Alan M. Siegel's Blog, page 3

Naming in 2025 is tricky. Here are 8 fake company names we love.

Why is brand naming harder than ever in 2025? (Don’t worry—we’ve got you.)

Naming a company, product, or service sounds simple, right? But in 2025, it’s one of the toughest—and most important—decisions you’ll make as a brand. The right name opens doors, sparks conversations, builds instant connections. The wrong name can hold you back—in ways you might not expect.

The challenge: Stand out or blend in

Thousands of new brands launch every year, fighting for a name that’s unique, memorable—not to mention, available. With global trademark hurdles, crowded digital spaces, and shifting cultural trends, the naming process is trickier than ever.
It’s no wonder so many brands end up with names that sound… well, forgettable. Or why creative teams spin in endless rounds of ideation, only to discover their top picks are taken.

The reality: Naming is both art and science

A great name is more than catchy—it’s strategic. It must reflect who you are and what you stand for. Work across languages and cultures. Pop in search results. It should be easy to say and spell, and ready to flex as your business grows.

At Siegel+Gale, we’re naming ninjas. We’ve named everything from global powerhouses to breakthrough startups and innovative products. Along the way, we’ve learned what works—and what doesn’t—in the real world.

Our Approach: Clarity, Creativity, Results

We start at the heart.

What should people feel when they hear your name? What sets your brand apart? We dig deep to unearth the core ideas that drive your business.

We go far and wide.

Naming requires creativity and courage. We generate hundreds of options—viable and not—to stretch thinking and uncover new possibilities. Every idea is filtered through the lens of simplicity, memorability, and growth potential.

We pressure-test every candidate.

Is it available as a trademark and domain? Does it work in every market? Will it stand out in a world of soundalikes? We ask the tough questions, so you can move forward with confidence.

We help you choose.

Naming can feel personal and subjective. Our process brings structure and insight, guiding your team toward the name that’s right for your brand and your future.

Need Inspiration? 8 Great (Fake) Company Names

If you’re looking for inspiration, remember, some of the most iconic names began in fiction. They’ve become part of our collective memory—not just because they’re sticky, but because they tell a story.

Acme Corporation (Looney Tunes): The go-to source for gadgets, gags, and wild inventions.Dunder Mifflin (The Office): The Scranton-based paper supply company with endless personality.Wayne Enterprises (Batman): Bruce Wayne’s business empire, powering both Gotham City and the Batcave.Initech (Office Space): The ultimate parody of ‘90s tech culture and cubicle life.Umbrella Corporation (Resident Evil): The name alone signals a sense of intrigue—and danger.Wonka Industries (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory): Imagination and magic, wrapped up in a name.Vandelay Industries (Seinfeld): The most famous fake importer-exporter in TV history.Cyberdyne Systems (Terminator): A name now synonymous with AI—and cautionary tales.Sterling Cooper (Mad Men): Advertising’s golden age, distilled into two memorable words.Monsters, Inc. (Monsters, Inc.): A playful, memorable blend that says exactly what the business does.

The Takeaway: Don’t Settle for “Good Enough”

In 2025, a great name is your first—and best—chance to stand out. It’s worth the work. Don’t settle for a name that checks the boxes. Aim for one that sparks something real.

If you’re ready to name your next big thing, let’s make it simple, memorable, and unmistakably yours.

Learn more about naming for brands that want to be remembered. Contact us.

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Solventum Brand Central. One simple hub. Brand clarity—everywhere

The challenge

When Solventum spun off from 3M, they needed more than a new look. They needed a way for every team, everywhere, to access, understand, and use the brand—without the headaches of old systems or endless questions. Their goal: Empower people, not police them. Make the brand simple, clear, and consistent for everyone.

What mattered most:

Make guidelines easy to understand and use—at any levelEnd version-control chaos for goodGive everyone a single place to find every assetHelp the new brand team drive business, not just enforce rules

Their solution? A modern, user-friendly SaaS platform. Fast to launch. Easy to own.

Our approach

We started with strategy—then built for scale.

