Interbrand Announces 100 Best Global Brands 2009
September 21, 2009
For the ninth year in a row, Coca-Cola tops Interbrand’s annual ranking of the top 100 best global brands in 2009.
The biggest shifts in the 2009 Interbrand list of the best global brands came in areas that one would expect — financial and car brands fell (some dropping off the list entirely) while food brands rose (Interbrand cites the rising trend in people eating at home as a catalyst to this shift).
Overall, the total brand value of the 100 brands on Interbrand’s list lost 4.6% of their value in 2009, another sign of prevailing economic problems.
In fact, while there was a bit of position switching among the top 10 brands on Interbrand’s list, the same ten brands still appeared at the top in 2009 as in 2008. Here’s the top 20 for 2009:
Interestingly, as stock markets struggle and buying habits change in response to economic troubles around the world, the top brands remain quite strong supporting the theory that strong brands, while not a tangible asset appearing on a company’s balance sheet, can actually be a company’s greatest asset. Of course, that’s a fact that brand managers have known for a very long time, but convincing executives of the importance of investing money into long-term brand-building strategies remains a challenge.
The 2009 Interbrand list of the 100 Best Global Brands report includes a list of four lessons to be learned from the leading brands (follow the link to read the full Interbrand report):
- Emerging from the smoke requires a strong focus: I couldn’t agree more, and I frequently write about the importance of brand focus and contraction in strengthening a brand, particularly in today’s struggling economy.
- Invest more, not less: This is absolutely true, but remains very difficult to achieve as I mentioned above.
- Be consistently committed to renewal: Riding on the status quo won’t do anymore. The good times do come to an end.
- Strong brands grow from the core: So true! Without a strong foundation, a brand is doomed.
What do you think?
You can follow the link to read about the 2008 Interbrand 100 Best Global Brands report.
Off the Wall! Three Irresistible Ideas
September 18, 2009
Serendipity has led me to several items that are just so interesting I have to share. One actually has practical application, another is a cautionary tale—and the third is an inspiration.
Let’s start with the inspiration, since that’s connected with today’s eye-catching illustration. Yes! It’s a completely serious design for a “self-sufficient farm, restaurant, hotel and amusement park for 1,000 people per day.” In the Oogst 1000 Wonderland:
- Everything is linked by technology to create a self-sustainable system.
- All food for the restaurant comes from the farm.
- Visitors can learn about sustainable agriculture while they vacation.
The idea comes from Dutch design firm Tjep, and it’s part of a series that includes a house/farm that will provide one person with everything they need to live: greenhouse-grown food, solar and wind energy, and a completely self-contained oxygen atmosphere.
Relevance for the corporate website? Surprise your visitors, at least occasionally. Don’t just rely on “Careers page” stereotypes. Add some imagination.
The second item is more practical, although application in the recruiting sector looks to be still in the future. Mingle 360 has introduced a really fun and useful concept/product/service that let’s people use a gadget to exchange/capture information. The “MingleStick” is just a little bigger than a typical memory stick, and as of now, it’s mainly for use at events, such as tradeshows and conventions. Attendees use the MingleStick to click each other instead of exchanging business cards, and back home, they can see/store/organize their captured information in Mingle Manager.
There’s also social networking integration with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. And exhibitors can use a desktop MingleStation receiver that ties lead retrieval into the total package.
Some of my favorite career experiences have been associated with the tradeshow industry—and as a veteran on both sides of the aisle, I just see Mingle as a great idea. The current business model seems geared toward very large events (1000+), but it appears there would be a natural potential for use in more specialized settings, such as job fairs and career events. I’ve asked the company for additional information (including some ideas about cost-effectiveness) and will provide more Mingle info in a subsequent post.
The final idea is really only half-irresistible, but that was too long to explain in the post title. Mine Magazine, a personalized/customized print/online delivery platform from Time, Inc., got decidedly mixed reviews in its early outings. A few folks liked it much more than they expected to, while others really didn’t—and (as far as I know) there’s no telling yet whether the project will progress, morph, or die. But there is something important to consider about the attempt itself. That being:
Everyone recognizes that the whole process of information delivery is changing fast. Some of the familiar methods taken for granted in the past (print newspapers, for example, and broadcast television) are going to change radically in the future, while some of the newer formats we rely on today (like the website!) are already losing their effectiveness. So every smart company is looking for ways to change ahead of the curve, rather than falling behind.
The conventional corporate website is beginning to take on a “vintage” look–and nowhere is that more apparent than in the Careers sector. What’s the plan at your company for the evolution of web presence?
2010 is just around the corner . . .
Adobe – Losing Brand Focus or Extending the Brand Wisely
September 18, 2009
This week, Adobe announced it is acquiring Omniture for $1.8 billion. Adobe is a brand known for making graphic and web design software products. Omniture is known for making web analytics tools. Adobe claims the acquisition will allow designers, developers and online marketers to have an integrated workflow from design all the way to tracking results. The Adobe press release even alludes to Adobe software including “optimization capabilities embedded in the creation tools.”
