There are tons of articles and journal articles that help us define brands. One simple truth is that to succeed in the sea of sameness world of branding, connecting with customers at their emotional level is essential. That is not to say that rational connections are not important. Read what some British experts have to say at http://www.hdm-stuttgart.de/~britsch/nmdesdev/downloads/article/branding_4.pdf.
More and more companies are instituting web grass roots efforts to build their brands. According to Umar Hague, a London economist and Havas Media Lab director, "By choosing to invest in consumers over advertising, Google is a living example of a deeper truth: The future of communications as advantage lies in talking less and listening more." Read more, about brands like Zappos and Craigslist at http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/esearch/e3i5e732e045deaaba3ecab1948a0858e5b/
According to a recent study conducted by Feed Company, an online marketing company, more and more marketers are embracing viral video. "Over 70% of ad agency and media buying executives plan to increase their viral video marketing budgets next year, despite cutbacks in projected spending. (For more: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/digital/e3i677aeab462cd125fa1225335b5a78b84)
Have you wondered lately about which brands are the most powerful in the world? According to the very respected Millward Brown Optimor, number one is Google -- not surprising. Google is followed by General Electric, Microsoft and Coca-Cola. Millward Brown Optimor's latest report on the world's top 100 brands is packed with interesting insights that combine "financial data with primary research findings." For details go to: http://media.ft.com/cms/383ff650-0fc6-8871-0000779fd2ac.pdf.
Polls show that the morale of Americans is very low. That need not be and should not be. For starters, familiarize yourself with Fareed Zarkaria, in The Rise of the Rest, which follows. "It's true China is booming, Russia is growing more assertive, terrorism is a threat. But if America is losing the ability to dictate to this new world, it has not lost the ability to lead. By Fareed Zakaria