The other day at the grocery store, I noticed what looked like a ‘70s-style Brady Bunch-inspired package design for a Doritos bag. Retro labeling is all the rage right now. Just look at your Cheerios box or Downey fabric softener bottle — both now with throwback- designed packaging. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the trend is driven by consumer-product giants having to compete against cheaper store brands.

The “original” products are showcasing their longevity and “reminding consumers which brand came first,” according to Steve McGowan, executive creative director at the branding firm Landor Associates.

I agree that this is partly the motivation behind big-name brands using retro labels. However, I think another key reason relates to emotional factors. In hard economic times, people like to think of the good times. Nostalgia sells … we’ve seen it help promote not only products, but also movies and television shows. Just look at the litany of remakes of classics and sequels (e.g., The Smurfs, Hawaii 5-0, Karate Kid, etc.).

Package design has become a $1 trillion industry – and the competition is fierce. So make no mistake about it, branding experts don’t just rely on the color palette to get your attention … psychology is also at play.

Only time will tell if retro labeling will become more popular. But my bet is that if and when the economy gets better, you’ll see this trend fading and brands embracing new labeling designs. I’d love to hear your labeling thoughts and if any retro labels have caught your eye.

NPR has been producing an excellent series about the communications industry. The latest segment explains how Lexicon Branding, Inc., creator of the names BlackBerry, Scion, Pentium and hundreds of other well-known brands, worked with Procter & Gamble (P&G) to pen the name for the Swiffer.

Originally, P&G wanted to call the product “EZMop,” but after much discussion, they decided to nix the word “mop” altogether in order to disassociate from the word. The Swiffer has taken off — as well as its name. The other day, my neighbor told me that her house needed a good “Swiffer cleaning.”

A product’s name is of paramount importance — and the linguistic waters can be murky. One of the classic name “fumbles” was for the Chevy Nova — “nova” in Spanish means “no-go.” It’s a good reminder that research (even in all languages) should be an integral part of a naming process.

Experts agree that branding is more than a name or a logo … and a logo isn’t a brand unless it’s on a cow. But, a good name can help reinforce your brand’s promise.

In the NPR story, Diane Prange, chief linguist for Strategic Name Development, says the stakes are high in the naming game: “Your name is a shortcut to your brand, and your brand is your promise. But even the naming experts agree: Keeping a promise takes a lot more than a good name.”

What are some of your favorite brand names? Personally, I like the name Google, which started out as BackRub, because the search technology checked back links to estimate a site’s importance. Could you imagine saying, “Hold on, I’ll BackRub it …” Thank goodness for productive brainstorms and naming experts.

… For some, that is the question. When it comes to social media for your business, Shawn Vincent hit the nail on the head with this tweet:

Chances are your brand (or industry) is being talked about online. Whether it’s a compliment or complaint, it’s an opportunity to thank a loyal advocate or address a concern. To equate this to the pre-Twitter, Facebook and blogging days, think of these comments as if they were a phone call to your headquarters. But, with social media, that “call” is potentially being heard by millions of users.

Opportunity is calling. Are you picking up?

I’m definitely a supporter of attention-grabbing, non-traditional media to increase brand awareness, “butt” when it comes to Kentucky Fried Chicken’s recent ploy of renting “ad space” on women’s derrières to promote its Double Down sandwich, I have to wonder.

According to a recent USA Today article, “women on college campuses are being paid $500 each to hand out coupons while wearing fitted sweatpants with “Double Down” in large letters across their rear ends.”

For certain types of products, this form of marketing might be appropriate, but for fast food? Personally, seeing a logo for food on someone’s backside would not be the way I would increase market share – especially for a deep fried delight weighing in at 540 calories, 32 grams of fat and 1,380 mg of sodium.

KFC is definitely trying to refresh their brand – with grilled chicken last year and the Double Down sandwich this year. However, it doesn’t seem to be working.

Last week, KFC confirmed that more than six in 10 Americans ages 18 to 25 — the chain’s key demographic – couldn’t identify Colonel Sanders, KFC’s animated figurehead. Also, five in 10 believe he is a fictitious icon.

Is 120 years of brand equity being diluted further by this type of campaign?

I have to wonder what Colonel Sanders would have to say about the tactic. What are your thoughts? Double-breaded disaster or “finger lickin’ good” gimmick?

Photo credit: USA Today

Foursquare, the location-based social media platform taking the Internet by storm, is averaging 10+ check-ins per second. Co-founder Dennis Crowley expects the website to hit 1 million check-ins daily by mid-June.

Brands that use the network to their advantage stand to gain increased exposure and consumer loyalty. In addition to collecting badges and “mayor” titles at locations around town, users are also encouraged to share tips and recommendations with others. Insider advice like “try the passion fruit juice” and “50 cent oysters during happy hour” equate to free advertising for companies.

Take a cue from Starbucks and reward these brand ambassadors with incentives. Since the debut of their nationwide mayor promotion ($1 off Frappuccinos), the coffee house has experienced a 40 percent increase of check-ins week-to-week. The following are a few examples of best practices:

• Golden Corral – Mayors eat free once a day, and in some cases, are entered in a contest to win a free iPad.
• UNC Charlotte – The first university to host a Foursquare promotion on campus, students receive free t-shirts for checking in at basketball games and other school events.
• Miss Shirley’s Café – At this busy Baltimore restaurant, mayors never wait in line.

If you are interested in integrating Foursquare into your business, do it in a way that reflects your company’s personality – and be sure your customers know. Whether it’s coupons, freebies or a pass to jump the line, your generosity just might earn you a shout-out on Twitter.

Photo source: @maxwellzorick

Toyota has spent decades, not to mention billions of dollars, spreading the message that their vehicles are superior – in safety, style and value. The recent PR debacle facing the automaker goes to show the vulnerability of a brand. Years of maintaining a solid reputation can be shattered in less than 24 hours.

Consumer confidence in Toyota is definitely at a pivotal point. First, the floor mats. Next the sticky accelerators – linked to 19 deaths. Then, with the promise of a “fix” on the horizon, Toyota announced last week that there is a problem with the Prius’s brake system. Where does it end?

Some think that the Toyota brand is done – that they should throw in the towel and start anew. After the contamination issue in 1982, Johnson & Johnson had to repair the Tylenol brand, but no need to scrap it all together. Neither did Firestone or Exxon after their respective catastrophes. Toyota’s major problem, aside from the obvious engineering flaw, in my opinion is the mixed messages being disseminated, further fueling consumer anxiety. Drive. . .Don’t drive. . .It’s electrical. . .It’s mechanical. . .We know. . . We don’t know. . . Get your message straight! This lack of clarity is just further aggravating an already fragile situation.

To a certain extent, loyal patrons are forgiving and would be willing to trust Toyota again. But when is enough, finally enough? As a Camry driver myself, I am waiting (and waiting. . .and waiting) to see if the company can pull a U-turn and boost my confidence or if the crisis will continue to go down hill.

If you were in the driver’s seat of Toyota’s messaging during this fiasco, would you have done anything differently?

Photo credit: Robert Vinet

The Wall Street Journal recently launched a multimedia branding campaign titled “Live in the Know.” The campaign stresses the value of the in-depth research that the paper brings that goes beyond chatter and sound bites. In a time where major newspapers are fighting to keep their readership, I thought the campaign was an interesting approach.