Brand Champion of the Day- Kalamazoo Valley Community College

In the past few weeks I have had the pleasure to connect with Thomas Mills via a previous blog post. Thomas is a special projects adjunct faculty member at Kalamazoo Valley Community College in Kalamazoo, MI, and a leader in his institution's brand development efforts. As a higher education brand consultant I am always on the look out for success stories. Today, Thomas takes time out of his schedule to share their story.

"As a passionate advocate for the community college educational model, I feel very privileged to describe a recent Kalamazoo Valley Community College branding initiative. I would like to nominate the school as a bold and innovative Brand Champion.

"Early in 2008, Kalamazoo Valley began taking steps to define and secure it’s position as a highly differentiated, educational brand – based on the organization’s reputation, long history of academic excellence and core mission, vision and values.

"School administrators realized that the long-term viability of the school would be based, in-part, on continual recognition as a “first choice” in Michigan’s higher education marketplace and, that branding would be a key tool in accomplishing this objective. A brand oversight committee, led by college President, Dr. Marilyn Schlack, began to identify Kalamazoo Valley’s unique brand position based on extensive, research conducted by a national firm.

"In May 2009, an internal six-member creative team was formed to visually capture and implement the brand experience (defined as “engaging students”) across all visual media used by the school. This synergistic team conceived and is now working with the entire college community and key stakeholders, to explore and embrace what conceivably could be a new conceptual approach in branding – an evocative, visual representation of brand essence (or promise) that transcends the realm of traditional, brand-supportive iconography.

"Initially, we (the six-member branding initiative team) followed a traditional re-branding approach by designing and considering over 200 new potential logo options for the college. But, a brand is not a logo, it's the collective experiences of people (consumers), who interact with or use a product/service and is a shared, common thought or idea in their minds that form the essence of a brand.

"Deciding not to use a clichéd tagline and a traditional logo, we created instead,

a ThoughtMark™ (.edyou™), a LogoType KalamazooVALLEY (the school's name) and an AccentMark KV, as mutually supportive elements of a branding toolkit. The team reasoned that, in order to build upon favorable student attitudes toward the school and elicit positive, brand-supportive behavior from school employees, a traditional, static, two-dimensional logo would be ineffectual at best.

"Extensive online research, looking at thousands of colleges and universities throughout the U.S., made us very familiar with the edu suffix used for every collegiate Internet domain name. In a moment of creative epiphany, we realized this element, (edu), could be adapted as .edyou™ (pronounced dot ee-dee-you), to effectively reflect Kalamazoo Valley's faculty, staff and administrators’ dedication and commitment to students – the core finding of our market research. It was a defining moment, where we were able to bring the school's brand to life, based on positive student perceptions, and give it a visual representation.

"The ThoughtMark™ was designed to be evocative of the brand promise, 'engaging students' and the unique twist to this visual element is it's duality. .edyou™ is both...a visual statement to students that they matter most – and that, as they themselves indicated repeatedly in our research findings – the faculty, administration and staff at Kalamazoo Valley consistently show their approachability, dedication and
commitment to every student’s success. It's suggesting that, it's your education, it's all about you (the student) and it can also be construed as an important question – it’s your education, what will you do with it? ...and, it’s a visual reminder to all the dedicated school employees that, because the school is a service organization, that they are directly responsible for living the brand every day and at every point of contact, in order to strengthen and fulfill the brand promise. And, at Kalamazoo Valley, it's really all about – both you (the student) and you (faculty/staff/administrator).

"These insights were derived by listening to our students and the school’s employees to define our strengths and understand just what makes Kalamazoo Valley Community College unique. Perhaps the branding methods and ideas used by this community college can serve as inspiring examples for other colleges and universities. Kalamazoo Valley has already begun to see the benefits of branding as a powerful differentiation tool in a highly competitive market."

Thomas Mills

Adjunct Special Projects Faculty – Lead Designer/Branding Team& Advanced Graphic Design Instructor for Kalamazoo Valley Community College, independent communications professional and President of MillsIdeas, llc, an innovation center and creative think tank.

Thomas, thanks for allowing us the opportunity to learn more about your work and your institution. You are the Brand Champion of the Day!

