Can you remember when you last challenged your brand? Or dared to take risks or even played with ideas that clash? Take some clues from French-born design brand strategist Laetitia Wolff, founder of futureflair, a NY-based strategy firm that provides a critical eye on all things visual.
Laetitia is my guest tomorrow on NY Brand Lab Radio, and if you tune in, you’ll find out how to shape creative ideas based on collaboration, put them into inter-disciplinary perspective and make them work to trigger new inspiration. You’ll also find out a whole lot about branding, left-brain thinking vs right-brain thinking and if you have any questions, we’d love to hear them!
HERE ARE THREE WAYS YOU CAN HEAR THE INTERVIEW TOMORROW | August 25th at 10am EST
1) You can listen LIVE at 10am EST. Just dial 646-652-2383
2) Or, they can hear it online http://blogtalkradio.com/ny-brand-lab-radio and at 10AM EST
http://bit.ly/cVULGe
3) Or, within 24 hours after the interview, I’ll post the MP3 up on my site and you can go there and download it for free. Here’s the link (and also to see my other guests:) http://zingyourbrand.com/radio
By way of background: For the past two years, Laetitia has been consulting on intellectual branding, communication strategy and programming at Parsons, the New School for Design. With a masters degree in literature from the Sorbonne University, a marketing & communications MBA from the Institute of Political Science in Paris and a museology degree from NYU, she’s worn many hats: Editorial Director of both Surface and Graphis magazines, where she revamped the voice and vision of those publications; exhibitions director at the New York Art Directors Club; manager of the renowned Italian designer Gaetano Pesce’s retrospective at the Pompidou Center. She’s also curated a number of exhibits including the first-ever retrospective of the graphic artist Massin, which toured throughout the US consequently triggering renewed worldwide interest in Massin’s work.
Check out her site here: http://futureflair.com and looking forward to the show this morning!
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So how do you avoid falling into the trap of Dead Brand Walking?! That’s the one question I can ask that always get a laugh. (Well, a nervous laugh, of course!) No one wants to fall into that trap. (Not a wise business move, let’s face it.)
Right now, I’m wearing the hat of Brand Therapist, and spending more time than ever before resuscitating brands and bringing them back to life.
P.S. Brands need a strong, vital and pumping pulse. (When’s the last time you checked your brand pulse?)
Back to Dead Brand Walking: One of the most rewarding and exhilarating things I do every week? Brand Audits. Why? It’s a laser-focused session with clients, and it’s the best way I know how to help biz people recognize what they stand for. Why they do what they do. How to articulate exactly that.
FYI What happens next? Your potential clients out there start to pay attention and recognize you – and then, buy from you. That means more business. More money. Zing is Ka-Ching. (Never doubt that for a moment.) The money’s in the brand.
That’s why I’m sending out this quick email this afternoon: If you want to book a Brand Audit before the end of September, here’s how this works:
• We’ll work one on one in an intense results-oriented 60 minutes.
• I’ll spot the clues that are stopping people from buying from you.
• I’ll reverse the signals that say ‘Go Away. Don’t Buy.’
• I’ll create a more magnetic, provocative and unforgettable message.
• Eliminate all signs of a Dead Brand Walking.For once and for all.
I want to keep this simple. If you’d like to take me up on my offer before the end of the month, email me (Subject Line: One Brand Audit, Please) and we’ll set up a time next week. It’ll be a 60-minute session on the phone. It’s usually $297 for the hour but to help you tap into that irresistible spark that attracts business like crazy, (vs Dead Brand Walking), it’s going to be $175. After September 1, it goes back up. (Way up.) Here you go: van@zingyourbrand.com.
By the way, last week’s interview on NY Brand Lab Radio with Brain Scientist Dr. Cheri Florance was totally fascinating.She finds entrepreneurs have the smartest and boldest brains!
Please feel free to download the MP3 interview (free) from my site: http://zingyourbrand.com/radio and enjoy. In fact, check in and leave your comments, always love hearing what you say.
Hey, are you ready to bring your brand back to life!?
2010 ZingYourBrand.com, All Rights Reserved.
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I just came across some images that appeared in The World Of Interiors (UK) a few years ago, and they’re some of my favorite pics. Why? Well, they tell a colorful story about my former 3D design partners StudioEIS, and the remarkable work they still do in the world of visual storytelling for corporations as well as museums around the world. Meet Ivan and Elliot Schwartz and go check out their site and behind-the-scenes images: http://studioeis.com
The pics showcase the kind of space the two partners – both artists/innovators/brothers and New Yorkers, of course – created right here on Washington Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn. PS. The ‘look-alike living room’ shots below were created by Ivan and are really stage sets in the middle of this 15,000 sq.ft. production floor. (It’s where we’d hang out after a long day’s work.) Please note: That’s a sculptured figure of George Washington getting prepared to go to the foundry to be cast in bronze. One more thing: My office is the one with Ivan’s red painting on the wall and the striped doors (bottom left.)
