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Helvetica is not your friend
Copyright law is pretty sticky business, just ask Johnny Walker. But even taking copyrights out of the equation, it’s important to make sure to differentiate yourself from the rest of the marketplace. When naming a company, product, or campaign, it is best practice to Google the potential name and see what pops up. If the […]
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Branded Inside-out
This summer I wrote a post lauding the praises of the beautiful copy from Manhattan Mini Storage. Since then I have needed a storage space, and after searching purely based on cost, Manhattan Mini Storage (MMS) was the best bet. I was really excited that this was the best deal, because I got to see […]
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Kickstarter Nation
In the last few years, KickStarter has become a household name. It has become so large, that there are numerous websites with similar structures geared towards different types of projects. I myself have backed two Kickstarter and one Indiegogo campaign. These crowd funding sites have opened up a new form of marketing, specifically to artistic […]
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Big Duck Blog
I was an intern at Big Duck this spring, where I had the amazing experience of getting to know a talented group of copywriters, designers, and strategists devoted to branding for nonprofits. While at Big Duck I was given the opportunity to write a piece about mobile apps. It took a few months to get […]
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IKEA adopted me.
I’m obsessed with IKEA. It’s one of my favorite companies in terms of branding, meticulous detail for all aspects of marketing, history, and Swedish meatballs. So when IKEA started the IKEA Family card program, and it was free, why wouldn’t I join? This card gives me exclusive discounts, free coffee or tea with every visit, […]
They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but we know that that’s not always true. It always comes down to context. Someone is flattering you when they imitate you at a banquet in your honor, or they imitate your clothing style. It’s not flattery when they’re imitating you for the sake of […]
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What’s your point?
Every brand has characteristics that are directly targeted to how they do business. One of the most obvious selling points I see with retail and restaurants, is that they are stable, and have been around for awhile, like the bar below: The windows of this establishment proudly boast that “we were here before you were […]
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Build an Experience
Look at Yelp. Nine times out of ten, a bad review comes down to someone’s experience with a staff member. When building a brand, you’re shaping every experience that a user shares with your company. Today I want to give the spotlight to one of my favorite stores in New York: Cure Thrift Shop. Not […]
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Conflict of Interests
Branding is about reputation. A brand develops over time, and needs to be trusted, preferably honest. A brand, like a person, is trusted when it has opinions and sticks to them. That doesn’t mean that opinions can’t change over time, just that a brand can’t speak out of both sides of its mouth, like Unilever. […]
Allison Munson 