This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about how it’s very uncool to have a Barbie lunch box for a second grader at my local school.

I found this out when my daughter, Lexie, came home in tears after being teased for hers.

So, I went out and got her a Hannah Montana lunch box and her reputation was repaired.

Show Notes

• Why Do Girls Outgrow Barbie Dolls At Such a Young Age?
• Marketing Bratz Dolls to Children

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This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about the importance of a brand staying true to itself.

While I was sitting in church this morning, the Pastor was speaking about David and Goliath and how Saul gave David his own armor, but David didn’t like the way it felt. So, he went without it and conquered Goliath using his skill set.

Just the same, you shouldn’t try to change the personality of your brand to suit the recommendations of a consultant or columnist. Stick with the things that got your here and focus on your strengths to take down the Goliath in your business.

Show Notes

• David and Goliath
• David and Goliath: When the Armor Doesn’t Fit

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.

This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about a local politician leveraging Twitter.

Recently, I was driving through my town and I noticed a sign for a township council candidate that read “They Bark, I Tweet.”

Usually I don’t pay a lot of attention to local politics, but this sign got my attention and got me to check out the Twitter account, campaign site, and YouTube videos for the candidate.

I liked what she was saying and she won my vote, and compelled me to ask for a sign to put in my yard.

Show Notes

• Alexandra Chirinos for Berkeley Heights Township Council
• Twitter @chirinos2009
• Alexandra Chirinos on YouTube

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.

This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about the strength of having a story behind a brand.

On the final night of Affiliate Summit East 2009, I ended up at McSorley’s Old Ale House in New York City. This is a place I’ve really enjoyed in the past, but why go out of the way to get there when there are tons of bars in the city?

McSorley’s has a story, or actually they have stories. The bar was established in 1854 and they claim it is “America’s oldest, continuously operated bar.” And it looks it inside.

The spot also features just two beers, or rather ales – their own: light and dark, and you order them in sets of two.

Up until 1970, women were not allowed in McSorley’s. They relented when they were sued into it. The place is one big narrative, and that’s part of their charm and success.

As I was heading there in a cab with Jim Kukral, he posted a Tweet about our destination. Almost immediately, he got a response from a McSorley’s devotee, Joe Magennis.

How about your company? Your brand? Do people care about it and look forward to experiencing it?

Show Notes

• McSorley’s Old Ale House

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.

This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about the need to manage your personal and professional brands at conferences.

Some folks tend to act a little foolish at conferences… especially late night. Bear in mind that many people are snapping pictures and video with their phones, camera, and Flips.

Think about how you will look on Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, etc. during downtime at conferences.

And be sure to make meals a priority to maintain your energy, as well as to avoid drinking on an empty stomach.

Show Notes

• ShoeMoney: Conference Travel Tips

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.

This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about the inconsistancy of URLs for Major League Baseball teams and their sites in Spanish.

I noticed this after seeing that the Yankees have YankeesBeisbol.com and the Mets have LosMets.com.

I realize that some MLB teams couldn’t get their team name in a dot com, but since the Spanish sites came later, I think it would have made sense to have some consistency in the naming convention across the sites for the Spanish sites, since they are all overseen by MLB.

Show Notes

• New York Yankees in English: Yankees.com
• New York Yankees in Spanish: YankeesBeisbol.com
• New York Mets in English: Mets.com
• New York Mets in Spanish: LosMets.com
• Oakland A’s: OaklandAthletics.com

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.

This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about a double branding faux pas of a contractor in my neighborhood.

Not only do they plant these ugly signs in yards when they’re doing work at a house (and leave them behind when they’re done), but they are marketing their business with a lousy sign that says nothing but information overload.

If you are not sure whether your marketing message is clear, Keep It Simple, Stupid!

And get permission for your marketing, because you’re tarnishing your brand when you add your blight to my neighborhood and don’t have the courtesy to ask.

Show Notes

• KISS principle

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.

This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about the legacy of a brand after a person passes away.

I was thinking about the impressions left behind for each of the icons that passed away in the past week: Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, and Ed McMahon.

Here is a quick rundown of what I think of for each person:

• Farrah Fawcett: the poster, Charlie’s Angels
• Michael Jackson: King of Pop, dark cloud of allegations by young boys
• Billy Mays: informercials, the “Pitchmen” show
• Ed McMahon: Tonight Show sidekick, Star Search host, American Family Publishers sweepstakes guy (I mistakenly refer to this as Publisher’s Clearing House in the podcast), and having financial woes

What will come to mind when people think of you when you’re gone?

Show Notes

• Farrah Fawcett
• Michael Jackson
• Billy Mays
• Ed McMahon

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.

This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about the branding and tangible benefits of having a presence at industry conferences.

I think about this often, but it just jumped out at me as I was prepping for LinkShare Symposium NYC 2009. As I looked at the agenda, I got excited to see the DealMaker portion of it.

This is the focus of my day, and I will have a target list of merchants exhibiting, so I can hit their tables and work out some deals.

The companies not represented? Well, it’s not likely they’ll be getting much, if any, attention from me in the coming month. I’ll be busy with the companies that came out to meet with me.

Show Notes

• LinkShare Symposium NYC 2009

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.

This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about reinforcing your personal brand by securing your personal name or brand name on Facebook.

According to the Facebook blog…

Starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday, June 13, you’ll be able to choose a username on a first-come, first-serve basis for your profile and the Facebook Pages that you administer by visiting www.facebook.com/username/. You’ll also see a notice on your home page with instructions for obtaining your username at that time.

So even if you don’t hear this before the username rush for profiles and pages on Facebook, try and secure your name whenever you hear about it.

Show Notes

• Coming Soon: Facebook Usernames
• Reserve Your Facebook Username

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.