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Communication Strategy Group Editorial Director Mark Kindley sent me a link to a NYT article that really got me thinking about how Brandtelling can help reshape perceptions. In the article, NY Times Op-Ed Columnist Nicholas Kristof describes the work of conservationist Greg Rasmussen to develop a campaign to save the African wild dog. It’s a worthy cause and I applaud Rasmussen’s efforts.

But what I really admire is his branding savvy.

It’s tough to get people to notice a brand. It’s tougher still when the actual name of the brand – wild dogs – is misleading. Apparently African wild dogs are not exactly dogs. And while they live in the wild, they don’t prey on humans or their livestock. So Rasmussen made a branding call to help his cause.
He renamed the brand and called the African wild dog a “Painted Dog”.

The new name works on many levels. First, these dogs physically appear to be painted, similar to Painted Horses. Second, the name suggests consciousness, not randomness, in nature. And third, the name suggests beauty and gentleness – two attributes that are likely to stop hunters from killing them or at least encourage more outrage over their poaching.

Now, your brand may not be in danger of hunting and poaching parties (although you never know), but we can all benefit from Rasmussen’s branding lesson. Consider the implications of your brand name, what it evokes in your prospects and customers – and others. Consider the new stories you could tell if your brand name were different, not misleading, but differently leading.

What brand stories could you tell?

ps. Click here to learn more about Rasmussen’s Painted dog Conservation campaign.

While preparing to be a panelist for a discussion on marketing, I’ve been pondering two questions the organizer asked us to consider:

What are examples of the best brands?

What are examples of the worst brands?

While these may appear to be opposites, I don’t think they are.

See, best and worst appear to be opposite categories like highest and lowest, or fastest and slowest. Think about the “best dressed” and the “worst dressed” lists following award ceremonies. Or the “best performance” and the “worst performance” during an Olympic trial. These are opposites, right?

Maybe not. In both of these examples, the subject being defined is known to you and me. One celebrity may be labeled the “worst dressed” — but she’s been seen on the Red Carpet. One athlete may have turned in the “worst performance” but he did it 1/100th of a second behind the “best performance” in the world. And he earned a multi-million dollar sponsorship to boot.

No, I think that “best” and “worst” are actually relative terms, often within a very narrow category. What has been bothering me about the questions regarding brands is that we begin thinking about which brands are category leaders and which brands are category laggards. But we’re still able to name and consider the brands.

So, I think the real question should be:

What’s the opposite of the “best” brand?

And the answer is: an unknown brand.

When inspiration calls, you pick up the phone and give it directions to your house.

Pretty good advice for any business, I’d say.

Today’s post is contributed by Jeff “the demand generation guru” Ogden, president of Find New Customers. Jeff is a friend and collaborator (we worked together to co-author “Prospect-Driven Marketing“) who truly understands where the rubber hits the road for sales. – Arthur Germain

I’m please to share this information on lead nurturing with the readers of Brandtelling in this guest post. In this economic downturn, companies look for fresh ideas, so I hope you find this helpful.

CSO Insights, after 17 years of studies, describes how sales needs to become more of a science rather than an art.

One of the ways companies can turn sales into a science is to learn and document how prospects actually buy — and align your sales process accordingly.

The best way to learn how companies buy is to go talk to your existing customers.  Ask them a series of questions, such as these?

1. What was your internal process for buying?
2. How did the process start?
3. Where did you go for information?
4. What problem were you trying to solve?
5. Can you create a flow chart of your process?
6. How was the funding allocated and approved?

Another way is to take the path blazed by other vendors.  Let’s say your sales rep is talking to a company that uses Oracle for ERP.  Chances are that the company will use the same buying process with you that they did with Oracle. Ask them how they acquired Oracle.

The better you document this process, the more effective your marketing will become. This also becomes your roadmap for marketing content development.

All the best,

Jeff Ogden, President (The Fearless Competitor)
Find New Customers
Lead generation made simple

Author, How to Find New Customers
(516) 284-4930 office; (516) 456-8218 mobile

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1. Who or what is your brand? Could you describe it to a six year old?
2. What makes your brand great? What do you tell people first?
3. Who are your target buyers? Who are your targets for marketing? Are they the same people? Are you sure?
4. What “mental real estate” are you able to own/rent/lease in the mind of your stakeholders?
5. Can you connect emotionally with your stakeholders? What emotions are behind customer purchases of your brand’s products/services?
6. What is your “brand vision”?
7. What practical benefits are associated with your brand?
8. How do you position your brand against competitors?
9. Does every single element (look and feel, content, packaging, delivery, presentations, displays, etc.) of your branding strategy integrate with one another? Consistently? Really!?!
10. How much time and resources are you investing in your ongoing branding efforts?
11. Are all of your stakeholders able to tell your brand story?