team super aasman!

This weekend ten runners, including two aasman employees will be sporting red capes and red shorts marked "super aasman". The pun is intended for this event, a 176.5 km running relay, which brought to mind a blog topic for the day: corporate sponsorship.

What value is there is putting ones identity on a sports team or event? What is the return on investment?

As a donation it's a testament to a company's community involvement, but it's not really measurable beyond a tingly-good feeling.

As a business tool there are some tangible benefits to sponsorship that are both community and corporately responsible.

How many times is the brand seen? If the mark is on quality items, the sponsorship impact will outlast the event and connect with new pairs of eyes. How many photographs are taken of crazy runners in bright red shorts and super hero capes? And where will those photos end up?

How much value does media's involvement add to the sponsorship? How many times is the brand mentioned in team listings, race results, news articles. It's yet to be seen if "super aasman" ranks significantly in this one, but we'll do our best.

As an branding agency known for innovative solutions, "super aasman" will show through awesome costumes and fit rears that aasmanites live creatively and our sense of humour comes naturally. Additionally, the rest of Yukon and Alaska will be a little more aware of that!

vuvuzelas in every corner of the planet

I wanted to write about branding World Cup Soccer, but I got overwhelmed with all the possibilities. So rather than analyze one, here's a couple of very different levels of marketing associated with an epic international event.

How do you attach your brand to an event?

Nike's "Write the Future" campaign demonstrates how soccer legends are made on a global audience, and gives people a chance to write the headlines for their predicted legendary players.

Here's a 3-minute ad worth watching. My favourite moments are when a row of newborns all get named after a soccer-legends, and when the fancy footwork of another player becomes a global dance-move, with a split second ode to Facebook as the "like" category escalates into the millions.  

So you want one of the buzzing horns?

You can buy one on the official merchandise website. Apparently they are as loud as chain saws (I'm thinking bear-deterrent) but if you try to use one as a weapon it will break into three pieces.  

How do you touch the world and every corner of the planet?

It's part of FIFA's brand mission. Here's a breakdown of their brand promise and approach behind the organization and their inspiring proposition: "For the Game. For the World."  

How do you Brand a country?

South Africa has an international marketing council to develop a marketing and communication strategy that promotes South Africa – "Alive with Possibility."  

Brand G20

A brand is not only the raison d'être of an organization; it's also the public's perception it. This perception is often independent of what the organization would like it to be. It's moulded by a lot of factors, and in some cases, the media plays a big part.

You can probably see where I'm going with this.

Last night watching the news I saw footage from at least six different cameras of one measly police car burning in Toronto's city centre. There was a brief scene of the suited leaders smiling and waving goodbye while the CBC reporter announced that the Summit recognized the need to "continue stimulating economic growth". That 15 seconds was followed by more reporting on the bad-apple rioters.

So what is the public left with after the G20 weekend? "Brand G20: Burnt police cars for economic growth":  a perception constructed by CBC. As a member of society affected by the debates at this conference, I'm feeling pretty confused. What is the G20 Brand? What could my perception have been? What other ways can the G20 brand identity reach the public.

alignment, bones and brands

Two months ago, I made a classic mistake while re-arranging lumber in my workshop: I chose a 2-foot stepladder when the job called for a 4-foot ladder. I survived my error in judgment, but came away with a damaged shoulder, broken wrist, and a broken rib — and a whole new appreciation for what it means to align your people, place and practices with your brand. Stay with me here and I’ll explain.
As a result of the accident and various complications, I made 8 separate trips to Whitehorse General Hospital. I was greeted by 2 different security personnel, admitted by 4 different front desk staff, was attended to by 4 different admissions nurses and 1 intern, had 4 sets of x-rays taken by 2 different radiographers, had 5 different casts put on by 5 different doctors, and removed by 4 different nurses.

I had personal interactions with over 20 different hospital staff from a variety of disciplines over an 8-week period, and all were characterized by a remarkably consistent attitude, one that was:

• friendly and considerate

• genuinely compassionate

• attentive to even my small-ish concerns

• professional, but never at the expense of personal

I discovered that all these doctors (not just you, Dr. Bob) are real people too, happy to converse about shared interests, family, and personal aspirations.

What does this have to do with brand?…

An organization’s brand is everything about how it is perceived and experienced by its audience. “Everything” is a sum total that includes the good, bad and ugly things about your people, attitudes, performance, service, reputation and communications. In the case of Whitehorse General Hospital, what I encountered and experienced in all these visits was their brand.

Eight years ago, as the hospital approached it’s 100th anniversary, it engaged our firm to “design a logo.” We’re talking about a large organization with roots in a 19th century goldrush, playing a pivotal role in the day-to-day life of the territory, with no logo. Never had one.

Fortunately, WGH did have a distinct brand. Given its long and unique history, we saw (by way of research, review and interview) how it had developed in the context of isolation, extremes and self-reliance. Out here on the edge of the frontier, everyone is your neighbour—Yukoners look after each other.

At its core, WGH’s brand is centered on a multi-disciplined group of health-care professionals looking after their neighbours. You go to WGH, and you’ll see your neighbours, be cared for by your neighbours, be comforted by your neighbours. This is reflected outside the walls of WGH as well—heck, I see my family doctor not once every year or two, but once every week or two at a local coffee shop.

The logo reflects that neighbourly care in the depiction of the Yukon River that runs like a life force through the heart of the community and the heart of the territory, connecting us to one another and to our past, the ubiquitous Yukon crocus that marks the annual spring renewal in the territory, its 3 petals representing the professional, multi-disciplined team approach, and its heliotropic nature—a little dish that follows the sun, focusing its warmth, then folding protectively shut in the evening—a reflection of the warm care provided by Whitehorse General Hospital.

As I walked out for the last time three days ago, two different nurses called out “Bye Al–good luck,” as I passed their station. Waving my newly-released left hand to the young woman at the front desk, she flashed me a big smile and an enthusiastic thumbs up while continuing to chat with a caller on the phone.

That’s just the kind of thing you come to expect of a neighbour.

(ps: Dr Q, I did check out that website and it is amazing!—thanks for that. Also, that last cast? Not a problem, it’s all good now.)

Al

Aasman Brand refreshed and relaunched

Today we are pleased to announce that round is the new square.

The first change you’ll notice is in our corporate name--we’ve dropped the word “Design.” Not because we don’t do design, but because we don’t like being stuck in a box. Boxes are square.

What we’ve come to realize is that design is really just the conclusion of a process. It’s the part of our work that generates the most interest—it’s the part of the work that everyone sees, but that work STARTS much further back. It starts with an understanding and articulation of our client’s brand and their communications goals and then links the two together with a strategic plan. The design part comes in at the end.

It’s full circle (ROUND) thinking that ensures your communication projects are branded on purpose.

Today’s party is really a celebration of our evolution. We started years ago as a fulfillment agency providing graphic design services. Over the years, working collaboratively with clients like Yukon Health and Social Services, Yukon Energy, Tourism, and many others, we’ve developed strategies that help us to connect our clients brand values with their communications projects to leverage the value already in the brand. Along the way, we’ve discovered that we like the work. We like it a lot.

And so, from a provider of graphic design solutions, we’ve happily evolved into a provider of brand communications solutions.

We have been working in this way for several years, with new internal processes, team structures and collaborative relationships. But today’s event is about formalizing the shift, about announcing that round is the new square.

So think round, think Aasman.