Chip’s B2B Tip #26 - Internet Branding Rules
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B2B Tip #26 - The Down-Side of Kleenex, AT&T, and Microsoft
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What? How can there be a 'down-side' to these massive brands?
Wake up with a runny nose ... grab a Kleenex ... and at least for a moment things are good in the world again ...
Right?
Well - that 'depends' ...
If I say, "Fast hot pizza delivery in 30 minutes or less," - which company do you think of?
If I say, "Just do it," - which company do you think of?
OK - you get the point. (By the way, the answers were Domino's and Nike.)
The downside for Kleenex was that they did such an awesome job of branding themselves - and their name became such a household word - they lost some rights to their own brand.
Kleenex became such a well-known brand that when they were legally challenged - Kleenex was declared a 'generic name.'
AT&T had great branding and tecnological success, too. Then the government forced them to break their company into "Little Bells."
Microsoft has done such a great job - the government (and their competitors) are trying to force them to do the same thing.
What's the moral here?
Obviously, if you can create a brand that's worth billions, a brand that's so successful all your competitors and the government want to knock you off your pedestal - it's fair to say you've definitely accomplished 'something' ...
Many of us won't ever accomplish this, so how do the rules of Internet branding apply to us?
In their excellent book named "The 11 Immutable Rules of Internet Branding" - Al and Laura Ries tell us that some things will never change (this is a great book you should definitely buy.)
On the back cover, they also give the top 11 reasons you should ignore their book. As 'Mr. T' is fond of saying, "I pity the fool" who fits any of these categories...
Here are the 11 reasons you might think you wouldn't need to read it:
11. The Internet is nothing but the hula hoop of the 21st century.
10. The Internet is just another medium like television.
9. We're too busy moving our brand into all the new markets opened up by the Internet medium
8. Haste makes waste. Let's not jump into the Net too quickly.
7. The global market isn't worth bothering with when business is so good in the USA.
6. We can afford to lose money and make it up in advertising revenue.
5. Why rush, there's always room for a second brand.
4. The name doesn't matter. What counts is the setup of the site.
3. We're in luck. We managed to snag the category name.
2. We don't need any help. We just need to put our catalog on the web.
... And the Number One Reason ... (drum roll, please) ...
1. We have the best brand name in the business. Let's use it on our site.
This book gives you real, tangible information on how to build your company, product, service, or self into a hot and profitable brand on the Internet.
But a word of caution ... perhaps you might not want to be as sucessful as Kleenex, AT&T, or Microsoft.
© Chip Tarver
The B2B Relationship Pro
http://www.FirstContactSecrets.com
http://www.Free-Targeted-Traffic.com
http://www.smoky-mountain-gateway.com/ (brand new)
B2B Tip #26 - The Down-Side of Kleenex, AT&T, and Microsoft
.
What? How can there be a 'down-side' to these massive brands?
Wake up with a runny nose ... grab a Kleenex ... and at least for a moment things are good in the world again ...
Right?
Well - that 'depends' ...
If I say, "Fast hot pizza delivery in 30 minutes or less," - which company do you think of?
If I say, "Just do it," - which company do you think of?
OK - you get the point. (By the way, the answers were Domino's and Nike.)
The downside for Kleenex was that they did such an awesome job of branding themselves - and their name became such a household word - they lost some rights to their own brand.
Kleenex became such a well-known brand that when they were legally challenged - Kleenex was declared a 'generic name.'
AT&T had great branding and tecnological success, too. Then the government forced them to break their company into "Little Bells."
Microsoft has done such a great job - the government (and their competitors) are trying to force them to do the same thing.
What's the moral here?
Obviously, if you can create a brand that's worth billions, a brand that's so successful all your competitors and the government want to knock you off your pedestal - it's fair to say you've definitely accomplished 'something' ...
Many of us won't ever accomplish this, so how do the rules of Internet branding apply to us?
In their excellent book named "The 11 Immutable Rules of Internet Branding" - Al and Laura Ries tell us that some things will never change (this is a great book you should definitely buy.)
On the back cover, they also give the top 11 reasons you should ignore their book. As 'Mr. T' is fond of saying, "I pity the fool" who fits any of these categories...
Here are the 11 reasons you might think you wouldn't need to read it:
11. The Internet is nothing but the hula hoop of the 21st century.
10. The Internet is just another medium like television.
9. We're too busy moving our brand into all the new markets opened up by the Internet medium
8. Haste makes waste. Let's not jump into the Net too quickly.
7. The global market isn't worth bothering with when business is so good in the USA.
6. We can afford to lose money and make it up in advertising revenue.
5. Why rush, there's always room for a second brand.
4. The name doesn't matter. What counts is the setup of the site.
3. We're in luck. We managed to snag the category name.
2. We don't need any help. We just need to put our catalog on the web.
... And the Number One Reason ... (drum roll, please) ...
1. We have the best brand name in the business. Let's use it on our site.
This book gives you real, tangible information on how to build your company, product, service, or self into a hot and profitable brand on the Internet.
But a word of caution ... perhaps you might not want to be as sucessful as Kleenex, AT&T, or Microsoft.
© Chip Tarver
The B2B Relationship Pro
http://www.FirstContactSecrets.com
http://www.Free-Targeted-Traffic.com
http://www.smoky-mountain-gateway.com/ (brand new)
posted by Chip Tarver at 1/22/2005 05:07:00 AM
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