Brand Value...

Young & Rubicam, developers of the Brand Asset Valuator(R), see four phases of branding: differentiation, relevance, esteem, and knowledge. Y&R generally works for consumer megabrands like AT&T, Sony, Colgate and Ford. However, the same principals apply to small and b-to-b brands.

Branding may seem costly. But, big spending isn't needed to build a brand -- consistency is. You're building a name. It takes time. The first thing you need to do is be different and stand apart. You also should be relevant -- ask, "Is this important to my prospect?" Then, according to Y&R you need to build respect. I agree. When you're building a brand, you're also building trust. And finally, you reach the knowledge phase. You're a recognized expert in your market.

Often clients come to me for help building an ad. My real job, however is to build sales. And the best way to do that is to brand your product. I guess I'm a little like a cowboy. My job is to drive your cattle home -- not the other guy's. So I brand it to separate yours from the others.

Sorry. Gotta run, pardner. There's a doggie goin' astray. Yee Ha!

- Phil Sasso

Marketing in a Recession...

Q: What begins with recess but isn't any fun? A: Recession.

Fear of a recession is in the air. I'm not an economist, so I'm not sure if it's warranted. But I can tell you the best marketing investment if an economic downturn happens: Advertising. Research indicates it's best to maintain or increase your ad spending. Really.

McGraw-Hill studied 1980-85 advertising by 600 companies in 16 SIC codes. The results? B-to-B firms that maintain or increased advertising in the '81-82 recession averaged higher sales growth both during and after the recession than those who reduced or eliminated advertising. By 1985, sales of recession advertisers jumped 256% over those that didn't keep up advertising. Since 1949, aggressive advertising in a recession has increased both sales and profits says a study by Meldrum & Fewsmith. And a Coopers & Lybrand study of the 1990-91 recession shows better performing businesses seeking new customers, exploring new markets and running more ads.

Strategically advertising during an downturn can help you capture customers your non-advertising competition will lose. And it will allow you to maintain profits while others are forced to rely on price-cuts. As the old adage goes: "In good times, you should advertise. In bad times, you MUST advertise."

- Phil Sasso

Color in Advertising...

Call it the color of money.

Color gets results. Color ads scored 23.7% better than black-and-white
ads in a study by Babcox publications. Both two-color and four-color
ads pulled about the same return.

Color is a powerful tool. It grabs attention, emphasizes key points and
aids in recall. In our experience, certain colors actually increase
inquiries.

Different hues also send different messages. Cool colors tend to say
stability, whereas warm colors convey energy.

- Phil Sasso

Innovate or Stagnate

Less than half of small businesses have a website. And only 5% complete transactions online, according to Small Business Banker magazine. Perhaps they’re overly cautious. Over 70% have Internet access (up from 57% in 1999) and almost 40% have a website. But more than half say the web has not impacted their business, according to D&B.

SO? So, why are big businesses establishing entire Internet divisions? Because they see the trend. ($100 billion in online sales in 2003, according to Forrester.) If you don’t have a website, get one. But even more important, you need to get your distributors to get web-enabled. Because if they aren’t, a distributor in their area will be and they will get the sales. Your sales.

A good way to nudge your distributors onto the Internet is to help them. Give them web content they can customize. Link from your site to theirs. Offer to co-op hosting costs. Do whatever you can to get them online. Because their sales are your sales.

- Phil Sasso