Foundations first

Defined a brand governance model that puts people firstMapped the vision, goals, and user needs for Brand Central

Building the right tool

Led the search for a SaaS partner—evaluated, demoed, and chose FrontifySet detailed requirements and mapped use casesCollaborated closely with Frontify to build a site that worked for everyone

Bringing it to life

Designed a simple, intuitive site mapAuthored every asset and guideline—ready, organized, and easy to findCustom brand training modules to guide every userBuilt analytics in from day one—to keep improving

The result

One centralized Brand Central—translated for a global workforceSearchable guidelines and assets, always up to dateOver 2,800 monthly users, worldwide  A modern, user-friendly hub that replaced outdated SharePoint chaosA brand team empowered to educate, not just enforce

Now, every Solventum employee—anywhere in the world—can find what they need, when they need it, and use the brand with confidence.

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Marketing in 2025: the trends that will define our future

A few years ago, the marketing landscape was a game of adaptation—keeping pace with the latest platforms, ever-changing algorithms, and responding to the shifting tides of consumer expectations. But in 2025, the rules of the game are changing again. The brands that win won’t just be those that are hyper-reactive —they’ll be the ones shaping the future. 

In the game of never-ending adaptation, what’s clear is that we’re on the cusp of something big: a moment where technology, culture, and brand-building are colliding in ways we’ve never seen before.  

As a global branding consultancy, we see it as our due diligence to keep a weather eye on the horizon – here’s where we believe things could be heading:  

Personalise without being creepy  

By now, we all know that AI is transforming marketing. But here’s the shift for 2025: it’s no longer just about automation—it’s about innovation. The brands that will stand out won’t be the ones using AI to cut costs, but the ones using it to create hyper-personalised, emotionally intelligent experiences at scale. 

Brands need to strike a delicate balance—being an integral part of people’s lives without crossing the line into intrusion. The best personalisation isn’t about overwhelming consumers with hyper-targeted ads but about being genuinely useful to them in ways that enhance their experience rather than disrupt it. 

The key? AI needs to feel human. Consumers don’t want interactions that feel robotic; they want brands that understand them, anticipate their needs, and engage with them in meaningful ways. We’re already seeing this with conversational AI—where chatbots aren’t just answering FAQs but becoming extensions of a brand’s personality. The challenge will be in balancing automation with authenticity. 

Community over virality 

For years, marketers have chased reach, measuring success by impressions, views, and follower counts. But 2025 is ushering in a new era: the age of engaged communities. Instead of trying to go viral, brands will double down on depth—building spaces where consumers feel a sense of belonging. The same can be said for the influencers promoting the product – they will no longer be required to simply “hold the product” but engage deeply on an authentic level.  

Glossier built its empire by treating customers like co-creators, inviting them into the product development process. Nike’s Run Club has turned running into a social movement. Duolingo’s social media is less about corporate branding and more about fostering a language-learning culture. The takeaway? Consumers don’t just want content—they want connection. 

The end of performance-first marketing 

For years, we lived in the age of performance marketing. Every ad had a clear, trackable ROI. Every campaign was designed to drive immediate conversion. But that era is fading fast. 

Why? Because paid media is getting more expensive, acquisition costs are rising, and privacy regulations are making hyper-targeting less effective. The brands that thrive in 2025 will be those that understand brand-building isn’t a ‘nice to have’—it’s a necessity. Look at Airbnb: when they shifted from performance marketing to brand storytelling, their revenue hit record highs. In a saturated digital world, emotional connection is the most powerful currency a brand can have. 

Culture is the new battleground 

Consumers are no longer just buying products—they’re buying into brands. And in 2025, the most successful brands will be the ones that stay culturally relevant without feeling opportunistic. 

The trick to this is simplicity and consistency. If a brand only supports a movement when it’s trending, consumers will see right through it. The brands that win will be the ones who show up authentically, not just when it’s convenient, but consistently over time. Think of Ben & Jerry’s, which has made activism a core part of its DNA, not a fleeting marketing strategy. 

The rise of brand-generated IP 

Here’s a fascinating shift: brands are no longer just inserting themselves into culture—they’re creating it. We’re seeing this already with Nike’s ‘Air‘ movie, LEGO’s cinematic universe, and the explosion of luxury fashion collaborations in gaming. In 2025, more brands will move beyond traditional advertising and into full-scale storytelling, creating experiences that blur the lines between entertainment and marketing. Brands that tell stories in a clear, compelling way will be the ones that resonate.

What’s next? 

