A shock was sent rippling through the sports world a few weeks ago; LeBron James, the self-proclaimed “King,” left his hometown team of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat via free agency. There are many opinions on James’ monumental and unprecedented decision to sign on as the last member of the superstar signing class in Miami joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Many (including Cleveland’s owner) believe that the 6-time all-star performer abandoned his team and hometown in a narcissistic and unacceptable fashion. This … read more

For the past few months, I’ve been closely following the development of BP’s catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and, as most of the world, am outraged by the devastation it has caused. But, there’s also a deeper issue that fuels our anger: we feel swindled that we bought into BP’s image of being ecologically and socially responsible.

In 2000, BP unveiled its new green and yellow Helios logo. On its website, the radiating, sun-inspired symbol is compared to “the living, organic form of a sunflower,” and … read more

If I asked you what the sound of Freedom was, what would you say?  Someone singing the National Anthem?  The ringing of the Liberty Bell?  How about the sound of a Harley Davidson Motorcycle?

Living in DC, I’ve gotten used to the sight and sound of “Rolling Thunder.”  For those of you who don’t know, Rolling Thunder is the name the organization that plans the annual Ride for Freedom to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall over Memorial Day weekend.  Since their original ride in 1988, the event has grown … read more

The irony of being a brander is that we like to brand things so much that we often come with new names and definitions for enduring concepts that essentially mean the same thing.   Brand terminology has gotten so out of hand that there are numerous brand dictionaries and glossaries being produced every day to help keep everything straight!   And they all need to have a catchy brand name.   I have not looked recently but I would not be surprised if there is a “Brandopedia” or “Brandossary” in the … read more

When we work with organizations to help them articulate their brand essence, promise, key messages, and other important expressions of their brand, some wonder why we spend so much time uncovering the perfect wording.  Here’s a powerful example.

Think back to high school civics.  You may have learned that before the Civil War, most people in our country referred to The United States as a plural noun.  Civil War Historian Shelby Foote commented,

“Before the war, it was said ‘the United States are.’ Grammatically, it was spoken that way and thought of as … read more