Posts Tagged ‘Brand’

Joe Paterno: The Tragic & Swift Death of an Iconic Human Brand

I started to learn about brand early on in my career by working in a retail design agency. One of the mantras of that company has always stuck with me over the years. “It can take years for you to build a brand, and only an instant to destroy it.” Sounds pretty serious, huh. The truth is … the statement wasn’t simply a brochure scare tactic designed to make clients and prospects think. It’s absolutely true. Lasting Impressions Are Hard to Come By Joe Paterno’s death is on the mind of millions today, saddened by the news late last night that the famous JoPa had passed away from complications with Cancer.  His career and legacy at Penn State is, and shall always remain legendary. Not many coaches (or leaders in general, for that matter) have worked across generations of players, even developing father and son player legacies. Aside from the emotions shared online today by hundreds of thousands of Penn State fans, marketers will remember this nearly Shakespearean tragedy as one of the most brutal unraveling of an iconic celebrity persona in the history of human brand. Consider the timeline of major achievements and events that made up the essence of Joe Paterno’s brand as teatherd to Penn State University and the Nittany Lion football program: 1950 — Joe Paterno and is named an assistant coach at Penn State University 1969 — Nearly 19 years later as head coach, Joe Paterno hires Jerry Sandusky to be Penn State’s defensive line coach. 1983 — Penn State claims it’s first national title defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. 1984 — Joe and Sue Paterno establish the Paterno Libraries Endowment with gifts totaling $120,000. 1986 — Sports Illustrated names Coach Joe Paterno its Sportsman of the Year following Penn State’s undefeated regular season. 1987 — Penn State defeats Bowling Green, staking claim [...]

Read This Post

On Cheapening Your Brand

The more traditional school of marketing thought is that price cutting cheapens your brand. Maybe so. Yet, at Bob Evans, we’ve instituted a value menu for the first time in company history, driven by the needs of our restaurant guests.  That decision was not come to lightly either, but it’s working. This year, retailers everywhere relied heavily on discounting to drive sales during the holidays. Not that that doesn’t happen every year, but it was BIG in the retail recovery of 2011. Karah Joy sent me this article earlier today on how the New York Times botched a discount program by sending a 50% discount offer ment for a small list of unsubscribed readers to 8.6 million list members. OUCH! That’s a steep price cut that they may have to honor, at least for those who make a big deal out of the mistake (no pun intended). The Question for You In the wake of the disastrous economy of the past few years, can you really still cheapen your brand through discounting your products and services?  Or, is this a mechanism of survival driven by lighter consumer pocket books? Do you believe that price cutting still cheapens your brand?   nateriggsI advise mid-sized & large organizations on how to adopt and use social media to market through organizational culture and better serve their clients. I’m also a blended family dad who enjoys music, photography and distance racing. When I’m not writing here, you can find me writing over at the Content Marketing Institute. Like what you’ve read so far? Then why not subscribe HERE?Website – Twitter – Facebook – More Posts

Read This Post
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. ...
  10. 29