Against the Grain

I had been with the same car insurance company since I started driving at age 27 (but that’s another story). It was a well-branded company with a highly recognizable logo, a consistent use of a specific shade of red and a jingle I probably could sing long before I ever drove. But last month, they did not live up to their neighborly promise and I switched companies.

I did not select my new insurance company because of their great logo. It was simply their name set in an italics font. And I did not choose them because they consistently use blue and orange.  I certainly can’t sing you their jingle or quote their slogan because they have neither. Yet, I made the switch because they have a strong brand. And that’s my point; a brand is not a logo, a specific use of a color, a jingle or a slogan.

A brand is all about managing the experience, and the experience I had from the first call to this company through subsequent calls for clarifications and additional services was, to coin a phrase, very Flo-like. Regardless of the person I was talking with, I felt I was talking to Flo. They were casual yet down-to-business. I felt I could be myself with them, and they in turn demonstrated their Flo-like attitude with their often humorous, yet to-the-point responses. 

By now you know the company I switched to is Progressive, and I made the switch because of their brand. Not their logo. Not their slogan. Not their jingle. Not their graphic standards. But the experience. And that’s what branding it is all about.  

Internet Neutrality, or more affectionately, Net Neutrality, has appeared lately as a subject of much debate among the technocrati and the key-clickers of angry blogs, yet has captured little attention by the mainstream media.

You may have heard recent web chattering, or bypassed a marginalized sub-story on the topic. Yet, as a country, we are in the midst of what one senator has called, "THE free speech issue of our time."

Net neutrality allows equal access for all parties interacting with the internet. It simply states that all internet traffic, regardless of source, affiliation, hardware or content, should travel to its destination with equivalent merit, without obstruction and at the same speed.

It's a simple notion; everybody gets an equal share of the information super-highway. Most people assume the Internet is already a neutral place. CNN loads as fast as local news sites. All sites are available to all people, save for a few obscenity bans. There are no current restrictions based on content or source, right?

Yes and no.

Although the Internet is fairly neutral in practice, there are currently no laws in effect that guarantee it'll stay that way. In fact, the open and neutral aspects of the Internet which we've enjoyed thus far have already begun to unravel.

In 2008, Comcast attempted to deliberately impede traffic to the BitTorrent file-sharing site, claiming that the site was responsible for utilizing more bandwidth than was reasonable. Their concern was understandable. Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will tell you that 1 percent of users utilize 20 percent of the network bandwidth, and Comcast was merely attempting to indoctrinate some checks and balances.

The FCC quickly responded, declaring such action to be unlawful. Their concern was also understandable. Once an ISP throttles the traffic from one site, who’s to say they won't throttle other sites? Who decides which sites should and should not be impeded? What if bandwidth usage wasn't the only criteria used to justify such a practice? What if religious, political or community affiliations where considered antagonistic to an ISP's agenda or bottom-line? Would it be fair to regulate network traffic from those sites?

The FCC didn't think so. Unfortunately, a federal appeals court rebuked the FCC ruling, stating that the FCC didn't have the authority to rule against Comcast. Why? As an internet service provider, Comcast is listed as a provider of "Information Services." In order to regulate the Internet as a neutral entity, the Internet would need to be classified as a "common carrier," such as a telecom company. This distinction was enough to overturn the FCC's ruling, and thereby limit its future ability to regulate a fair and open Internet.

Since this ruling, the internet has remained in a largely neutral state, despite the FCC's limited regulatory ability. Yet, the issue is currently teetering on a dangerous edge with staggering implications.

We are in the midst of a standoff between ISPs and the FCC. Both sides are waiting for the other to make a move, and most likely, this is an issue that will be resolved by congress. Only congress can re-classify ISPs under a common carrier protection, and thereby subject them to the same regulatory authority as telecommunication companies.

Rather than wait for the whims of congress, Google and Verizon have attempted to accelerate the debate in their favor with a recently published proposal on how Net Neutrality should be handled. The proposal makes several statements that would seem to support the widespread goal of a neutral internet, but also contain some glaring exceptions which raised serious concerns with the proposal. Notably, the Google/Verizon proposal designates wireless and mobile devices to be outside any neutrality legislation.