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Golfer Charley Hoffman: An Authentic Brand

Have you seen this guy? If not, you should. He gets it. He understands what it means to be a brand champion. Not only did he win the Deutsche Bank Championship earlier in the week, he did in grand fashion. He brought home over $1 million U.S. and what many thought would be a spot on the coveted Ryder Cup team. Some guy named Tiger Woods beat him out.
What it wrong with this picture? A person who has not won a tournament this year and admits to a slew of infidelity situations, beats out a guy who is probably the most authentic brand on the tour. Hoffman has long hair and one of his major sponsors is Waste Management, which he proudly sports on his attire. Name a 21st century athlete who would want to be sponsored by a company that collects trash. I didn't think so.
I am a champion of the Charley Hoffman brand. Here is hoping he wins the FedExCup Championship and finishes first in the word rankings. Here is hoping Ryder Cup captain, Cory Pavin learns what an authentic brand means. The Ryder Cup is about team and country. It is about pride and success. It is not about style points.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Should Ronald McDonald Get Brand Boot?

According to a group of health pros, parents and business partners, the answer is a resounding yes! These people believe Ron Mac has too much influence over kids and they want McDonald's to retire the organization's most recognized brand champion.

I guess the coalition thinks that if Ron goes away then kids will not be so keen on going to the Golden Arches to eat what the group considers to be bad food. They probably have a point and I am sure their intentions are good, but good luck!

Joe Camel went away because of the pressure that parents and others made on Camel in a similar situation. With Joe going bye-bye did that make it no longer cool to smoke cigarettes? I think the pressure put on the U.S. government to nail the tobacco industry did the trick.

Ron is an easy target, but I think going to Congress to testify about the need for health standards might be more influential. What do you think? Should Ron get the brand boot?

Rex Whisman

Brand Champion of the Day- Starbucks

Ok, ok I know, I have featured Starbucks before. Well guess what? I am featuring them again. The brand announced this week its first dividend. A year ago people were writing off the international coffee giant as just another brand who got too big for its britches. Starbucks downsized a bit and got back to its core values and what made the brand successful in the beginning. It found its voice again.

I am notorious for quoting Chairman, Howard Schultz. "Managing a brand is a lifetime of work." Because he and the brand think that way they were able to weather the economic storm and come out strong on the other side. If more brands embrace the concept of brand building being a lifetime process, they would too. Hello, that is the way to recruit and retain brand champions!

Despite economic challenges most brands still think the way to build a sustainable brand is to go with the quick-fix solution. Wrong! When we build our brands based on mission, core values and stakeholder engagement, and understand that managing our brands is indeed a forever process, our brands are much more likely to be sustainable.

Starbucks, you are once again the Brand Champion of the Day!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champion of the Day- Holiday Inn

Well I must say that I never thought I would be recognizing Holiday Inn as the Brand Champion of the Day. A year or so ago I posted a few comments about the new visual identity and plans for remodeling their hotels. Now it is official, the hotel chain has re-branded itself in a very positive manner. I don't know about you, but my last experience at a Holiday Inn was many, many years ago, and I would have been hard pressed to think about many strong brand attributes to discuss back then.

Until today, I associated Holiday Inn with an old, worn-out brand. My experience today in Memphis is nothing short of amazement, and wow was I wrong. First of all, Holiday Inn is one of the few hotel brands that still has shuttle service to and from the airport. The shuttle service also includes taking guests to near-by restaurants, malls, drug stores and anywhere else one would like to go. The rooms are magnificent. I am writing from my desk in the living room/kitchen of my suite (which is less expensive than most small hotel rooms). I feel like a true business traveler today, instead of just another tourist.

For bringing this brand strategist to his senses, and hopefully others, Holiday Inn is the Brand Champion of the Day. You will have more and more champions of your brand. Bravo to the kind folks in Memphis, nicely done my friends!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champion of the Day- McDonald's

I am sure there will be a fare share of people who think that I am crazy for recognizing a fast food chain as the brand champion of the day. While I am not a regular visitor (an occasional stop early morning in airports) and I do not support the idea of encouraging people to eat fatty foods, I am a fan of this brand.

There are not too many brands that have stood the test of time like McDonald's. While their menu has been modified and they are attempting to be more health conscious, they are still known as a fast-food burger joint. Which is what they have always been known for. Those golden arches are the ultimate visual representation of fast food joints. And talk about a brand with lots of champions.

It is somewhat difficult for me to write this last sentence, but for all you do, McDonald's you are the Brand Champion of the Day!