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The way we use our brains affects everything we do.” – That’s Dr. Cheri Florance, President, CEO of Brain Engineering Labs talking (also known as Brain Dr on Twitter) and she’s recognized globally for enhancing the lives of hundreds of children, including her own son, as well as adults suffering from treatable communication disorders.
Tomorrow at 10am EDT, I am thrilled to have Dr. Florance as my guest on NY Brand Lab Radio. Join us and hear Dr. Florance talk about her expertise in the world of brain science and also her work in Executive Brain Engineering: You’ll find out how you can generate, launch and execute your next big idea! (Clue: Issues that once bogged you down will disappear, and creativity and productivity will flourish.)
Our brains, after all, affect how we communicate, learn, perform in school and at work. They also determine how we approach our relationships and life’s challenges. The great news, according to Dr. Florance, is now that we understand brain plasticity, we can use our own brain print to decide how we want to change and enhance our brain fun.
As Brain Scientist, Doctor, Professor and Author, she has pioneered the scientific basis for Brain Engineering. With a dual doctorate in speech/hearing science and psychology from Ohio State University, she earned the coveted career development award from the National Institute of Health on Brain Engineering. She is also one of the youngest researchers to be named Fellow by The American Speech, Language and Hearing Association. She is recipient of the Distinguished Service to Mankind Award from Muskingum College. Find out more about her remarkable work here: http://ebrainlabs.com.
To listen, you can go online here tomorrow: http://blogtalkradio.com/ny-brand-lab-radio or call in on this number: 646-652-2383.
Call in with questions, and look forward to hearing from you tomorrow on the show!
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Tune in to NY Brand Lab Radio tomorrow at 10am EST, and you get to hear one of the passionate advocates on women issues – particularly around work/life, leadership and barriers facing women of color. Meet Carol Evans. She is a remarkable force of nature, hugely energetic, and a multitasker who started writing her award-winning book on her blackberry in 2005 when she was on vacation with her family in Italy.
The title of her book? This is How We Do It: The Working Mother’s Manifesto. So we’re going to find out how Carol manages her work/life balance, how she really does it all, plus she’ll share some of her best-kept secrets when it comes to all things working-mother related!
Carol is the president of Working Mother Media and CEO of Diversity Best Practices, both divisions of Bonnier Corp., right here in NYC. She’s a highly-acclaimed keynote speaker, serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of the March of Dimes, she’s won numerous awards (too many to mention here), and has appeared on every major talk show including NBC’s Today Show, Oprah, ABC’s Good Morning America and PBS’ To the Contrary.
So I’m delighted to have Carol on the show as my guest manana. FYI When she founded Working Mother Media by acquiring Working Mother magazine and the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), she became the first mom to own Working Mother. In fact, she is most proud of being mom to Julia Rose (20) and Robert (23), and wife of Bob Coulombe, a Major in the New York Guard. (They are amazing kids, for sure.)
FYI Her involvement with Working Mother magazine dates back to 1978, when she played a critical role in the launch. She grew Working Mother magazine from $100,000 to $14,000,000 over the next decade, serving first as advertising director and then as VP Publisher. In 1986, she founded the Working Mother 100 Best Companies, still the most important workplace benchmark in the country. She has launched several key initiatives to support the advancement of women including Best Companies for Multicultural Women, Best Law Firms for Women, Best of Congress, and Best Companies for Hourly Workers.
Join us tomorrow at 10amEST. You can call in with questions too so here’s the info. There are two ways you can listen LIVE to Carol tomorrow.
1) Go to http://blogtalkradio.com/ny-brand-lab-radio at 10am and listen.
2) Or call this number 646-652-2383
Within 24 hours of the show, the interview with Carol will be uploaded to my site, where you can easily get your hands on the MP3 for free, of course. Here’s the link: http://zingyourbrand.com/radio.
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Before you even start thinking about creating a website for your business, here are a couple of common mistakes I see that small biz owners are making. Recently, I sent these tips to a terrific site, www.mainstreet.com for possible inclusion in a section about small business, and today, on July 4th, I thought I’d share these with you on this blog. So here goes. Let me know if these are helpful, or send along your questions, and I’ll get back to you.
