Okay. First, in the interest of disclosure, you need to know that my son played football for a Big Ten School, and I am a rabid Michigan (fan)atic. So I write with somewhat of a bias. The number of times in the past that I have been able to tie together my love of Michigan football  and my professional expertise in branding has been about zero. So it was with great interest that I read about the recent fiasco with rebranding the Big Ten. And fiasco is exactly what it is.  A recent online poll run by a San Francisco newspaper had 91.3% of respondents commenting that the logo is bad, boring, and the division names are cheesy. Only 4% said the logo was “not bad.”

For the football illiterate some background info:

1. There are actually 12 teams in the Big Ten conference—a bit of a problem with the name—but I can’t see that the name will ever change. The existing logo is actually pretty decent but with Nebraska entering the conference the logo has to be changed. The existing mark was designed by Al Grivetti, an emeritus professor of graphic design at Dubuque’s Clarke College who actually planned on how the logo might change if another one or two universities were added to the conference.

2. The schools in this conference are primarily in the Midwest and are comprised of Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin. Some might argue that Penn State is not really in the Midwest—but we are looking at the majority of the teams.

3. There are some fierce rivalries that exist in the conference—notably the Michigan/Ohio State game—and I am sure that there are lots more—but as the mom of a Michigan player—this is the game to end all games. Careers have been started, and ended, depending on the winner of this annual battle.

4. Conference logos are not design award-winners to start with. Witness the ACC logo or the SEC logo. Or even the newly designed PAC10 logo. And that may be because most NCAA sports fans have more of an allegiance to their school and a secondary allegiance to their conference. Not a ton of product is actually sold that is licensed by the conference as opposed to the figure licensed by the school. For instance, the licensing fees alone to use the Michigan logo in 2010 garnered $4.1 million  for the university. That is not the figure of merchandise sold with the Michigan logo—that is just the amount allowing a manufacturer to use it.

So, some might infer that redesigning a new logo for the Big Ten conference might have little controversy. Witness a few of the choice comments from irate Big Ten fans posted the week after Big Ten commissioner, Jim Delaney, announced not only a new logo—but new names for the two divisions in the conference: The Leaders and the Legends.

“When I look at the Big Ten’s new logo, I feel like I’m looking at a basement full of shag carpet or a bunch of disco movies. Yes, I’m fairly certain the Big Ten paid the 1970s to design their new logo. For it to have been plain is one thing, painfully simplistic is quite another.”

“Before even getting to the fluorescent blue piercing our eyes, it must be pointed out how pitiful the new Big Ten logo really is. Resembling more of a sprawling sporting goods warehouse than a prestigious NCAA college football conference, the new Big Ten logo is something of an abomination—and in all its simplicity is facing a complicated backlash.”

“…Microsoft Paint-inspired logo”

“…New Big Ten logo a dismal flop, rivals Gap as worst logo change ever.”

“…high school graphic arts student designed in two minutes, while under the influence of salvia,” the new Big Ten logo has hit the floor hard. The poor imagery that the new logo brings already has college football fans and Big Ten followers destroying it wherever they find it.”

“Question to parents: How much are you spending to send your child to a Big Ten-Eleven-Twelve institution of higher learning that signs off on this nonsense?
Question to Big Ten-Eleven-Twelve math and marketing professors: Raise your hand if you have students who are smarter and more creative and would’ve “embraced” this as a class assignment and come up with something smarter and more creative than … that thing.”

As Delaney commented on Thursday, “I think we have enough experience with names, and expansion and development of divisions, to know that you never, rarely, get 90 percent approval rating,” Delaney said during the interview. “But to get a 90 percent non-approval rating was, you know, really surprising.”

One has to wonder if Pentagram really did their research, whether they have any deep knowledge of the conference and the quality it is supposed to stand for. Have they attended any games to see the passion and fervor behind a Boilermaker, a Wolverine, a Spartan? Did they give any real thought to the division names that they recommended, The Legends and the Leaders? Did they think about the subtle inference that a Legend might be a thing of the past—good in their day but a has-been, and a Leader is currently the head? And as one sportwriter penned,  “… let’s see if it holds water when phrases such as “Leaders division leader Wisconsin” and “Legends division leaders Iowa leads Leaders division leader Wisconsin in the standings” get thrown about. That’s right. Look forward to sentences brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.”

