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A new study I (along with Coogan Partners) conducted reveals ways to close the brand strategy:execution gap. Results are based on responses from senior marketers representing 71 leading national brands in the consumer goods, retail and media industries. For a copy of the report, contact me.

Scott Goodson, founder of Strawberry Frog an agency that produces truly inspired work and groovy t-shirts, interviews Denise Lee Yohn for Scott Goodson’s Writings, an inspiring blog for people who want to spark cultural movements.

Companies in the running industry must accept their business isn’t just about running anymore. I challenged running companies’ conventional thinking about what business they’re in through my address at Running USA 2008, the national conference for the running industry on February 11th, 2008 in La Jolla, CA.

Five industry experts weigh in on the merit of consumer-generated ads. My POV: “The most troubling thing about consumer-generated ads is they are not actually consumer-generated.” Instead of engaging brand fans, companies soliciting ads from the public may be merely bolstering the careers of aspiring admakers.

A growing move by U.S. companies to export their ad campaigns for overseas markets highlights the challenges of navigating regional differences. In the case of Apple’s “Mac vs. PC ads,” I caution that Apple is often perceived in the U.S. as a “scrappy underdog” and if people in other countries are not as familiar with the brand, they might interpret such advertising as a more aggressive, and ultimately inappropriate challenge.

Independent Brand Marketer Launches Service for Engaging Women Through Wellness™: Denise Lee Yohn, Inc. To Serve Companies Interested In Tapping $200BB Market.
What ‘wellness’ means to women, and how they seek it out and experience it, varies a great deal. I help companies identify, navigate, and tap into opportunities that are right for their brand.

Brands looking to create meaningful dialogues with their customers should use caution when soliciting viewer-created ads. To be effective, I advise, a brand “must have a clear and consistent image” that inspires and informs the creation of all of its communication.

Brand integrity is becoming increasingly important as consumers have access to more information about companies than ever before – and any inconsistencies between a brand’s values and its company’s actions can easily be revealed in the blogosphere. But I explain the brand equity Starbucks has built over time through its socially responsible actions and employee-supportive policies form a “halo” of protection as it faces off with employees’ unions.

XM and Sirius are battling for market share and “the two advertisers have to choose between using a famous personality to spark short-term attention, or promoting broader benefits, such as reliability of service,” I advise. Marketers often make the mistake of relying on the borrowed equity of celebrity instead of improving their core value proposition.

A tie-in with a blockbuster like ‘Star Wars’ provides marketers with unparalled exposure, but I advise caution, explaining, “If you are only one of a handful of partners or sponsors…there is also the risk that you get overshadowed. The movie becomes the point, and your brand gets lost in that.”

The hacking of Paris Hilton’s Sidekick sent T-Mobile executives into a panic about how to reassure the public of the security of its products. With all the free PR the story is generating for the new Sidekick, I offer, “T-Mobile and Paris may be able to twist this to be something that makes her an even bigger star and gets the T-Mobile name out in the media more.”

While advertisers are concerned about featuring offensive ads in the “superbowl” of advertising, others are concerned taking the edge off may also take the entertainment out. I weigh in saying “To me, likability is the first thing a commercial has to have. If people don’t enjoy watching your commercial, then what’s the point?”

Quiznos Sub is introducing a new toned-down campaign, after an unsuccessful run with its rodent-like spongemonkey mascot. I observe Quiznos was using shock-value to capture consumer attention, “but it had nothing to do with the brand at all … It’s important, when you get someone’s attention, to always link it back to your main point.”

AOL’s new ad campaign is using the dissatisfaction consumers feel towards services that don’t screen out viruses or spam to attract people to its brand. I explain, “A lot of marketers want to appear to understand their customers’ needs and to have a very intimate relationship with them,” but emphasizing the negative can backfire.

Women control over 50% of the spending in consumer electronics and marketers need to recognize the different needs of female shoppers. “Younger women who are tech savvy are not looking for someone to dumb down the technology for them,” I warn.