BARQ & A

Posted By: JLL

We are considering adding an icon to our logo. What are your thoughts on this? If you choose to include an icon, do you have to use it all the time or can it be added only on certain things?

BARQ’s response:

There are lots of successful brands that use an icon with the logotype, and have variations of logotype without it. But first you need to answer why you’d want to add an icon.

If you have built a strong, recognizable image/brand with your logotype/name, for what reason would you need to add an icon? There are good reasons, but fashion and fad are NOT good ones. A logo icon usually communicates or reinforces to the market something about your company that is not readily communicated with the logotype alone.

Don’t mess with success when it comes to logos and logotype. And, if a change is necessary, you may want to start over with a brand assessment — big change is sometimes required when big change needs to be communicated.

BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend

Posted by: HGL

BARQ,

My mall store has a Bluetooth transmitter. It detects about 800 cell phones of our average 1500 customers per day. But only 40 accept the content sent to them, and around 80 reject it. We have ads by every entrance that show people how to turn on bluetooth, and receive our content for free.

I need to know how to get people to accept the content sent to them.

BARQ’s response:

The problem could be in your content. Is it relevant and valuable to the potential listener? Is it exclusive to only those within Bluetooth reach of your location?

Like Twitter, the idea sounds great, but the results are less than gratifying. You have the ability to say lots of things to lots of people, but unless you are saying something that really matters to your audience, you will be ignored.

Likewise, if what you offer the Bluetooth listener is the same deal as someone who read your ad in the paper or heard it on the radio, why should they give you the extra medium of theirs to hear it again and again?

I suggest you focus on truly satisfying or exciting the 40 people you get, and let them spread the news about how beneficial it is to “tune in” to your message. The better the offer, the better the results.

BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend®

Posted By: JDY

My company has a registered trademark for our product, let’s say it is “Zmere®”. I put the ® on the lower right of the logo and have subscripted it whenever it appears in text. Our president has made corrections to “fix the placement” on our literature in the text portion. I haven’t told him my reasoning, but is there a hard and fast rule that it must be superscripted?

BARQ’s response:

JDY:

When designing logos, we usually only subscript the TM or ® when the last character (or icon object) extends farther at the top, like the letters r, T, P, etc. — particularly because the symbol’s purpose is not to be noticed, but to protect the brand. Superscripting in those instances hangs the ® out far away from the word or symbol, and makes it more obvious (pronounced “distracting”).

Whether you write Zmere or ZMERE, there is no advantage to subscripting vs. superscripting — if anything the ® will tuck more tightly when superscripted next to a lower case e (since the word has no descending characters). To subscript the symbol in your case is unconventional, so you draw attention to it (especially by the president). That, in turn, draws some attention away from the brand name.

I’d choose to fight with the president on an issue with more marketing benefit than designer’s taste.

BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend®

Posted By: BEK

We have a huge tradeshow coming up and have been given the opportunity to showcase our product (software) on the second day of the show in one of the reserved conference rooms. We would like to get the audience to visit our booth the next day for a demo and need an incentive to have them do that. We are already giving away ipods (at our booth) so we need something different. Looking for a brilliant idea that we can offer them to get them there for the demo.
Thanks!

BARQ’s response:

The most valuable commodity at a trade show is your time. You have a very limited number of people and hours to sell all you can at a trade show. Why give away something that every attendee would want, and waste your valuable personnel and time serving those who are more interested in an iPod than your software?

Take a look at what your product solves, and the type of person who needs that solution. Then target your gift / incentive to that person and his or her job / life / work environment. This is not easy, but with some planning, forethought and creativity it will save you an immense amount of lost productivity at the show.

If you are not working with an ad agency, I would suggest that you call advertising specialties salespersons and have them brainstorm with or for you about this. They do this ALL DAY LONG and have lots of expertise at incentives. And this costs you nothing until you buy the incentive.

Also, be sure you do plenty of pre-show promotion (direct mail and email) to make the target attendees aware of your presentation and demo.

Sharpen you focus on the target market — the select few among the thousands who really can use what you sell. You will waste much less time and money qualifying the “trick-or-treaters” who come around just to fill their bags with goodies.

BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend

Posted By: AFA

I read an article that says a blog can help my company’s page ranking on search engines, so I was considering starting one. Is this good for my brand?

