Humanize Your Brand - Chico's Found a Match

When we develop brands from scratch, we often develop a personality to the brand - what does it look like, where does it shop, what books does this brand read, etc. It's common to address every aspect of what a brand would be if it was human. Does your brand have kids in high school or is it a 20-something young professional livin up the social side of things?



Chico's, the national women's clothing chain, hit the jackpot last week. They found someone who represents their brand perfectly. She is a baby boomer who wants to wear color and look chic. She's 57 years old and is a Maryland middle school principal. She's been the most visible parent in the Olympic coverage. Any guesses yet? Debbie Phelps, Michael's mother, has been shown wearing Chico's clothes for every race and every television appearance. They even have a "Debbie Phelps Collection" section on their website.

Does your brand have a personality or is it dead? What does your brand look like if it was a celebrity? Leave us your comments.

~Michelle Hirsh, Felber & Felber Marketing

Word of the Day

Today's word of the day: Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

Definition of RSS: Using XML format, this is a way of distributing dynamic content to a set of subscribers. The dynamic content is usually distributed via blogs, news organizations, etc.

Boy am I glad I'm not 12 years old anymore...

Children in Copley Township will be greatly disappointed on the hot days left in summer. Copley's trustees have decided to ban ice cream trucks as they are considered transient vendors. This resolution (excluding religious, charitable or school groups) was approved on June 23rd and has upset a number of children in Copley.

"The ice cream man wasn't a criminal or someone who was harassing people," says 9 year old Nicole Scout Basinski of Copley.

Click here to read the full story.

Driving along the marketing highway

Do you know how you drive? I mean, do you honestly know your habits? Pay attention next time you drive. I'll bet you'll find it interesting which habits you have that you are completely unaware of.

For example, when I drive I seldom will watch the car in front of me. Instead, I watch the car in front of them for brake lights, road hazards and other causes for slowdowns or swerving.

In business, this "habit" may also apply with trends. In emerging media trends, for example, few businesses are actually on the cusp of picking up on these trends. In fact, less than 14% of businesses are using these innovative trends.



Trendwatching.com is a website I have come across who is actively pursuing emerging consumer trends. They give free monthly reports on just what trends are getting hotter in our industry. Check them out, I think you'll be impressed.

Perhaps, if more businesses looked farther ahead in where they were going, they would be able to proactively jump on emerging trends and see potential bumps in the road before others.

Stay tuned for more on this topic in future blogs.

Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Pull Quote

Definition of Pull Quote: a quotation, or statement, separated from the rest of a document. This quote, or statement, provides a uniquely positive statement that emphasizes a point in the rest of the document.

Olympic Emblem

For those of you who think that logo design is easy, think again. Firms can spend hundreds of hours on designing logos that best represent brands. Why does it take so long and so many drafts? For every use of color, line stroke, icon or size, there is a meaning behind it. Take for instance the Beijing Olympic emblem/logo. Did you know that it is called the "Dancing Beijing." The stick figure represents culture and humanity. The logo released in 2003 was chosen from over 2,000 entries. What do other people have to say about the logo? From what I read online, most people love it for how much meaning is behind something that looks so simple but yet is so complex.

~Michelle Hirsh

Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Captcha

Definition of captcha: a type of challenge-response test used in computing to ensure that the response is not generated by a computer.

(Definition for Dummies: The computer generated boxes that you have to enter in the ID before submitting!)