Brand

Do you practice what you preach and live your brand... or is there a gaping chasm between what your organisation believes and how it acts? This blog explores issues of brand, culture, leadership and values: when do they inspire and when are they lip service? Lead writer Michel Hogan is an independent brand advocate with Brandology, practicing here and in the United States.

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Apple launches damage control

Author: Michel Hogan on 31 January 2012

Apple is in damage control mode. By now anyone with a computer and an interest in technology and/or Apple have heard about and probably read, the New York Times article that started the whole furore.

Satisfied customers and the promises they keep (or don’t)

Author: Michel Hogan on 23 January 2012

When it comes to keeping promises the weight of the discussion mostly falls on the organisation, but what about the other half of the equation – the promises a customer makes?

I want to know what you think

Author: Michel Hogan on 17 January 2012

I know many of you are regular readers of this blog and I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of you in person, so I’ve got a question for you.

Six ways to build brand resilience

Author: Michel Hogan on 10 January 2012

This article first appeared June 7, 2011.

There is a lot of talk around these days about sustainability, and it's a term I have used more than once about brands. I was reminded on the weekend, that when I talk about sustainability what I really mean is resilience.

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Good brand, bad brand, “rebrand”, you brand

Author: Michel Hogan on 3 January 2012

This article first appeared May 10, 2011.

This past week saw the launch of Virgin Australia. Complete with Richard Branson on hand, this was touted as the "rebrand" of Virgin's holdings in this part of the world into a single identifiable entity. If companies were cattle that may be true.

The customer as citizen and “Bob”

Author: Michel Hogan on 13 December 2011

In the continuing discussion about "Bob" one of the key differences deserves more airtime – the role of the customer.

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Brand versus "Bob"

Author: Michel Hogan on 6 December 2011

Following on from last week's edition, the search for a new word for brand continues, we've dubbed it "Bob". But whatever it is called there are some obvious differences between what is just a brand and what is a "Bob". So look over the menu of nine attributes below and make your choice.

We (really) need a new word for brand

Author: Michel Hogan on 29 November 2011

I wrote a manifesto a few years ago – it was called “We need a new word for brand.” Back then the title was a ruse, a way to lead into the point that what we really need is a new understanding of what brand really is.

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Best practice is really most practice

Author: Michel Hogan on 22 November 2011

Because I have a bit of a different view about brand, I often run into the "but that's not what is considered to be best practice so you must be wrong" perspective. Stepping aside for a moment from the insanity of thinking that there is only one way to think about this stuff, today I want to address the idea of "best practice".

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What you can learn from a brand called TOMS

Author: Michel Hogan on 15 November 2011

I read a lot and sometimes I read business books. The ones that I most enjoy just tell me the story of what they did and why. I just finished one that fits that bill from TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie called “Start Something that Matters.”