For brands, 2025 isn’t just about keeping up—it’s about leading. The brands that succeed will be the ones that are trendsetters. Whether it’s through AI-driven innovation, community-led branding or cultural resonance, the future belongs to those who create something truly meaningful. 

So, the question for every marketer is this: is your brand just reacting to change—or are you shaping what’s next? 

 

Philip Davies is President, EMEA at Siegel+Gale.

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How should simple sound to you?

When we’re young, we think big words equal smart ideas. Later, we realize those who use complex language often don’t know what they’re talking about, or don’t want us to know what they’re talking about. In other words, wordy isn’t smart. Simple is. And every organization, from nonprofit to global enterprises, should strive for it—for audience connections and their own bottom line.  

Simplicity creates clarity, drives connection and helps deliver business results.  

That’s why every organization, from nonprofits to global enterprises, should strive for it. But in an age where word counts and attention spans have never been shorter, can simplicity and originality coexist? Or does the most straightforward sentence always win out? In short:

Should simple sound the same for everyone?

For my money, Alan Siegel is the best person in the world to answer this question (and not because his name is on my paycheck). Co-founder and now chairman emeritus, in the early 1970s, Siegel led the Plain English Campaign “against gobbledygook, jargon and misleading public information.” Over the last fifty years, he has simplified countless concepts across every sector. He also created (and trademarked) Brand Voice, the idea that organizations should sound “clear, coherent and distinctive.”  

In 2024, when Siegel stopped by the New York offices for a fireside chat, I asked him: 

Is there only one way to sound simple? 

I should add that Siegel’s book, Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity, is a touchstone of mine, his piece “Ten Brand Voice Lessons” permanently pinned in my browser. I knew how he might answer, but I wanted to hear it in his voice.  

Siegel, who is tall and distinguished, with thick grey hair and a piercing gaze, looked at me like he couldn’t believe I worked for the firm he founded.  

“Of course there is,” he said. “What you’re thinking about isn’t simplicity. It’s simplistic.” And for Brand Voice, this distinction is everything.  

Simplicity is the quality of being easy to understand.  

For straightforward topics, the shortest sentence may do. But new or complicated concepts may need greater explanation. That doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice simplicity. An apt metaphor may help prospective investors grasp a new financial concept. A touch of humor in a product’s caution language can make it more memorable, and even add humanity to that brand. 

Simplistic is treating complex issues as simpler than they really are.  

If we measure simplicity only by its syllables, and not its ability to clearly convey a concept, we risk tipping into simplistic. This means people might understand what’s being said, but not get what they need from it. The message isn’t telling the whole story. 

Siegel’s answer reminded me of a quote I wrote on a sticky note, likely because it’s on the back cover of his book:

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”  

Since Albert Einstein said this decades before Alan Siegel created Brand Voice, I can only assume it was originally meant for a mathematical context. But gets at the precise balance we as simplifiers try to strike with language—one that, when done correctly, works with the consistency of a formula, but delivers language like an art. 

Simple starts with a sound strategy.

Strategy is the core idea that underpins a brand. Building a sound strategy takes going below an organization’s surface to discover what makes it distinct and connecting these distinctions with external perceptions. The process requires in-depth conversation, research and deep collaboration between teams. From it, a foundation for simplicity emerges, guiding a brand’s entire expression—how it looks, acts and speaks.   

Simplicity and authenticity go hand in hand.  

In Siegel’s piece, “Ten Brand Voice Lessons,” he writes, “Being seen as [having] a conscience is paramount. People want organizations to live up to higher values and own mistakes.” Embellishment or flowery language may blur these values. Conversely, if we whitewash language, we enter simplistic territory and risk stripping away an organization’s essence. Simplicity’s goal is to ensure a brand sounds and feels true to its audiences, including the employees who live and breathe it daily. Because when you can see precisely who you are and what you have to offer, customers can intuitively understand you and connect with you. 

So, ready to find your simple?

Start with what makes your organization special. Then say it everywhere, as simple as possible—but no simpler.  

 

 

Chad Thomas is Associate Director of Brand Communication at global brand consultancy Siegel+Gale.

The post How should simple sound to you? appeared first on Siegel+Gale.

What does simple sound like to you?

When we’re young, we think big words equal smart ideas. Later, we realize those who use complex language often don’t know what they’re talking about, or don’t want us to know what they’re talking about. In other words, wordy isn’t smart. Simple is. And every organization, from nonprofit to national provider, should strive for it—for audience peace of mind and their own bottom line.  

