Well, the simple answer would be to avoid doing anything that these 10 brands did this year!

Using data from the two largest brand-valuations firms as a reference, 24/7 Wall St. chose 10 big-name brands operating in the U.S. that have lost substantial chunks of their brand valuations in the first half of this year. They then mixed in a whole host of other criteria, and ended up with a list of “The 10 Biggest Brand Disasters of 2010″ — those on the list have lost well over $100 billion in brand value since Jan. 1.

The list includes brands like (BP (of course), Dell, Adobe (Blame Apple), Sony, Johnson&Johnson and Toyota(recalls will do it). Each company in the list was once a giant in the industry, well respected and definitely ahead of its time. But, with new changes to other brands, huge disasters with their products or problems with their services…these brands have lost serious footing.

The question is: How can we avoid the same fates as these once-giants?

Think, then react. Almost all of the above companies either reacted to problems before they thought them through (resulting in more problems) or thought about it a lot and did nothing (resulting in nothing). There are so many ways that many of these companies could have pulled themselves out of the holes they were in if they had only reacted the right way and been involved and honest with their customer base.

Let’s look at Adobe (the least controversial on the list, but still one worth looking at). Adobe took a huge dive this year because of a few harsh words from the Apple man, Mr. Steve Jobs. At a press conference, he started his tirade against flash…and continued it in writing: “Flash was created during the PC era for PCs and mice. The mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open Web standards, all areas where Flash falls short”. Big words from a powerful man, and in one fell swoop, the Adobe stock took a dive.

So how could they have fixed this problem? Possibly by admitting that Jobs was right…partially. Yes, mobile interfaces may not need flash, but there are still many sites that use it and so having it as an option for your users is a positive – not a negative. Adobe needed to also reach out to its users and talk with them…who knows, they may have had a great way to help! At the end of the day, Adobe did nothing to combat the words, nor to rally their troops around their product.

Don’t let this happen to you.

Lexus has always been a luxury brand – and the vehicles are easily equated with style and class, and money. Despite the fact that Lexus’ is not a cheap vehicle, Lexus has never been seen as a contender in the fast, sleek and sexy sports car world. But with the new Lexus LFA, they are attempting to changes their affiliation.

Hitting 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, places it into contention with the Ferrari’s and the Lamborghini’s. Of course, it is also in the same price range. Which is a huge jump. Most Lexus vehicles range from $40,000-$100,000 whereas the new LFA supercar comes in at $375,000 (base msrp). So my question is: How will they compete?

When Volkswagen split from their ‘traditional’ $25-$45,000 cars and created the Phaeton which started at above $75,000, they made a huge error. The cars did not sell well, and despite recent face-lifts and changes, they still are not selling well. Why? Because people who are Volkswagen buyers are not traditionally those who are willing to fork out more than $50,000 for a car.

So with Lexus attempting to make the leap from style and class to high-priced sexy vehicles, I worry if they won’t face the same problems that Volkswagen has.

But, no matter the battle ahead, I am certainly impressed with their commercial. It certainly makes me think about them in a new light…that is one very sexy car.

If you’re Koleston Naturals Hair color, it’s done by placing a billboard where the changes in the sun level will change the hair color on the billboard:

The image above is a time lapsed series of a billboard in Beirut, Lebanon from 2007. The billboard captures the image, and hair, of a beautiful woman, designed to show the beauty of natural hair color that Koleston Naturals provides. I personally love the simplicity and creativity of the ad – using natural light and natural changes to capture the Blondes, Redheads and Brunettes of the world. What I also appreciated was the fact that they let the nature and the picture speak for themselves. They didn’t need to tell you that Koleston hair color was all natural, made to be gentle on the hair and protect it’s natural beauty…they didn’t have to. The billboards told the story without the words. The only thing I see as problematic is that if you were to just pass by the billboard (unless you planned on hanging around for a few hours), you would only ever see one color. And if you only saw it at night…it wouldn’t seem as impressive. With that said, this is still one of the most impressive pieces of creative marketing I have seen in awhile.

