Attack of the Zombie Brands

Regardless of what tenuous, apocryphal measurement you use to calculate it, most experienced marketers know that every brand--consumer, commercial or industrial--has a financial value. Just the brand: the value of the actual name. The Interbrand/Business Week study of brand values tracks them periodically, with many brands worth several millions of dollars (the Coca-Cola brand is worth over $67M). No product, capital, assets--just the name.

But now, it turns out your brand's value can outlive the product or company itself--and people are starting to catch on. A new cottage industry is forming around reviving the brands that you grew up with, but which are castaway in corporate vetting or consolidation. Known as Ghost Brands or Zombie Brands, check out the recent New York Times Magazine article that asks: Can a Dead Brand Live Again?

Best Bar Name Ever

The Liberty Hotel in Boston is beautiful. A 298-room hotel built in and around the historic Charles Street Jail in Beacon Hill, it sits within the granite walls of what used to be prison built in 1851. So naturally, what did they name the restaurant and bar? The Clink! Get it? Clink? Cheers? Ah, nevermind. Beats Tossed Salad, I guess.

And the envelope please...

Congrats to everyone who snagged a Crystal Award from the AMA last Thursday. AMA Houston’s Crystal Awards recognizes real results, which is what marketing is all about. And, AMA Houston is now the fourth largest AMA chapter in the world, so the winners were competing with some of the best from one of the most prestigious awards programs in the world of marketing.

Check out the glory:

Marketing Research - Qualitative Project
Gelb Consulting Group
Managing the Multidisciplinary Clinic Experience at MD Anderson

Market Research - Quantitative Project
RTS Marketing Research
Measuring the Impact of Celebrity-Branded Merchandise

Logo Design
Bullpen Marketing
St. Agnes Academy - Tiger Logo Mascot

Corporate Identity (3 or more)
Chevron Phillips Chemical
Creating an Identity for Americas Styrenics

Branding/Rebranding
Shell Energy North America
Project Refresh

Marketing Campaign - Business to Consumer/Retail
Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets "It's Time" campaign

Marketing Campaign - Business to Business
Hewlett Packard
"SMB Thin Client" "Secret of IT Security"

Marketing Campaign - Non-profit
Alley Theatre
Alley Theatre's A Christmas Carol 2007

Integrate Marketing Campaign - Small Budget
Alley Theatre
Alley Theatre's Treasure Island May/June 2007

Marketing Campaign - New Market/Product Launch
Weatherford International Ltd.
MetalSkin® Solid Expandable Systems

Marketing Campaign - Recruitment
PKF Texas
Next Generation Thinking Attracts Next Generation Talent

Direct Marketing - 2D Single Item
PKF Texas
Next Generation Thinking Attracts Next Generation Talent

Direct Marketing - 3D Single Item
Axiom
ION Editorial Invite

Direct Marketing Campaign
DMN3
Houston Symphony - Something Sublime

Product/Service Brochure (single)
DePelchin Children's Center
"After Harm, Hope"

Product/Service Brochure (2 or more)
Weatherford International Ltd.
W Magazine

Company or Organization Brochure
ParkerHayden Advertising + Design
Greater Houston Community Foundation - Your Legacy

Web site - Business-to-Business TIE
Satellite Logistics Group
The Drake Company Website

Web site - Business-to-Business TIE
Satellite Logistics Group
Face the Message Website

Web site - Business-to-Consumer
Savage
Imperial Sugar Web Site

Web site - Non-profit
The Houston Zoo, Inc.
www.houstonzoo.org

Web site - Most improved
PROS
PROS Pricing Corporate Website

Online Marketing Campaign
Spur Digital
Houston Museum of Natural Science - Frogs

Web-based Newsletter/Periodical
PROS
PROS Pricing Excellence eNewsletter

Online Social Network or Blog
STANANDLOU Marketing/Advertising
Regie Bibbs

Interactive/Multimedia Marketing Presentation
KBR
Escravos GTL Campaign

Animation
VT2 Studios
MPI Opening Module - "Connect Yourself"

Video
Zenfilm
The Southern Backtones, "Forever"

