Comments on: Does Your Brand Sell or Repel?

By: kevin

kevin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:46:18 +0000

Please excuse my typos in the previous post (really I canz reed an writee).

By: kevin

kevin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:44:22 +0000

There will always be a a struggle between people concerned about design and those who are only concerned about response.

IMO, a designer designs what they think looks (unless they have direct response experience). How it pulls is secondary.

Someone concerned about response doesn’t care how the piece looks. It could be pretty as a picture {so to speak} or drab and boring. As long as it maximizes conversions it stays.

Look at the number of commercials that win awards but result in declining sales for the product. In the director’s eyes the commercial is a success. After all it’s been praised by his/her colleagues and won numerous advertising awards.

In the company’s eyes the commercial is a failure. It lost money because.

I think designers have a tendency to over design things because they believe in aesthetic
and that beautiful, creative designs equal increased sales but usually this is not the case.

By: Sam: A New Visitor

Sam: A New Visitor — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:58:03 +0000

I like the idea of looking at brands. What I was wondering is what do you do when your brand literally does nothing. It doesn’t say much about you but doesn’t repulse the consumer. Should we mess with it or just focus on other areas of marketing?

By: Steve Borgman

Steve Borgman — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:49:22 +0000

Branding or Substance? Which is it? As T Harv Ecker would say: Both/And. I work in the psychotherapy field, and there are many therapists who have excellent skills and training, yet don’t know how to put their brand out there in an attractive manner that converts prospects into customers. On the other hand, I have seen slick ‘therapists’ market themselves with little substance. Putting top competence and integrity together with effective marketing seems to be the ideal to aim for.

By: Christian

Christian — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:08:46 +0000

Totally agree. In fact this is a challenge I face on an ongoing basis in the health care world. I try and build marketing creatives (and systems) that are a mix between both “artsy” creatives and direct response adv. The artsy part is loved by everyone within the company. Makes them feel good about the promotion, but it’s the emotionally charged – make it clear – direct response component of the marketing iniative I am most concerned about – and of course tracking the dollars out = X dollars in. I believe the idea of building a brand/image/position of course is important, but my idea of branding is that it is made by others tooting our horn, then by chest thumping promotion and advertising. The more credible third parties talk, rave, and chest thump for us, the more traction our brand gains.

By: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:22:21 +0000

Dave – yeah, you see this very same thing on websites all the time. If pretty sells, go pretty. But, if it doesn’t, do what you need to do to stay in business

By: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:13:42 +0000

Cathy – no doubt, context or “book section” matter, too

By: Cathy

Cathy — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:10:46 +0000

Splashy book covers and/or titles will almost always get me to at least pick up the book if I’m in a brick-mortar bookstore. But even before that, it’s gotta be a book in a section I’m already interested in — I won’t even notice new books in, say, the Computer section or Automotive section.

Then I have to find the back cover and the flap copy interesting. Then the first couple of pages have to be compelling.

The first part of this flies out the window if I’m hearing about the book from a personal friend or a “brand” I trust. (E.g. I read “Career Renegade” because Pam Slim mentioned it in her workshop. And I trusted Pam. But the back cover, the flap copy and the first pages had to pass muster with me or I would’ve ended up thinking I won’t listen to Pam’s recommendations in the future.)

By: Becky

Becky — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:24:43 +0000

This correlates well with a book that I just had the opportunity of previewing (the book comes out Feb 1st) titled, “Built To Sell: Turn Your Business Into One You Can Sell” by John Warrillow. The book is a parable about a business owner who tries to sell his company only to find out it is un-sellable. The same is true for books…you can write a book, but it doesn’t mean that the book will mean anything to someone else. One must learn how to make their business, book, product (whatever it is) worth something to somebody and market that. So I agree with Johnathan… it is not the pretty book cover that sells a book.. it is what the book can DO for someone.

By: Dave Doolin, Website In A Weekend

Dave Doolin, Website In A Weekend — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:44:28 +0000

I see this crap in fashion websites, which seem to more concerned with pushing a cool website with cool effects and a cool logo… than with pushing product out the door.

Like I’m going to spend $160 on a pair of jeans when the picture is like 50 x 75 pixels… under a logo that’s 900 x 400 px. I swear this is true. That just might be a nice looking tush in those jeans. But I can’t tell. If you’re going the T&A route, be considerate and at least show some T&A. Stupid. I won’t link to it because it’s a current clients designer.