Branding can be likened to sports in that, competition is very stiff in the business arena and companies need to be on toes at all times. The current tiff in the telecommunications industry is testament of this.Any organization that claims to be a leader in its field has to pre-empt any move that its rival is bound to make. Like any sport, the basics have to be met first. What need does your company seek to fulfill in the market? Click to download full article.

Corporate branding is a potentially strong tool for re-aligning a corporate strategy and ensures that the corporation - big or small - is leveraging adequately on the un-tapped internal and external resources. VentureRepublic believes - and our experience across clients shows - that a strong CEO and a dedicated management team are always seeking to raise their own bars and be change agents for their corporations backed by a strong corporate branding strategy.

Even though many have written about the consequences of M&As in the larger business perspective, not much is precisely known about the effects of M&A on brands, brand management and brand equity. What are the critical questions to be asked by companies before an M&A? What happens when two big brands come together either through a merger or through an acquisition? How should the brand strategy of the resulting entity be designed? These are some of the critical questions that this article addresses.

Even though many have written about the consequences of M&As in the larger business perspective, not much is precisely known about the effects of M&A on brands, brand management and brand equity. What are the critical questions to be asked by companies before an M&A? What happens when two big brands come together either through a merger or through an acquisition? How should the brand strategy of the resulting entity be designed?

Three prerequisites to selecting celebrities: Before signing on celebrities to endorse their brands, companies need to ensure that they meet three basic prerequisites, namely the endorser should be attractive, have a positive image in the society, and be perceived as having the necessary knowledge (although it might be difficult for a celebrity to meet all three prerequisites)

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) has become one of the more commonly talked about corporate designations in recent years. Given the tremendous marketing potential offered by the new media and proliferation of distribution channels, companies have begun to realize the huge potential of marketing in guiding corporate level strategies and substantially contributing to the financial bottom line.

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) has become one of the more commonly talked about corporate designations in recent years. Given the tremendous marketing potential offered by the new media and proliferation of distribution channels, companies have begun to realize the huge potential of marketing in guiding corporate level strategies and substantially contributing to the financial bottom line.

Like people, brands make mistakes. But their mistakes are much bigger because they reachmillions of people and might destroy the image of the brand leading to a phenomenal fall from grace. This is a paper about brands loosing status, respect, and prestige and how to avoid it. Click to download full article.

The focus of marketing is often to attract new customers but equal focus must be put on past and present customers, in order to win acceptance of a line extension or understanding why a former customer abandoned your brand. Understanding and keeping a loyal customer is worth more money than a one-time purchase by a consumer that wants to try the new flavor of the month. Energy must therefore be put into understanding this consumer group better.Click to download full article.

A look at the seven primal code that are used to differentiate a product and make you feel like part of a community. This feeling of being part of a community  translates to feeling better about some brands.Click to download full article.

A look at the seven primal code that are used to differentiate a product and make you feel like part of a community. This feeling of being part of a community  translates to feeling better about some brands.

Patrick Hanlon sets out and explores simple yet practical techniques to building a brand's soul, voice and personality using brand enthusiast and the community. A must read for everyone.

Simon Anholt and GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media collaborate to offer a unique barometer of global opinion that measures the power and appeal of each country’s ‘brand image’ by examining six fundamentals of national competence.

Any significant change in media introduces a material change in how brands are built, managed and experienced. Read about how new media is influencing branding in this article by Tom Sitati

Tom Sitati focuses on the actuarial profession and gives tips on how it can be better branded.

Tom Sitati tackles the question of the relevance of branding to MFI's and how they should handle the transformation process that is facing many of these institutions.

Interbrand’s annual ranking of the best global brands is here! Check out the 2009 results and read about the changes, the winners and the losers.

See East Africa's top 361 brands as nominated by a panel of experts and voted for by the public in a survey done by Superbrands.

In this resource which is a chapter from The Economist series "Brands and Branding", Simon Anholt explains what branding places and nations is all about and demolishes the superficial interpretation that it is nothing more than standard product promotion, public relations and corporate identity, where the product just happens to be a country, a city or a region rather than a bank or a running shoe.

Those brands that can rethink and re-imagine thier core strategies will live longer, healthier and more prosperous lives. This resource from North Venture Partners points out that businesses that fail to embrace change and take intelligent risks will likely become another sad statistic.