(951,7,'2008-12-08 17:33:26','2008-12-08 21:33:26','<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Guest Blog\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/guest.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"95\" />\n\n<strong>Denver’s Commercial Real Estate Market –\nBetter than You Might Think\nby Eric Nesbitt, President and CEO, The Nesbitt Group</strong>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite the uncertainty and unpredictability of the national economy, Denver’s commercial real estate market continues to remain steady, particularly in the office and industrial sectors. Although many local large companies are holding off on major real estate decisions, Denver’s commercial real estate market continues to perform well compared to other markets in the country, where vacancies are higher and rents are decreasing.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Denver office and industrial properties continued to positive absorption of vacant space in the third quarter, while retail space such as shopping centers and malls had negative absorption. Retail space is more consumer-oriented than other commercial property types and, therefore, more affected by the economy and consumer problems such as housing foreclosures. However, Colorado’s improving housing market should benefit the retail sector. The state’s foreclosure rate has shown significant improvement this year, and many analysts believe the Denver-area housing market is ahead of the national cycle for recovery.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, vacancy rates increased for office, industrial and retail properties, but despite this softening, average rental rates increased for all three property types. Metro Denver office space saw its total vacancy rate, including sublease space, increase to 15% in the third quarter. However, average asking office rental rates inched up to $20.99 per sq. ft. per year in the third quarter from roughly $20.60 from the same period last year. On the industrial side, total third-quarter vacancy increased to 7.4%, which is still relatively healthy. Average asking rates also increased to $6.41per square foot from $6.00 per sq. ft. for the same quarter last year. Finally, the total retail vacancy rate continued to increase in the third quarter to 7.5%, but the average asking lease rate still rose to $18.04 per square foot per year from nearly $16.00 for the same period last year.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">What does this all mean for you and your business? Despite a slumping economy, companies seeking to lease office or industrial may be surprised that landlords are unwilling to do “screaming deals” to get tenants in their buildings. At least for the time being, rental rates remain stable or continue to rise, and commercial landlords have not been overly impacted by the economic slowdown. Of course, this may change in the next few months or as we head in to the New Year.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http://www.thenesbittgroup.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Logo\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/nesbittlogo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"59\" /></a></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">For more information on The Nesbitt Group, please click <a title=\"The Nesbitt Group\" href=\"http://www.thenesbittgroup.com\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"></p>','Guest Blog by Eric Nesbitt','','publish','open','open','','guest-blog-from-eric-nesbitt-the-nesbitt-group','','','2008-12-08 17:33:26','2008-12-08 21:33:26','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=118',0,'post','',0),(952,8,'2009-01-05 18:44:18','2009-01-05 22:44:18','I think we can all agree that after going through this past year, it is certainly time for a “New Start” for the New Year. We could all use a fresh start for the economy, housing, banking, government and business. As it applies to your business, if you aren’t prepared and proactive to the challenges that are certain to arise, you will be left behind.\n\nI can’t tell you how many times I have heard recently from our partners, clients, prospects, leads, etc. that people are “just waiting to see what happens”. Unfortunately, most who take this “wait and see approach” end up losing time and results.\n\nWith things being tight and people and businesses being guarded with resources, it’s a more competitive landscape than ever before. People and companies are struggling and the weak are getting ravaged. Are you positioning yourself and your company to be as competitive as possible? Now is the time to take advantage of the current economic situation and propel yourself to be the leader in your field.\n\nSince it is the beginning of the New Year, it is time to make a “New Start”.\n\n<strong>Revenue</strong>\nLet’s start the thing that most people and companies are in need of: Revenue. Have you evaluated your lead generation activities? Are you doing enough to fill your pipeline? Are you utilizing online marketing, networking, partnering, calling and mailings to get people to say “yes” to meetings or walking through the doors of your business?\n\n<strong>Sales</strong>\nDo you know what it is going to take to get prospects to convert to clients? Do you know what it is going to take to move them off the dime? Are you asking for the business?\n\n<strong>Brand Positioning</strong>\nDo you have the right message? ...a strong call to action? ... positioning that separates you from the competition? Do you understand not just why you are as good as the competition, but why you are better than the competition? Why should someone purchase you, your product or service over the competition?\n\nAre you being pro-active and creating enough opportunities for you to reach your goals and objectives? Are you doing enough marketing and sales activities to make the numbers work in your favor?\n\nIf you can’t answer “yes” to all of these questions, it is probably time to get off the dime and make the New Year a “New Start” to reaching your goals and objectives. Brand Iron can help you develop proactive goals for 2009 and a roadmap of what it is going to take to get you there.\n\nIt’s time to get started and map out a plan to succeed in this New Year.\n\n<em>Written by Michael Doyle, Brand Iron President</em>','\"New Start\"','','publish','open','open','','new-start','','','2009-01-05 18:44:18','2009-01-05 22:44:18','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=142',0,'post','',0),(953,5,'2009-01-15 18:31:11','2009-01-15 22:31:11','Who better to recruit future students to an entrepreneurship and leadership-focused charter high school situated in the heart of Denver than the school’s students themselves?\n\nBrand Iron has teamed up with Denver Venture School, a first-year public charter school that embraces entrepreneurship and leadership. They have challenged its current student body to design and execute a recruiting plan to attract students for the 2009-10 school year.  Teams, or what they call “crews,” made up of 12-15 students will compete against one another in an attempt to bring in the largest number of new student applications.\n\n“We want to have our current scholars be the voice of recruitment,” said DVS Head of School, Ami Desai.  “We have a bright and energetic group of scholars who are best suited to encourage other scholars to attend our school.”\n\nThe cool part is that the students must take the very entrepreneurial and (business-like) approach of submitting a written recruitment/marketing plan outlining various strategies and tactics, then work together to execute the plan and sign up students. The crews producing the most applications will win an assortment of prizes including Colorado Rockies baseball tickets, iPods and gift certificates. Michael Doyle is currently working with the DVS students and faculty to implement this challenge.\n\nThe school’s mission statement is “to enable a diverse group of students to achieve academic, social, and career success by offering a relevant, project-based, entrepreneurship and leadership focused curriculum in a small public school environment.”\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/dvs.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/dvs2.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" />\n\nThey hope to generate at least 160 applications for next year’s freshman class of 120 and at least 80 applications for the 40 available spots for next year’s sophomore class.\n\nDenver Venture School is public charter school that opened in August 2008 and is free to attend and open to all students in the metro Denver area. By 2011 DVS expects to serve approximately 400 students in grades 9 through 12.\n\nBrand Iron is working with Denver Venture School on a pro bono basis.\n\n<em>\nWritten by Jim Miller</em>','Denver Venture School Kicks-Off Student Recruiting Challenge','','publish','open','open','','denver-venture-school-kicks-off-student-recruiting-challenge','','','2009-01-15 18:31:11','2009-01-15 22:31:11','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=145',0,'post','',1),(954,6,'2009-01-20 14:01:47','2009-01-20 18:01:47','<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Every year millions of people watch the Super Bowl not for the game being played but for the commercials. I would imagine more people can tell you about their favorite commercial than who actually played on the game last year. Even if they commercials are bad people are talking about them.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">These ads are so expensive. A 30-second ad on NBC will be $3 million dollars this year. This is one of the largest increases from year to year. Last year a 30-second spot was 2.7 million. <span> </span>The 2009 cost is double than the usual annual cost increase.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">This is my favorite 5.4 million dollar ad from last year.</p>\n\n<object classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"src\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/KxoOUKgOWQE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" /><embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/KxoOUKgOWQE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"></embed></object>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Another I liked from last year was the Audi R8 commercial that mimicked the famous horse head scene from the Godfather. Actually Audi did a decent job pulling off that scene. I think it was a pretty good ad.</p>\n\n<object classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"src\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/2xd0Tw9wOB4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" /><embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/2xd0Tw9wOB4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"></embed></object>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Here is the original scene of Jack Woltz’s bed from the Godfather.(Note: no animals were hurt in making this scene).</p>\n\n<object classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"src\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/g88asCqfSgg&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" /><embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/g88asCqfSgg&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"></embed></object>\n\n<a href=\"&lt;object width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/g88asCqfSgg&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowFullScreen&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowscriptaccess&quot; value=&quot;always&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;&quot; mce_src=&quot;&quot;&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/g88asCqfSgg&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; allowscriptaccess=&quot;always&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;true&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;\">\n</a>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Should we be seeing any bank or big three car company ads? If so lets see how well our tax dollars are going to be used this year. I will write a follow-up blog if there are any “Bailout Bowl” Ads.</p>\n\nWritten by Mike Slife','Super Bowl Ads','','publish','open','open','','super-bowl-ads','','','2009-01-20 14:01:47','2009-01-20 18:01:47','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=148',0,'post','',0),(955,4,'2009-02-02 17:44:12','2009-02-02 21:44:12','I love reviewing Interbrand’s yearly list of the best global brands. I think it paints an accurate picture of what’s going on in the economy, how certain industries are affected, and how and why some companies have continued to thrive despite harsh conditions.\n\nFirst off, the top 10 brands of 2008 were also the top 10 brands of 2007, with the exception of Google (who jumped from the 20th position to replace Mercedes Benz).\n\n1.    Coca-Cola\n2.    IBM\n3.    Microsoft\n4.    GE\n5.    Nokia\n6.    Toyota\n7.    intel\n8.    McDonald’s\n9.    Disney\n10.    Google\n\nThe complete list of the top 100 brands can be found here.\n<a href=\"http://www.interbrand.com/best_global_brands.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.interbrand.com/best_global_brands.aspx</a>\n\n<strong>The credit market affects financial institutions differently</strong>\nCiti and Merrill Lynch both fell significantly from 2007 to 2008 (22nd position to 34th position and 11th position to 19th position, respectively). However, Visa’s and American Express’ brand values rose due to their trusted brands. I believe this has a lot to do with how consumers see these companies. For the most part, consumers saw the credit market debacle as a fault of the lending institutions. Credit card companies were able to maintain brand value, not only through continued brand communication, but because of the physical relationship consumers have with their credit cards. What’s in your wallet right now? – Mastercard, Visa or American Express? We love to use credit cards and the convenience they give us.\n\n<strong>Sustainability leads and valued brands</strong>\nCompanies that are on the forefront of sustainable initiatives held strong on Interbrand’s list. Honda was the only car manufacture to report better sales in June 2008, than it did last year. GE and BP increased their brand value over 2007 by investing in sustainable business practices. BP has invested heavily both in internal processes and direct consumer communication.\n\nCompanies that are delivering green products and sustainable business practices will continue to increase brand value in the future because that is what the market demands.\n\nThese are the two aspects that caught my eye when reviewing Interbrand’s Top 100 Global Brands.  A couple points small and medium-size businesses we can learn from this are:\n<ul>\n	<li>Perception is reality. If people have an inaccurate perception of you – you must work to change your brand.  For example, financial institutions like Merrill Lynch need to transcend the “financial lending” market and position themselves to better relate to consumers and to expand their value. Pro-active marketing to address head-on the brand challenges is a great way to fend off negative brand perceptions.</li>\n	<li>What is good for the environment is good for your business. Innovative products and citizenship holds great value with consumers.</li>\n</ul>\nNow is the time to re-position your company so that your customers see the value in choosing you. Brand Iron can help you with brand positioning and communicating what you do. You have the power to influence the decisions your customers make. Make sure your brand is putting you in the best light possible and is creating a good and memorable customer experience.\n\n<em> Written by Josh Barker\n</em>','Interbrand’s 2008 List of Best Global Brands Reflect the Challenges and Opportunities for Businesses','','publish','open','open','','interbrand%e2%80%99s-2008-list-of-best-global-brands-reflect-the-challenges','','','2009-02-02 17:44:12','2009-02-02 21:44:12','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=150',0,'post','',0),(956,7,'2009-02-16 17:45:07','2009-02-16 21:45:07','The first thought that comes to mind when you hear the term “Search Engine Optimization” (SEO) or “Search Engine Marketing” (SEM), is improving your website page ranking on search engines such as Google or Yahoo. Actually, page rank is just the tip of the iceberg, SEO encompasses a wide variety of tasks that improve a website’s search engine presence.\n\nUnfortunately, the famous line from the popular 90s baseball film, <em><strong>Field of Dreams</strong></em>, “If you build it, they will come” does not work when it comes to building a website. You need to define your website goals, which coincide with your business goals, and define how you are going to convert those goals on your website.\n\nAfter the goals are defined, you need a website that is designed and programmed to be “SEO-friendly.” SEO-friendly sites are W3C web standard complaint, use proper document markup, and separate structure from presentation and behavior (we will go into this in more detail in my next blog entry). Brand Iron’s web development team designs and develops SEO-friendly websites on a daily basis.\n\nAfter your goals are defined and your site is designed and developed, you need to ask the question, “who is your target market?” The answer to this question is easier than you may think…the individual you want to find your website most frequently is the individual who is searching for you! This sounds obvious, but trust me, more often than not, when people implement SEO they are solely focused on a higher page rank and are neglecting the most important target market, someone who is already looking for their company.\n\nA 2007 survey by the internet data firm, comScore, found that 60% of consumers use the web as their first tool of reference to search for local businesses and 60% of those searchers make a purchase from the business’ website. A study by AOL and Henley Centre, a UK market research firm, states that 73% of survey respondents use a search engine as an important source of information when considering a product or service. This is a higher percentage than personal recommendations, TV and print media.\n\n<img src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/web.jpg\" alt=\"\" hspace=\"5\" vspace=\"5\" width=\"142\" height=\"176\" align=\"left\" />\nIn order to have a successful online presence, you need a successful SEO/SEM campaign. Brand Iron’s “Web-O-Nanza” program is the perfect solution for your website. We map out your website’s primary and secondary goals, and come up with a solution to convert these goals into revenue via your website. We build SEO-friendly websites that target individuals who want to see your website.\n\nBrand Iron is known for forging brands and driving revenue, now with our “Web-O-Nanza” program, we drive web traffic that also drives revenue. Contact Brand Iron today and we will “build a website that will make them come.”\n\n<em>Written By Andrew Hoffman, Design Bandit</em>','“If you build it, they will come” only works on your website when you improve your SEO/SEM Efforts','','publish','open','open','','%e2%80%9cif-you-build-it-they-will-come%e2%80%9d-only-works-on-your-website-when-you-improve-your-seosem-efforts','','','2009-02-16 17:45:07','2009-02-16 21:45:07','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=154',0,'post','',2),(957,7,'2009-02-18 16:44:53','2009-02-18 20:44:53','We updated our online portfolio with new work and a new interface. Check it out by clicking <a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/work.htm\">here</a>.\n\n<em>- The Brand Iron Team</em>','New online portfolio','','publish','open','open','','new-online-portfolio','','','2009-02-18 16:44:53','2009-02-18 20:44:53','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=161',0,'post','',0),(958,7,'2009-02-27 13:15:37','2009-02-27 17:15:37','I woke up early today. Around 4:30 this morning I began to wonder if my Rocky Mountain News was on the driveway. I couldn’t wait to see it, yet in a way, I didn’t want to see it. With no chance of forcing myself back to sleep, about an hour later I went to look. It was there, and for the very last time.\n\nAs far back as I can remember and at every place I have lived, the Rocky showed up every morning. Thinking about it as a kid growing up, the Rocky reminds me of my dad. He read it every morning and oftentimes we discussed a story inside. I remember it being on the kitchen table every day. At the point in my life when “reading” became something I wanted to do rather than had to do, it was because of this newspaper. My love for sports was cultivated by box scores, standings and action photography that I came to understand and appreciate at an early age.\n\nThe same appreciation and bond with newspapers I learned from my dad, I’ve tried to instill in my kids. On some levels I think I have succeeded but I know the art of reading newspapers is dying for reasons that are all too obvious. On occasion, I will see one of my teenagers drawn in by a photo or a headline. At first they may only read the photo caption, but as they start to skip through the pages they eventually, over a bowl of cereal, settle on a story to read. Unfortunately for our newest generation, it’s an uncommon site.\n\nWith an educational degree in journalism and a professional career in media relations, there have been dozens of mornings, just like today, in which I couldn’t wait to see the paper. Some I looked forward to with anticipation, some with reservation. Whether it was a feature story, a company profile, or simply a quote, seeing the “printed” word (one that I’ve helped shape or facilitate) in mass distribution was and is an adrenaline rush. Mass media formats have changed and will continue to change. Mass media is becoming social media. Where once we received news and commentary from trusted (OK, not always) reporters, we now receive news and commentary from anybody with a laptop…or cell phone. As a result, newspapers are nearing extinction and the Rocky won’t be the last to suffer this fate. It was only a matter of time.\n\nAs I looked at the Rocky this morning for the very last time, it was surprisingly emotional. More so than I had expected. There are so many things about it that I will miss: seeing the names and photos of reporters I’ve become to know on both a personal and non-personal level, the front page photography, the easy-to-read tabloid format, and just my general familiarity with what’s inside.\n\nThe paper scheduled to arrive tomorrow will be different.\n\nIt was a great and impressive 150 year run! So long, old friend.\n\n<em>Written by Jim Miller</em>','So long, old friend.','','publish','open','open','','so-long-old-friend','','','2009-02-27 13:15:37','2009-02-27 17:15:37','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=163',0,'post','',0),(959,7,'2009-03-10 17:44:17','2009-03-10 21:44:17','<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Gary and Michael\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/gary_michael_bluebonnet.jpg\" alt=\"\" hspace=\"10\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" /><span style=\"font-size: x-small; font-family: Arial; color: navy;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">At lunch the other day at the</span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http://www.bluebonnetrestaurant.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Bonnet Café</a></span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">in Denver, Colorado (not a client by the way), this  very warm and friendly gentleman approached me and my guest at lunch. Gary was his name and he  expressed his true desire to make sure we were having a great lunch and if we  needed anything, please let him know. He also communicated his sincere thanks  for coming in today and eating at his restaurant. This isn’t a once and awhile occurrence, Gary does this all the time, making sure all his guests are treated well  and taking care of. I eat there regularly and Gary is always there taking great care of his guests. Gary is an example of a true brand  champion. He exudes customer service and appreciation of the people that come to  dine in his restaurant. Whether you run a  restaurant, a one-person company or a multi-billion dollar company, we can  all learn from his approach to leading and \"riding\" for his brand. We can  all get out in front of our clients and communicate our brand\'s value and what it stands for.  Customers enjoy hearing from brand champions.  Let’s all lead our teams as brand champions to communicate and deliver our company\'s value. \"Hats Off\" to Gary and his restaurant, the</span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http://www.bluebonnetrestaurant.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue  Bonnet </a></span></span></span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http://www.bluebonnetrestaurant.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small; font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">Café</span></span></a></span><span style=\"font-size: x-small; font-family: Arial; color: navy;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;\">, <span style=\"color: #000000;\">in Denver, Colorado.</span></span></span>\n\n<em>Written by Michael Doyle, President of Brand Iron</em>','Brand Champion Spotlight: Gary & The Blue Bonnet Cafe','','publish','open','open','','gary-the-blue-bonnet-cafe-brand-champion','','','2009-03-10 17:44:17','2009-03-10 21:44:17','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=165',0,'post','',0),(960,7,'2009-03-27 16:57:07','2009-03-27 20:57:07','Brand Iron has been selected as one of the finalists for Small Business of the Year by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. The Business Awards luncheon to announce the winner will be held on Tuesday, April 28th at the Hyatt.\n\nThe award criteria includes:\n<ul>\n	<li> A for-profit venture</li>\n	<li> Locally owned and privately held</li>\n	<li> Profitable and/or demonstrating fiscal responsibility and adequate capitalization in the last fiscal year</li>\n	<li> A company employing fewer than 100 employees</li>\n	<li> In the business for a minimum of five successive years by current ownership</li>\n</ul>\nDespite the economic conditions, Brand Iron continues to grow and is coming off one of its most profitable years in 2008. We have addressed this challenge by practicing what we preach: Rather than cut back on marketing efforts during tough conditions, now is the best time of all to market your business. The opportunity to separate your business from the competition is now. Brand Iron continues to be aggressive in its business development and marketing efforts.\n\nSmall businesses are the foundation of a successful economy and make up more than 80 percent of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce membership base. We are truly honored to be one of three finalists. Please check back April 29th for the results.\n\n<em>Written by Meghan Herlehy, Design and Marketing Wrangler\n</em>','Denver Metro Chamber Names Brand Iron a Finalist for Small Business of the Year Award','','publish','open','open','','denver-metro-chamber-names-brand-iron-a-finalist-for-small-business-of-the-year-award','','','2009-03-27 16:57:07','2009-03-27 20:57:07','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=179',0,'post','',1),(961,7,'2009-04-09 17:39:55','2009-04-09 21:39:55','<p class=\"MsoNormal\">No, this is not a headline in <em>The Onion</em>.  Someone I may or may not know was fired for twittering about how they were enjoying a day in which they called in sick.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Twittering.  Is it a fad we will be ashamed of in 5 years?  - OR - Is it a long-term, useful marketing tool?</p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Only time will tell.\n\n<em>Written by Mike Slife, Brand Iron Ranch Boss</em>','Obsessive \"Tweeter\" Fired','','publish','open','open','','obsessive-tweeter-fired','','','2009-04-09 17:39:55','2009-04-09 21:39:55','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=191',0,'post','',0),(962,7,'2009-04-17 13:16:22','2009-04-17 17:16:22','Brand Iron believes that as a company we should be not only be proactive with our clients but with our community as well. On Thursday April 16th, I participated along side some of Denver top creative professionals at “The Student Review.” The Review is a design-portfolio review for students from regional colleges and universities co-hosted by Art Directors Club of Denver and AIGA Colorado. This year’s event is focused on students ready to benefit from creative input and only open to juniors and seniors. The Review put advanced design students in front of specially invited Denver Advertising and Design professionals for invaluable feedback on their books. The Review was a great way for Brand Iron to give back to the design community! This participation also gave us a chance to survey the state of the entry-level designers from the area schools, and make connections with emerging talent. I saw some great work coming out for the local design programs and the event also awarded scholarships to the best portfolios. If you are a student be sure to be on the look out for this event next year, it is a great chance to meet face-to-face with industry professionals.\n\n<em>Written by Andrew Hoffman</em>','The Student Review, Thursday April 16th','','publish','open','open','','the-student-review-thursday-april-16th','','','2009-04-17 13:16:22','2009-04-17 17:16:22','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=193',0,'post','',0),(963,7,'2009-06-01 17:17:30','2009-06-01 21:17:30','“Branding, it’s not about the logo,” a topic that comes up frequently on The Stampede, and it is definitely true…but a strong logo is a key element in a successful brand. A lot of company’s update their identity frequently in order to refresh their position in the marketplace, most of the time this is motivated by the desire of change merely for the sake of change, this is not an effective way to establish brand equity. Brand equity is created by being consistent in company goals, values, operations and visual indicators such as a logo, website and other marketing pieces. It is no surprise that many of the top brands in the world have not changed their logo for decades, for example; Coca-Cola, IBM, Ford, GE. This is why the brand equity for these particular company’s are priceless…they established brand equity by being consistent with their identity.\n\nThis does not mean that a company should never change their corporate identity. Companies evolve over time and sometimes need a re-brand if their approach, or values change. Another ideal situation for a re-brand is if a start-up company compromised it’s marketing budget and created a logo using Microsoft word art, trust me this happens more often than not. If the start-up invested in it’s corporate identity at the beginning, they would not need to re-brand and potentially lose some of their brand equity.\n\nA true corporate identity is based on an overall system approach that is a visual indicator for the company’s overall brand, which resonates their key messages and core values.  A brand is just not a logo…but a strong, consistent logo is necessary to build brand equity and recognition by consumers in the marketplace. You can make only one first impression and a strong logo is what your customers will see first when they experience your brand. Brand Iron will help your brand succeed with our holistic approach; most marketing companies stop at marketing, but Brand Iron believes that a strong brand is built through the sales, marketing and the operations processes of your company. Brand Iron will help your company establish strong brand equity; we  “forge brands, and drive revenue.”\n\n<em>By Andrew Hoffman, art director</em>\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"logos\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/logos.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"432\" height=\"353\" />','Good Design Builds Brand Equity','','publish','open','open','','good-design-builds-brand-equity','','','2009-06-01 17:17:30','2009-06-01 21:17:30','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=202',0,'post','',0),(964,7,'2009-06-10 12:25:10','2009-06-10 16:25:10','These tough economic times and rising number of jobs lost have left their mark on the interning world as well as the paid working world. Searching for jobs online, I have noticed that most places are looking for someone with “experience” but how do you get this experience without working? The answer seems to be, internships. I have found the world of interning to be more competitive this year than the two years before hand. When I think about it, it seems strange that people would be pretty much begging to work FOR FREE. But the more I think about it, it isn’t so much the working for free part we are begging for, it’s the experiences that come with it.\n\nSince my freshman year in college I have been immersing myself in the world of internships, from a radio station, to a music festival, and now to a small branding and consulting firm I’ve been building up my resume with so called “work experience.” There have been the days when my title of “Intern” has included making coffee, standing at the printer, and spending hours battling mail merge, but on the flip side to that are the days when being the intern has allowed me to get in on creative meetings, network with clients, and learn new programs and tools which has made all the hours of unpaid work pay off.\n\nI have become used to being the new person in the office, and the person who gets stuck with some of the more boring tasks at work, but I\'m also really grateful for the time and effort my superiors have spent teaching me valuable skills. Not only can I have “mail merge expert” on my resume but also social media enthusiast, digital marketing experience, event planning, and a whole host of other useful abilities.  Beginning my third internship, I continue to take steps in new directions and grab onto any projects I can get a hold of.\n\nNow that I have a variety of internships to boost my resume, I wonder what work experience is enough work experience to launch me into the working world post college. For the time being my plan is not to stress out about the job market, but to continue to show up each day and take it all in, who knows where it may take me next (hopefully a real job).\n\n<em>Written by Kaitlyn Anderson, Marketing Intern</em>','That is correct; I work here for FREE','','publish','open','open','','that-is-correct-i-work-here-for-free','','','2009-06-10 12:25:10','2009-06-10 16:25:10','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=211',0,'post','',0),(965,7,'2009-06-19 18:04:01','2009-06-19 22:04:01','Brand Iron stepped up to an amazing opportunity to help the <a href=\"http://www.innercityhealth.com/ichc/\">Inner City Health Center</a> (a local non-profit) put on a bicycle tour.  The Inner City Health Center is a non-profit clinic providing medical and dental services to the un and underinsured population of Metro Denver. An event like this takes MANY, MANY dedicated volunteers to pull off - and we were happy to be a small part of the very organized and well-planned ride.\n\nMost of the Brand Iron team participated in the rides, while our Ranch Boss, Mike Slife, pulled double-duty: helping with the coordination AND riding. The scenic and challenging route went through and around front range landmarks and mountain towns, including Dinosaur Ridge, Red Rocks Park, Idledale, Kittridge and the Brook Forest Inn.\n\nHere are some pics from <a href=\"http://www.healingwheelstour.com/\">The Healing Wheels Bicycle Tour</a>:\n\n<table style=\"width:auto;\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KXALM0C-7U-8fA84d2SSvQ?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh4.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/SjUoxMn6JRI/AAAAAAAACwk/j58c2K3mU-4/s400/beginning.jpg\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right\"></td></tr></table>Mike, Andrew and Josh preparing for the ride.\n\n<table style=\"width:auto;\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DNUtSpwuNhw9z_kSZpJZuw?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh5.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/SjUoyl81eII/AAAAAAAACww/WZ7zzkBA_DQ/s400/DinasourRidge.jpg\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right\"></td></tr></table> Andrew and Josh descending Dinosaur Ridge.\n\n<table style=\"width:auto;\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mPyJklrZkZPZj9TmCcjFAw?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/SjUo0jAeb-I/AAAAAAAACxA/Cggy0k6wrs4/s400/RestStop.jpg\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right\"></td></tr></table> On of the most beautiful rest stops in bicycle history. It wasn\'t far from here we saw a white buffalo.\n\n<table style=\"width:auto;\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ly6KWi_3aEH0Z4s_QWVs1g?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh3.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/SjUo0xiumAI/AAAAAAAACxE/44x9vEug7sM/s400/Zinger.jpg\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right\"></td></tr></table> If we weren\'t going up, we were going down (no flats found on this route). This was one of the enjoyable downhills.