Join your fellow marketing professionals for the first installment in AMA’s Bright Beginnings series! UW-Madison Assistant Professor, Todd Newman, will join us to present on the Branding of Everything on Tuesday, September 10 at 8:00 AM at MYArts. This month’s event will dive into the role of brands and branding in society and will share all the secrets to building and maintaining a successful brand.

Register now to get Todd’s insights, all while enjoying a continental breakfast, coffee, and juice. In the meantime, get a preview of what to expect at the event in the Q&A conversation below with Todd:

What to expect: Q&A with Todd

1. AMA: Tell us a little about yourself.

Todd: I am an assistant professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at UW-Madison. My research broadly focuses on US public opinion related to science and emerging technology. More specifically, I examine how various entities strategically communicate about these issues to different publics, and how the scientific community connects to a changing society. I teach courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in integrated marketing, branding, and strategic communication.

2. AMA: Branding is such a buzzword these days, but what do you think most people get wrong when they think about what a brand really is?

Todd: Most people tend to think of the tangible aspects of a brand. For example, the design and color of a logo, packaging, or the name of the product. But branding is much more than what people can see or objective characteristics. Branding is emotional. The true meaning of a brand exists within the customer’s mind.

3. AMA: How do you balance staying true to a brand’s core values while also keeping up with the ever-changing trends in marketing and consumer behavior?

Todd: Stay true to your style and be consistent. Invest in marketing efforts that build your brand equity and monitor it over time. These efforts will allow you to know what may be appropriate or inappropriate future directions for the brand, and ultimately, the right balance between continuity and change.

4. AMA: If someone is just starting out and trying to build a brand from scratch, what’s the one piece of advice you’d give them to avoid common pitfalls?

Todd: Spend time crafting your vision and mission statement. I love the analogy that these statements serve as a mirror (allows internal reflection on what you value) and window (allows others to see what you value). Also, understand your competition and what needs, wants, and desires remain unfilled in the product/service category. This allows you to develop a positioning strategy. And as mentioned previously, brands are relationships that take time to develop before they can be managed. Cultivating a sense of brand community goes a long way.

5. AMA: Can you give us a preview of the big takeaway people can expect if they attend the event?

Todd: I hope attendees will takeaway some new ways of thinking about the emotional side of branding, both through my own research on the topic as well as in related fields, to help better understand the challenges and opportunities of branding in our contemporary media ecosystem. Moreover, I want to provoke discussion and new ways for thinking about the role of branding not just in products and services, but increasingly every aspect of our lives.

See You September 10!

If you haven’t yet, register here. We can’t wait to learn and network with you.

 

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About the Author

Kara Martin, Senior Content Creator at Naviant, specializes in written B2B content, from case studies to blogs and beyond. She transforms complex technical information into compelling, data-driven content that helps organizations turn their digital transformation goals into a reality.