GreatNonStickPansSince1980: How's that for a brand name?

Businesses very often want their brand names to spell out their product/service. While it's not always a bad idea, getting fixated on this style of branding often leads us to very uninteresting names and sometimes even works at cross-purposes with the business.

A case in point is TinyURL.com. A website whose raison d'être is shortening URLs has a URL that is ELEVEN characters long!

If I shorten the link to this blog using TinyURL, I get http://tinyurl.com/lebj3y. If I use bit.ly, I get http://bit.ly/QyFOc. That's six characters saved. Now on platforms like Twitter where every character counts, it's not surprising that bit.ly scores over TinyURL.com.

On a slightly unrelated note, an NYT blogger cites some more reasons why bit.ly has found a haven at Twitter.

Good Carma

This Friday, my car stalled. The battery charger warning indicator came on when I started for work in the morning. I thought I would take it to the service station. I was running low on fuel, so I stopped by at a fuel station. After refuelling, the car just refused to start.

The guys at the Shell fuel station went out of their way to help me. They pushed the car to a safe corner at their station and assured me that they would look after the car while I called for help. They even invited me to their office while I awaited the mehanic.

They demonstrated that the best Marketing happens when you are not even marketing. It happens when you're helping your customer.

Thank you Shell.

The extra mile is where the WOWs are

In a recent post on Tompeters.com, author, speaker and consultant Steve Yastrow argued that in each customer interaction, one must aim to be "irreplaceable." The post sparked an insightful debate in the comments section (Yours truly couldn't resist to add in his two bits).

I think trying to be irreplaceble is good advice for people as well as brands. It's only when you try to walk the extra mile that you can deliver WOW experiences like the one narrated in this video:

Google gets lenient with keywords

BusinessWeek reports

Starting June 4, marketers in about 200 countries will be allowed to purchase rival trademarks as keywords to trigger display of "sponsored search" ads on Google. Honda, for instance, could bid to have one of its ads displayed when a consumer searches the term "Toyota." In recent years some companies have sued Google or the competing company, saying the practice is a form of trademark infringement.

India is on the list of regions for which Google will not investigate the use of trademarks as keywords. However, I'm not sure whether this will spell huge changes in the SEM scenario in our country. Many advertisers in India already use keywords that are rival trademarks to display their ads, as you can see in the example below:

Reputation is not built on fine print

Banking behemoth State Bank of India (SBI) is causing quite a stir in the home loan market with its 8% fixed rate product. New applicants are being offered home loans at 8% for a year.

Now SBI's ads are not exactly Cannes material (as you can see in the pic here) but one thing that stands out is the clarity with which the offer is presented without resorting to sneaky fine print. There is no attempt to hide the condition that the rate will be reset after a year.

When you've got a product like this, it's quite tempting to trumpet the big promise and shove the caveats under the carpet. Kudos to SBI for resisting the temptation. Being honest and upfront is key in Marcom, especially when you're looking to sign up customers for the long term. Is it a surprise then that SBI features among the world's 50 most reputed firms?

Maximum bang for the billboard

What message do you put up on a billboard above your storefront? Your toll-free no.? A clever line? Your web address?

NakedPizza--a pizza joint in New Orleans--thought different, reports TechCrunch.

Standing out has never been easier

Look around. Almost everybody is overpromising and underdelivering. The fine print mousetrap lurks in every corner. You have pricing designed to trick your brain (just Rs 799, for instance). Whenever customers are required to enter into long-term contracts, they almost always end up getting a raw deal after they sign up.

This is an unprecedented opportunity for brands that want to stand out.

Here's how:

• Tell great stories. And then go ahead and overdeliver.
  
• Do not make promises that come with strings attached.
  
• If you've made a promise, keep it.
  
• Keep existing customers happy. Word of mouth is more important than it ever was.
  
• Be transparent. Say no to trickery. Sometimes, it's too hard to resist the lure, but stand your ground.
  
• Appreciate the power of understatement. If you have a salience, live it. You may choose to convey it subtly but don't shout about it. An honest man who says "I'm honest" all the time is sure to invite some doubts. Positive inferences drawn by customers about your brand have much more impact than your headline or your punchline.
  

These can always help a brand win, but more so in today's environment.