Mommy's Company.com-Blog: Branding Stretch Marks

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Sunday, March 04, 2007

Branding Stretch Marks

A few months ago I was talking to Suzanne Fulford, our resident MLM Mom, about mommyhood, life and business. Suzanne, who has a corporate sales background, is as bright as she is talented, so I always look forward to bouncing new ideas off of her.

We were chatting about "branding" on a particular afternoon and I confessed to her that, while I can spot a fantastic branding job in a New York minute (i.e. Target, McDonald's, The Home Depot, etc.), developing a company image and persona for my own ventures is always difficult.

"Oh, you NEED to read this book," Suzanne gushed and proceeded to tell me about Bill Schley's Why Johnny Can't Brand.

Shortly after our conversation, I purchased the book from Amazon and have been making conscious branding changes ever since.

I'm not going to summarize the book here; read the online reviews and make a decision for yourself.

It's not just us small business owners who frequently miss the mark when branding. Expansion is one of the main reasons why mid- to large-size businesses lose track of their brand.

A perfect illustration of this phenomenon which I call "branding stretch marks" was the topic of a fabulous Los Angeles Times article today.

The subject: a memo by Starbucks Corp. founder and Chairman Howard Schultz was posted on the Internet, expressing regret over the loss of the company's original grassroots, coffee-loving, "mmmmm-it smells-authentic-in-here" brand during the past 10 years of ginormous growth.

"Some people," Schultz wrote, "even call our stores sterile, cookie cutter, no longer reflecting the passion our partners feel about our coffee."

In Starbucks' case, the branding deviation resulted mostly in their original customer base (artsy hipsters toting sketch books) fleeing to less commercialized pastures. No serious damage done to their bottom line.

Don't think you'll be as lucky as Starbucks execs if you follow their example. The Times writer went on to focus on three companies: Krispy Kreme, Snapple, and California Pizza Kitchen, which each sustained significant financial damage from a combination of fast expansion and watered down branding.

What is the mom entrepreneur supposed to learn from this? Well, if substantial growth is part of your business plan and I've convinced you that branding should be as well, here are three tips for you.

Bunmi's Branding Exercise

Think about branding in the most literal form possible. For me that is imagining a cowboy using a heated metal rod to burn information onto the backside of a cow. You want to "burn" sensory information into the minds of your customers.

1. Make a list of five companies that have done an excellent job branding. How did they do it? What images/colors/phrases did they use to create a schema in your mind?

2. How are you branding right now? Determine your DSI (your Dominant Selling Idea) and if your customers can easily perceive it. (Why Johnny Can't Brand goes more into this topic)

3. If it works, stick with it. If it doesn't, see Number 1.

A great example of mom branding: Happy Housewives Club (happyhousewivesclub.com)

I have my work cut out for me in this department, but I'm determined to enjoy it. I think someone important once said, "The journey is the destination."

Posted by Mommy's Company.com @ 5:57 PM | (0) comments |