• MISTAKE #1: Not a sign (or sense) of clarity when they start the process. If you start from a lack of clarity and keep bumbling on, you’re going to fall into the trap of creating a site that is a ‘Dead Brand Walking.’ RECOMMENDATION: Get a handle on exactly what you want your visitors TO DO when they land on your home page. If it’s not obvious, go back and rework it until it’s as clear as a bell.
• MISTAKE #2: A complete resistance to actually showing up on your site. It’s as though you’re keeping your visitors at arm’s length. Not a good idea when it comes to keeping visitors on your site for longer than 3 seconds. RECOMMENDATION: Look around at other sites before you start. Ask yourself which sites appeal to you? Which sites keep you wanting more? Analyze those sites until you can work out exactly what it is that resonates with you. Incorporate that into your site and watch what happens.
• MISTAKE #3: Not understanding that the minute your website goes live, you and your business are on the global map. Or, a lack of recognition that you now have a global platform and must therefore act accordingly. RECOMMENDATION: You are now talking to the world at large so it’s critical that you pay attention to everything you say and do. You are, in fact, a brand 24/7 (whether you like it or not.) Start acting like the Brand Guardian of your business. Be responsible and talk to your potential audience on your blog. (PS The best way to start your website? Use www.wordpress.org (definitely not wordpress.com) and get it designed and your blog becomes a key element, of course. The more you post blogs, the easier it will be for Google to note activity and rank you higher.)
• MISTAKE #4: Lack of awareness around the importance of design today — online and offline.
RECOMMENDATION: Smart, effective marketing today is more design driven than ever before. After all, design is one of the key emotional triggers that speaks to people. Don’t fall into the trap of saying “Who cares about design, anyway?!’ If you want a site that resonates, makes sure you bring some kind of eclectic, idiosyncratic and distinctive design element into the mix. Make it your own. That is going to help you show up. If not, you’re toast.
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I can’t wait until tomorrow because at 10am EDT, it’s time for NY Brand Lab Radio and my special guest manana?
Beth Schoenfeldt.
Beth has been a friend and mentor to entrepreneurs around the world for over ten years, contributing to the launch of thousands of businesses. What’s more, as co-founder of Collective-E, a unique Entrepreneurs Agency & Brand Community, its focus is on bringing the services, PR, marketing platforms, exposure and connections that every entrepreneur is going to need when it comes to nurturing their ideas and building their brands.
With her reputation as a forward thinker and an expert on starting and growing businesses, some of the world’s top media outlets rely on Beth for her insights into the latest trends among entrepreneurs and small business. Beth has been featured in outlets including Time Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Elle Magazine, the Today Show, Pink Magazine, and MSNBC.
Earlier this year, I was there when Beth received the 14th Annual Distinguished Alumnae Award presented by Columbia Business School and Columbia Women in Business.
After graduating from Texas A&M with a Bachelors Degree in Finance and earning her MBA from Columbia University, Beth developed marketing and sales programs for major international brands including Clinique, ibeauty.com and American Express. She then went on to establish the highly successful learning solutions company FLOinc, which lead to her co-founding Ladies Who Launch (LWL). Beth grew this lifestyle and business-focused media company to over 53 cities and over 50,000 members. Beth left LWL to found Collective-E in 2008.
If you want to Beth tomorrow, you can go online here and listen live at 10am EST:
http://blogtalkradio.com/ny-brand-lab-radio
Or you can call this number and hear us live, too:
646-652-2383
And remember: 24 hours after the interview, you can go to my site and click on the RADIO link, and download the free MP3!
http://zingyourbrand.com/radio
Look f/w to seeing you on the call tomorrow at 10am EST!
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Imagine this scenario: You feel frustrated. You agonize over what the best brand positioning for your business might be, and you get agitated easily because no one ever gave you any clues about brand loyalty or brand extensions, in the first place! Then you get paralyzed and decide, you’ve got to be nuts to pay any attention to this crazy talk about branding.
Well, no need to panic! Take a look at this Drive-By Brand Glossary. I call it ‘Drive By’ because if it’s fast, quick and easy and you have a bit of fun along the way, you just might start to feel differently about the personality, the magic and – the power behind your brand!
OK, here goes. Six fast ways to get your head around some BrandTalk. These are typical brand glossary terms but with a twist to get you falling madly and helplessly in love with your brand again!
