Data Matrix Solutions, Inc. (DMS) is a professional services firm offering business, financial, scientific, and engineering solutions to a variety of governmental agencies. As part of a larger re-branding contract agreement with Riddle Brothers Web Design and Development, LLC, I was tasked with the redesign of their current logo. (more…)

Emotional Branding (by Daryl Travis) is a book that as you are reading it you are constantly thinking of how you can apply the information to your business. The best part is there are so many great points made in the book that you have to go back and read it again just to remind yourself of the great suggestions. Read the full review.

Overview
I have read a few marketing and advertising books that completely miss the point of customer relationships. They push the ancient 7-step sales where you keep your foot in the door until you have the customer’s money. Sure it works sometimes, but if you want a long-lasting relationship I believe it is worth your time to look for loyal clients rather than single-transaction customers. Emotional Branding takes a more psychological approach of not so much what a company brand is, but how it feels while emphasizing customer relationships. When you see a brand such as Coca-Cola or Nike, what emotions do these brands invoke consciously or sub-consciously your mind? For Coca-Cola it may be trust and a thought of a good old classic. For Nike it may be confidence and power - that you can achieve your goals with the help of their products. This remains the main focus of the chapters which go into great detail as to why a brand matters, how it affects the consumer, building a brand, and how to manage your brand through the inevitable crisis or failed product.

Readability
I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan though I enjoy the movies, but if you took out the crazy names of people, spells and locations this book would be in the same reading level: extremely easy. Either Daryl Travis is a great writer or he has some amazing editors. Nothing is too complicated throughout the book, and they have done a great job at emphasizing important quotes and facts in the callout boxes in each section. I typically read pretty quickly by scanning lines and the straightforward language of Emotional Branding made every keyword obvious so you didn’t have to grab your dictionary or make a contextual guess on each line. It is definitely a book written with a right-brained feel targeting creativity and emotion rather than statistics and facts, although there are many relevant comparative analyses made to portray the effects of proper branding.

Who Should Read It?
If you own your own business, are in the advertising industry, work with a brand, or just think your employer’s brand needs some work then this is right up your alley. Anyone that is working directly with a brand, or is going to be starting their own business should not hesitate to consider making the purchase. It will really get your creative mind jump started into the right flow of developing or revising your brand.

Conclusion
The best part of Emotional Branding is it covers a wide spectrum of topics that are helpful no matter what industry you are in or what product you sell. Everyone sells a product or service, and thus it is necessary to build long-lasting relationships with customers that will become loyal to your company. The stronger emotional effect you can have on a customer the greater the chances they will be looking for your name in the stores, on the Web, or whenever they are talking about the industry with their friends. This is a keeper for your bookshelf.

cI had a meeting the other day with a public relations professional where we discussed the importance of branding your company. The way branding is applied has changed over the past decade. Previously, it was applying the same look to all of your company’s products (slap a logo on it…it’s branded!). However today, it is not the look of your company you need to sell…but the experience.

Grandé White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino To Go!

Think of Starbucks…a well-branded company. They sell an experience. You enter the store to the aroma of delicious coffees and cappuccinos. You speak the “Starbucks” lingo to order your beverage. Then relaxing in the comfortable setting of the lounge area, you sip on your grande caramel macchiato, while connecting to the Starbucks wireless internet connection to check your morning e-mail. That my friends…is an experience!

The scenario above is one everyone can picture in their mind when I say the word “Starbucks”.  So how do we brand ourselves at Riddle Brothers?

The Riddle Brothers Brand 

We work hard - When we are contracted to do a Web site or design/development job, we get started right away and work to finish it.

We keep you informed - After receiving a payment deposit, we do not dissapear off the face of the earth, with the client needing to poke and prod to receive updates on their project’s status. We communicate to the client each and every time progress is made with their job.

We educate - It is our job to know how the Web operates, what makes a Web site accessible and how to make it more visible to the world. Tell us what you want, and we’ll work with you to put your company’s information and brand online…telling you exactly what we are doing along the way.

Work Hard. Inform. Educate. Three characteristics I know that I would require of a company I am paying any amount of money.  We are proud to embrace our brand, and apply it to all of our work…from the smallest brochure design to the largest e-commerce Web site.