BARQ’s response:

Certainly a blog can help your site’s ranking on search engines. However, it’s a double-edged sword. You may get the benefit of the search engine page rank increase, but you also commit yourself to the VERY regular (daily is best) assignment of writing something, plus you must write something both relative and insightful. Whoever writes the blog writes for both your company AND your industry. Your text will be subject to the scrutiny of all experts in your company’s market, so whatever is written in the blog must be well researched. And it lasts FOREVER. Somewhere, somehow, someone is collecting what has been written, and can retrieve those words anytime, for any purpose.

I am not trying to discourage you from starting a blog, just be sure before you start that you are committed to maintaining very high standards of research, accuracy and regularity. Should you start a blog and drop it after awhile, it can only have a negative affect on the brand. Be sure you are gaining more positives by starting it first.

BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend

Posted By: JES

We are considering applying for a trademark for our tagline. I was doing some research on this and the question was raised about whether to register our logo as well. Do you have any experience with this? How do companies determine whether to register their name/logo/tagline?

BARQ’s response:

Protection of intellectual property is an important part of marketing and a key component of your brand’s value. The purpose for registering your name, brand, tagline or logo is not just to protect your brand in the future, but also to prevent you from inadvertently investing in something that may already be registered. That could be costly if another brand challenges your use of it on collateral, signage, website, etc.

Your company can register a logo/symbol/avatar or a name as long as it is unique for the category. Taglines as well can be registered, as long as they are not common phrases. For instance, we have registered SELMARQ® (the name), the SELMARQ logo (a Labrador Retriever in a circle), and “SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend®” (our name with our tagline). We could not register “Brands’ Best Friend” alone due to the generic nature of that combination of words. But adding SELMARQ made it unique.

These are all registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (www.uspto.gov) for specific categories (marketing, web design, etc.) according to how we wish to defend against others who might try to appropriate them.

Typically you’d use TM (for products, SM for services) to indicate it is something you intend the consumer to identify with your company or brand. That will change to the ® once your registration has been approved.

BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend

Posted By: DRK

I know that scripts are not exactly the method of choice for cold calling, but my associate and I are new at this and have put together a script we can loosely follow. Please leave some feedback as to how I can make it more effective.

I’m using the following script to set appointments with prospects. My goal of the phone call is not to make a sale, but to make the appointment to meet with employees of large businesses to demonstrate our services in person. I like to keep it brief, but I’m having a hard time ending the conversation without sounding abrupt.

Here is the scrip so far:

“Hi, this is Jane Doe, and I was wondering if you could help me. I’m calling from XYZ. We treat a few of your employees for “—” that are common in your field, and we’d like to share that relief with everyone at Widgets Inc.

“Would it be possible to set up some time for a free computerized ‘—’ analysis and an introductory ‘—’ by a licensed ‘—”‘?”

I would really like this to be more personal and not sound like a lifeless script–and I’d like it to be punchy. Please help!!!

Thanks,
DRK

BARQ’s response:
Right now you are doing all the talking. I’d try to engage the listener earlier, i.e.:

“We have treated a few of your employees for XXX, which is pretty common in your industry. Is this something you are aware of? (A soft challenge to the listener’s knowledge of the company’s people and / or industry issues, which he/she will likely acknowledge.)

“Does this concern you?” (a stronger query as to weather he/she cares, to which the answer is likely to be positive.)

“We offer a free YYY. Would you like us to set one up…etc?”

One of the psychological influences in everyday behavior is the desire to be consistent. By getting the listener to commit to a position, the subsequent questions are designed to take advantage of that tendency. They would break consistency by refusing an opportunity to at least talk about your services.

You could also work in some language about the brand building and morale benefits of being proactive in diagnosing workplace maladies.

Good Luck,
BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend

Posted By: HEM

Can you tell me who actually should own the Corporate website?

There is discussion where I work that the Customers Service Department should own the website, which is contrary to anything I have ever experienced or heard of. Many are working to educate our boss, who has no experience or background in marketing/communications that it should reside with us and not just the “look and feel” of the site.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

BARQ’s response:

In today’s commerce, nearly everything drives the customer to the Corporate website — ads, commercials, literature, banners, direct mail, billboards, specialties, search engines — you name it. The only department that should fully understand what to do with all that traffic — how to direct it and respond to it, and how to handle leads — is marketing.

Sales people want to close — they will respond first to hot leads, and are reluctant to nurture long-term prospects.

Customer Service people will respond first to problems. They might direct the site traffic properly, but will they analyze it or adjust the layouts and various segment messages being sent to maximize return?

