BRANDOPIA

Merry Xmas - Around the World in 80 Seconds

 

World's 10 Most Romantic Getaways

'Brand' the Marketect says:

"The 'romantic' category is one of the most powerful destination branding strategies."

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Merry Xmas - Around the World in 80 Seconds

 

Tweepeats: Fab Fifteen Tweets in June 2012

 

 

1. Fastival: Festival of Speed http://t.co/6lergAPA the signature fest of Brand Sussex: England's Festival County http://t.co/Aow45S3T
2. Culture Code: Could the youth of the new Staines-upon-Thames start 'living-the-brand' through a riverside culture? http://t.co/VuLVinek
3. City of Meetropolis: Home of The Meetrix, where growing companies meet & network to generate joint ventures & create new jobs
4. GrandPrix: Congrats FernandoA & Ferrari for win at Valencia, Spain FI Grand Prix. Now 6-from-8 wins for Motor Sport Valley, England
5. CompanyChoir: T-Mobile reduces sickness absence by 50% thru company choirs at its Merthyr Tydfil call centre
6. Designer Branding: Design the brand into the DNA of the product/service http://t.co/LVDm7oMb 
7. DestiNations: RT @bloomconsult France led European ranking by number of tourism arrivals - followed by Spain, Italy, U.K. & Turkey
8. Country Brand: @bloomconsult launches its unique Country Branding Ranking http://t.co/9LXzuA6U
9. Brandthology: The Matrix: Math symbols in rows & columns.The Meetrix: People networking in rows (Speed), squares (Deep) & random (Social)
10. ShedHeads: Selection of entries for Shed-of-the-Year 2012 contest http://t.co/xURJfTdp
11. Oh Papa: Seven Famous Fathers on Father's Day - UK/US/Canada - http://t.co/bGqIMLJ5 [vid] 
12. GrandPrix: Congrats LewisH & McLaren for win at Canadian FI Grand Prix. That's 6-from-7 wins for Motor Sport Valley, England
13. Speed: Meet GatQwick guest speaker, Stuart Hayes, in UK Olympic Triathlon team http://t.co/lNjX06bl GatQwick vid - http://t.co/Re5XRQZj
14. Scrunched: Received a scrunched-up promo mailer in an envelope complete with post-it note message "Pre-crumpled for wastepaper bin"
15. Co-Branding: Boring, Oregon, USA co-brands with Dull, Perthshire, Scotland http://t.co/dVTxQXkv

Brand America: Born on the 4th of July

A creative conversation between Des and Tina, Brandopia's mythical brand developers

DES: Born on the 4th of July, it would be interesting to read about Brand USA's position in the recent Country Branding Ratings & Rankings launched by Bloom Consulting.
TINA: For the convenience of Brandopia's readers, we've published a synopsis below penned by Bloom Consulting's CEO Mr.Jose Filipe Torres...

...Brand America ranks #1 in the Business world.

The USA is doing something right when it comes to branding, even after the downgrading by rating agencies. ( I leave my opinion of rating agencies for later)

According to the recent Ranking and Rating launched by Bloom Consulting, a consultancy firm specializing in the development of Country Branding strategies, the USA ranks number 1 in the world when it comes to the attraction of foreign direct investment. Essential for GDP growth, creation of companies, employment and wealth.

In practical terms, this means the USA brand was able to attract an additional 78.000.000.000. US Dollars over 2005-2009 due to its brand appeal.

The question is, how to keep up as number 1?

The USA shouldn’t stay still and must keep on protecting this “idea”, actually innovate on this “idea”. The “idea” that the USA is the most suitable country in the world to be happy and to prosper. It is fundamental to keep exploiting what the USA thrives on, this is the spirit that anyone, regardless of their background or nationality has a greater chance to succeed by simple meritocracy than in any other country.

The Bloom Consulting research, that involves world bank data, proprietary methodology and research for financial quantification, reveals that the USA is using the most valued differentiation aspects to promote itself internationally.

The study concluded that 63% of the 144 countries included in the research were using arguments such as “Fiscal Policy” to convince investors to choose their country. However interestingly enough, number one, is “ Social Welfare”. Meaning, that for the first time in the history of business, soft facts were more effective and powerful than hard facts. It is no longer about simply making the best deal numerically speaking, but also about the quality of life and happiness.

