A quick note: From time to time I will be writing about some brands I consider to be bold and who stand out for various reasons.

1] Southwest Airlines – Talk about being bold, unique and different. They have a strong business plan; they connect with their customers; have happy employees; are picking up market share, kicking their competitors’ butt and producing good results in a very tough market.

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2] Mac – Here is another great example of a company that has clearly defined its own brand, [young, hip, easy to use, putting a young and friendly face with a computer] while going after and negatively defining its competitor, PC, [older, overweight, geeky, out of touch, unreliable, full of bugs and so on]. Talk about pro-actively defining and managing your brand.

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3] Fox News – News has always been news. It was never right or wrong, left or right. As Sargent Friday, from the television series, Dragnet, used to say “just that facts ma’am”. Love them or hate them, Fox News came in seized the opportunity to redefine news as we know it. They must have felt that news had become one-sided and it was time for a new source of news that is “fair and balanced”. Fox has become the clear leader in cable news. Even in our office both parties are represented. We don’t ask which political representation they are affiliated with. We don’t have to, they just ask which news do you watch?

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So today’s lesson: make your brand bold, effective and the results will follow.

Michael