Own Your Name, Own Your Brand Identity

At a recent networking event, I met an artist showing her work which I recognized from a previous occasion. In my conversation I found out that she had no website, did not own her domain name, trademark, or copyright for the purpose of selling and protecting her brand image which in her own words is her life and identity.

In a separate encounter, I spoke with a young attorney whose mother was a well-known community activist and philanthropist who made numerous contributions to the community. Her mother has since passed away and several organizations are using her mothers name for fundraising events without the consent of the family. I explained that her mother represented a brand, of idealism, integrity and a trusted identity that people associate with leadership. If she wants to manage her mother’s legacy she needs to control her brand identity and own the domain name and trademark.

These two examples may not be the typical product or services you would associate with branding or marketing like Coca Cola or Patriot  Bank. In today’s entrepreneurial market and recent networking experience, I find more people selling their own “Brand identity,” meaning their brand of individual skills and experience in a service capacity.

Brand identity matters and many of the marketing principles still apply in today’s virtual world.  The relevance of your product and/or service, translates into knowing your business and using your brand identity as the differentiator from the sea of competition.

Brand marketing is crucial, regardless of what type of media outlet you choose, print, web, Facebook, Twitter, or presentations. Your message must be consistent, so next time you want to post that half-naked picture of yourself from a party you attended in South Beach on Facebook, which has a link to your law firm you may want to take a pause.  Every person you meet has the ability to see your Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn pages.   Which brand identity are you selling, the professional you or the “hey let’s party” you?  Be memorable and position yourself for success and the first step may be by owning your name brand identity.

By the way, the two women mentioned above took my advice and now own their names and brand identity.  

The key question you need to ask yourself today is; do you have a professional brand identity and do you control it?

 Former Chevron public affairs guru Jay Stuller has offered some interesting insights in Chief Executive Magazine regarding the good and bad of the corporate world’s efforts to highlight their environmental initiatives.  Just about every company, large and small, recognizes the need to develop and effectively publicize their implementation of environmentally friendly business practices.  Stuller’s issues a proceed with caution to those organizations considering a program, adding that a corporate sustainability program must be able show the public that it provides a significant contribution to saving the planet.   Read the full article from Chief Executive Magazine

Today every sector, public and private, are feeling the pressure to do something green. Research clearly shows that consumers want to feel comfortable with the products they purchase and investors consider the soundness of a company’s reputation as a critical factor in their decision-making process. Even current or potential employees want work for a company they can stand behind and feel good about. However, as this story points out, going green may not be a good fit for every organization and the danger of a poorly conceived or inaccurately conveyed program can become a public relations nightmare. Companies must be prepared to demonstrate the authenticity of their green practices, actively seek the input of environmental advocates, and recognize that if they make a claim - be ready to verify and defend – especially among environmental bloggers and social media players - they will move quickly and en masse to attack the truthfulness of the program and the credibility of the company.

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/03/why-small-companies-will-win-i.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-MANAGEMENT_TIP-_-APRIL_2009-_-MTOD0429

One of the lessons I learned from my past career was  “Bigger wasn’t better, Better is Better.”  Small companies are landing significant contracts previously reserved for large corporate entities.   The economy and survivor of the fittest has given way to the savvy entrepreneur who have skin in the game.  The ability to service a contract and maintain a quality relationships is crucial to maintaining and keeping that client.  Remember it’s cheaper to keep a customer then it is to go out and get a new one.   Carreñogroup is a small, however experienced firm, committed to the needs of our clients.   Through our relationships and results oriented approach we have maintained our current client base as well as expand our services to new clients.

The National Pork Producers Council responded on Sunday to the rapid outbreak of swine flu in humans.  Take a look at the story from the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124078095392057087.html and visit the Council’s website at http://www.nppc.org/News/PressRelease.aspx?DocumentID=24676 to read the organization’s formal response. During an April 26th White House briefing, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano said people cannot get swine flu from eating pork. 

