This year we've had the privilege of working with the Atlanta chapter of Entrepreneur Organization (EO). EO is a dynamic, global network of more than 7,000 business owners in 38 countries and is the catalyst that enables entrepreneurs to learn and grow from each other, leading to greater business success and enriched personal lives.
Music has the magical ability to transform cultures, unite enemies, and inspire movements. Can a brand do that?
I love the Olympics. Something about seeing the world united and playing games together is just awesome. I stayed up late Friday night to watch the entire opening ceremony (yes, midnight is late for me: I have 2 little kids who wake up at 6:30am whether I like it or not). During the ceremony I was so struck by all of the country flags...
This past December I completely forgot about checking Twitter & Facebook. No intent to do so...it just happened. A couple weeks later, when I realized the time that had passed, I also realized I hadn't missed it. So I set out on an experiment to see what would happen if I stopped the constant social media participation for a bit. How long would I last? Would people start to ask me why? My last SM check in was on Dec 18. Number of people that have asked me why I stopped posting - only 2.
About a year or so, we released what we call the Field Guide to Designing Brand Identity. This concept has come up on several conversations as of late, so I thought it might be good to revisit. The basic idea: there are two directions to take when designing brand identity: the Shotgun or the Sniper.
This year for our On The House campaign, I will be announcing our talented and incredibly generous partners, who are coming along side us to help ignite the Atlanta Union Mission brand, which leads me to my conversation with the talented Mr. Stephen Hunton...
I talk about brand identity a lot. Every day. Discussing all of the strategies, elements, tactics, and tools involved in building a great one. Yet it still doesn't stop me from being affected by it all. If I was a magician, I would be less affected by another magician's tricks because I would know what they're doing behind the scenes in order to make it happen. Not the case with brand identity.
"Different."
"Simple update."
"Change."
"Like Apple."
"Just..."
"I don't like that color."
"Innovation."
These are just a sampling of the types of words and phrases that get thrown around the branding table.
The antidote? A central component of the branding process - The Big Idea.
I'm not a big fan of opera, but I am a fan of the MET's logo. Simple, memorable, smart, flexible. When they went through their rebrand back in '06, it was said to have been "an initiative of the Met’s new general manager, Peter Gelb". This is always where a great brand begins.
My pick for brand of the decade is Nintendo.
I'm inspired by what Nintendo has been able to accomplish this decade. They went from undisputed category leader in the 80s to bringing up the rear by early this decade behind XBox and PlayStation. I figured Nintendo would be nothing but a great memory from my childhood. But Nintendo responded with the best of branding principles.
- scott fuller