But does simple sound the same for everyone? Or can simplicity and originality coexist?  

For my money, Alan Siegel is the best person in the world to answer this (and not because his surname is on my paycheck). Co-founder and now chairman emeritus, in the early 1970s, Siegel led the Plain English Campaign “against gobbledygook, jargon and misleading public information.” Over the last fifty years, he has simplified countless concepts across every sector (1040-EZ, anyone?). He also created (and trademarked) Brand Voice, the idea that organizations should sound “clear, coherent and distinctive.”  

In 2024, when Siegel stopped by the New York offices for a fireside chat, I asked him: 

Is there only one way to sound simple? 

I should add that Siegel’s book, Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity, is a touchstone of mine, his piece “Ten Brand Voice Lessons” permanently pinned in my browser. I knew how he might answer, but I wanted to hear it in his voice.  

Siegel, who is tall and distinguished, with thick grey hair and a piercing gaze, looked at me like he couldn’t believe I worked for the firm he founded.  

“Of course there is,” he said. “What you’re thinking about isn’t simplicity. It’s simplistic.” And for Brand Voice, this distinction is everything.  

Simplicity is the quality of being easy to understand.  

Sometimes, an apt metaphor can help us grasp a complicated financial concept. Adding a touch of humor to a product’s caution language makes it memorable and helps humanize the brand.  

Simplistic is treating complex issues as simpler than they really are.  

If we measure simplicity solely by syllables, we risk tipping into simplistic. That means people might get the message, but not get what they need from it.  

Siegel’s answer reminded me of a quote I’d once written on a sticky note: 

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”  

Since Albert Einstein said this decades before Alan Siegel created Brand Voice, I can only assume it was said in a mathematical context. But the words get at the precise balance we try to strike with language—one that, when done correctly, works like a formula but comes off like an art. 

How do you find your simple?  

While simple takes many forms, there’s a right form for every organization. Finding it starts with sound strategy, the core idea that underpins a brand. Building that strategy takes going below your organization’s surface to discover how it’s distinct and finding the disconnect between this distinction and external perceptions. It’s an exhaustive process involving interviews, market research and deep collaboration between teams—both yours, and ours. But from it, a beautifully simple foundation emerges, guiding a brand’s entire expression—how it looks, acts and sounds.  

Simplicity and originality can and should coexist. But the most important measure of success is authenticity.  

That’s how true a brand sounds to its audiences, including the employees who live and breathe it daily. Simplicity and authenticity go hand in hand. If you stop short of telling audiences the truth, you’re in simplistic territory. In Alan Siegel’s “Ten Brand Voice Lessons,” he writes, “Being seen as [having] a conscience is paramount. People want organizations to live up to higher values and own up to mistakes.” If we embellish, we blur the truth; if we whitewash, we strip away the essence.  

So here’s the key:  

Find what makes your organization special. Then say it everywhere, in the simplest way possible—but no simpler.  

 

 

Chad Thomas is Associate Director of Brand Communication at global brand consultancy Siegel+Gale.

The post What does simple sound like to you? appeared first on Siegel+Gale.

Five business benefits of simplifying your brand architecture

In a world obsessed with innovation, complexity has somehow become a badge of honor. But when it comes to building strong, scalable brands, simplicity is the true power move. Not minimalism for minimalism’s sake—but strategic, intentional simplicity that clarifies what a brand stands for, how it shows up and where it’s going. 
 
Whether navigating a merger, managing a bloated portfolio or simply trying to futureproof it, simplicity isn’t just nice to have—it’s mission-critical. Here’s how it drives five business imperatives that matter most: 

Drive budget efficiencies 

Simplicity saves money. A streamlined brand architecture reduces redundancies in messaging, marketing spend and operational effort. Do you really need three sub-brands saying slightly different things to the same audience? Probably not. 

By consolidating under a clear, unified brand system, teams reduce the need for duplicated content, overlapping campaigns and excessive agency partners. It also simplifies vendor negotiations, tech stack integrations and internal training. Fewer logos, clearer roles, leaner processes—simplicity keeps things sharp and cost-effective. 

Futureproof for new integrations 

M&A activity is a fact of modern business life. Whether you’re acquiring, merging or divesting, complexity can turn these moves into brand landmines. A clear, flexible brand architecture with robust decision trees makes integrating new entities faster, smoother, and less painful. 

