Brand Central Station

Thanks to Steve Rubel at MicroPersuasion for tipping us off to this new blog that focuses on developing names and naming strategies.

We’re adding the Strategic Name Development Blog to our Bloglines blogroll today.

The AdPulp Blog picked up a story about the state of Georgia’s new ad slogan “Put Your Dreams In Motion” which replaces the apparently less distinct “Georgia On My Mind.”

Okay, whatever. If the Georgia Dept. of Economic Development didn’t like the results they were getting from their ad campaign, they could have changed the message, not the slogan. Don’tcha think?

As for our view of Georgia’s new slogan: “That dog don’t hunt” is, I believe, the proper Southern phrase.

PRWeek reports that The Sporting News, a venerable sports publication, is teaming up with Holiday Inn (part of the InternContinental Hotels Group) to develop a number of sports-themed restaurants at 91 locations around the country.

After a few less-than-stellar brand extensions, does this one come out of left field for TSN or will it be a home run?

Leave it to the Marketing Headhunter Blog to find 30 great questions to bring up in your next job interview. He points you to the “How To Be Creative” manifesto (on The “Change This” Blog) for starters and then goes on to explain how this information, slightly changed, works great as you search for employment.

A good read and given the number of resumes we’re receiving here at Brand Central Station, probably not a bad idea. (We don’t have any openings, by the way.)

All comments (c) 2005, Brand Central Station – all rights reserved. For more information about BCS, please visit our website.

Yeah, you read that right. That’s the good news.

According to Gallup (and reported by AdRants), 50% of Americans surveyed said they trust the mass media when it comes to reporting the news fully, accurately and fairly – and that’s an improvement!

An interesting read for news hounds and political junkies alike.

Oh, this kind of thing is always tough. Quark is already getting jabs from design types who think their new logo is derivative. It’s the letter “a” – get over it, people.

Quite frankly, I like the new logo and everything it stands for.

Kudo’s to our buddy Glen Turpin in his new post as Director of Corporate Communications. Keep up the good work, bud!

From The Hidden Persuader Blog, here’s a little ditty that puts the emphasis on the “conversation” held between marketer and consumer through the brand. Well thought-out, it’s a quick read and one of those things you’ll want to pass along to a client.

Nice job.

As an extension on the piece on engaging in a conversation with the customer through the brand … here’s a great little interview with Coke’s Chris Lowe found on the Fast Company Blog.

Insightful.

From the Bold Approach Blog, here’s an invitation to listen to Dave Lakhani as he goes into the details behind his hit marketing book “How To Persuade.”

I’m one of the first to admit that gratuitous product placement can be a problem – but the latest survey of the Writer’s Guild showed that nearly 80% of the guild’s membership (writers and producers) said a “line between content and advertising needs to be drawn more firmly.”

Oh please. Spare me.

This sounds more like the squealing of someone who got shut out of a lucrative side deal than the concerns of the “Guardians of Good Taste.”

From BrandNoise – they’re reporting on something they found in the Wall Street Journal.

Not from The Onion, I promise …

Wal-Mart is reportedly considering the acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger.

Yikes. Talk about a branding case study in the making.

From AdRants

The AdPulp Blog drags up Steve Rubel’s comments about how advertisers, agencies and media should restructure to deal with new media channels like blogs, podcasts and other micro-media applications.

The gurus at the Pulp suggest 5% of a marketing budget be carved out for this media. Further investment should be made in “people who truly understand this new game.”

Now we’re definitely fans of the citizen journalist movement, but doesn’t a 5% budget allocation mandate some kind of clear metrics on performance and ROI? This needs to be discussed further before we can pass this kind of recommendation on to our clients.

All comments (c) 2005, Brand Central Station – all rights reserved. For more information about BCS, please visit our website.