\n\n<table style=\"width:auto;\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DFLU9WIh_mGQ8RHltsOUZA?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/SjUozkEW8LI/AAAAAAAACw4/znrScnVumck/s400/RedRocks.jpg\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right\"></td></tr></table> Andrew and I going through Red Rocks. Oh, did I mention I brought the bike stereo? It adds 15 lbs and 100 decibels to any bike.\n\n<table style=\"width:auto;\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/izy1FysXnzZAkabHogFRnQ?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/SjUoyF6wg9I/AAAAAAAACws/YSbisuOTqdc/s400/FalseSummit.jpg\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right\"></td></tr></table> All in all, Brand Iron rocked the route - and we were thrilled and appreciative to be part of such a great event.\n\nNext year, you should go.','Healing Wheels Bicycle Tour: Good Works by Brand Iron','','publish','open','open','','healing-wheels-bicycle-tour-good-works-by-brand-iron','','','2009-06-19 18:04:01','2009-06-19 22:04:01','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=216',0,'post','',0),(966,7,'2009-06-29 12:51:29','2009-06-29 16:51:29','<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState=\"false\" LatentStyleCount=\"156\"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><span class=\"mceItemObject\"   classid=\"clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D\" id=ieooui></span>\n<mce:style><!  st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } -->\n\nAs it officially becomes summer and the swimsuit suit season arrives, let’s look at a rebirth of a classic surf brand icon.\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-indent: 0.5in;\">To begin, I must explain a little about my background. I grew up about a mile from the beach in Carlsbad, California. As far back as I can remember, we would ride our bikes down to the beach and spend the days of summer soaking up rays (pre-sunscreen days), catching waves, playing beach volleyball, tossing the Frisbee around and yes, girl-watching. I was a surf rat. I worked at a surf shop in Oceanside, California which was then called <em>Hobie Oceanside</em>, and has since been renamed <em>Surfride</em>. I grew up on brands such as O’Neil, Gotcha, Quicksilver, O.P. and Reef. My first job out of college was as a rep for several of these companies.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span> </span>As a rep I learned early on that many of these brands were using sex to sell their products. Beautiful women in bikinis became a central feature of surf posters displayed in stores and on surfer boys’ walls. It had become a way for companies to make a name for their brand and to sell their product, and one of these famous surf companies did just that to stand out from the rest. Reef designed a marketing campaign that would change the face of “bikini girl marketing,” putting their models in tiny thong bikinis which they coined the “Reef Girl.” And what do you know; the idea of women in thongs was so outrageous that literally overnight this little flip-flop company became a world-wide brand. It catapulted them and their brand above the rest. From posters to calendars to bikini contests, Reef girls became the signature of the Reef brand.</p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-indent: 0.5in;\">After years of success in the surf company industry and wide spread popularity of the Reef brand they felt that Reef could survive without the marketing ploy of the\nReef Girl contest, and were confident that the Reef brand could stand on its own. Did they know they were cutting off their nose despite their face? The Reef Girls were such an important piece of the Reef brand, it had become their signature, and in a way it had become their brand. With the disappearance of the Reef Girls came the drop in sales for the company and Reefs marketing presence dissipated as other surf companies jumped at the opportunity to show off their own brands. Well, it wasn’t long before customers, dealers, and young boys came clamoring for their thong bikini babes to return on calendars, posters, and pictures on the website. And yes, for the Reef Girls and their bikini contests to return as well.\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-indent: 0.5in;\">Following a two year hiatus, the Reef Girls returned. So is it coincidence? Could the brand and its products stand on their own without the wildly popular thong bikini stunt? Is it that the timing of repositioning their brand beyond a marketing stunt and the recession created a “perfect storm”? Is it because they listened to customers, dealers, and young boys around the world and relented to pressure? Or is it that this little marketing stunt which helped to propel their brand into a world wide recognizable one may have actually been a good idea in the first place?</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-indent: 0.5in;\">Whatever the reason, they’re back and you can vote for your all-time favorite Miss Reef as well as enter to become a judge at the next Miss Reef bikini contest in Panama at <a href=\"http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/bikini-contest--win-reef-bikini-girl-trip_27263/\">http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/bikini-contest--win-reef-bikini-girl-trip_27263/</a>. As for me, I am positive the return of the bikini thong girls will be driving tons and tons of traffic to their web site and creating quite a stir as well as helping to sell tons of flip flops. I’m also crossing my fingers that I win that contest!</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><em> by Michael Doyle, Brand Iron President</em></p>','Re-Birth of a Classic Surf Brand Icon','','publish','open','open','','re-birth-of-a-classic-surf-brand-icon','','','2009-06-29 12:51:29','2009-06-29 16:51:29','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=218',0,'post','',2),(967,7,'2009-07-07 11:45:04','2009-07-07 15:45:04','<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState=\"false\" LatentStyleCount=\"156\"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><span class=\"mceItemObject\"   classid=\"clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D\" id=ieooui></span> <mce:style><!\nst1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }\n--> <!--[endif]-->Not many of you know, but Michael Doyle participates in various speaking engagements all around Colorado. As a brand strategist, Michael speaks on a variety of topics including: <em>Building Brands that Drive Revenue, 10 Steps to Building an Effective Brand, How does your Brand Stack up? A Holistic Approach to Measuring a Brand</em> and <em>Maximizing your Brand through Social Media Marketing.</em>\n\nIn an effort to get the word out, Brand Iron is excited to announce the launch of a new site promoting Michael’s excellent speaking capabilities. This new site gives us more opportunity to feature Michael and how he has been shaping successful brands on national, regional and local levels for more than 20 years. Go to <a href=\"http://www.michaeldoyletalks.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.michaeldoyletalks.com</a> to see what Michael is about and what his speaking expertise can do for you or your brand.\n\nTo learn more about Michael Doyle, Brand Iron and scheduling him as a guest speaker, please visit <a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net\" target=\"_blank\">www.BrandIron.net</a> or give our team a call at 303.534.1901.\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"> </span></p>','Gather ‘Round Everyone','','publish','open','open','','gather-%e2%80%98round-everyone','','','2009-07-07 11:45:04','2009-07-07 15:45:04','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=221',0,'post','',0),(968,7,'2009-07-27 11:15:19','2009-07-27 15:15:19','Last week the Miami Herald reported that players from the University of Miami football team called to thank fans that had purchased season tickets for their support. They also called fans to invite them to the annual Canes Fest event to be held this coming Saturday. Fans were shocked and amazed to receive calls from the Hurricanes’ quarterback, Jacory Harris himself. Some were in utter disbelief and questioned whether the caller was really Jacory at all, several fans even quizzed him.\n\nThis interesting tactic by the “U” is making headlines. It shows that the Hurricanes are appreciative of the fact that fans are still spending money to see them play at a time when many people do not have discretionary income to spend on sporting events. It also appears to be a form of social marketing that’s working, and people can appreciate that these days. I’m not sure if season ticket holders will be receiving calls from Brandon Marshall, Lebron or Kobe any time soon, but it should be something to be considered, especially in the smaller markets. Take note Rockies– this may be something that could help put/keep people in seats for next year.\n\nWritten by: Mike Slife','Season Ticket Surprise','','publish','open','open','','season-ticket-surprise','','','2009-07-27 11:15:19','2009-07-27 15:15:19','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=223',0,'post','',0),(969,7,'2009-08-12 16:14:36','2009-08-12 16:14:36','Similar to meeting someone new, a business has a short amount of time to make a good first impression.  And once that perception is created, it is difficult to reverse.\n\nWhen a potential client sees your website, ad or collateral piece, you have about five seconds (maybe less) to help your target audience form an opinion about your company based on what they see.\n\nEven before a prospective client begins to read about what makes you better than the competition, they have already formed an idea about your company.  Consistency of imagery, color usage and font choice can make a big difference in whether or not a possible client feels compelled to find out more about your business.\n\nSome of the first impressions an individual may have after looking at your brand for the first time are: whether or not your brand seems relevant; whether the company appears competent in your industry or not and if it shares the same values as the potential client.\n\nAfter a first impression is made, your brand could fall into a few categories for prospective clients:\n\n•	Your brand doesn’t match the relevancy or their values they were hoping to find and is therefore not considered.\n•	Your brand connects with the potential customer on some level and makes it to the short list of possible brands to reach out to.\n•	Your brand connects with the client on a deep level, making it the ideal candidate. (Sometimes a brand can be too expensive or represents an ideal the company aspires to, but is not yet ready to implement.  This can put the brand on a pedestal- but it may not be the right timing.)\n\nDoes this mean your brand only gets one shot to make a connection to potential clients and customers?  Of course not, but the first impression is an important one, and if done right, you may create a curiosity that drives them to learn more about your company.\n\nSo what do you do after you’ve created a great first impression?\nKeep reaching out– keep talking so that when the time comes, your brand is top of mind. Research tells us it takes 7-12 “touches” for your brand to become recognizable and to be one that your target market will think of.\n\nWhile a first impression is incredibly important, the thing that can make a bigger impact is the lasting impression.  Here are some things to think about when trying to create a solid lasting impression for your brand:\n\n•	Do you deliver on your promises?\n•	Do you have superior customer service?\n•	Do you exceed the expectations of your clients?\n•	Are you consistent?  Does your brand and all the supporting materials match what your   company is really about?\n•	Are the client-facing individuals in your company “champions” of your brand?\n\nThe ultimate goal is to give the impression you want.  Hook your potential customers by being relevant and offering something that no one else in your space does, give them a great experience and make sure you’re consistently reinforcing the story of your business’ brand.  If you’re going to make an impression, take control and make a good one.\n\n<em> by Lauren Brenkle</em>','First Impressions','','publish','open','open','','first-impressions','','','2011-10-12 22:50:32','2011-10-12 22:50:32','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=228',0,'post','',0),(970,7,'2009-08-27 11:55:27','2009-08-27 15:55:27','A controversy ignited when a Swiss woman was recently fired for logging into her Facebook from home after she told her work she was too sick to look at a computer. This has reiterated the transparency of Facebook and other social networking sites, and the ways they connect your private life with your professional life on a daily basis.\n\nApplying for jobs out of college, people always warned me about the possibility of future employers scouring my Facebook page to learn more about me. I immediately changed all my profile settings so that only my closest friends and family could view my pictures, information, and wall posts and made sure to delete any pictures that I felt would not best represent my professionalism.\n\nAs I found myself jumping into the workforce I continued to Facebook as normal, but was quickly confronted with a new dilemma–the decision of whether or not to accept friendship requests from my new colleagues.\n\nShould I <em>friend them</em> and let them into my private life to view all my pictures, friends, wall posts and status updates? Should I <em>friend them</em> but block them from viewing pictures or other specific information, which they would undoubtedly know I had blocked them from seeing? Or should I ignore the request and go on as usual keeping my Facebook strictly part of my home life? And if I accepted one did I have to accept them all?\n\nIt was time to evaluate what Facebook meant to me and how I wanted to use it. When I asked some of my friends what they had done to deal with this I got every answer imaginable.\n\nOne friend said “no way, personal is personal and should be separate from the professional”. She actually seemed appalled that colleagues have even attempted to <em>friend</em> me at all.\n\nAnother friend said she chooses to keep her page private and sends a respectful message to those colleagues who <em>friend</em> her letting them know that she would like to keep her page private to close family and friends and hopes they understand. Others said they were friends with tons of work people and that they had enjoyed the perks of making connections with partners and colleagues in their field.\n\nAnd then there are those in the middle who choose to accept requests from some of their colleagues with whom they have formed friendships, but said that it had made them more aware of what they were posting on their page. Almost all of my friends said they would never <em>friend</em> their boss.\n\nIt seems there is no right or wrong answer at all. It depends on how you would like to use your page and how much information you like to divulge.\n\nAs for me, I have decided to use my page as a way to communicate with friends, family and coworkers. I’ve made it a conglomeration of things in a way. I don’t discuss work on my page and I don’t post anything too private. I have removed my political and religious information, just to be judicious.\n\nEveryone draws their own lines. I’ve made my rule of thumb: don’t post anything I wouldn’t want my mom to see.\n\nOverall, I find it enjoyable to get to know coworkers a little better, see what their hobbies and interests are and share my interests with them as well. I have kept in contact and made some great connections with past coworkers and I look forward to continuing to expand my Facebook network of friends.\n\n<em>-Kaitlyn Anderson</em>','The Politics of Facebook at Work','','publish','open','open','','the-politics-of-facebook','','','2009-08-27 11:55:27','2009-08-27 15:55:27','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=231',0,'post','',0),(971,7,'2009-09-01 12:49:52','2009-09-01 16:49:52','“Mike and Jim walked to the car, and he drove.” In this sentence, it is unclear who drove, Mike or Jim. The reader will be unable to determine it based on this sentence alone. It is clear that this sentence needs reworking, but sometimes the problem is a little less clear.\n\nIn marketing, there is a need for information to be interpreted quickly and accurately. Thus, it is that much more important to double check the copy, or even to hire a professional to ensure accurate and clear copy.\n\n“After Mike handed Jim a packet, he continued to work on the project.”\n\nHere the correct interpretation of this sentence is that Mike worked on the project more since Mike is the subject of the last phrase. However, the brain often associates the most recent noun with the pronoun, so it is common to assume Jim worked on the project after receiving the packet. Still, it is really unclear who the author intended to say worked on the project more, Mike or Jim. Such a sentence often results in a reread for the careful reader, which may only lead to more ambiguity. The less careful reader will merely interpret it one way whether that is the intended interpretation or not.\n\nIt is easy to write sentences like these, but it is difficult to spot the ambiguity. Often the author’s mind will simply supply the correct interpretation when the author proofreads the sentence. It may not be detrimental to interpret this sentence incorrectly, but sometimes the ambiguity can lead to problems. In writing, what is written is far more important that what is meant, since the author does not have the ability to clarify things for the reader, like one can do in speaking. Therefore, it is important to create copy that is clear and leaves little room for misinterpretation.\n\nEven though this sentence can be interpreted correctly by following the grammar rules, one needs to consider, first, whether the reader will do that, and second, whether one wants to force the reader to stop reading in order to come to a correct interpretation of the sentence.\n\nThere are a couple solutions to fix sentences like these. Supply the proper noun in place of the ambiguous pronoun:\n\n“After Mike handed Jim a packet, Mike continued to work on the project.”\n\nTo avoid redundancy, try using phrasing:\n\n“After handing Jim a packet, Mike continued to work on the project.”\n\nOr if Jim worked on the project:\n“After receiving a packet from Mike, Jim continued to work on the project.”\n\n<em>-Tommy Hummel, Operations Intern</em>','Whose pronoun?','','publish','open','open','','whose-pronoun','','','2009-09-01 12:49:52','2009-09-01 16:49:52','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=235',0,'post','',0),(972,7,'2009-09-14 14:30:56','2009-09-14 18:30:56','If you’ve ever thought about whether or not SEO would be an effective tool for you or your business, take a look at how this powerful internet marketing strategy helped one of our clients boost sales and web presence.\n\nWe started doing Search Engine Optimization for our client, Columbine Label Company, in July. Since then, they have been experienced huge jumps in their web traffic. Traffic is great, but driving business through new leads is better.\n\nThis is the email I received from our client last week:\n\n <img alt=\"\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/clcemail.jpg\" title=\"email\" class=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\" height=\"281\" />\n\nBrand Iron can help your business develop an effective SEO strategy. Every company has unique online goals, ie, 2nd handshake, resource for information, make online purchases, demonstrate expertise. A targeted SEO plan can be exactly the shot of adrenaline your company’s online presence needs. Learn more about our Web-O-Nanza™ program or call us today 303-534-1901.','The Power of SEO','','publish','open','open','','the-power-of-seo','','','2009-09-14 14:30:56','2009-09-14 18:30:56','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=237',0,'post','',0),(973,7,'2009-09-21 17:20:07','2009-09-21 21:20:07','Last week we skipped out on a day at our desks and spent the afternoon at Coors Field for a Rockies Game. We also enjoyed lunch at the local brewery next door.  After filling up on good food and local beer we walked across the street to Coors Field, lathered on the sunscreen and cracked open some peanuts (The perks of working at 2240 Blake Street), all the while becoming happier and more productive workers.\n\nThese “BI Fun Days” have become an important part of the work culture here. It may sound counterproductive to take your employees away from their e-mails, calendars, and reports but we’ve found it to be quite the opposite. These fun days have brought several benefits to our office, and in turn to our clients. Here are some of those benefits:\n1.	<em>Enhancing communication</em>, chatting over beer and peanuts has turned into a great way for us to get to know more about one another’s personalities, habits, and characters, fostering more positive communication.\n2.	<em>Building Morale</em>, getting out in the sun not only does the body good, but the mind and spirit as well. Healthier people are happier people, and happier people are just so much better to work with!\n3.	<em>Team Building</em>, gathering around a lunch table versus the conference table changes up the entire dynamic of the BI team, being together in different places and different situations allows a chance to enhance the feeling of being part of a team.  Laughing with someone makes it easier to work with someone.\n4.	<em>Sparking Creativity</em>, we all know too well what it feels like to run into a creative block, being stuck at your desk, staring at the same project for hours is bound to make anyone hit a wall, by spicing up the atmosphere we get a chance to revitalize and spark up new ideas.\n\nWhen a client walks in our office we want them to feel the positive energy. We want them to feel like this is a team they want to work with. The BI Fun Days have helped us maintain a work environment that people enjoy coming into every single day. And that’s worth more than money can buy. Fun at work is possible, and sometimes even necessary.','BI Fun Day','','publish','open','open','','bi-fun-day','','','2009-09-21 17:20:07','2009-09-21 21:20:07','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=240',0,'post','',0),(974,7,'2009-10-06 12:53:18','2009-10-06 16:53:18','I’ve noticed even in my own every day purchases that my buying habits have changed. New price points or repeated advertising messages entice me to try a new brand. Before I knew it, my brand loyalty had changed. Strangely even in my own tight purse these days, it still doesn’t stop me from treating myself to luxuries such as facials, hair products or restaurants that make me feel good. It’s now more than ever that I am loyal to those people/products/services, so that I am pretty much guaranteed a satisfied outcome. With a smaller amount of play money, I want to get the best experience for my dollar, therefore I am lured by extraordinary service.\n\nSince I am new to Denver, I am not (yet) loyal to any sports teams, so attending a Rockies game is more about catching a tan vs. catching a win. Since boiling in the afternoon heat automatically constitutes a beer or two, I was seeking the nearest vendor when I had the most interesting offer to have my face and feet sprayed with a water bottle while also selling me a beer. Did I look that parched? No -- cue Coors Field’s most reputable beer vendor: Brent Doeden aka. Captain Earthman.\n\nHe’s not hard to miss: with his trademark baseball hat (complete with pins, beer cans/bottles and alien antennas), colorful clothing and loud, raspy voice, you know when Captain Earthman is nearby. Not yet ready for a beer? No problem…he comes equipped with his misting water bottle, spraying anyone in his path or even dunks your baseball cap in his ice-cold cooler water. And in the event that you need a beer and he isn’t anywhere to be found, he also distributes business cards with his cell phone…so you can call him over and not miss a minute of the game.\n\nCaptain Earthman is a Coors Field staple and is continually awarded as one of the top 10 stadium vendors in the country. Although he works at various venues around the Denver area and even Rockies Spring Training in Arizona, you can always catch him at every Rockies game, working hard in the outfield bleachers.\n\nCaptain Earthman’s stadium popularity and nationwide notoriety is a representation of the venues he works and the products he sells. He unwaveringly offers service that goes above and beyond, which has me converted to not only always buying outfield tickets, but even forcing myself to drink a Coors Light. In the end, I am guaranteed a great beer, great service, a laugh, a cool down and overall, a great experience.\n\nCan your customers say that about your service? Who is the brand champion on your team? Does your business stand out in a crowd?\n\n<em>-Rebecca Watry, BrandIron Account Manager</em>','“Standing out in a crowd” – Brand Champions at work','','publish','open','open','','%e2%80%9cstanding-out-in-a-crowd%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-brand-champions-at-work','','','2009-10-06 12:53:18','2009-10-06 16:53:18','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=248',0,'post','',0),(975,7,'2009-10-14 13:54:47','2009-10-14 17:54:47','We wanted to quickly share some exciting news with everyone:  Brand Iron has received the Art Directors Club of Denver Gold award for its advertising campaign developed for The Denver Athletic Club.  The Gold award is for the best campaign and was presented recently at the 2009 ADCD Annual Show.\n\nWe are, of course, very proud and honored to be chosen for this award.  It is a testament to the quality work of our team and we want to thank CEO Andre van Hall and The DAC for the opportunity to be involved in creating this campaign.\n\nThe Art Directors Club of Denver is a local non-profit, multi-disciplinary creative organization focused on strengthening the creative community through education, workshops, informative events and an annual design competition.  Utilizing a national panel of judges, the ADCD annually recognizes top work from a variety of categories including graphic design, video and sound, print advertising, new media web and photography.  More than 425 entries were submitted for this year’s competition.\n\nThe advertising campaign Brand Iron developed for The Denver Athletic Club was designed to convey a new and exciting club atmosphere.  By focusing on and demonstrating the benefits of a holistic club – one that offers athletic, business and social activities – the campaign’s goal was to draw attention to the club and attract new membership.  It is well on its way to strengthening The DAC’s presence and position in the marketplace.\n\nThe ad campaign for The Denver Athletic Club can be found at www.brandiron.net.\n\n<em>- Jim Miller, Public Relations </em>','Brand Iron Earns Highest Award from Art Directors Club of Denver','','publish','open','open','','brand-iron-earns-highest-award-from-art-directors-club-of-denver','','','2009-10-14 13:54:47','2009-10-14 17:54:47','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=253',0,'post','',0),(976,7,'2009-10-27 11:54:38','2009-10-27 15:54:38','The rumors are true, the famous Disney star and teen idol, Miley Cyrus, has deleted her twitter account leaving thousands of followers/fans feeling “neglected” according to an MTV.com article. It seems they will have to go on with their lives without knowing what Miley ate for breakfast, what song she’s listening to on her iPod, or what her dog just did. Stating that the site had begun to “blur the lines between her private and public life” she chose to terminate the account when she realized how much time she was wasting on the site.\n\nSo when do our tweets start to defeat the purpose of Twitter? And what even is the real purpose of twitter? I guess I’m not sure what its original intention was but it has become a mix of micro-blogging, instant messaging, and status updates built around different emerging social trends. For some Twitter users, it is a business tool, for others it’s simply a way to keep in touch with friends, and for many it has become a way to keep up on what celebrities are doing on a daily basis.\n\nMany think that Twitter is just a way to talk about the mindless stuff people do all day and to stalk their favorite celebrities. My rebuttal to those people is that the glory of Twitter is you can make it what you want it to be. You don’t have to follow any celebrities, you don’t have to follow politicians, and you don’t even have to follow anyone you know. You can keep it to just your friends, just people in your industry, or just news sources. And if someone starts to tweet about mundane things that are boring to you, you can \'un-follow\' them, never to receive a boring tweet from them again.\n\nOn the other hand, you can tweet about whatever you want. If you want to tell people what you did in your morning workout, what you are doing this weekend, or if you found a cool restaurant you want to recommend, it’s all up to you. I choose to tweet mostly to my friends, but I follow many news sources, travel experts, and all things Colorado. I constantly follow new people, and delete old people I am not getting any value from following. My advice to skeptics – don’t knock it till you try it. It may take time to find the perfect balance of tweeting and following but once you do, it can be both useful and entertaining.\n<em>\n- Kaitlyn Anderson, Marketing Trailblazer</em>','Twitterpated','','publish','open','open','','twitterpated','','','2009-10-27 11:54:38','2009-10-27 15:54:38','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=255',0,'post','',1),(977,7,'2009-11-03 13:21:14','2009-11-03 17:21:14','I went shopping for a new phone the other day. I gravitated immediately to the iPhones and Blackberries. Then I moved down the line to the other phones with names I hadn’t heard of, but I had heard of the companies that built them. Finally I picked up a phone that seemed to represent the generic brand of phones. Immediately I began questioning the reliability of this product. Would I get the coverage I need? Would it break after only two months? It is cheaper, and I really don’t need all the features in the top-of-the-line model. But will I be replacing it much sooner?\n\nWhere did all of these questions come from? I’ve never read any studies comparing the quality of name-brand phones with generic phones. Nor have I seen any news reports regarding the quality of these phones. I haven’t even done any anecdotal studies with my friends comparing the two choices. All I know, and all I am basing my decision on is name recognition. I recognize the iPhone and the Blackberry, so I immediately assume they will perform better and last longer.\n\nNow the question naturally arises, what if the generic phones did publish a series of reports detailing their superior longevity and coverage, but they did nothing to increase awareness of their product brand? I think it is safe to assume they would see a small increase in sales as a result of the few who took the time to read through the reports. This is the power of branding. Through multiple impressions placed on a consumer’s mind, a well-executed branding strategy can trump a detailed scientific study and will ultimately drive more sales and revenue.\n\nMost consumers, myself included, do not have time to wade through scientific reports every time we make a purchase. We want to make the purchase quickly and move on to the next thing. How can we make good decisions and decisions we are happy with then? We pick a good brand and stick with it. Each additional impression further deepens our loyalty for that brand, a sort of salve for the buyer’s remorse syndrome.\n\nI didn’t end up buying any phones that day. But I did get a good idea for a blog entry.\n\n<em>-Tommy Hummel</em>','Brand New Stuff','','publish','open','open','','brand-new-stuff','','','2009-11-03 13:21:14','2009-11-03 17:21:14','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=257',0,'post','',0),(978,4,'2009-11-13 14:54:58','2009-11-13 14:54:58','Re-branding can be just the shot of adrenaline your company needs to stay competitive, relevant and modern. Adapting to the times – and presenting yourself in the best light possible can lead to big changes in the way your target audience perceives your company.\n\nWe wanted to show you some recent samples of our re-branding work. The examples below different greatly in industry, but share one important trait: they all felt their current brands were holding them back from reaching their full potentials.\n\n<strong>CapitalValue Advisors</strong>\nCapitalValue Advisors, sometimes known to their clients as CVA, wanted to integrate a standalone icon with their type treatment. In the future, they wanted the ability to use only the icon, but in the meantime, did not want to alienate clients and prospects who knew them as their full name, CapitalValue Advisors.\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/capvalue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"276\" height=\"148\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/capvaluesite.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"442\" height=\"396\" />\n\n<strong>Forensic Laboratories</strong>\nForensic Laboratories has made great strides in their business in recent history. To capitalize on their business growth and increased national and local attention, Forensic Laboratories needed an updated brand to communicate not only where there are – but where they were headed: the best drug testing laboratory in the U.S. and industry leader in accuracy, technology and expertise.\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/forensic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"335\" height=\"134\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/forensicsite.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"423\" height=\"347\" />\n\n<strong>MPEG LA</strong>\nAs the world’s leader in independent intellectual property patent pools, MPEG LA needed to communicate their leadership within the industry. One thing the client wanted to preserve was the red/green/black color scheme of their old logo.\nThe icon, which can be a stand-alone identity piece, symbolically communicates the value MPEG LA brings to its patent users and holders: making something great from the combination of many pieces.\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/mpeg.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"141\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/mpegsite.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"443\" height=\"363\" />\n\nContact us today if your company needs to address its brand – whether visually (as demonstrated above), readdressing your sales, marketing and operations process, or leveraging the value of your current brand to drive more revenue.\n\n<em>Written by Josh Barker, Brand Manager</em>','Is your current brand (or logo) losing its luster? Re-brand and re-engage your audience.','','publish','open','open','','is-your-current-brand-or-logo-losing-its-luster-re-brand-and-re-engage-your-audience','','','2011-10-12 22:50:25','2011-10-12 22:50:25','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=259',0,'post','',1),(979,3,'2009-11-18 12:45:38','2009-11-18 16:45:38','Now that we are in the 4th quarter it is the time to take a look at how we faired this year and plan to take our brands and results to the next level for 2010. If you’re like the vast majority of the companies out there you’re probably starting to look seriously at how to pick things up for this coming year. Here are a few things to look at which can help you reach your goals and objectives for 2010:\n\n1)	Have a vision of just what you are trying to accomplish in 2010 and be committed to it\n2)	Know how you and your company is going to be “the next big thing” this coming year\n3)	Know how you are going to be memorable and stay in the forefront of the people and customers who you want to be doing business with\n4)	Understand how you are you going to reach out and utilize social networking, social media and the internet to build relationships\n5)	You need to know how you are going to execute and get it done\n6)	Understand your ABC’s – Always be closing!\n\nNow is the time to plan to put together a plan to crush your goals for this coming year. And now is the time to map out specifically how you are going position your company to be the next big thing and make 2010 a year to remember.\n\n<em>- Michael Doyle, President and CEO</em>','Time to plan for 2010','','publish','open','open','','time-to-plan-for-2010','','','2009-11-18 12:45:38','2009-11-18 16:45:38','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=263',0,'post','',0),(980,7,'2009-12-07 16:49:37','2009-12-07 20:49:37','Twitter Co-founder Biz Stone stated the other day “Twitter isn’t for sale. Although an IPO may be an option in the future, who knows.” He then went on to say that “we need to create value for our users/customers before we can create value for ourselves.”