We will see how this one plays out for an industry that is already reeling from lower demand coupled with higher feed prices. Now producers have to deal with the misconception that pork products are associated with swine flu. Analysts say that the industry’s recovery will not be sustained if consumers start to change their spending habits and buy non-pork products – the threat of weaker demand would send hog prices tumbling.

Recently I read an online article about American Latinas attitudes and opinions.  What I found interesting was that Latinas of  today are just like the Latinas of my mother’s generation.  The  life choices  highlighted in this article dispels several myths regarding Latinas.   Latinas are very interested in education and professional careers.   Latinas are the decision makers at home when prioritizing finances and addressing health care needs for the family.  Finally there has never been a doubt in my mind that American Latinas have always been  trend setters no matter where they reside within the United States.    I love sharing positive news about Latinas.  To read the full article click on the link below.

http://www.hispanicad.com/cgi-bin/news/newsarticle.cgi?article_id=26916

At 50 million strong, U.S. Latinos are racking up triple-digit growth from the nation’s heartland to the apple orchards of Maine to the Rio Grande Valley, as a product of high fertility rates, increased life expectancy and labor-driven immigration.

Most Latinos live in America legally, speak English and pay taxes. With traditional family values, Latinos are defined by a strong work ethic and loyalty to family, God and country. Despite immense contributions to the economic and political stability of the country, many myths continue to plague American Latinos.

Even the terms that describe these Americans are a source of pride and confusion.

‘Hispanic’ is the term used to identify the group in most U.S. government publications, yet the term’s historical reference elicits controversy in many communities. The term ‘Latino’ is deemed more inclusive and gaining acceptance among the general public.

American Latinos comprise the third largest Latino population on the face of the Earth behind Mexico and Colombia. The Latino impact on America’s landscape is evident in virtually every facet of life – from the big screen, to the small screen to the computer screen or from the schoolhouse, to the jailhouse to the White House. It’s been said that brown is the new green.

Latinos are a product of one of the most important migration streams of the 20^th century, constituting more than half of all immigrants to America. The most mobile of all communities, nearly six-in-ten Latino immigrants arrive from Mexico playing a pivotal role in our nation’s labor force.

As the second-largest minority group in America, and the fasting growing community in the country, Latinos are characterized by an incredibly diverse culture, rapid growth and unprecedented buying power topping $700 billion.

This year the carreñogroup along with the Lone Star Leadership & Policy Center will be publishing a report on American Latinos titled The State of the Latino Nation. If you would like to receive a copy please let us know by subscribing to our RSS feed.

Spain’s crown prince Don Felipe and his wife Letizia traveled to New York in March to launch the country’s “Made in/Made by Spain” marketing campaign. The promotional plan seeks to raise the profile of Spain in the American marketplace and highlight specific homegrown Spanish companies and their expertise in both renewable energy and transportation infrastructure projects – both well funded initiatives in President Obama’s stimulus plan (Spain calls it el Plan Obama). Spain’s industry minister predicts that the country is poised to get  $71 billion worth of contracts from the stimulus package. 

It is probably not a bad idea for countries seeking to get their share of stimulus pie to keep a close eye on Spain’s campaign. If Spain is successful in receiving stimulus dollars at a higher than expected pace, this should certainly prompt other countries to follow suit and craft their own unique plan.

Story from Economist.com

http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13447445

Do you write a news blog for your site that keeps people coming back for more? If not, you’re missing out on the perfect opportunity to market your site or your product. When people sign up for a newsletter, they’re holding the door open for you.

Before you start your new blog, think through these ideas:

1.      What is your goal in writing the news blog? Do you want to market your site, or your services/product?

2.      Who will be reading the news blog? Do you have a list of people who have subscribed from your site? What demographic information do you know about them? Your attitude should depend on this.

3.      What can you say in your blog to achieve your goal? How do you connect your readers to your services/product?  

Writing a good newsletter - one that catches the reader’s attention and appeals to him/her in some way - isn’t a mysterious, difficult thing, but there are a few things to remember as you write.

·         First, forget about using exclamation points. Write in a friendly way; don’t sound like you are attempting to sell them something. Read your newsletter out loud, and if it sounds silly, it probably is.