Rex Whisman

NBC Brand is Ruffling its Peacock Feathers

I am amazed at how much publicity the cancellation of the Tonight Show in prime time is getting. Ah yes, the good old American celebrity obsession strikes again. I am also surprised at how much power Jay Leno has under the NBC brand umbrella, or behind the NBC brand peacock feathers. With his apparent move back to late night, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon are going to get sent back to the bench.

It sounds like Conan O'Brien might be headed for a trade to one of the other teams in the network league. A move to Fox would probably be good for O'Brien. As I mentioned on twitter the other day, I think the Conan brand aligns more with Fox than NBC. He seems more like a "Family Guy" as opposed to an "Office" nerd. He can probably recruit and retain more brand champions on Fox.

Whatever the falling(or Fallon) out, NBC is at risk of diluting its brand. This is a good example of how difficult it is to stay on top in any category, especially television. Only when we truly understand our mission and core values, can our brand be sustainable.

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day- Art Clokey, Animator

As someone who has spent most of my career working with artists and designers, my attention is always drawn when I hear or see that one of those talented people has passed, especially when their name is Art. Such was the case a few days ago when I learned that animator, Art Clokey had died. Most of you probably know Art for his creation of legendary characters Gumby and Pokey. What you may not know is how those creations and others came to be, and what the Art Clokey brand will forever stand for.

In the early 1950s Clokey was a student at the University of Southern California. His creation of Gumby and Pokey grew from a student project there, which were later produced for the famous Howdy Doody Show. Despite the character's popularity, Clokey prevented merchandising of doll version of Gumby. Clokey was quoted as saying, "I didn't allow merchandising for seven years after it was on the air because I was very idealistic, and I didn't want parents to think we were trying to exploit their children."

Art Clokey created a legion of followers for his characters, and numerous brand champions for his work and his standards. For his mission and core values, Art Clokey is the Brand Champion of the Day!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day- Coca-Cola Company

It has been nearly three and one-half years since I started featuring brand champions on this blog. I don't recall during that period of time that I have shared many views on Coca-Cola, certainly not highlighting the organization as the Brand Champion of the Day. Not because I rarely consume soft drinks and not because I do not respect the company, but because it would have been so obvious for me to do so.

I know for sure that over the course of my time as a brand consultant, I have given props to the Coca-Cola Company quite often during presentations when I share best practices or talk about brand valuation. For as long as I can remember Interbrand has ranked Coca-Cola as the number one valued brand in the world. Based on the Interbrand formula they estimated the Coke brand to be worth over $68.7 US in 2009.

In September of 2008 I had the opportunity to meet a senior brand strategist for Coca-Cola when we were both presenting at a brand conference in Atlanta. I presented on internal branding, and had the chance to learn how Coca-Cola engages their employees in the brand development process. I also gained insight into the Company's social responsibility efforts, which you can do on their web site. For being a time-tested brand, for your renewed commitment to your internal and external stakeholders, Coca-Cola, you are the Brand Champion of the Day.

Oh by the way, Coca-Cola has over 4 million fans on their Facebook page. That is a lot of brand champions!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day- Ali Hadi, Marketing Manager, Proactive Brand Solution

I had the opportunity to meet Ali Hadi a few months ago when I received a friend request from him on Facebook. After discovering a kindred brand spirit exists in Pakistan, I gladly accepted his invitation. Since then Ali and I have exchanged many exchanges on Facebook. As a result, I realize that we share many common philosophies on our approach to brand. Today, I welcome the opportunity to feature Ali Hadi as the Brand Champion of the Day. Here is what Ali says about what he thinks it means to be a brand champion.

YOU

“Brand Champion”

"BRAND is a distinguishing name or symbol, CHAMPION is the victor in a challenge or contest. Our life is
biggest contest where we should prove ourselves champion, our best brand is self. 'If you don't brand yourself, other people will. And I can guarantee you that they won't brand you in the way that you want to be branded.' — Catherine Kaputa

"First time, I started online marketing in 2008 by social media networking, through Facebook, LinkedIn,
Youtube, Slideshare, Twitter & Blogs, the concept of personal branding has been around for more than a decade, but the Internet and social networking have made it easier than ever to sell brand 'YOU'. There are many ways to market online and a great way is to use Social Media Marketing. Social media marketing is proving to be very effective and there are many resources that can be used to make this successful.

