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June 10, 2005
A corporate logo design should be highly instrumental in building your corporate identity and should successfully exude the company’s attitude. The viewers must have some idea about the disposition, character, or fundamental values of your company through your logo.Following certain basic ..
June 07, 2005
How do automotive detailing companies start? What makes them work and how do they grow? How do they choose which services they will offer? This is an interesting case study about a test market of a franchise company in the cleaning business and how they went about setting up Auto Detailing Shops. ..
June 06, 2005
As many people know Industry Trade Journals in America have gone through a tough time in recent years due to slowing of advertising dollars. In franchising there is no difference. They use to give away subscriptions to Successful Franchising on franchise web sites; unfortunately that magazine was ..
June 04, 2005
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 ..
June 04, 2005
On question I have been asked over and over again from prospective franchisees of our companies has been one in which I am very adamant about it; do we require prior experience? No, like many franchise companies we actually frown upon it and think it is such a detriment that we usually disqualify ..
June 01, 2005
Colour is essential to building a strong brand.Many of you know my passion for wearing red ties. I believe congruency with your personal and corporate brand is essential for professionals in the services-based industries, especially consultants, coaches, speakers and trainers.A Special Report by ..
May 31, 2005
The task of creating an indelible impact on the memory of your target market is arduous but can be made much easier with a well thought out logo. The word comes from the ancient Greek where it was used in philosophy and theology to mean “the divine reason implicit in the cosmos, ordering it and ..
May 30, 2005
The seventh in a continuing series of twice-yearly surveys by The American Affluence Research Center (AARC) reveals the brands considered to have the highest quality, regardless of price, by the wealthiest 10% of Americans, the 11 million households representing about half of all consumer income ..
May 29, 2005
Having been in the franchising business all my life and understanding how hard it is to build a brand, I have probably read every other popular book on the subject. Some are good and most are excellent, as each one helps give you ideas on setting the stage for your brand marketing objectives. ..
May 29, 2005
If you had a choice, which one would you choose, a good logo or a fabulous logo? Think about it for a second here, although I know the answer is crystal clear. Because many of us settle for a good logo created by a credible logo designer just because he or she is a credible logo designer who ..
May 28, 2005
The new branding awareness is about when you take ownership of a commodity, a special talent, concept or product. What is it that you stand for? What you stand for is an experience that your customers feel from you.Don’t be ShyWhen it becomes for you to take a stand, you cannot be shy about it, you .
May 26, 2005
One of the most important things in a business is a clean image. I started a small business when I was twelve years old and built it up in a very large small business and then franchised the business. I retired at age 40 after setting up franchises in 23 states and four countries. It is an ..
May 26, 2005
In the book, The Blond Knight of Germany, American authors Toliver and Constable detail the life of the greatest fighter pilot to ever fly, Germany's Erich Hartmann. During WWII, Hartmann recorded 352 confirmed in-flight victories. To put it into perspective, very few American fighter pilots ..
May 26, 2005
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 ..
May 25, 2005
In a world of co-branding, point of destination strategies and co-op marketing; all industries are evolving and diversifying to capture greater profits within a single brick and mortar location. The same strategies are used on the Internet only you can see it happen faster in real time on Internet ..
May 25, 2005
I submit to you that Brand Name Identity in the Oil Business is just a important today as it was when Mobil Oil and McDonalds were building their brands. Perhaps in the future it may even be more so. I have often seen others using our business name and sought either injunction or stern warning. As ..
May 25, 2005
There have always been trademark issues and lawsuits in the mobile auto service business. I know this because I own several such businesses. We first noticed a competitor in the Mobile Auto Detailing Business, which had a name "Mobile Auto Services" another "Mobile Oil Change" and still another ..
May 24, 2005
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. For most ..
May 24, 2005
A successfully positioned business sometimes doesn't win a new client. And that, my friend, is the point. Let me illustrate with an anecdote.Recently I was making a new business pitch to a Charlotte area professional services firm. The second meeting took place after I had provided a detailed ..
May 21, 2005
You can have first-rate products and services, but if you can't establish the need, communicate the benefits and differentiate yourself from the competition in ways that make people want to do business with you, you’ll forever be selling up hill.As Robert Krumroy, Identity Branding, Inc. says: ..
May 21, 2005
Your logo is the most important graphic element in which you will invest for your business. You should own the logo in many file formats. Having a library of logo files will enable you to send vendors the types of files they need (for example, other designers, printers, or other service ..
May 21, 2005
Visual elements are a major part of your business’s brand identity design. The keystone of that design is the logo, but in many cases, the logo isn’t enough to convey all of your brand attributes. A visual vocabulary is a way to reinforce and add to the messaging that is contained in your logo.A ..
May 21, 2005
Franchisors often have issues when they own a brand which has service vehicles; where franchisees wish to operate in non-franchise assigned territories. We had this as a re-occurring issue in our franchise system. We came up with this policy, which is also in our Confidential Operations Manuals. ..
May 19, 2005
Let me tell you a story about Pete and a pizza. After a long day of fighting uncooperative pipes and fixtures, Pete P. Lumber, of Pete's DuperRooter, was looking forward to a nice, hot, decidedly Atkins-disapproved pizza — the stuff of which dreams are made. The week before, Pete was doing a ..
May 13, 2005
Having a concise, clear image that you project to your clients and customers is important in today’s market. More and more people are leaving the job market and creating their own business, whether by choice or necessity, so the competition continues to expand. Therefore it is increasingly ..
