Blog o' RAMA

5 Truths about branding: Luncheon Notes

Top Five Truths about Branding: Notes from the RAMA luncheon on January 22nd. As promised.

From Patrick Crane, Director of Brand Development, Eastman Kodak Company

1. You need great enthusiasm for branding, someone to champion the effort
2. It is useful to look back over the history of a brand to find clues to what has been successful.
3. You need a strong foundation in research, talk to the customer at all times.

Susan Kochan, CEO, Brand Cool Marketing

1. Test your assumptions, validate what you know by testing them outside of your organization.
2. You have to do it. You need an emotional connection with your audience.
3. Hook up your brand to the world around you. Look at what is happening and make your brand relevant to what is going on outside.
4. Decision makers are also consumers, make sure you look at all of your audiences.
5. Pay attention to brand equity and brand architecture.
6. Get everyone on board.

Pamela Black Colton, Executive Director for Admissions and Marketing, Warner Graduate School of Education, University of Rochester

1. Branding does work, so be careful in testing it.
2. Think about it clearly, research is critical, even if you don’t have a lot of money to do it, find a way.
3. Critical to get buy in from all of your stakeholders in order to succeed.
4. Get feedback, test, test, test.

One thing these Branders would do differently:

Patrick Crane: Find the right way to summarize the brand, have targets.

Susan Kochan: Make sure the image you project matches your brand. For example, if the logo that is being used is in direct competition with what the brand is, change it!

Pamela Black Colton: Spend money and time upfront on research so you are sure of the brand equity and the effect of change.

Resources for Branding on a Budget:

• American Marketing Association
• Marketing Sherpa
• Marketing Profs

February 8th - RAMA Presents A Market Research Boot Camp

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO INADEQUATE RESPONSE. WE INVITE YOU TO CHECK BACK FOR OTHER EXCITING AND EDUCATIONAL RAMA EVENTS IN THE PLANNING!

• Marketing researchers new to the field
• Seasoned marketers who need an update or an introduction to research
• Marketing practitioners who interface with research suppliers

Join Sanjob Misra and JJ Brakus of the Simon Graduate School of Business as they discuss:

• How to make your research work harder
• Ways to choose between qualitative and quantitative studies
• Statistics for non-statisticians, and many other important topics.

Time and Location:
February 8, 2008
8:00- 4:30
Simon Graduate School of Business
407 Schelegel Hall

New AMA Marketing Definition Reflects Individual Control

Hi, this is Bill Ward, Collegiate Relations Chair for the RAMA Board. I was pleased to see that the AMA announced an updated marketing definition. The AMA reviews the definition every few years and makes changes if necessary to reflect the dynamic and rapidly changing nature of marketing. I believe the new version more accurately reflects the interaction and control of the marketing process at the individual level (not just organizational) with the growing influence of online social media and consumer created content on society at large.

The new definition and the previous version are announced in Marketing Daily so you can judge for yourself.

The new definition reads: "Marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."

The previous definition stated: "Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders."

January 22nd: The Truth About Branding Five Things You Need to Know

RAMA is pleased to announce our January event to be held at Mario's Via Abruzzi : [registration open - see link below] Bring your entire team!

On January 22nd, we will host a panel of branding experts to share their knowledge and expertise with you, our valued members and community connections.

Titled, "Five Things You Need to Know" the luncheon experts include:

Pamela Black-Colton - Executive Director of Admissions and Marketing, Warner Graduate School of Education
University of Rochester

Susan Kochan, CEO
Brand Cool Marketing

And, Patrick Crane
Director, Brand Development
Eastman Kodak Company

Join us as Dawn S. McWilliams, Executive Director for Marketing & Communications, Simon Graduate School of Business, University of Rochester, moderates this impressive panel of brand experts discussing the five most difficult things/lessons learned when trying to brand their (or another's)  organization.

Where: Mario's Via Abuzzi 
2740 Monroe Ave. 14618   
585-271-1111
Time: 11:30-1:30 pm.
Cost: $25 for members
$40 for non-members

Register for this event here, today.

Visit our EVENT CALENDAR in the right-hand sidebar to view more exciting events for 2008.