"The basic idea of personal branding is to promote yourself as having certain values, skills or expertise -- your brand -- so that if someone needs that expertise, they'll come to you first. While many people are still uncomfortable with the idea of marketing themselves as a commodity, others see it as part of the changing world of work. We're in an age when corporate businesses don't care for you as an individual any more -- you're just an employee number. They will outsource you, insource you, relocate you, and delocate you in whatever way they think suitable. Therefore you have to look after number one, and personal branding is really important.

"Proactive Brand Solution is my brainchild, marketing-services providing company online/offline for FMCG,
Pharmaceutical, Textile, and NGOs."

Proactive Brand
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=44544049545&ref=ts
Ali Hadi


Ali, thank you for sharing your perspectives on what you think it means to be a brand champion. I look forward to staying connected a building a community of brand champions around the world.

Rex Whisman
Brand Champions Blog

BrandED Consultants Group

Woody Allen Understands What It Means to Be a Brand Champion

Yesterday I heard a repeat interview from last June on NPR with one of my all time favorite actors, Woody Allen. He fielded some challenging questions about his life and his work. The topic was not officially defined as a brand discussion, but as I most often do, that is how I related to the dialogue. Anytime people are talking about identity, they are discussing brand.

Allen was asked about whether or not he cared what people thought of his personal life, especially in terms of his marriage to a much younger woman, who was the adopted daughter of his ex-wife. Allen handled the question quite well. He indicated that he did not think anyone should live their life by what the outside world thought. If one did, he believed one's life would then be inauthentic.

That is an interesting perspective that organizations can and should think about too. I often hear pundits say that a brand is defined by your customers. Like Allen, I believe that if you let the outside world define your brand, your organization will not be authentic. The organization needs to define itself based on its mission and core values. Should internal and external audiences be a part of the process? Absolutely. But when the organization understands itself will it have the opportunity to recruit and retain the right brand champions.

Does your organization, or do you, let others define your brand?

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day- Jack LaLanne, Fitness Guru

Thank you Inc. magazine for your short feature on Jack LaLanne. It reminded me of my days of yore when I used to watch Jack LaLanne's morning television show on those days when I stayed home sick from school, and gazing at the boob tube from the couch. I don't recall whether or not watching him made me feel guilty for missing school or made me feel more sickly.

Reading about him in Inc. makes me feel remiss for not thinking about highlighting Jack LaLanne earlier as the Brand Champion of the Day. Jack LaLanne is now 95 years old and in better shape than most of the rest of us, no matter how young we think we are. I was informed that LaLanne opened his first health club in 1936. Talk about a man ahead of his time. Although LaLanne would probably argue that is non-sense. From his interview in Inc. it appears he does not like anyone referring to the good old days.

When you think about it our most valuable asset is our health. No one epitomizes that more than the Jack LaLanne brand. For all you do, Jack LaLanne, you are the Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day- Jeff Bridges, Actor

About a year ago I heard Jeff Bridges interviewed on a local radio station. Although the actor has a huge body of work and is one of the most recognized names in film, I had never heard him interviewed before. I recall at the time thinking that he was an authentic "dude." Speaking of which, I am sure most of you have seen Jeff Brides play The Dude in The Big Lebowski. What a great character,and movie.

On Monday of this week I read an enlightening story on Jeff Bridges written by Anthony Breznican in the USA Today about Bridges new movie Crazy Heart. Within the piece a quote from Bridges gave me pause. In terms of deciding what projects to engage, Bridges says, "I'm attracted to what I'm afraid of, and I'm afraid of what I am attracted to. I love that. I think that way too. I love a challenge and I am challenged by what I love.

This month many including me have questioned the authenticity of the Tiger Woods brand strategy. Today, I take a different approach and recognize Jeff Bridges as the Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

Brand Champion of the Day- Velisse Williams, Author

On Mondays and Fridays I feature someone who understands what it means to be a brand champion. Those who are passionate about their brand and get others excited for their brand too. These are people who are effective in recruiting and retaining champions for their brand. Recently I met someone via this blog and twitter who gets it. Today the Brand Champion of the Day is Velisse Williams. Here is what Velisse shares about what it means to champion her brand.

"My name is Velisse Ammons
Williams, author and married mother of three of three who reside in Dallas,
TX. I started writing several years ago when my twin boys began pre-school. Periodically, the twins would come home with stories about events that happened at school. I began jotting down my son’s preschool experiences as fodder for future children’s books.

