The Credibility Branding Blog

Websites at "First Glance"sm Optimization

By Dr Bill Haig, Guest Contributer

Part 1 of 2 The Logo and Home Page Credibility Requirement

When visitors land on a website, the first thing they do is mentally evaluate in an instant whether they can trust the information on the site enough to continue.  Like all information, this is a matter of whether or not the source of the information can be trusted to overcome perceptions of risk, uncertainty and even possible identity theft. Trust or no trust happens during the visitor's initial impressions or "first glance" at a website when visitor is still unfamiliar with the vendor. 

In people to people interaction, we evaluate the person doing the talking before we accept the person's message. On a website, we evaluate the company behind the information. The company is evaluated at "first glance" during the first three seconds of a website encounter.

But on a website, the initial period of trust is not based on personal experience with the vendor. The visitor and vendor do not have a personal relationship history. The visitor makes a trust evaluation on what information, verbal and visual, is available. Otherwise, the vendor is faceless.

What do visitors look for during this critical period?

Research indicates that perception is done at "first glance" and on the basis of whether the company is considered credible or not.  Further, visitors look for what is termed "surface" cues for credibility. Stanford University web credibility researcher, Dr. B.J. Fogg, describes "surface credibility" as simple inspection of surface traits non-verbally communicated by visual design. 

In people to people communication this would be how a person looks, his or her dress, or hairstyle.  Whether the person is neat or sloppy. These are "surface credibility" characteristics.  We often hear the phrase, "you don't get a second chance to make a first good impression." 

Why is a first impression of people important? We trust or don't trust the credibility of people upon first meeting. This leads to accepting, or not accepting, what they have to say. The same is true at the moment of "first glance" at a website, except we look at the how credible the company logo and home page looks through non-verbal design elements. In an instant. This is critical for continued website success. The objective is to turn visitors into trusting customers who move on after "first glance" within the website for the purpose of purchasing a product or service. 

Wrong imagery. An ambulance company shows its product in Heaven. Why visitors move on.

Website studies on visitor use conclude that over seventy per cent of visitors leave at "first glance" if they do not consider a website credible.

 

On the positive side, my PhD research concluded that four times as many visitors will continue as conversion rate customers if a credibility-based logo is on the company website at "first glance" compared to a non-credible logo.

My research supports that of Dr. B.J. Fogg and his Stanford (as in University) Web Credibility Research, (http://credibility.stanford.edu/guidelines/index.html). Savvy website owners have two easy opportunities to look credible and boost visitor website trust at "first glance" to increase conversion rates:

 1.    Show that there is a real organization behind the website, as an honest trustworthy company. This is done most effectively with a credibility-based logo design sm representing the company.  The credible company logo is usually in the upper left hand corner of the website. Perception theory in communication persuasion suggests that people immediately want to know the source of the message which follows. Just like when we often look first for the name of the person on an envelop or post card. 

Similarly, visitors to a website look at the company logo, or search for the company name if there is no logo, at "first glance." 

Then, simultaneously, 

2. Show that there is a credible organization behind the website with an appropriately designed home page. A company website home page must be designed with the same appropriate credibility traits as in the company logo. This will also give consistency in credibility traits important to the company behind the website. 

Logos and home pages are perceived almost simultaneously.  People perceive the "whole" before they perceive the parts. Although the eye will go immediately to the company logo or name (as a part) after perceiving the "whole" or overall visual character of the home page. Thus, the company credibility-based logo design and the home page design must have a consistency in credibility design "look." For example, the logo cannot have a contemporary design and the home page a dated design.

The bottom line is that the whole visitor perception, logo and home page, must communicate credibility to assure the visitor continues at this initial web experience --- at "first glance." These first impressions are key to trust building and continued visitor conversions to being a customer.

About Powerlogos Design and Dr. Bill Haig

Powerlogos Design is the only creative and research based logo and home page design firm using proven principles in source credibility in communication persuasion to optimize online marketing. We call this Website Optimization at First Glancesm. The process we use is termed credibility-based logo designsm and credibility-based website designsm.

Started as an online firm in 2001, Dr. Bill Haig maintains the philosophy that logo and home page design apply proven communication persuasion principles enabling clients to have the assurance that their company logo and home page will be successful at "first glance." A unique and inexpensive logo and home page test methodology can be used for further, data based, assurance. 

Powerlogos Design analyizes and plans client credibility traits before design commences. A questionnaire is provided and a Logo Planning Report is prepared which includes a verbal description of the design objectives for the new credibility-based logo and subsequent home page. The company uses top international designers to interpret the objectives and create the preliminary and final designs. The result is a new logo and home page which works, done efficiently based on a mutually agreed upon plan, then created by top designers --- all under the supervision of Dr. Bill Haig.