May 13, 2005
In the world of marketing, branding issues are always an important part of any campaign. Companies work hard for their name to be recognized as a quality organization and a leader in their field. Companies will defend any action they see as a negative to their brand. They do not want unauthorized ..
May 12, 2005
Quite often small business owners will ask me to reveal the most powerful marketing strategy I have seen. I can say without hesitation that the most powerful marketing strategy has little to do with advertising, direct mail, web sites, referrals or blogs.No, before any of those things will really ..
May 12, 2005
While we recommend that you contract with the same designer or design team while creating your brand identity materials as possible, we know that this scenario is not always possible.Whenever you work with a designer other than the original who created your logo, stationery and marketing materials, .
May 12, 2005
There are three basic types of logos: text, symbol, and combination logos. The type of logo that will work best for your company depends on a number of considerations, such as the size of your company, the uniqueness of your name, and a variety of other factors.Text logoA text logo (also sometimes ..
May 12, 2005
Color is a highly personal experience – everyone has favorite colors, and other colors that they absolutely don’t like. So, how do you determine which colors that will work for your business identity, and that will send the right message to?We have developed several methods and approaches for ..
May 12, 2005
You’ve probably heard that people buy products and services from people they know, like and trust. And, as I have done, you’ve probably wondered how you can foster more of this “Know-Like-Trust” factor in your business relationships. Pictures are tied to our emotions in powerful ways, so ..
May 09, 2005
Branding is perhaps the most important facet of any business--beyond product, distribution, pricing, or location. A company's brand is its definition in the world, the name that identifies it to itself and the marketplace. A model may be beautiful, but without a name, she's just “that girl in .
May 08, 2005
Every company has a brand (how people think of them) whether they created it through design or accident. By creating your brand through design, you shape the way you wish your company to be viewed by customers and potential customers. This will remove some of the uncertainty concerning what others ..
May 08, 2005
Have you ever thought about branding your name? Does the idea sound too egotistical for you or does it make good business sense? Let's examine personal name branding and how it can help you achieve the recognition you need for your business and put you quickly on the path to success!Promptly upon ..
May 07, 2005
After more than a decade since the last attempt to update the 1970’s Franchise Rule The Federal Trade Commission is at it again. May I ask why we are looking at reviewing these rules for franchising, where no problems exist? Why we are looking to tighten up ambiguities, which over time have ..
May 07, 2005
Over regulation of our free markets is stifling our growth in America and killing the next superstar Entrepreneurs. Let’s discuss just how bad it really is. Let’s us discuss Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds and the Father of Franchising. In this philosophical discussion let us look at history for a ..
May 07, 2005
The Federal Trade Commission has an obligation to the general public, their stated consumer education mission and to the over regulated franchising industry and the small business operators running Biz Ops to separate the two business models by way of legal definition. Any failure to completely ..
May 07, 2005
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. Nearly all the ..
May 05, 2005
McDonald's buys its potatoes from corporate farmers in Idaho not the commodities market; therefore it limits its exposure to price gouging that might have occurred by using the commodity exchange to get those potatoes. Starbucks is doing the same thing, but instead of having partnerships and coffee .
May 03, 2005
Look at your company logo. Does it fade into the background against other images you use to promote your company? Has it become dated? Does it still fit with your company vision? Is your message connecting with the customers you want?Your visual identity is a vital tool in communicating the essence .
May 03, 2005
You wouldn’t skip letterhead when sending out a sales letter - Or would you?How many emails do you send each day? If you are anything like me, you probably send hundreds of emails for every one print letter. Most businesses use letterhead for their print correspondence but miss out on extending ..
May 02, 2005
Wondering if a trademark is important to you as a business owner? Let's start with the basics. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or logo that distinguishes and identifies the source of goods of one company or person from another. For example, the name Kraft is trademarked, as is Nike's ..
May 02, 2005
The quality of your logo can mean the difference between success or failure. It can be that simple!Trademarks and Logos make up the most international language in the world. An excellent logo can cross many barriers and provide your organization with a means of delivering to your customers an ..
April 30, 2005
Our experience as customers offers great instruction into the concept of branding. Come with me on a recent “experience” and you’ll see what I mean. Here’s the situation:I want to order an 800 number. On my AT&T bill is a customer services number. I call it. A voice mail gives four options. None of .
April 29, 2005
Ask any marketing executive and they will tell you that a company's name is golden. There are certain associations that people have with a name, one that invokes emotions -- good or bad. Let's examine three case studies of branding involving companies that have merged and where the buyer kept the ..
April 29, 2005
If you've been online long, you're sure to have seen many “gurus" give their ideas about branding. However, much of what you read simply isn't true. Over the years, many myths about branding have taken hold in the online world and spread like wildfire. The fact is: They are doing you more ..
April 27, 2005
We should all recognize the marketing efforts of John Deere especially as we have spoken before with regards to their TOYS. They have a complete line of nearly every tractor or agricultural attachment they make available in small, micro ..
April 27, 2005
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. Are you quite sure you know your hummer sizes. Marketers of the Hummer Brand want to be omni ..
April 21, 2005
From cigarettes to fashion accessories to food products to medicines, more than 50% of the global market are filled with counterfeited products. Do you realise that the Nike t-shirt that you are probably wearing right now may not even exist in the design portfolio of Nike Inc. It may have been ..
April 16, 2005
As more and more home pressure washers are sold at leading retailers such as Wal-Mart, Sears, Home Depot, Cosco, etc. We are seeing companies offer products in brand line extension to service this niche. Armor All is the newest company to offer it's brand name customer loyalty to sell these ..
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