denise lee yohn: brand as business bites™ / brand communication

Nike recently released their “Corporate Responsibility Report FY07-09” and I was so impressed by it, I just had to share my thoughts about it. (more…)

Andy Beal, an internet marketing consultant, award-winning blogger, professional speaker, and co-author of the critically-acclaimed book Radically Transparent: Monitoring & Managing Reputations Online, was kind enough to share a few moments with me earlier this week. 

Our talk covers topics like:

• how the social web is changing search
• the difference between brand and online reputation management
• noteworthy points about marketers and this year’s Super Bowl

We also discuss a cool company Andy founded, Trackur.  Trackur is an online reputation monitoring service that tracks what is said about you on the internet. Trackur scans hundreds of millions of web pages–including news, blogs, video, images, and forums–and lets you know if it discovers anything that matches the keywords you’ve indicated.  Fortune 500 companies, as well as small businesses, agencies, PR firms, etc. currently use Trackur as their “reputation guardian” and I think we’ll see even more uses and applications of the service going forward.  Check it out here.

You can reach Andy through his website:  www.andybeal.com .

I enjoyed talking shop with Andy and hope you enjoy listening in our conversation in the podcast below.

Listen to this post as a podcast:

Right-click here to download the podcast

If you’ve been in the business long enough, you come to understand there are some basic rules to follow when running an ad on the Super Bowl.  Humor works best.  Use animals or big-breasted women – or both.  Wow people with extraordinary settings and production values.

Many of the advertisers on last night’s big game followed the Super Bowl advertising playbook to a tee (view all of the spots here).  And, yet, they violated some fundamental rules of advertising in general.

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You know that feeling you get when watching that show, What Not to Wear?  Cringing and squirming, you watch as delusional people show off some of the most hideous outfits –  they think they actually look good when it is so clear they don’t.  That they would be so self-unaware is unbelievable.

Well, that’s how I’ve felt as I’ve witnessed the recent campaigns by two fast food restaurant chains.  They may think they’re rockin’ a good thing, but they’re not – and I’m incredulous that they don’t see it. (more…)

Right before the holidays, MarketingSherpa released its “2010 Social Media Marketing Benchmark Report.”  The report indicated that “improving brand or product reputation” and “increasing brand or product awareness” did not rank highly in the list of social media objectives targeted and measured by U.S. marketers.  This confirms my own findings that companies are overlooking the importance of using social media tools for strategic, proactive brand-building. (more…)

I just returned from a great trip to CES, the Consumer Electronics Show.  There was a lot of excitement around new, innovative products and it seemed like important deals and connections were being made – it was an energizing way to start off the new year!

I particularly enjoyed participating in some breakout sessions in the MommyTech and digitalHealth summits.  It was there that speakers offered up a few sound bites containing wisdom – wisdom that extends beyond the world of consumer electronics and digital technologies.

Here’s what I heard:

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Once again I find myself writing a post triggered by a New York Times article on the mobile category.  Last Monday it was about the different strategies brands are taking with their mobile application offerings.  Today this post introduces some thoughts based on the piece, “AT&T Takes the Blame, Even for the iPhone’s Faults.” (more…)

This week’s BusinessWeek features two stories back-to-back that together make an important point for all businesses trying to navigate today’s recessionary times. First is a piece on Target’s apparent move down market, “Look Who’s Stalking Wal-Mart.”  It outlines several moves by Target that seem to be taken from Wal-Mart’s playbook. Then there’s the article, “Why Old Navy May Still Be at Sea,” relaying the cheap-chic retailer’s struggles and successes over the past few years. (more…)

The following is a guest post by a colleague, Craig Hoffman, former Senior Business Development Officer for NexCen Brands, Inc.  During his tenure, NexCen acquired 9 consumer brands ranging from Bill Blass, The  Athlete’s Foot, and Great American cookie.  He developed a unique brand review that focused on understanding the brand first, then focused on ways to monetize the brand.  Utilizing this approach, he oversaw the research on hundreds of brands as potential acquisitions.

I used to carry a Blackberry…  (more…)

The following is a guest post from Dan Phillips, the co-founder of Skybend, a design and brand company focused on helping businesses navigate the gauntlet of electronic media. A classically trained artist turned graphics designer turned entrepreneur, Dan brings his unique perspective to branding efforts for businesses around the country. Contact Dan through his website at http://skybend.com or on Twitter via @ruqus.

Today I heard a story about the immediate impact of Twitter, or Twitimpact (that’s right you read it here first, Twitimpact). The story goes like this: (more…)