| |
| |
|
Branding Information |
|
|
|
Branding Is Not Selling Out: ITS SELLING IN
Ever see an amazing band perform and wonder why you've never heard of them before? Ever see an astonishing artist on the street and wonder why isn't their work isn¹t in a gallery? Ever see an astounding independent film and wonder why people all over the world don't know about it? Me too! It breaks my heart to know that there are musicians, painters, sculptors, and filmmakers everywhere starving. Starving... for their art. Why is a branding expert like me, who mostly deals with entrepreneurs and small business owners, addressing musicians, artists, and filmmakers? It's simple. Artists are the ultimate entrepreneurs. Think about it. Some create products and look for a market; others look at a market and create products. Every entrepreneur starts the same way! It's the notion of business that often trips artists up. Creating any piece of music, art, or film, is like creating a product. I'm not suggesting that all products, art-based or otherwise, are equal. We all know a good product, or painting, or film or vacuum cleaner when we experience it. Its just with some artists, imaginary barriers get created. These illusive barriers can keep them from creating the very success they want. All creators have the same goals: to make a good product that is useful or meaningful, have it well liked by many people and to be paid portionally to the market they reach. Who doesn't want that? Making music, paintings, sculptures, photography or film should be addressed like any business with the same attention to the big picture, IF you want to make a great living from it. But something often holds artistic creators back from making a great living from their art. As usual fear is the culprit. Artists sometimes fear that if they develop the recognition and financial success that comes from branding from them 'selves', their peers will think that they've 'sold-out' if they 'make it'. Fellow starving artists might say that on the surface, but what they are really saying is that they are envious of the success that you have created. It's far easier to put down someone else's success than to make it them self. What's more important: what your peers think OR having your 'art' enjoyed by as many people as possible and having the financial freedom that comes along with it? Another fear that may prevent artists from taking their craft mainstream is that they think that they will lose control of it by becoming a business and, heaven forbid, a BIG business at that. Just like the art you make, what your business becomes is in your control. If you develop your brand based on your vision of it from the start, you protect it from becoming something else. Business is not bad - people that run them can make bad decisions. The power of your business is always in your hands. The largest fear for some artists is that the very nature of getting paid, and paid well, for their art will change it. This will then set in motion the loss of creative connection with the 'art' itself. I would argue that those that get lost were not very centered on their purpose and passion in the first place. It's odd to think that financial freedom, the freedom to do whatever you want, could cause one to lose their way. In one of our workshops, we were fortunate to have a successful artist who was ready to take his brand to the next level. When I asked him what does he do, he answered, 'Whatever I want.' Who doesn't want that?! With the money you get from branding your craft, you can set up systems so that it doesn't interfere with your focus; donate to causes, invest in real estate, create other products/partnerships. You can even hire the people to manage it all. Leaving you free to... create. The bottom line is simple, everyone has control over what they do and what they manifest, it's just that most people haven't been shown how. Commitment to your 'art' does not preclude your ability to make money from it. In fact, the more financial freedom you create for yourself, the more art you can create. A branding mindset is taking that control into your own hands and owning the future. And it must truly start from the inside - from your innate talent and your grand vision for your art. Branding your art comes down to your commitment to yourself and to the art itself. Branding is not only slogans and TV ads; it's the power to be who you are and communicating it to everyone proudly. The definition of artist: 1. somebody who creates art 2. somebody who does something with great skill and creativity 3. somebody who is very good at doing something Nowhere does it say you have to starve to make good art or good products. Remember that the next time a musician, or painter, or sculptor, or filmmaker you know breaks through to success. Ask yourself, what are you really committed to? Don't cheat the world of your gift. Developing a brand mindset with integrity from the inside out is guaranteed to reach more people. Period. If you do something that you really love, you're really good at it, and people pay you to keep doing it, then branding it is not selling out, it's selling in... to you! Written by Kim Castle, the Co-founder of BrandU? - the home of only step-by- step process for developing your business as a brand from the inside out! To get information on upcoming BrandU one-day workshops: http:// www.whybrandu.com/Public/events/workshop/index.cfm?semID=13 Get your Why You?!(sm) monthly ezine for easy-to-read tips and informative insights on branding. To subscribe: http://www.whybrandu.com/ "BrandU? - Big Business Success No Matter Your Size"
MORE RESOURCES:
