Ant Hill Marketing

So, the Portland Timbers have apparently designed a new logo to be unveiled this Saturday as a step to help them move toward Major League Soccer. I’m interested to see what they’ve come up with. An article in today’s Oregonian about the logo mentions, “What if they unveil the new logo…and nobody cheers?” Well, if that happens, perhaps it’s because a logo doesn’t make the brand.

Below is a visual timeline that showcases the the various logos used by the Timbers, as it appeared in The Oregonian article.

What’s interesting, from a brand perspective is all the hoopla around the unveiling of a logo. If the identity used during the 2001-2004 timeframe didn’t “catch on with fans” perhaps it was less about the design and more to do with the Timbers‘ brand itself. Are the Timbers positioned well? What’s their distinction in the Portland sports market that sets them a part from other sporting options? It helps they are the only soccer team, but other than that, what’s the promise? And what does the brand stand for? I’m not sure I know and I’m a soccer fan. I do know that the Timbers along with owner and business phenom Merritt Paulson are hanging their hats on this as their step to the majors. And the development process took more than a year including research. All well and good, but that’s a lot riding on a mark. And, the questions I have for Paulson and the team? Tell me what the Timbers stand for. Tell me the experience I’ll have attending matches. Tell me what you are promising and how you’ll deliver. Then with the answers hold the new logo up in the mirror and tell me what you see.

[Added 6/12 post logo unveiling]

So the new Portland Timbers’ logo has been unveiled. See it for yourself here. Was there cheering? Don’t know. But the outcome is…just okay. Slightly uninspiring. At least the Oregon Ducks will surely enjoy the color combo.

Seattle's Best - new logo

Whatever happened to the distinct, strong brands? Will someone please tell me? It’s feeling more and more like a game of how low can you go to appeal to the masses. Granted Seattle’s Best is owned by Starbucks and the brand will be coming to a Burger King, Subway and movie theaters near you but did that mean to translate the brand’s identity in this way - oversimplified to the point of barely being recognizable? You dipped my Target into your blood bank.

So, I admit, the original Seattle’s Best logo was dated, as was the brand overall. But, at least the old logo had some history and recognition. It wasn’t in a circle. It didn’t have a tear drop. And, since when is coffee red?

What’s the consumer supposed to take away from this new and improved logo? Simple. Generic. Regular. Bland. Red coffee? And how does this reflect on the Seattle’s Best brand in general? With the shift to a broader scope of consumers and to potentially compete with the likes of Dunkin’ Donuts, positioning Seattle’s Best as the brand to go that mile versus Starbucks makes complete sense, but the way the Seattle’s Best brand is perceived is what will make or break this business decision. You might not like the coffee, but at least Dunkin’ Donuts has a huge, loyal following. Does anyone drink Seattle’s Best? Would you now?

If mediocrity was the goal then ding ding ding, we may have a winner. But brands that settle for mediocre tend to get that mediocrity reflected upon their products and consumers wind up walking on by. Hey you, Ms. Consumer. We know you want that cup right about now. How about a tall, steaming hot cup of average. Doesn’t that hit the spot? Mediocre doesn’t even get you to second best. It’s not even challenger status. It’s barely…there.

Starbucks has their own brand to maintain so I’ll cut some slack that adding a new brand to the mix makes their job slightly more work, but if they plan to be successful they need to look at a different brand architecture that allows the growth of the brands independently. Give Seattle’s Best the distinction that at least position’s it against the competition. Heck, make Dunkin’ Donuts run for their money.

It’s just a sad day when commonplace rules the roost. When you don’t stand for something, it makes it very difficult to compete on anything other than price. And competing on price turns the brand into a commodity. No business wants to be there. So, will all the distinct, strong brands out there please stand up? I’d like to buy you a cup of joe.

For those of you pop-culture buffs, tomorrow marks a long anticipated campaign to get comedian and actress Betty White to host SNL. If I was a betting woman I would guess that this episode will be one of the highest rated for SNL in the last few years. This is actually very interesting if you think about it.

Betty White is not who you would normally think the 18-25 year old audience would relate to or even care to tune in and watch host America’s comedy hour. In fact, since 1992 when the long running Golden Girls left the airwaves she hasn’t had a long standing appearance or main character on any show. There have been bit parts here and there, movie appearances, naughty comedic roasts and let’ s not forget her Superbowl commercial. But for all intents and purposes, Betty White’s career was a burning out flame. Not someone you would think would draw record numbers for a show that is struggling with their ratings.

At the beginning of this year something happened on Facebook. A rallying cry from a group of people who just happen to love them some Betty White. This group of fans had a simple question; how could a part of comedy royalty never be asked to host SNL? Even at the top of her game, and her involvement in comedy would have at least made her a likely candidate at some point to host the show. Wayne Gretsky was asked, we know how that turned out… how could our lovable comedy granny be overlooked?

A Facebook fan group was set up to see if people shared this sentiment, and sure enough the fan group gathered large numbers. Who knew people loved Betty so much? SNL obviously didn’t.  But now people were taking notice. She was booked on Larry King, and did other press junkets. She modestly laughed at the uproar and admitted that it didn’t make much sense to her, she was no lady ga-ga. But would SNL take notice? Of course, they did! How could they not?

And therein lies an important question for anyone running a business. HOW CAN YOU NOT? There are people out there gathering around interests, interests that your product, your service could help. If you find them, and listen to them and cater your product around their likes and dislikes, it can benefit you.