\n\nReading this article it struck me that not only do I love this guys name, I also love his view on creating brand value. He understands that if you create value and loyalty among your customers, you are creating company and brand value.  I also respect Mr. Stone’s view because he understands this business value has to generate actual dollars sooner or later.\n\nBeyond understanding what product or service we are selling, we all need to understand how we can create real customer value and actual/tangible results. We also need to grasp how we tie in the brand recognition with the revenue generation that is going to create leads, which will turn into real dollars and value that our companies are going to benefit from.\n\n<em>- Michael Doyle, President and CEO </em>','Biz Stone Knows Brand Value','','publish','open','open','','biz-stone-knows-brand-value','','','2009-12-07 16:49:37','2009-12-07 20:49:37','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=266',0,'post','',1),(981,3,'2009-12-09 13:47:55','2009-12-09 17:47:55','Last week, when Comcast announced that it was taking majority ownership of NBC Universal (purchasing 51 percent of storied TV network for around $14 billion), many wondered if the foundations of “free TV” were starting to crumble.  If nothing else, it is a clear indication that the shift in how people get their news and entertainment has changed forever.\n\nHere are some things on the plus-side:  More TV choices, more often…even on your mobile device; the ability to watch TV whenever and wherever; faster access to movies: movies from Universal Pictures will arrive on cable sooner; more programs on phones and online.\n\nAnd while Comcast claims the move is “pro-consumer,” there will surely be some down-side: Higher cable bills for one thing.  It may also mean that we see Comcast withhold channels from competitors (therefore consumers) like Dish Network or DirecTV.  Don’t be surprised if someday soon we will all pay an on-demand fee for premium material (read: Super Bowl and the Olympics to name a few).\n\nWe’ve seen these “content” and “distribution” mergers before:  Time Warner and AOL tied the knot 1986, Disney and ABC did so in 1995.  Ironically, just as Philadelphia-based Comcast and NBC announce their engagement, Time Warner and AOL just announced plans for divorce.\n\nRegulatory approval is still needed to close the deal but provided it happens, the TV landscape will continue to reshape itself.  Will it ultimately be for better or worse?   As they used to say back in the day: Stay tuned\n\n<em>- Jim Miller, Public Relations</em>','Comcast Takes Over NBC:  What Price Will We Pay?','','publish','open','open','','comcast-takes-over-nbc-what-price-will-we-pay','','','2009-12-09 13:47:55','2009-12-09 17:47:55','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=268',0,'post','',1),(982,7,'2009-12-15 13:47:22','2009-12-15 17:47:22','Thanks to our partners and friends who made it out to our annual Holiday Partner Event at the Reserve List in Denver last week. There was wine tasting, food, and great conversation. Check out the shots below to see photographic evidence of the good times had by all.\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/wine.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/brandiron.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/everyone.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" />\n\nYou can view the rest of the photos on our Facebook page: <strong>\n<a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/ybu3k2f\" target=\"_blank\">http://tinyurl.com/ybu3k2f</a></strong>\nThank you to the Reserve List for the amazing space and fabulous selection of wine. And thank you as always to our partners and friends. See you all in 2010!','‘Tis the Season!','','publish','open','open','','%e2%80%98tis-the-season','','','2009-12-15 13:47:22','2009-12-15 17:47:22','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=271',0,'post','',0),(983,7,'2009-12-29 13:48:09','2009-12-29 17:48:09','With all the negativity around terrible TV show content such as MTV’s “Jersey Shore” or the publicity around the poor moral choices celebrities such as Tiger Woods make, it’s pretty obvious that even if it’s negative, attention is attention. In the advertising world, getting attention is the name of the game. I’m all about clever advertising. After working with some great mentors in my life with more experience than I’ve been alive, I consider myself pretty seasoned and receptive to TV spots or ads that get noticed.\n\nSo after reading the latest Dockers “soft khakis” ad, I won’t lie…I wanted to jump up and scream “AMEN!” But after reading an article with opinions that followed, it was disheartening as a woman to read between the lines. Ok, don’t get me wrong, I get it, but at the same time, I feel very strange about the line “the world decided it no longer needed men.” Really? And after dissecting some of the other lines, I wondered “does anyone else feel uncomfortable about this?”\n\nI think the correlation of men needing to “wear the pants” and selling pants is clever, I just think this opens such a huge can of controversy. Even though controversy after all, IS what gets our attention.\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/dockers.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"261\" />\n\n<a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/yf336lh\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>http://tinyurl.com/yf336lh</strong></a>\n\n<em>-Rebecca Watry, BrandIron Account Manager</em>','What gets your attention?','','publish','open','open','','what-gets-your-attention','','','2009-12-29 13:48:09','2009-12-29 17:48:09','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=273',0,'post','',0),(984,7,'2010-01-05 14:05:32','2010-01-05 18:05:32','<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/chrisphoto.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"357\" height=\"341\" />\n\nHi, my name is Chris.\nI am the newest member of the Brand Iron team, joining the firm as Art Director earlier this year. I started my graphic art and web design career in 2004 in Southern California in the booming Action Sports industry. My first position was at Surf Ride Board Shops, a large retailer of surf boards and apparel.  In 2007, I became the Senior Designer at Adio Footwear in San Diego.  From 2006-2008 I also was a co-owner of Dagrander Studios, a marketing, advertising, branding and web development company.\n\nIn 2008 my wife Kelsay and I moved to Colorado in 2008 and accepted a Senior Designer position at Crocs Footwear. At Crocs, I was charged with advertising campaign development and implementation, unique product promotion, retail space marketing and product line development.\n\nIn my new position at Brand Iron, I will manage the company’s creative department with responsibility for the visual development of printed and web materials with emphasis on design implementation of branding strategy.\n\nAway from the office I enjoy snowboarding, hiking, and pretty much anything to do with the mountains.\n\nIf you want to see a neglected website full of some old work of mine, check out http://www.paperastronaut.com.\n\n<em>-Chris Schindler, Design Bandit</em>','The Latest Addition to the Ranch','','publish','open','open','','the-latest-addition-to-the-ranch','','','2010-01-05 14:05:32','2010-01-05 18:05:32','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=275',0,'post','',1),(985,7,'2010-01-19 13:09:00','2010-01-19 17:09:00','The biggest challenge small businesses face today continues to be operating in a sluggish economy.  As a small business ourselves, and despite economic conditions, Brand Iron continues to thrive.  Last year was a record year for the company.  We attribute our success partly to our willingness to face this challenge head on.   Rather than cut back on sales and marketing efforts to save cash, we recognize that now is the best opportunity to market our business.  It is a chance to separate ourselves from others, so we continue to be aggressive in its business development and marketing.\n\nBrand Iron’s management philosophy centers around a team-oriented approach made up of individuals who understand and embrace an entrepreneurial spirit.  Our firm is made up of individuals who subscribe to this approach.  Inherently, this type of spirit produces strong accountability, team work, creative thinking, problem solving and a win-win attitude.  This approach ultimately leads to producing outstanding results for our clients.\n\nExemplary customer service is another essential piece of the foundation for any successful business operation.  It may sound obvious, but Brand Iron is committed to demonstrating outstanding customer service from the outset of every client relationship.  You would be surprised at the number of businesses out there who don’t put much emphasis on customer service…they operate as though it is a given.  Unless you focus on it, the concept gradually slips away.  From our initial “Brandstorming” session with every client, we map out clearly defined goals and objectives, detailed time lines and create accountability methods (for both the agency and the client) to ensure success.  The final step of our 7-Step Process -- “Running the Ranch” – ensures that we monitor progress in all client relationships and demonstrate goal-oriented success.  Internally, our Client Services team meets regularly to ensure client relationships stay strong and that we deliver a solid ROI.\n\n<em>-Jim Miller, Public Relations</em>','Secrets to Our Success','','publish','open','open','','secrets-to-our-success','','','2010-01-19 13:09:00','2010-01-19 17:09:00','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=291',0,'post','',0),(986,7,'2010-01-25 17:07:06','2010-01-25 21:07:06','I saw nothing short of a miracle the other day when I went with one of my clients to experience one of their assessments. My client is Infinite Health & Wellness, their President & CEO is Christine Bartel, she has a special gift when it comes to understanding the messed up health care system, understanding the people that can’t fight for themselves and how to help those who need healthcare help the most, the elderly.\n\nWe went and visited with a mother who was around 90 years old, and her daughter of about 60. The daughter suffers from Cerebral Palsy and is deaf and the mom had a stroke in the past, leaving the left side of her body paralyzed and restricting the use her left hand, causing her terrible pain to the point where she was crying on the day we visited. They both need help to live their daily lives; they need 24 hour care. Christine talked with her nurse who said that they had finished treatment on the mother’s hand. Our question was, if they were done treating her, why was this mom still in so much pain still?\n\nChristine asked to talk with someone regarding the treatment of this elderly mom and her disabled daughter, the charge nurse at the nursing home didn’t want to talk with Christine because of legal issues, which I understand, but even after the mom and her daughter gave them authority to chat with Christine, the lead nurse was indignant and started to question why Christine was there and commented that she should mind her own business. She didn’t want Christine to get involved because the mom and her daughter weren’t getting taking care of properly.\n\nUnfortunately this kind of treatment isn’t that uncommon for the elderly, if fact not only do they not get properly taken care of, they get taken advantage of. Take the mom and her daughter for example, they have been taken advantage of repeatedly, one healthcare worker stole from their bank account, another stole their credit cards and racked up a bunch of unauthorized charges, another one claimed to love the daughter just to get close enough so he could steal money from them and yet another took thousands of dollars and a car to help with his “non-profit” organization.\n\nIt is appalling what happens to our elderly, they are the great forgotten class who can’t speak up for themselves and they need a need a champion to fight for their rights. That champion is Christine Bartel and her company Infinite Health and Wellness, they fight for healthcare reform and are fighting to make sure the elderly don’t get taken advantage of anymore.\n\nChristine is currently waste deep in trying to get this elderly mom and her disabled daughter properly taken care of, I’ll keep you posted as to the progress she is making. In the mean time you can find out information about Infinite Health and Wellness at: www.Infinitehealthandwellness.net\n\nLook for updates on: Infinite Advocacy for the Elderly and the forgotten generation\nat brandiron.net/blog\n\nTill next time,\n\nMichael','Infinite Advocacy for the Elderly','','publish','open','open','','infinite-advocacy-for-the-elderly','','','2010-01-25 17:07:06','2010-01-25 21:07:06','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=294',0,'post','',0),(987,7,'2010-01-29 19:38:03','2010-01-29 23:38:03','<table style=\"width:auto;\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SIdH6U6FtaOfH0Jzk2nI9g?authkey=Gv1sRgCIWWkey01M-1Hg&feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh4.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/S2NxGPcErpI/AAAAAAAADvY/OZKnnog22Lg/s400/Picture%208.png\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right\">From <a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/joshuaraybarker/JoshuaBarker?authkey=Gv1sRgCIWWkey01M-1Hg&feat=embedwebsite\">Joshua Barker</a></td></tr></table>','We love getting emails like this','','publish','open','open','','we-love-getting-emails-like-this','','','2010-01-29 19:38:03','2010-01-29 23:38:03','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=296',0,'post','',1),(988,7,'2010-02-02 12:34:44','2010-02-02 16:34:44','The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce has just informed us that we are one of the three finalists in their Small Business of the Year, Business Award Program. For those of you keeping track of Brand Iron news, this is the second year in a row we\'ve been up for this honor.\n\nWe are very excited to be a finalist as three are many great small businesses in downtown Denver. We would like to thank all our clients and partners in helping us achieve a great 2009.\n\nThe announcement will be made at The Business Awards luncheon on Wednesday, April 21st at the Hyatt - Colorado Convention Center from 11:00 am - 1:00 am. Stay Tuned.\n\n<em>- The Brand Iron Team </em>','Brand Iron is a finalist for the DMCC Small Business of the Year Award','','publish','open','open','','brand-iron-is-a-finalist-for-the-dmcc-small-business-of-the-year-award','','','2010-02-02 12:34:44','2010-02-02 16:34:44','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=298',0,'post','',0),(989,7,'2010-02-11 11:24:22','2010-02-11 15:24:22','[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\" caption=\"MTV Logo - Before and After\"]<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/blog_images/mtv_logo.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"MTV Logo - Before and After\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/blog_images/mtv_logo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"204\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nMTV released it\'s newly updated logo today. The logo facelift was done by the in-house design team which had the tough job of updating the world wide icon which had been previously untouched since August of \'81. As you can see the white strokes giving the log dimension have increased in width, the TV has been smoothed out, and the legs of the M have been chopped off giving the appearance of greater width. But most notably \"MUSIC TELEVISION\" has been removed probably due to the lack of music videos in the past 5 -10 years. Go to Mtv.com to check out the new applications of this unmistakable icon.','MTV Updates Classic Logo','','publish','open','open','','mtv-updates-classic-logo','','','2010-02-11 11:24:22','2010-02-11 15:24:22','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=300',0,'post','',0),(990,7,'2010-02-19 19:12:47','2010-02-19 23:12:47','This morning Tiger Woods broke his three month silence and apologized on national television. The under 15 minute press conference gave Woods a chance to apologize for his actions and clear up some “rumors” that had been spreading since the Thanksgiving night incident.\n\n Woods read line for line from a sheet of paper which he reportedly wrote himself and every once and awhile would look up to stare deeply into the camera as if “look into camera” were written right on his sheet.  Many people hoping to get a heart-felt and sincere apology were extremely let down.\n\nDespite weather or not you feel Woods meant what he said, much of the nation was tuning in to hear what he had to say. The Wall Street Journal reported that there was a slight lull in market activity during Tiger Woods\' press conference “it seems like there was something of a lull and definitely a clear pickup during and after Tiger’s somewhat creepily choreographed apology.”\n\nSo how will Woods attempt to regain forgiveness from his family, friends and fans and win back the respect of those in the golf world as well as his once faithful sponsors? I know if I were him I’d start with a real apology, one not rehearsed, one from the heart, and I’d look into my friends and families eyes when I gave it. As for his sponsors, in my opinion he’s tarnished his name forever. The sport of golf may accept him back, but his name will always carry a connotation beyond just a great golfer.\n\n<em>-Kaitlyn Anderson, Junior Brand Wrangler </em>','Tiger Woods - A Failed Attempt at Apology','','publish','open','open','','tiger-woods-a-failed-attempt-at-apology','','','2010-02-19 19:12:47','2010-02-19 23:12:47','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=305',0,'post','',2),(991,8,'2010-03-04 16:24:16','2010-03-04 20:24:16','A close friend of Brand Iron, David Avrin is currently touring the country with his new book, <em>“It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You.” </em>For more than 20 years David has been on the forefront of the marketing, public relations, and branding industries. Now he is taking his show on the road to share his wisdom with small business owners and entrepreneurs all over the country, promoting his fresh off the press publication.\n\nRecognized as “The Visibility Coach,” David is a well-known international speaker and consultant. He has been able to come to the rescue of many professionals and entrepreneurs by refining their messages, building their brands and promoting the unique aspects of their business. Avrin understands the plight of small businesses’ inability to afford hiring outside firms. He has developed strategies to build market awareness without the high costs.\n\nAvrin’s published argument that “it’s not who you know, but who knows you,” makes perfect sense in this economy. It’s impossible for a professional to know all his potential clients, but it is perfectly feasible for all the potential clients to recognize a business. Avrin believes this is possible through raising the profile of the business and creating a strong brand implementation. Below is a passage from his introduction (which he explicitly asks you to not skip):\n\n“The fact is that you can never know all your prospective customers, but if you’re going to attract new customers or clients, they’d better know you. As I am fond of reminding my audiences: “If they don’t know who you are, they can’t buy what you’re selling.”\n\nCheck out his book, recently ranked No.1 in Small Business Marketing Books on Amazon.com.','“It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows YOU.”','','publish','open','open','','%e2%80%9cit%e2%80%99s-not-who-you-know-it%e2%80%99s-who-knows-you%e2%80%9d','','','2010-03-04 16:24:16','2010-03-04 20:24:16','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=309',0,'post','',0),(992,8,'2010-03-04 16:27:58','2010-03-04 20:27:58','Last Wednesday, our very own Brand Champion Michael Doyle gave a talk entitled “The Importance of a Brand. How to create one. And how to make it memorable.” It was an intimate gathering of about ten business leaders perched on backless stools and Michael had them all engaged.\n\nThe event kicked off with everyone introducing themselves and their industries.  As always, it was great to see Brand Iron friends, clients, as well as some new faces. All the guests expressed how they felt their companies could be better branded, and the marketing issues they faced. It was great to see such a wide spectrum of professionals attending for a common purpose: to learn how to better brand their companies.\n\nUsing digital slides to illustrate his main points, Michael touched on important points such as scouting out the competition, owning the market space and being the next big thing (easier said than done.)  He stressed the significance of branding yourself before another company brands you, using the popular television ad war between AT&amp;T and Verizon as a relevant example.\n\nAt the conclusion, Michael and the rest of the guests exchanged business cards and mingled like it was a cocktail party and not an 8:00am lecture on branding. The event can definitely be considered a success and Michael was even asked to come back. Aside from a repeat of last week’s talk, Michael has a lot more speaking engagements already scheduled for this year. Stay tuned!\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/apple.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /><img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/apple2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />\n\n<em>Written by Heather Sundell, Marketing Intern</em>','Michael Doyle Speaks at Aspen Grove','','publish','open','open','','michael-doyle-speaks-at-aspen-grove','','','2010-03-04 16:27:58','2010-03-04 20:27:58','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=311',0,'post','',0),(993,9,'2010-03-15 12:09:33','2010-03-15 16:09:33','My name is Heather Sundell and I am the newbie here at Brand Iron, it’s been almost a month since I started here as an Intern. I clock in at about 25 unpaid hours a week. Why? Because it’s awesome place to work.\n\nA little over a year ago I became an economic cliché and was let go from my job. (Let the somber violin concerto commence.) After a few months of frantic job hunting and questioning my entire past 23 years of existence, I decided that a change was in order so I picked up my entire life and moved from the only home I had ever known, Los Angeles, to Denver.\n\nDespite the change in location, I quickly started to realize that my English degree from the University of Southern California (no matter how prestigious the football team) was, as so many peers predicted, quasi-useless.\n\nApart from my education, my prior jobs in online marketing and web management weren’t exactly the directions I wanted to go. I began to rethink my strategy. I would have to go back to square one and offer my services as an unpaid intern.\n\nSo, here I am learning the agency business and I couldn’t be happier. Brand Iron is a wonderful company, and I feel so fortunate that I was given a chance to learn and grow in the branding and advertising industry with such friendly, knowledgeable co-workers.','Hello Brand Iron Friends!','','publish','open','open','','hello-brand-iron-friends','','','2010-03-15 12:09:33','2010-03-15 16:09:33','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=313',0,'post','',0),(994,4,'2010-04-05 18:10:46','2010-04-05 22:10:46','[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"211\" caption=\"Hi\"]<img alt=\"Hi\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/blog_images/ao.jpg\" title=\"Abbey ONeal\" width=\"211\" height=\"357\" />[/caption]It’s been a few months since my first day here at Brand Iron, (41 days to be exact) so while a little delayed, this technically serves as my introduction post.\n\nThe professional-me snapshot:\nMy early agency existence sprouted primarily public relations and social media experience. With a few shifts on the marketing scale over the past several years, I had a good feeling from the get-go about the awesome opportunity Brand Iron offered to continue down this path. Joining the team as a Brand Wrangler, (in Google Translate terms, think - account manager) I right away took the reins of the race horse that was my client project list.\nMy days were busy at the onset but great nonetheless. In fact, I’d like to take this second to say how rad the team is here at ‘the ranch.’ It’s always a transition to start somewhere new – getting ingrained in the processes, adapting to the culture, absorbing the general agency practices – but starting with day one I was embraced by this group. A collective mix of talent and passion, I realized it almost instantly. Things are different here. Hard work doesn’t come easy but here, it’s done well because the people love what they do. In short, I thought (and shared with others), ‘this is awesome.’\n\nAnd now a few other things:\nAs a Colorado-native and former-Denver dweller, I recently (re)relocated back to the Mile High city, after being in Boston for a bit. Living just up a square from Harvard and a stone’s throw from the Charles River, I worked with PR firm Porter Novelli while there. From traffic and digital mapping to B2B software to commercial printers, I supported a list of technology companies through PR and online marketing. After my return, I spent a few months with the Denver Film Society as a part of the media relations team to promote the 32nd Starz Denver Film Festival, before saddling up with Brand Iron. Among many things, a definite high point of 2009 was investing in some serious mat and mental time to become a certified yoga instructor. Whether in the studio or at the office, the practice keeps me grounded.\nNow that the weather has turned, I’m stoked to be back near the Rockies. White water rafting, baseball games (let’s go Sox!), and hiking – have set a goal to conquer my first 14-er this year – will fill the summer’s when-not-at-Brand-Iron activities list.\n\nAnd in the meantime, you’ll find me, along with the rest of the crew, doing what we do at our sweet new digs on 24th and Larimer. (More on that soon…)\n\n<em>-Abbey O\'Neal, Brand Wrangler </em>','Brand Iron | Day 41','','publish','open','open','','brand-iron-day-41','','','2010-04-05 18:10:46','2010-04-05 22:10:46','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=317',0,'post','',0),(995,8,'2010-04-26 13:07:12','2010-04-26 17:07:12','You can’t ignore that fact that business has been down the last several years. The question is what can we do now? Today is perfect time for businesses to brand and position their companies for expansion, growth and a possible acquisition. Having gone through two major recessions over the last 10 years, money has been next to impossible to come by for many businesses and mergers and acquisitions have come to a screeching halt. With this current recession ending and the dot com bust becoming a thing of the past, many business owners want to build up their businesses and cash out.\n\nThe best and most effective way to get acquired is to brand and position your company for growth, expansion, increased revenue and profits which will in turn lead to increased business value. Now is a great time to gain market share because a lot of businesses have been hammered by the recession and many don’t have a lot of cash to finance branding, marketing and expanded sales efforts, thus making it great time for you to take advantage of weakened competitors and gain market share.\n\nBranding and positioning your companies to own your space in the marketplace, by defining key differentiators and an easy to understand brand value proposition allows people to understand how and why you are better than the competition and why they should buy your product or service.\n\nDon’t waste any time or allow your competitors to grow and expand before you do. Brand and position your company and prepare yourself for an acquisition that will set you up for life. Get started today.\n<em>\n-Michael Doyle, CEO and Brand Champion\n</em>','Branding and Positioning for Acquisition','','publish','open','open','','branding-and-positioning-for-acquisition','','','2010-04-26 13:07:12','2010-04-26 17:07:12','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=322',0,'post','',0),(996,10,'2010-05-07 17:20:38','2010-05-07 21:20:38','[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"208\" caption=\"I usually look much more professional than this\"]<img title=\"justin\" src=\"http://i42.tinypic.com/69jhn6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"276\" />[/caption]\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Hi, I’m Justin! I’m the newest addition to the creative team here at Brand Iron. I started here right as we moved into our amazing new offices (perfect timing if you ask me). </span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> </span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I grew up in Oklahoma, you know, “where the wind comes sweeping down the plains”, making me a perfect fit here at the Brand Iron ranch.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"> </span>As a freelance graphic designer I had the opportunity to work from anywhere, so last summer I decided to saddle up and hit the ol’ dusty trail, which led me straight to Denver City.</span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> </span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">One of the best things about being a freelancer (other than the fact I could just roll out of bed and be at “the office”) is the opportunity to be involved with a variety of design projects.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"> </span>That definitely hasn’t changed since starting here at Brand Iron, which is one of the reasons that my transition has been such a smooth one.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"> </span>On top of the variety of projects ranging from coding websites to designing bike jerseys, Brand Iron has the added bonus of working with highly motivated talent and an inspiring work environment.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"> </span>I’m very excited to be a part of the Brand Iron team and I look forward to cranking out some awesome designs for our clients!</span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> </span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A tad more about me… </span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> </span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">When my mom would take me shopping as a kid I’d make my own toys from objects I found on the floor. I’ve known what I wanted to do since middle school and have been designing professionally since the 11<sup>th</sup> grade. Since then I’ve designed everything from edgy band merch for artists you’ve heard on the radio to corporate websites for brands you see in stores.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"> </span></span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> </span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I have a balanced love of technology and nature.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"> </span>I love any sort of creative outlet, especially ones that require me to get my hands dirty. I love music, and chances are if you stop by I’ll be the one wearing gigantic headphones and maybe even dancing in my chair a little.</span></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;\"><em><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">-Justin Clark, Design Bandit</span></span></em></p>','Allow myself to introduce… myself','','publish','open','open','','allow-myself-to-introduce%e2%80%a6-myself','','','2010-05-07 17:20:38','2010-05-07 21:20:38','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=324',0,'post','',0),(997,9,'2010-05-21 11:45:55','2010-05-21 15:45:55','<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">It was the beginning of my sophomore year and the entire student body at USC had just gained access to the newbie social networking site. We learned that Facebook originated at Harvard, spread to the other Ivy’s and finally made the 3,000 miles journey west to Stanford, UCLA, and USC. My friends and I carefully crafted our retrospectively primitive profiles by adding birthdays, classes and other basic information. We agonized over the perfect profile picture because if you recall, users were only offered one pixilated representation.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">Recently Facebook has undergone scrutiny regarding their privacy settings. It seems that people are suddenly feeling violated by the somewhat complicated privacy options. In fact, recently I have found myself defending Facebook’s honor whenever a disloyal user casually threatens to un-friend the online sphere. I stand by my conviction that social networking will only further infiltrate our society; there is no sense in fighting an inevitable. I’m sure there was much controversy over e-mail in its infantile stage; how impersonal! Can you imagine not using it now?</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">Honestly, having been a Facebook user for six harmonious years has afforded me the luxury of growing with the network. Mark Zuckerberg and his team have introduced countless changes and tweaks every year, which has made understanding what Facebook is today fairly seamless for long-time members, such as myself.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">However, every one of those new additions was met with resistance from users, because people don’t like change. Some people might remember the controversy over the introduction of the news feed about three years ago. The modification took some adjusting, but right on its heels followed its cousin, Twitter.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">But back to the privacy uproar of present. Yes, more information is available online; your information to be exact. However, skeptics tend to overlook that users are in full control of how much information is given. The only real requirements are your full name and email, which is a heck of a lot less incriminating than ordering a pair of shoes online.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">While the sharing of personal information is admittedly a scary subject, it’s the future. I suppose I just don’t find our future to be bleak. The world wide transmission of information has led to so many wonderful reunions and created an easy way to connect. I personally keep in touch with literally hundreds of people I would have otherwise let fall to the wayside of my life. Aside from personal connections, I feel more connected to the world in general, and I don’t even mind being shown targeted advertisements every three seconds.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">Bottom line: Next time you get frustrated/upset because you keep getting Farmville invitations or you just saw that your Ex is engaged…rethink pressing the delete button. The truth is you’ll only end up signing up again once you get bored/curious/over your Ex.</p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 24px; line-height: 36px;\">-Heather Sundell</p>','In Defense of Facebook','','publish','open','open','','in-defense-of-facebook','','','2010-05-21 11:45:55','2010-05-21 15:45:55','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=343',0,'post','',0),(998,5,'2010-05-24 12:40:43','2010-05-24 16:40:43','Today’s economic climate and growing market competition create major challenges for businesses of any size.  As business pressures mount, it is proven that stronger brands have better success weathering storms.  Being able to differentiate, demonstrate value and cultivate meaningful relationships with customers is critical to long-term success. In other words, “Brands are the express checkout for people living their lives at ever increasing speed,” says Brandweek.\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">But businesses who work hard to create strong brand value sometimes fall into the trap of thinking the work is done.  Protecting and defending your brand can prove to be just as valuable as building it. “Reputation Management” is a necessary component that must be part of every company’s strategic, long-term plan.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">The formula for potential disaster is simple: Surprise creates uncertainty, uncertainty leads to distrust.  Any sort of distrust in business is a threat to your overall viability. The “crisis” may be an allegation, an accident, a lawsuit, an investigation or a media inquiry.  Companies that are prepared to deal with the unexpected are in a better position to maintain their reputations.  In many cases, preparation and the ability to respond quickly can minimize the depth of a crisis.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">Preparation and crisis communication planning involves many aspects.  It should include the development of protocols, procedures and rapid response action steps.  It should address the proper chain of command and identify those who may be designated as spokespeople.  It should define the various target audiences (including your employees) to whom communications would be delivered and the various methods or sources for how it would be delivered.