Brand Positioning

“Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes, that’s an ad.” Howard Gossage said that. He was an ad man in the 1960s. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo Da Vinci said that. He was a genius from the Italian Renaissance. “’Less’ is my motto. Why? Because ‘Less is more’ is too damn long.” […]

We, the people, are darn near impossible to explain. Branding can be baffling, too. The emotional tail wags the rational dog. As much as psychologists, research firms and advertising/branding agencies claim to know what makes consumers tick and why we all buy what we buy, they’re kidding themselves. When it comes to this line of business, […]

When it comes to branding, Elon Musk is a true master. His companies make vehicles, some terrestrial and some extraterrestrial. Musk isn’t shy about pulling audacious stunts in order to give his brands exposure. One of his masterstrokes of branding was when his two vehicle brands intersected in, of all places, outerspace. The SpaceX Heavy Falcon launch […]

I have a love/hate relationship with taglines. I hate bad taglines, the ones that are obvious, mediocre or are an indisputable waste of words, like “Our name says it all” or “Your satisfaction is our top priority.” (Is there any business worth their salt that wouldn’t want to satisfy their customers?) I also hate the […]

1. They’re good listeners. Who wants to listen to someone else talk about how great they are, how great their accomplishments have been, how amazingly talented their kids are? Those are the types of conversations – the “one-way” kind – I try to escape, and fast. Conversely, people who take a genuine interest in others, […]

Attracting decent talent has never been harder. For many automotive OEM suppliers, a new image is called for. A change from grimy, outdated factories with antiquated machinery and repetitive line jobs to clean, dynamic and rewarding. Some companies are changing their images accordingly. In a national television campaign, General Electric featured a Millennial named Owen […]

If your brand hasn’t had a refresh in a decade or more, you might want to take a closer look at the companies you’re supplying. Over the last several years, OEMs have been making huge technological strides forward. Today’s cars, trucks and SUVs are as much engineering marvels as they are gems of mass manufacturing. […]

Studies show that brand consistency across many channels is a significant factor in consumer spending. Hear, hear and heck, yeah. I’ll say it again: Brands which are consistent in their look and message get a bigger share of an average consumer’s wallet than brands that aren’t. There are so many places the brand essence of […]

Some of the strongest brands in the world “own” a color. Coca Cola owns red. Apple owns white. Tiffany owns its own shade of robin’s egg blue. UPS owns brown. The Masters – yes, a golf tournament is a brand – owns green. What color does your automotive OEM supply company own? Color is a […]