The Journal

 

New Movement

By Simon Nicholls | Published: September 10, 2009

The author proposes that integrity, relevance and shared values need to drive to the forefront of dialogue about brand theory.

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Quiet Brands/Invisible Brands (PDF presentation)

By Stanley Moss | Published: September 8, 2009

A short slide show on how enterprises are unbranding, or moderating their public positions, exploring avenues of greater discretion in brand strategy.

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Who’s Kidding Who?

By Pierre dHuy | Published: September 8, 2009

An English-language version of d’Huy’s article “Nul ne peut se jouer des signes.”

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Poised for Success: the Indian Nation Brand

By Jack Yan | Published: September 8, 2009

Yan cites the ‘Incredible India’ campaign as a strategic triumph. He calls it a good example of Nicholas Ind’s principle of “living the brand.”

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Placebranding 2.0

By Sicco van Gelder | Published: September 8, 2009

This article argues that in future, places will function differently and that their governance is evolving into one where multiple stakeholders will come together to solve specific issues and that governments, although almost always involved, will be only one of the partners of such new alliances, coalitions and partnerships.

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Nul ne peut se jouer des signes

By Pierre dHuy | Published: September 8, 2009

When brands make claims which they cannot support, stakeholders easily spot the ruse. Pierre d’Huy makes a semiotician’s case for the fact that signs can’t lie. In the philosophical universe, people won’t be misled.

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Mind the Gap! Branding Bridges in the Brain

By Philippe Mihailovich | Published: September 8, 2009

Where the brand’s personality is seen to begin – often the first successful product – is critical to the brand’s credibility and its ability to stretch further over time. It’s all a matter of bridging the gaps in our minds so that we can accept and trust these brands in a new category.

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Against Leviathan: building rhizomatic brands

By Nicholas Ind | Published: September 8, 2009

This paper challenges ideas about resistance to change and by implication, the traditional model of brand building which suggests the dominance of the organisation in controlling a brand. In its place we will stress the value of movement and difference – both of which are inherent in people’s relationships with brands

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Living with Translucency. Preparing for Transparency.

By Tim Kitchin | Published: August 28, 2009

Coping with translucency; preparing for transparency’ provides analysis and future insight for brand owners adapting to the world of social communications.

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Strategy, Teams and Momentum

By Patrick Harris | Published: August 11, 2009

Harris introduces the technique he calls a visual Mind-Map via a supporting audio file. This alternative to the conventional PowerPoint presentation allows all the key points of a talk to coexist on a single page, and personalizes the process. Harris says he sometimes begins with a blank page, filling it in with participants in an interactive scenario.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009, branding, communications, consumer behaviour | Leave a comment

Turning Discord Into Harmony

By Erika Uffindell | Published: August 10, 2009

Ultimately, change is simply what happens to us all, all of the time. The lesson is not in the amount of change we can handle, but in the way we manage that change.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009, branding, communications, consumer behaviour, leadership | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Demythologizing the McElroy Memo

By Stanley Moss | Published: July 24, 2009

In 1931 a young P&G executive wrote a document which proved crucial to the formation of ideas about contemporary brand management. But attitudes about branding have since grown up around the memo’s opportunistic policies. This article deconstructs McElroy’s directives, reassessing our perspectives on how brands need to be viewed in today’s post-globalisation strategic universe.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009, branding, ethics, history, marketing, marketing management, retail, strategy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Branding New Kinds of Places: the Example of Experience Retail Centres

By Malcolm Allan | Published: August 31, 2008

The author, a town planner and place and destination brand practitioner, discusses the challenges of creating place brand strategies for completely new types of urban development using the example of the emergence of places that combine retail, leisure, entertainment, sports, cultural and heritage facilities to a greater extent than has been seen hitherto.

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, consumer behaviour, design, environment, experience marketing, location marketing, retail | Leave a comment

Mythology, Leaders and Leadership

By Tony Quinlan | Published: August 31, 2008

The author challenges the myths of leadership definitions, and puts forward research on leadership that works, requiring the support of legends, communication and role-modelling.

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, leadership, management, philosophy, relationships | Leave a comment

Saving Detroit, by Not Making the Same Old Mistakes

By Jack Yan | Published: August 30, 2008

Detroit has not ever used a brand orientation in its automakers’ marketing strategies, and it talks of trimming brands and numbers to allow it to compete. The author believes in being more focused on brands and not losing economies of scale, and building more of what consumers want. The tools are there, such as consumer-targeted blogs, but manufacturers need to use them.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, branding, design, history, internet, marketing, marketing management, strategy | Leave a comment

The Second Wave of Sustainability Hits Swedish Brands

By admin | Published: August 30, 2008

This article introduces the argument that Swedish brands have moved beyond other countries’ positions on sustainability.

Also posted in Brand management, CSR, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, branding, environment, ethics, marketing, social responsibility, strategy | Leave a comment

An Introduction to Storytelling in Employee Branding

By Tony Quinlan | Published: August 30, 2008

The real power and opportunity for using stories in organizations is in listening to stories, helping others to create their own authentic stories and making sense of the stories told.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, branding, leadership, management, relationships | Leave a comment

A Participative Approach to Brand Building

By Nicholas Ind | Published: August 30, 2008

The argument of this paper is a simple one: creating value for customers is an organization-wide responsibility. The author reconsiders the market orientation papers of Narver and Slater and Kohli and Jaworski and introduces the concept of Participatory Market Orientation.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, branding, management, marketing, marketing management, relationships, strategy | Leave a comment

How to Improve the Chances of Successfully Developing and Implementing a Place Brand Strategy

By Sicco van Gelder | Published: August 30, 2008

This paper tries to answer critical questions by describing the criteria and factors that contribute to successful place branding. By assessing the place, the players and the plans they make, it is possible to predict the likely success of a place branding initiative.

