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February 12, 2010
We run across name changes every now and again and, as consumers, we don't forget the negatives just because we call you something different. Paying homage to Comcast, and saying hello to Xfinity, Time is listing the "Top 10 Worst Corporate Name Changes." As already mentioned, Comcast is sneakily changing to "xfinity," and we can't help but share this hilarious line from the Time article: "Will the name change work? Probably not, but at least it'll sound a bit edgier when you're put on hold ... with Xfinity. " Edgier indeed. When Andersen Consulting split ties with the accounting group, a name change was required. Accent turned into Accenture and cost an estimated $100 million to execute. Submitted by an employee in Oslo, this was an attempt to incorporate "accent on the future." It actually worked well when the Enron debacle went down and destroyed the reputation of the company's accountants, Arthur Andersen. When the realization that "Sci Fi" couldn't be owned because it was a genre and not a channel, the execs decided to revamp the name into something that could. Sci Fi transformed into Syfy. There is a method to the madness – we guess. Check out Time's article for the other 7 worst name changes.
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September 22, 2008
Everyone agrees the Microsoft ads featuring Seinfeld and Gates were mind-numbingly lame. And, we all kind of agree that the new creative direction is sort of cool, but fairly unoriginal. (They humanize PC in a National Geographic way.) Where we all disagree is over the effectiveness of all that press. There are two schools of thought: 1. For better or worse, those ads shifted the conversation away from Mac vs. PC and got everyone talking about Microsoft. Therefore, Microsoft wins. 2. A major brand does not benefit nor build equity from people ridiculing it – especially when the ridicule comes from everyone, everywhere. Ideal brands invite people to embody their cool, not mock their shortcomings. Our Monday staff meeting got pretty vocal about both sides of this argument. For what it's worth, staging an accident where an 18-wheeler spills your product all over the Interstate will get people talking, too. But is that effective? Guess we'll all see how Microsoft fares from here. At Burns Marketing, we're quite eager to watch the rest of this campaign. This effort is certainly making a strategic, lasting impression.
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September 5, 2008
Ever wonder what an agency like ours thinks about industry buzz? Here's a limited-time only glimpse into our minds. (Names have been redacted to protect the belligerent.) To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:46 AM
Subject: Windows, yada, yada
The 300 million dollar Microsoft ad campaign has finally kicked off
with Jerry Seinfeld and Mr. Microsoft himself. Let's see where this
crazy PC comedy duo takes us... first stop the discount shoe store.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afR5J7eskno
To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:48 AM
Subject: RE: Windows, yada, yada Ok, that was weird. They only talk about Microsoft in the last 15 seconds. To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:48 AM
Subject: RE: Windows, yada, yada
I saw it yesterday and personally think it may be one of the most pointless ads ever. To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:50 AM
Subject: RE: Re: Windows, yada, yada This is a good example of what happens when a brand has to re-define the persona that their competition has labeled them with. Mac vs. PC has been brilliant, and this ad shows that Microsoft is hurting from it. Now they seem to be trying to humanize Bill – the Microsoft surrogate – but not afraid to let him still be a nerd. In fact, they seem to be suggesting his nerdiness is what will bring great things from Microsoft in the future. It is a shame that their subtly just comes across as .... what the?
I don't know if that really is the campaign strategy, but if it is they are still a long way from making Microsoft a cutting-edge, consumer-centric brand.
To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:51 AM
Subject: RE: Re: Re: Windows, yada, yada
I think they're playing off of Seinfeld being a show about nothing.
To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:53 AM
Subject: RE: Re: Re: Re: Windows, yada, yada
Yeah, but Seinfeld was actually funny.
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July 16, 2008
From time to time, we've been called upon to clarify confusion surrounding two valuable parts of brand strategy – the tagline and the positioning statement. While some people consider these two things the same, they are different. And here are four important reasons why...
1. Audience. A positioning statement is aimed at your internal stakeholders, whereas the tagline is targeting your customers. 2. Purpose. Your positioning statement provides direction to your business and is the basis for all marketing efforts. Your tagline sums up your brand and helps you connect with your customers. 3. Communication. Because you're speaking to two different audiences, the language you use in each should be different as well. A tagline is a short, compelling statement that sums up your positioning statement in a way that attracts your customers. Your positioning statement is a more intensive description of your place in the market, why you are unique, and where you are headed.
4. Timing. The positioning statement should always come first. Only after you have clearly identified what your product/organization is, does, and for whom, can you develop a strong and meaningful tagline.
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June 13, 2008
Tens of millions of people around the world will watch this year's U.S. Open. Is that logo the best impression Torrey Pines golf course could make? Not to be critical of other people's hard work or anything, but... that logo looks like clip art. What is it with all these poorly conceived logos and campaigns lately? For instance, refer to 2012 Olympics, 2008 Republican National Convention, Let's Talk Colorado, and Welcome to Scotland.
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December 21, 2007
I recently flew to Oregon on Frontier Airlines for my brother's wedding. While waiting for the plane to load and the passengers to take their seats, all of the little TV screens play ads and promos for Colorado companies. As I was ignoring the especially unpleasant young man seated next to me, I saw an ad for the Colorado Film Commission. Their tagline at the end of the ad was absolutely perfect "Everything but the Ocean." It's amusing, it makes sense, and it encapsulates everything about Colorado's assets perfectly. So often taglines don't actually make sense for the brands they're supposed to highlight. But this one was one of the better one's I've seen out there. So simple, and so just right.
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October 31, 2007
You've just been boo'd. Happy Halloween from Burns Marketing Communications.
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October 15, 2007
New York City is launching a new global marketing campaign to draw 50 million tourists by 2015. Along with the marketing campaign, the city is launching a new logo that was designed by the same firm (Wolff Olins) that designed the infamous London Olympics logo.
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October 15, 2007
Recently, I joined a "Monday Night Football" bowling and trivia league for something new. I'm admittedly a terrible bowler but was excited about the chance to put my wealth of useless knowledge to use... My chance to dazzle others with my pop culture smarts. To my dismay, the questions aren't centered around the names of Britney's children or George Costanza's ATM password (it's Bosco, by the way), but often around sports and other "general" trivia of which I apparently know nothing. After weeks of never having the answer, several sports questions recently came up that I actually could answer. The questions focused on the official ball suppliers of the MLB, NFL, and NBA (the answers being Rawlings, Wilson, and Spaulding). How is it possible that I, a person who has never played these sports or enjoyed watching them, had any idea who supplied the tools of the trade?
[More]
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September 6, 2007
And the whoops of the day goes to the German company TrekStor, who tripped into a multicultural morass with the name of their latest MP3 player - the i.beat.blaxx. (They quickly renamed the product to simply blaxx.) Thing is, the multicultural aspects of a name are just one or many vital considerations during a naming exercise, a process that a Ford executive recently called "one of the most arduous and crappy tasks that an organization ever has to do."
[More]
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August 27, 2007
We help clients define, visualize, discuss and promote their brands. But lately "brand" seems to be a common nomenclature in main-stream media. A headline on msn.com "Top 10 Reliable Brands" peaked our interest. However, after clicking, we discovered the article focused on the top 10 automotive brands – not exactly the universal ranking we were expecting. Brand is hard to define – seven different definitions for the word exist on dictionary.com. Our definition of a brand is the tangibles and intangibles of a company, product, or service - your name, look, messaging, perceptions, customer service, storefront, web site, etc. "Brand" captures the essence of every element that makes up who you are in the marketplace. That's why it's important to focus on your brand and make it what you want it to be. You may need to change perceptions if needed, but stay focused to enable your success.
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