Siegel+Gale will launch its new EyeOpener research innovation at THE Conference on Marketing in Naples, Florida, on February 5th.

THE Conference is a place where the greatest marketers will gather to challenge conventionalism, defy boundaries, and celebrate the power of marketing. Your entire marketing team – brand managers, promotions departments, designers, strategists, analysts, researchers, and innovators will leave feeling revitalized and inspired.

Our very own Director of Brand Research, Dr. Rolf Wulfsburg, will present the power of EyeOpener in brand decision making on Tuesday, February 5th at 1:30pm in a keynote session in the Proof Track which will focus on predicting return on brand investment (ROBI) and how to do that effectively.

Learn more and/or register for the conference.

Clearly in today’s rough and tumble world of politics, candidates are packaged as brands, says Alan Siegel, Chairman and CEO of Siegel+Gale. Their handlers work hard to position them. They use research to determine how they are perceived and what messages they can use that are credible and resonate with voters, and they try to find a voice that defines their distinctive personae to differentiate them from the competition.

• Hillary Clinton has been seen as the leading Democratic brand — the experienced leader, an articulate policy wonk, and an insider who has seen it all as the candidate who spent eight years in the White House.
• John McCain is the straight-talking rebel.
• John Edwards is the empathetic populist who grew up in a modest house in North Carolina and champions the plight of middle class Americans.
• Barack Obama casts himself as the energetic change agent with the charisma necessary to inspire a new generation of leadership through the politics of inclusion.
• Mike Huckabee offers solace to Christian values voters who hunger for religious guidance in uncertain times.
• Mitt Romney demands to be seen as a socially conservative but entrepreneurial CEO who seeks market solutions to the nation’s challenges.

But to prevail, the candidates must stay true to their brand promises. Right now, as the Democratic nomination narrows to a fierce competition between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Mrs. Clinton is undermining her position as the “Leading Brand” among the Democratic candidates with attacks on Barack Obama, the “Challenger Brand.”

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Tru2way, the new cable industry brand announced earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show by Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, was created by global strategic branding firm, Siegel+Gale.

“Tru2way is the future of interactive television,” says Alan Siegel, Chairman and CEO of Siegel+Gale. This new, industry-standard technology will allow a whole new generation of interconnected media devices, including interactive televisions needing no cable box. Consumers will be able to vote; order pay-per-view; purchase products, services, and music; organize their content; and access a personalized TV guide; all with a click of their remote.

The brand, previously called OpenCable™ Platform, was brought to life by a multi-industry consortium that included cable operators: Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, and Bright House Networks; electronics manufacturers: Panasonic, Samsung, LG, and Microsoft; cable industry trade organizations: CTAM and NCTA; and CableLabs®, the cable industry’s research and development arm, which owns the tru2way trademark.

“Our technology initiatives often result in consumer-facing products, such as the cable modem and digital voice products. But tru2way is the first industry-wide brand, and I was greatly impressed by the excitement and reception it received during the electronics show. Tru2way appears to have really nailed it for cable’s interactive video future,” said CableLabs President and CEO, Dr. Richard R. Green.

Siegel+Gale’s cross-functional strategy and creative teams collaborated with the consortium’s partners to explore the technology’s potential. An accelerated research process to include client and customer interviews led to the development of the name, logo design, and brand positioning for this next-generation technology in five months.

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