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, branding, history, location marketing, marketing, marketing management, place branding, social responsibility, strategic planning, strategy | Leave a comment

Issues and Challenges of Developing and Managing Brand Strategy in a Not-for-profit (Chartered) Body

By Ian Ryder | Published: August 30, 2008

The rules are different for chartered bodies. Not the fundamentals of brand strategy, clearly, but the processes and procedures of development and execution, as the author reveals.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, branding, management, marketing, marketing management, relationships, strategic planning, strategy | Leave a comment

We the People

By Patrick Harris | Published: August 30, 2008

This paper considers the importance of employees in the process of building customer experience. It states that internal investment is rewarded with consistent, quality customer exchanges. Brand values are presented as the currency to measure the worth of exchanges between organizations and their customers. The paper concludes by presenting a case study of the mobile operator, Orange, during the period 1994–2003.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, branding, ethics, internet, management, marketing, marketing management, relationships, strategy | Leave a comment

PowerPoint: Rhetoric Machine

By Stanley Moss | Published: August 14, 2007

Pierre d’Huy’s commentary of the ubiquitous application, tailored to English speakers.

Also posted in PowerPoint, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, Web 2·0, communications, design, history, philosophy, semiotics | Leave a comment

PowerPoint, la rhétorique universelle

By Pierre dHuy | Published: August 14, 2007

Is PowerPoint an aid to communication or destructive force in the art of rhetoric? This essay in French deconstructs the controversial Microsoft presentation program from the point of view of a mediologist, making references to works by Roland Barthes and Régis Debray to support its conclusions.

Also posted in PowerPoint, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, Web 2·0, communications, design, history, philosophy, semiotics | Leave a comment

Giving Strategy Some Momentum

By Patrick Harris | Published: August 14, 2007

Many strategies built by organizations are ineffective. Organizations tend to build snapshots instead of harnessing momentum.

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, management, strategic planning, strategy | Leave a comment

Place Branding

By Malcolm Allan | Published: August 14, 2007

Places—countries, regions and cities—are increasingly developing strategies for brands. This is because they find themselves in competition with each other to retain and attract talented and creative people, innovative businesses, investors and consumers. The goal: offer valuable services and meaningful experiences to those they seek to influence.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, branding, environment, history, location marketing, place branding | Leave a comment

Online Branding: a Definitive Guide

By Jack Yan | Published: August 13, 2007

In the world of Web 2·0, the process surrounding vision, research, exposition and image differ slightly, even if the ingredients of brand equity remain the same. Loose vision, informal research and tapping into consumer advocacy all play a critical role.

Also posted in Brand management, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, Web 2·0, branding, intellectual property, internet, marketing management, online branding, transparency | Leave a comment

Linking Vision and Values with Brand (Specifically Reputation) Management

By Ian Ryder | Published: August 13, 2007

Organizations often experience failure, either because of a flawed vision, or a shortfall of values. How then do we align internal and external communications to create sustainable competitive advantage as a route to a strong brand reputation?

Also posted in Beyond Branding, Brand management, CSR, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, branding, environment, ethics, marketing management, relationships, social responsibility | Leave a comment

Business, Brand, Innovation and Design

By Ava Maria Hakim | Published: August 13, 2007

The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007
Ava Maria Hakim 
IBM Global Solutions, Business Transformation Outsourcing
hakimava@us.ibm.com
Microsoft Word version
Thomas Watson, who helped grow one of the first truly global organizations, is quoted as saying ‘Good design is good business’. For the maverick of IBM, ‘Design must reflect the practical and æsthetic in business but [...]

Also posted in The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, branding, consumer behaviour, design, innovation, invention | Leave a comment

Why More Brands Now ‘Have a Conscience’

By Colin Morley | Published: August 12, 2007

An historically significant article written in 2004 examining the intellectual and semiotic underpinnings of brands with conscience. It is published with the permission of the estate of Colin Morley; his vision helped shaped Medinge’s yearly Brands with a Conscience awards, inspiring our yearly presentation to an NGO, named in his memory.

Also posted in Beyond Branding, CSR, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, branding, consumer behaviour, environment, ethics, history, social responsibility | Leave a comment

Beyond Branding: from Abstraction to Cubism

By Nicholas Ind | Published: August 12, 2007

This paper argues that rather than relying on the abstraction of research to get close to the customer, brand managers should work at building genuine relationships with customers by opening up the boundaries of the organization

Also posted in Beyond Branding, The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007, branding, consumer behaviour, marketing, marketing management, marketing research, philosophy, relationships | Leave a comment

The brand manifesto

By admin | Published: September 19, 2002

1. Branding unites people’s passions.
People are not born financial creatures. We recognize that revenue and returns on investment do not concern the majority of people. Branding respects that we are passionate people who are inspired and who have freedom. Therefore, branding activities must be human and humane. Branding, not numbers, provides the interface between organizations [...]

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