When your system is built for clarity and cohesion, you avoid the trap of bolting on mismatched brands and creating confusion. You create space for new business units, services or innovations without unravelling the whole brand ecosystem. Simplicity = scalability. 

Position for growth 

Simplicity doesn’t limit growth—it unlocks it. When your brand system is easy to understand, it’s easier to expand into new categories, regions or audiences. Consumers recognize you faster. Partners trust you more. Employees rally around a single, clear narrative. 

Too often, brands get in their own way—overcomplicating offerings, diluting positioning, and overwhelming customers with choice. A simple structure focuses attention on what matters most. It helps people understand your value, fast. And it gives your teams the confidence to move decisively into new territory. 

Build equity into the master brand 

Why spread your equity across five names when you could pour it into one? Simplicity allows you to harness the full power of your master brand—amplifying reputation, increasing visibility and reinforcing trust. 

Every touchpoint matters in an age of shrinking attention spans and infinite choice. A unified brand ensures consistency across the board—from advertising to digital experiences to customer service. That consistency builds brand equity, which in turn builds pricing power, loyalty and long-term value. 

Unify experience 

Customers don’t care about your org chart. They care about seamless, coherent experiences. When your brand is fragmented, so is the customer journey. Different tones, visuals, promises—it’s disorienting and erodes trust. 

Simplifying your brand architecture creates a more intuitive, connected experience for users. It helps marketing, product and service teams align around one core idea. And it empowers internal teams with clarity—on how to show up, what to say, and why it matters. 

The bottom line 

Simplicity isn’t just a design choice. It’s a strategic advantage. It demands hard decisions—what to keep, what to weed out, what to combine. But the payoff is enormous: clearer communications, stronger equity, faster execution and a brand that transmits a clear and authentic message while it scales. Ultimately, simplified brands command higher premiums and stronger share price performance.

At Siegel+Gale, our philosophy is that simple is smart. Simple is also scalable. And simple always wins. 

 

Dory Ellis Garfinkle is Chief Marketing Officer at global brand consultancy Siegel+Gale.

The post Five business benefits of simplifying your brand architecture appeared first on Siegel+Gale.

Simplicity in branding drives impact in five ways

In a world obsessed with innovation, complexity has somehow become a badge of honor. But when it comes to building strong, scalable brands, simplicity is the true power move. Not minimalism for minimalism’s sake—but strategic, intentional simplicity that clarifies what a brand stands for, how it shows up and where it’s going. 
 
Whether navigating a merger, managing a bloated portfolio or simply trying to futureproof your brand, simplicity isn’t just nice to have—it’s mission-critical. Here’s how it drives five business imperatives that matter most: 

Drive budget efficiencies 

Simplicity saves money. A streamlined brand architecture reduces redundancies in messaging, marketing spend and operational effort. Do you really need three sub-brands saying slightly different things to the same audience? Probably not. 

By consolidating under a clear, unified brand system, teams reduce the need for duplicated content, overlapping campaigns and excessive agency partners. It also simplifies vendor negotiations, tech stack integrations and internal training. Fewer logos, clearer roles, leaner processes—simplicity keeps things sharp and cost-effective. 

Futureproof for new integrations 

M&A activity is a fact of modern business life. Whether you’re acquiring, merging or divesting, complexity can turn these moves into brand landmines. A clear, flexible brand architecture makes integrating new entities faster, smoother, and less painful. 

When your system is built for clarity and cohesion, you avoid the trap of bolting on mismatched brands and creating confusion. You create space for new business units, services or innovations without unraveling the whole brand ecosystem. Simplicity = scalability. 

Position for growth 

Simplicity doesn’t limit growth—it unlocks it. When your brand system is easy to understand, it’s easier to expand into new categories, regions or audiences. Consumers recognize you faster. Partners trust you more. Employees rally around a single, clear narrative. 

Too often, brands get in their own way—overcomplicating offerings, diluting positioning, and overwhelming customers with choice. A simple structure focuses attention on what matters most. It helps people understand your value, fast. And it gives your teams the confidence to move decisively into new territory. 

Build equity into the master brand 

Why spread your equity across five names when you could pour it into one? Simplicity allows you to harness the full power of your master brand—amplifying reputation, increasing visibility and reinforcing trust. 