Dr.Haig is a specialist in source credibility in communication persuasion principles applied to logo design, website credibility and online testing. He has over forty years experience in logo design and recently obtained his PhD applying his logo knowledge to website credibility and online testing.  He developed a unique online logo and home page testing methodology during three years of university supervised research.   

Dr. Haig can be reached at

bill@haigbranding.com

or by phone at 808 922 4042 (Hawaii Time.) Visit www.powerlogos.com for more articles and Dr. Haig's book on credibility-based logo design and website credibility.

Stay tuned for part two of this article!

Evidence of Credibility Branding in History

I am watching a special called Assume the Position 201 with Mr. Wuhl. It looks at the myths in American History. Comedian Robert Wuhl cites an interesting story about how Franklin Pierce the 14th president of the United States) marketed himself through his college buddy Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel wrote glowing testimonials about him in a book devoted to Peirce. At the time Hawthorne was like a rock star, having written three of the most popular books of the time including The Scarlet Letter. This association and endorsement by Hawthorne turned the tides for Peirce who had been a relatively unknown candidate.

This is a perfect example of using influencers to increase your status that the Credibility Branding model is based on. See this has been in use for literally centuries!

Logo Design as "Surface" Credibility

By Dr. William L. Haig Chairman, CEO Powerlogos Design Co-author, The Power of Logos: How to Create Effective Company Logos, NY: Wiley, 1997 (fifth printing.)

Two questions often asked are: (1) why is the principle of credibility in communication persuasion important to logo design, and (2) how does graphic design communicate credibility, or more specifically, how does a company logo convey its credibility? Logo design must be credibility based to be effective. Consumers look as logos as a form of visual "surface" credibility in a similar manner as they judge how people look from simple hair or clothing cues.

Credibility Based Logo Design

The underlying theme throughout the work of Powerlogos Design is that source credibility principles in communication persuasion applied to non-verbal graphic design forms to express the company personality, also known as the company's credibility image. Most research in source credibility has been in interpersonal, or people-to-people, communication. The research I pursued is in source credibility in company-to-people communication, with the company as the source.

An early study in source credibility research relative to company to people communication was my MA thesis in 1979, Credibility Compared to Likeability in Marketing Communication: A Study of Company Symbols. The conclusion was that company logos which were perceived as predominately credible would have more persuasion value than company logos which were perceived as only likeable. The thesis was written into a marketing book, The Power of Logos: How to Create Effective Company Logos: NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1997. My PhD dissertation in 2006 also concluded that credibility based logo design has persuasion value. In fact, my research with credibility based logo design and company websites was very convincing. A company website with a credibility based logo design was up to four times more effective in influencing clickthroughs to a product or service purchase than a company website with a non-credible logo.

What is meant by source credibility or source credibility communication persuasion? In its simplest terms, credibility means trustworthy (sometimes referred also as believability.). People are more inclined to purchase from a company or a salesperson if they believe the company or person is trustworthy and hence honest. Credible sources have attributes of expertise/competency and are believable/ trustworthy. Credible sources are high or low in these attributes, meaning a range of dynamism. For example, a successful speaker would be competent about the subject being discussed, is trustworthy, and have a dynamic delivery. Company personalities are often discussed in terms of people metaphors. Thus a successful company would be competent relative to its core business, trustworthy, and use its logo to communicate these traits as a dynamic non-verbal graphic design message.

When discussing source credibility applied to company logos it should be pointed out that there are four categories of source credibility which Dr. B.J. Fogg of Stanford University first identified in his book, Persuasive Technology.

Four Categories of Source Credibility

Surface credibility is believed from a "simple inspection or first hand experience." We form surface judgements about various things which come into our perception world, such as a person's looks, hair style, clothing, manner of speech, manner of walking and so on. This is the world of non-verbal visual cues, such as expressed in graphic design, to infer that the source is ‘believable/honest’ and ‘competent/expert’. We look at product packaging this way. A computer software package which is dated looking, or looks like someone printed it in their garage, will be skipped over at a computer store in favor of a "professional" looking package design. A website which is poorly or amateurishly designed will also be skipped over as not being from a credible source. It is the same with logo design. And it is the most easily type of credibility a company can control because it is planned, created and implemented by company management on a consistent basis. It is important to note that logos fit into the 'surface credibility' category initially, but can ultimately be part of any categories which follow.