Have you seen other ads that are capitalizing on nature? Share!

Let’s talk bad commercials…what is the worst you have seen recently?

For me, it’s the Burger King commercials…unfortunately it isn’t just one, it’s all of them. The obnoxious “King” makes my skin crawl the minute he hits the screen.

Which commercials do you despise?

I can’t count the number of TV ads that I watch and just shake my head at – from the downright awful to the confusing and pointless. But, I find that my frustration and confusion doesn’t lie completely with the commercials content, but the concept of commercials in general.

I can only assume that commercials were originally created to promote a product or service by informing the population what it can do for you and why you absolutely must have to have it. But, over the years, this idea of commercials has been so mutated by the businesses that commercials are now not only a waste of money but a waste of brain power. Now, I am not unrealistic, I am not asking for all commercials to be done away with. What I am asking for is that companies stop creating the horrid drivel they are now and create simple commercials – promote their product, tell me why I need it, and be done. Stop destroying great music by setting it to a montage of stuff that has zero to do with the business (hey Chase…I’m talking to you). Get rid of the obnoxiously awful mascots that behave in ridiculous manners (Burger King, Jack in the Box, Geico..are you listening?). And convince me that your product is for me without awful gimmicks (hmm, this includes pretty much all of you big business!).

If companies could do the above 3 things, commercials might have a chance to be beneficial – and possibly cost a whole heck of a lot less. And guess where you could spend that extra money? Improving customer service, listening to social media channels and doing more research on ways to improve your products! See, this is a win/win situation!

Of course, this is only my opinion, but somehow I doubt I am alone.

What do you think of TV commercials? How could these companies spend their money more effectively?

Every (for profit) business has an offering, whether it is a service or a product, there is something that they are going to make money off of. But, that service or product is not always (actually, rarely is it) the key marketing tool for a business. Coca Cola sells soda, right? But what is their key marketing statement? “Open Happiness”. AllState sells insurance, but they don’t use that as their marketing statement do they? They tell the consumer “You’re in good hands”.

A lot of times, this key statement is considered a tagline, but I feel that is a misnomer. A tagline makes it sound silly and pointless, just more words that mean nothing. In reality, the tagline should be called your key marketing statement. This statement is used as your  overlying sentiment that you want to portray to your customers every single day. This should be your mantra both in the office, with employees, and out of the office, with clients. This is the key to your success – and needs to speak volumes about who you are as a company and what it means to work with you. When you approach someone and they ask you what you do, you should give them your key marketing statement, then more details. Your business card should have the key marketing statement prominently placed, as should your website and all marketing materials.

When you are considering a key marketing statement there are a few things to consider:

1. What is it that you want to be known for?
2. What can you offer that no one else can?
3. How are you proving you are unique?

Using the answer to any of these questions should help you to form your key marketing statement.

What is your companies key marketing statement?

Does it actually get followed or is it just empty words?

Your brand relies on its customers and consumers. One of the quickest ways to lose these consumers and risk the strength of your brand is to ignore social media. Knowing what is being said about you is the first step towards making a change and improving your business. While not all brands will take the jump into participation, all brands need to be monitoring.  Here are 5 places you need to monitor your brand:

1. Forums: Is there a forum about your industry? It’s easy to find out, just do a quick Google search. Find out the biggest ones and search through for your brand.
2. Twitter: Even if you don’t use your account very often, at least set one up so that you can run searches for keywords in your industry and your own brand name.
3. Facebook: You’d be surprised how many “I hate X Company” groups and fan pages there are. Make sure that yours isn’t one of them. Also, you may want to make sure that the employees aren’t taking to the social media sphere to bash your brand either!
4. Search engines: Google Alerts allow you to set up keyword searches for your business name, executives in the company and even long phrases. Make sure you know every time your company is mentioned on the web.
5. Blogs: Just like forums, almost all industries have 5-10 top blogs that cover the products and companies. Make sure you know who they are and what they are saying about you.

What else can you monitor to protect your brand in the online world?