The exemption of wireless communications is particularly troubling since computing as a whole is moving to a wireless platform. By excluding wireless communications from the net neutrality framework, the future of the neutral internet is threatened.

The Google/Verizon proposal also includes an exemption for "Additional Online Services," which use the internet, but are distinctly different from typical broadband internet use. The term additional is very subjective — who would decide what is additional and what is not? Allowing for exemptions in neutrality would invariably open the door for lobbying efforts to classify nearly any application as additional.

While parts of the proposal are in favor of some core principles of neutrality, it is arguable that these exemptions are designed to favor large corporate entities. The internet has become the sole equalizing agent for news and information and is potentially the last piece of infrastructure that can offer an even playing field to all people, regardless of economic status. While it’s too soon to tell how the net neutrality issue will play out, it is clear the outcome will impact all of us.

When you build a new website for your company, the process involves choosing a domain name, creating a concept and design, developing content and finally launching the website. Typically, companies pay a lot of attention to the design and content, but don’t spend enough time choosing a good, brandable domain name.

A brandable domain name is very important for several reasons. You can’t rely on users to bookmark or write down the domain name, or be able to recall an obscure address like stratuscompanydesmoines.com.  Often times, a domain name becomes the center piece for a brand, so you want it to be memorable and creative.

Websites like Godaddy.com and Namestation.com can help you in your quest to find that perfect brandable domain name.

Here are some tips to remember when choosing a domain name:

• Try to use a domain that includes the company or product name.

• Try to claim a “.com” address. It’s the most common ending for a website, and it’s what most people will try first. You should also purchase the variations like “.org” and “.net” and point them to your main site. You don’t want your competitors, or shady products and services, using your domain name brand. This could negatively affect your brand image.

• The shorter the name, the better. Eight characters or less is ideal. There’s a reason why some of the shortest domain names sell for thousands of dollars on domain auctions, they’re highly brandable and memorable.

• Stick to letters if possible.

• If you’re considering starting a company or launching a product in the future, register the domain name now. Don’t wait! It is a cheap investment and it will protect your brand.

• Avoid using hyphens, if at all possible. These domains are hard to use in audible mediums, like radio and television.

• Avoid challenging spellings and unfamiliar words. If your site is hard to find, customers will just move on.

The bottom line is that you should think about your target market, business, products and services, and choose a domain that will help drive traffic to your site and build your brand.

When I was 12 years old, I watched you create ad campaigns.  I thought it looked like fun and besides that, Elizabeth Montgomery was hot.  Needless to say, you sold me on a career in advertising.  Like most great salespeople, you neglected to mention a few things about the product.

For example, you never mentioned that I would have to deal with technology beyond a legal pad and a number 2 Ticonderoga pencil.  You never mentioned that I would have to write off the time I spent on a new business pitch, let alone the possibility of losing that pitch!  You never mentioned that I might have to attend a trade show and manage a booth.  You never mentioned that I would have to discuss billing invoices with a client or the fact that there might be invoices!  You never mentioned that I would spend my days scouring through page after page of marketing research. You never mentioned that I would have to sit through an Addy Awards show.

Although there are days that I wish deadlines could be extended, budgets could be enhanced and ideas could flow with a twitch of the nose, this business you sold me on has its rewards.  The ability to work with an interesting cast of characters.  The opportunity to help companies and organizations reach for the stars.  Most of all, the chance to neglect to mention a few things to the students who call for advice. 

Most manufacturing companies operate using some sort of distributed sales force and dealer/distributor network — a situation that creates as many problems as it solves. One issue that arrives all too often is when customer data exists solely on the laptops and BlackBerry smartphones of the sales team. Dozens of individuals with dozens of databases… not a single one of them complete.

And if a sales person leaves or their laptop crashes… that data is gone.

By storing all your sales and marketing contacts in a single, web-accessible database, you ensure that this most valuable of resources can’t go missing. You also allow for sharing of ideas, tracking of company-wide initiatives, measurement of marketing efforts and more accurate sales projections. It’s amazing what a little sharing can do.

Trilix is a full-service advertising agency headquartered in the Midwest with expertise in helping manufacturers market effectively and drive sales success. Learn more at www.trilixgroup.com or email Todd Senne at tsenne@trilixgroup.com.