What is equally amusing to read, in addition to the thousands of blog posts, is the the language Pentagram used to describe the logo and the theory behind a relatively crude mark:

“The new Big Ten logo was developed to symbolize the conference’s future, as well as its rich heritage, strong tradition of competition, academic leadership, and passionate alumni,” said Gericke. “Its contemporary collegiate lettering includes an embedded numeral “10″ in the word “BIG,” which allows fans to see “BIG” and “10″ in a single word. Memorable and distinctive, the new logo evolved from the previous logo’s use of negative space and is built on the conference’s iconic name, without reference to the number of member institutions.”

There does appear to be some thinking to the renaming of many of the trophies and awards that are given out all year. When I asked my son, Max Pollock, a former Michigan football player, what he thought of the names, he indicated that this one area seemed to be positive. “It’s the Big Ten’s effort to get a more racially integrated profile. The current trophies are named after a lot of old white men, and many times the trophies are going to black athletes. I think this is the only smart move the Big Ten made-—although it is kind of silly to have two names associated with each trophy—but it is a move forward.”

As this logo and naming mess swirls around the blog posts and sports websites, Las Vegas is taking bets that the Big Ten will undo the mess they created—go with new division names and rethink the mark. On the other hand, my bet says that Pentagram will not be entertaining any discounts or refunds on the work they did. Lesson learned—sports fans really care about tradition, they care about what logo appears on the apparel they wear, they won’t blindly accept new names just because a marketing team says they should, and they will verbally and insistently exercise their right to sound off. And lastly, any design team that messes with college football better have a thick thick skin and better be watching and learning from the stands—not from a Wikipedia entry.

Working recently on a rebranding effort with the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers has rekindled my childhood interest in automobile design. As a nerdy kid in the ’70s, I was fascinated with the auto industry. On long drives during our family vacations, I would sit in the back seat of our gold Dodge Coronet with black vinyl seats and count how many Ford, GM, Honda and Toyota cars were on the road. I think even at 12 years old, I was thinking that the American automobile industry wasn’t quite looking ahead at design, or answering the changing needs of the American public.

You have to admit, that from the late ’70s and through the ’80s American auto design went though a plastic, one-car-uglier-than-the-next period of complacent design. As a patriotic and liberal designer-to-be, I wanted more from our manufacturers.

A representative from GM once came to my 7th grade class and asked my class to design the car of the future. To this day, I swear I designed the GM Saturn prototype concept car on looseleaf paper with colored pencils, but unfortunately, I have no proof of that other than Saturn is my favorite planet and rules my zodiac sign.

This morning, I read that Chuck Jordan, former vice president of GM design died. His work in his early reign as design VP inspired and reflected American culture in that period. It’s worth taking a quick look at how he helped shape the American automobile.

Today American designers have FINALLY caught up and are arguably even leading the design of future vehicles. I can’t say I’m proud of the path taken, but there is a notable difference in the quality and design of the latest crop of American vehicles offered. However, in a shrinking world where GM has developed new designs in China and many of Toyota’s vehicles are co-designed in California, we’d be hard pressed to call any automobile design “American.” What automobile isn’t truly “global” today? My point is that I’m glad that “design” is back and considered a priority of our American manufacturers’ business strategies. And by design, I’m not talking about tail fins and cup holders. I’m referring to fuel technology, electric applications, and how they literally shape the cars of tomorrow and our interactions with our vehicles.

That’s design. Thanks to the Association of International Auto Manufacturers for the opportunity you’ve given Grafik to rekindle my passion. And thanks for indulging this road trip into my past. If you have a moment, take a look at some of Chuck Jordan’s inspiring work. Oh, and yes—I love my new Toyota Prius for what it’s worth.

As the year draws to a close, 2010 lists are being drawn up for almost anything and everything from celebrities, news stories, millionaires (if not billionaires), and even the tweets that have been the most popular or influential this past year. With all the different lists, the one that I always look forward to is the best video ads of the year.

Video is one of the most powerful tools you can use to get your message, and in this case your brand, across to your audience. With the SuperBowl and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, this year produced a number of impressive and some very expensive advertising videos that made some big brands even more memorable and some unknowns now unforgettable. In light of this, I have also compiled my top five branding videos of 2010. Let me know what you think.

5) T-Mobile—Welcome Back

Flash mobs seem to be all the craze when it comes to viral videos and T-Mobile is not the first to catch onto this hot trend. Troupes around the world broke out in dance during Michael Jackson’s one-year death anniversary, FOX television show Glee had surprise dance performances at random locations to promote their new season and concert series, and even Oprah took a video with her mobile phone of the Black Eyed Peas flash mob performance on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. In this three-minute ad, T-Mobile’s professional singers serenaded confused travelers as they arrived in London Heathrow Airport. Yes, flash mobs videos may seem to have the production value of a home video, but it is also a great way to get your audience’s attention as seen in this clip. This viral video is a sequel to the also very successful flash mob ad called “T-Mobile Dance.”

