See if you can use the least amount of words in communicating who you are and what makes you unique.

Clarity yields success.

Banks often take their customers for granted. Hopefully with the recent consolidation in the banking industry things will get better (not worse). Recently I went to one of my bank’s ATMs. They obviously have a database that tells them if the PIN number is correct. Then why can’t they remember a simple thing like what language I speak? They should ask things like: language, default account, etc and then remember it in the future to make my experience better. The customers might not notice these subtle things at first but would start to notice when other banks don’t treat them like a known friend.

Another way that banks could improve their overall experience is to notice which state (or country) the visitor originates from when using their website. Technology (like that used by Google) exists to identify where the requests are coming from. That combined with a commitment to improving the customer experience would cause the bank (or any company for that matter) to make a custom experience for everyone. They could offer the services that are exclusively for an individual market, modify the images to be more reflective of the community, and bypass marketing information when someone is already a customer. Users could always switch to a different area if they happen to be out-of-state at the time.

The status quo appears to be what works best for the bank not the customer. Yet, if they just took some time and thought about the experience from the customers perspective they could actually become very personal even if they’re really big. A little investment in the user experience would likely pay huge dividends. Today it might be something that get’s a company noticed. In the next few years this will become basic business practices.

In the post .me we mentioned how this was one of the worst web auctions of all time. It's nice to be able to say, "I told you so". Today they published a notice of a change in the auction policy that is effective August 11:

The update is being made to comply with .ME Registry auction rules regarding Lead Changes, which state that "Any lead changes in the last 24 hours result in an automatic 24-hour extension of the auction."

With the update, the auction platform will no longer consider as a lead change bids placed that are higher than the current price but lower than the current leader's maximum bid.

For example, if the current auction price is $100, and the leader's maximum bid is $1,000 and another bidder places a bid for $105, the system will automatically update the auction price to $110 by applying the leader's proxy bid, thereby maintaining the same leader. This will no longer be considered a "Lead Change." If a bidder places a bid higher than $1,000 then a "Lead Change" will occur and the auction will be extended (if such a bid takes place in the last 24 hours of the auction).

The minimum bid increment of $5.00 will not change and this update is no guarantee that an auction will end sooner. This update is being done to better align the auction platform behavior with the auction rules and we thank the participants who brought this to our attention. There has been no evidence of fraud by any participant and this update will not affect the status of any closed auctions or those that began prior to the update.

While this change is wonderful it does not reverse the damage that was caused. Elevation would most likely have won an auction if it hadn't been for this rule. It's a day late and a dollar short. Which is not a good thing for an online auction!

The top ten active domains right now at the .me auctions are:

• insure.me ($34,535)
• hug.me ($15,005) 
• style.me ($9,580)
• dna.me ($9,054)
• brand.me ($8,605)
• surprise.me ($8,505)
• entertain.me ($7,610)
• ride.me ($7,085)
• coach.me ($7,060) 
• match.me ($7,005)

At these prices, I doubt if it is just a land rush. The people who are bidding on these domains must have some sort of business plan or strategy behind it. Some of the business opportunities are obvious. But how is hug.me going to be exploited?

The new .me domain is out. It is one of the only top level domains that is a pronoun. Is this a marketing dream or a waste of time and money? The jury is still out on that but over 20,000 domains have been registered so far. One thing has been verified: The auction is one of the worst web auctions of all time!

Only the people who submitted applications during the land rush period are able to bid which is fine. The bad part is that anytime there is an increase in the price during the last 24 hours of the 3 day auction it is automatically reset at 24 hours. So the only way to close an auction is to have submitted a request during the land rush, be the highest bidder, and not have any changes in the price for 24 hours. This means that 3 day auctions are lasting weeks. The only benefit is to the seller of the .me domains. They're taking the phrase literary, "It's all about me".

Take a look at the current auctions and recent sales. Some interesting ones that are selling are secure.me that sold for $10,005 and insure.me that is currently at $26,195 Also check out elevation.me (one of the best .me sites so far!)

