I was so impressed with the presentation Marty Neumeier put together for The Brand Gap, that I decided to order his second book, Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands, which deals with the subject of differentiation. This book is a great manual and reference guide on how to discover, design and maintain your brand.

The book explains how to build a brand in 17 steps. Each step is a fundamental question (i.e. Who are you?, What is your vision?, etc.) you need to answer before moving to the next one.

The author gives you a detailed list of assignments that you need to complete in order to answer each of the 17 questions effectively. He also applies the process to a fictional wine bar concept, which makes his dissertation easier to follow.

ZAG is written in a format that Neumeier calls a “whiteboard overview”. What this means is that the book uses plenty of graphics, resembling a well crafted PowerPoint presentation, with the text substituting for the life speaker.

Neumeier is a branding genius, and he writes his books the same way he designs brands: with absolute clarity, focus, and nothing superfluous that may detract from the central message he wants to convey.

I read ZAG in just a couple of days. Once I started I couldn’t put it down. The book has so many valuable quotes and insights that it is a virtual highlighter magnet.  Apparently, the author was well aware of this and conveniently listed the most valuable passages of the book in the last few pages.

ZAG was definitely worth reading, and I’ll be keeping it close by for future reference.

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In my recent trip to Brazil I took a picture of this shirt, which I think vividly exemplifies a very important attribute of great brands: their ability to generate clear and consistent mental associations as soon as somebody hears their name. 

The words on this shirt are exactly what comes to mind when we hear “Brazil”.  This immediate connection is one of the reasons why Brazil is a strong brand.  Other countries, like Paraguay or Honduras, for example, are weak brands because most people are not able to easily associate any meaning to them.

My country, Peru, is beginning to position itself as a brand.  Whenever I tell people that I am from Peru, the most common reaction is: “Oh, Peruvian fooooood”, it’s the best!!!.”  Peru is slowly but surely becoming known for its fascinating cuisine.  Another strong association is Machu Picchu, and the iconic image that has been seen by millions of people all over the world. 

There are other associations that can be exploited, but they need a little marketing help.  For example: “surfing”.  Peru’s beaches are great for surfing, but that hasn’t yet been communicated as effectively as the country’s reputation for great food.  Another association that can probably work for Peru is “rain forest”.

For brand associations to be effective, they must work together to reinforce one single central theme.  In the case of Brazil, notice how words like “beach”, “soccer”, “samba” and “caipirinha” work nicely together to reinforce the central theme of “pleasurable relaxation”, or “relaxed pleasure” that usually comes to mind when one hears the word “Brazil”.

Companies, products and people are also brands, and they must work on developing strong mental associations in order to differentiate themselves and break through the clutter, which is the biggest obstacle to making it in today’s marketplace. 

What do you want people to think when they hear your name or the name of your product?  Identify a few (five or six) positive and memorable words that go well with you and what you want to project, and work hard to live up to them.  You will then be on your way to building a strong brand.

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Click here to download:

Chasing_the_Latin_Burger_and_T.zip (1722 KB)

Following the latest mobile restaurant trend fueled by social media sites like Twitter, Latin Burger and Taco's black and pink truck moves about Miami, stopping at pre-selected locations for a few hours at a time.  You can find out where the truck is by following @latinburger on Twitter. 

The menu is simple: a burger with spicy mayo, avocado sauce, caramelized onions and Oaxaca cheese, and a trio of tacos: chicken tomatillo, pulled pork and chicken with mole. 

My wife and I met the truck at 27 Ave and US1 today.  My burger was very good, although they forgot to put in the sauce and it could have used more caramelized onions.  My wife's tacos were excellent.  Don't expect fast service, though: the truck's kitchen is small and there is usually a large crowd (it took us 5 minutes to place our order and other 20' to get our food). Bring cash, since they don't take credit cards.

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Regular flip flops: $2
Havaianas: $20
The difference: the little Brazilian flag and, of course, the brand.

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Romero_Britto_store_at_MIA_tag.zip (1156 KB)

Brazilian artist and illustrator Romero Britto is an example of how artistic talent can be leveraged into many different business opportunities.  This is his signature store at Miami International Airport, where his designs can be seen applied to all kinds of merchandise.

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An insurance company found this creative way to draw attention to its advertising at Shenzhen international airport (China).  They have placed fish tanks on every airport gate, and placed their ad at the base supporting the tank (there must be around 50 of them, each with different kind of fish).

       

Click here to download:

Fish_tank_advertising_at_Shenz.zip (2291 KB)

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I saw these in Target yesterday: For Dummies pocket guides on the most varied topics, from Twitter to Wine to Personal Finance, etc. at just $1.  As I often say, if you spend $1 and learn something you didn't know, it's a dollar well spent.  I ended up buying a few of them.

   

Click here to download:

For_Dummies_books_1_pocket_edi.zip (100 KB)

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Tesla_the_worlds_fastest_elect.zip (636 KB)

Last week Tesla opened a showroom in South Florida where visitors can test-ride the new Roadster Sport, the now available world's fastest electric car.  The Roadster Sport, which vaguely resembles the Ferrari Modena, is capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, and can go for 240 miles on one full charge.  Tesla's website proudly claims that the vehicle is eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit, and that it is more efficient than the Toyota Prius (not that anybody capable of spending the $109K retail price on this beauty is at all concerned with saving money).

A four door Tesla Model S, which looks a lot like a Maserati Quattroporte, will go out on sale in 2012 and is slightly "slower" than the Roadster, going from 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds.  You can drive it for up to 300 miles with one full charge and it seats 7 people.  The retail price is set at $49.9K.

Photos: courtesy of Tesla Motors.

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Head over to your closest Whole Foods and you’ll probably find a Sigg reusable water bottle display like the one on top.  Each bottle sells for $19.99 or more.

Go to Walgreens and you'll find a very similar bottle at $3.99:

Why would somebody pay 400% more for essentially the same product?

Because of the power of brands…

You spend $19.99 on a Sigg not because you need a water bottle, but because you want to tell the world that you are hip, environmentally conscious and stylish.

People are willing to pay to belong to a tribe, and brands just make it easier.

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Gift cards are one of the most popular items during Christmas season.  They are convenient, easily portable and can be found everywhere.  However, this article on Consumer Reports from a couple of years ago, shows us that close to 30% of the people who receive one as a gift hasn't used it one year later.  What a waste!  If you receive a gift card don't forget to use it, or the money that was paid for it will end up in the gift card company's bank account.

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