Product Packaging
Aesbus Company
Black Iguana Retail Box

Point-of-Purchase Display
GS Marketing, Inc.
Toyota's Behind the Wheel Giveaway - Gulf States Toyota, Jan 2007

Public Relations Campaign - Single market
Agua Marketing
Hispanic PR for the Boy Scouts of America

Public Relations Campaign - Single market
PKF Texas
Using Next Generation Thinking to Attract Next Generation Talent

Public Relations Campaign - Multiple Markets
Shell Oil Company
A National Dialogue on Energy Security

Employee Relations Campaign/Program
Weatherford International Ltd.
"One Weatherford" Internal Campaign

Published media article
ParkerHayden Advertising + Design
Greater Houston Community Foundation - 2007 Drive

Crisis/Situation Management
FrogDog Communications
Save the Center

Annual Report
Pennebaker
Powell Industries, Inc. Annual Report

Advertising - Newspaper
Pennebaker
United Way Newspaper Ad Series

Advertising - Outdoor single
Texas Oncology
I Can Teaser

Advertising - Outdoor Campaign
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
InfoPanels

Advertising - Magazine (single) TIE
Bridgeway Software
"Slings and Arrows"

Advertising - Magazine (single) TIE
C-Ray Media
Tres Chic Ad

Advertising - Magazine Campaign
Texas Oncology
"Survive Breast", "Fight Lung", "Outlive Colon"

Advertising - Radio
ParkerHayden Advertising + Design
David Taylor GMC - "Santa's Truck"

Advertising - TV (single 30 sec or over)
Lopez Negrete Communications
Visa USA 2007 La Vida Toma VISA "Speed of Line"

Advertising - TV (single, under 30 seconds)
ParkerHayden Advertising + Design
David Taylor GMC - "Holiday TV"

Advertising - TV Campaign
ParkerHayden Advertising + Design
The Boy Scouts of America, Sam Houston Area Council - 2007 Campaign

Promotional Item
Bullpen Marketing
Bohemeo's – "East End People Keep It Real"

Tradeshows Display - 10x10 or smaller
DataCert
DataCert 2007 ACC Annual Meeting Tradeshow Booth

Trade Show Display - Larger than 10x10, smaller than 10x40
Satellite Logistics Group
"Structure with Flexibility"

Trade Show Display - Larger than 10x40
Halliburton
2007 OTC - Reservoir Delivered

Special Event - Commercial Product or Service
Freese and Nichols, Inc.
Freese and Nichols' TML Bond Special Event

Special Event - Non-profit/Cause
The Pogge Marketing Group - Lone Star Sports & Entertainment
Texas Bowl Game 2007

Maverick
Gulf Publishing Company GPC Books
Lost at OTC Promotion

Corporate Citizenship
Gelb Consulting Group
Building the Houston Area Immunization Partnership Brand

Judges' Favorite
The Houston Zoo, Inc.
The Houston Zoo, Inc. website, www.houstonzoo.org

It was a fun event, and unlink this post, seemed mercifully short--another wonder of the world.

Movers and Shakers

Congrats to John White, who recently joined Deep Marine Technology as Vice President of Business Development. If I had known you could make a living playing with cool, albeit strategically critical, robots and submarines I would have studied engineering instead of marketing. Check out DMT's Deepworker 2000, straight out of Star Trek!

Congratulations also go out to Allison Wall off Gexa Energy, appointed to Vice President, Residential Marketing and Customer Care. And congrats to Victor Howard, recently brought on board as Gexa’s Senior Director of Marketing. Gexa is helping keep Houston on the map for retail electricity providers, positioning itself on the basis of customer service and reliability.

Yet Another Reason to Join the AMA

If you’re a marketing professional in Houston an still haven’t joined the American Marketing Association, here’s yet another reason: a super kick-ass discount to the Houston Business Journal. After years of paying over $80 for a year of Houston’s leading biz weekly, I just found out that AMA Houston members get a year’s subscription for $54. If you’re in the AMA, mention the discount the next time your HBJ subscription comes around.

Learn more.