They say there is no such thing as bad press. They’re wrong! Just ask Blackberry. Once an industry darling, it has become the punchline to every bad tech joke. Now, even when they do something positive, it is reported with a negative spin, if it is reported at all. Blackberry is no innocent. They courted every bit of that bad press thinking they were invulnerable. It is doubtful they can ever fully recover.
There is a world of difference between press and marketing. Press is what the media says about you. Marketing is what you say to the media. Branding is your marketing message distilled into symbolic form. There are all kinds of bad things the press can say about you that would be detrimental to your brand. However, branding is about finding creative ways for you to get your message in front of other people. And there are very few bad ways to do that. There is almost no downside to getting creative with your branding.
Be Careful with Cobranding
The one exception to this rule is cobranding. That is what happens when you partner with another brand to help bolster your own. The reason it is so dangerous is that the other brand is completely outside of your control. If things go south for that brand, it tends to bring yours down with it. Just ask any company that was cobranded with O. J. Simpson.
If you use cobranding as a strategy, be sure to choose a brand on the ascendency. Smartwatches are about to come into their own. So far, no one as cornered the market. But that does not mean they are all created equally. Apple has yet to sell a single watch. But that is where all the cache is headed. Samsung has six failed watches you can buy right now. The Gear brand is not exactly on the way up. Be careful where you hitch your wagon.
Brand the Unexpected
People are most impacted by the unexpected. We go through the day taking little notice of the hundreds upon hundreds of mundane events and encounters that do not make a dent in our consciousness or memory. When we see and hear everything we expect to see and hear, it is like seeing and hearing nothing at all. We have no reason to fully engage with the completely expected.
See a dog juggling rings of fire wile riding on the back of a monkey, and we will never forget a single detail of the surreal scene. We will also want to immediately up our meds. This principal works very well for branding.
If you flash your credit card, people expect to see a Visa or MasterCard logo on the front. They are even getting used to seeing pictures of our kids and pets. Far less common is our business logo and branding. In the same way, people are used to seeing branded flash drives. They are not used to seeing flash drives that pop out of credit cards.
However, that is precisely how a USB credit card at memorysuppliers.com works. These credit cards work like the bank cards and debit cards you are already used to. They can be preloaded with a set amount of money, and used as payment to clients, vendors, employee bonuses, etc. The card is not what you expect. It is a little like something you might see on Mission Impossible. It is unexpected. And that is a great place for some creative branding.
Brand the Useful
If your customer is a handyman, he should have a set of screwdrivers with your branding all over them. Without realizing it, he will associate your brand with useful tools that help him get things done.
This is why branded ink pens used to be standard, and why USB flash drives are the new standard for today. It is all about repeat and sustained utility. No one is reaching for your branding. They are reaching for something they happen to need. Your tasteful branding on those items pays off big in the long run. When it is time for them to call upon someone with your skills, you will be the first person that comes to mind. Brand everything from their teacup to their dog. There is almost no bad way to creatively brand.