Presumed credibility is believed from "general assumptions in the mind of the perceiver." We form presumed judgements when we interact with a source and presume from stereotypical generalities that the source is credible, or not credible. For example, car salespeople are generally not considered credible, while other stereotypes are generalized as being credible, such as the clergy, or physicians.

Reputed credibility is believed from "third-party endorsements, reports, or referrals." We form reputed judgments on the basis of labels, such as an MD or PhD following one’s name or other endorsements such as awards, referrals and reports on people or things. A link from a respected website to another is another example.

Experienced credibility is believed from "first hand that extends over time." This is considered the most powerful form of credibility. The cornerstone of this form of credibility is consistency over a period of time. When a person is reliable we infer that our dealings with that person can be expected and will be consistent with each encounter and over a period of time. It is the same with companies. We want our experience with McDonalds to be the same each time we go for a quick meal down the street or in another state. McDonalds has Hamburger University and detailed manuals to learn and follow. Other areas of consistency are the strict use of the company logo, and compatible graphics which convey the same credibility based image. For example, a company's logo design and stationery design must convey the same defined credibility traits. This is further explained in my article, Consistency: The Key to Branding.

In summary, company logos which are credibility based will be successful when implemented up to four times greater than logos which are not credibility based. This is because we want to know that the company we are dealing with is competent and can be trusted to work with. Surface credibility allows a company to build its credibility on a consistent basis from managed visual cues expressed through its logo and various marketing communications. This is management controlled branding to achieve Brand Credibility.

Case Studies and Unique Story Angles Boost Marketing Credibility

Here is a great article out of the Wall street Journal (subscription required, sorry) talking about the importance of influencer relationships in advertising. In this instance it is large companies that are showcasing small businesses as example s of business success using the large companies’ products and/or services.

The key word in the story is credibility, and with credibility comes the opportunity to raise the profile and play at a new level. This applies to large companies as well, especially in the form of strategic partnerships. The partnership can be used to pursue a new demographic, to strengthen the perception or improve the product itself to enhance the joint brands. Boasting each brand’s strengths improves overall credibility.

So for small to medium sized companies, where have you been having a great experience with a large company you have hired? Offer yourself as a case study, tell them about the return on investment you have experienced and you might just be their next poster child in a multimillion dollar campaign.

Talking about a small company increasing its profile, I recently watched the local news and they offered a story about  a race between local courier and the reporter who had an in-car GPS device  for managing traffic and directions. There were three different races and three broadcast segments, and the courier won every time. This courier who likely has zero advertising (or PR) budget just received three 90-minute spots that highlighted him and his courier company. I bet you his business saw some remarkable lift.

Where can you leverage a unique story angle like this one and pitch it to the assignment desk/producers of your regional news? Or where is there a case study that you can offer to a large company you have bought services from?

Symbiotic Marketing Helps Big, Small Businesses
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

Big companies are increasingly realizing that using real people with real businesses in their ad campaigns lends credibility to their efforts. It also provides a cheap and effective way to target niche audiences--be it the African-American, Latino or other communities, such as environmentalists or pet enthusiasts.

For their part, small businesses featured in these ads get the kind of marketing and recognition that might take years to get on their own. And they do so with very little effort -- and on someone else's tab.

For example, DogToys.com, a Web retailer and wholesaler of pet products based in West Chester, Pa., was showcased last month with two other local entrepreneurs in a regional promotion for Verizon's broadband technology. Although the commercial didn't result in an immediate sales increase, founder Jill Gizzio says the ad helped her business reach a higher level of credibility. - Read the whole story...

Credibility Branding Through Your Employees (the most important marketers)

Today’s special contributing writer Holly Dutra from Worksona is offering insights into creating a culture of trust from within among employees.

“There has to be trust between a company and its employees before there can be trust between a company and its customers.”

This is such an important piece of the credibility puzzle and Worksona has developed an elegant solution using social networking systems to assist with this. I don’t know if this particular solution is the answer, but the idea is a good one and the energy behind it and the intelligence of the Worksona team makes it a good bet.

Holly’s Worksona blog post on April 10th is a nice entree into her article; it reflects her passion based on her personal experiences:

People are the Heart of the Workplace

April 10th, 2007

At the heart of many workplace organizations is the unspoken mantra: value knowledge first - then people.

Before starting Worksona, I worked at a company like this. The result was that I felt very much like a cog in a machine, a number, and was completely miserable. People would get burned out, and were easily replaced when gone. I left before a year was up.

 At the heart of any workplace organization should be a high valuation on people, because people and relationships are the foundation of any organization. Work doesn’t get done without human hands. It is through people that knowledge flows.