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">“A reputation is an incredible asset, one you can’t appreciate until you lose it,” said the former CEO of Waste Management, Steve Miller.  “And when you do, every aspect of business gets harder and more costly.”</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\">-Jim Miller</p>','Protecting and Defending your Brand: Preparation is Key','','publish','open','open','','protecting-and-defending-your-brand-preparation-is-key','','','2010-05-24 12:40:43','2010-05-24 16:40:43','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=346',0,'post','',0),(999,4,'2010-06-11 14:00:45','2010-06-11 18:00:45','Brand Iron does websites. Actually, we do lots of websites, but not too many that we don’t celebrate the launch and birth of every single one. Below are some of our recent “prides and joys”.<span> </span>Launching a new site is an exciting time for our clients because they start seeing the rewards almost immediately. Benefits of a new site include: better positioning and messaging to prospects, improved SEO, or simply having a better, more dynamic presence on the world wide web.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.revenueenterprises.com\">Revenue Enterprises :: Accounts Receivables and Collections :: www.revenueenterprises.com</a>\n<a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hVwzA9leY4CbKnypSeyhRg-Zfwy31nzFUhcAD_0w5BE?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/TBJzD5b8DpI/AAAAAAAAEIE/RlyG9bHdH04/s400/Revenue%20Enterprises_1276277253560.png\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://cresync.esssoftware.com/\">ESS Software :: A software solutions company for commercial real estate :: cresync.esssoftware.com</a>\n<a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AvzWUiLSK8Usikg5m1kvbQ-Zfwy31nzFUhcAD_0w5BE?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh5.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/TBJ15OSu1RI/AAAAAAAAEIQ/KTp6c-SfLbI/s400/ESS%20Software%20-%20Home_1276278135611.png\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://infinitehealthandwellness.net/\">Infinite Health & Wellness :: www.infinitehealthandwellness.net</a>\n<a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/68ejRMSpSuWVoX89v2Tw7g-Zfwy31nzFUhcAD_0w5BE?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/TBJzD3u0svI/AAAAAAAAEII/eKO76-a9eqY/s400/Infinite%20Health%20%26%20Wellness_1276277369903.png\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.thenesbittgroup.com\">\nThe Nesbitt Group :: Denver commercial real estate broker :: www.thenesbittgroup.com </a>\n<a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NUdo3AnRGwUyr8_sJpQ5nA-Zfwy31nzFUhcAD_0w5BE?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh3.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/TBJ3hArk2hI/AAAAAAAAEIU/pjyXFjiECvA/s400/The%20Nesbitt%20Group_1276278560532.png\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.venturelawadvisors.com/index.htm\">Venture Law Advisors :: Denver law advisors for emerging and growth companies :: www.venturelawadvisors.com</a>\n<a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iUjq0WBAyUotNbfs5VbbJA-Zfwy31nzFUhcAD_0w5BE?feat=embedwebsite\"><img src=\"http://lh5.ggpht.com/_r5Cc5VYffnw/TBJzEdPlKRI/AAAAAAAAEIM/8zX3iWtDVlA/s400/Venture%20Law%20Advisors_1276277411356.png\" /></a>\n\nContact Brand Iron today and let\'s start building your new site.','Website Branding and Development','','publish','open','open','','website-branding-and-development','','','2010-06-11 14:00:45','2010-06-11 18:00:45','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=348',0,'post','',0),(1000,4,'2010-06-17 16:21:05','2010-06-17 20:21:05','<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Brand Iron has just completed the redesign of The Nesbitt Group\'s website. This included a creation of new messaging, new look and feel and the integration of the Wordpress platform. The use of Wordpress has been very beneficial to our client\'s performance needs with their new site. These benefits include:</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">1. Ability to update content and new pages in-house.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">2. Greater visibility to search engines (SEO).</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">3. Quick and easy to update clients with up-to-date news (blog).</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">4. Ability to easily add new functions to your site (plug-ins).</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Check out <a href=\"http://www.thenesbittgroup.com\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.thenesbittgroup.com</a> and see the power of Wordpress. It might be a great fit for your companies needs.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/nes-03751-home-v4.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-354\" title=\"nes-03751-home-v4\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/nes-03751-home-v4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"366\" /></a></p>','Brand Iron launches new site for The Nesbitt Group','','publish','open','open','','brand-iron-launches-new-site-for-the-nesbitt-group','','','2010-06-17 16:21:05','2010-06-17 20:21:05','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=351',0,'post','',0),(1001,8,'2010-06-21 12:03:01','2010-06-21 16:03:01','If you think branding is about flashy logos, being trendy and unquantifiable results, you are dead wrong. Branding is about winning, producing tangible results and reaching both your personal and corporate goals. Here are a few qualifiers on which you can measure your brands success and see those results.\n\n#1 Branding is about owning your space in the marketplace and being the #1 brand whether you are a consumer product or a service company. Winning in your space means you will be the most frequently sought out brand in your industry.\n\n#2 Branding is about quantifiable results which allow you to see an actual increase in the number of leads generated, greater number of overall sales, increasing revenue and ultimately more profit towards the bottom line. These results are not just for the company, they’re for your entire executive team who will also help you to reach your personal goals.\n\n#3 Branding is about winning the hearts and minds of your employees. I call this Internal Branding. It is so important to have everyone within your company understand your brand, your position, your value proposition and how to make it a great brand experience for your customers. Communicating the brand message to the marketing team, the sales department and the operations team will help your company deliver on the brand promise and produce results.\n\n#4 Branding is about gaining market share, expanding into new markets and regions, and increasing your brand recognition both locally and globally. This includes introducing new product lines, expanding service areas and allowing you and your company to grow as experts in your field.\n\n#5 Branding is about being the go-to resource and the expert in your space. As an expert you will be the one the media calls on for information regarding your industry. Your company will be the one they follow and write about. Winning also means staying ahead of your competition and having other companies strive to emulate your brand and be like your company.\n\nBeyond the look and feel, branding is about winning and producing results, it’s about branding and positioning the company and yourself to reach your bigger picture goals and objectives. A strong brand has the ability to help your company get to the next level, raise capital for growth, go public, and maybe even get acquired so you sail off into the sunset….\n\n-Michael Doyle, Brand Champion','Branding Is About Winning','','publish','open','open','','branding-is-about-winning','','','2010-06-21 12:03:01','2010-06-21 16:03:01','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=356',0,'post','',0),(1002,11,'2010-07-14 12:53:42','2010-07-14 12:53:42','This past week I was in California for some wine tasting and a wedding (sounds fancy doesn’t it?). Cruising around California’s wine country in a limousine was the most unlikely of places I expected to realize the power of branding, but as we veered through the valley I looked to see the famed Opus One Winery. Opus One is a winery famous for both its esteemed creators Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, as well as its premium priced wine. To be successful selling its fancy wine at about $300 a bottle, in a valley housing 500-some wineries, they have to be doing something right and I think it’s safe to assume much of it is brand power. I mean sure, it helps that the owners have already branded their own famous wine labels, but clearly a little branding goes a long ways.\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/opus-one-building1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-362\" title=\"Opus Wine Building\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/opus-one-building1-300x102.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"102\" /></a></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Everything from the architecture of the building (which literally rises out of the ground) to the labels on the bottle describe their unique and “upper-class” creation. The winery is meant to mirror the wine – “a meeting of new and old world aesthetics”. In 1984 when the 1979 and 1981 vintages were unveiled, Opus One became known as America’s first ultra-premium white wine. This milestone set the tone for an expensive winery to make its mark in the industry.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/opusone-3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-361\" title=\"Opus One Wine Bottle \" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/opusone-3-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The association of aristocracy and exclusivity that the winery has created around their product draws people to simply drive around the property so they can brag they’ve been there (guilty as charged). But even more amazing are people visiting the winery to taste one measly glass of the Bordeaux blend for a hefty penny and an even bigger lump of change to purchase a bottle or case. While many of the mid range wines in Napa Valley have struggled to fill shelves in a tough economy, Opus One continues to thrive as an exclusive winery, as well a popular tourist destination.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">During the rest of my week long trip there I noticed many other ways wineries tried to differentiate themselves from the competition. They utilized their labels, décor of tasting rooms, cheese and chocolate pairings with wine, unique wine glasses and most importantly their names. One of my other favorite places was Fleury, a small winery that only sells their product in house and bottles only a few thousand cases a year total. Their distinctiveness and brand differentiation could be found in the name of their most popular wine “F-in Red”. You have to love a little humor in the midst of so many literal wine names like <em>Maple Vineyard Zinfandel</em> or <em>Late Harvest Riesling. </em></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">-Kaitlyn Anderson, Brand Manager</p>','Branding While Drinking...','','publish','open','open','','branding-while-drinking','','','2011-10-12 22:50:17','2011-10-12 22:50:17','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/blog/?p=359',0,'post','',1),(1004,2,'2011-10-06 18:15:32','2011-10-06 22:15:32','<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Arguably the best Brand Champion that ever lived</strong></p>\r\n\"It\'s not the consumer\'s job to know what they want,” one of the greatest Steve Jobs quotes of all time. How would a consumer know that they want a device that they have never fathomed existing before such as a gadget smaller than a checkbook that can hold over 2,000 songs, or a revolutionary touch screen phone with a widescreen iPod and irreplicable web accessibility, or a touchable “pad” smaller than a piece of paper than can email, surf the web, and watch movies. This is what Steve Jobs did best, envisioned and created consumer desire where there was none. Jobs created a cult following in his products by shaping his brand perception so precisely. A true Mac follower wants the new Apple product even before they know what it is. 30 million iPads, 100 million iPhones, and 300 million iPods were not sold solely because they were great products (though they are), they were sold because of the ethos of the Apple brand that people identify so strongly with. The ethos of Apple is where Steve Jobs’ genius really shined.\r\n\r\nWhen we think back to the most memorable commercials of all time, we think of Britney Spears and Pepsi, “Can you hear me know” from Verizon, Budweiser frogs, and of course the 1984 Apple Commercial. The 1984 commercial started the Apple ethos that PC users were mindless drones slaving to Big Brother, and everyone unique, hip, and passionate were clearly Apple. We have seen this idea in almost every <a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Apple-Stuffed.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-922\" title=\"Apple Stuffed\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Apple-Stuffed-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" /></a>Apple marketing campaign since 1984, including the “10<sup>th</sup> funniest commercial of all time”- Apple’s Stuffed (pictured left), where streamlined Josh Long in jeans and t-shirt embodies Mac and the “stuffed” man in a suit waddling around represents PC. Mac is perceived as the computer of the youth, which is most evident on college campuses (shown below).<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/apple_via_engadget_classroom.png\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-924 alignleft\" title=\"apple_via_engadget_classroom\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/apple_via_engadget_classroom-300x185.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSteve Jobs was on the forefront of forming and constantly maintaining this perception of Apple. Jobs personified the mac image in himself. When Apple would announce the release of a new product, Jobs would be there presenting it and championing the brand in his jeans and black turtleneck. He personally stood behind and promoted every single product Apple touched, how many CEO’s can you say that about? This dedication to the business and brand is what made Jobs one of the most well known executives of all time.','Steve Jobs, …The Apple of our i’s','','publish','open','open','','steve-jobs-%e2%80%a6the-apple-of-our-i%e2%80%99s','','','2011-10-19 20:45:39','2011-10-19 20:45:39','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/?p=921',0,'post','',0),(1005,1,'2011-10-12 22:30:44','2011-10-12 22:30:44','','What Is Branding?','','publish','open','open','','what-is-branding-2','','','2011-10-19 22:52:19','2011-10-19 22:52:19','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?p=1005',4,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1006,1,'2011-10-12 22:33:47','2011-10-12 22:33:47','','Video Testimonials','','publish','open','open','','video-testimonials-2','','','2011-10-19 22:52:19','2011-10-19 22:52:19','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?p=1006',5,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1007,1,'2011-10-12 22:34:55','2011-10-12 22:34:55','','Our Team','','publish','open','open','','our-team-2','','','2011-10-19 22:52:19','2011-10-19 22:52:19','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?p=1007',6,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1009,1,'2011-10-12 22:35:37','2011-10-12 22:35:37',' ','','','publish','open','open','','1009','','','2012-07-25 20:50:48','2012-07-25 20:50:48','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?p=1009',1,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1010,1,'2011-10-12 22:36:05','2011-10-12 22:36:05',' ','Who We Are','','publish','open','open','','who-we-are-3','','','2011-10-19 22:52:19','2011-10-19 22:52:19','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?p=1010',1,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1011,1,'2011-10-12 22:38:17','2011-10-12 22:38:17','','Business LifeCycle Branding','','publish','open','open','','business-lifecycle-branding-2','','','2012-07-25 20:50:48','2012-07-25 20:50:48','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?p=1011',2,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1012,1,'2011-10-12 22:38:17','2011-10-12 22:38:17','','Brand Champions','','publish','open','open','','brand-champions-2','','','2012-07-25 20:50:48','2012-07-25 20:50:48','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?p=1012',3,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1013,1,'2011-10-12 22:38:17','2011-10-12 22:38:17','','Proprietary 7-Step Process','','publish','open','open','','7-step-process-2','','','2012-07-25 20:50:48','2012-07-25 20:50:48','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?p=1013',4,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1014,1,'2011-10-12 22:38:17','2011-10-12 22:38:17','','Services','','publish','open','open','','services-2','','','2012-07-25 20:50:48','2012-07-25 20:50:48','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?p=1014',5,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1016,1,'2010-07-14 12:53:42','2010-07-14 16:53:42','This past week I was in California for some wine tasting and a wedding (sounds fancy doesn’t it?). Cruising around California’s wine country in a limousine was the most unlikely of places I expected to realize the power of branding, but as we veered through the valley I looked to see the famed Opus One Winery. Opus One is a winery famous for both its esteemed creators Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, as well as its premium priced wine. To be successful selling its fancy wine at about $300 a bottle, in a valley housing 500-some wineries, they have to be doing something right and I think it’s safe to assume much of it is brand power. I mean sure, it helps that the owners have already branded their own famous wine labels, but clearly a little branding goes a long ways.\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/opus-one-building1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-362\" title=\"Opus Wine Building\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/opus-one-building1-300x102.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"102\" /></a></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Everything from the architecture of the building (which literally rises out of the ground) to the labels on the bottle describe their unique and “upper-class” creation. The winery is meant to mirror the wine – “a meeting of new and old world aesthetics”. In 1984 when the 1979 and 1981 vintages were unveiled, Opus One became known as America’s first ultra-premium white wine. This milestone set the tone for an expensive winery to make its mark in the industry.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/opusone-3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-361\" title=\"Opus One Wine Bottle \" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/opusone-3-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The association of aristocracy and exclusivity that the winery has created around their product draws people to simply drive around the property so they can brag they’ve been there (guilty as charged). But even more amazing are people visiting the winery to taste one measly glass of the Bordeaux blend for a hefty penny and an even bigger lump of change to purchase a bottle or case. While many of the mid range wines in Napa Valley have struggled to fill shelves in a tough economy, Opus One continues to thrive as an exclusive winery, as well a popular tourist destination.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">During the rest of my week long trip there I noticed many other ways wineries tried to differentiate themselves from the competition. They utilized their labels, décor of tasting rooms, cheese and chocolate pairings with wine, unique wine glasses and most importantly their names. One of my other favorite places was Fleury, a small winery that only sells their product in house and bottles only a few thousand cases a year total. Their distinctiveness and brand differentiation could be found in the name of their most popular wine “F-in Red”. You have to love a little humor in the midst of so many literal wine names like <em>Maple Vineyard Zinfandel</em> or <em>Late Harvest Riesling. </em></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">-Kaitlyn Anderson, Brand Manager</p>','Branding While Drinking...','','inherit','open','open','','1002-revision','','','2010-07-14 12:53:42','2010-07-14 16:53:42','',1002,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1002-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1017,1,'2009-11-13 14:54:58','2009-11-13 18:54:58','Re-branding can be just the shot of adrenaline your company needs to stay competitive, relevant and modern. Adapting to the times – and presenting yourself in the best light possible can lead to big changes in the way your target audience perceives your company.\n\nWe wanted to show you some recent samples of our re-branding work. The examples below different greatly in industry, but share one important trait: they all felt their current brands were holding them back from reaching their full potentials.\n\n<strong>CapitalValue Advisors</strong>\nCapitalValue Advisors, sometimes known to their clients as CVA, wanted to integrate a standalone icon with their type treatment. In the future, they wanted the ability to use only the icon, but in the meantime, did not want to alienate clients and prospects who knew them as their full name, CapitalValue Advisors.\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/capvalue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"276\" height=\"148\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/capvaluesite.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"442\" height=\"396\" />\n\n<strong>Forensic Laboratories</strong>\nForensic Laboratories has made great strides in their business in recent history. To capitalize on their business growth and increased national and local attention, Forensic Laboratories needed an updated brand to communicate not only where there are – but where they were headed: the best drug testing laboratory in the U.S. and industry leader in accuracy, technology and expertise.\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/forensic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"335\" height=\"134\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/forensicsite.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"423\" height=\"347\" />\n\n<strong>MPEG LA</strong>\nAs the world’s leader in independent intellectual property patent pools, MPEG LA needed to communicate their leadership within the industry. One thing the client wanted to preserve was the red/green/black color scheme of their old logo.\nThe icon, which can be a stand-alone identity piece, symbolically communicates the value MPEG LA brings to its patent users and holders: making something great from the combination of many pieces.\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/mpeg.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"141\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/jb/mpegsite.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"443\" height=\"363\" />\n\nContact us today if your company needs to address its brand – whether visually (as demonstrated above), readdressing your sales, marketing and operations process, or leveraging the value of your current brand to drive more revenue.\n\n<em>Written by Josh Barker, Brand Manager</em>','Is your current brand (or logo) losing its luster? Re-brand and re-engage your audience.','','inherit','open','open','','978-revision','','','2009-11-13 14:54:58','2009-11-13 18:54:58','',978,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/978-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1018,1,'2009-08-12 16:14:36','2009-08-12 20:14:36','Similar to meeting someone new, a business has a short amount of time to make a good first impression.  And once that perception is created, it is difficult to reverse.\n\nWhen a potential client sees your website, ad or collateral piece, you have about five seconds (maybe less) to help your target audience form an opinion about your company based on what they see.\n\nEven before a prospective client begins to read about what makes you better than the competition, they have already formed an idea about your company.  Consistency of imagery, color usage and font choice can make a big difference in whether or not a possible client feels compelled to find out more about your business.\n\nSome of the first impressions an individual may have after looking at your brand for the first time are: whether or not your brand seems relevant; whether the company appears competent in your industry or not and if it shares the same values as the potential client.\n\nAfter a first impression is made, your brand could fall into a few categories for prospective clients:\n\n•	Your brand doesn’t match the relevancy or their values they were hoping to find and is therefore not considered.\n•	Your brand connects with the potential customer on some level and makes it to the short list of possible brands to reach out to.\n•	Your brand connects with the client on a deep level, making it the ideal candidate. (Sometimes a brand can be too expensive or represents an ideal the company aspires to, but is not yet ready to implement.  This can put the brand on a pedestal- but it may not be the right timing.)\n\nDoes this mean your brand only gets one shot to make a connection to potential clients and customers?  Of course not, but the first impression is an important one, and if done right, you may create a curiosity that drives them to learn more about your company.\n\nSo what do you do after you’ve created a great first impression?\nKeep reaching out– keep talking so that when the time comes, your brand is top of mind. Research tells us it takes 7-12 “touches” for your brand to become recognizable and to be one that your target market will think of.\n\nWhile a first impression is incredibly important, the thing that can make a bigger impact is the lasting impression.  Here are some things to think about when trying to create a solid lasting impression for your brand:\n\n•	Do you deliver on your promises?\n•	Do you have superior customer service?\n•	Do you exceed the expectations of your clients?\n•	Are you consistent?  Does your brand and all the supporting materials match what your   company is really about?\n•	Are the client-facing individuals in your company “champions” of your brand?\n\nThe ultimate goal is to give the impression you want.  Hook your potential customers by being relevant and offering something that no one else in your space does, give them a great experience and make sure you’re consistently reinforcing the story of your business’ brand.  If you’re going to make an impression, take control and make a good one.\n\n<em> by Lauren Brenkle</em>','First Impressions','','inherit','open','open','','969-revision','','','2009-08-12 16:14:36','2009-08-12 20:14:36','',969,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/969-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1019,1,'2008-11-25 11:17:45','2008-11-25 15:17:45','McDonalds recently launched a new Quarter Pounder brand in Toyko. Thus far, it’s creating quite the stir in the branding world due to the fact the McDonald’s “Golden arches” are nowhere to be found.\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"meal\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/Golden%20Arches%20Images/Picture1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"372\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"image2\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/Golden%20Arches%20Images/Picture3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"390\" />\n\nAccording to Business Week (September 19, 2008), McDonalds ranks #8 on the Best 100 Global Brands lists. (Note: the only other restaurant brand that cracked the Top 100 was KFC at #64.)\n\n<strong>With $37 billion in brand revenue – the big question is “Why would they deviate from their dominate brand?” </strong>\nMy only guess to why they would not use the brand they have spent decades and billions creating, is that they want to generate internet buzz around their new product offering. (Hey, it’s working right?)  I imagine this campaign will not rollout worldwide – but the new “no frills bundling” of this McDonald’s classic will be coming to a normally-branded McDonalds near you.\n\nAfter the buzz has reached nearly every web-savy, fast-food consumer / pop culture junkie, I think they will ditch the black and red “no brand” and you will soon be able to walk into a McDonalds and order the no frills “Quarter Pounder” meal. No choices. No questions. No sizes to choose from. Actually, there is just one choice: single or double:\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"image3\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/Blogimages/Golden%20Arches%20Images/Picture2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"178\" />\n\nI think there are some things every business can learn from this.\n• Creating buzz takes time, money and a great idea\n• You can touch a lot of people thru the web\n• Interesting and unique news travels fast\n• Doing something controversial creates buzz\n\nMcDonalds has created a pseudo-brand and an entire network of stores in Toyko to drive web excitement around their new product. Most of us develop product sheets and an email blast to inform our customers and to drive excitement. Clearly, when you want BIG results, you need BIG ideas.\n\nIf you want to get to the next level, you need a unique idea that will set you apart from the competition and the gall to do it. Nice job McDonalds.\n\nAt Brand Iron, we’ll help you get outside the box when you want to create excitement around your brand. We’ll develop plans, creative ideas and tactics that will get noticed and will get your audience talking.\n\n<em>- Josh Barker, Brand Wrangler</em>','The “No Brand” – by McDonalds, an internet buzz sensation','','inherit','open','open','','949-revision','','','2008-11-25 11:17:45','2008-11-25 15:17:45','',949,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/949-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1020,1,'2008-08-26 12:50:37','2008-08-26 16:50:37','I can’t tell you how many times I have heard companies say they want to revise and improve their company brand.  Nine out of 10 times, what they really mean is that they want to come up with a new and improved logo, website or other visual presentations of their brand’s “look and feel.” A company’s logo/corporate identity, website and other visual elements are important in communicating a brand, but by no means are they the only things that represent your brand.\n\nYour brand is a relationship you have with your customers, prospects, suspects, partners, vendors and the general business community. It’s hard for me to imagine how a logo, website or other visual elements solely convey what your brand represents. My personal feeling is that strong brands require much more thought than just a shinny logo or slick website.\n\nI believe that strong brands, first and foremost, are strategically designed around what space you want to own and why your company is better than the competition. The company has to know just why it is better, and know how to effectively communicate that simple message clearly and concisely.\n\nGreat companies know how to effectively market and get their message out, not only through advertising, but through multiple mediums that reach their targets via the mediums that their targets interact with. You must accept and believe that these days it requires many mediums to be able to make a connection that is real and cuts through the clutter to drive results.\n\nFirst, you have to know how to integrate this message into your company internally. Get the operations, sales and marketing all on the same page and understand what the brand stands for and how to deliver on the stated brand promise.\n\nGreat companies also understand that it takes more than looks.  Your product or service has to fulfill the promise that it is cracked up to be.  It has to be able to deliver the goods and make customers and clients true brand believers.\n\nFor a brand to be great these days you have to have strategy, substance, succinct message, and yes, a good logo and nice website.  But you also must have the determination and commitment to succeed. A great brand requires a holistic and integrated approach, much more than just a snappy logo.\n\n<em>Written by Michael Doyle, President of Brand Iron</em>','Branding- It\'s not about the logo','','inherit','open','open','','941-revision','','','2008-08-26 12:50:37','2008-08-26 16:50:37','',941,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/941-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1021,1,'2007-10-03 17:21:00','2007-10-03 21:21:00','<a href=\"http://bp1.blogger.com/_W3-wyNo_VuQ/RwQIRlpdP3I/AAAAAAAAABs/eHGaYEGZG2E/s1600-h/logos_nslttr_wrg.jpg\"><span style=\"font-size:85%;\"><img id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117224174856519538\" style=\"DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://bp1.blogger.com/_W3-wyNo_VuQ/RwQIRlpdP3I/AAAAAAAAABs/eHGaYEGZG2E/s200/logos_nslttr_wrg.jpg\" border=\"0\" /></span></a><span style=\"font-size:85%;\"> <strong>The Wright Group</strong> offers personalized commercial insurance and employee benefits plans for emerging organizations. They have the specialized knowledge and experience to strategically develop and execute customized insurance plans for companies that need to stay competitive. Meeting your company\'s financial and lifestyle goals is The Wright Group\'s number one priority.<br />Brand Iron and The Wright Group are working together to create a brand that will help drive revenue. Stay tuned for The Wright Group\'s new delivery process, website rollout and other marketing that is sure to demand the attention of their target market.</span><br /><br /><span style=\"font-size:85%;\"></span><br /><img id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117226653052649346\" style=\"DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 110px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px; TEXT-ALIGN: center\" height=\"116\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://bp2.blogger.com/_W3-wyNo_VuQ/RwQKh1pdP4I/AAAAAAAAAB0/qI1km6bxohM/s200/DrHaas.jpg\" width=\"126\" border=\"0\" /><br /><span style=\"font-size:85%;\"><strong><span style=\"color:#330000;\">Caring Hands Chiropractic</span></strong> is Brand Iron\'s newest Small Business Model client. Dr. Haas, Owner of Caring Hands Chiropractic, has dedicated his practice to helping his clients live a pain-free life. He believes the keys to a healthy lifestyle are rooted in good fitness/exercise habits, regular sleep habits, work/life balance, healthy eating habits and experienced chiropractic care.<br /><br />Brand Iron is assisting Dr. Haas in crafting and communicating his unique selling position. He has taken a pro-active approach within his industry - focusing on preventative care and focusing on his clients\' long- and short-term health. Brand Iron is helping his business grow through increased brand recognition and unique messaging.</span><br /><br /><span style=\"font-size:85%;\"></span><span style=\"font-size:85%;\"><br />Brand Iron\'s Small Business Model is the perfect solution for companies who want to succeed. We\'ll coach you on:<br /></span><span style=\"font-size:85%;\"></span><br /><span style=\"font-size:85%;\"><ul><br /><li>Creating brand value </li><br /><li>Generating additional revenue </li><br /><li>Developing and executing tactical implementation plans </li><br /><li></span><span style=\"font-size:85%;\">Sales, Marketing and Operations strategy</span></li></ul><br /><span style=\"font-size:85%;color:#330000;\"><strong>If you are interested in the Small Business Model - please call us at 303-534-1901 for a free 15-minute consultation on whether this program is right for your company.