4) 2011 Toyota Sienna MiniVan—Swagger Wagon

This video ad is more of a music video than just a commercial. With its own website dedicated to “Swagger Wagon,” this video was released last May amidst the recalls which ironically continues with Toyota recalling more than 100,000 2011 Sienna MiniVans just last week for potential brake problems. I can’t say that it addresses the safety issues current and potential Toyota customers may have, but this rap video parody is still darn entertaining.

3) Google—Parisian Love

As the American poet Walt Whitman said, “Simplicity is the glory of expression;” this seemingly simple video from Google is spot on in expressing how Google Search plays a part in everyone’s daily lives. You can call me a romantic, but I believe telling a love story through the actual search tool is brilliant. Although, I never thought that Google would need to advertise.

2) Old Spice—The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

This quick but entertaining video made my number two spot for its sheer originality and humor that ultimately conveyed the message—Old Spice is not only for old men. In its 30 seconds, it grabs your attention and leaves you wondering just what the heck you just saw. This ad featuring former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa sparked a series of “manmercials” that includes numerous personalized video replies to his fans by the Old Spice man himself.

1) Nike—Write the Future

I may be a little biased with this choice since I consider myself a diehard football fan (for those who do not call the sport by its international name, I’ll refer to it as ‘soccer’ from here onwards), but this video has everything—great concept, amazing footage and editing, an all-star cast of footballers and non-footballers, and a hefty price tag of $21 million. “Write the Future” was Nike’s advertising push during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. This quick-cut, hyper-speed video was written and produced by the Academy Award-nominated director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu who is known for his talent of jumping to and from multiple plot lines and weaving them into a harmonious narrative. This three-minute story not only had soccer fans buzzing their vuvuzelas, but also film and advertising professionals. Garnering  7.8 million views on YouTube on its first week alone, this mini-movie set a new record for most views of a viral video ad in its debut week according to web video analytics company Visible Measures.

Now available from itunes:

Today at 12pm Verizon is announcing the launch of a new network- the Verizon 4G LTE  that will allow users to get mobile broadband information even faster than they do already. Now- until yesterday I would not have paid much attention to this announcement and I daresay I would have missed it completely. But, while doing background research for a client pitch, I came upon the term LTE for the first time.

Now, I that I stop to think about it, I have seen TV spots promoting the new 4G LTE network from Verizon, but truthfully I did not pay much attention to the TV spots and thought the ad was probably for a new phone- which I do not need.  I totally ignored the LTE portion of the name as irrelevant. This is possibly due to the fact that as consumers we are bombarded with yet another acronym that means little to the non-tech saavy public. So I decided, in the spirit of research, to look into LTE to try to figure out what it is.

To try to understand what 4G LTE is you have to already have a basic knowledge of telephony jargon. To start with- the meaning of LTE is Long Term Evolution. Here are some of the first definitions I was able to find:

• LTE is 3.9G according to 3GPP standards. 4G will come with throughput not less that 1GB, and LTE actual rates are around 100-150Mb in DL and 50Mb in UL.

• 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), is the latest standard in the mobile network technology tree that produced the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSxPA network technologies.^[1] It is a project of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), operating under a name trademarked by one of the associations within the partnership, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.

• One of the important LTE Advanced benefits is the ability to leverage advanced topology networks; optimized heterogeneous networks with a mix of macros with low power nodes such as picocells, femtocells and new relay nodes. The next significant performance leap in wireless networks will come from leveraging topology and brings the network closer to the user by adding many of these low power nodes – LTE Advanced further improves the capacity and coverage, and ensures user fairness. LTE Advanced also introduces multicarrier to be able to leverage ultra wide bandwidth, up to 100 MHz of spectrum supporting very high data rates.

Obviously these were completely inadequate as I had to find out what 3GPP stands for before I could understand what LTE means. And as it turns out, I am already too late to jump on the LTE bandwagon as there is already LTE Advanced. I quickly bagged the traditional print definitions and turned to YouTube. I was pleased to find out that there are several pretty good videos out there that explain what LTE is and what it will mean to us as consumers in the future.

And, as it turns out-LTE will mean quite a lot to consumers in the future.  For one thing it will allow mobile devices to operate way faster in places that our conventional carriers may not reach. And it allows providers to use the electromagnetic spectrum more efficiently- and since spectrum is a finite resource, anything that allows more efficiency is a good thing. And LTE is an accepted standard for broadband mobile globally, so there will not be competing networks or systems like the current GSM, CDMA world which limits options. Instead,  there will be a global interoperable network. And while Verizon is announcing their network today, the first LTE network was launched in Stockholm two years ago.

