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Overcoming negative stereotypes with branding - Q & A

Michael calls to ask Karen how to create a brand in an industry that already has many negative connotations.

Rich Sloan:  Michael, welcome to the show.

Michael: Hi, how are you guys?

Rich Sloan:  Doing great.  Karen is breaking it down on branding for us.  You're calling out of Denver?

Michael: I'm calling out of Denver.  And actually, my question really is about a startup that we've just launched here in Texas -- down in Texas.

Rich Sloan:  Okay.

Michael: And they've enacted some tort reform down there that has opened the door for some new medical malpractice insurance.  But, what we're facing is an industry that's been around a long time and we're trying to find a way to brand quickly in a market that --

Rich Sloan:  Where people already have ideas?

Michael: Have a lot of preconceived notions. 

Rich Sloan:  What?  Yeah. 

Michael:  They have a preconceived notion about what it will cost and what you're going to be able to offer.  And we're trying to start something from scratch.

Rich Sloan:  Sounds a little bit like your example of the airline industry, Karen.

Karen Post:  Absolutely.  Or even if you look at Monster.com, they're another example similar to yours.  You know, an industry that we all knew about, personnel services, resume' exchange.  They were all named the same.  They all looked alike.  And they were okay with doing something really different. 

Now, if you do something really different, I don't want you to lose sight of the logical benefits and the payoffs that are important because you're selling a business service.  But many times, if you want to stand out from your competitors, you've got to be okay with selecting a different color scheme that when people see your collateral, they're going to go, oh, this isn't one of those other companies.  Or how you name your firm -- I absolutely hate when people name their firms things that at least ten of their competitors sound very similar to, because that makes it difficult on the buyer to really see your brand at a higher level.

Rich Sloan:  Well, let me push back on that a little bit, Karen.

Karen Post:  Okay.

Rich Sloan:    Because, really we're dealing with the vast majority of

businesses out there don't have a significant budget and if they're going to use a crazy name, for example a crazy name like "Google" for their business, it's going to be -- it's going to take a lot of money for them to make that mean something to people.

Karen Post:  Not necessarily.  Your name can be something unique and that you can own and there is so much added value in having a distinct name.  And then you can have a tagline underneath it that ties it into your industry so that immediately they get what it's about.  And then your sell copy on your website or the positioning tagline on your business card.  You can do creative things --

Rich Sloan:  Well, your name -- your brand is a great example because it's descriptive.  Obviously you're an expert in branding but it's not your typical branding consulting kind of name, 'The Branding Diva'.

Karen Post:  Absolutely.  But if you go to my website, my content is serious.  I mean, it's got a witty flavor to it because that's my personality.  But you immediately get that I know what I'm speaking about.

Rich Sloan:  Sure.

Karen Post:  And that I have lots of experience in the area.

Rich Sloan:  All right, Karen.

Karen Post:  And the same thing can happen with the gentleman's brand on the telephone.