On Aug 10, 9:56 am, "Mail Man Bob" <***@where.com> wrote:
Who came up with the concept of "branding"?
James Walter Thompson, if I remember correctly...
it has permeated every business -- large and small -- whether
they need it or not.....
.. what could a small multi-disciplinary professional organization
composed of dues-paying members need with branding?
In the case of this prof society, the branding seems to be trying to
take the direction away from the long-time member base needs and attract
people of different professions.
This is a highly specialized assoc and not familiar to the general
public, so I'll substitute something easier to identify with...
Let's say the organization is the National Assoc of Air Conditioning
Engineers (NAACE). Membership has been declining over the years but the
leadership does not realize that it is because the society is not
focused on that profession. Instead, they call in a consultant who says
that the AC Engr market is maxed out and that in order to grow they need
to expand into related areas. So the leadership decides to go after
"Green Construction"...
=====================
More then a few thoughts to sit with...
Firstly, you are speaking if visual branding, also known as a LABEL.
Also, you are inadvertently making an argument FOR visual branding
(Labels).
By essentially stating that in reality the market focus has changed for
the product, and that the brand (label) represents this shift in focus
in an honest way, you are making an argument for the effectiveness of
authentic branding (Labeling that says whats inside the box, and does
not lie).
And yes, you are stating that the corporation is broadcasting their
intentions. This is the essence of ethical branding lol. Could what you
mean to say be that the branding is honest, but painfully true?
Think of a brand as a promise plus pride personified together. Think of
the name as "what we do". Think of the visuals as "who we are". And
think of the slogan as "who we do it for". When done well, a brand can
be a VERY motivational and inspirational tool for the org itself! It
should literally EMOTE all by itself.
As time goes by, a brand is much more than these elements, so this is
oversimplified some, but makes a key point - bear with me.
So, in the label thus you have your arms around an explicit promise of
things to come... what you'll get, from whom, and who you likely are if
you need this particular thing.
Since the brain can processes symbols more readily and with more
sophistication than words... (a picture is worth a thousand words), the
brand can speak very quickly. Since you can adjust the elements of it
(color, size, etc.) people can quickly identify your goods if they want
to find it in a group.
Thus, for the company, it becomes a tool. By tinkering with this
promise, this statement in symbols and words, you can now use this icon
to quickly speak your intentions to a large amount of people and
capture/ maintain interest according to promises kept.
Moving along, I feel there is deceptive branding and authentic branding,
with a gap. The narrower the gap, the closer what's promised on the
label reflects what's "in the box". The branding promise, like so many
other things in this culture has been somewhat watered down with quests
for higher upfront profits even at the expense of quality. Thus the new
twist on branding is becoming further from the old way of authenticity.
James Walter Thompson came up with the concept of branding -- NOT. It
proceeds him by at least a thousand years. Branding is rooted in the
"Namesake", more specifically the family mark. It shows who "owns" the
entity, and this implies the aforementioned promise by virtue of a clan
reputation.
As a concept it Appears in virtually all cultures independent of the
others, though more brazenly presented in some. The flag on the side of
a gunship is essentially a brand, thinking of a brand as a promised
intent plus pride personified together. War paint in tribal cultures
often was a version of the same idea. Promise and pride.
The family/ clan mark was similar to what you see in a coat of arms or
totem pole, and told a story. As things evolved, the trades also began
to develop their own marks which designated them as professionals in
their areas of expertise. Normally, each family/ clan would have a key
trade in which it excelled, and would hope to represent the family as
well as the profession. The symbolization of the profession and the
family together made up the Service- Mark, label, or "brand". This told
what service was promised and at what quality at a glance.
Now that we have that out of the way, you might see how your point shows
the effective and authentic labeling of the company in question. So, the
problem is not the branding. As a matter of fact, please congratulate
them for me, they've "done good" in branding, attaining a very narrow
authenticity gap.
So, what's really the problem? Perhaps it falls under one of these two
sets of things -
A1) Either the corporation is in violation of it's own charter in which
case legal action can be taken by members to get back monies expended -
because they have promised to do (a) but really did (b) (Illegal). You
could file a complain with the state.
A2) They did it by quickly recruiting new members and controlling the
direction of the org with votes - to gain income for the Org. and
benefit themselves and the majority of members. (Legal... but you can
always cast the green vote$ - cancel your memberships or bring in more
members yourselves and take it back over).
Other alternatives may apply - I'm a recovering Marketaholic not an atty
:)
OR
B1) They recognized the opportunity to grow into new areas and did so to
protect the long range viability of the organization (Most likely
guessing from your example).
B2) Such growth represented the dynamic changes of emerging markets and
change comes with a price. It inconveniences the "old guard" and those
who have become settled into the velvet trap of what's "always been". In
other words, they had to change or perish - better to switch ships than
go down with the old.
But alas everything is changing now... consolidation, diversification,
acceleration. Please don't feel too bad. We're all in this together.
Feeling the sting (or joy) of change right about now, It's tough,
depending on which side of fate you fall on.
Hopefully you'll get on it's good side in another area, and it'll all
sort of average out.
In closing, there is something called Unbranding which is closely tied
to the culture jamming movement. It's more of a political statement than
a good way to market or aquire wares. The problem is, as with most
Direct Action strategies, it does not answer the new problem set created
by the pseudo solution it poses.
Save the world! Yellow let it mellow - homespun labels with a rubber
stamp. Soho cafes, Outdoor P.J.s - duct tape sandals as designer shoes.
But don't cry for me, Argentina.
I'll be an Ethan Allen convert by 40. For even if the Money and the
Matrix miss me, the Midlife Crises shall not fail.
~zion~