“Verbing Up”: Getting that brand high

Is allowing your brand to “verb-up” a good thing in the long run? Or is it more like shooting heroin—a short-term high in trade for a crash later?

Heroin. Hard to imagine it was once a brand name. But it was—just like Aspirin, Escalator and Xerox. It was a brand name, among many, that suffered the fate of “genericide”—the buzzword that describes what happens when a brand name becomes generic. Genericide is often associated with the "verbing-up" of brand names.

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So, how do you like them Apples?

It's interesting that people are so wrapped up in what Apple is calling the new, third-generation iPad—"iPad," with no number. Even though Steve Jobs is no longer around to launch Apple's products with the ease, grace and simplicity he was known and loved for, each product is still a shining breakthrough. With the new iPad, it's the dramatically improved display screen and data speed over cellular networks. So why all the fuss about the name—or lack thereof?

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No one ever yahoo’d—The fallacy of pre-verbing a brand name (Part 1)

We "google" every day. We "tweet" incessantly. And we might "tivo" several times a week. Some of us old fogies even "xeroxed" and "videotaped" things once upon a time. In England people still "hoover" the floor. We like "swiffering" better than mopping. Back in the '80s, many of us enjoyed "rollerblading." And we all still "zip" things up—not just jackets.

But all of us have yet to "bing" or "yahoo." Why is that?

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A victory for simplicity

I'm a big believer in the idea that simplicity is facilitated by technology. And across the globe, ease of communications is considered technology's greatest contribution to a more simplified life.

So when a company that specializes in bringing people together through smartphones and other state-of-the-art products and services does something that boggles the mind, I can’t help but take notice.

Verizon's year-end announcement that it would be charging a $2 fee for one-time bill payments sparked a customer revolt. The so-called "convenience charge" would have applied to those consumers who make one-time bill payments using debit or credit cards, either online or by telephone.

Within barely 24 hours, Verizon reversed course, with lots of egg on its face.

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How tech got simple

We’ve definitely entered the digital age. While technology used to be seen as overly complicated and hard to understand, customers rated technology companies as some of the simplest brands in Siegel+Gale’s 2011 Global Brand Simplicity Index, a report based on a survey of more than 6,000 consumers in seven countries. Electronics and appliance brands take up six spots in the top 20. Internet brands do even better—with Google and Amazon heading up the entire global list.

This result reflects the real progress that technology companies have made in recent years to create better experiences for their customers. Some of this is due to technical advances that make products easier to use (touch screens, lightweight materials, broadband Internet, etc.), and some is due to a conscious effort by certain companies to focus on what’s important to customers.

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How to merge two brands in six not-so-simple steps

When companies approach branding firms like Siegel+Gale for guidance on merging two corporate or product brands, the request is typically for us to develop a name, logo, endorsement strategy and story for the new merged entity. In many cases, however, it’s not the right move to simply create and launch a new brand identity overnight. The job is not done with the introduction of some new branding elements.

The problem is that, in most cases, companies lack a clear business and marketing migration plan and resources to support an effective brand migration.The truth is that proper brand migration requires the right people, planning, investment, measurement and commitment.

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The New Law of Attraction for Working Millennials: Purpose Required

Energy companies locked in a competitive war for top talent are finding Millennials reluctant recruits. While some battles are still won with salaries and benefits, the industry's overall strategy must begin with an appeal to the hearts and minds of current and prospective employees across age groups with a clear and compelling declaration of Purpose.

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Risky branding

Why is it that some edgy or salacious brand names seem to be okay, while others are not? Most names that start out edgy or have negative meaning happen intentionally, with the potential risks acknowledged and accepted. Others seem to happen merely by mistake. But either way, it doesn’t always seem to matter in the eye of the consumer.

The human mind is compartmentalized when it comes to brand names and their images. Consider the name for Hertz rental cars, which probably doesn’t make most of us think we’re going to have a painful experience. When you sit at your beautiful Yamaha piano, you don’t feel that the piano is racy because there are motorbikes sold under the same name. Consumers are able to keep one association separate from another—and one brand separate from another (take Dove soap and Dove ice cream). And, there’s a high level of receptivity to new and edgy names, something we’ve seen spike in the past decade.

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To understand the competition, don’t just look at competitors

With the pace of technological advancement today, no one is safe from an utterly disruptive innovation that completely changes the way people experience a brand. But it's not enough to think about the competition, or to understand and even anticipate what our immediate competitors are doing. If we really want to know where the market is heading, we need to watch how customers behave.

I don't mean ask them what they want. We all know the famous Ford saying: "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they'd have said 'a faster horse.'" I mean it's important to understand how they live, what motivates them and what kinds of experiences they seek out. The goal is to focus on new and better ways to deliver on those expectations.

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