Branding - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Hummer is an Excellent Brand What size is your Hummer? Hummers Come in All Sizes; Tiny, small, medium and large and of course the most popular of all; The Oh My God Size. They make matchbox size Hummers, Tonka Toy size and adult size. Brand Equity Building - Measuring Brand Value Measuring brand equity allows a company to establish a baseline and track changes in its brand equity over time. If a company consistently works to improve the strength of its brands, it must trace progress, or risk "flying blind. Brand Identity Guru - Is Your Brand Vital? The world is not waiting for you?or your product or service. Or your firm. Nike / Sears / Kmart The Sears-Kmart merger hopes to fabricate some sort of silver lining for both retailers but instead seems to embody the inevitable philosophy of "going down together." Kmart, an already sinking ship, certainly worsens conditions for Sears, and Sears does not have a strong enough current to keep Kmart afloat when there are enterprises like Wal*Mart and Target constantly blasting holes in the stern with brand messages of "smart and classy. How To Create A Brand That Sticks Most people, when they hear the word branding, think logos - but in fact, branding is really much more than that. A brand involves blending the image, purpose, and focus of your business, with your core marketing message, and coming up with something which will stick in the minds of people who encounter it. Quality and Service - Yeah, Right! One of the critical drivers of business success is having a unique competitive advantage. Most managers understand that to attract a larger share of the market, or find enough customers prepared to pay a premium price, they must provide something of greater value than their competition. Jan Verhoeff: Brand Your Market Marketing potential of any product is based on recognition and quality. Name based recognition happens with a variety of products. Brand Image - Brand Identity - Brand Strategy - Brand Identity Guru Consumers perceive and accept many brands within a certain trade group in different ways. By personifying a brand (How would you describe brand X if it were a person?) we can find out, that for instance consumers perceive brand A as a young, impulsive, lively, attractive, energetic woman full of ideas. What the Heck is Branding and Why Should I Care? There's been a lot of buzz lately about branding. But what exactly is it, and who needs to do it? Simply put, a brand is what makes your business uniquely YOU! It's the way you present your business and how the world perceives it. Franchising is Virtually Fraud Free The number of complaints to the Federal Trade Commission on Franchising do not indicate ramped fraud in the franchising sector. The FTC before Congress gave a report showing that the number of complaints was fewer than one tenth of one percent, lower than any other industry. Are You Brand Worthy? Are You Brand Worthy? Branding is a one hot topic, although it is wildly misunderstood. To make things even more confusing, branding is often tossed in the same basket as marketing which makes its application to an entrepreneur or sole-practioner even more unclear. The Very Basics of Design Design is a very subjective thing, therefore, if you ask me how to come up with a first class design for your marketing collateral or publishing mediums, it would be very unfair for me or anyone else to tell you what is a good design and what is a bad design. But there are certain elements and principles that we should look for in a design to determine whether the design and layout of the material will be able to carry the message across effectively to the readers and your potential market. Corporate Branding and Professional Logo Design Any business with the minimum interest to be successful should concentrate on developing their corporate image and when I say "any business", I mean it, absolutely any business-even if it's a mom-n-pop shop. "Corporate image" might be a big word for such small ventures, however, what I meant by that is how the business wants themselves to be perceived by their customers. Brand Strategy - Brand Identity Guru If you could have the secret recipe and all the manufacturing facilities of Coca Cola but not the Coca Cola brand-or have its famous brand but no facilities-which would you choose? It's not a trick question. But it demonstrates the power of the brand. Brand Building For Profit: The Colour Behind the Brand and Why I Wear Red Ties! Colour is essential to building a strong brand.Many of you know my passion for wearing red ties. Play it Again Sam The marketing director for one of my longtime clients used to complain "does it have to be purple again?" What she and many others don't realize is that the color you are seeing in your sleep, your prospects might just be beginning to recognize, and if done well, associate with you.Consistency cannot be stressed enough in brand development: whether it is a color or a font, where you place your logo, the schedule for newsletters and promotions, or the way the receptionist answers the phone. Brilliant Branding Builds Business Branding is more than product recognition or a simple logo. It is the overall intellectual and emotional impression people have when they think of your company and its product. Positioning and Branding - Brand Identity Guru Where is your brand positioned in the marketplace? How is it perceived, both positively and negatively? Can you identify your brand's core strength's and equities? What are the barriers or threats standing in the way? A brand strategy company will provide you with an objective assessment of your brand.They can deliver specific solutions that will allow you to reach your strategic business goals and objectives, and clearly differentiate your brand and identity in the marketplace. Great Brands Depend On Attention To The Brand Architecture Do you have the architecture in place to make sure each and every brand contact sends the right message?Thinking in terms of architecture, a building that looks great and catches your attention is probably designed so that each component looks perfect and enhances the overall effect of the building.In the audiobook, "Sound Advice on Brand Marketing," author Tom Miller says, "Great architecture works because of attention to detail, and great brands depend on the same level of attention. Articles: The Perfect Branding Tool If you own a web-based business, you're probably aware of the need for things like link exchanges, lead-purchasing, SEO copy, banner ads and all of the "traditional" ways to get exposure on the World Wide Web.But did you know that article marketing is by far the best way to build your brand while at the same time increasing your exposure?Web articles.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
