YOu name a child, so name the newsletter.

It's important to name things. Things like children, as the title of this post suggests, or your fears as your psychologist might tell you to do (for some of us that's one and the same). But for your brand, your name game is a true opportunity to extend, deepen, and associate your core brand with other (new!) things the reliable ole' mothership might not touch. You offer a client or lead newsletter, for example. The YOU-ALREADY-KNOW-MY-NAME-SO-I'M-REPEATING-HERE NEWSLETTER. Or maybe you've attended someone's conference, you know--The YOU-ALREADY-KNOW-MY-NAME-SO-I'M-REPEATING-IT-HERE-TOO ANNUAL CONFERENCE. 

The core issue is that it's boring AF and a wasted opportunity. You want to excite and engage clients. Your branding opportunities (newsletters, events, other things at arms length from your core brand) are an opportunity to be a bit more playful because, especially in business, our core brands are the most buttoned-up version of ourselves. And this is America. Where business, and life, is quite a bit more casual than the rest of the world. Think of these as opportunities to dress your brand up in shorts and a t-shirt for once. Why does this make sense? Because if they're reading your newsletter or attending your networking event or going to your user conference, it's because they already know your core brand. It also means they're more comfortable with you, your products and services, and hopefully on a first name basis with some of your team members. Consider the connection between the core brand of American Airlines (AA) and it's customer loyalty program, American Airlines Advantage, or AAdvantage. It's a tad more playful, true to the core brand identity, but an extension none-the-less:

Or in the legal space, consider the blog. Or blawg, as they're known. The ABA Journal publishes a list called the Blawg 100 Hall of Fame. (check them out here). One thing you'll notice about some of the best blawgs is that they're sophisticated extensions of the authoring firm's core brand identities but notably more casual. Why? Because if you're looking at Ballard Spahr's Consumer Finance Monitor or Stenson Leonard Street's Arbitration Nation, it's because you're either already aware of the core brand (and their subject-matter expertise) and you're into the more direct, content-driven blawg; or, their SEO efforts are killing it and you're introduced first to this way cooler (and friendlier) version of their brands. The concept works magically both ways, regardless of where the traffic begins and it allows them to do two things: attract the folks who want the buttoned-up, old school experience and gets the children excited because hey, these folks get it. 

Want to push your brand identity a bit (or a bunch) beyond its dusty old shelf?
Give us a call or connect with us here. We'll take a look and happily walk you through some ideas.