I must confess. I’m a believer in Marriott Hotels. I recently discovered, I've stayed at Marriott properties over 100 times in the last 10 years. It’s not that I see other hotel brands as being inferior. I just find myself almost “automatically” making reservations at a Marriott when traveling. Why? Because, through experience, I believe the experience will be positive and I’ve not been disappointed.
 
Looking at it from a big-picture perspective, isn’t building belief the essence of what good B-to-B branding is all about? Without belief, there can be no trust, without trust there can be no loyalty. If a company, regardless of the products or services they offer, is not seen as having credibility, can any reasonable person be expected to believe that doing business with them is a wise decision?
 
Sure there are other elements that go into effective B-to-B branding like consistency of expression, positive touch point
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It's pretty easy to look at how competitive forces impact your business in a simplistic way. A SWOT analysis that many companies engage in while going through a planning process is helpful, but it lacks the dimension for real strategic value. A comprehensive competitive analysis needs to extend beyond merely looking at a company's direct rivals, although this is the best place to start. Other factors must be included to gain valuable insights for a sound competitive strategy.
 

• The exploration of new and emerging companies that could have an impact on your market or industry. If the barriers-to-entry are relatively low, it could have major implications on how you go to market, your product offering, product lifecycles and many other BIG decisions you need to make. 
  

• The strength of bargaining power that your customers have in the marketplace along with companies with whom you deal with that are essential to providing
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Even though our business is helping B-to-B companies grow through effective and smart communications, it does make sense for us to pay attention to what’s going on with some things in the consumer world.

In the November issue of Consumer Insight, an E-Newsletter put out by the audience research firm, Nielsen, there’s an interesting article titled How to Measure an Online Audience: Change is the Only Constant. It goes on to talk about where we are evolving in online audience measurement. One item really stood out in this lengthy piece. It relates to what they believe is the best engagement metric for Web 2.0 sites. Scott Ross, Director of Product Marketing for Nielsen Online’s NetView summed it up, “’Total Minutes’ is the best engagement metric in this initial stage of Web 2.0 development, not only because it ensures fair measurement of Web sites using RIA
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It’s not new, companies have been using sound as part of creating a brand experience since around 1950. NBC had the famous three chimes. United Airlines for years has integrated Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin in its branding efforts. According to a Business Week article, Fine Tuning a Brand’s Signature, companies are looking to add sound in new ways to enhance the brand experience. (see slide show) According to Derrick M. Kuzak, Ford Motor Co.'s global chief for product development, customers are incredibly attuned to the sounds of quality, but Ford hasn't been, and he believed it has cost them.
 
Think he’s crazy, think again. J.D.
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Roger Goodell just celebrated his first year as NFL Commissioner. He has faced some tough issues in his first year on the job. One thing is certain, Commissioner Goodell has demonstrated a pretty solid understanding about brand guardianship. He has faced the reality that illegal or irresponsible behavior – see Michael Vick, Adam “Pacman” Jones and others – can have an impact not only on the offender, but damages the reputation of the game and diminishes respect and support for the NFL brand, if not dealt with appropriately.
 
Using the commissioner’s language, “Protecting the Shield” has driven  his actions. (BTW - there is a new “shield” in the works.) I think Commissioner Goodell understands that brands need to
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There are many reputable companies that are both knowledgeable and ethical in marketing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies and services, but there are also a significant number of companies out there that will take advantage of buyers that are expecting honest value for their investment, but getting nothing in return. Case in point: after a major redesign, our client was extremely happy with the site, particularly with the enhanced administration capabilities which allowed them to keep the site content updated and fresh without incurring outside costs. And while it had improved significantly in search engine rankings, they still felt compelled to entertain a proposal from a well-known interactive company to optimize their site for search engines. I'll admit the proposal was impressive, lots of buzz words, IT lingo and statistics. The price tag was also impressive, about $30,000.
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Something interesting happened last week at Macworld Expo that reshaped the Apple brand. CEO Steve Jobs announced, "We're going to make some history here today." After introducing Apple TV - a product that's designed to easily bring digital entertainment to your TV and the new breakthrough iPhone, Jobs told the world the definition of Apple (and marketing strategy) was changing. The announcement: Apple is dropping "Computer" from it's name to become "Apple Inc".

It didn't get a lot of media play and didn't create a lot of buzz, but it is pretty BIG in my mind. It offers a clear signal that Apple is slowly moving away from computers, as we've come to know them, and in the direction of convergent devices. Wow, this changes almost everything. R&D, Products, Markets, Staffing, Distribution Channels...I'll stop. You get the idea. 

Yet, although the brand may be evolving, it's still Apple.
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Early in the book Kotler and Pfoertsch introduce their Guiding Principals concept: a path you must follow for brand success. The first decision - whether to brand or not to brand. The authors don't pull any punches in taking on this issue claiming "most B2B companies share a modest growth rate throughout their whole lifetime." Their indictment about why these companies do not achieve "acceleration"
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Perspective is a good thing. Many perspectives, even better….I think. One thing is for sure, there is no shortage of ways to measure brand equity.  Jonathan Knowles and Wolff Olins have aggregated a variety of branding methodologies/models to consider. Their short dissertation on “relevant differentiation” is, from my point of view, excellent.
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