The Living Brand Manual
	At a British Airways counter recently, I noticed an elegantly attired man trying to squeeze his over-large hand luggage into one of those luggage size-indicator frames. The man gave up trying to make the bag fit, and abandoned his reading of the lengthy note of legal caution above the frame. He directed his anger at the check-in staff whose manner was as frosty and ill humoured as that of the signage. No natural repartee; no human connection. This has been replaced by the corporate standard.
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	See Your Brand Vision
	Before you can tell people what you want them to think about you, you must know clearly who you are. A quick review of most corporate sites reveals a disappointing lack of unique brand visions and distinctive corporate identities. Though some company executives devote time to thinking about and defining who they are and where they want to go, the vast majority seems to come up with impotent copy-and-paste statements, redolent with empty clichés and nebulous objectives.
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	Religious Branding
	My father always said not to talk about religion, politics and money. So right here and now I’m going to break the first rule by revealing some of my most fascinating revelations by placing branding in dare I say, a religious context. How can a brand hope to achieve the ultimate? Just two weeks ago, on the streets of Tokyo I got the answer. Walking down the road were two girls dressed from top to toe in Hello Kitty items. Nothing was left “unbranded”. Apart from their dresses, shoes and handbags, they had Hello Kitty nails and Hello Kitty earrings, and Hello Kitty phones.
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	Do You Provide Customer Disservice
	I\'ll bet you\'ve called some corporation, been connected to the call centre, and been put on hold. After what seems like hours of waiting, you\'re told your call is very important. You\'re a very valuable customer. All this adulation is expressed by some automated voice. Great consolation! Not. Once you are finally connected with a live person, you realize the operator has no authority. Next, you\'re transferred; put on hold, flattered again by that automated voice, connected, and transferred again. Finally, you hang up, no better off than you were an hour ago when the phone odyssey began.
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	Brand Inspirations from the Far East
	As the Far East seems to move closer and closer to the west, and its two billion people open their wallets to brands, it might be valuable to seek some inspiration from oriental culture. At least, from one part of the Far East, which is as culturally diverse as Europe’s thirty-plus countries are, and as varied as the cultures of North America’s states. For western brands that are about to hit any part of Asia, you need a culturally aware Asian brand strategy to avoid a negative response to the culture shock you and your brand might experience. Even if you have no plans to enter Asian markets, there’s lots to learn from comparing culturally derived attitudes which all have lessons for brands and business.
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	Blogs
	You can’t avoid them – the blogs. They’re so plentiful that the opinions they offer are forming part of news reports. Given the evident potency of blogs, therefore, the question is should blogs remain within their current sphere of influence, helping individuals to share their personal opinions on with the world, or should they be adopted by brands as communication tools? The fact is that the marriage between blogs and brands is no longer a vision. Personality brands, like Seth Godin or Tom Peters, already blog the net. And brands like Weight watchers, LEGO, Apple or Harley Davidson already appear on a frequent basis, not on behalf of their brand-builders, but promoted by their fans.
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	Absolut Branded Language
	Disney, Kellogg\'s, and Gillette are three completely different brands with one commonality. Over the past decade, they\'ve established a branded language, whether they know it or not. In my latest book, we found 74 percent of today\'s consumers associate the word \"crunch\" with Kellogg\'s. Another 59 percent consider the word \"masculine\" and Gillette as one and the same. Americans formed the strongest association of masculinity to Gillette, by an astounding 84 percent. Disney scored higher in purloined language than any other brand. This brand welcomes you to its kingdom of fantasy, dreams, promises, and magic. If you\'ve stayed at a Disney resort, taken a Disney cruise, or eaten in a Disney restaurant, it doesn\'t take long to hear \"cast members\" greeting guests with, \"Have a magical day!\"
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