This issue's sponsor:

Thank you to this issue's sponsor of GotBrand, Agoric Source. Visit them online at www.agoric.com. Interested in sponsoring a future issue? Contact Tracy at tracy@gotbrand.com.

The concept of brand, like a brand itself, evolves. Since I started The Brandsoup Agency nearly five years ago today, companies and organizations of all sizes have come to realize that they need a brand. Brand either happens intentionally or accidentally, and companies would rather control their message and their identity than have the marketplace do it for them. Smart business owners also know that brand can mean revenue.

It is true that the only thing you need to change your situation is to shift your perspective. The paper will introduce you to some intriguing concepts around brand, as well as some actionable tools you can start using today to help you on your path to a successful brand. Remember, brand is not just a logo, a tagline or a good looking brochure. It’s a story. It is a compelling story that you create with your market. It is a two-way conversation and it is also revenue generating. Done right, your market will seek out your product and pay a premium for it.

September 2006

Creating a Vision
Companies often move forward without a clear picture of where it's going. This creates confusion and frustration at all levels of the organization as employees struggle to understand how they can contribute to helping the company. Developing a vision is one of the single most important things that a company can do, and developing it in a collaborative way with its employees will ensure the picture of the future is clear and that it is embraced and realized.

The Business of Brand
It doesn’t matter what country, what culture or language you speak, successful businesses are those that are willing and able to listen to the customer and run their company accordingly. Learn how to spot trends, and develop processes and procedures in-house to turn on a dime to address your changing customer’s needs, wants and desires. Relentlessly listen to your customer.

Branding Today: An Oil & Gas Point of View
On Wednesday, August 18, 2004, the best and brightest in the fields of Oil & Gas and Branding converged upon The Houstonian Hotel for the Gulf Publishing’s conference series “Marketing in the Oilfield: What’s a Brand Worth?”. On hand were experts across a spectrum of disciplines from branding within a global chemical company to market research.

Complete Article Archive

From The Editor:

What's in a brand? Is it but a name? But then the name would not be so sweet.
--Paraphrased from Shakespeare

Branding goes way beyond the ad campaign you see, or the article you read, or the promotional item you pick up at a trade show. From the Brandsoup perspective, branding starts from within – within the company and within the employees of that company. So, when our team set out to create a forum for a discussion around branding, we went to the people who represent companies and organizations throughout the country. We invite you to read their stories. We invite you to share yours. This is your brand forum. We hope you enjoy.

Tracy Rummel
Founder and President
The Brandsoup Agency