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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

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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