Every touchpoint matters in an age of shrinking attention spans and infinite choice. A unified brand ensures consistency across the board—from advertising to digital experiences to customer service. That consistency builds brand equity, which in turn builds pricing power, loyalty and long-term value. 

Unify experience 

Customers don’t care about your org chart. They care about seamless, coherent experiences. When your brand is fragmented, so is the customer journey. Different tones, visuals, promises—it’s disorienting and erodes trust. 

Simplifying your brand architecture creates a more intuitive, connected experience for users. It helps marketing, product and service teams align around one core idea. And it empowers internal teams with clarity—on how to show up, what to say, and why it matters. 

The bottom line 

Simplicity isn’t just a design choice. It’s a strategic advantage. It demands hard decisions—what to keep, what to weed out, what to combine. But the payoff is enormous: clearer communications, stronger equity, faster execution and a brand that’s built to flex and scale. 

At Siegel+Gale, our philosophy is that simple is smart. Simple is also scalable. And simple always wins. 

 

Dory Ellis Garfinkle is Chief Marketing Officer at global brand consultancy Siegel+Gale.

The post Simplicity in branding drives impact in five ways appeared first on Siegel+Gale.

Five reasons brand simplicity drives real business impact

In a world obsessed with innovation, complexity has somehow become a badge of honor. But when it comes to building strong, scalable brands, simplicity is the true power move. Not minimalism for minimalism’s sake—but strategic, intentional simplicity that clarifies what a brand stands for, how it shows up and where it’s going. 
 
Whether navigating a merger, managing a bloated portfolio or simply trying to futureproof your brand, simplicity isn’t just nice to have—it’s mission-critical. Here’s how it drives five business imperatives that matter most: 

Drive budget efficiencies 

Simplicity saves money. A streamlined brand architecture reduces redundancies in messaging, marketing spend and operational effort. Do you really need three sub-brands saying slightly different things to the same audience? Probably not. 

By consolidating under a clear, unified brand system, teams reduce the need for duplicated content, overlapping campaigns and excessive agency partners. It also simplifies vendor negotiations, tech stack integrations and internal training. Fewer logos, clearer roles, leaner processes—simplicity keeps things sharp and cost-effective. 

Futureproof for new integrations 

M&A activity is a fact of modern business life. Whether you’re acquiring, merging or divesting, complexity can turn these moves into brand landmines. A clear, flexible brand architecture makes integrating new entities faster, smoother, and less painful. 

When your system is built for clarity and cohesion, you avoid the trap of bolting on mismatched brands and creating confusion. You create space for new business units, services or innovations without unraveling the whole brand ecosystem. Simplicity = scalability. 

Position for growth 

Simplicity doesn’t limit growth—it unlocks it. When your brand system is easy to understand, it’s easier to expand into new categories, regions or audiences. Consumers recognize you faster. Partners trust you more. Employees rally around a single, clear narrative. 

Too often, brands get in their own way—overcomplicating offerings, diluting positioning, and overwhelming customers with choice. A simple structure focuses attention on what matters most. It helps people understand your value, fast. And it gives your teams the confidence to move decisively into new territory. 

Build equity into the master brand 

Why spread your equity across five names when you could pour it into one? Simplicity allows you to harness the full power of your master brand—amplifying reputation, increasing visibility and reinforcing trust. 

Every touchpoint matters in an age of shrinking attention spans and infinite choice. A unified brand ensures consistency across the board—from advertising to digital experiences to customer service. That consistency builds brand equity, which in turn builds pricing power, loyalty and long-term value. 

Unify experience 

Customers don’t care about your org chart. They care about seamless, coherent experiences. When your brand is fragmented, so is the customer journey. Different tones, visuals, promises—it’s disorienting and erodes trust. 

Simplifying your brand architecture creates a more intuitive, connected experience for users. It helps marketing, product and service teams align around one core idea. And it empowers internal teams with clarity—on how to show up, what to say, and why it matters. 

The bottom line 

Simplicity isn’t just a design choice. It’s a strategic advantage. It demands hard decisions—what to keep, what to weed out, what to combine. But the payoff is enormous: clearer communications, stronger equity, faster execution and a brand that’s built to flex and scale. 

At Siegel+Gale, our philosophy is that simple is smart. Simple is also scalable. And simple always wins. 

