AbuLLard Welcomes AudhumbLa to the Herd

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AudhumbLa joins the Herd

Who is AudhumbLa? AudhumbLa is the bovine-alter-ego of the newest member of the CattLeLogos team - Bill Furrer. Bill was a colleague of both Jane and Jean during their tenure at Bellcore/Telcordia and is becoming a partner in the CattLeLogos. Bill has extensive IT, web, and e-commerce background as well as experience driving wide ranging employee communication programs supporting senior management and business strategy.

Bill worked closely with Jean on Brand Management at Telcordia across a full range of marketing communications activities for the name change and corporate re-branding from Bellcore to Telcordia. This activity included the redesign and rebuild of a complex corporate web site and intranet. The corporate web site had to interface with multiple databases and differing e-commerce applications. It had to integrate content from diverse business units including product, service and research applications. Bill was responsible for the project managment that made all that happen on time and on budget.

Bill is more than simply a technical expert, Bill has done technology assessments, business cases and process (re)engineering. He has successfully led customer service trials and web integration projects for e-sales, e-training and e-recruiting.

Bill says, "I'm excited about the opportunity to work with the CattLeLogos Team in pursuing opportunities for moving brands into the world of new media and communication both internally and externally."

The addition of Bill to our team beefs up our capaiblities in web applications and e-business. He is already responsible for implementing the facelift to the CattLeLogos web site and adding new features such at the "Rate Your Brand" quiz, AbuLLard's FAQs and Hayloise's Tips and Tricks. He also worked with Donna Meyer who did a great job developing the structure of our expanded Portfolio section.

We are delighted to have Bill on the Team. From the moment we created the business, we have hoped to be able to add Bill to the Herd. In addition to his marketing and technical skills, he has an uncanny ability to get consensus and buy in from diverse constituents. His creativity and sense of humor are evident in his choice of Audhumbla, the most important cow in history, as his alter ego.

How does this relate to us?

Before using the CattLeLogos Method^(TM) a brand strategy is frequently in chaos.
After the CattLeLogos method, there is structure and focus.

Brand Element of the Month:

Stand Up Logos

produced by
DECSTEC

www.decstec.com

AbuLLard generates business for DECSTEC

If you've seen us at business expos, you've met our stand-up version of AbuLLard. He's six feet tall. His image was printed with special paper and inks, and then the image was transferred through a heat press to particle board with a white laminate surface. Then the pieces were cut out on a band saw and assembled. No painting necessary.

AbuLLard was made for us by a company called DECSTEC. DECSTEC produces photographic-quality images on a variety of materials including wood products, metals, plastics, and construction panels. Output is used for display applications such as store fixtures, signage, architectural panels, and game tables to name a few. Basically, any application that requires a sturdy substrate. The images are high quality, permanent and abrasion resistant. AbuLLard has done quite a bit of traveling and he's still in good shape.

Recently I got an e-mail from Dene Taylor, CEO of DECSTEC, who said, "I took a call from a lady who saw AbuLLard on our web site and called to get us to make a couple of big ice cream cone cut outs." Of course AbuLLard wanted a commission on the sale!

It's a great way to display your brand identity or create signage that draws attention to your store or trade show booth. If you are interested in finding out more, click here to send Dene an e-mail.

AbuLLard's picture on the DECSTEC website, with his friends Gary Kopervas and Jean Wilcox.

Hayloise's Book of the Month

Eating the Big Fish: How Challenger Brands can Compete against Brand Leaders
By Adam Morgan

This book captures eight credos that challenger brands (little guys) share when they successfully take on ‘the big fish’ (the top brand in an industry). It focuses on consumer brands, which have been the primary focus of branding.

Some of the credos fly in the face of conventional wisdom. For example, the second credo: Build a Lighthouse Identity advocates ‘inviting the consumer to navigate by them’ not ‘navigating by the consumer’. That is, challenger brands need to set the direction, to lead - not follow the consumer’s lead.  The four characteristics of a Lighthouse Identity are:

• Self-Referential Identity - all marketing actions tell the consumers where they stand.

• Emotion - create an emotional connection rather than a rationally-based relationship with the consumer

• Intensity - Create intense projections about who they are.

• Salience - they are highly intrusive - one cannot avoid noticing their activity even if not actively looking in their direction.

Like most books on ‘branding’ this book focuses on how to address the marketplace, primarily through advertising and PR. It doesn’t focus on techniques that are in the domain of ‘guerrilla marketing,’ ‘relationship building,’ or on how to implement a brand in today’s marketplace.

It’s a fun read though. It provides lots of insight, and definitely advocates strategies that run counter to conventional wisdom. 

Click on the book cover image to go to its page on Amazon.com

Brand Tip of the Month
 

“The truth is
the best brands,
like the most
 interesting people,
have a keen sense
of self.”
 

David F.D’Alessandro
Brand Warfare

Know Yourself

Today’s customers are dealing with an overwhelming number of choices. Put on your own "Consumer Mind" for a moment and think about how you make your own purchase decisions. In a market of too many choices, what do you buy? Most people go with what they trust. The familiar. The recognizable. The one they know.

In this environment, it's critical that you have a clearly articulated brand vision. It guides internal corporate resources in the same direction and eliminates redundancy and confusion. It supports your external communications strategy in an integrated way by aligning internal business processes to deliver what your promise. It's helps you promote yourself in a clear and consistent way

If you do not have a clear picture of what you are, how can your customers? Some of the fall-out from that lack of a consistent brand position can include:

• Customer expectations about your company's identity and your products don't match what is actually delivered
• The messages you put into the market -- whether print media or on your web site -- are conflicting and create confusion about who you are and what you do
• Your internal staff doesn't understand how to make decisions consistent with the brand vision
• Extra resources are required to support multiple brand messages and production of redundant materials.

Do you like our newsletter? We would love to work with you on developing a newsletter for your business.

Give us a call: 215.732.1553 or contact us by e-mail.

Copyright 2005 CattLeLogos Brand Management Systems, LLC. All rights reserved.

CattLeLogos is a Reigstered Trademark of CattLeLogos Brand Management Systems, LLC. AbuLLard, AbuLLard's ABC's of Branding, the CattLeLogos Method are trademarks and copyright CattLeLogos Brand Management Systems, LLC.

Published April 21, 2005

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