand, or merely take a closer look in the mirror?

To say it’s easy would not be entirely true, but every once in a while it benefits us all to take a good hard look at ourselves. Sure, it would be easier to live in a world of self denial, while avoiding mirrors like we were the long lost love child of Lestat. But in the end, there comes a moment of clarity when we realize the time has come to make some changes.

For information on these strategies, check out these Razor Branding Blogs:

• REBRANDING FROM THE INSIDE OUT
• BRANDING, RELATIONS AND LOVE
• WHAT IT MEANS TO LOCALIZE YOUR BRAND
• HOW B2B BUSINESSES CAN BENEFIT FROM B2B BRANDING
• WHY HIRING AN EXPERIENCED BRANDING PROFESSIONAL IS SO IMPORTANT

And for everyday branding tips follow Jaci Russo on Twitter: @jacirusso

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How to work with your agency to get the best results.

Say the word “relationship” and you’ll receive varied reactions. Some find themselves involuntarily spinning back to high school, where relationships were often one-sided, requiring you to stand in someone’s front lawn just before midnight holding a stereo that blasts messages of love and devotion.

For information on these strategies, check out these Razor Branding Blogs:

• BRANDING, RELATIONS AND LOVE
• WHAT IT MEANS TO LOCALIZE YOUR BRAND
• HOW B2B BUSINESSES CAN BENEFIT FROM B2B BRANDING
• WHY HIRING AN EXPERIENCED BRANDING PROFESSIONAL IS SO IMPORTANT

And for everyday branding tips follow Jaci Russo on Twitter: @jacirusso

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And why so many National Brands still haven’t figured it out.

For many national brands, one of the biggest challenges is how to find ways to connect with a local audience. For global brands such as Coke or Nike, this localization is of less concern due to the fact that they aren’t competing against established local brands. For them, their localization efforts come in the form of sponsorships and community involvement. Things can get complicated, though, when a company attempts to buy its way into a market that already has a “buy local” mindset in place.

For information on these strategies, check out these Razor Branding Blogs:

• WHAT IT MEANS TO LOCALIZE YOUR BRAND
• HOW B2B BUSINESSES CAN BENEFIT FROM B2B BRANDING
• WHY HIRING AN EXPERIENCED BRANDING PROFESSIONAL IS SO IMPORTANT

And for everyday branding tips follow Jaci Russo on Twitter: @jacirusso

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Are they genius or insane? Time will tell.

So, unless you have sworn off social media all together, gotten rid of cable, or decided to head out into the woods for a life of solitary meditation, you have heard of the recent Nike deal featuring Colin Kaepernick in its new “Just Do It” campaign. Depending on which side of the fence you land, you probably have some pretty strong feeling either way. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to jump into the fray and voice my own opinions on the matter, but that’s not going to happen. Instead, I will talk about what I know best, and that is branding.