If the USA continues to innovate in this department and to develop new ways to attract talent from different countries, the rest will come naturally; just like it did during the post world war period and in the 80’s.
According to a recent article (The Magic of Diasporas published by The Economist), if 'The Diaspora' would be a country, it would be the world’s fifth-largest nation with 215 million first-generation migrants. Just above the size of Brazil.

Certainly, this number will grow due to the significant economic downturn, as fully prepared young and entrepreneur talent from Europe and other parts of the world will move out of their country to look for new opportunities. Now it’s a chance to receive them, their new ideas, new ventures, and in some cases new investment as they pitch their contacts in their homeland to start their ventures.

That will create jobs, wealth and economic growth.

The biggest challenge is no longer about competing with one specific country, but rather against 4 – that looks like one – The BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China). Combined together they surpass the USA. However there is still a long process to come before they, individually, reach their full potential. In the end a Country Branding strategy must have a specific objective with clear tasks and quantifiable outputs. It should serve a purpose and that purpose is economic growth and to improve the quality of life

My recommendation is to keep on selling the dream, fomenting the appeal to international talent and international entrepreneurship and the rest will come naturally; keeping the focus in one channel to pass that message – The movie and entertainment channel. Something that has been done brilliantly so far, but needs to keep on going!

The show must go on!

'Brand' the Marketect says:

"The American Culture Code for America is DREAM. Pessimism is off-code in America. Dreams have driven the American culture from Pioneering the Wild West to creating Hollywood and Silicon Valley to Space Exploration."

Tweepeats: Top Twenty Tweets in March 2012

1. SpringTime: Cherry Blossom season in Japan http://t.co/EBZkyHUn 7 ways to tell if someone is really Japanese http://t.co/oiQxtgXt [vid]
2. Caffiene Competitors: New brand Gerzoo Coffee opens next door to brand leader Costa Coffee. http://t.co/lqQCkXR8 Smart move?
3. LocalLegacy: Middle England Brum's Fierce Festival is a gem of local legacy-building http://t.co/jNTb9zmO
4. CIMTIG announces winner of its poll for most popular travel TV advert 2012 http://t.co/ZP2ZiSQm
5. GrandPrix3: Congrats FernandoA & Ferrari for win at Malaysian FI GrandPrix. That's 1-from-2 wins for Motor Sport Valley, England
6. GrandPrix2: McLarens qualify on the front row in F1 Malaysia. Brand Malaysia's Big Brand Idea http://t.co/IS7iG6G1
7. HOTlanta: What word does Atlanta own? http://t.co/XtPNHCw6 RT @lauraries Brand Atlanta - http://t.co/lwfgmTw8 [blog]
8. TheDeep: Fine tuning Zynergee, the new Deep Networking branded project with @Louisecamby for Meet Guilfast http://t.co/Q110XWTz
9. GrandPrix1: Congrats JensonB on FI Australian GP win. That's 1-from-1 win for Motor Sport Valley, England
10. Mama Mia: Seven Famous Mothers on Mother's Day 2012. Female-friendly brands focus on Aesthetics & Altruism http://t.co/MyowTNkL [vid]
11. Brand India: SachinT scores 100 centuries in cricket http://t.co/x0qZaBEl How to tell if someone is really Indian http://t.co/TVCbSFLd
12. GrandPrix 2012: In 2011 England's Motor Sport Valley dominated with 18-from-19 FI wins. Will that winning streak continue in 2012?
13. Oke-Coke: Vids of (1) Choiroke Concert at Dorking, Surrey http://t.co/ioID9t5v & (2) Fab Four Choral Directors http://t.co/RwuZaWNF
14. March 17th: A country brand that punches above its weight, thanks to its St Patrick's Day Fest & its global diaspora http://t.co/8kPqqV9J
15. Tale of 3 Cities: Chelmsford, Perth & St Asaph gain City status UK Gov says http://t.co/5TbXwddT Bad luck Reading, Medway & Middlesborough
16. Demand: Dipping into 'Demand' by Adrian Slywotzky http://t.co/3revzsoJ
17. Zynergee: Prepping for a Strategy Session with TeamBRAVO - the organisation behind the World's First InfraCulture Social Enterprise
18. Glocal: All business is local - even global brands have a local foundation - so ensure you co-brand product with place http://t.co/jxF2zJyG
19. Speedy: Vid promoting Meet GuilFast - Surrey's Fastest Network Event - http://t.co/P93gGian Spot the Special Guest
20. Brand Wales: On St David's Day, has this fine country moved from 'Big' (Country) to 'Original' (Thinking)? http://t.co/NDjp1Ci0

