Posts by Kent Dicken
Are my brand colors special enough to trademark?
This weekend my wife asked me to pick up some Excedrin when I went to the store. As I was putting the package in my cart, I realized that the package I picked up didn’t actually say Excedrin on it. It had the exact same color scheme and layout, but a different name. That’s when…
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CEO to CEO: Marketing is either your baby or your fault
The Boss’ attitude and approach towards Marketing is usually the biggest difference-maker in obtaining highly successful results. Those that understand that good marketing is a wise investment, not an expense, do pretty well. Those that understand that GREAT marketing is an INCREDIBLE investment do even better. That’s why I wanted to share my recommendations on…
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Creativity: Calvin and Hobbes Style
Last weekend I visited the Ohio State campus in Columbus Ohio because of a comic strip. Not just any comic strip, mind you – the comic strip that redefined comic strips; Calvin and Hobbes, created by Bill Watterson. Watterson’s genius was in combining the self-absorption and fun-loving mischief of Calvin with the snarky wit and self-awareness of…
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Innovative Ideas to Increase Loan Growth
No matter how big or small your credit union, whether it’s SEG or community based, every credit union marketer is searching for new ways to encourage encourage loan growth. Loans are an obvious choice because they’re both profitable for the credit union and fulfill a substantial member need. Download our free white paper to learn…
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Brand Loyalists are wimps. Build a Legion of Brand Fanatics.
Sure, Brand Loyalists boost your bottom line, talk about your brand, recommend it to their friends, use it on a daily basis, even teach their kids how to use it. And most companies would be happy to have them. Not me. I think you can do better. I think you can build your own legion of…
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Taglines are like short stories that no one understands.
Taglines may be the most difficult part of branding. And provide the least value. Why? Because a tagline has to convey as much meaning as possible in as few words as possible. Brevity usually trumps content, turning what was once a meaningful thought into corporate jargon. Don’t believe me? Take a look at The Financial Brand’s…
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The Rule of Three Rules
Your focus group and creative team has come up with 47 different ways why your your credit union/your product is superior to the competition. Your eyes glaze over at all the possibilities, that by using this amazing list in your marketing, you will astound the world with its obviousness, bring in monster results, and probably…
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Is Your Marketing Worthy of a Sequel?
I recently watched 3 movies in a row (the only way to fill time flying across an ocean), and the best one was Despicable Me 2. It was simple, mindless entertainment that made me laugh out loud (which meant I got some funny looks from other passengers.) I assume it was my memories of the…
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7 cliches way past their expiration date
I understand that when a phrase gets repeated enough, it can become a cliche. It can also become part of company’s culture – serving as a form of shorthand for CEOs and office managers – especially when anyone is talking about branding and marketing. And while cliches may have started out as a new way…
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The pain isn’t enough to make the switch
About every week someone calls us “on behalf of AT&T” to try to give us a better deal. We just hang up on them. Why? Because it’s painful. They’re third party resellers, and their “deals” are almost as confusing as the those from AT&T. Why AT&T seems to be actively supporting them, I have no idea. …
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