By Maliya Rooney

Finding a piece of our Vibrant Rioja branded materials for sale on ebay the other day got me thinking. How can we measure the value of our swag?

Marketing your brand takes many forms but by using promotional items you have the opportunity to make a personal, daily impression on the consumer. That’s why when choosing a promotional item you should consider it carefully. Keep in mind that the item could be representing your brand long after they walk away from your event. It should have some kind of value to the consumer so that they want to keep it, use it and display it, if appropriate.

You can’t really go wrong with a pen or a coffee mug but consider something unique. Maybe a screen cleaner that conveniently sticks to the back of your iphone or the new Toddy. Also, consider how you brand the item you choose. How about adding a QR code as well as your logo, url or message? These can be customized so that it’s not a jagged, black box but another representation of the brand.

Add interest to an otherwise boring t-shirt or re-usable tote bag with a custom QR code and you now have tech-savvy billboards. Of course, if you do, don’t neglect the need to have an interesting mobile site to direct them to.

Cost is always at the forefront of our decisions but there are good choices of items at nearly every price point that you won’t see in the trash the next day. So how valuable is our swag? To one consumer in Utah about $9.34 plus free shipping! But we hope it stretches even further than that.

My family has been in the naming business of late. Both of my daughters are expecting. Together with their husbands, they have been researching names for the little bundles of joy. Having not named a little one in quite a while, I find that I’m clearly out of the loop on the seemingly endless array of names, many of which I’ve never heard of. Now, I get that John and Mary are just too plain Jane, so to speak, but when my son-in-law proposed the name Link from the video game series Legend of Zelda, I had to say, “Hold on a minute. Let’s think this through.”

Usually I’m in the position of helping healthcare companies rebrand or name new services. So, could the advice I provide clients help my kids through this daunting task? Well, let’s see.

1. The best names are memorable.

A John or Mary could become memorable over time because of their deeds, but we will likely encounter many Johns and Marys in life – what makes one more memorable than the other? A person named Ulysses or Epiphany might do absolutely nothing in life that’s special, but chances are you would remember their names.

Recently, University Health Systems in North Carolina changed its name to Vidant Health. By replacing a very generic name, with a unique name that is distinctive, Vidant has the opportunity to become a more memorable brand.

2. Names should be relatable.

When naming a baby, it’s difficult to know who they will become when they’re grown up. Christening your little girl with a name like Bluebell might sound cute at the time, but ask people to feel confident when Dr. Bluebell is operating on their heart and you’re asking for a leap of faith for sure.

Companies, however, know what they want to stand for and their name should reflect this. Recently, Catholic Healthcare West changed its name to Dignity Health because it ended its affiliation with the Catholic Church. By selecting the name Dignity, the system was able to create a more distinctive name, but one that is still related to its faith-based character.

3. Lean towards timeless over trendy.

Names that endure have a classic value. In addition to meeting the two guidelines above, timeless names are easy to say and spell. They’re not distracting in a cutesy or overly clever way.  Most importantly, some names never lose their luster, because behind the name stands a brand personality that is approachable and respected, while classically modern.

So how does the name Link stand up again these standards? I’ll let you decide. Fortunately for me, the kids have moved on to other choices; ones that certainly will always be memorable to me, but hopefully to others as well.

THE BOOZE BIN

By Emily Valentine (@ebvalentine)

Just before the holidays, I invited a friend over for a glass of wine and asked her to bring a bottle of her choice. When she arrived at my doorstep bearing a bottle of Cupcake Chardonnay, I couldn’t help but smile. This must’ve been exactly what the Cupcake marketing team had in mind when it built the brand back in 2008.

Picture a 20- or 30-something woman browsing the supermarket wine aisle. She wants something tasteful, but she doesn’t have much time or money to spend. Suddenly, her eyes land on a bottle that might’ve rolled right out of an Anthropologie store. It’s elegant, classy, chic … just like the woman she aspires to be. When she picks it up for a closer look, her decision is sealed – and if this wine brings her as much enjoyment as its pastry namesake, she’ll be a very happy customer.

Consumer opinions on Cupcake’s approach to winemaking and labeling vary, but with a million cases sold in 2011, the brand is no doubt basking in its success. And, regardless of whether you like Cupcake wines, there’s much marketing wisdom to be learned from their example:

1) Know your audience – Cupcake’s first shrewd move was to identify a) the customer group with the greatest potential to grow wine sales and b) what that group wants from a wine. The Cupcake line, says winemaker Adam Richards, is designed to “please the palates of the next generation of wine drinkers” who are always looking to try something new, especially at an affordable price point. In a somewhat miraculous feat, Cupcake has managed to bottle a lighthearted, feminine formula that delights everyday wine drinkers without appalling the wine elite.

2) Differentiate – No other winery before or since has used such sugary terms to describe its blends, but it’s working for Cupcake. The genius of calling a wine Red Velvet, Angel Food or “reminiscent of lemon chiffon” is three-fold: it’s unusual enough to make an impact, familiar enough to stick, and simplifies wine terminology for beginner wine consumers.

3) Appeal to emotion – In 2008, the gourmet cupcake craze had begun to take hold in the U.S., and Cupcake’s founders sought to emulate the emotional drivers behind this trend. The Cupcake brand was crafted to invoke the feeling people get when they reward or indulge themselves – be that with wine, sweets or other “bite-sized bits of fun.”

4) Curate relevant content – Brands that find a way to be relevant to their customers’ lifestyles and continuously offer fresh, useful content are apt to succeed in today’s marketplace. It didn’t take Cupcake long to figure out what occupied its customers’ minds … and how it could get a slice. The brand now has an entire section of its website geared toward brides-to-be. Visitors to Cupcake’s Bridal Headquarters can find advice on everything from party planning on a budget to selecting the perfect wedding wines. (Eat that, Martha!)

As its blue and white wine bottles continue to fly off store shelves, Cupcake has taken its branding recipe to the next level with a line of flavored vodkas that promise to be “as rewarding and delicious as the wines that came before it.”

So, look out … the next thing you know, your millennial friends will be ordering Frosting and soda or Devil’s Food tonic.