Branding News

Why is Amazon a successful retailer? This is a question that many retail companies have pondered over. One answer, according to analysts at Elastic Path, is that the company more fully understands what the customer expects and how this can be delivered.

By understanding the emotional connection between a brand and the consumer, businesses can charge a premium for goods and services. The latest 'Brand Intimacy' report reveals which companies are succeeding most strongly with this approach.

Ferrari has completed an extra lap to be awarded the title of the world’s strongest brand, according to a new survey. Amazon remains the world’s most valuable brand, and there’s been a strong performance from Microsoft.

Saint John - Members of the marijuana industry will be in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada beginning Sunday evening for the inaugural opening of the World Cannabis Congress.

Any brand can tweet, post or even run a campaign around a social issue. However, what matters is if this bandwagoning is in line with their overall mission, according to brand specialist Paul Vivant.

There are lists for the most identifiable brands, even the most loved brands. But what about ‘brand intimacy’? This refers to the emotional bond between a person and a brand. New data suggests we’re closer to technology companies.

Today's business is an ever-changing world where spiraling complexity is a daily expectation - no longer a surprise. I sat down with branding whiz Kirill Storch, CEO of Electric Web Marketing, and this is what I discovered about the future of branding.

Portsmouth - After a weekend of strong petitioning by Portsmouth residents, the Portsmouth City Council is now reviewing the plans of painting the Spinnaker Tower.

In financial circles, asset managers and investment agencies ascribe to a particular tried-and-true investment strategy. Whether it be buy-and-hold, contrarian, top-down or bottom-up, most agencies gravitate towards one philosophy and become tied to it.

Atlanta - Brand association is a powerful tool in corporate marketing. If a brand can have their product positively associated in a consumer’s mind, they pretty much won that consumer over for life. In the world of positive brand association, Coca-Cola is king.

Former CEO of Nokia and current head of devices at Microsoft Stephen Elop has said in an interview that he doubts that Nokia-branded phones will be "sticking around much longer."

Shanghai - China is the land of opportunity from the viewpoint of major Western retailers like Old Navy. Its huge population and rising median income means there's major money to be made selling clothing to the emergent urban middle class.

Indianapolis - Some Indiana residents are outraged by the state's new slogan, claiming that it will send the wrong message and hurt marketing efforts.

As content marketing strategies continue to evolve and to demonstrate deeper sophistication, more strategists are incorporating video into their content calendars.

Pinterest has always been one of the few social networks which haven’t gone commercial. Now this appears to be changing as it takes on social media tips from its competitors and introduces sponsored pins, as a result.

The commercial side of the digital media industry is entering a considerable challenge to its intellectual sustainability, and the solution resides in the courage and will of middle management to train the next generation.

For the second year in a row, Canada has been named the number one most powerful country brand in the world by FutureBrand, a leading international brand and design consultancy.

New York - For years, many have made a distinction between business types (also sometimes known as 'the suits'), and 'the creatives', but that classification is becoming increasingly outdated as the line today between 'business' and 'creative' blurs.

Twylah is a San Francisco-based startup that offers optimized Twitter brand pages for celebrities and businesses. Today, I am pleased to feature Kelly Kim, one of the founders of the platform.

Toronto - The international fast-food giant McDonald's recently announced that it plans to invest $1 billion on a brand transformation for its franchises in Canada. The company is hoping to reinvigorate its image in the country.

Speaking at the Holmes Report's Think Tank Live summit in Prague last week, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman positioned the opportunities for public relations companies along 'complexity' lines versus the 'simplicity' produced in advertising agency circles.

New York - The popular product, AriZona Iced Tea has become an unlikely victim of the state's new immigration law. The people who came up with the brew say they're based in New York, not Arizona.

One of the most valuable advantages to maintaining a strong brand name is that from that strengthened name, a brand extension can be formulated.

The goal of marketing is brand loyalty, and how better to keep customer loyalty than emotion. Without successful branding, failure will incur.