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The truth behind awards, their true value, and what they mean to a client’s brand.

brandRUSSO was born in February 2001, and like most agencies, we entered our work in all of the award shows, winning more than our fair share of local, regional and national advertising awards. We earned a great haul of glass and metal acknowledging the impressive work we created for our clients.  The Telly awards are a favorite being produced by the same company that makes the Oscar. They have some real heft to them.  But, year after year, winning dozens and dozens of awards began to feel empty and meaningless (and expensive to enter).  Just because some out-of-market creative director “judged” the work to be worthy of recognition – what did that really mean?  

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

• Do Advertising Awards Build Your Brand?
• Brand Theft: One of these is a lot like the other.
• Branding of Political Candidates, their Identities and their Tribes

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

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I spent this past Friday on the road, driving from Lafayette to Jackson, Mississippi to watch my son play baseball at Millsaps College. Along the way, I began to notice a multitude of what can only be described as an outdoor buffet of legal advertising. Now, it’s not like I haven’t noticed them before, as they seem to be everywhere these days, but several lawyers seemed to own pretty much every outdoor board along my four-hour drive.

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

• WHY HAVING THE BIGGEST BUDGET DOESN’T ALWAYS TRANSLATE TO HAVING THE BEST BRAND
• THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL AND ONLINE MARKETING
• IT’S SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

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

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And how good old-fashioned messaging can save us all

As we continue to move further and further into the world of digital and online marketing, we are presented with many opportunities as well as challenges. Perhaps one of the greatest opportunities is the ability to track engagement like never before. For a marketer, it can only be described as game-changing. But for those struggling to keep up with an ever-evolving world of new technology, it can be daunting.

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

• THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL AND ONLINE MARKETING
• IT’S SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

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

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How to manage the end of a relationship between an agency and its client

In business, as in life, there are relationships. There are beginnings, middles and unfortunately, there are endings. In advertising and branding, it can be the ending of a relationship with a vendor, a team member, or a client – each one takes its toll on the emotional fabric of the creative process. For me, this has been the hardest part of advertising – the end.

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

• IT’S SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

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

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The love/hate relationship many fans have with the NFL

To say that the NFL has taken a few bad hits these past few years would be an understatement. The most recent episode revolves around a blown call at the NFC Championship game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams. The call in question occurred at the end of the game, and pretty much kept the Saints from returning to the Super Bowl. It would be easy to say that blown calls are part of the game, but if you happened to see this play, which I am pretty sure everyone has by now, it would be hard to argue how ridiculously bad this call was. It was so bad in fact, that few flinched when words like conspiracy were thrown into play.

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

• BLOWN CALLS, SUPER BOWLS AND BRANDING
• HOW GILLETTE CHANGED THE CONVERSATION

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

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Asking its audience if they are “the best a man can be?”

A few months back, we wrote a blog that talked about Nike’s use of Colin Kaepernick in their most recent “Just Do It” ad campaign. Instead of focusing on the controversy of whether Kaepernick was right or wrong in his actions, we instead chose to discuss Nike’s attempt to cash in on such a politically charged national conversation, and whether they even had the moral high ground to do so.

Enter Gillette and their “We Believe: The Best a Man Can Be” campaign.

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And how providing a strong emotional experience can build a stronger brand.

When it comes to building a successful brand, it’s important to never forget the experience you provide. Whether you’re a small business or a giant corporation, if you fail to provide a positive user experience for your audience from beginning to end, then no amount of money or marketing will change the how the public views and values your brand. A good example of this can be seen first hand at Disney World, one of the biggest and most successful theme parks in the world.

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

• A BRANDING EXPERIENCE FROM THE MASTER
• 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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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