Whenever I hear that someone’s primary goal is to “raise awareness” about their brand, I pause. Saying that your marketing strategy is designed to raise awareness is sort of like saying that your primary goal in exercising is to sweat…or that the primary goal of eating is to chew.

Awareness shouldn’t be viewed a goal. Awareness should be viewed as an effect…as in, for every cause, there’s an effect. When you advertise, consumers will become aware. But the real question is: what good is that awareness? What does that awareness achieve?

It’s not very often you hear people use the word “fell” without the obligatory “swoop”, but the combination is common enough that we all know what it means. Except it rarely happens.

First of all, I live in Mississippi, so I can say this… Major pet peave: businesses here in the great State of Mississippi really, really, really need to stop registering domains with a .ms extension (ie- www.yourdomain.ms). No, it doesn’t stand for Mississippi. It stands for Montserrat….as in “the island of”.

This is a classic case of trying to twist the market to meet your way of thinking…as opposed to changing your way of thinking to meet the market.

Oil companies and auto manufacturers are spending millions of dollars these days trying to convince us all that they are going “green” and that they care about the environment. Yet, they continue to earn the scorn of politicians and citizens alike. Why aren’t their efforts to improve their image working? Because marketing is a battle of perception, not product.

Every aspect of the integrated branding model is important to the whole. Each piece plays a role in helping you gain and maintain a firm understanding of what your brand is all about. As we step up beyond Organization Drivers and begin to talk about Brand Drivers, we discover that the Brand Principle is truly the key element of this layer. It is the foundation for differentiating the brand in every area.

The Brand Principle has the power to differentiate the brand everywhere it interacts with the consumer. It is the foundation for consumer expectation and experience.

It doesn’t matter what the politicians say. It doesn’t really even matter what the economists say. Some say we’re in a recession. Others say we aren’t. Still others say we aren’t now but one is looming in the near future. None of that matters.

What does matter is what YOU think. You are going to act and spend according to your belief. If you believe we’re in a recession, then you’re probably looking for ways to cut expenses and shore up assets. For you, the recession is real. If you don’t believe that, then you’re probably carrying on business as usual. However, you’re still feeling the effects of others that do believe it.

So, let’s talk about how to handle a recession or an economic slowdown when it comes to marketing and advertising expense.

We are very pleased to announce that Brown Bottling Group has decided to hire us to help them update and modernize a promotional video used to help introduce employees and prospects to their brand. Brown Bottling Group is Mississippi’s premier Pepsi bottling company and has shown tremendous growth throughout its existence.

If you’ve been in business long enough, you’ve had to weather some storms. You’ve had to endure some attacks from old competitors, from blood-hungry startups, and from angry customers. Maybe, you’ve even had to defend yourself against your own screw-ups. Hey, it happens. But what is the best way to defend your brand? At one point or another, you’ve probably heard me say that “PR builds a brand, and advertising defends it.” Whenever I say this, I usually get a distant “ahh-ok” look from the listener…like they’re agreeing with me but don’t have a clue what I mean. For the most part, this statement is a very broad generalization, but a good starting point for a tactical discussion of brand defense.

Well, the big day finally arrived. Brent and Kristin are married! The wedding took place in Waveland, MS in a rebuilt church right on the waterfront. It was absolutely beautiful. It was a Catholic ceremony, with a few oddities mixed in- it was Brent and Kristin, after all.

Kim Wade, a local talk radio jock, will be hosting Jerold Sit of Practically Free Energy today at 5PM on WJNT AM 1180. Jerold will hit the airwaves to discuss PFE30, his new family of products and services designed to increase energy efficiency by reducing air loss through holes and improperly sealed ductwork.