Branding Archives - Page 2 of 7

03Sep 2022 by Bob Cargill

The Dairy Queen Brand Extension

My wife, Barbara, and I recently had lunch recently with my mom at the same Dairy Queen in Bellingham, Massachusetts that my family went to back in the day. Only now it is a Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, not just a place to get soft-serve ice cream, milk shakes and other frozen treats. Talk about a big brand extension. I mean, this company has been around since 1940 and has over 7,000 locations today. When I was a kid, we'd get whatever we wanted for our birthdays. That was awesome. This time around, we got whatever we wanted, too.🙂 And I thought it was great. And the service, too. We got cheeseburgers. No ice cream. Times have changed. We went there for a meal, not dessert. The consumer in…

13Aug 2022 by Bob Cargill

Attracting the Attention of your Audience

Advertising, Branding, Business, Marketing

If you don't attract the attention of your audience in advertising and marketing, you won't have any customers and clients. It's that simple. And in this day and age, it's more difficult than ever to stand out among the competition and clutter, to get people to notice what you have to offer them. However, I couldn't help but notice a truck recently that was conspicuously parked in the huge, empty parking lot along Sudbury Street outside of Mill & Main, the old, historic mill complex in Maynard. Bull Spit. That was the name on the truck. Bull Spit. Catchy name for a business. Right? Attention-getting to say the least. Both the double entendre of the name of this brewing company and the fact that this truck was so strategically parked…

14Apr 2022 by Bob Cargill

Social Media is Unique

Branding, Marketing, Social Media

If you're using social media the way you use your other marketing channels, you're making a big mistake. Social media marketing is a two-way street where you should be engaging with your audience members, listening to them and even making them the center of attention, not your products and services. The more they see that you care about them as human beings, not customers and prospects, they'll be more likely to trust you and - when the opportunities arise - do business with you.

26Mar 2022 by Bob Cargill

The Importance of Engaging Your Audience

Branding, Business, Marketing, Music

Do you know the song, We Will Rock You, by Queen? Of course, you know the song. It was written by Brian May for Queen's 1977 album, News of the World. It was featured in a great scene in the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody. It provided Queen with a ridiculously awesome opportunity to engage with their audience. I used that song in my marketing class recently as an example of the importance of engaging with your audience as a brand or a business. The more those on the receiving end of your messages are involved with what you have to offer, the more likely they will be to support you. Stomp, stomp, clap...

20Feb 2022 by Bob Cargill

The More Personal Branding, the Better

Branding, Business, Mark Schaefer, Marketing, Social Media

In a recent blog post, Mark Schaefer wrote about Five Things I Would Do Differently If I Were Starting Over, one of those things being to place "more intent on the personal brand." That's saying a lot, coming from someone who has such an extraordinarily strong personal brand. Mark is renowned far and wide for his marketing expertise and knowledge, his teaching and public speaking, his books and blog. If someone as conspicuous in their presence online as Mark is thinks he could place more emphasis on his personal brand, what about you and me? That's saying all of us could benefit from even more personal branding. Thanks, Mark, as always, for the words of wisdom.

18Jan 2022 by Bob Cargill

If I Were a CEO or CMO…

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media

If I were a CEO or CMO, this is what I would do right now... Take every employee in my organization. Train every one of them to use social media. Ask them to use social media on behalf of our brand. Provide them with incentives and rewards for doing so. The results would be significant. Not only would they be learning new, invaluable skills, they would be helping to get the word out about my business to a much larger audience. They would be making an additional contribution to the success of my company. The results would be a win-win.

20Nov 2021 by Bob Cargill

If I Were a Business or Brand with the Budget…

Branding, Business, Content, Marketing, Social Media

If I were a business or a brand with the budget, I would hire people whose sole responsibility was to use social media on my behalf. They would cover everything that's going on behind the scenes, sharing content day in and day out with our audience of fans, followers and friends. The content they create and share would be educational, informative, insightful, supportive, inspirational, entertaining even. They would be conspicuous in their presence, responsive and engaging, friendly and dependable. They would interact with those on the receiving end of our messages and learn from them. We would be a better and more successful company in the long run because of this commitment to #SocialMedia.

04Nov 2021 by Bob Cargill

New Belgium Brewing’s Torched Earth Ale

Branding, Business, Cause-Related Marketing, Marketing

Would you ever make a good product into a bad product? Why would you do such a thing? Well, just ask New Belgium Brewing. They made Torched Earth ale, a bad-tasting beverage made with "smoke-tainted water," to make a statement about the climate change crisis. In the process, they got tons of PR and brought lots of attention to this important issue. Brilliant, if you ask me. Simply brilliant. Good for the people at New Belgium Brewing for taking such a strong stand as a brand. How could your business or organization do something similar that results in such a win-win situation?

28Aug 2021 by Bob Cargill

Authenticity on Social Media

Branding, Communications, Marketing, Social Media

Authenticity on social media is so very important. If brands want to be successful on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and the like, they need to show their human sides. They need to keep it real. It's one thing to have great products and services to offer those on the receiving end of your marketing messages. It's another to have your audience trust you so much that they wouldn't think of buying from anyone else but you when it comes time to do business. Make it easy on yourself on social media. Just be yourself. P.S. Thanks to Pamela Bump for writing the ridiculously awesome post, "9 Social Media Trends Marketers Should Watch in 2021," on the HubSpot blog here that inspired this video message of mine. #SocialMedia #Marketing #Branding