Myth #1 – I don't need a brand.

Yikes.  Yes you do!  If you're in business, you need a brand.  Think of it as a business essential, like your phone or your bank account.  You can't very well do business without those, can you?  If we learned anything from the branding alphabet (see blog on How much does branding really affect you?), we discovered how branding affects us all.  If you want space in your customer's mind, you need a brand.  End of story.

Earlier this week, I read an interesting lesson plan posted by Carrie McLaren at the Center for Media Literacy.  Armed with PowerPoint slides, she walked into a room of high school seniors and asked them to identify several plants and trees in their Brooklyn neighborhood.

Silence.

She then put on a slide of the alphabet comprised almost entirely of brand logos.  Without fail, the  group of students named them all.

I'd be willing to bet you can name most of them, too. 

Many of you (hopefully most) have seen these little box codes start popping up everywhere. What most of you don’t know is that these Quick Response (QR) codes have been around for some time now. They were invented in Japan in 1994!! But, like most new technology, it has taken years for these little codes to emerge. Now they are widely used by businesses to market themselves.

QR Code

When creating an advertisement, whether print or audio, you will want to make sure that you accomplish several things to ensure that your ad is seen or heard. After all, if it’s not seen or heard, it definitely won’t be remembered!

Realizing the purpose of an ad will help you create one that will work. So, what’s the purpose of an ad? To gain attention, hold attention, deliver relevance, brand yourself and finally, to inform.

NY City