"In 2007, I was inspired to write Candy-Colored Friends after struggling to provide my son’s
with an age-appropriate explanation about the meaning of racial prejudice. Because my children could not quite grasp the concept of discrimination, I concluded other children might have the same trouble and saw the need to write a book that stresses acceptance, not mere
tolerance, to explain it. I wanted to simply teach children that people are very much like candy: uniquely colored on the outside, but in most instances, the same on the inside.

"Since then, I have begun working on a follow-up series to my first published piece. My goal is to write a series of books that address social issues that children are often faced with, such as: bullying, special needs, different skin color, low self-esteem, etc. I'm hopeful that Candy-Colored Friends and future books to come, will help pave the way for positive discussions about these various topics.

"I am a champion of my brand because I realize we live in a world of multiple hues, ethnicity and cultural diversity and not only should we embrace these differences, but also teach our children to do the same. The brand, Candy-Colored Friends, created with children in mind, represent global diversity, unity, simplicity, and empowerment. The brand will equip readers, to include, children, parents and educators, with the necessary tools to address and deal with most social needs related to children.

website: http://www.velissewilliams.com/

Thank you Velisse for taking time out of your busy schedule to share with us your perspective on what it means to be a brand champion. I look forward to updates on the progress of Candy-Colored Friends!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

Brand Champion of the Day- Rahul Choudaha, PhD, DrEducation.com

A few weeks ago I was invited to connect with Rahul Choudaha via LinkedIn.com. After reading his bio and realizing we had many things in common, I gladly accepted. That opportunity led to a telephone call whereupon we shared our respective experiences with brand and enrollment management in higher education. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Rahul in person in New York, where we furthered our dialogue and philosophies about higher education in India and the United States. Today Rahul takes time out of his busy schedule to share with us his experience as a brand champion for the Indian School Business.

"Recently, Indian School of
Business (ISB), Hyderabad launched it executive MBA program at the price tag of US$ 53,800 or (INR 2.5m). This is arguably the most expensive educational program in India. To put in perspective, one
could buy five Hyundai Accent sedans for INR 2.5 million. Likewise, ISB’s flagship program—one year MBA—costs nearly $40,000. How could ISB command such a premium pricing?

"The case of ISB becomes even more fascinating when one considers the pace at which ISB gained global prominence. Foundation stone for ISB was laid in 1999. Ten years down the line, ISB ranks among the world’s top 15 business schools (Financial Times 2009). ISB has emerged as an inspiration for Indian higher education, especially in the private sector. Given that educational brand building process takes significant amount of time and resources, how was ISB able to achieve so much in a short span of time?

"The secret lies in its ability to create compelling brand positioning and well-aligned delivery mechanisms. Dean Ajit Rangnekar of ISB in an interview with Business India identified the biggest challenge for a new institution as the 'absolute clarity on how it [educational institution] intends to position itself in the market". He advised "a new institution to stake a new, real position (not an advertisement creation) that clearly distinguishes itself from others.'

"ISB clearly articulated its positioning to be a world-class institution and accordingly aligned all its strategies—products, pricing, people and processes. For example, ISB partnered with global B-schools like Kellogg, Wharton & London Business School and even flew visiting faculty from these schools to teach the courses. Likewise, ISB adopted the US admissions standards and required GMAT scores for admission to its MBA program.

"ISB’s positioning inspired stakeholders in engaging with the institution building process. The stakeholders included accomplished Indian faculty working in global B-schools and wealthy donors from industry. The stakeholder engagement would have failed if ISB had not remained committed to its positioning.

"It is easier to make one incremental innovation, however, radical innovation in a price conscious, regulation driven Indian education market is truly remarkable. ISB case proves that education brand building requires clear articulation of positioning so that institution can build a coherent and successful brand over time."

Rahul Choudaha, PhD

http://www.dreducation.com/

Rahul, thanks for sharing your insights and experiences from your work with the Indian Business School. It is obvious that you are a forward thinker and an asset to the global higher education community. I look forward to continuing our dialogue. Please stay in touch with us.

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

For more of our conversation, visit http://www.dreducation.com/

Brand Champion of the Day- Comcast

The headline in yesterday's business section of the Philadelphia Inquirer read, "A Merger Maximus." Not just because Comcast is based in this historical city, but because it purchase of controlling interest of NBC Universal Inc. has huge implications for most of us. As a Comcast customer and a brand consultant, this transaction certainly has my attention.

This move maybe the first and largest test of big business in the new economy. I think a lot of people are scratching their heads wondering how this will affect them and why this happening. It is interesting for me to learn more about Comcast. This situation is also a good example of assessing whether a house of brand or a brand house is a better approach.

