The Power of ... branding

I am one of those people who are easily affected by brand image marketing. Not just because I am interested in everything that is marketing related, but because I am very receptive for that kind of advertising.

A lot of the recent brand image campaigns were focused on the involvement of the prospect with the product. Or do you think it is a coincidence that a lot (maybe already too many) brands offer client involvement in their advertising?
The "design your own shoe" campaign that converse launched earlier this year is the perfect example of prospect involvement in brand marketing.
Customizing products isn't only necessary to offer sollutions to the different needs of different people, but it is also a way for your brand to have an emotional value for the prospect: they get involved. Making a product more suitable for personal needs will create a deeper relationship with the customer.

Now take a look at the BusinessWeek 100 best brands list: Do you think it is a coincidence, that so many luxury brands are in that top 100? I don't think so, these brands target a very specific group of people. So they automatically create a relationship, so do the people who buy the brands with each other. Luxury brands affect the human mind the most. So called "me too" behavior. (Aren't we all human)

Branding, branding, branding
Business
Marketing

Time Management (Example)

I went to the bank yesterday to do a currency transaction for my holiday abroad.
Timeline:
- Four days ago I ordered the amount in Pounds (ok, so, now you know I am going to the UK).
-Yesterday I received a phonecall, to tell me that the pounds were at the bank
-A couple of hours later I went to the bank

Normally I just go on a holiday and get my local money from the ATM machine, at the airport or at my destination. But, this time I tried to do it old school! It was actually a good test.

Lesson learned:
If you go straight to your bank, you get a good currency exchange price, probably the lowest you will get anywhere. The downside of it is, that you lose a lot of time. Ten minutes on hold on the telephone the four days before the transaction, the second phonecall the day of the transaction, and waiting in line, doing the necessary paperwork, and chat with the bank director!

So I maybe had the best exchange rate, but I definitely lost a lot of time - equals money, on a regular business day!

Conclusion: disintermediation

Conclusion: disintermediation

Business
Marketing

The Fight Microsoft will NOT win

Microsoft 95% - Apple 5%

That is -roughly- how the ratio stands right now. Microsoft pushed Apple (and all other platforms) with their back agianst the wall. How? By selling the lesser product, with better sales tactics. It is a fact that other platforms out-perform Windows, but they managed to sell it as the best, the most advanced operation system ever!
Over the past couple of years the informatisation of the world is growing exponentially. Because of that evolution a lot of people had good ideas how to use the internet. So that is how very different kind of sites and online communities grew. You now have a pool of very good and comprehensive sites for every thinkable subject.

Not only the www has been a stage for the creative to develop new things, the growth of hardware components has lead to an increase in possibilities.

Summary: You have one company who claims to be the best performing, best run IT-company. Over the last years you have soft - and hardware developers who have great ideas that are way better than the conservative views of Microsoft. For example:
1) The creative Apple Aqua restyling
2) The iPod
3) Google

The future?
The three examples above illustrated the the pitfall for Microsoft in the coming years. Apple as well as Google now have the better products and the better sales techniques.
The answer from microsoft came with mediocre products: the online musicstore, windows vista, virtual earth. Those are all "me too" products, with none of the above does Microsoft claim the "First Movers Advantage".
The position of Microsoft in the market will be attacked from different angles, and the only solution for Microsoft is rethinking their main goals and live up to those goals. They are still in a very comfortable position, the huge marketshare, the resources, ... It's just a matter of focus. Apple focussed on being creative, Google focussed on www-search and related services.
What's the focus of Microsoft?
Find some great products on Product Clash

Book Review: Positioning: the battle for your mind -Al Ries & Jack Trout-

Positioning: the battle for your mind (Al Ries & Jack Trout)

A must read for every college graduate, and every professional! This book gives you a first and important glimps of the mind of your customers. This book is not the only read you will have to study in order to know your customers, but it is a first step, and a huge one.

The battle for your mind starts with a basic explanation of what positioning is, and what you will have to change. Going from an introduction, to explaining how one's mind works.
The second part of the book explains the different kinds of positioning on the different levels. Positioning of a leader, positioning of a follower, the strengths and weaknesses of those products, etc. But also some very bright insights about positioning yourself in a job interview, or positioning a country - did you know that Jamaica is positioned as the Hawaii of the Caribbean?

The last chapter gives a very short but informative conclusion about the book, and how you can start playing the positioning game.
In the end, it is a very hands-on book.