Delivers Keynote Address at HiBrand 2008 International Conference on Branding

"Many global brands project brand voices that are predictable, uninspired, unintelligible, and incoherent," says Alan Siegel, Founder and Chairman of the leading strategic brand consultancy Siegel+Gale. "People pay lip service to brand voice, but it is really getting watered down to strategy decks and pages of over-used words like innovative, collaborative, and integrity that really aren’t driving distinctive and effective brand voices."

Mr. Siegel, who coined the terms brand voice and corporate voice more than 25 years ago, will speak on Brand Voice Today at the HiBrand 2008 International Conference on Branding in Moscow on October 24, 2008. Mr. Siegel’s keynote address will open the HiBrand 2008 program.

HiBrand 2008 is a three-day gathering of 400 global leaders in branding, marketing, design, advertising, and communication from Russia and several European countries. The conference is organized by Identity, the first Russian magazine about branding and commercial design.

"Russia has evolved into a first-rate economic power with rapidly emerging domestic, regional, and global brands," says Mr. Siegel. "Now the country has a community of branding professionals who are looking for the latest trends and insights in branding from around the world."

According to Mr. Siegel, used correctly, "corporate voice" and "brand voice" describe fusing strategy, corporate values, messaging, and identity to communicate a company’s distinctive personality, culture, and value proposition. Mr. Siegel will share his insights into:

• Understanding Brand Voice and how to build it;
• Examples of world-class companies with distinctive brand voices and why they are successful;
• How to continually recalibrate Brand Voice, in this age of dynamic digital media, into Digital Voice.

NEW YORK, NY, October 3, 2008—"Last night was political theater, not a real debate," says Alan Siegel, Founder and CEO of leading brand strategy firm Siegel+Gale . "The American people are yearning to hear the authentic, credible voices of the candidates in these debates — not prepackaged ‘message points,’ winks, or posturing."

Mr. Siegel pioneered the concept of "Corporate Voice" over 25 years ago. Since then, he has been helping the world’s leading corporations and organizations develop powerfully positioned, clear, consistent, and resonant communications to their many audiences.

Following is Mr. Siegel’s assessment of the "Voices" of the candidates in last night’s debates:

Joe Biden’s "Voice"
"Biden’s voice was clear (although he was hoarse), confident, credible, genuine, passionate, responsive and respectful, commanding and vice presidential."

Sarah Palin’s "Voice"
"Palin’s voice was perky and enthusiastic, friendly, down-home, programmed, colloquial, ditzy, predictable, and at times modestly contentious."

Overall Observations
"The moderator contributed to the lack of debate by allowing Palin to insert her own programmed responses instead of answering the questions.

"Palin’s repeated name dropping — trying to prove that she could pronounce difficult names — was annoying.

"Inserting her meeting with Kissinger into the conversation was laughable.

"During a time of such national crisis, the American people deserve more."