Archive for the 'Global Branding' Category
Liquid Agency CCO writes about the London brand.
Alfredo Muccino writes about what the London brand means.
Below is an article written by Alfredo Muccino for CorpComms Magazine - the only monthly magazine targeted at the in-house communicator. The magazine offers advice and informative articles on a range of topical subjects, such as social and digital media, internal communications, sponsorship and CSR. Based in London and published by Hardy Media, the publication is edited by Helen Dunne, who contacted Liquid to get our thoughts on the London brand, since Boris Johnson, London’s mayor recently announced that he wanted to re-brand the city.
Having just returned from the British capital, Alfredo Muccino, Liquid’s Chief Creative Officer wrote a short article which appeared in the latest issue of the magazine.
Here’s the article. If you have any comments, we’d love to hear them.
London: The intersection of old and new.
“Some destination brands are easier to define than others. Las Vegas is defined by What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas, and the brand promise is very clear. Vegas is a place where you’re invited to be wild. Everyone who goes there knows what to expect, and they immediately belong to the tribe. And, of course, Las Vegas delivers. In Vegas you are transported into a surreal landscape of make-believe palaces and landmarks, adult entertainment, gambling, bars and dancing girls. The value proposition is clear and anchored in truth.
So how can we define the brand for a city like London? What sets London apart from other cities? Why should I choose to visit London instead of Paris? What does London deliver? Is it the Royal family and Buckingham Palace? Is it the sense of tradition and propriety? Is it the punk movement that today feels rather traditional? Is it the pub culture, the warm beer and fish and chips? I think that these are outdated stereotypes, and in my opinion London delivers a very different experience today. The brand should capitalize on that.
Today, London is a vibrant multi-cultured centre where the modern provides a great contrast to tradition. You see this in the people, the architecture, the music, the food and the fashion. I find London to be sophisticated and energetic, filled with people who are creative, interesting, highly educated and extremely cosmopolitan. The city is not just a destination for business people but for visitors who seek a dynamic, entertaining and inspiring experience. In my opinion the London brand should leverage the idea of modernity challenging the past. It is in this contrast that lie the refreshing ideas that make London exciting and memorable. London is the cross roads of old and new…past and future…tradition and rebellion. This is something worth experiencing and something that London delivers with plenty of charm.
1 commentRebranding… Let’s hope it’s more than cosmetic
Is it just me or is 2009 going to be the Year of the Rebrand? From political parties to Pepsi, from banks to bailout programs - every day companies, countries and entire industries are trying to transform themselves. Some rebranding efforts, like those coming from beverage giant PepsiCo seem purely cosmetic with not much changed besides the exterior package.
More interesting to watch will be those coming from the troubled financial industry where Wall Street and Main Street banks must rebuild trust in their brands while simultaneously grappling with how to integrate acquisitions or spin off once powerful brands. These financial industry rebrands will be challenging which makes them fun to watch. Here are a few rebrand moves that brand marketers will find interesting.
Bank of America deals with the Bull
Over the years, Bank America has abandoned dozens of acquired institutions brand names opting to bring them into the B of A fold. Now the bank is breaking with tradition as it combines operations with its latest $24 billion dollar purchase - Merrill Lynch. This time, both the Merrill Lynch name and iconic bull logo will survive.
Here’s how they plan to manage the two brands:Bank of America Merrill Lynch will be the name of the new corporate and investor bank. It will fly under the Bank of America flag identity. Merrill Lynch Wealth Management will be the combined firms’ financial advisory, brokerage business – this group will retain the iconic bull logo.I’ll be curious to see how this dual brand strategy plays out over time - provided B of A gets through its latest public relations disaster. AIG subsidiary runs away from homeAIG Financial Advisors, a subsidiary of bailout poster child AIG is changing its name in an effort to distance itself from its continually troubled parent. But rebranding itself as SagePoint Financial – seems a bit hard to swallow. I have a hard time associating wisdom and knowledge to anything ever connected with AIG. Perhaps this rebrand should be put on pause – allowing the company to rethink how it should move forward – keeping in mind that a brand is not what you say it is – it’s what customers say it is. They’ve got a difficult and maybe impossible task ahead – but this rebrand went too far.Watch for more posts coming on the financial industry’s rebranding efforts - I’ve got to think this is only the beginning.
2 commentsAlfredo goes to Brazil!
The pictures above don’t really do justice to the whole story. But I hope that they got your attention! This entry is really not about samba dancers – but samba dancers do make me smile. Actually, the picture was just a cheap way to get you to look. The truth is, I am excited about going to Brazil…but not because of the beautiful dancers. Who would not want to visit Brazil? It’s an amazing country that is full of life, music and fun. And, it’s also a country where I lived for two years when I was little, and I have fond memories of my time there. It will be fun to be back.
The actual reason for the trip is that I will be giving a presentation at “Marketing Mix” - which is the largest gathering of retailers in Brazil, and takes place in São Paulo on September 2nd and 3rd, 2008.
The theme for this year’s event is “The Consumer Transformation: Interactivity and Mobility at the Point of Purchase”. Sponsored by POPAI, the Global Association for Marketing at Retail, the event will discuss how the latest technology trends are affecting the retail industry in Brazil.
My presentation is titled “Building Brand Experiences at Retail”, and is focused on how brands and retailers can leverage branding processes from a strategic and tactical standpoint to increase the effectiveness of marketing initiatives at retail.
For more information check out our News Release, or the POPAI Brazil site.
Just for the record….(just in case) I am practicing my Samba!
Alfredo Muccino
Chief Creative Officer
Liquid Agency
Olympic Logo: What do you think?
The new logo for the 2012 London Olympics has elicited an amazing amount of controversy. According to Jacque Rogge, President of International Olympic Committee, “this is a truly innovative brand logo that graphically captures the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games — namely to inspire young people around the world through sport and the Olympic values.” According to many others it is an atrocious symbol that should be immediately scrapped. According to an article in the Times Online by Robert Booth, “The logo, designed by Wolff Olins, a London branding agency, and approved by Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, was launched to almost universal disdain”. Personally, I am still trying to digest it. My first impression is that it is shockingly unattractive, and reminiscent of post-punk eighties graphics. I’m trying very hard to be open minded and see if it grows on me…but so far, it’s not working! I wonder what you think? I’d love some feedback…especially if you can defend it!