·         Readers want to know what you’re talking about. Get straight to the point of what you want to say. Make room for a special tip or secret that they won’t find easily anywhere else - even on your site. This keeps up the interest and keeps you from losing subscribers.

·         Link to your site and don’t be shy about it. If what you’re saying interests people, they’ll want more of it. How many times do people read a blog or newsletter from top to bottom looking for a link to the meat the blog/newsletter promised, and give up?

·         Don’t give it all away, though, and don’t fill your blog with nothing but links. Give the reader a taste of what they will find on your site. The idea is to whet the appetite, not satisfy it.

·         Use a part of your blog to interest the reader, then give them the URL in a clickable form so they can go read the rest of it. Make it as easy as you can for your reader to get from your blog to your site.

·         Break up the text into paragraphs of two or three sentences. Long, run on paragraphs are hard to read and most readers will lose interest quickly. Your job is to keep them interested in what you have to say.

·         Never write anything that could possibly be construed to be an insult or demeaning in any way to anyone - gender, race, religion and politics included.

·         Include things like “Feel free to send/forward this blog to a friend.” If you want to encourage return email, include a clickable return address, thus: mailto:yourname@yourdomain.com

·         Spell check - proofread and edit thoroughly! Let it cool for a few hours and read it again. Be meticulous in grammar. If you can, have someone else proofread it. It’s hard to catch your own mistakes.

When you’re satisfied that you’ve done your very best, hit the ’send’ button. You’ve just impressed hundreds or even thousands of people. Isn’t the power of the internet wonderful!

So far 18 universities have pulled back from licensing deals with Russell Athletic over the company’s labor practices.  Harvard, Columbia, Duke, Michigan and Penn State are among schools that have ended licensing agreements with Russell over what they believe are unfair business practices related to a Honduras factory that had previously produced fleece products.  The factory has been shut down – for economic reasons says Russell, and not because of pro-union activity on behalf of the workers.

The link to the news story below explains how we got to this point. This controversy is quickly becoming an expensive PR black hole for Russell Athletic. 

From the Azcentral & AP

http://www.azcentral.com/business/consumer/articles/2009/03/19/20090319biz-RussellAthletic0319.html

Be sure and take a look at Russell’s CSR website, http://www.russellsocialresponsibility.com/ for their spin on the issue.

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Consumers are abandoning traditional subscription plans, which may curb growth for AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile

By Olga Kharif

March 20, 2009 -  BusinessWeek

It looked, for a while, like the wireless industry might shrug off the worst of the recession. AT&T (T), the biggest U.S. phone company, in January reported a respectable 13.2% increase in fourth-quarter wireless sales, fueled by strong subscriber gains. Things were looking up this year, too. Surveys showed consumers would rather reduce purchases even of food and clothing before ditching cell phones.

It was nice while it lasted. Fresh survey data show that U.S. consumers are rapidly switching to cheaper calling plans, often choosing so-called prepaid packages that give carriers smaller, less predictable revenue streams.

On Mar. 19, Washington think tank New Millennium Research Council (NMRC) released results of a survey showing that 17% of Americans have already switched from contract-based plans to cheaper prepaid services in the past six months due to concerns about their jobs and the recession. Those sticking with contracts are migrating to cheaper plans and cutting such extras as texting and e-mail. “Millions of Americans are on the verge of discontinuing expensive cell-phone plans,” says Graham Hueber, a senior researcher at the Opinion Research Corp., which conducted the study commissioned by the NMRC.

Fewer Minutes, Less Texting

Other evidence also suggests consumers are taking a closer look at their wireless bills. Of 2,151 U.S. cell-phone users surveyed online by JupiterResearch in November, one-third were considering cutting back on wireless spending and the number of minutes and texts they use. In February, Sprint Nextel (S) indicated that “economic uncertainty” was partly to blame for a sales decline and customer losses in the fourth quarter.