TERM #1 | BRAND ESSENCE
All Good Brands have a Big Heart
If you’re the vision master of your brand, you’re certainly steering the future of your business and guiding the myriad of daily business transactions. At the heart of it, you are the ‘beat and soul’ of your business, its driving spirit. The term brand essence refers to the core of your brand and its values. Does your brand have a big heart and soul? Real people (with heart) happen to respond very favorably to heart and soul, they can sense it, spot it a mile away. Try wearing your heart on your sleeve a little more. Articulate your real spirit and the core essence of your brand so it resonates more clearly with your audience. (It’ll hit home, for sure.)
TERM #2: BRAND RECOGNITION
All Good Brands like to Stand Out!
Remember, the best thing about branding your business is that it puts you in a different league, differentiates you from the rest of the pack. What’s more, it makes it easier for your target audience to see you, spot you, identify you. Critical stuff in business – attracting clients. Think about how much attention you’ve put recently into making your brand soar above your competitors. Remember, your brand wants to live out loud, shine and soar. Give it a little help along the way. (It’ll pay off, guaranteed.)
TERM #3: BRAND AUDIT
All Good Brands Get Good Report Cards
OK. We’re talking about a comprehensive, unbiased and systematic evaluation of your brand to assess its ‘pulse, vital signs and general overall health. It’s about uncovering what your business is really all about, looking at your brand strategy, story and style of communication. Have you been paying attention to the brand clues embedded in your marketing lately? Nothing like a bit of brand awareness to get you to focus on your brand and what it’s (really) telling your audience. (Remember how a good report card made you feel?)
TERM #4: BRAND CHAMPION
All Good Brands Adore a Champion
Think about your fans (clients/employees.) If they’re raving about you, that means they’re loyal, dedicated and supportive, and by definition, they’re your brand champions. Guess what? They’re your best advocates. They spread the good word about your business, your values and everything you stand for. Every healthy business needs engaged, committed and passionate brand champions. How easy do you make it for your storytellers to spread the word? Do you have a group of brand champions surrounding you? (How many on your team?)
TERM #5: BRAND GUIDELINES
All Good Brands need to Stay On Track
Sure, some rules we hate. Other rules are useful, constructive and help make the world go around. Brand guidelines are a tool to keep your brand on track, your brand aligned, and are designed to build, educate reinforce and motivate you and everybody else on your team. Take a look at what kind of guidelines exist across your brand marketing materials. Consistency is key. Review everything from the style guide for your brand design culture, identity, color palette, language, positioning to your strategic guidelines, tone, attitude, even your brand voice.( What’s the sound of your brand voice?)
TERM #6: BRAND REVITALIZATION
All Good Brands Need a Bit of Shaking Up
You know all those healthy drinks that promise to revitalize you when you’re suffering from low energy? Well, if your business is starting to fade a little, look pale or act listless (yes, it happens), you might want to think about a bit of brand revitalization. Try looking through a different lens, so to speak. Take a fresh, new look at your marketing messages. What’s it really telling your target audience? If their eyes are glazing over, it’s time to inject a big healthy dose of energy to refresh your brand, kick start your business. Here’s an important question to ask yourself. How do you really perceive your brand? (This might require serious revving up the engines.)
Footnote: This is all about falling in love with your brand because it’s your biggest ally, and if you pay attention to it – nurture it, a little – your business will certainly soar. (No doubt about it.)
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As the brand guardian in your business, what’s your toughest job today? Is it working out how to turn your business into a profitable one? Well, it’s what I keep hearing from many people these days so if you have four hours next Tuesday morning and you’re in NY, sign up for the NY Brand Lab morning session – “The Money’s in the Brand” workshop.
here’s the link to sign up: http://zingyourbrand.com/moneys-in-the-brand
The good news is that I have NY-based business advisor Jamie Johnson (also known as Chief Profit Maker), co- hosting the Lab with me on June 29, and if you book right away, three of you will get the chance to get on the HOT SEAT for my popular Brand Audit session. You’ll walk away knowing what kinds of subliminal ‘Go Away’ messages are popping up across all your marketing communication, and learn how to reverse them!
BONUS: Everyone who signs for ‘The Money’s In the Brand’ will have two 15-minute private consultations – one with Jamie and one with me — before the Lab session on 6/29. That’s so we can both get a sense of exactly what’s keeping you up at night and work out how to create a better money flow in your business.