I know what I am saying isn’t ground-breaking or even a new concept. But with Betty hosting SNL, it doesn’t hurt to re-iterate that businesses need to get out there find the tribes and listen to what they are saying. Like SNL, you can reap the benefits.

Chrysler is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC., Fiat is a registered trademark of Fiat Group Automobiles SpA

We all know about the troubles of the Big Three automakers in America. Deteriorating market share, strengthening competition, buyouts, bailouts, selloffs, consolidations, greening, heath care costs, unions, suppliers, loans, losses, more losses, our money, their money, someone else’s money… in the eternal words of Shaggy Rogers (of Scooby-Doo fame)…zoinks!

Forgetting about the healthier two of the trio for the moment, let’s talk about Chrysler. Chrysler is in a unique and unenviable position. Always the underdog, Chrysler has been on the ropes for quite a while. After the Daimler/Chrysler foxtrot fizzled, a new dance partner stepped in, the venture capital firm Cerberus. A few months later, yet another dancer stepped into the ring, Mr. Economy. The ménage á trois of Cerebus, Chrysler and Mr. Economy quickly started to circle the sombrero of diminishing returns. With mounting losses and no new venture capital to be found the Cerberus/Crysler newlyweds, (along with their distant cousin, General Motors) went to Capitol Hill looking for a loan. We all know what happened there, we gave them money. But with Chrysler there was a caveat, they must find yet another new dancer to tango with, enter Fiat SpA. Expensive shoes, nicely coiffed hair, and some old world style.

So you may be asking how this applies to marketing? I’m getting to that. You see Fiat and Chrysler have little problem, it’s called time. Because of production cycles, engineering workload, scales of economy, exchange rates, legal wrangling, and perhaps the moon, the first big influx of Fiat-based Chrysler products won’t be released until model year 2012. That’s one-and-a-half model years before new products with new engineering and the new Fiat/Chrysler brand strategy are fully in place. One-and-a-half years of scraping together a viable product line. One-and-a-half years of gap filling marketing. One-and-a-half years is an eternity for a company losing market share and sucking wind as hard as Chrysler. So what are Fiat SpA and Chrysler going to do?

Well, the first step was to re-brand the Dodge Ram truck series into its own singular brand now called Ram. A new ad campaign featuring five TV spots showcasing the recreational and vocational attributes of the new Ram brand. Seven print ads, and a new website, RamTrucks.com to support the spots. To further support the work hard, play hard attitude of Ram Truck customers, Fiat SpA/Chrysler came up with the Outfitter.RamTrucks.com site. Within this online wonderland, you can purchase a Ram brand G-Shock watch or an 18-can camouflaged cooler, or a bunch of t-shirts and other apparel emblazoned with Ram brandiness. Or maybe that’s Brand Raminess. Oh and they also have a blog, “Ram Zone”, and they say they will also leverage social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and the like to connect with like-minded Ram loyalists.

Next was to re-focus Dodge as a fun/lifestyle brand. Many of us have seen the “Man’s Last Stand” Super Bowl ad and the “We Make Getaway Cars” ad featuring the wheel-spinning tire-smoking, bad-ass Dodge Charger. These two ads, coming from distinctly different viewpoints, male and female, show how misogyny and misandry can both be relieved by pressing your right foot down really really hard on a gas petal. I’m not sure how these two TV spots speak to fun or lifestyle unless you enjoy lousy painful relationships.

Part three, re-focus Jeep to be a “dreamers/adventurers” brand. Jeep product advertising will center on lifestyle with the message that Jeep owners live life by their own set of rules/terms, “I live. I ride. I am. Jeep.” Kim Adams House, head of Jeep Brand Communications, “We want to expand the reach of the brand and provide examples…to see inside the people’s lives who embrace the Jeep lifestyle.” This is a switch from the traditional Jeep branding, the outdoor, go anywhere, macho vehicle that goes where no man has gone before, unless he had a Jeep of course. The new dreamers/adventurers advertising features a woman driving a convertible Jeep Wrangler after a visiting a hair salon in “It’s Only Hair,” a woman driving a carpool in a Jeep Liberty in “Open Lane,” a father and son and a Jeep Grand Cherokee story with a dad on a skateboard in “Dinner’s Ready,” and a Chihuahua in a Jeep Patriot living the good life in “This Dog’s Life.” Not your typical Jeep story lines.

Step D, do something with the Chrysler brand. Push it upscale? We know a couple models will be dropped, the PT Cruiser, and the woeful Sebring (it will be heavily reworked and brought back with a different name). That will leave the Chrysler brand with the 300 sedan and the Town and Country minivan. Not much of a brand lineup. There is talk of Fiat SpA bringing the Alfa Romeo brand back to the U.S., selling it through the Chrysler dealer network. It would give Chrysler a premium brand to compete against the likes of Lexus, Audi, Infinity, and Acura. But with Alfa having left the U.S. market during the mid-1990s with such a poor track record, will the memories and prejudices be able to be overcome? The campaign for that one will be most interesting.

So, as the next year and a half progresses Chrysler and Fiat SpA will have many challenges with repositioning, re-building and clawing their way out of the American automobile abyss. I have a feeling there will be more than one media rep with a smiling face, who will receive the windfall of this colossal reshaping of American perceptions. So turn off your DVRs, re-up your subscriptions, start watching those pitiful sitcoms and healthcare based dramas, and enjoy the front row seat watching it all happen. Besides, in the end, you probably paid for it.

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‘Twas the night before deadline and all through the shop. Every creature was stirring…

We know what you’re thinking…”Uh oh, not another holiday letter.” Just read it. Please.

Think of it as our little tribute to 2009. Cheers!