In late 2008 Netcraft placed the number of websites at just over 182 million, stating that it was growing  every day. If the trend continued as they suggest, we are looking at easily over 200 million websites that exist today. Of those websites, how many do you guess are great sites? The sites that make you stop and admire them, sites that you want to use because they are easy and effective on top of beautiful? Probably not very many. While there are many ‘good’ sites out there, a great site is hard to find.

Good sites are the ones you see every day. They work, you can find your way around, the writing is clear and the design looks put together. But there is nothing about these sites that makes you say wow. You don’t stop and look at the site to admire its use of colors and textures, the way the navigation is seamless with the way you think. You use it, but you don’t feel part of it. You use it because it is there, but rarely find reasons to go back to the site unless you have to.

Great sites on the other hand, you feel excited, welcomed and involved. The beauty of the site is felt, rather than seen. When you ‘use’ the site, it just feels natural. Everything is where you would expect it, from the navigation to the smaller links.  A great site doesn’t need flash (although some great sites have flash) and a great site doesn’t need a $250k price tag (although some will have to have it). A great website is a website that your consumers will want to visit and want to use again and again.

Good sites sites have these 4 elements:

1. Navigation.
2. Design.
3. Copy/content.
4. Contacts.

Great sites have these 4 main elements:

1. A navigation system that is innate to the user, where they could practically point out where things are without ever looking at the screen. The navigation is involved in the site, instead of just on the site.
2. A beautiful design that captures attention and makes you want to stay. You feel the design more than just see the design.
3. Content/Copy that enthralls you, you want to read more, discover more and be more involved. It teaches you  without pushing you. You learn from the site.
4. A contact system that makes you feel like they want you to call, email, tweet and facebook them. They are there, just for you.

Is your site good? Or is it great?

If you own a small business, your business is not your brand. You are your brand. People are coming to you for advice and support because of who you are and what you have done, not because of the product itself. Most services are sold by more than just you, so make sure that you are able to stand out above the noise and work to build conversations, not just talk. Your brand should be more than just a what your business is but who you are, and what you bring to the table. People do not want to be part of a fly-by-night company; they want history, experience and the trust that the product is effective and worthwhile. During all conversations, you need to focus on the facts, not speculations. We only promise what we can deliver, and we create a consistent message through all channels. By using this method, your followers, fans and readers will trust that they can come to you for help and advice.

When you create your profiles on each social media site, make sure to always use the same name, same picture, same url and same details. You want people to be able to find you easily, and making them consistent will help with searches, as well as strengthen your brand. Also, on sites that allow you to pick colors/designs, try to stick with the same theme as your main website. Visitors like consistency and when they see the same things on all sites, they will feel more comfortable and willing to connect with you. Finally, make it easy to contact you. The largest part of your brand is what you do after people have used social media to find you. If they can’t figure out how to call or email you easily, they won’t. Don’t give away all the time you’ve spent building relationships by not giving them the opportunity to take it offline.

Do you have a brand or just a business?

Flo TV's new logo

Well, sort of.  In tomorrow’s Super Bowl ad circus, you’ll see two spots from former client FLO TV, a division of Qualcomm.  No, we didn’t produce the spots, in fact the first of the two goes directly against the strategic direction we provided to them, but ce la vie!  However we did provide FLO TV with the strategy and development of their new & improved identity.  The FLO TV logo was developed by Motor in a successful partnership between client and agency.

FLO TV hired our team to create the lasting, permanent identification for the FLO TV brand. Our client wanted to have the idea of “TV” without actually showing a TV in the logo like their first Tivo-esque iteration. They wanted something clean and simple, yet progressive, modern and…wait for it….fun! That’s a tall order but after our standard market snapshot and further client analysis, we were able to solidify which attributes were most important and develop to incorporate those.  In the end, you have this dimensional, colorful mark that incorporates a vision for live TV in your hand and is current but with the ability to stand the test of time.  Or something like that.  It’s a logo for Pete’s sake (my sake that is) and it appropriately fits the brand.  Touchdown! Motor wins in overtime!