Few doubt that branding messages can be powerful, but new research shows that even when consumers don't recall the specific message, their preferences can be shaped to the point where they reject new information that conflicts with…

At this year's South by Southwest Interactive, I had a chance to speak with Anya Kamenetz, author of DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education. In her short but insightful book, Kamenetz outlines…

I've been reading Passion Brands: Why Some Brands Are Just Gotta Have, Drive All Night For, and Tell All Your Friends About by Kate Newlin, and am enjoying her analysis of what makes a "passion brand." Passion brands are those with…

Why do most college branding efforts end up as meaningless pablum? I think it's because most colleges have been relatively insulated from the effects of devastating competition. In fact, historically there have been major barriers to…

I've been reading the recently released second edition of Differentiate or Die by Jack Trout, and there are some powerful (and timeless) messages there for all brands. Although the entire book is geared toward commercial brand…

The last time I wrote about Nabisco's Oreo brand, it was in Mega-Branding: The Purple Oreo Problem. In that post I was critical of the seemingly crazy proliferation of Oreo variations - 46 offerings, including "Purple." My criticism was…

Banner ads may be the most common method of reaching consumers on the Web, but they don't get much respect. Web marketers talk about "banner blindness," implying that users become so used to the presence of these ads that they no longer…

Some in higher education don't like the concept of "branding." This is so much the case that UK branding expert Robert Mighall wrote a lengthy article debunking some of the ideas those in higher ed have about the concept of branding…

As a followup to my post, Is Branding Dead? Our Brains Say No, here's more evidence that advertising-driven branding is alive and well. In this video, neuromarketing expert Martin Lindstrom conducts a series of on-camera experiments with a…

A recent post at ClickZ declares that branding is "Ineffective, Irrelevant, Irritating, and Impotent." The author, Augustine Fou (I can't help but point out "fou" is French for "crazy" or "madman" :)), starts by suggesting that "branding"…