What do you think? Has Adobe lost brand focus with the Omniture acquisition or is this an intelligent extension of the brand?
It seems like a big stretch to me. If I were an Adobe stockholder, I’d really need to be sold on this acquisition, and not because financial analysts are suggesting that Adobe spent almost twice as much for Omniture as they should have. My questions about this acquisition are related more closely to the fundamental roles and personalities of people who use design software and people who use metrics tools. These are two very different user groups — the left-brained vs. the right-brained, and I think most members of these two groups are very happy where they are and want nothing to do with the “other side”. I can’t think of many designers who would jump up and down enthusiastically at the thought of integrating analytics tools into their workflows.
Suffice it to say, Adobe has its work cut out for itself in terms of brand positioning in the future if the company does plan to integrate design and analytics into its existing products. To many people, they’re like oil and water. Can Adobe fuse the two mindsets into a coherent package? Can the subjective creative process marry the objective analysis process? It remains to be seen if these two opposites attract. Can Adobe succeed? What do you think? At a time when most brands are working toward contraction and strength from focus, is Adobe making the right choice to extend its brand to include a seemingly disjointed product?
Can design and analytics live happily ever after together?
Image: Flickr
StatoilHydro: engaging through innovation
September 17, 2009
I’ve noticed a trend in corporate websites–use an engaging homepage to attract visitors.
Items of note–
- The use of a large image at the top of the page to balance text
- Current news items are displayed
- Links to major reports
- Links to key information on share price
Other items in this format is to have highlights to corporate initiatives and job postings.
I find this format to be effective since it presents comprehensive information in an eye-appealing format.
Having a compelling homepage does not result in StatoilHydro skimping on its About Us section. Instead they offer a feature-rich and appealing section–
The company offers multimedia descriptions –
- StatoilHydro worldwide offers a comprehensive overview of where it operates
- Above and Below is an innovative review of the company’s history
- Our operations covers business off the coast of Norway
A very effective use of multimedia to inform stakeholders.
As you drill down through Corporate Governance you see the design replicated. For example click on Corporate Governance–
Some features include–
- A decent display of Executive Backgrounds
- An Organization Chart that shows relationships
- Ethics statement (HTML option would be better)
StatoilHydro grabs you on their homepage and then offers you well organized and imaginative content.
Cut on the Bias? Race and (Un)employment . . .
September 16, 2009
A recent article on the Workforce Management website points out that job openings in America have decreased by 36% since May of 2008. There are a lot of obvious consequences related to this fact. But the article goes on to consider a couple of the less obvious by-products.
The first is concerned with race:
The recession is replicating racial disparities documented in earlier downturns. In June [2009], the official unemployment rate hit 14.7 percent for blacks and 12.2 percent for Hispanics, compared with 8.7 percent for whites. Racial disparities in the unemployment rates appear across all levels of educational attainment. When employers can generate large numbers of applicants from limited outreach or even a single source, the pool of candidates becomes increasingly homogeneous.
The second is about perception:
“The concept of passive candidates is fiction,” [says John Younger, CEO of recruiting firm Accolo]. “We’re all temporaries. In normal times, if a candidate has been out of work for six months, there might be an assumption that something is wrong with the candidate. Today, there are world-class experts in every function who are not working, but there is still a preference for employed candidates.”
I added the italics in both these quotes to emphasize what I think are important points. While it might make sense to reduce the volume of applications when there are too few people to review them, the way that’s done can reflect personal and/or institutional biases toward (or away from) particular groups. Bias can affect choices regardless of intention, and may remain invisible when busy people are just trying to function effectively under challenging circumstances.
Still another problem is surfaced in the Workflow Management article. Accolo—which is a pretty big operation—aggressively pursues diversity among the applicants it presents to its clients. However, according to the examples offered by Younger, that isn’t doing much good. He reports using both broad-reach sites (Monster, Yahoo, Craigslist, etc.) and also niche boards (targeted toward minorities, older candidates, and women) in an attempt to achieve a more diverse candidate pool, yet the percentage of black and Hispanic applicants is still very low.
The article offers no speculation on this point, but I’d be very curious to understand why the groups that are disproportionately unemployed are also the groups that are disproportionately not applying for jobs. There could be a skewing effect based on the types of jobs being offered in the Accolo examples—but there could also be other factors at work . . . A higher level of discouragement among minorities? A higher rate of migration from employment to self-employment? Subtle disincentives from employers/recruiters?
Obviously, the article raises more questions than it answers. But I’ll add one more query to the mix: Are some companies changing their websites and/or their messaging to discourage applicants, and thereby reduce the quantity of candidates to be managed? I have no idea, but it seems like something worth wondering about.
(Thanks to DrBacchus for the excellent image of scissors “at work.”)
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