The complicated world of sports sponsorship!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/david-prosser-sports-sponsorship-has-never-been-so-complicated-2159695.html

TRENDS: Silly Bandz fad fades

in a matter of months

USA Today had this marketing piece on the rise and fall of Silly Banz

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2010-12-17-sillybandz17_ST_N.htm

NavSports.com - The Largest Searchable Sports Community

Connecting Athletes, Coaches, Teams, Fans, Events, And Sports Businesses. Join FREE!

Best Global Brands Best%20Global%20Brands%202010


The definitive guide to the world’s most valuable brands


http://www.interbrand.com/en/Default.aspx

11-Year-Old Baseball Player Raising Money For Hospitalized Children - News Story - WJAC Johnstown

11-Year-Old Baseball Player Raising Money For Hospitalized Children - News Story - WJAC Johnstown

My son's story!

Youth dedicates season to hospitalized kids

Posted using ShareThis

BRAND IDENTITY: The Value of a Business Name and Reputation


Today, March 16, 2010, 18 hours ago
Jason Grilli

The Swoosh says it all.

What‘s in a name, anyway? Plenty. Where it matters, a name says a lot. For a popular celebrity, a famous name may spell a blockbuster movie or a sold-out concert. For a giant soft drink company with a well-known brand name, it may mean instant product recall in the minds of it’s target consumers and multiple repeat sales. For all established, small and start-up businesses, a brand identity is predominant as it is an identifying mark which symbolizes the business and differentiates it from the competition.
Brand identity has a range of meanings, from your trade name and logo, to your type of business, company image, design feature, mission and vision, principles and values. From whatever viewpoint we take it, brand identity is simply a concept about comparison and contrast, individuality and specialization. Brand identity is a business tool you employ to create impact, attract attention and distinguish your business from among the throng of competition. It is both a differentiation tool and identification tool which your target consumers and your competitors make use of to highlight the similarities and differences of your company among other similar businesses.
Who are you? What do you do? What are you known for? What is your business all about? What do you stand for? What differentiates you from your competition? Brand identity comprises all these issues:
Your proposition, what your intention and purpose is

Your tone, how you state your message in your advertising through your sales pitches, offers and selling materials

The tools and channels for communication, the words and images you use to get your messages across to your public

Customer value, how you and the people you work with deal and interact with customers

Customer recognition, how your buyers know you and remember you as against your competition

A brand identity is generally regarded as effective if it triggers instant public recognition and recall, and always urges top choice selection from your target customers as against your competition. The caliber of a strong brand name is tested by it’s power to accomplish the following:

Get your message/proposition across to your public loud and clear

Back up your claim and your guarantee of reliability and trustworthiness

Trigger off instant recognition and recall among your target customers

Draw out an emotional association from your customers which results in a sale

Instill customer rapport and loyalty

Be a magnet for new customers

A strong brand identity is important in B2B because it differentiates you from your competition. It voices out your message of value and worth and can seal your market leadership position.

http://wildpitchmarketing.com/brand-identity-the-value-of-a-business-name-and-reputation

reBlog from pamorama.net: 35 Great Social Media Infographics

I found this fascinating quote today:

Here’s a collection of terrific social media infographics that might come in handy. As you probably know, infographics are visual representations of information, data, or knowledge. They illustrate information that would be unwieldy in text form and they act as a kind of visual shorthand, making information easy to understand and consume. They are driven by the same information as charts, but they’re often a better form of communication because of their pleasant aesthetics — charts and graphs can communicate data, but infographics turn data into information.pamorama.net, 35 Great Social Media Infographics, Mar 2010

You should read the whole article.

3 Components for Preventing Crises

Not all disasters can be prevented. Companies often face unforeseen or unpredictable circumstances. However, leaders need to ensure that their organizations are equipped to stop most crises before they happen. Prevention requires three things: Pattern recognition. Encourage your people to share information and make connections so that you can recognize when a problem is forming. Broader communication. Communication across silos is not easy, but it should be mandatory so that critical information reaches all parts of an organization. Trusted leadership. Leaders need to react quickly when a problem surfaces. Showing that you care about an issue is critical to gaining your employees' trust in your ability to handle problems. Find Out More Here: http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter/2010/01/northwest-flight-253s-lessons.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-MANAGEMENT_TIP-_-FEB_2010-_-MTOD0216&referral=00203

Sales Reps Get Hit with Double Whammy
67%. That's how many companies froze or reduced lead-generation budgets for sales reps last year, at a time when salespeople needed help the most, according to CSO Insights' survey of more than 2,800 companies worldwide. The percentage of reps making quota in 2009 dropped to 51.8% from 58.8% a year earlier, the survey shows.
Source: CSO Insights

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