One maker of air cards, Sierra Wireless (SW), announced on Jan. 29 it would lay off 10% of its workforce amid a drop in fourth-quarter revenue. “We are going to see more and more of this in the U.S. and the rest of the world,” says Carrie Pawsey, senior analyst at researcher Ovum.

Of course, some carriers are faring better than others. “Despite the economic environment, we grew revenues in 2008, and I expect 2009 will be another year of overall revenue growth and solid progress for our company,” AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said during the company’s January earnings call. AT&T wouldn’t say whether it’s seeing an impact from the worsening economy now.

And Fewer Data Cards, Too

But consumer cutbacks are sure to catch up with carriers in the coming months, and those reductions could result in slower revenue and customer growth. Of U.S. consumers who have wireless contracts, almost 40%, or 60.3 million, are likely to curtail cell-phone spending to save money if the economy worsens in the next six months, according to the NMRC survey. Some 41% of survey respondents are considering paring back on extras like text messaging. Many already are scaling back on data cards for computers, which, according to wireless industry consultant Chetan Sharma, contribute about 12% of carriers’ data revenue.

Even smartphone users, typically among the most profitable customers, may soon trim usage. As professionals in finance and other industries continue to lose jobs, Sharma estimates that 10% to 20% of the people who own these souped-up, Web-surfing phones may downsize plans this year.

Smartphone users typically pay $70 to $200 a month for wireless service. As they reduce spending, U.S. wireless data revenue may grow only 15% this year, vs. 38% in 2008, Sharma estimates.

Carriers that specialize in prepaid calling may be among the few beneficiaries of cutbacks. Now, only about 15% of Americans use prepaid wireless plans, which can cost 50% to 75% less than contract-based plans. In contrast, 68% of Britons already use prepaid plans. “There’s clearly a lot of additional movement that could take place,” says Allen Hepner, a scholar at the NMRC. “Thanks to the recession, the U.S. marketplace is undergoing fundamental changes.” Indeed, prepaid may grow to 20% of the market by yearend, Sharma estimates. In the fourth quarter, prepaid customers accounted for 57% of new subscribers at T-Mobile USA, up from 23% a year earlier.

Widespread Defections

Some consumers are leaving the four largest carriers—AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile—for smaller, prepaid carriers. In the fourth quarter, MetroPCS (PCS) saw net subscriber additions surge 74%, to 519,519, from a year earlier. In the same quarter, Sprint Nextel lost 1.3 million customers, most of them postpaid. Sprint executives are hopeful that the industry will nevertheless fare better than other areas of the economy. “We believe wireless has become so important in people’s lives, we won’t see as much impact as other industries.”

Providers of prepaid calling, typically considered the domain of younger callers or those with bad credit, are taking steps to make their plans more alluring by adding features and better phones. Such services as MetroPCS and Leap (LEAP) are available in more markets. On Mar. 9, Leap expanded into Philadelphia. Nowadays, users can purchase not only voice but also data plans that permit texting and e-mail.

And prepaid phones have turned from clunky to cool. On Mar. 10, MetroPCS introduced Research In Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone, which features a Qwerty keyboard and rich multimedia capabilities, in many of its markets. For only $50 a month, without a contract, users of the device can talk, text, browse the Web, and send multimedia messages and e-mail. Steps like that are helping foster loyalty. Leap’s monthly subscriber turnover declined to 3.8% in the fourth quarter, from 4.2% a year earlier.

Developing War in Price Cutting?

Contract carriers are responding by updating and rolling out new prepaid plans and lowering prices. This year, T-Mobile USA began offering a $50-a-month unlimited voice plan to longtime subscribers to prevent them from leaving.

But the recent flurry of cheaper, unlimited plans from T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, Alltel, and Zer01 Mobile raises a red flag for Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett. “As growth slows, pricing [war] risk rises,” he wrote in a recent report. As more carriers start offering unlimited voice calling and data plans, they increasingly will have to compete on price.

The hope for some within the industry is that when economic prospects improve, “people will go back to postpaid” calling plans, Sharma says. But the more attractive prepaid plans become, the harder they will be to shake.

Kharif is a senior writer for BusinessWeek.com in Portland, Ore.