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Just when you think that marketing people had exhausted all advertising media, someone comes up with a new one. Ben Rogovy, a 22 year old Seattle entrepreneur is employing panhandlers to advertise his web site, Pokerfacebook.com, in exchange for an undisclosed amount of food, water and cash. All the panhandlers have to do is hold up a sign featuring the advertised web site address. Since employing bum-vertising (a term Mr. Rogovy intends to trademark), hits on his website have increased from hundreds a day to thousands a day. The publicity associated with the unorthodox approach can’t be hurting his business either. When it Comes to Colors, Names Matter I have written before about the importance of color choice in brand identity systems and retail environments. Recently, The Journal of Consumer Research reported on research conducted by Barbara Kahn of the Wharton School and Elizabeth Gelflan Miller of Boston College. These two marketing professors conducted research to understand what effect unusual names might have on the popularity of colors and flavors. They found that unusual names were more popular than expected names if people were given enough time to think about their decisions. So, while a surprising name might not get someone to buy a color or flavor that he or she does not like, it would make the difference if a person was choosing between two brands of the same color, one bearing a common name and the other an unusual name. The unusual name will almost always be preferred. Whether you are in the cosmetic, paint, ice cream, or crayon business, this finding has implications for you.
Sponsorships: Something to Consider More and more today, we see sports stadiums and arenas, theaters and other buildings being named after the companies whose sponsorship dollars allow them to put their names on those buildings. While this may very well help in establishing and reinforcing a brand’s awareness among a large local audience over time, many people view this to be one of the worst forms of crass commercialism. Instead of naming buildings after founders, civic leaders or other heroes, we now name them after the highest bidders. Historical names are replaced with the names of the brands with the biggest bucks. While this does not seem that different from a university naming a building after the philanthropist who made the building possible or a theater naming a seat after a donor who donates a certain amount of money, to many, it seems indicative of all the things that are wrong with our over commercialized society.
Brad VanAuken is president and founder of BrandForward, Inc., a full-service brand management consultancy with clients throughout the world. Previously, Brad was the vice president of marketing for Element K, a leading e-learning company and director of brand management and marketing for Hallmark Cards, Inc. During his tenure as Hallmark’s chief brand advocate, Hallmark received the Brand Management of the Year award. Recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on brand management and marketing, Brad is a much sought after speaker and writer. He wrote the books The Brand Management Checklist and Brand Aid. His free online brand management and marketing newsletter is read by thousands of marketers throughout the world. Brad has a BS degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Email:
vanauken@brandforward.com
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