10-Minute Branding Refresher: How do you build your brand 10 minutes at a time? You start small, and you simply begin. An excellent way to convince yourself to get going is to plan your ending. You can even set...
10-Minute Branding Refresher: How do you build your brand 10 minutes at a time? You start small, and you simply begin. An excellent way to convince yourself to get going is to plan your ending. You can even set a timer. Then, be sure to bask in the success of your huge accomplishment of actually beginning and also appreciate the amount of work that got done. Then, repeat the process tomorrow. And the next day. And so on. You will be amazed at your branding progress . . . 10 minutes at a time.
Disclaimer: While we only recommend products we know and love, we want to note we use affiliate links and may earn a commission for purchases made through those links.
Recognizing Opportunity
Take a coffee break . . . and check out another installment of 10-minute branding.
Today’s article is about recognizing opportunity in very commonplace objects and activities. In this case, we’ll use the basic coffee mug as an example.
Chances are, your business already has a supply for your own and visiting customer use. Perhaps you’ve even gone to the next level and purchased branded mugs. If not, we suggest you do so, going to a major, well-known supplier like 4imprint to see a wide spectrum of options . . . OR a site such as Zazzle where you can find a variety of items, including mugs. (Check out our 10-minute branding story on promotional items.)
However, the focus of this article is one highly successful effort to take a commonplace item and associated activity to the next branding level. Specifically, we offer our kudos to Willie Geist and his Sunday Morning show for implementing an extremely clever and popular promotion.
A specially branded Sunday Morning coffee mug is available through the network. Once you have yours, you can then take your picture holding the mug (i.e., “a mug shot!” – VERY CLEVER) . . . which just might then get featured in the closing segment of one of the future shows. Every Sunday, week after week, new images are displayed that have been submitted by loyal and enthusiastic members of the audience across the country (images that coincidentally also display the highly recognizable brand iconography).
So, are we suggesting that you copy this promotion?
NO!
However, we are saying that the real secret is to recognize opportunity in the commonplace, and we suggest you periodically take 10 minutes to consider clever ways unique to your small business that might enable you to create your own highly successful campaign from an everyday object and/or activity. (Although I will never really know, I personally believe some clever person thought of the label “mug shot,” . . . and that flash of inspiration suggested the whole promotion.)
Speaking of coffee cups and companies, that branded item must be among the most successful. In fact, some of the most coveted branded mugs are those available under the name of a fictitious company – Dunder Mifflin. If you followed the cult classic TV series The Office, you know who that is. While the company only has a real existence within the land of make believe, the popularity of the company’s mug is impressive – just do an internet search of the term Dunder Mifflin Coffee Mug.
Remember, think outside the box during your 10-minute coffee break, and you may land upon the next great promotion to wrap around a branded giveaway tchotchke!!
As always, we welcome your comments and questions.
Want to see an example of a customizable coffee mug that can be obtained in small quantities per purchase from Zazzle? Check out Example1 and Example2.