2010 is looking like a big year and we have lots of new and exciting stuff on the horizon.
A new and improved Bikini business model with the focus on our four core strengths — Bikini digital, Bikini brand strategy, Bikini design and Bikini business consulting.
A range of new services and systems to be implemented in the first half of the year.
An all new, improved website due in the first quarter.
A number of exciting new clients. And some awesome new projects to get into production, ranging from web application development, digital branding to design and sustainability business development.
So keep an eye on Bikini in 2010. It’s going to be “The Year of the Bikini”.
To quote the executive summary, “Today’s brand marketing organizations are ill equipped to handle the world of “always on” marketing in the digital age. To remain relevant, marketing leaders will embrace Adaptive Brand Marketing — an approach encouraging rapid response to align consumer and brand needs and maximize return on brand equity. Core elements include: embracing an expanded role for consumer intelligence, focusing on strategic brand platforms, and empowering a federated organization. Over the next five years, Adaptive Brand Marketing will shift the discussion from the classic four P’s — now table stakes rather than differentiators — to permission, proximity, perception, and participation.”
Al Ries puts forward a great argument for the need to develop a strong core brand, as no matter what the impact of social media, it’s not going to fix a weak brand. Check out the Al Ries post on Brand Strategy Insider here before you go and get Twitface!
Why is customer experience such a hot topic? Because it’s important, complex, and broken. That’s why firms should head toward Experience-Based Differentiation (EBD), a blueprint for customer experience excellence.
The Customer Experience Journey is an excellent paper by Forrester analyst Bruce Temkin on the customer experience journey. It looks at customer-centric DNA propelling firms through five levels of maturity and lays out a multiyear journey through these levels of EBD maturity: 1) interested; 2) invested; 3) committed; 4) engaged; and 5) embedded.
Another interesting paper by Bruce Temkin entitled The 6 Laws of Customer Experience can be downloaded here for free. This paper is also well worth reading.
Or perhaps, just how not to be like everyone else.
Interesting article by Martin Lindstrom on Brand Strategy Insider looking at brand personality. You can check it out here Brand Personality Inspiration.
It contains pretty much all the core elements of brand development. Quite simple really!
We’ve been busy recently creating a totally new bread brand called Yum!. Basically we started with a blank sheet of paper and a product idea. We then developed the new brand concept, positioning, personality, names and packaging design. Yum! Super Healthy Bread. Tasty!
There has been a lot of talk this year about online retailer Zappos.com, especially since Amazon recently paid $US928 million for the company.
Zappos has developed a reputation for their extraordinary customer service and company culture. This post by CEO Tony Hsieh describes the Zappos approach, and should be of interest to pretty much anyone who’s involved with brand management or brand development, or in fact anyone involved in building and managing a business today.
Also check out Zappos’ core values as they give a great insight into the the whole Zappos culture, brand and business.
Zappos is also rather good at using storytelling to deliver their brand message through almost exclusively word of mouth marketing. Oh, and we’re definitely nicking “be humble” as a core value for Bikini too. Inspiring stuff!
To attract and retain great talent, companies need to develop their “employer brand,” Stefan Stern writes. The best candidates learn quickly to avoid companies with reputations of mistreating their workers, he argues, just as consumers learn not to frequent businesses with a history of poor service. “If, as an employer, you want to bring in the best new recruits you need to offer them something attractive — and not just in terms of the financial package.”
