Are you afraid of clowns and balloons? My wife is deathly afraid of clowns. Probably a generational thing for those of us that grew up with Stephen King’s It. Balloons she can handle. However, in your business you need to be afraid of clowns and balloons.

First, let me give credit where it is due. The expression ‘clowns and balloons’ comes from a longtime client of ours who is a car dealer. He said that many dealers want more “clowns and balloons from the manufacturer.” This term is shorthand for having a sales event for the sake of having a sales event. More sizzle than steak.

Why should you be deathly afraid of clowns and balloons? Because it probably means that your message, your value, your unique selling position has eroded or evaporated entirely and you don’t have a leg left to stand on. So the best prospect for getting people to pay attention to your brand is to rely on clowns and balloons to do the work for you.

Of course we aren’t being literal and limiting this warning to just balloons and a grown man with a red rubber nose. Rather, clowns and balloons are all of those advertising stereotypes that make all of us cringe as they scream “come on down.” Starbusts, animals, gimmicks, and like-minded stunts.

If you find yourself renting a helium tank and looking up ‘clowns’ in the phone book — stop. Round up your team and head off-site with a wipeboard. It’s time to re-think your message. In that sense, maybe clowns and balloons aren’t so bad after all. Think of them as that cautionary, check-engine light for your brand.

Fridays are full of fun. So here is some fun advise for you and your brand — make ‘em laugh.  I’m not saying you should quit your job and focus on a second career at the Chortle Hut. Rather, where appropriate, look for subtle touchpoints where you can inject your brand with bits of witicism. The above banner was found in an email newsletter from the irreverent someecards — Hallmark’s twisted and evil doppelganger. If you haven’t seen them, these cards aren’t for the faint of heart but they live their ribald brand in every aspect of their business — even the simple social media buttons that we’re all adding to our sites. Why not have fun with those? When was the last time you had a bit of fun with your brand? In fact, we’re having a bit of fun right now. Happy Friday.

For over 40 years, Star Trek has ebbed and flowed with the times — from the glory days of Shatner and Nimoy to the Utopian Picard perfection and, most recently, through the dark wilderness of Scott Bakula. Though some incarnations have been more successful than others (the odd numbered movies), there has truly been a Trek for all seasons. With the latest J.J. Abrams-helmed reboot hitting theatres next Friday, it’s timely to examine a key business lesson to be learned from this interstellar brand.

Star Trek has had more lives than a cat … err, I mean — through the years the franchise’s success has multiplied like so many tribbles in spite of the fact that it has almost constantly operated under threat of cancellation or termination in some respect. This state is a good parallel to the crucible we often feel that business operates in. Through all these challenges, Star Trek’s secret weapon has been their fan base — Trekkies, or Trekkers for the politically correct.

From the early letter-writing campaigns that earned Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) its second and third seasons to the fan conventions that cropped up in the ’70s and ultimately led to the launch of the motion pictures and an overall rebirth of the franchise, fans have played a critical role in the survival of this brand. Trekkers are so critical to the success of the Star Trek brand that they are almost shareholders. And those responsible for the business side of the universe know this. That’s why fan groups are carefully cultivated and even marketed to. This rabid group of followers is the brand’s core customer base.

And here’s where we arrive at your business. What lessons can be gleaned from Star Trek’s fan boy federation that can be used to whip your customers into hungry fans of your business? Could you have a Star Trek convention-like get together for your raving fans? I bet you could. In fact I know two clients of ours that are doing as much within the next two weeks. As an agency, we do this among our core clients. Granted there are fewer pointy ears but it’s a great way to foster communication with this group of dedicated fans.

Remember those letter-writing campaigns that helped save the series multiple times? First of all, remember letter-writing campaigns in general?! In the era of Facebook and YouTube, letter-writing campaigns seem antiquated but it’s a testament to the commitment of these fans. Now that technology has made organizing groups as easy as matter transport, there’s no reason not to give your fans the tools they need to organize around your brand and to help tell your story.

Whether you think of it as developing raving fans or cult marketing, building your base is a powerful branding lesson in everything from science fiction to politics and even your small business. It’s that simple. Embrace your fans and your brand will live long and prosper.

Photo credit startrekmovie.com (Again, because they make it easy for their fans to share their story)

This year Guinness turns 250. It’s older than any of the automakers or the other big businesses that are in and out of the news today. It’s older than America. I know  technically speaking you can say that things like religion, countries, and personalities are all brands and several have been around since … well, the beginning. But you’ve got to hand it to Guinness. That is some staying power for a consumer good. What a beer. What a brand.

Guinness is really the classic archetype of a brand. It has a compelling story. It has a founder and is full of history that is as rich as the culture of Ireland. It has icons like the harp, toucan, and St. James Gate. But most of all it is a very  personal brand that intertwines itself with the lives of its consumers. We all remember where we were when we had our first Guinness (The Dublin Underground in Iowa City — when they pour it from the tap they stamp a clover in the head). We all have jokes (maybe too crude for the blog plus it’s hard to do an accent here) and memories about Guinness (my Uncle loved it).

Stories and sharing. These are what has helped make the Guinness brand great. Whether they were shared from one Irishman to another over a pint ages ago or college kids 250 years later commenting on the classic bar posters as they enjoy their first stout, sharing stories has been a critical component of the Guinness brand’s enduring strength.

And the sharing continues today. In fact, it’s at the forefront of their celebration. As I mulled over this post, I knew I had to include one of their classic ads. I hunted around the usual online image haunts looking for something to legally share. Know where I found this? On Guinness‘ site. They have a whole section dedicated to these classic ads (I love that their most popular media has been the poster; ads are for customers where as fans have posters). As part of this ad showcase  you can share the art via email, grab a link for posting, or download the images at a size of your choosing. You can also share bits of Guinness history from their interactive time line. Rather than being afraid, this centuries-old brand is taking the thoroughly modern approach of facilitating the online sharing of their content because they know that sharing stories builds strong brands.

Nothing like it indeed.

P.S. Check out that timeline of theirs. Talk about economic downturn … this brand has been through a few and is still kicking.

About a month ago we talked about the benefits of marketing nostalgia but there are also specific times not to market nostalgia. These soda bottles can be found right now on the shelves of your neighborhood grocery store. They are Pepsi and Mountain Dew ‘Throwback’ bottles featuring classic logos from the early days of each brand.  When I first saw them I was dumbstruck with brand confusion. The problem? Pepsi just introduced a sprawling  modern revamp of their entire identity system that has been making a few headlines to say the least. Now is not the best time to be throwing it back when they are struggling to throw it forward.

I say struggling because you have the new logo on bottles, cans, boxes, displays, etc. on most shelves and now you also have an odd end-cap featuring these throwback logos. Note how I said ‘most shelves.’ That’s because I have a hunch that if I walk into my local store I can still find a Pepsi logo of the previous generation (on the less popular Wild Cherry Pepsi or an outdated display, perhaps). So add all of this up and there is a chance that a consumer could end up seeing three different versions of the same Pepsi logo in stores right now (1. New logo, 2. Logo immediately previous to the update,  3. Throwback logo). The logo immediately previous to the update can’t be helped as they are still very early in a large-scale branding transition. The impression they could have prevented was introducing this Throwback series.

This minor strategic blunder should help bolster all our collective branding confidence. As marketers, we often find ourselves looking to the big dogs (Pepsi, Apple, Starbucks) for inspiration but even they get it wrong sometimes — as evidenced by a campaign that needs to be thrown back for another year or so when there’s less confusion on store shelves and in consumers’ minds.