To see the action visit auctions.domain.me or you can check out the .me addresses that are still unclaimed at GoDaddy

Most of you faithful blog readers know that we have been very blessed to work closely with a handful of very talented wedding photogs. We recently had the delightful opportunity to re-brand one of our personal favs, Dane Sanders. Dane came to us with a bit of a dilemma, Dane had a visual identity crisis (no, not personally, he’s actually quite the snappy dresser). The problem was, Dane had a lot going on (which is always a good problem to have). His photography business consists of many parts; Dane the Photographer, Dane the Author and Dane the Speaker, not to mention all of Danes photography resources like FastTrackPhotographer and CutFrame TV. With all these pieces, products and personas, Dane’s brand was in dire need of re-organization. Before the re-design process began, we noticed something, Dane wasn’t merely peddling a product, he was selling a philosophy, and not just any philosophy, one that actually worked. Our first step became clear, capitalize on Dane himself. Dane has quite the following in the wedding photog world, something of a minor celebrity in his business. The obvious solution, take all of Dane, his resources and philosophy and put it all under one brand. The result, the red DS box (see below) which was created from his actual signature initials. The simple yet effective graphic isn’t just the anchor of the Dane Sanders brand, but also acts as a fingerprint on all of Danes other elements. From print to web and back again, anything that has become a part of the DS philosophy is branded with the simple, eye catching red box. A special thanks to Dane for trusting (and putting up) with the e team.

The DS box logo in all it’s glory!

Not your standard biz card, museum board w/ a custom paper wrap:

Wanna see how we translated all of Danes new branding elements to the web? Check out DaneSanders.com

Take a few minutes to consider your client touch points today. Every interaction with your client, whether in person, in print, or via the web, creates a touch point that leaves a lasting impression. Consider, in detail, all possible points of contact, so that you can intentionally build the client experience that you’re hoping to accomplish. Remember, every contact you, your staff, or your brand makes with the customer, is a touch that has the ability to enhance or destroy your brand’s ability to grow. Don’t just manage your products or services, make sure to also manage your touch points for building unequaled brand equity and loyalty.

What touch points have you found to be the most important in your business cycle? Leave a comment below..

So, it appears that Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks reads our blog. Not sure if you’ve noticed lately, but Starbucks has been actively seeking to regain “the experience” that once made them the preferred 3rd place in the lives of many. We discussed this idea in ‘Losing your soul for another cup sold’ back in November of last year and it appears that Howard was reading. For some time now, Starbucks has been going in a dangerous direction that strays from their original vision and I must say it’s encouraging to see their efforts in refocusing and correcting what’s been limiting their effectiveness.

Growth is a tricky thing and can easily steer you away from your core vision if not careful. Rather than just selling another cup of coffee, Starbucks is shifting back to the client experience. Stores have been closed for extended training on making good espresso and inspiring the staff. Breakfast sandwiches will be discontinued due to the smells that infiltrated the stores and will be substituted with the fresh smell of coffee once again ground in-store. In-store grinding has an even greater effect than just better smells; it means fresher espresso and a better tasting cup of coffee. Also, the current automatic machines will soon be replaced with state of the art machines for an even better shot of espresso. Personally, I’d prefer a move back to the hand packed old school espresso machines, but it certainly is a move in the right direction. While there is still much work to be done, I must say that I’m pleased with the approach. It’s nice to see Howard focusing the company on the things that matter and as I’m sure he knows, the things that improve the experience will improve the bottom line.

And Howard, if you really do read our blog, I’d love to talk with you more about your ideas and efforts for improving your positioning. Let’s meet over an espresso and kick around some strategy.

PS: check out My Starbucks Idea – another great move in this effort by gathering the feedback from many of Starbucks’ greatest fans. What are your thoughts or ideas for continued improvement? Leave a comment below…we’d love to hear what you come up with and I’ll share it with Howard when we get a chance to meet!

So, last week it was revealed that Starbucks will be launching its first ever national TV ad campaign. This is quite a shift in focus being that there was a time when Starbucks felt television advertising was not in line with the experience they provided. They were dependent on customer satisfaction and referral based advertising for growth and profitability. As you can imagine, they were VERY successful with this strategy. They were the cool, hip “third place” that everyone wanted to be a part of regardless of whether you liked their coffee (I’ll be honest, Starbucks’ coffee in my opinion is only average). But that aside, this is a perfect example of a company loosing sight of their vision and drifting away from a previously air tight brand experience. The article identifies the purpose of these ads being to get “customers to buy another cup”. It used to be that Starbucks sold their experience, but unfortunately it looks like they’ve moved into the retail drip market instead.

Honestly, it’s sad for me because I have fond memories of Starbucks being my third place at one point. The experience was great and the people were even better. Unfortunately, with popularity comes challenges and my experience with Starbucks has since changed. As I’m sure many of you will agree, Starbucks has become more of a coffee factory; getting you in and out as quickly as possible with your cup o’ joe. From a marketing perspective, I think they are going in a dangerous direction that will not return the results they desire. If Elevation was their agency of record, we would direct them back to their original vision and bring back the experience that is at the essence of what made Starbucks the third place. Until then, anyone want to meet at Peet’s?