Here’s a recap of the NY Brand Lab session next week:
BRAND POWER
* How your brand can make money for you, instead of shooting you in the foot
* How to check your Brand’s Pulse and Emotional IQ
* The 5-Step Brand Intelligence Methodology that taps right into your market’s emotional power
* The 7 top qualities of an irresistible brand with proven ROI
* How to create super-caffeinated brand affinity
MONEY POWER
* How to create a spike to your brand’s ability to make money
* How to supercharge your profitability (and stop leaking profits)
* How to get paid the most for your product or service (What’s your financial IQ?)
* The art of choosing which products or services are the most profitable (or not)
* Infrastructure secrets that will save you thousands of dollars (and keep your eye on the business)
Look fwd to seeing you here in Brooklyn next week!
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This morning on NY Brand Lab Radio, Simon Sinek came on the show as my special guest and what an inspiration he is. Right now, a few hours later, I believe he’s on a plane headed for Toronto so here’s wishing him safe travels!
In about 48 hours, however, you can download the approx 40-minute interview with Simon on my site: http://zingyourbrand.com/radio. Check it out, it’s certainly (clearly) worth hearing him walk the talk.
FYI Here are some notes, in my own words, from the interview. Hope this inspires you to visit his site which is very cool, informed and mindful: http://startwithwhy.com and also pick up his book. A terrific read.
OK.Here goes. One thing before I start: I usually ask my guests at the end of the interview to DARE our listeners to do something out of their comfort zone. Or to DARE them to do something differently in their business. But this week, I decided to do something different, and so I asked Simon at the start of the interview, to DARE listeners….
1. Simon took up the challenge brilliantly and his dare? Do things your way. And the reason why most people have a problem with this? Doubt creeps in. You realize you’re doing things because that’s what someone told you to do or it’s for the wrong reasons and you’re struggling. The more you struggle, the worse you feel. As soon as you start doing things your way, things will turn around very quickly. That’s what happened to Simon. (You’ll have to listen to the interview to hear Simon share a little about how he had to transform his thinking and way of doings things.) I’m not trying to tease you. I just couldn’t possibly do justice to Simon’s remarkable story and journey.
2. Simon goes on to say: At the end of the day, every company (no matter how large or small) has to function on three levels to succeed. They have to:
a.) Know what they do.
b.) Know how they do it.
c.) Know why they do it.
3. If you can’t work out your WHY for being in business — your true purpose and set of beliefs — why should anyone else care?
What’s more, if you don’t know the answers to 1 – 3 (above), you’re going to be out of balance. And that doesn’t feel good, right?
4. Simon figured out his WHY. It’s all about teaching others how to inspire so they can inspire others. That’s his bottom line, his benchmark. Anything or everything that comes his way, all he has to do is ask the question: “Does this inspire?” If the answer is no, it’s easy. The answer is no, thanks.
5. The irony here? When you tell people HOW and WHAT you do, it’s not always that helpful to your business. People’s eyes glaze over. But when you start talking about WHY you do what you do, and what you BELIEVE in, things start to change pretty quickly. That’s what happened to Simon.
6. It takes huge courage to live your WHY.
7. The courage to live this way, and live out your WHY, is partly about surrender. The best entrepreneurs have to admit and accept they can fail. After all, to succeed means taking risks, taking huge leaps of faith, and the need for acceptance — whatever happens. The other thing? You need to be take full responsibility. You need to be accountable.
8. Did you know 90% of entrepreneurs fail? It takes a special mentality to be an entrepreneur. Just listen to the language of being an entrepreneur. You have to be willing to ‘take the plunge.’ Willing to ‘take a huge leap into the unknown.’ These metaphors have clear and inherent messages that suggest this is risky business. (You can hear that, right?!)
9. Never forget what inspired you when you first set out as an entrepreneur. In fact, write that reason down somewhere. Keep it handy. Keep reminding yourself WHY you’re doing what you do.
10. If it helps, use visual images and stick them up all around your workplace. Remind yourself constantly. For Simon, the image of the airplane is what inspires him. The notion of flight and defying gravity. And capturing the imagination. So make your beliefs tangible. They’re what you stand for, remember. Write it down. Surround yourself with visual symbols and images.
11. Your beliefs are the center of all emotional connections. It’s what makes people resonate with you.
12. Trust and loyalty. They’re feelings, too and they make for creating (hugely) powerful emotional connections.
13. Life is short. Don’t forget that.
14. So are you having fun doing what YOU do? Are you doing things you never imagined doing? (Like Simon?)
OK. Those were just a few notes I jotted down this morning. The important take away here? Tap into your WHY. If you are having difficulties knowing where to start, go to Simon’s site and check out all that he is doing. Here’s that link again:
http://startwithwhy.com
Let me know how you’re doing with your WHY. It’s quite the journey:)
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