</strong></span>','New Clients That Have Saddled-up','','inherit','open','open','','915-revision','','','2007-10-03 17:21:00','2007-10-03 21:21:00','',915,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/915-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2252,1,'2012-08-17 15:42:04','2012-08-17 15:42:04','','Portfolio v2','','inherit','closed','open','','2002-revision-5','','','2012-08-17 15:42:04','2012-08-17 15:42:04','',2002,'http://10.1.1.200/general/2002-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(2248,1,'2012-08-14 16:13:40','2012-08-14 16:13:40','','Center 6','','inherit','closed','open','','2118-revision-3','','','2012-08-14 16:13:40','2012-08-14 16:13:40','',2118,'http://10.1.1.200/general/2118-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2249,1,'2012-08-17 14:59:32','2012-08-17 14:59:32','','Center 6','','inherit','closed','open','','2118-revision-4','','','2012-08-17 14:59:32','2012-08-17 14:59:32','',2118,'http://10.1.1.200/general/2118-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2250,1,'2012-08-03 20:12:59','2012-08-03 20:12:59','','Portfolio v2','','inherit','closed','open','','2002-revision-4','','','2012-08-03 20:12:59','2012-08-03 20:12:59','',2002,'http://10.1.1.200/general/2002-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2251,1,'2012-08-17 15:44:24','2012-08-17 15:44:24','','Portfolio v2','','inherit','closed','open','','2002-autosave','','','2012-08-17 15:44:24','2012-08-17 15:44:24','',2002,'http://10.1.1.200/general/2002-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1028,1,'2011-10-12 23:21:42','2011-10-12 23:21:42','[gravityform id=3 name=DACMarketing Request Form title=false]','DAC Marketing Request Form','','publish','open','open','','dac-marketing-request','','','2011-10-12 23:24:02','2011-10-12 23:24:02','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?page_id=1028',0,'page','',0),(1029,1,'2011-10-12 23:21:16','2011-10-12 23:21:16','','DAC Marketing Request Form','','inherit','open','open','','1028-revision','','','2011-10-12 23:21:16','2011-10-12 23:21:16','',1028,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1028-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1030,1,'2011-10-12 23:21:42','2011-10-12 23:21:42','[gravityform id=3 name=DACMarketing Request Form title=false]','DAC Marketing Request Form','','inherit','open','open','','1028-revision-2','','','2011-10-12 23:21:42','2011-10-12 23:21:42','',1028,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1028-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1031,1,'2011-10-12 23:22:23','2011-10-12 23:22:23','[gravityform id=3 name=DACMarketing Request Form title=false]','DAC Marketing Request Form','','inherit','open','open','','1028-revision-3','','','2011-10-12 23:22:23','2011-10-12 23:22:23','',1028,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1028-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1037,1,'2011-10-03 22:39:31','2011-10-03 22:39:31','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.\r\n\r\nBased on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.\r\n\r\nFrom our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.\r\n\r\nRegardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n</div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – This is the “light bulb” stage, in other words, the concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – Stage two is considered “megaphone” stage. It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Also known as the “money” stage. Businesses in this stage are focused on creating sustainability through customer expansion, retention and overall growth. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.”  Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong> – Opportunity is knocking. A successful business is now on the verge of rapid growth through aggressive transaction activity. Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A merger, sale, or leadership transition is in the offing as the business owner prepares to bow out of the business. <strong></strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','open','open','','357-revision-7','','','2011-10-03 22:39:31','2011-10-03 22:39:31','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/357-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(1038,1,'2011-10-13 17:12:41','2011-10-13 17:12:41','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.\r\n \r\nBased on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles.  They include:  Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization.   By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies.  As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.\r\n\r\nFrom our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.\r\n \r\nRegardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n</div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – This is the “light bulb” stage, in other words, the concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – Stage two is considered “megaphone” stage. It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Also known as the “money” stage. Businesses in this stage are focused on creating sustainability through customer expansion, retention and overall growth. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.”  Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong> – Opportunity is knocking. A successful business is now on the verge of rapid growth through aggressive transaction activity. Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A merger, sale, or leadership transition is in the offing as the business owner prepares to bow out of the business. <strong></strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','open','open','','357-revision-8','','','2011-10-13 17:12:41','2011-10-13 17:12:41','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/357-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(1039,1,'2011-10-13 17:14:12','2011-10-13 17:14:12','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.\r\n \r\nBased on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles.  They include:  Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization.   By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies.  As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.\r\n\r\nFrom our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.\r\n \r\nRegardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n</div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance.  It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation.  The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention.  They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.”   Ask yourself:  Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity.   Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category.  Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage.  The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed.  The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value.  A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business.  Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','open','open','','357-revision-9','','','2011-10-13 17:14:12','2011-10-13 17:14:12','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/357-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(1040,1,'2011-10-13 20:48:42','2011-10-13 20:48:42','','digital323-corpid-thumb','','inherit','open','open','','digital323-corpid-thumb','','','2011-10-13 20:48:42','2011-10-13 20:48:42','',120,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/digital323-corpid-thumb.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1041,1,'2011-10-11 21:37:02','2011-10-11 21:37:02','','Digital 323','','inherit','open','open','','120-revision-7','','','2011-10-11 21:37:02','2011-10-11 21:37:02','',120,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/120-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(1042,1,'2011-10-13 20:49:43','2011-10-13 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20:51:12','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nOur philosophy is based on inspiration and innovation. We encourage companies to think beyond a marketing-only approach, and instead, challenge them to \"own their space\" in the marketplace. We define a brand by identifying its unique position and arm our clients with strategies that make the competition irrelevant.\r\n\r\nWe believe that brand equity is an asset that holds supreme value. The brand affects a company’s ability to attract clients and prospects, grow market share and increase revenue. We help business owners think holistically. The brand must account for every aspect of the organization: sales, marketing and operations. The brand is the whole package - it must effectively reach and attract customers, communicate differentiation of services and products, and deliver on promises made about those differentiating points\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n\r\nWe start the process by diving deep into the competitive landscape of any client to explore the challenges and opportunities that exist. Beyond defining the brand and identifying the “marketplace position” that will allow for the company to capitalize on the greatest opportunity, we work to create focused marketing strategies, designed to enable organizations to achieve tangible results.\r\n\r\nWe use a <strong>7-step process</strong> to “Forge Brands, Drive Revenue.”  Along the way we establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure we are gaining the necessary traction to accomplish goals. This innovative approach resonates well with the accountability to produce positive results. 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Over the years, we\'ve collaborated with more than 200 clients in our backyard and across our borders to ultimately forge brands and drive revenue. </p>\r\n              <p>With a mix of backgrounds and various industry specialties, our team tackles the issue from every angle. We believe this strengthens our ability to create sound strategies. We blend a team-oriented approach with inherent entrepreneurialism to build the strongest brands. Among other things, we are creative thinkers, problem solvers and can-do-ers. </p></div>','Who We Are','','inherit','open','open','','42-revision-6','','','2011-10-03 20:45:37','2011-10-03 20:45:37','',42,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/42-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1189,1,'2011-10-17 23:21:38','2011-10-17 23:21:38',' <div class=\"about-left\"><p>Conceiving, shaping and transforming brands since 2002, we partner with companies looking to achieve specific goals. 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Among other things, we are creative thinkers, problem solvers and can-do-ers. </p></div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\"><img src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/biteam.jpg\"></div>','Who We Are','','inherit','open','open','','42-revision-7','','','2011-10-17 23:21:38','2011-10-17 23:21:38','',42,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/42-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(1190,1,'2011-10-18 17:39:55','2011-10-18 17:39:55','[gravityform id=\"5\" name=\"Brandstorm Questionnaire (CEO)\" title=\"false\" ajax=\"true\"]','Brandstorm Questionnaire','','publish','open','open','Bsq220','brandstorm-questionnaire-ceo','','','2011-12-15 18:48:55','2011-12-15 18:48:55','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?page_id=1190',0,'page','',0),(1191,1,'2011-10-18 17:38:18','2011-10-18 17:38:18','','BrandStorm Question','','inherit','open','open','','1190-revision','','','2011-10-18 17:38:18','2011-10-18 17:38:18','',1190,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1190-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1192,1,'2011-10-18 17:39:55','2011-10-18 17:39:55','[gravityform id=5 name=BrandstormQuestionnaire (CEO) title=false]','Brandstorm Questionnaire','','inherit','open','open','','1190-revision-2','','','2011-10-18 17:39:55','2011-10-18 17:39:55','',1190,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1190-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1193,1,'2011-10-18 17:40:14','2011-10-18 17:40:14','[gravityform id=5 name=BrandstormQuestionnaire (CEO) title=false]','Brandstorm Questionnaire','','inherit','open','open','','1190-revision-3','','','2011-10-18 17:40:14','2011-10-18 17:40:14','',1190,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1190-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1194,1,'2011-10-18 19:52:28','2011-10-18 19:52:28','[gravityform id=\"4\" name=\"BrandStorm Questionnaire\" title=\"false\" ajax=\"true\"]','Brandstorm Questionnaire','','publish','open','open','Bsq150','brandstorm-questionnaire','','','2011-12-15 18:51:15','2011-12-15 18:51:15','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?page_id=1194',0,'page','',0),(1195,1,'2011-10-18 19:51:52','2011-10-18 19:51:52','','Brandstorm Questionnaire','','inherit','open','open','','1194-revision','','','2011-10-18 19:51:52','2011-10-18 19:51:52','',1194,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1194-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1196,1,'2011-10-18 20:33:14','2011-10-18 20:33:14','[gravityform id=\"2\" name=\"DAC Newsletter Submission Form\"]','DAC Newsletter Submission Form','','publish','open','open','','dac-newsletter-form','','','2012-07-23 16:29:23','2012-07-23 16:29:23','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/?page_id=1196',0,'page','',0),(1197,1,'2011-10-18 20:32:40','2011-10-18 20:32:40','Thank you for your submissions for the November/December Newsletter. The form is now closed. For any questions, please contact <a href=\"mailto:lfrogge@denverathleticclub.org\">Linda Frogge</a>.','DAC Newsletter Submission Form','','inherit','open','open','','1196-revision','','','2011-10-18 20:32:40','2011-10-18 20:32:40','',1196,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1196-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1198,1,'2011-10-18 20:33:14','2011-10-18 20:33:14','Thank you for your submissions for the November/December Newsletter. The form is now closed. For any questions, please contact <a href=\"mailto:lfrogge@denverathleticclub.org\">Linda Frogge</a>.','DAC Newsletter Submission Form','','inherit','open','open','','1196-revision-2','','','2011-10-18 20:33:14','2011-10-18 20:33:14','',1196,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1196-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1199,1,'2011-10-18 20:35:34','2011-10-18 20:35:34','Thank you for your submissions for the November/December Newsletter. The form is now closed. 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Products','','inherit','open','open','','466-revision-6','','','2011-10-19 19:07:36','2011-10-19 19:07:36','',466,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/466-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1241,1,'2011-10-17 22:34:44','2011-10-17 22:34:44','','The Nesbitt Group','','inherit','open','open','','107-revision-8','','','2011-10-17 22:34:44','2011-10-17 22:34:44','',107,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/107-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(1242,1,'2011-10-06 18:15:32','2011-10-06 22:15:32','<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Arguably the best Brand Champion that ever lived</strong></p>\n\"It\'s not the consumer\'s job to know what they want,” one of the greatest Steve Jobs quotes of all time. How would a consumer know that they want a device that they have never fathomed existing before such as a gadget smaller than a checkbook that can hold over 2,000 songs, or a revolutionary touch screen phone with a widescreen iPod and irreplicable web accessibility, or a touchable “pad” smaller than a piece of paper than can email, surf the web, and watch movies. This is what Steve Jobs did best, envisioned and created consumer desire where there was none. Jobs created a cult following in his products by shaping his brand perception so precisely. A true Mac follower wants the new Apple product even before they know what it is. 30 million iPads, 100 million iPhones, and 300 million iPods were not sold solely because they were great products (though they are), they were sold because of the ethos of the Apple brand that people identify so strongly with. The ethos of Apple is where Steve Jobs’ genius really shined.\n\nWhen we think back to the most memorable commercials of all time, we think of Britney Spears and Pepsi, “Can you hear me know” from Verizon, Budweiser frogs, and of course the 1984 Apple Commercial. The 1984 commercial started the Apple ethos that PC users were mindless drones slaving to Big Brother, and everyone unique, hip, and passionate were clearly Apple. We have seen this idea in almost every <a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Apple-Stuffed.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-922\" title=\"Apple Stuffed\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Apple-Stuffed-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" /></a>Apple marketing campaign since 1984, including the “10<sup>th</sup> funniest commercial of all time”- Apple’s Stuffed (pictured left), where streamlined Josh Long in jeans and t-shirt embodies Mac and the “stuffed” man in a suit waddling around represents PC. Mac is perceived as the computer of the youth, which is most evident on college campuses (shown below).<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/apple_via_engadget_classroom.png\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-924\" title=\"apple_via_engadget_classroom\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/apple_via_engadget_classroom-300x185.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>\n\nSteve Jobs was on the forefront of forming and constantly maintaining this perception of Apple. Jobs personified the mac image in himself. When Apple would announce the release of a new product, Jobs would be there presenting it and championing the brand in his jeans and black turtleneck. He personally stood behind and promoted every single product Apple touched, how many CEO’s can you say that about? This dedication to the business and brand is what made Jobs one of the most well known executives of all time.','Steve Jobs, …The Apple of our i’s','','inherit','open','open','','1004-revision','','','2011-10-06 18:15:32','2011-10-06 22:15:32','',1004,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1004-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1243,1,'2011-10-17 22:45:38','2011-10-17 22:45:38','','Refining Image','','inherit','open','open','','483-revision-6','','','2011-10-17 22:45:38','2011-10-17 22:45:38','',483,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/483-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1244,1,'2011-10-19 20:44:47','2011-10-19 20:44:47','','reimage-we-slide2','','inherit','open','open','','reimage-we-slide2','','','2011-10-19 20:44:47','2011-10-19 20:44:47','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/reimage-we-slide2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1245,1,'2011-10-19 21:00:38','2011-10-19 21:00:38','<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Arguably the best Brand Champion that ever lived</strong></p>\n\"It\'s not the consumer\'s job to know what they want,” one of the greatest Steve Jobs quotes of all time. How would a consumer know that they want a device that they have never fathomed existing before such as a gadget smaller than a checkbook that can hold over 2,000 songs, or a revolutionary touch screen phone with a widescreen iPod and irreplicable web accessibility, or a touchable “pad” smaller than a piece of paper than can email, surf the web, and watch movies. This is what Steve Jobs did best, envisioned and created consumer desire where there was none. Jobs created a cult following in his products by shaping his brand perception so precisely. A true Mac follower wants the new Apple product even before they know what it is. 30 million iPads, 100 million iPhones, and 300 million iPods were not sold solely because they were great products (though they are), they were sold because of the ethos of the Apple brand that people identify so strongly with. The ethos of Apple is where Steve Jobs’ genius really shined.\n\nWhen we think back to the most memorable commercials of all time, we think of Britney Spears and Pepsi, “Can you hear me know” from Verizon, Budweiser frogs, and of course the 1984 Apple Commercial. The 1984 commercial started the Apple ethos that PC users were mindless drones slaving to Big Brother, and everyone unique, hip, and passionate were clearly Apple. We have seen this idea in almost every <a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Apple-Stuffed.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-922\" title=\"Apple Stuffed\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Apple-Stuffed-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" /></a>Apple marketing campaign since 1984, including the “10<sup>th</sup> funniest commercial of all time”- Apple’s Stuffed (pictured left), where streamlined Josh Long in jeans and t-shirt embodies Mac and the “stuffed” man in a suit waddling around represents PC. Mac is perceived as the computer of the youth, which is most evident on college campuses (shown below).<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/apple_via_engadget_classroom.png\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-924 alignleft\" title=\"apple_via_engadget_classroom\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/apple_via_engadget_classroom-300x185.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>\n\nSteve Jobs was on the forefront of forming and constantly maintaining this perception of Apple. Jobs personified the mac image in himself. When Apple would announce the release of a new product, Jobs would be there presenting it and championing the brand in his jeans and black turtleneck. He personally stood behind and promoted every single product Apple touched, how many CEO’s can you say that about? This dedication to the business and brand is what made Jobs one of the most well known executives of all time.','Steve Jobs, …The Apple of our i’s','','inherit','open','open','','1004-autosave','','','2011-10-19 21:00:38','2011-10-19 21:00:38','',1004,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1004-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1246,1,'2011-10-19 20:43:41','2011-10-19 20:43:41','<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Arguably the best Brand Champion that ever lived</strong></p>\r\n\"It\'s not the consumer\'s job to know what they want,” one of the greatest Steve Jobs quotes of all time. How would a consumer know that they want a device that they have never fathomed existing before such as a gadget smaller than a checkbook that can hold over 2,000 songs, or a revolutionary touch screen phone with a widescreen iPod and irreplicable web accessibility, or a touchable “pad” smaller than a piece of paper than can email, surf the web, and watch movies. This is what Steve Jobs did best, envisioned and created consumer desire where there was none. Jobs created a cult following in his products by shaping his brand perception so precisely. A true Mac follower wants the new Apple product even before they know what it is. 30 million iPads, 100 million iPhones, and 300 million iPods were not sold solely because they were great products (though they are), they were sold because of the ethos of the Apple brand that people identify so strongly with. The ethos of Apple is where Steve Jobs’ genius really shined.\r\n\r\nWhen we think back to the most memorable commercials of all time, we think of Britney Spears and Pepsi, “Can you hear me know” from Verizon, Budweiser frogs, and of course the 1984 Apple Commercial. The 1984 commercial started the Apple ethos that PC users were mindless drones slaving to Big Brother, and everyone unique, hip, and passionate were clearly Apple. We have seen this idea in almost every <a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Apple-Stuffed.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-922\" title=\"Apple Stuffed\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Apple-Stuffed-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" /></a>Apple marketing campaign since 1984, including the “10<sup>th</sup> funniest commercial of all time”- Apple’s Stuffed (pictured left), where streamlined Josh Long in jeans and t-shirt embodies Mac and the “stuffed” man in a suit waddling around represents PC. Mac is perceived as the computer of the youth, which is most evident on college campuses (shown below).<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/apple_via_engadget_classroom.png\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-924 alignleft\" title=\"apple_via_engadget_classroom\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/apple_via_engadget_classroom-300x185.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSteve Jobs was on the forefront of forming and constantly maintaining this perception of Apple. Jobs personified the mac image in himself. When Apple would announce the release of a new product, Jobs would be there presenting it and championing the brand in his jeans and black turtleneck. He personally stood behind and promoted every single product Apple touched, how many CEO’s can you say that about? This dedication to the business and brand is what made Jobs one of the most well known executives of all time.','Steve Jobs, …The Apple of our i’s','','inherit','open','open','','1004-revision-2','','','2011-10-19 20:43:41','2011-10-19 20:43:41','',1004,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/1004-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1247,1,'2011-10-17 22:20:18','2011-10-17 22:20:18','','Colorado 14ers Initiative','','inherit','open','open','','475-revision-6','','','2011-10-17 22:20:18','2011-10-17 22:20:18','',475,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/475-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1248,1,'2011-10-19 20:52:05','2011-10-19 20:52:05','','14ers-web-slide2','','inherit','open','open','','14ers-web-slide2','','','2011-10-19 20:52:05','2011-10-19 20:52:05','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/14ers-web-slide2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1249,1,'2011-10-17 21:18:54','2011-10-17 21:18:54','','EmotionalGame.com','','inherit','open','open','','473-revision-5','','','2011-10-17 21:18:54','2011-10-17 21:18:54','',473,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/473-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1250,1,'2011-10-19 21:04:39','2011-10-19 21:04:39','','eg-web-slide3','','inherit','open','open','','eg-web-slide3','','','2011-10-19 21:04:39','2011-10-19 21:04:39','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/eg-web-slide3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1251,1,'2011-10-19 21:04:39','2011-10-19 21:04:39','','eg-web-slide1','','inherit','open','open','','eg-web-slide1','','','2011-10-19 21:04:39','2011-10-19 21:04:39','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/eg-web-slide1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1252,1,'2011-10-19 21:04:39','2011-10-19 21:04:39','','eg-web-slide2','','inherit','open','open','','eg-web-slide2','','','2011-10-19 21:04:39','2011-10-19 21:04:39','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/eg-web-slide2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1253,1,'2011-10-17 22:27:27','2011-10-17 22:27:27','','Infinite Health & Wellness','','inherit','open','open','','105-revision-7','','','2011-10-17 22:27:27','2011-10-17 22:27:27','',105,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/105-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(1254,1,'2011-10-19 21:11:47','2011-10-19 21:11:47','','Infinite-web-slide2','','inherit','open','open','','infinite-web-slide2','','','2011-10-19 21:11:47','2011-10-19 21:11:47','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Infinite-web-slide2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1255,1,'2011-10-18 22:53:36','2011-10-18 22:53:36','','Challenge Denver','','inherit','open','open','','97-revision-9','','','2011-10-18 22:53:36','2011-10-18 22:53:36','',97,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/97-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(1256,1,'2011-10-19 21:19:52','2011-10-19 21:19:52','','CD-corpid-slide2','','inherit','open','open','','cd-corpid-slide2','','','2011-10-19 21:19:52','2011-10-19 21:19:52','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/CD-corpid-slide2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1257,1,'2011-10-18 22:47:07','2011-10-18 22:47:07','','Digital 323','','inherit','open','open','','120-revision-18','','','2011-10-18 22:47:07','2011-10-18 22:47:07','',120,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/general/120-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(1258,1,'2011-10-19 22:29:50','2011-10-19 22:29:50','','digital323-corpid-slide3','','inherit','open','open','','digital323-corpid-slide3','','','2011-10-19 22:29:50','2011-10-19 22:29:50','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/digital323-corpid-slide3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1259,1,'2011-10-19 20:35:51','2011-10-19 20:35:51','','Foresight Products','','inherit','open','open','','466-revision-7','','','2011-10-19 20:35:51','2011-10-19 20:35:51','',466,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/466-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(1260,1,'2011-10-19 22:57:59','2011-10-19 22:57:59','','photo','','inherit','open','open','','photo-2','','','2011-10-19 22:57:59','2011-10-19 22:57:59','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/photo.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1261,1,'2011-03-19 23:11:20','2011-03-19 23:11:20','As the official Brand Iron mascot, Patches works tirelessly to maintain the agency’s high level of morale and team spirit. She high-fives for quality design concepts and flips for creative brand strategy, (as long as we keep the treats coming.) When she isn’t running laps around the office, you can find her taking turns with her second in command, Beastly the boxer, keeping a keen watch of the front door.','Patches','','publish','open','open','','patches','','','2012-05-30 16:19:27','2012-05-30 16:19:27','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/?p=1261',0,'post','',0),(1262,1,'2011-10-19 23:11:08','2011-10-19 23:11:08','','patches','','inherit','open','open','','patches','','','2011-10-19 23:11:08','2011-10-19 23:11:08','',1261,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/patches.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1263,1,'2011-10-19 23:06:38','2011-10-19 23:06:38','As the Brand Iron mascot & team cheerleader, Patches works tirelessly to maintain the high levels of morale and team spirit around the office. She also heads up security with support from her second in command, Beastly.','Patches','','inherit','open','open','','1261-revision','','','2011-10-19 23:06:38','2011-10-19 23:06:38','',1261,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1261-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1264,1,'2011-10-19 23:11:20','2011-10-19 23:11:20','As the Brand Iron mascot & team cheerleader, Patches works tirelessly to maintain the high levels of morale and team spirit around the office. She also heads up security with support from her second in command, Beastly.','Patches','','inherit','open','open','','1261-revision-2','','','2011-10-19 23:11:20','2011-10-19 23:11:20','',1261,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1261-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1265,1,'2011-10-03 21:37:39','2011-10-03 21:37:39','Food?','Beastly','','inherit','open','open','','126-revision-6','','','2011-10-03 21:37:39','2011-10-03 21:37:39','',126,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/126-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1266,1,'2011-10-19 23:11:44','2011-10-19 23:11:44','As the Brand Iron mascot & team cheerleader, Patches works tirelessly to maintain the high levels of morale and team spirit around the office. She also heads up security with support from her second in command, Beastly.','Patches','','inherit','open','open','','1261-revision-3','','','2011-10-19 23:11:44','2011-10-19 23:11:44','',1261,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1261-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1268,1,'2011-10-19 23:18:37','2011-10-19 23:18:37','Patches is loyal and invaluable member of the BI team. She strikes an impressive balance of contributing complex brand strategy and design concepts all while sleeping under a desk. She stays in impeccable shape by running laps around the office and keeps a keen watch by the front door with her second in command, Beastly the boxer.','Patches','','inherit','open','open','','1261-revision-4','','','2011-10-19 23:18:37','2011-10-19 23:18:37','',1261,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1261-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1269,2,'2011-11-04 21:58:52','2011-11-04 21:58:52','<strong>From the desk of Michael Doyle: </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you hadn\'t noticed campaign season is kicking in, which means it\'s time for political advertising and marketing to get started. It is fascinating to pay attention and observe how candidates \"brand and package\" themselves. In many cases, the branding and packaging efforts are lack luster. Politicians produce contradictory and convoluted messages that are lost in translation when they attempt to convey them to the average voter. However, one candidate has taken a different approach. Herman Cain had been branding himself brilliantly, until his recent sexual harassment accusation, and has jumped from an obscure fringe candidate to a GOP front runner because of his efforts. In this blog, we will not focus on his recent sex scandal and instead focus on the power of his simplified message and brand prior to the accusation.\r\n\r\nWith a crowded field of GOP presidential candidates, the only way to get noticed is to come up with something different, unique and easy for voters to put their arms around. Step up a former businessman who understands the power of branding and packaging. Yes, he probably learned a trick or two from his pizza days, but the old \"KISS\" adage sure applies<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1270\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> here, \"Keep It Simple Stupid\". Cain and his team came up with this simple and easy-to-understand 9-9-9 Tax Plan to jump start our economy.\r\n\r\nThe 9-9-9 plan, since its debut, has generated significant buzz. Every other GOP candidate and President Obama are all talking about his simple tax plan. So much talk and notoriety in fact that Cain has vaulted himself from the fringe to the front of the class.\r\n\r\nA common criticism of this plan is that running the country isn\'t like running a pizza company. But the thing that Cain understands that all the other candidates don\'t is that it takes effective branding and packaging to succeed in today\'s challenging business and political environment. Those that are able to clearly and concisely communicate why they or their plan is different, unique and better, will appeal to those looking for an answer. Despite your political views, Herman Cain is setting precedent for all politicians to place high emphasis on how they brand and package their message so that people can clearly grasp it and make decisions based on it.\r\n\r\n- Michael Doyle','The Power of Simplified Branding','','publish','closed','open','','the-power-of-simplified-branding','','','2011-11-04 22:04:41','2011-11-04 22:04:41','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/?p=1269',0,'post','',0),(1270,2,'2011-11-04 21:58:28','2011-11-04 21:58:28','','Cain 999 image','','inherit','closed','open','','cain-999-image','','','2011-11-04 21:58:28','2011-11-04 21:58:28','',1269,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1271,2,'2011-11-04 21:35:30','2011-11-04 21:35:30','','Auto Draft','','inherit','closed','open','','1269-revision','','','2011-11-04 21:35:30','2011-11-04 21:35:30','',1269,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1269-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1328,1,'2011-11-23 23:41:31','2011-11-23 23:41:31','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes - from its inner workings and intentions to its mission, value and promise to its potential customers. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country?\r\n\r\nNot just any country.\r\n\r\nHow do you create a brand image and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries (<a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\" target=\"_blank\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Mexico</a>) have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries-old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of upwards of $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy to promote tourism in the United States, aimed to reach international travelers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> and the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" /></p>\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant to \"capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.\" The first initiative of the marketing campaign is a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning travel around the United States. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the bump it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n<em>*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA campaign. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest from a $14 visitor fee for those traveling to the States from countries that do not require a visa, applied by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts From the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Justin - Art Director</em></strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not. But with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other marketing pieces. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably - a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">homepage</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom of the page, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally — a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it...can\'t we? It\'s not like they couldn\'t afford a decent developer — the <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. I\'ll stop there — but, really? It\'s unwelcoming, unprofessional and it isn\'t representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet, for free.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes — <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone\'s childhood dream of throwing a <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Leilani - Graphic Designer</strong></em>\r\n\r\nMy first impression was, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation of the marketing materials beyond the logo, my impression was, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. Though I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color palette. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America,\" then America seems like it would bore me to tears, and try to sell me insurance, or Tupperware® from a suitcase.\r\n\r\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <em>almost</em> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. Except, this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first-year design student showing an interest in pursuing the profession of web design - eight years ago. The design tries to be hip and modern, but instead is confusing and as outdated as the new logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling, (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in five languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to reach people across the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For this size of budget, the site should be able to translate content into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death but the bottom line comes down to one thing - with a budget of $200 million PER YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Ben - Design Intern/Lackey</strong></em>\r\n\r\nBrand USA tells us that part of their astronomical marketing budget for Discover America comes from the \"nominal $14 fee paid by visitors from visa-waiver countries,\" and that “No U.S. taxpayer dollars” were used.  At the end of the day, at least I didn\'t pay for it. Who am I kidding...I don\'t pay taxes.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Kaitlyn – Brand Manager</em></strong>\r\n\r\nComing up with content and messaging around why people should come to America is by no means an easy task. In fact, I might almost say it’s impossible to describe who we are, all that we’ve got to offer, and why we are appealing in a way that grabs people from all around the world. And not to mention in a way that makes them get out their checkbooks and actually book a trip.\r\n\r\nSo does “The United States of Awesome Possibilities” do the trick? I have to say, the word <em>awesome</em> sort of threw me off at first. But then I thought about what other options I could stick in there: Inspiring? Wonderful? Stunning? None of those seem to do the trick either. In fact, I think we are kind of <em>awesome</em>, and awesome is a new way to say all the other words I could come up with anyways. But what I’m not sure about is how well this will resonate with the target of this campaign – our international travel friends. Will they understand how we take “awesome”? And does that word translate for them?  I think that will be the true test for how well this slogan backs the new campaign.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Abbey – Brand Manager</em></strong>\r\n\r\nThe Brand Union shared that this new identity is designed to capture the spirit of our homeland - a place that is supposedly: Authentic. Optimistic. Unexpected. Inclusive. Endless Possibilities. Yet, I\'ve always been a believer in branding that is consistent with realistic perceptions of the company, or at very least, branding that is reflective of a mission that the company is able to truly manifest. In America\'s case, my guess is you\'d be hard-pressed to find very many international visitors who would describe our country using any of these terms other than perhaps, \'Unexpected.\' \'Authentic\' certainly doesn\'t speak to a place that has long been referred to as \'a melting pot.\' And it doesn\'t help that the agency launched this new identity at a time when the biggest trend here is occupying.  I can\'t be the only one with a raised brow as to who The Brand Union went to as the source for our collective so-called \'spirit.\'\r\n\r\nBefore too much more opinion about the new brand, let\'s give it time to gain some traction. We\'ll see if the investment behind Brand USA translates into campaigns that actually engage the international audience, and if they actually embrace the brand - enough so to come on over.','Candid Thoughts: Marketing for America','','publish','closed','open','','candid-thoughts-marketing-for-america','','','2011-11-28 17:42:50','2011-11-28 17:42:50','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/?p=1328',0,'post','',0),(1273,2,'2011-11-04 22:05:45','2011-11-04 22:05:45','<strong>From the desk of Michael Doyle: </strong>\n\nIf you hadn\'t noticed campaign season is kicking in, which means it\'s time for political advertising and marketing to get started. It is fascinating to pay attention and observe how candidates \"brand and package\" themselves. In many cases, the branding and packaging efforts are lack luster. Politicians produce contradictory and convoluted messages that are lost in translation when they attempt to convey them to the average voter. However, one candidate has taken a different approach. Herman Cain had been branding himself brilliantly, until his recent sexual harassment accusation, and has jumped from an obscure fringe candidate to a GOP front runner because of his efforts. In this blog, we will not focus on his recent sex scandal and instead focus on the power of his simplified message and brand prior to the accusation.\n\nWith a crowded field of GOP presidential candidates, the only way to get noticed is to come up with something different, unique and easy for voters to put their arms around. Step up a former businessman who understands the power of branding and packaging. Yes, he probably learned a trick or two from his pizza days, but the old \"KISS\" adage sure applies<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1270\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> here, \"Keep It Simple Stupid\". Cain and his team came up with this simple and easy-to-understand 9-9-9 Tax Plan to jump start our economy.\n\nThe 9-9-9 plan, since its debut, has generated significant buzz. Every other GOP candidate and President Obama are all talking about his simple tax plan. So much talk and notoriety in fact that Cain has vaulted himself from the fringe to the front of the class.\n\nA common criticism of this plan is that running the country isn\'t like running a pizza company. But the thing that Cain understands that all the other candidates don\'t is that it takes effective branding and packaging to succeed in today\'s challenging business and political environment. Those that are able to clearly and concisely communicate why they or their plan is different, unique and better, will appeal to those looking for an answer. Despite your political views, Herman Cain is setting precedent for all politicians to place high emphasis on how they brand and package their message so that people can clearly grasp it and make decisions based on it.\n\n- Michael Doyle','The Power of Simplified Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','1269-autosave','','','2011-11-04 22:05:45','2011-11-04 22:05:45','',1269,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1269-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1274,2,'2011-11-04 21:58:52','2011-11-04 21:58:52','If you hadn\'t noticed campaign season kicking in, which means it\'s time for political advertising and marketing to get started. It is fascinating to pay attention and observe how candidates \"brand and package\" themselves. In many cases, the branding and packaging efforts are lack luster. Politicians produce contradictory and convoluted messages that are lost in translation when they attempt to convey them to the average voter. However, one candidate has taken a different approach. Herman Cain had been branding himself brilliantly, until his recent sexual harassment accusation, and has jumped from an obscure fringe candidate to a GOP front runner because of his efforts. In this blog, we will not focus on his recent sex scandal and instead focus on the power of his simplified message and brand prior to it. \r\n\r\nWith a crowded field of GOP presidential candidates, the only way to get noticed is to come up with something different, unique and easy for voters to put their arms around. Step up a former businessman who understands the power of branding and packaging. Yes, he probably learned a trick or two from his pizza days, but the old \"KISS\" adage sure applies here, \"Keep It Simple Stupid\". Cain and his team came up with this simple and easy-to-understand 9-9-9 Tax Plan to jump start our economy. \r\n\r\nThe 9-9-9 plan, since its debut, has generated significant buzz. Every other GOP candidate and President Obama are all talking about his simple tax plan. So much talk and notoriety in fact that Cain has vaulted himself from the fringe to the front of the class. \r\n\r\nA common criticism of this plan is that running the country isn\'t like running a pizza company. But the thing that Cain understands that all the other candidates don\'t is that it takes effective branding and packaging to succeed in today\'s challenging business and political environment. Those that are able to clearly and concisely communicate why they or their plan is different, unique and better, will appeal to those looking for an answer. Despite your political views, Herman Cain is setting precedent for all politicians to place high emphasis on how they brand and package their message so that people can clearly grasp it and make decisions based on it.  \r\n<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image.jpg\"><img src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1270\" /></a>','The Power of Simplified Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','1269-revision-2','','','2011-11-04 21:58:52','2011-11-04 21:58:52','',1269,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1269-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1275,2,'2011-11-04 22:01:18','2011-11-04 22:01:18','If you hadn\'t noticed campaign season kicking in, which means it\'s time for political advertising and marketing to get started. It is fascinating to pay attention and observe how candidates \"brand and package\" themselves. In many cases, the branding and packaging efforts are lack luster. Politicians produce contradictory and convoluted messages that are lost in translation when they attempt to convey them to the average voter. However, one candidate has taken a different approach. Herman Cain had been branding himself brilliantly, until his recent sexual harassment accusation, and has jumped from an obscure fringe candidate to a GOP front runner because of his efforts. In this blog, we will not focus on his recent sex scandal and instead focus on the power of his simplified message and brand prior to it.\r\n\r\nWith a crowded field of GOP presidential candidates, the only way to get noticed is to come up with something different, unique and easy for voters to put their arms around. Step up a former businessman who understands the power of branding and packaging. Yes, he probably learned a trick or two from his pizza days, but the old \"KISS\" adage sure applies<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1270\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> here, \"Keep It Simple Stupid\". Cain and his team came up with this simple and easy-to-understand 9-9-9 Tax Plan to jump start our economy.\r\n\r\nThe 9-9-9 plan, since its debut, has generated significant buzz. Every other GOP candidate and President Obama are all talking about his simple tax plan. So much talk and notoriety in fact that Cain has vaulted himself from the fringe to the front of the class.\r\n\r\nA common criticism of this plan is that running the country isn\'t like running a pizza company. But the thing that Cain understands that all the other candidates don\'t is that it takes effective branding and packaging to succeed in today\'s challenging business and political environment. Those that are able to clearly and concisely communicate why they or their plan is different, unique and better, will appeal to those looking for an answer. Despite your political views, Herman Cain is setting precedent for all politicians to place high emphasis on how they brand and package their message so that people can clearly grasp it and make decisions based on it.','The Power of Simplified Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','1269-revision-3','','','2011-11-04 22:01:18','2011-11-04 22:01:18','',1269,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1269-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1276,2,'2011-11-04 22:02:22','2011-11-04 22:02:22','<strong>From the desk of Michael Doyle: </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you hadn\'t noticed campaign season kicking in, which means it\'s time for political advertising and marketing to get started. It is fascinating to pay attention and observe how candidates \"brand and package\" themselves. In many cases, the branding and packaging efforts are lack luster. Politicians produce contradictory and convoluted messages that are lost in translation when they attempt to convey them to the average voter. However, one candidate has taken a different approach. Herman Cain had been branding himself brilliantly, until his recent sexual harassment accusation, and has jumped from an obscure fringe candidate to a GOP front runner because of his efforts. In this blog, we will not focus on his recent sex scandal and instead focus on the power of his simplified message and brand prior to it.\r\n\r\nWith a crowded field of GOP presidential candidates, the only way to get noticed is to come up with something different, unique and easy for voters to put their arms around. Step up a former businessman who understands the power of branding and packaging. Yes, he probably learned a trick or two from his pizza days, but the old \"KISS\" adage sure applies<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1270\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> here, \"Keep It Simple Stupid\". Cain and his team came up with this simple and easy-to-understand 9-9-9 Tax Plan to jump start our economy.\r\n\r\nThe 9-9-9 plan, since its debut, has generated significant buzz. Every other GOP candidate and President Obama are all talking about his simple tax plan. So much talk and notoriety in fact that Cain has vaulted himself from the fringe to the front of the class.\r\n\r\nA common criticism of this plan is that running the country isn\'t like running a pizza company. But the thing that Cain understands that all the other candidates don\'t is that it takes effective branding and packaging to succeed in today\'s challenging business and political environment. Those that are able to clearly and concisely communicate why they or their plan is different, unique and better, will appeal to those looking for an answer. Despite your political views, Herman Cain is setting precedent for all politicians to place high emphasis on how they brand and package their message so that people can clearly grasp it and make decisions based on it.','The Power of Simplified Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','1269-revision-4','','','2011-11-04 22:02:22','2011-11-04 22:02:22','',1269,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1269-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1277,2,'2011-11-04 22:03:16','2011-11-04 22:03:16','<strong>From the desk of Michael Doyle: </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you hadn\'t noticed campaign season kicking in, which means it\'s time for political advertising and marketing to get started. It is fascinating to pay attention and observe how candidates \"brand and package\" themselves. In many cases, the branding and packaging efforts are lack luster. Politicians produce contradictory and convoluted messages that are lost in translation when they attempt to convey them to the average voter. However, one candidate has taken a different approach. Herman Cain had been branding himself brilliantly, until his recent sexual harassment accusation, and has jumped from an obscure fringe candidate to a GOP front runner because of his efforts. In this blog, we will not focus on his recent sex scandal and instead focus on the power of his simplified message and brand prior to it.\r\n\r\nWith a crowded field of GOP presidential candidates, the only way to get noticed is to come up with something different, unique and easy for voters to put their arms around. Step up a former businessman who understands the power of branding and packaging. Yes, he probably learned a trick or two from his pizza days, but the old \"KISS\" adage sure applies<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1270\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cain-999-image-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a> here, \"Keep It Simple Stupid\". Cain and his team came up with this simple and easy-to-understand 9-9-9 Tax Plan to jump start our economy.\r\n\r\nThe 9-9-9 plan, since its debut, has generated significant buzz. Every other GOP candidate and President Obama are all talking about his simple tax plan. So much talk and notoriety in fact that Cain has vaulted himself from the fringe to the front of the class.\r\n\r\nA common criticism of this plan is that running the country isn\'t like running a pizza company. But the thing that Cain understands that all the other candidates don\'t is that it takes effective branding and packaging to succeed in today\'s challenging business and political environment. Those that are able to clearly and concisely communicate why they or their plan is different, unique and better, will appeal to those looking for an answer. Despite your political views, Herman Cain is setting precedent for all politicians to place high emphasis on how they brand and package their message so that people can clearly grasp it and make decisions based on it.\r\n\r\n- Michael Doyle','The Power of Simplified Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','1269-revision-5','','','2011-11-04 22:03:16','2011-11-04 22:03:16','',1269,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1269-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1361,2,'2011-11-22 22:59:21','2011-11-22 22:59:21','<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1363 alignright\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Black-Friday-2010-Poster1-300x281.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"281\" /><strong>Hot DEALS! SALE, SALE, SALE!!!!!!</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>LOWEST PRICES OF THE YEAR!!!!!!</strong>\r\n\r\nIt’s nearly impossible to escape the Black Friday promotions this time of year, and undoubtedly you’re bombarded with messages from Macy’s, Best Buy, Target, and the like.  It seems these days it’s no longer about the one small window of opportunity for deals that you can’t find on any other day to shop, that are so awesome you’d be willing to wake up at some un-godly hour and stand in a line with other people only hoping you’ve made it in time to get that once-a-year sale deal. Instead, it’s become an entire weekend or even week of “hot deals” and “low prices”.\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n        Black Friday advertisers start advertising well before we’ve had a chance to collect our Halloween candy these days. If you ask me, these extended sales have diluted the power behind the all-mighty Black Friday connotation. I know I no longer feel an even semi-urge to set my alarm to take advantage of an opportunity to come home with a sweet deal on this years hottest electronic. Who I am I kidding, I never got that urge, but I certainly know people who have!\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1362\" style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/black-friday-electronics1-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" />\r\n\r\nGetting up at 2am and waiting outside a Target for that small window of opportunity to get the latest gadget at 50% off sort of loses some appeal when it’s counterparts like Amazon and Kmart provide Black Friday pricing for 2 or 3 days in stores, and online, where you can get the same gift from the comfort of your own home, in your pajamas, at a normal hour of the day.\r\n\r\nSo is Black Friday becoming a more-or-less “Gray Friday” in the minds of shoppers? I think somewhat. On one hand, it’s become easier to still get deals, without getting up and waiting in lines. However, in this new style of Black Friday pushes, marketers have become more creative in the ways they lure Black Friday shoppers in. Check out these apps made just for Black Friday: <a href=\"http://gigaom.com/apple/7-apps-for-conquering-black-friday/\" target=\"_blank\">http://gigaom.com/apple/7-apps-for-conquering-black-friday/</a>. There are also a slew of early bird specials and limited offers which are still used to bring in the die-hards.\r\n\r\nYesterday I saw on the news that a family has been camped outside a Best Buy since last Tuesday (read the story here <a href=\"http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/286949/71/Black-Friday-shoppers-camp-out-one-week-in-advance\">http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/286949/71/Black-Friday-shoppers-camp-out-one-week-in-advance</a>). So while some may be doing their shopping at a more normal hour this year, I think stories like this are evidence that Black Friday is here to stay.  I don’t foresee shoppers giving up on the lure of Black Friday\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1365 alignright\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AMAZON-e1322002524213-300x140.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"140\" />\r\n\r\nanytime soon; it is after all the World Cup of shopping days. I do however see marketers continue to be forced to get more creative and more outrageous to compete for shoppers business. So what will they come up with next? We can only wait and see…\r\n\r\n-Kaitlyn Anderson\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','Is Gray the New Black? – A Look at Black Friday Marketing ','','publish','closed','open','','is-gray-the-new-black-%e2%80%93-a-look-at-black-friday-marketing','','','2011-11-28 17:30:42','2011-11-28 17:30:42','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/?p=1361',0,'post','',0),(1279,1,'2011-10-19 21:04:39','2011-10-19 21:04:39','','EmotionalGame.com','','inherit','closed','open','','473-revision-6','','','2011-10-19 21:04:39','2011-10-19 21:04:39','',473,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/473-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1280,1,'2011-10-03 23:08:11','2011-10-03 23:08:11','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n<strong>Forging Brands</strong>\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Circle the Wagons</strong> – To better define your brand, we will review and evaluate your goals, corporate practices and overall business landscape</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n<strong>Scouting the Landscape</strong> – We will take an in depth look at the competitive landscape to determine where your greatest opportunity lies</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n<strong>Separating Yourself from the Herd</strong> – Here we incorporate all knowledge about your business and the competitive landscape to create a message platform that clearly identifies your unique position in the industry</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n<strong>BrandForging</strong> – Using a strategic yet fresh approach we start to define and forge your brand so there is clarity and distance between you and your competitors</li>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<strong>Driving Revenue</strong>\r\n<ol start=\"5\">\r\n	<li><strong>Revenue Round-Up</strong> – With a new or refreshed look in place, let’s work together to maximize sales efforts to positively impact your bottom line.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Drive to Bonanza</strong> – Let’s set the strategic plan in motion implementing creative ideas to position your for long-term success</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Running the Ranch</strong> – Part of every client relationship, we will commit to each other to work together and ensure that the program is carried out to reach your goals. Accountability and any necessary course correction lead to success!</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>\r\n</ol>','7-Step Process','','inherit','closed','open','','350-revision-7','','','2011-10-03 23:08:11','2011-10-03 23:08:11','',350,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/350-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(1281,1,'2011-11-08 17:12:41','2011-11-08 17:12:41','[gravityform id=6 name=BrandingYour Business at any Stage title=false]','LifeCycle Branding','','publish','closed','open','','5stagebranding','','','2011-11-08 17:13:11','2011-11-08 17:13:11','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/?page_id=1281',0,'page','',0),(1282,1,'2011-11-08 17:12:14','2011-11-08 17:12:14','','Lifecycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','1281-revision','','','2011-11-08 17:12:14','2011-11-08 17:12:14','',1281,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1281-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1283,1,'2011-11-08 17:12:41','2011-11-08 17:12:41','[gravityform id=6 name=BrandingYour Business at any Stage title=false]','LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','1281-revision-2','','','2011-11-08 17:12:41','2011-11-08 17:12:41','',1281,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1281-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1284,1,'2011-11-08 17:16:15','2011-11-08 17:16:15','<span class=\"gform_description\">Thank you. Click <a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/docs/5stagebranding.pdf\">here</a> to download the white paper.</span>','LifeCycle Branding','','publish','closed','open','','5stagebrandingconfirm','','','2011-11-08 17:17:39','2011-11-08 17:17:39','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/?page_id=1284',0,'page','',0),(1285,1,'2011-11-08 17:15:52','2011-11-08 17:15:52','','Lifecycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','1284-revision','','','2011-11-08 17:15:52','2011-11-08 17:15:52','',1284,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1284-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1286,1,'2011-11-08 17:16:15','2011-11-08 17:16:15','<span class=\"gform_description\">Thank you. Click <a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/docs/5stagebranding.pdf\">here</a> to download the white paper.</span>','Lifecycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','1284-revision-2','','','2011-11-08 17:16:15','2011-11-08 17:16:15','',1284,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1284-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1287,1,'2012-04-25 14:34:05','2012-04-25 14:34:05','The Submission Form is now closed.','DAC Newsletter Submission Form','','inherit','closed','open','','1196-autosave','','','2012-04-25 14:34:05','2012-04-25 14:34:05','',1196,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1196-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1641,1,'2012-01-23 22:46:11','2012-01-23 22:46:11','Submissions for the March/April Newsletter are now closed. Please contact <a href=\"mailto:lfrogge@denverathleticclub.org\">Linda Frogge </a>with any questions.','DAC Newsletter Submission Form','','inherit','closed','open','','1196-revision-10','','','2012-01-23 22:46:11','2012-01-23 22:46:11','',1196,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1196-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(1288,1,'2011-10-18 20:36:05','2011-10-18 20:36:05','Thank you for your submissions for the November/December Newsletter. The form is now closed. For any questions, please contact <a href=\"mailto:lfrogge@denverathleticclub.org\">Linda Frogge</a>.','DAC Newsletter Submission Form','','inherit','closed','open','','1196-revision-4','','','2011-10-18 20:36:05','2011-10-18 20:36:05','',1196,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1196-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1290,1,'2011-10-13 20:34:04','2011-10-13 20:34:04','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.\r\n \r\nBased on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include:  Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.\r\n\r\nFrom our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.\r\n \r\nRegardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n</div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance.  It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation.  The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention.  They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.”   Ask yourself:  Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity.   Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category.  Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage.  The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed.  The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value.  A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business.  Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-10','','','2011-10-13 20:34:04','2011-10-13 20:34:04','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(1291,1,'2011-11-10 16:29:42','2011-11-10 16:29:42','<div class=\"about-left\">Every business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.\r\n\r\nFrom our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.\r\n\r\nRegardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1289\" title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /></a>Transaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-11','','','2011-11-10 16:29:42','2011-11-10 16:29:42','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(1292,1,'2011-11-10 16:30:34','2011-11-10 16:30:34','<div class=\"about-left\">Every business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.\r\n\r\nRegardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-12','','','2011-11-10 16:30:34','2011-11-10 16:30:34','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(1293,1,'2011-11-10 16:49:21','2011-11-10 16:49:21','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1289\" title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /></a><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-13','','','2011-11-10 16:49:21','2011-11-10 16:49:21','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(1294,1,'2011-11-10 16:52:20','2011-11-10 16:52:20','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1289\" title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /></a><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-14','','','2011-11-10 16:52:20','2011-11-10 16:52:20','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(1295,1,'2011-11-10 16:54:39','2011-11-10 16:54:39','','inspiration','','inherit','closed','open','','inspiration','','','2011-11-10 16:54:39','2011-11-10 16:54:39','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1299,1,'2011-11-10 16:53:31','2011-11-10 16:53:31','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1289\" title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /></a><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-15','','','2011-11-10 16:53:31','2011-11-10 16:53:31','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(1300,2,'2011-11-10 17:57:01','2011-11-10 17:57:01','<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1301\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" /></a>Hello all! My name is Kelly, and I am the newest addition to the Brand Iron team. I have recently been lending a hand to our brand managers with the behind the scenes work of databases, pitch letters, and Google research.  Have I mentioned I am the Marketing Intern? Yes, that is me. I could not ask for a better foot in the door to the  world of agency branding. Plus, the crew here at this rodeo consists of amazing businessmen and women, and I will take in all that they have to teach me.\r\n\r\nAfter graduating from University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where the real cattle are raised, I made my way back down to my home roots of Denver. I am a Colorado native, a proud Broncos fan, and a lover of the Colorado Rockies. Now at Brand Iron, I am eager to jump start my career and see what the branding industry of Denver has to offer.\r\n\r\nWhen I am not diving deep into projects here at the ranch, I am usually taking a swim, a true swimmer with lap lanes and all, or hitting the streets of Denver with friends taking on the next adventure that this beautiful city has to offer. So next time you find yourself near our ranch, please stop in and say hello.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n- Kelly McDonald','Meet our New Marketing Intern!','','publish','closed','open','','meet-our-new-marketing-intern','','','2011-11-10 23:35:58','2011-11-10 23:35:58','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/?p=1300',0,'post','',0),(1301,2,'2011-11-10 17:56:09','2011-11-10 17:56:09','','Kelly','','inherit','closed','open','','kelly','','','2011-11-10 17:56:09','2011-11-10 17:56:09','',1300,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1302,2,'2011-11-10 17:56:27','2011-11-10 17:56:27','<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1301\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" /></a>Hello all! My name is Kelly, and I am the newest addition to the Brand Iron team. I have recently been lending a hand to our brand managers with the behind the scenes work of databases, pitch letters, and Google research.  Have I mentioned I am the Marketing Intern? Yes, that is me. I could not ask for a better foot in the door to the  world of agency branding. Plus, the crew here at this rodeo consists of amazing businessmen and women, and I will take in all that they have to teach me.\n\nAfter graduating from University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where the real cattle are raised, I made my way back down to my home roots of Denver. I am a Colorado native, a proud Broncos fan, and a lover of the Colorado Rockies. Now at Brand Iron, I am eager to jump start my career and see what the branding industry of Denver has to offer.\n\nWhen I am not diving deep into projects here at the ranch, I am usually taking a swim, a true swimmer with lap lanes and all, or hitting the streets of Denver with friends taking on the next adventure that this beautiful city has to offer. So next time you find yourself near our ranch, please stop in and say hello','','','inherit','closed','open','','1300-revision','','','2011-11-10 17:56:27','2011-11-10 17:56:27','',1300,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1300-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1303,2,'2011-11-10 17:56:28','2011-11-10 17:56:28','<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1301\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" /></a>Hello all! My name is Kelly, and I am the newest addition to the Brand Iron team. I have recently been lending a hand to our brand managers with the behind the scenes work of databases, pitch letters, and Google research.  Have I mentioned I am the Marketing Intern? Yes, that is me. I could not ask for a better foot in the door to the  world of agency branding. Plus, the crew here at this rodeo consists of amazing businessmen and women, and I will take in all that they have to teach me.\r\n\r\nAfter graduating from University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where the real cattle are raised, I made my way back down to my home roots of Denver. I am a Colorado native, a proud Broncos fan, and a lover of the Colorado Rockies. Now at Brand Iron, I am eager to jump start my career and see what the branding industry of Denver has to offer.\r\n\r\nWhen I am not diving deep into projects here at the ranch, I am usually taking a swim, a true swimmer with lap lanes and all, or hitting the streets of Denver with friends taking on the next adventure that this beautiful city has to offer. So next time you find yourself near our ranch, please stop in and say hello','','','inherit','closed','open','','1300-revision-2','','','2011-11-10 17:56:28','2011-11-10 17:56:28','',1300,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1300-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1304,2,'2011-11-10 17:56:50','2011-11-10 17:56:50','<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1301\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" /></a>Hello all! My name is Kelly, and I am the newest addition to the Brand Iron team. I have recently been lending a hand to our brand managers with the behind the scenes work of databases, pitch letters, and Google research.  