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Tweepeats: Fab Fifteen Tweets in February 2012

1. Premortem: The opposite of a Postmortem - assess why a brand/project might fail before launch - then adjust the biz model to reduce risk
2. Shopology: RT @MattheHopkinson Shopping centres in town centres! http://t.co/t3tgUKhc
3. Flawsome: RT@trendwatching Why brands that behave more humanly, including showing their flaws, will be awesome http://t.co/SzuBGfM0
4. Leadership: RT @AlanDillNM Just Get Started. It all starts with just ONE person, then TWO, then http://t.co/c8SRlwmO [vid]
5. GuilFast: Surrey's Fastest Networking Event promoted by Networking in Surrey http://t.co/T8Z4X26j
6. Customer-Focus: Would you brand negative customers as 'moaners & groaners' or as an opportunity to improve your product? DM me please?
7. Seeds of Passion: RT @scottfrog “Passion enables movements to grow & ultimately, have a significant impact on the culture.” Read more: http://t.co/ERKvuwQi
8. BlackBerry: RT @alexgoldfayn 7 Marketing Lessons from RIM: http://t.co/TOgxLNW3 Sadly, demise of one of Canada's few global brands
9. The Beautiful People: 2 years ago, Britons Voted for their Top 7 Most Beautiful Nations http://t.co/o70P9goE [Vid] Still valid?
10. TechnoloShe: Going into immersion to combine Technology with Female Values in order to uncover a business model innovation.
11. Valentine's World: Top Ten Romantic Place Names - Worldwide! http://t.co/gzYr1WeR [vid]
12. Choiroke-koke: RT @Choiroke What a night! Well done everyone. The branded Choiroke story was integrated into the live performance
13. Imaginacres: Going into immersion to uncover a cultural innovation based on a cultural contradiction for a professional services brand
14. ABC of Creativity: Articulate the Problem http://t.co/XBTfnBXr [vid] then Borrow Ideas & Combine them http://t.co/ErkJo0Pg [blog]
15. C-Ode: Cultural Ode to Choiroke http://t.co/3D1VjTlk [vid]

Valentine's World - Top Ten Romantic Place Names - Worldwide!

 

'Brand' the Marketect says:

"The ROMANTIC destination category is one of the most powerful - ever - from Country to Region to City to Town to Resort to Island"

Tweepeats: Top Twenty Tweets in January 2012

 

 

1. Cultural Concepts: Proud Sponsor of Plagiarised Taglines aka. Cultural Concepts http://t.co/fr9R8jvb [blog]
2. 3-way Tie: Who's gonna win the Destination SuperBowl: NewEngland or NewYork or the host city of Indianapolis?
3. Tale of Two Capitals: What could happen when Guildford - UK's Divorce Capital meets Gloucester - UK's Cougar Capital?
4. PowerPointless: Nick the PaellaFella http://t.co/sS6cs44a tells a powerful branded story without PowerPoint slides in B2B Boardroom
5. Singovation: Choir Rehearsals http://t.co/Jok44YGC [vid] inspires The Voice to improve Choiroke's business model to sell more tickets
6. GuilFast: TeamBRAVO brandstorms how to integrate the 'Joy' of experiencing the Ultimate Driving Machine at VinesBMW of Guildford
7. Choiroke Concert: Choir Rehearsals in Horsham: A UK Top-10 Best Place to Live http://t.co/KGQ4gJhq [vid]
8. Australia Day: How to tell if someone is really Australian http://t.co/QIGvLDqf [vid]
9. Burn's Night: Scotland the Brand http://t.co/8uLYVKDQ [vid]
10. IsleAir: Heathrow & Gatwick should collaborate & integrate 'Boris Island' airport to compete with Dubai World Central http://t.co/KALeGiqR
11. Intell-Outside: Intelligent Design by Naoto Fukasawa brings the inside of your brand - outside! http://t.co/fqeqYlvK
12. Provenance: Co-branding by sticking a place name on food products http://t.co/oQ8jAcKL
13. Cultural Branding: The Shakers embedded their cultural story into products & services http://t.co/41R4ErtF
14. RT @bakedin Leaders of great companies seldom focus on their brand when they start out. They focus on powerful stories to change the world
15. Brandthology: Working with @Louisecamby to integrate the branded story - vision/mission/values/viewpoint - within the Choiroke experience
16. BurningMan: Oh the places you'll go http://t.co/dKmYJX1r [vid]
17. BrandUSA: RT @lauraries The way to sell brand USA is not by promoting everything but by promoting one thing. http://tinyurl.com/8996ayy
18. SurreySingalong: Book your Choiroke Concert ticket - Sat 11th Feb, Dorking - via website http://t.co/eo3Qt0we Thanks @dale_bulbrook
19. TwoBrands: Kodak, the brand leader in Film photography should have launched a new Digital photography brand. Witness Toyota/Lexus
20. Choiroke: @RobRiley247 Thanks for the Choiroke RT. Could community choirs in Southern England become as famous as brass bands in Northern England?

