Best Brands for Runners

The last few years I've become what some would call a serious runner. Frequent disciplined practice, goal setting, competitive racing and an obsession with performance are some of the tell-tale signs that this subculture of runners is a place I belong. I've also learned what brands runners really love. Many of which I had no idea existed until running became a passion.

So here's my take on the best brands for runners by category. Please feel free to comment.

I know this will vary by individual runners but generally what I have experienced and heard from reliable sources is that the following brands are superior.

Shoes:

• Asics

• Brooks

• New Balance

• Nike

• Mizuno


Clothes:

• Under Armour

• Nike

• Adidas

• Asics

• Brooks


Gear:

• Garmin GPS watches

• Fuelbelt

• iPod

• Nike+ gear


Fuel & Hydration:

• Gatorade G2

• Cliff shots or Gu

• Cliff Protein bars


Advice:

• Runners World

• Running Times

• Local running stores like Second Sole, Vertical Runner or Fleet Feet

• Other runners and running groups like Road Runners

Celebrity Brands - Should Celebrities Be Better Examples?

Celebrities have powerful brands much like companies and products. Should celebrities be expected to have a higher standard of moral behavior, the same as everyday people or lesser standards because they have more power and money than the average Joe?

By now we've all heard about Tiger Wood's affair(s). Is it really that surprising? While he is a genius on the golf course he is still merely human. And apparently a human who makes bad decisions much like Kobe Bryant, Bill Clinton, David Letterman, Madonna, and all the others who have harmed their marriages because they didn't control their urges. Or what about Michael Phelps and Amy Winehouse - both talented individuals who indulged themselves in recreational drug use? Or what about Snoop Dogg and other celebrities that have been arrested for violent behaviors?

Does the fact that these celebrities have problems make us relate to them more? Does it affect our own views of what is and is not acceptable or moral behavior? I can't say and it's not my position to judge people only to ask if celebrity brands affect us.

AOL Rebranding

Is it just me or is society homogenizing to the point where all logos created today are trying to achieve that same modern look? It's like they all want to be Apple or Target clones or something? Case in point: take a look at the new AOL logos. Okay the two on the right upper and bottom are not too bad but look at some of these...the fish...the hand. I mean really?

AOL please take note. You are not Apple, You are not Google. You are not Target. You are more like a Microsoft (albeit not as successful) and changing your logo into a fish is not going to change that.

Get Real with Caribou Coffee?

Looks like Starbucks will have a little more competition this holiday season as Caribou Coffee unveils its first ever TV campaign to generate awareness about the boutique coffee brand. Of course this is a very different strategy than that used by Starbucks who largely built their brand on a public relations/word-of-mouth platform. I'd be interested in seeing the results the TV campaign will bring and how success will be measured (i.e. increased sales, store traffic, awareness).

I like Caribou but at the end-of-the-day I'm a Starbucks girl!


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Facebook - The World's Super Media for Today's Advertising

I attended a Facebook presentation this afternoon that was sponsored by the Canton Ad Federation. Everyone knows Facebook is huge but not everyone realizes the huge advertising super media Facebook has become.

Building a brand on Facebook is critical to marketing success in today's economy (particularly for consumer products companies). Facebook provides all sorts of engagement level ads: basic ads you see with text and call to action, rich media ads that integrate video and or sound, reach blocks that blast the whole Facebook network for a period of time such as one day, etc. And there are also applications created to build brand awareness and engagement on Facebook.

To many people, Facebook has replaced email as a common means of communicating. This means any business owner or marketer must evaluate whether they should be building their own brand community on Facebook and/or advertising on Facebook to reach potential customers.

For more information on Facebook marketing visit www.facebook.com/marketing or contact me.

2009's Ten Most Popular Halloween Brands/Costumes

I love Halloween. It's so much fun to dress up and check out all the costumes! It's also facscinating from a branding and pop culture perspective to research the year's most popular costumes (see list below).

1) Michael Jackson - After the untimely death of the pop-star he's on the best-selling artists on i-tunes, winning awards, people are wearing "I Miss Michael" shirts and dressing up like the King of Pop himself for this Halloween. Now if that isn't a brand I don't know what is.

2) Harry Potter - The Potter series has been popular since the first movie was made. This summer the second to the last movie came out and with it the Harry Potter brand gained momentum and you'll see plenty of Harry's this season.

3) Vampires - With the wildly popular Twilight series hitting the scene and the second movie due out in just a few weeks there will be many many vampires and creatures of the night stirring this year.

4) Star Trek - Again with the movie you see that Star Trek, which has always had a core brand following has momentum and plenty of trekkies will be knocking on doors for candy I'm sure.

5) Disney - Disney has such a cemented brand. I wonder how many little girls in the U.S. and around the globe want to be Disney Princesses?

6) Superheros - From Batman and Catwoman to Wonder Woman to Superman to X-men there are sure to be superheros on every corner this weekend.

7) Hannah Montana - Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana is so big she gets her own category. What a brand! Like it or not she is a superstar.

8) Movie/storybook characters - with the upcoming movie Alice in Wonderland coming out we'll see plenty of those along with Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, good old Wizard of Oz characters, etc.

9) The Role-Playing Costume - nurses, doctors, maids, prisoners, officers, you name it. These come in the more tame or naughty varieties. If you're out at adult parties you're likely to see the latter.

10) The Rockstar/Hippie - These ones both are popular year to year and that seems to be no exception this year.

Mac Vs. PC: New :30 Spot

I always laugh when I see the Mac versus PC ads. Comparing Macs to PCs really is like comparing apples and oranges. Anyone such as myself who has crossed over years since to the Mac world knows the many benefits a Mac offers. The point I want to make here is that Mac really has done a much better job over the years with its branding than its competitor...the PC. Riding the coatwaves of the iPod success and now the iPhone, Mac's brand has become a dominating force in the personal computer space. The latest ad in the Mac versus PC campaign does a great job of reminding PC that it's not the cool kid on the block.

Apple - Mac vs PC - Live Action News - (2009) :30 (USA)