Alan M. Siegel's Blog, page 127

The power of brand rituals: What we can learn from Loehmann’s

I am a proud Loehmann’s shopper. I love fashion but I don’t like paying a lot for it, so I get a thrill in Loehmann’s scavenger-hunt-style of shopping for bargains. I wear the clothes I buy from the discount retailer as a badge of honor, announcing “I got it at Loehmann’s” whenever I receive a compliment. Like countless others, I have been lamenting the end of the Loehmann’s 94-year-run. With so many other places to find discounted fashion, what’s the big deal? Discounts I can find elsewhere, but Loehmann’s is an iconic brand, and iconic brands can’t be replaced.

The 10 questions every brand should ask to ensure it’s simple enough

 Growth is not something most executives will ever view negatively.

But there’s a price to pay for everything--as our companies grow, so does their complexity. More offices and employees require more communications. Added product lines and services require more messages to larger and increasingly diverse audiences. And the evolution of digital technologies means there are new touch points and more communication channels through which to reach our customers. Among the complexities of growing organizations, it’s easy for executives to lose the ability to keep things simple for customers and employees alike.

Simple pleasures: Chinese New Year at Siegel+Gale Beijing and Shanghai

This year, Siegel+Gale Beijing and Shanghai held two simple, delightful and unique Chinese New Years celebrations.

Super Bowl XLVIII: Seattle 43, Denver 8, Logo 0

While watching the big game Sunday, you may have noticed a few things: Peyton Manning getting shut down by Seattle’s amazing defense, Broadway Joe Namath’s unbelievable fur coat, or maybe just that the Red Hot Chili Peppers look a little old.

If you’re a graphic designer who stares at logos every day like me, one thing that have may stood out to you was the bright, shining, silver Super Bowl XLVIII logos on the jerseys of each team.

The NFL has been using its glossy logo for their championship game since they launched it at 2011’s Super Bowl XLV, held at Cowboys Stadium. This is a fairly new strategy for the NFL, as the logo for every Super Bowl prior to XLV (44 games to be exact) had a distinctly different visual treatment.

The NFL’s best and worst helmet designs

As we enter Super Bowl Weekend, we look forward to the food, the snacks, the half time show, the advertising and the game. Both the teams in the upcoming Superbowl have great-looking, classic logo helmets. I took a look at some of the more unique helmets in the field…

Which are the best and which are the worst?

The NFL: When being super isn’t enough

If you’re not growing, you’re dying. This is a common refrain we hear in the business world. You need only to look at Apple to see an example of this. Their stock has been falling, despite record sales of the iPhone and iPad. The questions analysts on Wall Street consider are: what is next and how will you grow?

 With the Superbowl approaching, I can’t help but think about another brand that is at the height of its popularity yet at the same time facing similar negative sentiments, The NFL.

Puppy Bowl X: Smart marketing that leaves indelible (paw) prints

In addition to Superbowl XLVIII, this weekend marks Animal Planet’s 10th annual Puppy Bowl. In this mock football game that kicks of at 2:00pm on Superbowl Sunday, puppies chase toys across a miniature field as human referees and commentators keep score.

In honor of Puppy Bowl X, Animal Planet has built an interactive event space called the Puppy Bowl Experience on Super Bowl Boulevard in Times Square.

I had the pleasure to attend a press preview of that space earlier this week. Few people can say no to adorable puppies, but it struck me that Puppy Bowl is also a brilliant, multi-faceted marketing tool.

6 steps to redefining your brand in 2014

If you are determined to redefine your organization’s brand in 2014, here are the top six steps that can help you achieve a better brand initiative. Trends come and go, but these simple steps will stand the test of time.

Rethinking your brand portfolio strategy: 5 questions to get you on the right track

It’s 2014: a new year with a new economic outlook. Corporate balance sheets are swelling, M&A activity is picking up, and markets are showing signs of consistent, sustainable growth. From manufacturing to energy to technology to healthcare, global leaders are adapting to ever-changing portfolios of products, services and everything in between. Adding product assortments and integrating acquisitions (which often come with existing brand equities) make for a complex situation. Rethinking portfolio strategy is quickly rising to the top of the executive to-do list.

Think you’ve got a sound strategy for managing and communicating your brand portfolio? Here are five questions to help you evaluate.

Apple’s China Weakness

Every year, I am asked for the biggest surprise in the Global Brand Simplicity Index findings. In 2013, this was not a hard question: Apple, which had only risen as a simple brand in the past 3 years, had taken a steep dive. The reason behind this dive was itself simple: Chinese consumers saw Apple as significantly less simple in 2013. The drop was so significant we had to triple check our data to make sure there was no error: -102 spots.