After looking at a couple of videos explaining the LTE technology I went back to look at the Verizon ad to see if it made any more sense to me- and while I think it is a nice looking ad, I concluded that without the research I had just done I would not really have understood what all the fuss was about. And, I still had thought that they were promoting a new type of phone…

So here are the conclusions I am drawing: Obviously  definitions mean little to the normal reader who probably is not even thinking about terms like LTE.  In point of fact, few people understand exactly what 4G is- although by now most people understand that it will make their mobile devices load faster. Now add LTE to 4G and the confusion increases. I am not advocating doing away with acronyms especially in technical circles where they are a convenient shorthand. I am suggesting that it is confusing to use that type of jargon when marketing to the consumer. What extra information does the consumer glean from adding LTE to the 4G moniker? Is this a case of Verizon selling features instead of benefits- and is the addition of LTE actually confusing? If you were to take a parallel example- would it make any sense at all for a traditional land line company to add the name of a new cable to their phone service? Would a potential buyer be more confused or more clear about the offering?

Obviously in a B2B sell using jargon may be appropriate if the terminology conveys a level of technical sophistication or understanding and if you are pitching a predominantly  technical audience. But it is rarely appropriate when speaking to the end consumer. In fact it is probably a barrier to understanding. And clearly a demonstration of the benefits (speed) that a 4G LTE network will bring are much more powerful than a logo with unexplained letters.

It will be interesting in the days and weeks ahead to see what Verizon does with LTE- both in fact and in their promotional campaigns. At least now I will understand what they are talking about!

“When you are born with ginger hair, and grow up as the son of a military man — praise is a strictly rationed commodity. So it meant a huge amount to me when you embraced Boden and ordered lots of colourful clothes.”

That’s the opening line on one of the best letters I’ve ever seen from a retailer. Most of the time, these kinds of notes are crafted with all the passion and thoughtfulness of a takeaway menu. Companies regularly miss the opportunity to enrich their story and elevate the brand.

Truthfully, my wife would continue to order from Boden even if she hadn’t gotten this letter. But in the past few weeks, I’ve heard her tell several friends about the note — friends who might never have considered Boden. With one brilliantly written letter, Johnnie Boden has cemented a customer relationship and sparked interest in potential shoppers. One refreshingly genuine bit of copy is enhancing the entire Boden brand experience.

The letter ends just as wonderfully as it begins: “Being a British male, I’m obviously not terribly good at expressing my feelings. But with a slightly quivering upper lip, I’d like to say how grateful I am for your unwavering support.” How’s that for a window into the soul of the company?

Michael Eisner once said that a brand is a living entity, enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures. This letter was one of those small gestures — small but highly impactful.

Alexandria, VA—November 16, 2010. Industry veteran and Grafik’s Vice President of Creative Strategies for the last eight years, Hal Swetnam has been appointed Chief Creative Officer, taking over the role held by CEO Judy Kirpich since the agency’s inception. In light of recent agency growth and expansion, Kirpich offered Swetnam the position with the intention of moving Grafik in a new direction. In this new position, Swetnam will touch every piece of business and share in the leadership of the firm. Creativity has always been at the forefront of every Grafik initiative, and with Swetnam’s accomplished background in brand strategy, this bold move cements the Grafik philosophy that every aspect of design must be driven by smart, clear, strategic messaging.

A seasoned copywriter and creative director, Swetnam has led branding efforts for clients across a wide variety of industries. He came to Grafik with nearly 20 years of extensive experience at large multinational agencies like Arnold Worldwide and small creative boutiques working on such clients as GEICO, Exxon Mobil, Lockheed Martin, and National Geographic.

“Grafik is in a great position right now,” said Swetnam. “Having emerged from a brutal economy, we are poised for a whole new type of growth. I look forward to helping Grafik build for the future.”

That exponential growth has been in full throttle this year with Grafik’s staff increasing by 25 percent. This is in addition to the 12 new client wins within just the last quarter bringing about $2.5 million in new business.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Founded in 1978, Grafik is an award-winning strategic marketing communications firm located in Alexandria, VA, specializing in brand and creative development across traditional and digital media. Current clients include: Software AG, U.S. Census, TARGUSinfo, EYA, Convergent Wealth Advisors, and Georgetown University.