Have I mentioned I am the Marketing Intern? Yes, that is me. I could not ask for a better foot in the door to the  world of agency branding. Plus, the crew here at this rodeo consists of amazing businessmen and women, and I will take in all that they have to teach me.\r\n\r\nAfter graduating from University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where the real cattle are raised, I made my way back down to my home roots of Denver. I am a Colorado native, a proud Broncos fan, and a lover of the Colorado Rockies. Now at Brand Iron, I am eager to jump start my career and see what the branding industry of Denver has to offer.\r\n\r\nWhen I am not diving deep into projects here at the ranch, I am usually taking a swim, a true swimmer with lap lanes and all, or hitting the streets of Denver with friends taking on the next adventure that this beautiful city has to offer. So next time you find yourself near our ranch, please stop in and say hello','Meet our New Marketing Intern!','','inherit','closed','open','','1300-revision-3','','','2011-11-10 17:56:50','2011-11-10 17:56:50','',1300,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1300-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1305,2,'2011-11-10 23:37:02','2011-11-10 23:37:02','<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1301\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" /></a>Hello all! My name is Kelly, and I am the newest addition to the Brand Iron team. I have recently been lending a hand to our brand managers with the behind the scenes work of databases, pitch letters, and Google research.  Have I mentioned I am the Marketing Intern? Yes, that is me. I could not ask for a better foot in the door to the  world of agency branding. Plus, the crew here at this rodeo consists of amazing businessmen and women, and I will take in all that they have to teach me.\n\nAfter graduating from University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where the real cattle are raised, I made my way back down to my home roots of Denver. I am a Colorado native, a proud Broncos fan, and a lover of the Colorado Rockies. Now at Brand Iron, I am eager to jump start my career and see what the branding industry of Denver has to offer.\n\nWhen I am not diving deep into projects here at the ranch, I am usually taking a swim, a true swimmer with lap lanes and all, or hitting the streets of Denver with friends taking on the next adventure that this beautiful city has to offer. So next time you find yourself near our ranch, please stop in and say hello.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n- Kelly McDonald','Meet our New Marketing Intern!','','inherit','closed','open','','1300-autosave','','','2011-11-10 23:37:02','2011-11-10 23:37:02','',1300,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1300-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1306,1,'2011-11-10 16:57:48','2011-11-10 16:57:48','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\"><img src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"inspiration\" width=\"74\" height=\"61\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1295\" /></a><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\"><img src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"introduction\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1296\" /></a><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\"><img src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"expansion\" width=\"74\" height=\"65\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1297\" /></a><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1289\" title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /></a><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\"><img src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"revitalization\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1298\" /></a><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-16','','','2011-11-10 16:57:48','2011-11-10 16:57:48','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(1307,1,'2011-11-10 17:59:47','2011-11-10 17:59:47','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1295\" title=\"inspiration\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"61\" /><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1296\" title=\"introduction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1297\" title=\"expansion\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"65\" /><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1289\" title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1298\" title=\"revitalization\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-17','','','2011-11-10 17:59:47','2011-11-10 17:59:47','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(1308,1,'2011-11-10 18:08:35','2011-11-10 18:08:35','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"inspiration\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"61\" /><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1296\" title=\"introduction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1297\" title=\"expansion\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"65\" /><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1289\" title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1298\" title=\"revitalization\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-18','','','2011-11-10 18:08:35','2011-11-10 18:08:35','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(1309,1,'2011-11-10 18:18:28','2011-11-10 18:18:28','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"inspiration\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"61\" /><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"introduction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"expansion\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"65\" /><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"revitalization\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-19','','','2011-11-10 18:18:28','2011-11-10 18:18:28','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(1310,1,'2011-11-10 18:19:22','2011-11-10 18:19:22','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ol>\r\n	<img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"inspiration\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"61\" /><li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"introduction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"expansion\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"65\" /><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"revitalization\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-20','','','2011-11-10 18:19:22','2011-11-10 18:19:22','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(1311,1,'2011-11-10 18:25:15','2011-11-10 18:25:15','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"inspiration\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"61\" /><li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"introduction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"expansion\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"65\" /><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"revitalization\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Brandingo','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-21','','','2011-11-10 18:25:15','2011-11-10 18:25:15','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(1312,1,'2011-11-10 18:26:48','2011-11-10 18:26:48','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"inspiration\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"61\" /><li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"introduction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"expansion\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"65\" /><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"revitalization\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-22','','','2011-11-10 18:26:48','2011-11-10 18:26:48','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(1313,1,'2011-11-10 18:29:30','2011-11-10 18:29:30','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"inspiration\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"61\" /><li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"introduction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"expansion\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"65\" /><li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><li><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"revitalization\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-23','','','2011-11-10 18:29:30','2011-11-10 18:29:30','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(1314,1,'2011-11-10 18:30:57','2011-11-10 18:30:57','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"inspiration\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inspiration.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"61\" /><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"introduction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/introduction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"expansion\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/expansion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"65\" /><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\"  title=\"transaction\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/transaction.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><img class=\"lifecycle-icon\" title=\"revitalization\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/revitalization.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"40\" /><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-24','','','2011-11-10 18:30:57','2011-11-10 18:30:57','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(1315,1,'2011-11-10 18:38:46','2011-11-10 18:38:46','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-25','','','2011-11-10 18:38:46','2011-11-10 18:38:46','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(1316,1,'2011-11-10 19:35:17','2011-11-10 19:35:17','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<div class=\"inspiration\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n</div>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Tr</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-26','','','2011-11-10 19:35:17','2011-11-10 19:35:17','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(1317,1,'2011-11-10 20:00:42','2011-11-10 20:00:42','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<div class=\"inspiration\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"introduction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<dic class=\"expansion\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"transaction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong><strong>ansaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"revitalization\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-27','','','2011-11-10 20:00:42','2011-11-10 20:00:42','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),(1318,1,'2011-11-10 20:07:12','2011-11-10 20:07:12','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<div class=\"inspiration\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"introduction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<dic class=\"expansion\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"transaction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"revitalization\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-28','','','2011-11-10 20:07:12','2011-11-10 20:07:12','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-28/',0,'revision','',0),(1319,1,'2011-11-10 20:10:43','2011-11-10 20:10:43','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<div class=\"inspiration\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"introduction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<dic class=\"expansion\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"transaction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"revitalization\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-29','','','2011-11-10 20:10:43','2011-11-10 20:10:43','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-29/',0,'revision','',0),(1320,1,'2011-11-10 20:11:36','2011-11-10 20:11:36','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<div class=\"inspiration\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"introduction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<dic class=\"expansion\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"transaction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"revitalization\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-30','','','2011-11-10 20:11:36','2011-11-10 20:11:36','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-30/',0,'revision','',0),(1321,1,'2011-11-10 20:14:50','2011-11-10 20:14:50','<div class=\"about-left\">\r\n\r\nEvery business evolves. As yours does, we’re here to support you, and the brand, every step of the way. From concepts in start-up, to businesses preparing for a transaction, to owners looking to exit, we know what it takes to get you through your current stage and into the next.Based on the experience we’ve had with multiple businesses in multiple stages of business, we have defined the five most common and most critical business lifecycles. They include: Inspiration, Introduction, Expansion, Transaction, and Revitalization. By understanding your place in the lifecycle, we can help define the best and most appropriate branding strategies. As a business matures and begins to cycle into a new phase, this evolution dictates the shift in marketing and branding strategy.From our first meeting, we begin to determine the stage in which your brand is currently growing, and are pre-equipped with the tools you’ll need to overcome the obstacles associated with where you stand in your business evolution. We’ve worked with brands at every point in the lifecycle. In fact, much of our passion is fueled by the results our clients achieve as we help them move through these phases of business.Regardless of your place in the business lifecycle stage, we have experience and knowledge to help.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"about-right\">\r\n<div class=\"inspiration\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Inspiration</strong> – The concept of a new business idea is in place and the need is to create awareness is of the utmost importance. It may be a spinoff opportunity, it may be an emerging technology, or it may be a radical idea.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"introduction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Introduction</strong> – It’s time to introduce the product or service to the marketplace through differentiation. The concept is off the ground and has viability.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<dic class=\"expansion\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Expansion</strong> – Businesses in this stage are seeking and possibly already on the verge rapid growth and creating sustainability through customer expansion and retention. They seek to increase valuation through a “self-revival.” Ask yourself: Are we staying true to the core brand?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"transaction\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Transaction</strong> – Owners in this stage have identified the next major milestone to maximizing value through a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity. Considering a merger, a sale or acquisition falls in this category. Companies preparing to go public are also in this stage. The business is on a mission to rapidly expand through increased scalability and significantly increase market share.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"revitalization\">\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Revitalization</strong> – The business has come full circle and the torch is about to be passed. The initiative in this lifecycle stage is to fortify the business to maximize value. A sale or leadership transition is in the offing as original ownership prepares to transition out of the business. Revitalization efforts play an important role both before and after the transition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>','Business LifeCycle Branding','','inherit','closed','open','','357-revision-31','','','2011-11-10 20:14:50','2011-11-10 20:14:50','',357,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/357-revision-31/',0,'revision','',0),(1411,1,'2011-11-28 19:20:17','2011-11-28 19:20:17','','introduction','','inherit','closed','open','','introduction','','','2011-11-28 19:20:17','2011-11-28 19:20:17','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/introduction.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1323,1,'2011-11-10 20:33:20','2011-11-10 20:33:20','','expansion','','inherit','closed','open','','expansion','','','2011-11-10 20:33:20','2011-11-10 20:33:20','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/expansion.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1324,1,'2011-11-10 20:35:32','2011-11-10 20:35:32','','transaction','','inherit','closed','open','','transaction','','','2011-11-10 20:35:32','2011-11-10 20:35:32','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/transaction.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1325,1,'2011-11-10 20:37:37','2011-11-10 20:37:37','','revitalization','','inherit','closed','open','','revitalization','','','2011-11-10 20:37:37','2011-11-10 20:37:37','',0,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/revitalization.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1326,2,'2011-11-10 17:57:01','2011-11-10 17:57:01','<a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1301\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kelly-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" /></a>Hello all! My name is Kelly, and I am the newest addition to the Brand Iron team. I have recently been lending a hand to our brand managers with the behind the scenes work of databases, pitch letters, and Google research.  Have I mentioned I am the Marketing Intern? Yes, that is me. I could not ask for a better foot in the door to the  world of agency branding. Plus, the crew here at this rodeo consists of amazing businessmen and women, and I will take in all that they have to teach me.\r\n\r\nAfter graduating from University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where the real cattle are raised, I made my way back down to my home roots of Denver. I am a Colorado native, a proud Broncos fan, and a lover of the Colorado Rockies. Now at Brand Iron, I am eager to jump start my career and see what the branding industry of Denver has to offer.\r\n\r\nWhen I am not diving deep into projects here at the ranch, I am usually taking a swim, a true swimmer with lap lanes and all, or hitting the streets of Denver with friends taking on the next adventure that this beautiful city has to offer. So next time you find yourself near our ranch, please stop in and say hello','Meet our New Marketing Intern!','','inherit','closed','open','','1300-revision-4','','','2011-11-10 17:57:01','2011-11-10 17:57:01','',1300,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1300-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1338,1,'2011-11-15 19:51:42','2011-11-15 19:51:42','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\r\n\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Justin- Art Director</strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. The United States of Awesome Possibilities is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. + 1.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to show that in the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//9a/0l6kiir20wcsg.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns), they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the The Brand Union cutting corners so they can get back to their  <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-8','','','2011-11-15 19:51:42','2011-11-15 19:51:42','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(1339,1,'2011-11-15 19:53:11','2011-11-15 19:53:11','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\n\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. The United States of Awesome Possibilities is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. + 1.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to show that in the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//9a/0l6kiir20wcsg.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns), they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the The Brand Union cutting corners so they can get back to their  <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-9','','','2011-11-15 19:53:11','2011-11-15 19:53:11','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(1340,1,'2011-11-15 19:53:13','2011-11-15 19:53:13','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\r\n\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. The United States of Awesome Possibilities is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. + 1.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to show that in the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//9a/0l6kiir20wcsg.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns), they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the The Brand Union cutting corners so they can get back to their  <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-10','','','2011-11-15 19:53:13','2011-11-15 19:53:13','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(1341,1,'2011-11-15 19:54:02','2011-11-15 19:54:02','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\r\n\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. + 1.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to show that in the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//9a/0l6kiir20wcsg.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns), they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the The Brand Union cutting corners so they can get back to their  <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-11','','','2011-11-15 19:54:02','2011-11-15 19:54:02','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(1342,1,'2011-11-15 19:54:40','2011-11-15 19:54:40','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\r\n\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+ 1</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to show that in the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//9a/0l6kiir20wcsg.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template. <strong>-10</strong>.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns), they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the The Brand Union cutting corners so they can get back to their  <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-12','','','2011-11-15 19:54:40','2011-11-15 19:54:40','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(1343,1,'2011-11-15 19:56:12','2011-11-15 19:56:12','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\n\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//9a/0l6kiir20wcsg.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template. <strong>-10</strong>.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns), they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the The Brand Union cutting corners so they can get back to their  <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-13','','','2011-11-15 19:56:12','2011-11-15 19:56:12','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(1344,1,'2011-11-15 20:01:18','2011-11-15 20:01:18','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\n\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template. <strong>-10</strong>.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns), they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the The Brand Union cutting corners so they can get back to their  <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-14','','','2011-11-15 20:01:18','2011-11-15 20:01:18','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(1345,1,'2011-11-15 20:01:58','2011-11-15 20:01:58','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\r\n\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template. <strong>-10</strong>.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the The Brand Union cutting corners so they can get back to their  <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-15','','','2011-11-15 20:01:58','2011-11-15 20:01:58','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(1346,1,'2011-11-15 20:02:53','2011-11-15 20:02:53','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\r\n\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template. <strong>-10</strong>.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> cutting corners so they can get back to their  <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-16','','','2011-11-15 20:02:53','2011-11-15 20:02:53','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(1347,1,'2011-11-16 16:17:17','2011-11-16 16:17:17','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\n\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template. <strong>-10</strong>.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> cutting corners so they can get back to their <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\nLeilani- Graphic Designer\n\nMy first impressions were, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation in the marketing materials beyond the logo my impressions were, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and they lack longenvity I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color pallet. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America\", then America seems like it would bore me to tears and try to sell me insurance or tupperware from a suitcase.\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-17','','','2011-11-16 16:17:17','2011-11-16 16:17:17','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(1348,1,'2011-11-16 16:54:52','2011-11-16 16:54:52','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as <a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\">Mexico</a> have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\n\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template. <strong>-10</strong>.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> cutting corners so they can get back to their <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\n<em><strong>Leilani- Graphic Designer</strong></em>\n\nMy first impressions were, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation in the marketing materials beyond the logo my impressions were, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color pallet. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America\", then America seems like it would bore me to tears and try to sell me insurance or tupperware from a suitcase.\n\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">almost</span> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. But this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first year design student showing interest in the profession of web design 8 years ago. The design tried to be hip and modern, but instead turned out confusing and as outdated as its logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in 5 languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to cover the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For the kind of budget they have, the site should be able to translate into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death, but the bottom line comes down to one thing, with a budget of $200 million A YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-18','','','2011-11-16 16:54:52','2011-11-16 16:54:52','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(1349,1,'2011-11-16 16:56:03','2011-11-16 16:56:03','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as <a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\">Mexico</a> have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\n\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busier than Wall Street. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? The <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. I\'ll stop there— but really? For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I would expect a site that didn\'t look like an outdated, broken template. <strong>-10</strong>.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept. As far execution goes— I can\'t help but picture those over at the <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> cutting corners so they can get back to their <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\n<em><strong>Leilani- Graphic Designer</strong></em>\n\nMy first impressions were, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation in the marketing materials beyond the logo my impressions were, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color pallet. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America\", then America seems like it would bore me to tears and try to sell me insurance or tupperware from a suitcase.\n\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">almost</span> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. But this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first year design student showing interest in the profession of web design 8 years ago. The design tried to be hip and modern, but instead turned out confusing and as outdated as its logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in 5 languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to cover the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For the kind of budget they have, the site should be able to translate into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death, but the bottom line comes down to one thing, with a budget of $200 million A YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-19','','','2011-11-16 16:56:03','2011-11-16 16:56:03','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(1351,1,'2011-11-16 19:09:53','2011-11-16 19:09:53','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as <a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\">Mexico</a> have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\n\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not, but with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other pieces. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? It\'s not like they couldn\'t afford a decent developer— the <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. I\'ll stop there— but really? It\'s unwelcoming, unprofessional and isn\'t representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see the design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet for free.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes— <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone\'s childhood dream of throwing a <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\n<em><strong>Leilani- Graphic Designer</strong></em>\n\nMy first impressions were, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation in the marketing materials beyond the logo my impressions were, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color pallet. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America\", then America seems like it would bore me to tears and try to sell me insurance or tupperware from a suitcase.\n\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">almost</span> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. But this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first year design student showing interest in the profession of web design 8 years ago. The design tried to be hip and modern, but instead turned out confusing and as outdated as its logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in 5 languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to cover the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For the kind of budget they have, the site should be able to translate into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death, but the bottom line comes down to one thing, with a budget of $200 million A YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-20','','','2011-11-16 19:09:53','2011-11-16 19:09:53','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(1352,1,'2011-11-16 19:49:15','2011-11-16 19:49:15','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as <a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\">Mexico</a> have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\n\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not, but with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other pieces. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? It\'s not like they couldn\'t afford a decent developer— the <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. I\'ll stop there— but really? It\'s unwelcoming, unprofessional and isn\'t representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see the design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet for free.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes— <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone\'s childhood dream of throwing a <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\n<em><strong>Leilani- Graphic Designer</strong></em>\n\nMy first impressions were, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation in the marketing materials beyond the logo my impressions were, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color pallet. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America\", then America seems like it would bore me to tears and try to sell me insurance or tupperware from a suitcase.\n\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">almost</span> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. But this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first year design student showing interest in the profession of web design 8 years ago. The design tried to be hip and modern, but instead turned out confusing and as outdated as its logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in 5 languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to cover the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For the kind of budget they have, the site should be able to translate into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death, but the bottom line comes down to one thing, with a budget of $200 million A YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.\n\n<em><strong>Ben- Design Intern/Lackey</strong></em>\n\nBrand USA tells me that part of their astronomical marketing budget for Discover America comes from the nominal $14 fee paid by visitors from visa waiver countries\", and that “No U.S. taxpayer dollars” were used.  At the end of the day, at least I didn\'t pay for it. Who am I kidding, I don\'t pay taxes.','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-21','','','2011-11-16 19:49:15','2011-11-16 19:49:15','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(1353,1,'2011-11-16 19:55:03','2011-11-16 19:55:03','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as <a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\">Mexico</a> have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\n\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not, but with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other pieces. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? It\'s not like they couldn\'t afford a decent developer— the <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. I\'ll stop there— but really? It\'s unwelcoming, unprofessional and isn\'t representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see the design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet for free.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes— <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone\'s childhood dream of throwing a <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\n<em><strong>Leilani- Graphic Designer</strong></em>\n\nMy first impressions were, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation in the marketing materials beyond the logo my impressions were, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color pallet. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America\", then America seems like it would bore me to tears and try to sell me insurance or tupperware from a suitcase.\n\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">almost</span> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. But this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first year design student showing interest in the profession of web design 8 years ago. The design tried to be hip and modern, but instead turned out confusing and as outdated as its logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in 5 languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to cover the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For the kind of budget they have, the site should be able to translate into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death, but the bottom line comes down to one thing, with a budget of $200 million A YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.