Ah, to feel the freedom of the grass between your toes and a refreshing breeze in your hair in the metaphoric sense of what it must be like to produce an ad for Playboy magazine.

None of that “You can’t show nipples.” or “That pun is insulting.” As is demonstrated in a scanned page after the jump. SFW (but probably not safe for intellectualism.)

Continue reading WE read it for the advertising.

When working with branding clients in the past, we have used an exercise that forces them to distill their brand down to one word. It’s tough.

We found this “game” this morning. Built on the premise that “a brand exists entirely in people’s heads. Therefore, whatever it is they say a brand is, is what it is.”

Intriguing if you are interested in brands like we are. Look at the logo that appears and type in the first word that pops into your head.

Give Brandtags a try, then see if you can name your brand in one word.

By Karen Post, Branding Diva ®

The trip to Memphis was great fun. Rich with history and vibes of music legends filled the streets. The Peabody Hotel exceeded my expectations of a grand old 5 star destination complete with a daily royal duck march at 11AM. Throughout the property and the experience these precious little quackers tastefully appeared as a symbol of the brand ID, embroidered on the linens, carved in fragrant soaps and stretched in glass. All understated, but a nice touch to reinforce the charming story.

Is there some symbol in your business that can help your brand take off? Some iconic element that can stand alone without text, and serve as a surrogate messenger for your brand? Target and Nike do this well. If it’s your brand or any that you believe is a power mark all by itself, send it in (info[at]oddpodz[dot]com), or post it in the comments section, let’s build a list of our favorites.

Healthcare conference wrap up.

Based on the discussions with these healthcare leaders from around the US, the industry is going taking a brisk shift toward a much more consumer driven and controlled information environment. Which if you consider all the data on us and the data and research on what ails us is out there and needed, I think this is a positive move.

3 big changes you’ll be seeing in healthcare branding and communication.

Continue reading Branding with Birds

By Karen Post, Branding Diva®

It’s no understatement to say women rule. They make up over 85% of the driving force behind the largest consumer purchases. Yep, they are a $5 trillion dollar buying machine. So what’s the best way to connect these powerful femmes?

Like I reported earlier, I’m in Memphis addressing a group of healthcare executives and here’s what I told them. Women process information significantly differently than men. Make sure you are speaking their language and that you are relevant to their worlds.

9 ways to connect your brand to women buyers.

Continue reading Reaching the single largest economy - women buyers

By Karen Post, Branding Diva®

I’m one of the luckiest people around. I get paid to create, talk and help people grow their businesses. Except this morning when my clock went off at 4 AM, I wasn’t feeling so fortunate or, for that matter, creative.

I have a speaking gig in Memphis, TN on Wednesday. The event hosted by a very cool company called MEDSEEK. They are another American success story. Founded by entrepreneur Gale Wilson-Steele in 1996, the company’s model is based on the concept that the Internet puts computers to work doing what they do best: storing, sorting and delivering information; and it can be used to answer the universal need of all people to confidently obtain competent medical care. MEDSEEK initially offered an Internet directory of physicians and webpage publishing services as a dot.com replacement for yellow pages advertisements. Today MEDSEEK specializes in online healthcare solutions that empower patients, physicians, employees and consumers to securely exchange knowledge, interact with healthcare organizations and access medical records online.

Continue reading Creative Warrior goes to Memphis

It’s always the small losers that people forget about when they do something silly like, you know, demand freedom from repression for the largest population on earth.

If China’s government stops being a repressive authoritative regime, how are (mostly) crappy indie movies like this going to find their fawning, self-effected Yupster audiences?

I stole this little board holder from a Blockbuster. They owed me though for having convinced me to rent Juno. 

But in the age of banner and ad blindness, might the Anti-Advertising Agency’s approach backfire and actually draw more attention to an ad?

by Jocelyn

I was among the millions who watched Big Brown gallop to victory in the Kentucky Derby this weekend. My celebratory mood was quickly changed to shock, horror and sadness as I learned that second place finisher, Eight Belles, had suffered a life ending injury (sidebar: my heart really sank because as an almost-lifelong equestrian and horse owner, I have experienced first hand the tragic loss of a horse due to a freak accident. My heart goes out to all who were associated with Eight Belles).

If you’ve never had the opportunity to be face to face with these magnificent animals, it is hard for me to describe what it is like to be in their presence. Whether you are a horse lover or not, they are awe inspiring, frighteningly powerful and strong. And, sadly, incredibly fragile.

The tragedy that occurred on the track at Churchill Downs has resurrected the debate as to whether horse racing is inherently cruel, driven by greed or whether more safety measures can be adopted to avoid future tragedies. There are some highly charged emotions surrounding this issue. The industry is indeed facing a PR crisis, and will have some tough questions to answer.

In your own worklife, you may unfortunately find yourself facing a PR crisis. Our own Karen Post has some guidelines for how to manage through. She writes:

Bad publicity can devastate a company’s or industry’s public image. The entity should make every effort to handle potentially negative public relations situations with extreme care. When a crisis occurs, the media can be the first on the scene. There are four basic rules to remember:

1) Be accessible.
2) Be accurate.
3) Take responsibility for what you are accountable for—nothing more.
4) Inform personnel about what is going on and remind them of who is authorized to speak on behalf of the company and what their responsibilities are. Continue reading Managing through a crisis

Magnifying glass on the decline of civilization site Perezhilton isn’t known for its subtle approach to the finer subtleties of the written word; indeed, “Sperminated!” may someday come to replace “in a motherly way.”

But, one thing we have noticed and on which we begrudgingly compliment Mr. Hilton is his impressively appropriate use of “you’re” and “your” (see example below); impressive because it is one of the most infuriatingly common mistakes around.

After the jump, a small collection of disasters that you’re organization would be wise not to make. Continue reading Smart Tip: Catostophe: Your Doin’ It Wrong!