I recently got an email from a vendor that is selling an e-learning solution for Diversity and Inclusion. And while I know that stock photos have been and are here to stay- I was really amused looking at this ad. First of all what struck me were so many smiling faces with perfect teeth- and all looking directly at me- a great commercial for teeth whitening for sure. Certainly the company they are all working for must be really really great since I have not seen so much collective happiness in one place. The second thing that struck me was the lack of anyone over the age of 22. For an organization that is promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, it seems to me that it is missing anyone that was born before 1990. While they managed to cover most (not all) of the different groups in our society- I was surprised to think that diversity is important only among young professionals… hmmm.

I understand that most companies today can not afford the cost of a real photo shoot and that the limitations of stock photography force certain photo selects. The good stock is almost as pricey as a regular shoot, and  royalty free stock is like being forced to eat velveeta cheese instead of a fine chevre; sometimes you have to eat it- but it’s not good.  Marketing partners scour the dozens of resources to try to find images that are not as cheesy as the images above- forced set ups where everyone is eternally happy- and those few that are good, cheap and available are often overused.

Are there solutions? A good eye, a good photo researcher and lots of time to ferret out images that work are a good start. Understanding that big wide grins are not believable and can have the opposite effect- making your product or service unbelievable as well. Sensitivity certainly to representing a diverse audience is critical- but if you are going to portray total inclusiveness- then don’t forget important groups- in the case above Hispanics and older citizens are not shown. And, it may be better to show a believable selection rather than a one-from-each-food-group approach. Stock photos are here to stay- but stock answers to photo selection should not be.

At Grafik we try to avoid politics as we have as many dyed in the wool Democrats as we have staunch Republicans. Except for the occasional jab here and there we do not all agree on the country’s economic path, the health care initiatives, or whether we should be in Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet there is one thing I think we all agree on- that is the need to support our soldiers who are fighting the nation’s battles. And so, on Veteran’s Day we believe it is critical to do more than wave a flag or go on a shopping spree. We need to demonstrate through action how we can improve the lives of our soldiers who have been hurt in battle. It is important to recognize the hardships that our soldiers face- some who have lost limbs, some who have severe psychological disorders, some who have some back with brain damage, loss of vision or hearing, or with severe disfigurement. And it is vital to help them re-enter their lives, help them secure jobs in the worst economic recession, help them re-adjust to their families that no matter how supportive they are have not experienced the battleground, and help them through the months of surgeries and rehab that will get them moving again.

There is one organization that stands above the rest in helping wounded soldiers. The Wounded Warrior Project was conceived in 2002 by John Melia to help battle scarred soldiers and their families. I first heard of this organization when John Melia gave a moving interview on NPR many years ago. His passion and energy were quite evident, and as a former soldier who had been hurt, he knew exactly what his comrades were facing. Facts that support his case:  over 40,000 soldiers have been wounded in the recent battles in Iraq and Afghanistan;  over 300,000 have some type of post traumatic stress disorders as a result of their experiences; this is the highest number of wounded soldiers in any war since the Civil War.

The Wounded Warrior Project’s mission is quite clear: To honor and empower wounded warriors. Their tagline which cuts to the heart of their cause is: The greatest casualty is being forgotten. Through a variety of programs they have tapped into a grass roots effort to support our soldiers by raising money used to help soldiers and their familieis, through events to demonstrate our appreciation, and through lobbying efforts designed to get more assistance funneled towards those in need.

When I first looked at this organization I was moved- and quickly donated. But I also kept thinking how unusual it was for them to use the word “warrior” instead of “soldier”. Now that reasoning is crystal clear. Leaving the battlefield alive is only the start of the battle. There is a battle everyday to get through endless medical procedures, to go through rehab, to wade through mountains of paperwork,  to support families that have been thrown into economic turmoil, to battle emotional demons. And many of our soldiers have looked at these battles head on and fought to regain independence. Today, and everyday it is our responsibility to walk with them- through a show of support and also through financial support.

The Wounded Warrior Project deserves consideration- no matter what your political stance may be. I urge you to take a look at their organization and take a positive step to help our wounded move forward.

Grafik Partner and Creative Director Johnny Vitorovich addressed county and city representatives at Virginia Government Communicators (VGC) Conference last week in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The VGC is a nonprofit of more than 200 members that advocate honest and effective communications between Virginia residents and government. The VGC invited Vitorovich to speak about the importance of branding based on the success of Grafik’s comprehensive branding initiative for the City of Lynchburg, Virginia.

“At Grafik, branding is one of our core competencies,” said Vitorovich. “So it was a pleasure to be able to deliver a talk of this kind, especially in a location where we have been so intimately involved with the branding of the area.”

Grafik’s Johnny Vitorovich and Cheryl Haar presenting at the VGC’s Fall Conference held at the Craddok Terry Hotel and Event Center.