\n\n<em><strong>Ben- Design Intern/Lackey</strong></em>\n\nBrand USA tells me that part of their astronomical marketing budget for Discover America comes from the nominal $14 fee paid by visitors from visa waiver countries\", and that “No U.S. taxpayer dollars” were used.  At the end of the day, at least I didn\'t pay for it. Who am I kidding, I don\'t pay taxes.','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-22','','','2011-11-16 19:55:03','2011-11-16 19:55:03','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(1354,1,'2011-11-16 19:56:38','2011-11-16 19:56:38','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as <a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\">Mexico</a> have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\r\n\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Justin- Art Director</em></strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not, but with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other pieces. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">home page</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally— a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it... can\'t we? It\'s not like they couldn\'t afford a decent developer— the <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. I\'ll stop there— but really? It\'s unwelcoming, unprofessional and isn\'t representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see the design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet for free.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes— <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone\'s childhood dream of throwing a <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Leilani- Graphic Designer</strong></em>\r\n\r\nMy first impressions were, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation in the marketing materials beyond the logo my impressions were, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color pallet. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America\", then America seems like it would bore me to tears and try to sell me insurance or tupperware from a suitcase.\r\n\r\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">almost</span> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. But this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first year design student showing interest in the profession of web design 8 years ago. The design tried to be hip and modern, but instead turned out confusing and as outdated as its logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in 5 languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to cover the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For the kind of budget they have, the site should be able to translate into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death, but the bottom line comes down to one thing, with a budget of $200 million A YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Ben- Design Intern/Lackey</strong></em>\r\n\r\nBrand USA tells me that part of their astronomical marketing budget for Discover America comes from the nominal $14 fee paid by visitors from visa waiver countries\", and that “No U.S. taxpayer dollars” were used.  At the end of the day, at least I didn\'t pay for it. Who am I kidding, I don\'t pay taxes.','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-23','','','2011-11-16 19:56:38','2011-11-16 19:56:38','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(1355,14,'2011-11-17 02:46:16','2011-11-17 02:46:16','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes - from its inner workings and intentions to its mission, value and promise to its potential customers. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country?\n\nNot just any country.\n\nHow do you create a brand image and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries (<a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\">Mexico</a>) have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries-old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of upwards of $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy to promote tourism in the United States, aimed to reach international travelers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> and the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\n\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant to \"capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.\" The first initiative of the marketing campaign is a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning travel around the United States. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the bump it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n<em>*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA campaign. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest from a $14 visitor fee for those traveling to the States from countries that do not require a visa, applied by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).</em>\n\n<strong>Thoughts From the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin - Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not. But with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other marketing pieces. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably - a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">homepage</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom of the page, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally — a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it...can\'t we? It\'s not like they couldn\'t afford a decent developer — the <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. I\'ll stop there — but, really? It\'s unwelcoming, unprofessional and it isn\'t representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet, for free.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes — <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone\'s childhood dream of throwing a <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\n<em><strong>Leilani - Graphic Designer</strong></em>\n\nMy first impression was, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation of the marketing materials beyond the logo, my impression was, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. Though I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color palette. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America,\" then America seems like it would bore me to tears, and try to sell me insurance, or Tupperware® from a suitcase.\n\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <em>almost</em> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. Except, this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first-year design student showing an interest in pursuing the profession of web design - eight years ago. The design tries to be hip and modern, but instead is confusing and as outdated as the new logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling, (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in five languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to reach people across the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For this size of budget, the site should be able to translate content into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death but the bottom line comes down to one thing - with a budget of $200 million PER YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.\n\n<em><strong>Ben - Design Intern/Lackey</strong></em>\n\nBrand USA tells me that part of their astronomical marketing budget for Discover America comes from the \"nominal $14 fee paid by visitors from visa-waiver countries,\" and that “No U.S. taxpayer dollars” were used.  At the end of the day, at least I didn\'t pay for it. Who am I kidding, I don\'t pay taxes.','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-24','','','2011-11-17 02:46:16','2011-11-17 02:46:16','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(1356,14,'2011-11-17 02:47:12','2011-11-17 02:47:12','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes - from its inner workings and intentions to its mission, value and promise to its potential customers. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country?\r\n\r\nNot just any country.\r\n\r\nHow do you create a brand image and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries (<a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\">Mexico</a>) have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries-old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of upwards of $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy to promote tourism in the United States, aimed to reach international travelers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> and the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\r\n\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant to \"capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.\" The first initiative of the marketing campaign is a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning travel around the United States. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the bump it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n<em>*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA campaign. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest from a $14 visitor fee for those traveling to the States from countries that do not require a visa, applied by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts From the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Justin - Art Director</em></strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not. But with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other marketing pieces. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably - a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">homepage</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom of the page, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally — a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it...can\'t we? It\'s not like they couldn\'t afford a decent developer — the <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. I\'ll stop there — but, really? It\'s unwelcoming, unprofessional and it isn\'t representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet, for free.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes — <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone\'s childhood dream of throwing a <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Leilani - Graphic Designer</strong></em>\r\n\r\nMy first impression was, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation of the marketing materials beyond the logo, my impression was, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. Though I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color palette. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America,\" then America seems like it would bore me to tears, and try to sell me insurance, or Tupperware® from a suitcase.\r\n\r\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <em>almost</em> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. Except, this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first-year design student showing an interest in pursuing the profession of web design - eight years ago. The design tries to be hip and modern, but instead is confusing and as outdated as the new logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling, (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in five languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to reach people across the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For this size of budget, the site should be able to translate content into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death but the bottom line comes down to one thing - with a budget of $200 million PER YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Ben - Design Intern/Lackey</strong></em>\r\n\r\nBrand USA tells us that part of their astronomical marketing budget for Discover America comes from the \"nominal $14 fee paid by visitors from visa-waiver countries,\" and that “No U.S. taxpayer dollars” were used.  At the end of the day, at least I didn\'t pay for it. Who am I kidding...I don\'t pay taxes.','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-25','','','2011-11-17 02:47:12','2011-11-17 02:47:12','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(1357,14,'2011-11-17 02:47:16','2011-11-17 02:47:16','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes - from its inner workings and intentions to its mission, value and promise to its potential customers. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country?\r\n\r\nNot just any country.\r\n\r\nHow do you create a brand image and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries (<a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\">Mexico</a>) have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries-old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\r\n\r\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of upwards of $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy to promote tourism in the United States, aimed to reach international travelers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> and the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" />\r\n\r\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant to \"capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.\" The first initiative of the marketing campaign is a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning travel around the United States. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the bump it hopes to gain in international tourism.\r\n\r\n<em>*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA campaign. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest from a $14 visitor fee for those traveling to the States from countries that do not require a visa, applied by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Thoughts From the BI Team</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Justin - Art Director</em></strong>\r\n\r\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not. But with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other marketing pieces. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably - a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">homepage</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom of the page, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally — a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it...can\'t we? It\'s not like they couldn\'t afford a decent developer — the <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. I\'ll stop there — but, really? It\'s unwelcoming, unprofessional and it isn\'t representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet, for free.\r\n\r\nFinal thoughts:\r\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes — <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone\'s childhood dream of throwing a <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Leilani - Graphic Designer</strong></em>\r\n\r\nMy first impression was, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation of the marketing materials beyond the logo, my impression was, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. Though I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color palette. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America,\" then America seems like it would bore me to tears, and try to sell me insurance, or Tupperware® from a suitcase.\r\n\r\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <em>almost</em> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. Except, this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first-year design student showing an interest in pursuing the profession of web design - eight years ago. The design tries to be hip and modern, but instead is confusing and as outdated as the new logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling, (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in five languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to reach people across the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For this size of budget, the site should be able to translate content into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death but the bottom line comes down to one thing - with a budget of $200 million PER YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Ben - Design Intern/Lackey</strong></em>\r\n\r\nBrand USA tells us that part of their astronomical marketing budget for Discover America comes from the \"nominal $14 fee paid by visitors from visa-waiver countries,\" and that “No U.S. taxpayer dollars” were used.  At the end of the day, at least I didn\'t pay for it. Who am I kidding...I don\'t pay taxes.','Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-revision-26','','','2011-11-17 02:47:16','2011-11-17 02:47:16','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(1510,1,'2012-01-19 00:22:29','2012-01-19 00:22:29','Submissions for the March/April Newsletter are due by Friday, January 20.\r\n\r\n[gravityform id=\"2\" name=\"DAC Newsletter Submission Form\"]','DAC Newsletter Submission Form','','inherit','closed','open','','1196-revision-8','','','2012-01-19 00:22:29','2012-01-19 00:22:29','',1196,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1196-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(1358,1,'2011-11-09 21:34:19','2011-11-09 21:34:19','[gravityform id=2 name=DACNewsletter Submission Form title=false]','DAC Newsletter Submission Form','','inherit','closed','open','','1196-revision-5','','','2011-11-09 21:34:19','2011-11-09 21:34:19','',1196,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1196-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1359,1,'2011-11-22 15:57:30','2011-11-22 15:57:30','The forms for the January/February Newsletter have now been closed. If you have any questions, please contact <a href=\"mailto:LFrogge@denverathleticclub.org\">Linda Frogge</a>.\r\n\r\n<!-- [gravityform id=2 name=DACNewsletter Submission Form title=false] -->','DAC Newsletter Submission Form','','inherit','closed','open','','1196-revision-6','','','2011-11-22 15:57:30','2011-11-22 15:57:30','',1196,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1196-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1362,2,'2011-11-22 22:46:03','2011-11-22 22:46:03','','Black Friday Craze','','inherit','closed','open','','black-friday-electronics1','','','2011-11-22 22:46:03','2011-11-22 22:46:03','',1361,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/black-friday-electronics1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1363,2,'2011-11-22 22:46:04','2011-11-22 22:46:04','','Black-Friday Weekend','','inherit','closed','open','','black-friday-2010-poster1-300x281','','','2011-11-22 22:46:04','2011-11-22 22:46:04','',1361,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Black-Friday-2010-Poster1-300x281.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1408,1,'2011-11-28 17:41:36','2011-11-28 17:41:36','The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes - from its inner workings and intentions to its mission, value and promise to its potential customers. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country?\n\nNot just any country.\n\nHow do you create a brand image and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries (<a href=\"http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php\" target=\"_blank\">Peru</a> and <a href=\"http://www.visitmexico.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Mexico</a>) have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries-old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?\n\nThe Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of upwards of $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy to promote tourism in the United States, aimed to reach international travelers. What they came up with was <a href=\"http://www.thebrandusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Brand USA, Inc.</a> and the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329\" title=\"Brand USA\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" /></p>\nAccording to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant to \"capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.\" The first initiative of the marketing campaign is a consumer website, <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning travel around the United States. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the bump it hopes to gain in international tourism.\n\n<em>*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA campaign. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest from a $14 visitor fee for those traveling to the States from countries that do not require a visa, applied by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).</em>\n\n<strong>Thoughts From the BI Team</strong>\n\n<strong><em>Justin - Art Director</em></strong>\n\nI definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It\'s just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn\'t this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn\'t it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not. But with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other marketing pieces. I even like the tagline. \"The United States of Awesome Possibilities\" is the new \"The Land of Opportunity\". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.\n\nThe website, on the other hand, is undeniably - a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it\'s embarrassing. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/\" target=\"_blank\">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href=\"http://livingsocial.com/escapes\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale site</a>. The <a href=\"http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">homepage</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom of the page, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally — a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href=\"http://ringvemedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">China</a> can do it, we can do it...can\'t we? It\'s not like they couldn\'t afford a decent developer — the <a href=\"http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png\" target=\"_blank\">border</a> around the content area isn\'t even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there\'s a lot of variety, there\'s no need to let it govern the design. I\'ll stop there — but, really? It\'s unwelcoming, unprofessional and it isn\'t representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet, for free.\n\nFinal thoughts:\nInstead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they\'ve come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes — <a href=\"http://www.thebrandunion.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone\'s childhood dream of throwing a <a href=\"http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.\n\n<em><strong>Leilani - Graphic Designer</strong></em>\n\nMy first impression was, \"It looks like a boring corporation.\" Upon further investigation of the marketing materials beyond the logo, my impression was, \"It looks like a semi-boring corporation.\" The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It\'s already outdated. Though I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color palette. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to \"capture the American spirit\" and invite global visitors to \"experience the boundless possibilities in America,\" then America seems like it would bore me to tears, and try to sell me insurance, or Tupperware® from a suitcase.\n\nThe opening page of the website is interesting in design, <em>almost</em> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. Except, this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first-year design student showing an interest in pursuing the profession of web design - eight years ago. The design tries to be hip and modern, but instead is confusing and as outdated as the new logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can\'t rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling, (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in five languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to reach people across the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For this size of budget, the site should be able to translate content into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death but the bottom line comes down to one thing - with a budget of $200 million PER YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.\n\n<em><strong>Ben - Design Intern/Lackey</strong></em>\n\nBrand USA tells us that part of their astronomical marketing budget for Discover America comes from the \"nominal $14 fee paid by visitors from visa-waiver countries,\" and that “No U.S. taxpayer dollars” were used.  At the end of the day, at least I didn\'t pay for it. Who am I kidding...I don\'t pay taxes.\n\n<strong><em>Kaitlyn – Brand Manager</em></strong>\n\nComing up with content and messaging around why people should come to America is by no means an easy task. In fact, I might almost say it’s impossible to describe who we are, all that we’ve got to offer, and why we are appealing in a way that grabs people from all around the world. And not to mention in a way that makes them get out their checkbooks and actually book a trip.\n\nSo does “The United States of Awesome Possibilities” do the trick? I have to say, the word <em>awesome</em> sort of threw me off at first. But then I thought about what other options I could stick in there: Inspiring? Wonderful? Stunning? None of those seem to do the trick either. In fact, I think we are kind of <em>awesome</em>, and awesome is a new way to say all the other words I could come up with anyways. But what I’m not sure about is how well this will resonate with the target of this campaign – our international travel friends. Will they understand how we take “awesome”? And does that word translate for them?  I think that will be the true test for how well this slogan backs the new campaign.\n\n<strong><em>Abbey – Brand Manager</em></strong>\n\nThe Brand Union shared that this new identity is designed to capture the spirit of our homeland - a place that is supposedly: Authentic. Optimistic. Unexpected. Inclusive. Endless Possibilities. Yet, I\'ve always been a believer in branding that is consistent with realistic perceptions of the company, or at very least, branding that is reflective of a mission that the company is able to truly manifest. In America\'s case, my guess is you\'d be hard-pressed to find very many international visitors who would describe our country using any of these terms other than perhaps, \'Unexpected.\' \'Authentic\' certainly doesn\'t speak to a place that has long been referred to as \'a melting pot.\' And it doesn\'t help that the agency launched this new identity at a time when the biggest trend here is occupying.  I can\'t be the only one with a raised brow as to who The Brand Union went to as the source for our collective so-called \'spirit.\'\n\nBefore too much more opinion about the new brand, let\'s give it time to gain some traction. We\'ll see if the investment behind Brand USA translates into campaigns that actually engage the international audience, and if they actually embrace the brand - enough so to come on over.','Candid Thoughts: Marketing for America','','inherit','closed','open','','1328-autosave','','','2011-11-28 17:41:36','2011-11-28 17:41:36','',1328,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1328-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(1364,2,'2011-11-22 22:52:17','2011-11-22 22:52:17','','amazon-blackfriday','','inherit','closed','open','','amazon-blackfriday','','','2011-11-22 22:52:17','2011-11-22 22:52:17','',1361,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/amazon-blackfriday.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(1365,2,'2011-11-22 22:54:34','2011-11-22 22:54:34','','AMAZON','','inherit','closed','open','','amazon','','','2011-11-22 22:54:34','2011-11-22 22:54:34','',1361,'http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AMAZON.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1366,2,'2011-11-22 22:58:41','2011-11-22 22:58:41','<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>                                               Hot Deals! </strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Black-Friday-2010-Poster1-300x281.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-1363\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Black-Friday-2010-Poster1-300x281-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a><strong><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 12px;line-height: 18px\">SALE, SALE, SALE! </span></strong></p>\n\n<div style=\"text-align: center\"> <strong>Lowest Prices of the Year!</strong></div>\nIt’s nearly impossible to escape the Black Friday promotions this time of year, and undoubtedly you’re bombarded with messages from Macy’s, Best Buy, Target, and the like.  It seems these days it’s no longer about the one small window of opportunity for deals that you can’t find on any other day to shop, that are so awesome you’d be willing to wake up at some un-godly hour and stand in a line with other people only hoping you’ve made it in time to get that once-a-year sale deal. Instead, it’s become an entire weekend or even week of “hot deals” and “low prices”.\nBlack Friday advertisers start advertising well before we’ve had a chance to collect our Halloween candy these days. If you ask me, these extended sales have diluted the power behind the all-mighty Black Friday connotation. I know I no longer feel an even semi-urge to set my alarm to take advantage of an opportunity to come home with a sweet deal on this years hottest electronic. Who I am I kidding, I never got that urge, but I certainly know people who have!pportunity for deals that you can’t find on any other day to shop, that are so awesome you’d be willing to wake up at some un-godly hour and stand in a line with other people only hoping you’ve made it in time to get that once-a-year sale deal. Instead, it’s become an entire weekend or even week of “hot deals” and “low prices”.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1362\" style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/black-friday-electronics1-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" />\n\nGetting up at 2am and waiting outside a Target for that small window of opportunity to get the latest gadget at 50% off sort of loses some appeal when it’s counterparts like Amazon and Kmart provide Black Friday pricing for 2 or 3 days in stores, and online, where you can get the same gift from the comfort of your own home, in your pajamas, at a normal hour of the day.\n\nSo is Black Friday becoming a more-or-less “Gray Friday” in the minds of shoppers? I think somewhat. On one hand, it’s become easier to still get deals, without getting up and waiting in lines. However, in this new style of Black Friday pushes, marketers have become more creative in the ways they lure Black Friday shoppers in. Check out these apps made just for Black Friday: <a href=\"http://gigaom.com/apple/7-apps-for-conquering-black-friday/\">http://gigaom.com/apple/7-apps-for-conquering-black-friday/</a>. There are also a slew of early bird specials and limited offers which are still used to bring in the die-hards.\n\nYesterday I saw on the news that a family has been camped outside a Best Buy since last Tuesday (read the story here <a href=\"http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/286949/71/Black-Friday-shoppers-camp-out-one-week-in-advance\">http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/286949/71/Black-Friday-shoppers-camp-out-one-week-in-advance</a>). So while some may be doing their shopping at a more normal hour this year, I think stories like this are evidence that Black Friday is here to stay.  I don’t foresee shoppers giving up on the lure of Black Friday\n\n<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1365\" style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AMAZON-e1322002524213-300x140.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"140\" />\n\nanytime soon; it is after all the World Cup of shopping days. I do however see marketers continue to be forced to get more creative and more outrageous to compete for shoppers business. So what will they come up with next? We can only wait and see…\n\n&nbsp;','Is Gray the New Black? – A Look at Black Friday Marketing ','','inherit','closed','open','','1361-revision','','','2011-11-22 22:58:41','2011-11-22 22:58:41','',1361,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1361-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1369,2,'2011-11-22 23:07:15','2011-11-22 23:07:15','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Hot Deals! </strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Black-Friday-2010-Poster1-300x281.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-1363\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Black-Friday-2010-Poster1-300x281-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a><strong><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 12px;line-height: 18px\">SALE, SALE, SALE! </span></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center\"> <strong>Lowest Prices of the Year!</strong></div>\r\nIt’s nearly impossible to escape the Black Friday promotions this time of year, and undoubtedly you’re bombarded with messages from Macy’s, Best Buy, Target, and the like.  It seems these days it’s no longer about the one small window of opportunity for deals that you can’t find on any other day to shop, that are so awesome you’d be willing to wake up at some un-godly hour and stand in a line with other people only hoping you’ve made it in time to get that once-a-year sale deal. Instead, it’s become an entire weekend or even week of “hot deals” and “low prices”.\r\nBlack Friday advertisers start advertising well before we’ve had a chance to collect our Halloween candy these days. If you ask me, these extended sales have diluted the power behind the all-mighty Black Friday connotation. I know I no longer feel an even semi-urge to set my alarm to take advantage of an opportunity to come home with a sweet deal on this years hottest electronic. Who I am I kidding, I never got that urge, but I certainly know people who have!pportunity for deals that you can’t find on any other day to shop, that are so awesome you’d be willing to wake up at some un-godly hour and stand in a line with other people only hoping you’ve made it in time to get that once-a-year sale deal. Instead, it’s become an entire weekend or even week of “hot deals” and “low prices”.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1362\" style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/black-friday-electronics1-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" />\r\n\r\nGetting up at 2am and waiting outside a Target for that small window of opportunity to get the latest gadget at 50% off sort of loses some appeal when it’s counterparts like Amazon and Kmart provide Black Friday pricing for 2 or 3 days in stores, and online, where you can get the same gift from the comfort of your own home, in your pajamas, at a normal hour of the day.\r\n\r\nSo is Black Friday becoming a more-or-less “Gray Friday” in the minds of shoppers? I think somewhat. On one hand, it’s become easier to still get deals, without getting up and waiting in lines. However, in this new style of Black Friday pushes, marketers have become more creative in the ways they lure Black Friday shoppers in. Check out these apps made just for Black Friday: <a href=\"http://gigaom.com/apple/7-apps-for-conquering-black-friday/\">http://gigaom.com/apple/7-apps-for-conquering-black-friday/</a>. There are also a slew of early bird specials and limited offers which are still used to bring in the die-hards.\r\n\r\nYesterday I saw on the news that a family has been camped outside a Best Buy since last Tuesday (read the story here <a href=\"http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/286949/71/Black-Friday-shoppers-camp-out-one-week-in-advance\">http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/286949/71/Black-Friday-shoppers-camp-out-one-week-in-advance</a>). So while some may be doing their shopping at a more normal hour this year, I think stories like this are evidence that Black Friday is here to stay.  I don’t foresee shoppers giving up on the lure of Black Friday\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1365\" style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial\" src=\"http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AMAZON-e1322002524213-300x140.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"140\" />\r\n\r\nanytime soon; it is after all the World Cup of shopping days. I do however see marketers continue to be forced to get more creative and more outrageous to compete for shoppers business. So what will they come up with next? We can only wait and see…\r\n\r\n-Kaitlyn Anderson','Is Gray the New Black? – A Look at Black Friday Marketing ','','inherit','closed','open','','1361-revision-3','','','2011-11-22 23:07:15','2011-11-22 23:07:15','',1361,'http://www.brandiron.net/general/1361-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0);
