When all other airlines were laying off employees and raising fees, Southwest did the the exact opposite. They had come across a formula that went against the grain in the airline world. The result was success. In the  2011 North America Airline Satisfaction Study J.D. Power rated them “among the best” (highest rating) in 5 different categories. In the Glassdoor.com 2011 Best Places To Work – Employees’ Choice award Southwest ranked #2. According to their [...]

“Hand me that Kleenex”. “I’m going to Xerox these forms”. “Google that information for me”. These are brands that have become a part of our everyday language. Sometimes the popularity of a brand becomes so large that its name is used synonymously with an action or thing, even when that particular product brand is not actually being used. They even have a name for this. It’s called a genericized trademark. A genericized trademark (also known [...]

While McDonald’s gets all the attention in the fast food world, if you want to talk about a consistent brand you have to mention Chick-fil-a. Chick-fil-a is a privately-held, Christian-owned company that closes every Sunday. The staff greets you with a smile and the dining area is always clean and orderly.  As soon as you walk through the door you can tell every step possible has been taken to make sure that the customer is [...]

The iPad, iPhone, iMac, iThis, iThat. Unless you have been living under an iRock you have heard of the Apple brand. Whether you like their products or not, whether you have ever used them or not, you are very familiar with it. It is one of the strongest brands in the world. Customers camp out for their products and “drop dates” make headline news. Everything that surrounds Apple is a big deal, from the CEO [...]

While our branding profiles have normally focused on the elements that have contributed to the strength of a brand, this post is actually about how Domino’s has re-branded in order to stay relevant. In 2009 a survey of consumer taste testers ranked Domino’s Pizza last among national chains (tied with Chuck E. Cheese). In that same year Domino’s made the decision to totally reinvent themselves. Along with their reinvention they developed a television ad campaign [...]

The O brand – arguably the most powerful and influential celebrity brand there is. At the center of the brand is Oprah Winfrey. Her rise from an abuse-ridden home in rural Mississippi to a billionaire, media mogul is nothing less than remarkable. Her road to success began as a co-anchor on Nashville’s WLAC-TV at the age of 19. Now her #1 rated talk show defines daytime television and has become a catalyst for boosting the [...]

Most of you that know me know that I am a brand fanatic. I love studying, analyzing and discussing what makes a brand strong or weak. What I have found out is that branding is not limited to tangble products or obvious services a company delivers. People have a personal brand and that personal brand spills over into their overall corporate brand. There is an occurrence in a celebrities career where his or her name [...]

It goes without question that the University of Oregon has an incredibly successful and dominant football program. Their current number one ranking would suggest that. What  many may have noticed but not put much thought into is their dominance in the branding arena as well. I think it is more than a coincidence that the master of branding, Phil Knight (Founder and chairman of Nike), is an alumnus and major financial contributor to the school. [...]