The November 2007 issue of Fast Company includes an article called Magic Shop, which talks about how front line employees can make or break the brand experience. As a fan of Apple, it is no surprise to read that their store employees are critical to the success of the company. The experience that they create is genuine and driven by passion. This takes a company wide commitment to “think different”. It doesn’t take lots of money to hire and train employees in a way that enhances the user experience…but it does require a commitment. If you don’t care about the brand experience…why would your entry-level employees?

I love to eat and going out to a nice dinner is something I’ve always enjoyed. Doing what I do, I can’t help but notice the details everywhere I go…and one thing that continues to amaze me is that many restaurants don’t have automatic toilets! Maybe this’ll sound a little snobbish, but you’d think that would be one detail no one would overlook. Personally, with the technology we have access to today, I don’t think anyone should have to flush a toilet or turn on a sink in a public bathroom (foreign travel excluded). I remember my dad teaching me to use my foot if possible or a paper towel in an effort to be sanitary, but I think those times are past. New times create new expectations. But even if it’s not expected, it’s certainly appreciated and leaves a good impression. Also, it’s not always bad for certain things to go “strategically” unnoticed, especially if the alternative has the potential to leave a stain.

We’re big on paying attention to the details and it’s precisely those details that can make or break the experience your people encounter. Pay attention to every detail as you grow your brand experience. Trust me…it will make a difference and you won’t run the risk of flushing your experience away.

Oh, and let’s start a campaign to remove self-flush toilets :-) Anyone want to join?

We find it sad that marketing and brand development is often only considered as an expense. The reason being that it directs us in viewing it simply as something that lowers profit. The truth is that these types of efforts would be better viewed as an investment rather than an expense. Now don't start thinking that we're advocating some type of tricky Enron accounting mumbo jumbo. Instead, a simple shift in mindset can help you spend money on things that are important long-term such as building your brand, offering a great product/service, and focusing on the needs of your customers. Over the years, we've had many clients who come to us after years of neglecting their brand. It is always exciting to see the difference that the investment in their unique brand experience can make on the success of their company or organization. Read what Garth Hallberg mentions on the subject and then take a minute to leave us a comment about how your brand has helped fuel your business. We'd love to hear your story...

"One of our major assets never appears on the balance sheet: the brand names under which we bring our products and services to market. As a result, any funds used to create that asset must be expensed when they are paid, not amortized over the life of the asset. This condition helps create a mind-set where brand-building is viewed as a cost rather than an investment, and where, seemingly, the wisest spending is that which produces immediate results."

– Garth Hallberg author of "All Customers are Not Created Equal: The Differential Marketing Strategy for Brand Loyalty and Profits"

We recently launched a new project for our friends over at MODE, a Los Angeles based firm that specializes in audio/visual design, integration, and fabrication. They needed an iconic brand that communicated their high-end professionalism while maintaining their expertise as A/V gurus. The end result, a blue fire inspired galaxy icon paired with a clean, modern, custom designed typeface. The brand, along with their focus on experiential installations lead to a cinema type feel for their website. The site was built entirely in Flash to allow for innovative animations and transitions which effectively showcased their unique style and skill. This project was done in coordination with RedEngine Productions, a Hollywood based design, visual effects, animation, and production studio for the film, broadcast, and game industries.

A while back, I stayed at THEhotel in Vegas. Nice hotel, love the vibe. Being in marketing and obsessed with the idea of the experience associated with a good brand, I started to notice the details. Paying attention to the details in our own ‘experiences’ is not always as easy as it sounds…but these guys had it dialed in! Their branding was well developed and thread through all aspects of my stay. Incorporating it into their merchandise and collateral throughout the room & hotel seems fairly basic, but it was certainly not overdone and represented their style well. The kicker is this: I had a very crazy and unique experience that immediately turned me off…way off (if you want to hear the story in full detail, give me a call…it’s a good one). Let’s just say most people would never consider going back…ever. But here comes the moral of the story. The experience can forever change the way someone sees your brand. The people were some of the nicest I’ve run into in Vegas hotels and were trained very well. I was quickly ushered to the penthouse and all of my expenses covered. Things do go wrong, it’s inevitable…but how we have developed our experience, so that people walk away with a positive outlook toward our brand, makes all the difference; simply because every last detail has been taken into account.

BusinessWeek has come out with its annual list of the top 100 brands and Coca-Cola tops the list again. To create the list they looked at the brand as if it was a financial asset on the balance sheet, based primarily on how much the brand can earn going forward. So to do that, they looked at profit projections, revenue projections, and how much of that is actually driven by the brand. Basically, how much of a premium can the brand require versus if it was simply a generic product.

For all you Apple fans, it is one of the faster growing brands, but of course we were all a little disappointed to see it only hit #33.

Enjoy!

Read more ~
Article: Best Global Brands
List: Top 100 Brands