I must admit that until yesterday, I was not aware that Comcast now has the following sub-brands under their umbrella, The Golf Channel, Versus, Sprout, Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers. Will the move to take controlling interest in NBC Universal Inc. enhance or dilute the Comcast brand? How can an organization this large be effective developing an internal branding program? How can an organization this large align its internal culture with its external reputation? How can an organization this large recruit and retain brand champions?

In defense of this organization they were one of the first complex organizations to embrace social media and have been effective in updating their twitter followers on the company. Time will tell if recognizing Comcast as the Brand Champion of the Day or will I need to go back and change the title to Brand Titan of the Day. I hope not!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

Brand Champion of the Day- Stephanie Johnson, Special Sections Editor, Tri-State Neighbor

Two weeks ago I read a wonderfully written story in the October 23, 2009 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Entitled, The Cursed Class of 2009, the piece captures the challenges faced by college seniors who graduated last spring. The majority have not yet found jobs and those who have landed positions, have in many cases had to settle for salaries significant less than previous graduating classes.

After reading the compelling story about the class of 2009 and the author's own experiences, I thought it would be appropriate to reach out to her and ask her to share some additional views about what she thinks it means to be a brand champion during these challenging times. Here is what Stephanie Johnson says about being a brand champion.

"Since I became a college graduate last May, the recession has taught me a number of things, most of them not so pleasant. But one lesson I'm glad I learned is this: sometimes the place you want to leave is exactly the place you need to be.
"I started a reporting job after graduation with a 30,000-circulation agricultural newspaper called Tri-State Neighbor in Sioux Falls, S.D. Though I grew up on a cattle ranch in West River, S.D., I had big dreams of writing hard-hitting news in Miami, Chicago or New York.
What I ended up doing ­ interviews at local dairies and stories about tractors ­ left me unsatisfied.
"Unsatisfied, that is, until a few months ago. I wrote about my job-hunting experience and had the wonderful opportunity to publish my essay in The Chronicle of Higher Education. I had an amazing response from readers, most of whom reminded me that life isn't hinged on one's job and that opportunities never cease to appear. Even though I want to take my writing to the highest level possible, I'm content these days promoting an industry that I love deeply: agriculture.
"This is where branding comes in. Agriculture as a whole needs to brand itself in a way that Americans, namely ³city-folk,² can understand. Now that people are two or three generations away from the farm, they've forgotten what agriculture means and how it works. Sometimes being a brand champion isn't about sending new messages, but reminding people about messages they already know.
"Take livestock production, for example. Treating animals humanely, whether it's on a family ranch or a large-scale feedlot, is a producer's number one priority. Treating them poorly neither makes economic sense nor satisfies a producer's moral responsibility as a caretaker (and most do feel moral duty in their hearts). Livestock producers need to remind people of our innate love and respect for our animals because, if the growing support for extremist animal rights groups is any evidence, people don't see us as we are.
"Agriculture has nothing to hide. We don't need some fancy message or a windy PR campaign to brand our daily work. All we need to do is emphasize the truths of our industry ­ and tell them over and over. I'm tired to hearing lies about how America's ethanol industry is causing deforestation in South America and how eating meat is equal to promoting animal slavery.
Can our industry improve itself? Of course. By working to brand people in agriculture as stewards of the land and its livestock animals, we can also better our practices to include more sustainable energy, less fossil fuels and additional protection of the environment.
"It feels awesome to help the farmers and ranchers in my state by delivering the ag message every day. And if I can inspire others to promote this industry, then I know I've done my job as a brand champion."

Stephanie Johnson

Tri-State Neighbor

Stephanie, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to share with us your take on what it means to be a brand champion. You are a fantastic writer and someone who will go far in her career. I anticipate you are rapidly gaining champions for your brand. I know I am, and as a result, you are the Brand Champion of the Day!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

Brand Champion of the Day- YouTube

On Mondays and Fridays I feature people and organizations who understand what it means to be a brand champion. Those organizations who realize that a sustainable brand is based on mission and core values. Those people who are passionate about their brand and connect to the mission and core values of the organizations that they advocate. I can not think of a better example of the connection between brand and its champions than YouTube.