 If that were to happen, social networking tools might become just as important as document repositories. Steve Roessler at All Things Workplace put it best when he said:

 I find social networking tools more natural and conversational than emails. Sort of the difference between telling people a real story and showing them bullet points on Powerpoint.

 … that’s what happens when you put people first.

 Worksona Has Your Most Valuable Customers

By Holly Dutra, Worksona

Credibility is the heart of any successful brand. Credibility leads to fulfilled promises of the service or product that the company creates. Oftentimes companies look outside to its customers to build this credibility, but the most valuable brand building can come from right under a company’s nose.

Yes, from its own employees.

A company’s employees are its most valuable customers. These are the people you have already been sold on your service or product. In fact, they are the ones that you as a company are depending on to create and deliver your product or service. They spend more of their waking hours with you than anywhere else. And employees are usually quite proud of what they do.

Thus, it is in the company’s best interest to ensure that their employees are engaged in the company’s brand and promises made to customers. The question becomes: How can companies help employees become loyal, engaged customers of the product and brand?

Trust is a crucial factor in building a credible brand. There has to be trust between a company and its employees before there can be trust between a company and its customers. And as always, the first step to building trust is to get to know “the other”. Who is “the other”? It’s those folks you don’t know at your company--the amorphous “they” who take the fall. It’s much easier to blame a group or department when you do not know them. Anonymity is a breeding ground for mistrust and suspicion.

Worksona was built around the two things that are fundamental to trust in the workplace: people and relationships. We designed Worksona to foster workplace relationships and decrease anonymity within your company.

How does Worksona do this?

1. Once you sign up, you are placed into your workplace community (validated by email address).

2. You can create and control your profile (goodbye nameless face!).

3. Your profile is dynamic, populated by your colleagues on how you have contributed to their work/team (via applauding and tagging).

4. Relationships can now be expressed outside of the orgchart, making it easier to network internally and get to know more people.

We think Worksona is a powerful way to build more trust within your company. And once trust is building between colleagues and managers, credibility branding can really grow among your most valuable customers – your employees.

END

Holly Dutra is a founding member of Worksona and responsible for the user experience of the product. She's worked in large corporations such as AOL, Accenture, and Arthur Andersen... and knows how to fill out more than a TPS report =). Worksona is currently in private beta to select companies. If you are not an employee of the supported company, please submit it with the company name and your email.

Credibility Based Logo Design (Part 2)

Dr. Bill Haig is back with part 2 of his contributed article about credibility based logos. Read Part 1 here.

By William L. Haig

Chairman, CEO Powerlogos Design, Co-author, The Power of Logos: How to Create Effective Company Logos, NY: Wiley

The Eight Essentials

How credibility works in logo design is the subject of this article. Continuing from last week there are eight criteria a Credibility Based Logo Design program must have to be successful. We covered four following are the last four:

5) Logos must use the symbol over (or beside on the left) the company name. There are three trademarking systems almost all logos fit into:

There is a name only:

 

The first two trademarking systems limit the company in expressing its area of expertise and trustworthy attributes. The name and monogram trademarking systems are intended only to be just what they are: a name and a monogram – with little or no credibility traits. The more a designer takes the name or monogram and tries to add credibility traits, the less recognizable the name or monogram become.

Only the symbol over the company name allows credibility communication to be effective. Further, the symbol over (or beside to the left of) the company name is the only trademarking system which communicates well on the Internet.

Besides being credibility-based, the logo must also be bold, express authority, and be interesting – in an instant! All this without losing the prime objective that the logo must be credibility-based. This is quite an undertaking for a graphic designer.

6) Logos must communicate, communicate, communicate. Here are the most common mistakes:

•           Adding too much to the symbology so that the whole logo is confused and cluttered. Less is more. Often designers have to explain each detail in the logo. There should not have be an explanation that the "O" stands for the sun rising; the "wiggly lines" stand for "the lush landscape"; the "spaces between the wiggly lines" stand for the water flowing through the landscape; the "red" color stands for… etc. Everything in a logo must be simple and evident. A great logo needs no explanation .

•           Making the name font compete with the symbol. This is the font that is a design statement in and of itself. It is always complex. The name font should always be simple, supporting the symbology. The symbol carries the burden of communicating credibility. Not the name font.

•           Placing the company name within the symbol. The name and symbol must always be separated, with the symbol over or beside to the left of the name. Otherwise, the visual confusion is obvious. Many logos have the name curl around the symbol, causing the head and eye to follow each letter to read the whole name. We call this "visual gymnastics."

