Small Business UnMarketing

How Strong Is Your Brand? The Samsonite Case Study

The Shwayder brothers - Jessie, Mark, Maurice, Benjamin, and Solomon - wanted to brand their luggage as being the strongest in the world. They faced fierce competition from wealthy luggage maufacturers, and decided to use the reference to Samson from the Bible to demonstrate the strength of their suitcases and trunks. When this picture was released in 1916, everything changed in their business. This picture was worth a thousand words and more in dollars, with Shwayder revenues climbing to $300,00 by 1924. They even compared their products to Ford automobiles, claiming they built their suitcases the way Ford built cars.

How strong is your brand? Do you have a memorable way to let people know who you are and what you stand for?

UnDoing The UnMarketing Concept UnWillingly

When I started this blog two years ago, my idea was to brand myself as the UnMarketer, someone who did things differently from other marketers, both online and off. The name was a take off of 7 Up - the UnCola, and it seemed to catch on.

Now, many things are going Un. Pat O'Bryan actually had already started his UnSeminar, and UnSeminar 5 is coming up at the end of the month. I would love to go, but just can't get away. It must not be meant to happen for me at this time. I'll plan for the next one.

But what really got me was a story in last week's Newsweek magazine, where they discussed KFC's new un-chicken. Yes, the Colonel, or his descendants at least, have gone vegan, and KFC will now offer a chicken sandwaich that contains no chicken or meat of any kind.

So, UNtil next time, I am sure you will UNderstand if I stay just UNder the radar, and post about more serious marketing events. In the meantime, check out what I'm doing over at Ebook Writing and Marketing Secrets.

Branding Yourself With Your Blog

I learned something new from Ted Demopoulos of Blogging for Business. He talks about adding a tagline after your name whenever you leave a comment on someone else's blog. He has written several excellent books, including What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting. In this post he discusses how you can leave your name, along with something that brands you personally, such as I do with Connie Ragen Green, the Small Business UnMarketer. It helps for readers to see that you are so connected with what you do and may also make them remember you longer.

Ted Demopoulos interviews 101 bloggers in his book, including Tom Antion, whose CLICK book got me started on the internet, and The Blog Squad, Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.