Branding on the Internet

WARNING: This Psychic Marketing Quiz May "Freak You Out"
by Matt Gill and Kevin Wilke, Co-Founders, NitroMarketing.com

Here's a short marketing quiz that's a real eye-opener. Answer the following 3 questions – as quickly as you can.

1. Name a brand of blue jeans. (Think of your answer now.)
2. Name a brand of laundry detergent. (Answer now.)
3. Name a brand of soft drink. (Answer now.)

Are you done?

Here’s what I predicted you would answer à Click here.

Are you convinced that I’m psychic? Well, sorry to disappoint you -- but I'm not. I'm simply demonstrating the unparalleled power of the marketing strategy I'm about to describe in a minute. I’m not ready to reveal it yet because I want you take part in yet another quick (and fun!) experiment that will prove that all I’m about to say is true. Take a look at this logo I saw on a T-shirt recently:

Okay, what’s the first thing you thought of when you looked at this hybrid logo? Did you do a double take? You've got to admit your mind read "Monopoly" instead of Microsoft, right? Why? Because the "Monopoly" logo is deeply engraved into your subconscious. Now, take a moment and imagine what kind of success your business would have if your website or product was similarly imprinted into your customers’ subconscious?

Now, can you use your own psychic powers to guess the marketing strategy that the above tests have proven powerful? It is this...branding.

I can almost hear you protesting, “Hey, Mark, why should I even care about this? Branding is way out of my league. It only works for the giants of industry like Procter & Gamble, Nike or Coke. My company doesn't have a billion dollar ad budget.”

Hey, I hear you loud and clear. Six years ago, that's exactly what I would have said, too. I was under the impression that branding was reserved for big companies with big fat ad budgets. But whatever your preconceived notions may be about branding, you need to put them aside for now and hear me out because I have first-hand experience that branding doesn't have to cost a lot of money. In fact, I'll show you many low-cost (and some absolutely free) techniques of branding that turned my fledgling, one-man operation into a multi-million dollar enterprise.

FACT: Every Internet marketer who has achieved a high level of success first had to develop a recognizable brand. Here’s a true story

In the Spring of 1984, a 32 year old man from Elmira, New York, launched a tiny apparel business. The upstart clothing company was virtually unknown in the fashion world, but in less than 6 years, annual sales of his company exceeded $25 million. Today, his company does half a billion dollars in sales each year, and he is considered one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.

If you haven't guessed it by now, his name is... Tommy Hilfiger. He is a living, breathing poster child for branding.

Exactly how did Tommy Hilfiger build the brand that made him attain the kind of success that entrepreneurs can only drool about? Well, he did 2 startlingly simple things. Listen closely because the secret I’m about to reveal to you is clearly demonstrated in his story.

First, he established his name as Tommy Hilfiger -- not Thomas, no not even Tom. He used “Tommy” to reflect the casual theme of his designs. That laid-back, free-spirited identity -- juxtaposed with the stiff upper crust designers of his day -- proved to be the selling point that set his label apart.

Second, he launched an advertising campaign with the headline: “The 4 Great American Designers for Men Are: Ralph Lauren, Perry Ellis, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger”

The secret ingredient of branding that can single-handedly turn a small business enterprise into a mega-success story is hidden in Tommy Hilfiger's story. Did you catch it?

Here it is…