 

Dory Ellis Garfinkle is Chief Marketing Officer at global brand consultancy Siegel+Gale.

The post Five reasons brand simplicity drives real business impact appeared first on Siegel+Gale.

The rise and remit of the Chief Brand Officer

This article originally appeared in ADWEEK.

There’s a new chief in town: the chief brand officer (CBO).

Does this mean the CMO role is becoming obsolete? Not at all. It simply means many companies are recognizing the shifting landscape of customer engagement and the implications and opportunities for better brand-building.

In most organizations, the CBO role complements the CMO, where both leaders have distinct swim lanes and collaboration spheres. If well-integrated, the desired outcome is the win-win of a stronger, more cohesive brand, enhanced customer engagement and a thriving business.

But before we get to the classic 1 + 1 = 3, let’s take a step back to better understand the “why” behind the recent rise of the CBO.

Why a CBO, and why now?

Technological acceleration is transforming how people connect with brands, and thus how brand relationships are built. One casualty of technology acceleration, however, is the deceleration of a mass market—an environment that enabled a communications-led approach to brand-building.

Remember when tens of millions seeing a spectacular 30-second ad more than three times could generate brand awareness and persuasion? That is not happening today. More than 50% of U.S. households have cut the cord, which also cuts off a vast swath of traditional mass advertising.

Today, we humans skim past thousands of ad-bits daily as we surf, scroll and swipe. Yet beyond the world of scrolling ads and influencers, our everyday lives intersect with major brands through routine, always-on customer engagement channels. These experiences can engage or repel us and, in so doing, impact how we feel about the brand, our net brand impression and our willingness to recommend and even buy.

Customer-experience channels as brand-builders

In many companies, some of the aforementioned customer-experience channels can make or break a customer relationship, and many companies are investing heavily in AI and net promoter score (NPS) to optimize these touch points.

Unfortunately, across industries, AI engines often pull from the same deep data pools, and NPS measures generic industry outcomes. On their own, these strategies can reduce friction and improve the customer’s experience, but absent a differentiating brand strategy, they can also accelerate a sea of sameness. Factoring out convenience, what’s the reason to choose one company?

That’s where brand comes in—more specifically, brand strategy and its application not simply to marketing and advertising but also to the customer experience writ large. 

The world’s greatest companies offer a unique, branded experience that invites the customer into a “brand dance”—an inviting, multisensory experience that is purposefully designed to engage customers emotionally, to deliver feelings of delight, accomplishment and appreciation, on a one-to-one basis.

Think Nike House of Innovation stores blending physical and digital worlds, offering personalized services like Nike By You; think Apple retail Specialists empowered to assist selection and complete checkout where you stand; think Tesla Rangers who will service your vehicle at your home; think Spotify’s preference-empowered app complete with a member’s Discover Weekly playlist. Each represents an experience that embodies brand personality traits and behavioral characteristics, bringing each brand to life with its own brand dance.

Prescient, brand-savvy companies are recognizing every customer touch point as both a customer engagement and a brand-building opportunity. And many are creating the CBO role to sit outside of marketing. After all, marketing isn’t branding; today, branding is a much bigger umbrella. And as the system of experiences that defines the brand expands and extends well beyond the limits of the typical marketing organization, so too must caring for the brand extend beyond marketing.

The CBO-CMO relationship, or making 1 + 1 = 3

Think of the CBO as a company’s brand-driven change agent. Through both inspiration and influence, the CBO works across the enterprise to build and deliver the brand from the inside out.

The CBO role requires both brand and organizational savvy: An effective CBO defines the brand, its personality and signature behavioral characteristics, and uses this brand strategy to engage all functions touching the customer. It may start with marketing and advertising, but it extends to legal, technology, product development and innovation teams—even HR and customer service. After all, in many service industries, the people are the brand.

Marketing and advertising continue to be crucial for generating initial brand interest, while day-to-day contact and experience channels create additional opportunity to enhance customer engagement, shape brand impression and build loyalty.

And how well CBOs and CMOs respect each other’s swim lanes while collaborating is a key driver of success. Balancing the CBO’s on-brand customer experience focus with the CMO’s storytelling abilities and budgets can reap brand benefits. When the CMO and CBO are aligned, the breadth of on-brand customer touch points expands dramatically, enhancing brand and business value in an increasingly fragmented, omnichannel world.

