The Battle for the brand!

Many organizations spend a tremendous amount of resources trying to figure out how best to brand themselves. Of course there is a very good reason as a company's brand is what it is all about! When people ask me about the idea of branding and what I think of it I think of what is good versus what is bad I tell them the story of Friendly's Restaurants.

For those who don't know, Friendly's is an ice cream based restaurant chain based in the northeast of the United States. They make a really good ice cream drink called a fribble and the food on their menu, while fast food, is not the worst food one will fine. They have one major issue in my mind and that to me is that their restaurants are absolutely filthy. With a few exceptions you will sit at a dirty table, find filthy restrooms or see floors that have not been cleaned all day. So no matter how good your meal was, you will leave with the feeling that you have not had an enjoyable experience, therefore Friendly's does not do a good job at managing their brand.

The brand should be seen the way a farmer sees his or her crop. A good farmer can tell you what is in each one of his/her fields, what the weather forecasts are and probably what the current prices are for what they farm. They know all the pests and know the best ways to treat them. For the farmer, their brand is their very name and reputation. While for a lot of organizations a good brand can mean having a good name, that is only one definition of it.

Having a good brand can mean having a name for quality, or security or for being innovative or even in the case of Walt Disney World for being fun. The point I am making here is that the brand clearly defines to your target audience why your product is the superior choice on the market and why when they time comes for the purchase decision, your name is the name that they think of as the best possible choice!

Speaking of brands one that I think suffered an irreparable hit was Sarah Palin's late last week when she stepped down as Governor of Alaska. In my opinion she came across as very winy and self absorbed and basically gave the impression that she could not take the pressure that comes with being a public figure. She complained about all the media attention she was getting, yet she did choose to put her family in the spot light like this. She is a perfect example of someone who wants the limelight but doesn't want it to shine too bright or too hot. Personally, I think she is all done as a national political figure but will probably hit the lecture and book circuits for big bucks.

I can't believe the Sox were shut out by a no name pitcher last night. Of course that is what has been happening all year. If you're a lousy, no name pitcher, the Sox will be hopeless against you. Give them your ace and its lights out ten run win for the Bo-Sox! But kudos to the Red Sox fans for giving Nomar a big standing ovation when he came up to bat for the first time!

In other non-news its hopefully the last we will hear of Michael Jackson today. Amen to that and good for Congressmen Peter King for having the guts to say what a lot of people thought!