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Tweepeats: Top Twenty Tweets in October 2011

1. Foxy: Going into immersion to discover a big brand idea for a motoring destination brand based on the Feminine cultural source code(s)
2. GrandPrix: Congrats SebV & RedBull on FI India win. That's 16-from-17 wins for MotorSport Valley, England
3. The Sandgropers: Could the Queen's visit to Western Australia inspire a big brand idea for WA? http://t.co/UMgizuZ0 [blog]
4. HorseSense: Blown away by the 'Horse Whisperer' demo at Lingfield Park, Surrey while mingling with 'The Racing Tribe' http://t.co/JdLVfXsz
5. HappyDiwali: India's Festival of Light - How to tell if someone is really Indian http://t.co/gnjcdZ7B [vid]
6. TheBard: RT @Alltop_branding Why Social Media is Like Shakespeare! http://t.co/8FV0ELx4 Warwickshire: Shakespeare Country http://t.co/H7OqNnxF
7. SportsCapital: Dallas - Best US Sports City http://t.co/i8T33wUy joins Manchester (UK) & Melbourne (Oz) http://t.co/pgC4ZEfj
8. Meet GatQwick: The Video http://t.co/ZzhtuuAn featuring Greater Gatwick's Qwickest Network at Vines of Gatwick
9. BrandCategory: When you combine Speed Networking with its opposite - Slow Networking - you get Deep Networking - a new branded category
10. Fizztival: RT @MeetGatQwick A blind taste test of English sparklers was a dead heat between DenbiesGreenfields & RidgeviewBloomsbury
11. DownUnder: The Queen visits Oz. How to tell if someone is really Australian http://t.co/QIGvLDqf [vid]
12. CultureMap: Mapping the cultural conventions across the RH postcode - in order to build an innovative cultural brand strategy
13. Rugger: Wales will need the full force of its cultural source code - Greenergy - to overcome the French on Sat http://t.co/L08dUgsE [vid]
14. BasepointBirthday: Happy 8th Birthday @Basepoint_Crwly Guest Speaker: @AlanWilliamson BRAVO - Crusader-in-Chief http://t.co/bI1PeQ1p [vid]
15. Cult of Pooh Bear: Uncovering the cultural codes & myths of Winnie the Pooh in Ashdown Forest, Sussex http://t.co/fX5iAdxe
16. TheGlovers: Garden Lovers of Gloverland visit SheffieldPark Gardens in early Autumn http://t.co/WubekVX5 [vid]
17. Culturology: Dipping into Cultural Strategy by Doug Holt & Doug Cameron http://t.co/tl3IT7LK
18. BrainClaim: US & UK dominate Top 10 University World Rankings http://t.co/3K0g0DQs Massachusetts - World's Intellectual Capital 
19. VillagePeople: Could 'England with a French Accent' inspire a cultural brand strategy for Horsted Keynes, an English village in Sussex?
20. GMT: If Greenwich Mean Time is replaced, will Britain lose its advantage of connecting globally during waking hours? http://t.co/mMsgqW11