IT Dept. will concentrate on making sure the site works properly, but will be reluctant to change what works just for the purpose of testing messages and maximizing opportunities. And very few are design oriented or think in terms of changing consumer behavior and attitudes.

Ultimately, Marketing is responsible for short- and long-term commercial results… short- and long-term revenue and cash flow. They study design and psychology. Where else should a CEO place website ownership?

BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend

Posted By: MAS

Is no brand in fact a brand? Why?

BARQ’s response:

MAS:

In the strict sense of the question, “no brand” is, by definition, not a brand. this is mostly exemplified by those companies who do not understand branding, or don’t think that branding is of any great importance to their company’s success.

In a real sense, “no brand” means “no promise.” Your brand, in my opinion, is a your company’s promise to perform in a particular manner. This means your brand is your reputation. If the quality of your products and services varies based on market fluctuations (demand, resources, taste, style, price, etc.) the market can expect that you cannot be counted on to deliver consistently.

Compared to FedEx, how many times has UPS delivered damaged goods, or delivered late, or lost your package? They seem to be working on becoming an extension to their customers’ business rather than the most reliable 3PL provider. Are you looking for a business partner, or a reliable delivery service?

In the B2B world, where our firm focuses, most companies have a very limited understanding of branding. To many of these companies, branding means consistent logo placement. Most of the SMBs in America today were built by engineers, accountants or salespeople. Very few companies were started by marketers. These “hammers” see every business challenge as their particular “nail” and they attempt to find solutions from within their realm of expertise; salespeople look for new sales tactics, engineers look for new products, accountants look for ways to cut expenses. To all of them, branding is something big companies do with extra profits, not a means to increase long term profits and company value.

Back to the question, “no brand” is the definition of a commodity. Whatever a company produces is either a commodity that competes on price, or a branded item that competes on the company’s ability to create value in the minds, hearts and behaviors of their customers and prospects.

BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend

Posted By: PPO

BARQ:

My Presbyterian church has been around for 50 years with a bi-monthly newsletter entitled “The Vision”. This names stems from a Bible quote in Proverbs, “Where there is no vision, the people will perish,” which was most often written within the newsletter’s masthead.

The pastors are thinking of changing it, and here is why:

Two smaller Presbyterian congregations have divested themselves of costly buildings and combined with ours at our facility, which is in the middle of a capital campaign for expansion. For now, the pastors have all become co-pastors under one roof, and their separate congregations will continue to maintain their own committees, deacons, bank accounts, membership, etc. Meanwhile, all pastors have been promoting cross-participation at various events.

The two newcomer congregations are rolling their own newsletter contents into “The Vision.” The pastors have blithely been discussing a name change for it, perhaps, “The New Vision.” Mind you, it’s even been suggested that my church change its own name to reflect this new chapter in shared history. It seems the pastors are leery of acknowledging that the biggest church could be the primary/surviving entity; perhaps newcomers don’t want to feel they’ve been absorbed. But RE: newsletter name change: Seems to me that one of these congregations needs to maintain its history and culture AND BRAND IDENTITY. And, metaphorically speaking, the church’s vision (intrinsically linked to its newsletter title via Proverbs) really isn’t “new” merely because of a sudden influx of participants.

So, I’m thinking a name change is the wrong thing to do here. I welcome your thoughts or suggestions regarding any aspect of this scenario–maybe some recommendations for how the church “should” be going about considering such far-reaching changes.

BARQ’s response:

From my perspective — having been involved in church ministries (and politics) at my present parish and diocese for over 25 years — the vision is really the key. What needs to be emphasized here is the TRUE vision of your church. I would assume that your congregation’s ultimate vision or purpose is to love, serve and follow Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the master brand; Presbyterianism is the sub-brand. If you are competing against other Presbyterian congregations for membership, then further differentiation is warranted. If not, whatever actions are taken must first align with the master and sub brand “guides” — starting with the Bible.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” Rom. 16:17-18 — King James Version

Or, since the Presbyterian sect leans more than many others toward state politics, a quote from Lincoln might help bring clarity: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

I believe as long as three church congregations are acting independently in the same “house” there will be conflict, and as such will tend to divert attention from “The Vision.” This can be especially damaging during a capital campaign!

As for the newsletter, I would advocate a totally new nameplate, derived by a consensus of those responsible for publishing it. A bi-monthly paper is not the brand. This naming issue will probably be the least of the churches worries. It is likely only the tip of the iceberg. How it is handled may be a foreshadowing of other things to come as they grow together — or apart.

BARQ
SELMARQ Brands’ Best Friend