7) Logos must be very prominent in application. Frequency and consistency are the key points here.

Frequency means that all areas of public contact must be utilized: Business cards. Stationery. Forms. Trucks and vehicles. Shop or office signs. Site signs. Employee caps, shirts and uniforms. Giveaways. Brochures. Advertisements. Proposal covers.

Basic psychology tells us that the more frequent we experience something, the more likely we will remember it. And it should be the same, or consistent, each time.

Consistency is the most common breakdown in logo application. Try this. Put up "logo wall" somewhere in your office with all areas of current logo application. More often than not, this is normally a hodge-podge – as either no one is responsible or implementation just happened without consideration as to the logo working as a brand communication system.

The cure is to appoint a "Keeper of the Logo" with responsibility for applying the logo to all possible applications (frequency) and do it each time the same way (consistency). A Logo Design Implementation Guideline is often prepared to assist in this important requirement.

The result is integrated brand promotion which gives the logo, as a key member of the overall brand, important equity and awareness.

It also demonstrates the importance the company places on the management of resources. By managing the logo well, the company is often considered to be well managed in all areas.

Feng Shui followers rejoice. Having consistency means having order and alignment, reducing clutter. Energy flows from a living, meaningful logo that perks up the senses when used frequently in ready reach and in your control. This is positive workflow within and outside your workspace.

8) The logo symbol and name must work together. Logo symbology and the company name must both express credibility traits. The symbology is a "visual" expression of company credibility. The name is a "verbal" expression of company credibility. Names like Mail Boxes Etc., The Closet Factory, and United Parcel Service are all good descriptive of the company's expertise. They are therefore credible names.

On the other hand, names like Cebit, Retrospex and Hebasco do not describe the company business, thus negating the opportunity to express their expertise in their respective fields. These names are also hard to remember.

Trustworthy attributes can also be incorporated into a company's name. Names like Compaq for the personal computer is not only descriptive, but with the "q" at the end suggests "high technology." Zippy's Restaurants sound like a quick place to get a meal. Le Nouveau Riche Gourmand restaurant connotes something more formal. And better to check the wallet before going in.

Company names should also have longevity, as they are what we recall as the company brand. If the credibility-based logos which express the brand image are in the symbology, then the name must support the symbology for the entire logo to be effective. (Already well-established names excepted.)

The following logos are credibility-based. A brief description tells why they are particularly great logos.

The following logos are not credibility-based.

Bill Haig has his PhD in Management with a specialty in credibility-based branding expressed through visual communication. For a no-cost evaluation of your company logo, please send an email to Bill at w.haig2@hawaiiantel.net. In your email request please include the following information: (1) how would you describe the company to someone who has never heard anything about it and (2) what makes their company special i.e. what does the owner do to make it work successfully. Bill must have these answers to evaluate their logo relative to its credibility power, not how beautiful the logo might be. He can also be reached toll free at 877.922.4042 (Hawaii Standard Time.)

Xerox and The Coca-Cola Company – Old Brands Find New Marketing Credibility

I watched PBS CEO Exchange hosted by Jeff Greenfield this weekend (yes I do need a life). It was the premier episode of the 5^th season of this excellent series and had Anne M Mulcahy Chairman & CEO, Xerox Corporation and Neville Isdell, Chairman & CEO, The Coca-Cola Company as its first guests. Both of these CEO’s talked about the huge jobs they faced when brought in to turnaround there respective companies (Neville was brought from the outside, Anne brought up from the inside).

The discussion was enlightening and so encouraging. They both had similar philosophies about listening, identifying the internal cultures and working from within that environment, coaching it to success. They encouraged project management that had built in best practices of making mistakes. Anne mentioned that making a mistake is a requirement, but encouraged that those mistakes occur at the beginning of projects to catch them before they became bigger. This created a more open collaborative environment. Imagine not wasting time in the blame game and just moving to the solution, then actually having that as a corporate culture?!?

Neville got his degree as a social worker and said it helped him to be able to truly listen and take in what was being said. It also taught him how to encourage people to come up with their own solutions instead of having to supply all the answers. That is a solution all CEOs could take a look at.

Both CEOs demanded that their management teams tell them the good, the bad, and the ugly. That the bad and the ugly were more important, and those that shared their criticisms were rewarded. This also created a culture of improvement, collaboration and authenticity.

Neville discussed the importance of environmental issues for the planet, and creating measures to ensure there was less of an environmental footprint left behind by its manufacturing plants around the world. Now I would have to do some research to see if this is really happening, but he gave an example of measures being taken in India to protect the groundwater (after an audience member questioned him on this point).

These companies are reinvigorating their corporate integrity and enhancing their points of credibility. They are not on the show discussing new lean manufacturing trends; those are now just a tactics (see last weeks post about this; Forrester). They are talking about humanizing their companies and using sound interpersonal cultural skills to make improvements. They are talking to their customers and channel partners and asking them how they use the products and where they see room for improvements. Neville talked about how easy it is to get lazy in success, and I would add it is easy to myopically focus on trimming and efficiencies rather than market need and understanding the end user benefits. Seth Godin has been talking about this topic for years, and The Coca-Cola Company is a case study in new holistic and humanistic forms of business strategy. Both of these CEO’s are demanding their employees offer criticisms and insights into areas of improvements… then they are actually listening and applying them.

Now what happened to me as I sat on my couch watching the integrity and passion of these CEOs in action? Xerox and Coca-Cola have gained instant respect from me. And what am I doing now? Spreading my newfound enthusiasms I have for these companies in this blog post and further improving their credibility factor. That is credibility branding in action.

Credibility Based Logo Design (Part 1)

I would like to welcome guest writer Dr. Bill Haig expert at credibility based logos.

By William L. Haig

Chairman, CEO Powerlogos Design, Co-author, The Power of Logos: How to Create Effective Company Logos, NY: Wiley

Brands, which are credibility-based, sell product. They also have brand value, or ROI. The key is a Credibility Based Logo Design as the cornerstone of an integrated brand promotion system. The result is that marketing communication which is planned to add credibility to the brand image. Credibility branding is a prudent investment in better selling and in an accrued financial return on marketing expenditure.

Credibility Based Logo Design

Credibility is best expressed by the company logo. But it is also company advertising, website, public relations, product and product packaging – every thing a company does.

The company logo is the core of a credibility-based company brand. But, all marketing communication, including the logo, must work with credibility-based consistency to achieve the credibility-based company brand.

But let's break this down by just describing Credibility Based Logo Design.

The Eight Essentials

How credibility works in logo design is the subject of this article. This article describes the eight must criteria a Credibility Based Logo Design program must have to be successful.

These criteria are based on the teachings of logo design legend, Saul Bass (AT&T, Rockwell International, United Way, Alcoa, Minolta, United Airlines, Continental Airlines circa 1968 -1982 among many others). Saul's teachings were refined in university-supervised research I conducted as part of an advanced degree in Communication which later became the premise of my best-selling book, and is also the subject of my PhD dissertation in credibility-based branding.

1) Logos must be credibility-based. This is the utmost essential. It is based on a simple principle: credibility persuasion. Just as credible people are more influential, so are company logos on the business card or letterhead. Many studies in people to people communication conclude that if a person as the source of the message is competent or knowledgeable as well as trustworthy, then the message will be more readily accepted by the receiver. The person is considered credible and more influential.

The research I conducted several years ago supports my premise that if a company logo as the source of the message is also designed as competent, knowledgeable, or expert in its field of business as well as trustworthy, then the company's message will be more readily accepted by the receiver – most often the customer. My study was the first ever to validate this premise.

Knowing "what" to put into the logo in the first place is 90 percent of the logo design job! Design is important. Content is more important.

2) Logos must symbolize the company business to be credibility-based. Okay, how does a logo become credibility-based? It is easy to understand that when a computer wiz talks about the best compact to buy, he will be more influential on this subject than, say, a chef. And, if a chef talks about a new restaurant in town, he will be more influential on this subject than the computer wiz (well, in most cases).

The person most "expert" on the subject will be more persuasive. This is how credibility persuasion works between people assuming both are trustworthy.

How does this same principle apply to designing the company logo? The first thing a competent credibility-based logo designer does is symbolize the company business in the logo. Voila! This says that the company is an expert in that business. Like the shoe repair or key shops with their signs depicting their business. We know their business specialty, their expertise. Symbolizing the company business is key to a successful logo. But there is more.

 

3) Logos must also be designed to communicate that the company is trustworthy. This gets a bit trickier to understand, but here we go. Tom Housen wanted a credibility-based logo. This company is a quality house painter. The company's trustworthy traits are: "highly professional", "competent", "efficient" and "provides quality" workmanship. These are traits which contribute to our believing that Housen Painting is expert in its area of business.

We started with symbolizing the basic business which is the company's area of expertise: house painting. Then, we added design forms which would "non-verbally" express the desired trustworthy traits so that we believe Housen Painting can do what it says it can do. Here are the early progressions incorporating the desired trustworthy traits:

This is where the expertise symbol couples with trustworthy traits to become a great, credibility-based logo as shown here in the final Housen Painting logo design.

It is strong and communicates with high impact as well.

All companies have different trustworthy traits. An airline might want to communicate "highly technological" and "efficient service." A public transportation system, "professional" and "friendly." An antique shop, "been around a long time" and "neighborly." A website designer, "cutting-edge knowledge" and "highly creative." And a bank, "stable."

Other trustworthy attributes include: large, conservative, innovative, exciting, dynamic and traditional. They always support the company being expert in what it does. They are also a true statement about the company.

A third prong of company credibility is forward thinking. This is a company which is innovative. Recent research indicates that this is a high enough attribute to be included with expert and trustworthy. Being innovative is accomplished when a designer makes the whole logo come alive with a contemporary motif.

Besides Housen Painting, several examples of credibility-based logos are at the end of this paper (check back next Wednesday for part 2).

4) Logos must be planned. A great logo doesn't come out of thin air. It has a basis for being. We know that logos have content and they have design form. But what content and what design form? Content and design must work together to communicate what the logo is to "say" in order to be credible. This requires a plan.

A competent designer first asks our clients to fill out a questionnaire. When the designer analyses the questionnaire, he looks for traits which make this client credible.

This becomes the logo design strategy which is included in a design brief, or Logo Planning Report. The report actually verbally describes the client's ideal logo, it's content and design form. The design team uses this plan as a guide the design of preliminary logos leading to the final design. The designer refers back to this plan when the final logo is presented for approval as a basis for judgment.

The Logo Planning Report based on credibility-based logo design strategy saves many hours of otherwise wasted time. It gives the design team a specific direction. The costs of logos have come down dramatically from the $90,000 and up days. How about $750?

Stay tuned for Part 2 next Wednesday to learn the other 4 criteria of credibility based logos, as well as some examples of logos that are not tracking with the criteria.

Bill Haig is a PhD candidate in Management with a specialty in credibility-based branding expressed through visual communication. For a no-cost evaluation of your company logo, please send an email to bill at w.haig2@hawaiiantel.net. In your email request please include the following information: (1) how would you describe the company to someone who has never heard anything about it and (2) what makes their company special i.e. what does the owner do to make it work successfully. Bill must have these answers to evaluate their logo relative to its credibility power, not how beautiful the logo might be. He can also be reached toll free at 877.922.4042 (Hawaii Standard Time.)

Perfect example of Customer Focused Marketing (not advertising)

Below you will find a recent article by Karl Greenberg (Ducati Cuts Marketing Department, Increases Sales) at Media Post posted March 8^th.

Here are a few interesting things to notice about the changes Ducati made….

Ducati dropped its advertising budget for what I would call more of a customer communications approach. I have been talking about this in several recent posts (Hey Advertising Agencies…, DeWalt case study…, Focus… on Strategy). The idea is, stop the ad spend and get back to direct and more credible conversations with customers. According to this article, Ducati turned to events, PR and relationships with their actual customers and admirers – through various Ducati clubs. The idea of customer as influencer is an important piece of the marketing puzzle and Ducati is going in the right direction to achieve this.

They also reexamined their messaging and took a much closer look at their audiences and the benefits to that target and repositioned the brand. The results of having a more direct conversation with your customer and engaging them through marketing efforts Always results in an acceleration (an hopefully and increase) in the sales cycle. This is exactly what Ducati experienced.

Smart thinking, good marketing… it makes brand sense!

Here is the article:

            Ducati Cuts Marketing Department, Increases Sales

DUCATI SEEMS TO DEFY THE laws of marketing physics. The Bologna, Italy-based company is increasing its sales in North America, while having decreased its traditional media exposure.

The company, which saw sales increase 16% in North America--including a 50% spike in Canada--last year, has done so while all but eliminating its internal marketing department and focusing on communications, events, PR and relationships with dozens of independent clubs of "Ducatisti" or Ducati owners.

Ducati set sales records last year in North America at 8,100 bikes, led by the company's Monster nameplate. By contrast, in 2003--when Michael Lock took over as CEO--the company had sold only 4,618 bikes in North America.

Leveraging the Ducatisti in marketing efforts, as well as product design and event planning, is part of Lock's three-year ambition to expand North American market share by redefining the brand. Ducati had been seen as an elite motorcycle and something of a novelty bike for the wealthy.

"We have attempted to modify that perception that we are unapproachable, arrogant, superior. The central goal has been to make Ducati more approachable and more human," he says. "Internally, we drew a comparison between Porsche and Ferrari: that Ferraris are toys for very rich people [while Porsches are attainable.] We positioned ourselves as premium but not unattainable.”

To read the rest of it click to the MediaPost article.

Instant Credibility; Instant Acceleration in Sales in 5 Minutes

In an effort to network among publishing professionals and learn a few thing about the nuances of book marketing (FYI, there are marketing nuances in every vertical even experts like me can hone new marketing techniques!), I went to Mark Victor Hansen’s MEGA Book Marketing University 2007. It was really a great event with good people and great insights, I would recommend it to those aspiring authors out there (even if you haven’t yet written that book that is in you).

(Apparently this post is going to have a lot of parenthetical ideas… so apologies in advance).

I witnessed credibility branding in action first hand while there and it only took 5 minutes for it to happen (of course there was groundwork laid before hand). I have an example like this in my book, but this one is fresh and I interviewed the participant. Here is what happened…

Jerry Teplitz has a unique gift it is called “behavioral kinesthiology.” Essentially he will guide his clients through the decision making process by using their own internal intuition and muscle electricity. He has worked with IBM, Motorola, EDS and Time among others. One example he gave me was helping Heinz to create the best labels on their packaging. With his help the products with the new tested labels sold about 20% better than projected.

Here is how his system worked for me: He worked with a new book I am writing, it is a coffee table book with images and poetry. He took the some of the pages of the book and muscle tested a complete stranger. The person being muscle tested has their arm out and Jerry pushes down on it to test for strength. For some of the pages of my book the person being tested became weaker and for some of the pages the person became stronger. For the pages that were tested as “weaker,” a few subtle changes to those same pages made the tested person stronger again. Jerry also has a unique system he uses called brain gym and has developed a series of books called “Switched-On” using this method for golf, selling and business you can check it out at http://www.teplitz.com/switched-main.htm.

Here is credibility branding in action: So Jerry is sitting in the audience of over 600 at the MEGA event and one of the keynote speakers Jack Canfield (of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame and more recently a star of The Secret – he was just on Oprah) asked Jerry to stand up. Jack then proceeded to discuss what Jerry does and how great he is at it, not to mention how valuable a tool applied kinesthiology is for the many who didn’t even know this existed. That was the full package endorsement, and live in front of hundreds. Well Jerry’s life changed that day. Jack was one of the highlight influencers of the conference and his endorsement took Jerry to the highest levels of credibility, instantly.

Before Jack’s endorsement, Jerry walked the halls anonymously. Before, when he introduced himself to some of the other influencers and speakers at the show, they were interested, but not willing to act. After the endorsement those same influencers sought him out and pretty much signed on to do some projects with him. Now Jerry became the person others chased, regular participants followed him; “are you the guy?” and a new contact was made. He sold product right there too (a video that shows how to do this for yourself). Conference coordinators are in conversation with him to be a speaker at future events. When I interviewed him he said “it was amazing, I had this feeling of really being launched to a new level of exposure,” and he hasn’t looked back!

So how do you find and leverage this kind of exposure? Following are a few tips for getting yourself (and product) recognized at speaking events (conferences summits etc.):

·        Get a gist of the speaking topic in advance and research the speaker, then come up with several really intelligent questions. These would not be to pitch yourself but to discuss industry trends or insights you have about the speakers philosophies that may or may not have come to light during his/her presentation. There is usually a question and answer period, ask one or two of those questions. If they are good enough you will get attention. Many executives I have coached come away with high profile new influencers on board and even some editorial opportunities. (Editors are always looking for experts.)

·        Research the speakers in advance and start a dialogue before the event, then when you introduce yourself you are not a stranger and can take the conversation to the next level.

·        Always have your cards at the ready and design a specific brochure (one page only) that you can use as a point of discussion when you meet a potential prospect or influencer. They will usually take one with them.

·        When talking to influencers at these events start the conversation by asking them how the event is for them. If it is a conference ask them what they are looking for at this particular show. I have made more friends with editors and influencers by guiding them to the things they were looking for. They ALWAYS ask what I do and they will use their gratitude to stick around and hear you out.

The bottom line is however, make sure you know who you are, that your messaging is rock solid (see yesterdays post below), and your benefits are clear. Also seek out high profile customers, getting a few of them on board then asking for their endorsement is an important piece of the credibility branding process and works as a sales accelerator. (See the DeWalt post that offers an overview of the credibility pyramid.) As mentioned in previous posts your customers will be able to sing your praises and really tell you what the benefits are better than you can, and when they are recognized in their field it is that much better. That is what Jack was for Jerry a very high profile customer, the ultimate credibility builder.