Think about the potential of owned customer experience channels as always-on, experiential, 3D, surround-sound brand billboards, and quantify the potential value by multiplying total channel interactions with analogous ratings and CPMs. Start by applying familiar media terms, like reach, frequency and total impressions, to quantify the always-on media value of different channels. Then take it further: What’s the time spent? What’s the overall experience quality, and how does it contribute to the customer’s sense of accomplishment? Moreover, what does a customer recognize as unique to your brand that leaves them with a lasting feeling of delight and affiliation?

It’s often eye-popping to see the media value of every interaction—it makes the case that a media plan is lying dormant in each experience channel. And it begs the question: How does a company apply as much brand insight and creativity to every channel as it does to marketing?

Does your company need a CBO?

Take a holistic view of your customers across your marketing, media and customer experience touch points. What’s the frequency, duration and brand value of each individually? Of customer experience versus marketing touch points?

If you find that the moments that matter most to your customers aren’t limited to your marketing and advertising but also live in your owned channels, then you’ve also identified some brand-building potential and an opportunity to differentiate your experience from your competitors. And that’s when a CBO may be just what your company, your brand and your business really need.

 

Thom Wyatt is Global Director of Employee Engagement, Siegel+Gale

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4 questions on brand valuation with Siegel+Gale Research Director, Brian Rafferty

Why is brand value often considered an intangible asset?

Any marketer understands that brand holds tremendous value—the strength of iconic companies such as Coca-Cola or Apple is a testament to that. But, unlike other items on the balance sheet that can be assigned a dollar value—investments, liabilities, and the like—it’s difficult to assign value to the attributes associated with brand. How do you put a dollar value on consumer trust? How do you value reputation? Determining the value of brand is not as cut-and-dried as other assets. That’s not to say that many firms haven’t tried, with varying levels of “success.”

How has brand value been assessed? 

Historically, branding firms have employed different methodologies, each of which has its weaknesses.

The earliest method consisted of expert analysis, in which experts scored a brand based on differentiation, clarity of communication, etc., and assigned a value coefficient to the brand based on those scores, its importance in a specific category and its market cap. The challenge with this approach is that it’s subjective and the methodologies are black box. Because of this, it’s easy to conflate many contributing factors.

The second methodology we can call basic equities, which measures brand awareness, usage and loyalty among customers. The challenge with this approach is that it often evaluates brands in isolation from their competitors—which overlooks differentiation. Further, data are often drawn from a broad sample that is not representative of a brand’s target buyer.

The third methodology we’ll call discrete choice, which asks customers to evaluate brands in a hypothetical purchasing scenario and aims to parse out the most important elements that drive brand preference. Though this appears to be the most evolved methodology, it typically doesn’t reflect the real-world scenarios a buyer might face. Instead, it presents the consumer with more information about the choices than her or she would normally possess. People often choose a brand based on their perception of it, rather than full knowledge of it.

The ultimate risk with any of these methodologies is that they’re not grounded in realistic scenarios, which leads to inaccurate valuations, which ultimate leads to costly marketing decisions (misallocation of funds and resources) 

How is the way Siegel+Gale assesses brand value different from other methods?

Our approach is an evolution of the previous methods. We believe a brand’s worth is derived from its contribution to marketshare. Therefore, we focus more on a brand’s contribution to revenue, as opposed to brand value. Our methodology replicates the scenarios in which customers make decisions, and helps CMOs understand what role brand plays in customer purchase decisions vs. other factors such as product features or product price. From this, we’re able to derive not only precisely how much revenue brand drives for a company, but we can also ascertain the ROI of investing in brand initiatives, and understand how a brand contributes to the success of a particular company vs. a category average.

What are the benefits of this new approach?

There are a few.

Creating that specific connection between brand and revenue gives CMOs a substantiated voice in the boardroom.It helps disaggregate contributing forces, which helps CMOs isolate, locate and evaluate opportunities to drive revenue, whether they be brand related or based on service or price.It gives CMOs a clear view of how a brand stacks up against competitors in its category—not just in terms of more standard metrics, but also in terms of contribution to revenue.

We’ve long held that any branding initiative should start from a solid fact base. It’s the only way to make truly informed decisions that lead to long-term value for your company.

Brian Rafferty is global director of research insights.

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