Like most emerging media and social networking sites, YouTube started out connecting people by mostly personal ways. Soon businesses realized there are opportunities to recruit and retain brand champions by utilizing videos shared and discovered on YouTube. Like other search sites including Google, Bing and Yahoo, YouTube is quickly becoming a go to place to gather information about people and companies.

I find myself using YouTube more and more to do research and share information with others. I also realize that it needs to be more a part of my brand strategy. I know some of you have seen this video, but I think it is a great example of how to use YouTube to share thoughts about brand and social media. How do you use YouTube as a strategic communications tool to recruit and retain champions for your brand?

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

Brand Champion of the Day- Alecia Huck, Maverick and Company

About a year ago I had the pleasure of meeting someone who I knew right away had a clear understanding of who she was and what she stood for, and how to align her personal brand attributes with those of her organization, Maverick and Company. Since then I have grown to envy her ability to recruit and retain brand champions. Today she takes time out of her busy schedule to share with us what she thinks it means to be a brand champion. Alecia Huck, you are the Brand Champion of the Day!

"Many people associate the word MAVERICK with innovative thinking, a willingness to take risks, and the cool factor often attached to people and ideas 'outside the system.' For us, MAVERICK is about all of those things.

"Alternately, less commonly and more true for us, is the idea that a real MAVERICK must also be willing to do the most revolutionary thing of all, play by the rules. At the heart of our brand is a deliberate tension between the renegade and the conservative. We believe that being willing to do ANYTHING gives you the extraordinary opportunity to do the SMARTEST thing—which is sometimes the flashy, risky, seems-crazy approach and sometimes is a the most simple, boring traditional one.

"Our name is a bold name. Red, a core part of our visual identity is a bold color. We contrast this with a very conservative design and a clean combining of the red with white and black. The contrast is again, intentional. We want to excite our clients but not scare them. They need to know that we can come up with wild ideas when wild ideas are needed but we are not wild for wild’s sake. We are precise with our creativity, conservative with our boldness, and unafraid of both the unusual and the mundane.

"In my mind, your brand is there to both point the way toward you AND to guard the gates. It should help the RIGHT people weed themselves into your fan club or client base. Equally, if not more important, it should help the WRONG people weed themselves out. Done well, your brand does both simultaneously. Essentially, encountering your brand should be like getting a small taste of your company. Your brand should allow people to experience the flavor of the work that you do.
It must be consistent with and reflect clearly the qualities and ideas that help your clients know that YOU are the one they’ve been looking for. It should make them feel at home. It should create a sense that they have found a kindred spirit, that they are understood, that they fit.

"We are MAVERICK. We are the renegade AND the conservative with a fair amount of sass thrown in for fun. Our job is to be both a spokesperson and a guardian for the ideas and values we represent, to win well and win often, and have a damn good time doing it. I think you can judge the success of your brand by the quality of your clients. If the wrong people are showing up, your brand is broken.
Looking around, we think our efforts have been very successful.

"Read more about how the word MAVERICK came to be part of our lexicon and why we chose it as our name . We are currently redoing our entire website, you can view the original for a limited time.

Alecia Huck

"I'm Kind of a Big Deal"

Alecia, thanks so much for sharing some thoughts with us. It is my pleasure to recognize you as the Brand Champion of the Day!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

Brand Champion of the Day- American Marketing Association

On Mondays and Fridays I feature someone or some organization who understands what it means to be a brand champion. Today I want to highlight the American Marketing Association. Yesterday through tomorrow I am in Boston at the 2009 Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education, a program of the American Marketing Association. This is the fourth time I have presented at this conference. During the past several years the conference has raised the level of importance of branding and this year the conference has a track devoted to this important need for all marketers. As education branding becomes more and more a part of the higher education landscape, brand needs to be at the center of the marketers skill set.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of co-facilitating a session on internal branding. I want to thank those who attended. We had participants from the United States, Canada, Australia and Qatar. Communications and marketing leaders from public and private institutions engaged in a dialogue about the emerging trend of internal branding. From my experience the internal piece is often the last component of the brand building process to be embraced. Why? Because it is the hardest part. I applaud those forward-thinking institutions who sent their staff and supported their participation in our session.

I applaud the American Marketing Association for continuing to validate the need for marketers to understand the value of brand. I also want to commend my Colorado State Chapter of AMA for similar thinking. As VP for Brand Management, I look forward to sharing my experience in Boston at our next board meeting. For their efforts the American Marketing Association is increasingly recruiting and retaining brand champions, and is the Brand Champion of the Day!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog