From here, those clouds look like rain!

For the last year, we've been bombarded by technology companies talking about "the cloud." And recently, we've seen how "the cloud" can be a confusing, insecure and sometimes dangerous place.

If you ask most consumers, they can’t tell you what a "cloud" is. But whether they know it or not, they are most likely using an aspect of a cloud-based service. Think Gmail, Flickr and DropBox, otherwise known as email, photo sharing and online storage. We may not know the technology behind these useful products, but they are easy-to-use and valuable. But there is a growing problem. While most of the technology world is focused on talking literally into the ether and to one another, most consumers just want to understand the product or service.

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And one for all: Branding in the age of collaborative consumption

At the intersection of social media, increased connectivity and a shifting global economic landscape, new business models are emerging. One trend among internet brands is the growth of services built around the principle of "collaborative consumption."

Author Rachel Botsman defines this as "swapping, sharing, bartering, trading and renting being reinvented through the latest technologies and peer-to-peer marketplaces in ways and on a scale never possible before." In a collaborative consumption model, individuals act as brokers for goods and services that consumers would normally purchase from retailers. Although the model may change, the advantages of a clear brand message and compelling brand experience may eventually be more important than they are today.

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Extending a brand to unlikely categories

While executives rightly proceed with caution when considering brand extensions, the rewards of success are substantial. Although Apple's iPod and iTunes are shining examples, Apple is certainly not unique. Other powerful brands that have created enormous equity by extending into unlikely categories include IBM and Virgin. Contrary to popular belief, customers give some brands a great deal of permission to extend into unlikely places. There are key factors that brands can use to assess the likelihood of a successful brand extension into incongruous categories.

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Names or Numbers?

Alphanumerics are usually relegated to the tertiary role of helping consumers understand relationships between product versions. But, in a world where every new Nokia, BlackBerry or Ford sub-brand has a name, whether it's a Chocolate or an Edge, one can argue that in some cases, going back to numbers might be better—an irony of sorts.

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On innovation and net neutrality: How Netflix can save the web

The issue at hand is that Netflix is growing very popular: according to an Oct. 2010 Sandvine web traffic study, 20% of prime-time web traffic by volume in the U.S. last year was spent streaming Netflix instant video. But because every minute of video requires more bandwidth to deliver than, say, a hundred email messages, the Netflix share of traffic is very large compared to that of other content providers. And so it's no surprise that service providers like Comcast, Time Warner, and others, are looking for ways to capitalize on that disparity.

But herein lies a problem: if you think of the internet as a virtual library of vastly diverse content (like I do), then charging more to deliveronline video to customers is like a bookstore charging a premium for picture books because they use more ink. That's a slippery slope.

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Won over by the queen of all sirens

Last week Starbucks introduced a significant logo change, dropping the word "coffee" and, even more dramatically, the company name from its mark. Needless to say, it's a bold gambit to join the pantheon of iconic brands that have faith we know who they are and what they represent.

It's interesting to analyze the soft launch of Starbucks against the clumsy logo spill of Gap last fall. In contrast to this tightly mapped, strategically driven change from Starbucks, Gap approached its brand evolution as a pure design exercise, not as a strategic repositioning exercise. By all accounts, Gap was careless in the introduction, clearly underestimated consumer interest and, in the end scuttled their new logo.

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The need for precision

As an early attendant of drama school, Julie Polk received training from a mime—training that revealed the importance of creating highly specific physical vocabularies to communicate through movement. Today she uses that same precision to communicate the written word—amplifying a clear and compelling brand voice for global brands.

In her latest article, Polk claims that, "The need for precision in determining voice attributes is just as strong as it is for creating movement. In fact, it's stronger."

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Marketing to teens and millennials: The shape of digital success

Teens and millennials who have grown up in the rapidly changing digital age can be hard to keep up with. The multitude of digital channels today challenges marketers to meet this audience wherever they are at any given moment. At the same time, their dependence on the internet and mobile activity offers unique opportunities for marketers to communicate with and transform these digital consumers into loyal brand enthusiasts. In this presentation, Thomas Mueller, global director, customer experience demonstrates what makes this audience tick, and how brands such as Anayou.com, Sony PlayStation and Flip Video™ connect with them in a simple and
compelling way.

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