_Barry Martin (pictured at top) is Creative Director of “Hypenotic”:http://www.hypenotic.com where they help clients get noticed, liked, and passed on. As Barry says, “sometimes it’s through conventional or traditional means likes ads and web sites, and sometimes it’s things that don’t occur to you, but can be glaringly obvious to us. It can be softer toilet paper, nicer parking attendants, forms that are easier – even inviting to use, you name it. Like the tagline says – “Persuasion by Design”._
_Since 1998, Hypenotic has worked with a ridiculous gamut of industries, organizations, and individuals. They range from multinationals to bars, and from non-profits like Rethink Breast Cancer to financial firms like AIM and Spectrum. They’ve worked with established Canadian brands like Tilley Endurables, Efston Science and Camp Arowhon, and helped bring emerging ones like Wee Welcome, Midtown Honda, and Selenium Creative along.”_
*One Degree: How does brand manifest itself online?*
The same way it does in other customer touch-points – through experience and identification. In other words, how a person is treated and whether they can relate to you. To influence people through experience, try quick loading pages, ultra usability, and verbiage that doesn’t pander. Influencing people through identification happens via aesthetics and attitude. It’s about helping people sell themselves on you.
*One Degree: What’s the biggest mistake you see companies making when it comes to branding and the Internet?*
Category: Branding
_This is a Guest Contribution by Mitch Joel._
Maybe I got a little over excited but I don’t think so. I think there comes a time in every person’s life when they read something that they knew, felt or saw coming but never put it into words.
It happened to me.
It happened when I read the article, “Inside The New World Of Listenomics by Bob Garfield”:http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=46329 _(registration required)_. Garfield is an ad critic for Ad Age Magazine and also the author of “And Now A Few Words From Me”:http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071403167/imho0b-20 (a brilliant read on the advertising world) and his take on branding and how it is evolving really drove home some strong messages.
Have you noticed all the “funny names”:http://threeminds.organic.com/2005/10/the_new_name_ga.html these “Web 2.0”:http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html companies have?
Take a look at a few new companies that are either or on about to hit your radar:
* “Squidoo”:http://www.squidoo.com/
* “Flickr”:http://www.flickr.com/
* “Yuku”:http://www.yuku.com/
* “Meebo”:http://www.meebo.com/
* “Skype”:http://www.skype.com/
* “Rollyo”:http://www.rollyo.com/
* “Writely”:http://www.writely.com/
* “Qumana”:http://www.qumana.com/
* “Memeorandum”:http://www.memeorandum.com/
* “Gada.be”:http://www.gada.be
* “Zvents”:http://www.zvents.com/
* “Joyent”:http://www.joyent.com/
* “BunchBall”:http://www.bunchball.com/
* “Pretty much anything Techcrunch writes about”:http://www.techcrunch.com/
Now before you start giggling and saying “another sure sign of bubble 2.0”, let’s consider why *having a silly name might be a good idea*. In fact I’d say these companies are some of the smartest on the Net and trendsetters rather than dotcom wannabes.