One result of the overload of messages and marketing that defines communications today is the increased emphasis on good creative. Remarkable work goes a long way in punching through the noise out there. It's no coincidence that two strong brands we've mentioned in this blog, Apple and Starbucks, also boast... Continue reading

We helped host an early morning event about brand featuring a guest speaker from New York, Mary van de Wiel. The event was held at Busboys and Poets in DC. Mary's talk was about, as she put it, putting then"zing" in your brand. It covered brand truisms like authenticity, emotional... Continue reading

On March 24th we presented to a sold-out room of folks interested in Brand and Branding. We'll be posting segments of this 2+ hour engagement for those of you who missed it. Here you see our own Susan Waldman unpack the difference between Brand and Branding. Continue reading

At ZilYen we think the single most important metric for a brand is whether the audience evangelizes it on their own (in other words, it becomes their brand), what are the standout examples of this? Consider the "Got Milk?" campaign. Born in 1993 with a spot shot by famed Hollywood... Continue reading

From time to time I'll be sitting across from a client making a case for putting emotion in a message, brand, or brand story, (and by emotion I mean something that goes beyond a proof point, that builds to an idea around a larger truth) and I'll hear something like:... Continue reading

Honda just revealed its updated minivan, the 2011 Odyssey. The reviewer in the article at first objects to the Odyssey ads for using Judas Priest, and thinks "If you think you're going to make me think your stupid soccer mom taxi is cool, well, You've Got Another Thing Coming!" I've... Continue reading

There is a lot of buzz over the Eminem Superbowl ad for Chrysler 200. The views tally for the spot on YouTube is over 7 million. Why is it resonating so much with audiences? Short answer. The American Car represents America. Longer answer: it taps into emotions and associations that... Continue reading

I recently was invited to judge the ADDYs in Norfolk, VA. This is the second time I've filled this role. About 2 years ago I visited Fort Worth, Texas for the cause. For those of you who might not be familiar with the ADDY awards or the organization behind them,... Continue reading

Some folks think "brand" as an idea and objective is pretty squishy. Understandable because typically the strength of your brand isn't easily measured unless you're using the Zilyen Brand Index (more on this later). You can measure message retention, advertising penetration, a host of web advertising tracking metrics, product sales,... Continue reading

Starbucks unveiled its new identity. In addition to bumping into all the chatter about this online, I rec'd three emails from friends outside the marketing industry asking what I thought of the change. That alone is some testament to the strength of the SB brand. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz explained... Continue reading

Branding, marketing and communications professionals spend countless hours on the definitions of their brands. They labor over nuances in personality descriptions, color variations, logo application and headline treatments. They analyze and strategeize about audience characteristics, product and service packaging, and competitor claims. They study customer and prospect needs and, with... Continue reading

In this economy everyone is looking to expand their client roster and win new business. At both big and small companies, the process for how to go about it varies, but having worked at both, here's where I landed for the "must haves": 1. Have a Go/No Go Meeting to... Continue reading

I was in traffic behind a bus the other day and staring me in the face was an ad for NPR's Diane Rehm Show. As much as I thought the identity treatment worked, I also thought the tagline was strong. So what makes a good tagline? Let's jump right in:... Continue reading

It's 5:30 and I'm still sitting at my desk. I've been here since 7 this morning and by now my eyes are crossed, my head is foggy and it's getting very dark outside. In this tranisition from day into nightime is where I get some of my most clear thoughts... Continue reading

Today's New York Times Op-Ed by Timothy Egan was exciting to read in that he was saying some of the very things we've been saying around the office -- President Obama needs to stand behind his authentic and powerful brand. In the article Mr. Egan calls for Obama to take... Continue reading

While leisurely catching up on old online versions of the Sunday New York Times over a colorful plate of scrambled eggs prepared by my 12-year-old daughter, my attention was piqued to a stage of high alert at the notice of a headline for Bono's OpEd column on the Rebranding of... Continue reading