Well, sort of…

A former colleague and I wrote a short piece for Brandchannel. The title? Beauty in the Beast: Why Some of the World’s Most Successful Websites Are So Ugly and Adored.

We argue that online giants like eBay and Craigslist often circumvent conventional thinking about branding and design while their offline counterparts can’t. These sites succeed because their offerings are highly differentiated and credible.

What makes them so? We think there are a variety of factors, including the strength of their products, user experience, brand story and name.

Check out the article here.

Climbed Mt. Fuji
Got engaged at the top
Decided to leave Japan
Became all too knowledgeable about US immigration policy
Got married in Japan
Built this site
Found a job in the States
Got married in Maui (same woman, different wedding!)
Moved my life and wife half-way around the world
And experienced some serious reverse culture shock along the way.

All this, and I’m still going. And as hectic as it sometimes feels, I’m still growing.

As I catch my breath and settle into New York, I plan to be posting here a little more regularly. So please, stay tuned.

On November 26, a good friend of mine, Tom Boatman, and I will be giving short speeches to the ACCJ on how small businesses can get the most out of their communications. I will tips and advice on developing a strong brand name. Tom will talk about how to maintain a consistent tone of voice throughout your copy. We’ll be accompanied by Brechtje Zoet, a graphic designer, and John R. Harris, a well-known speech writer. After individual presentations, there will be a Q&A session. Should be exciting. If you have a chance, stop by. Details can be found here.

Brand Republic and Media Magazine recently did a short piece on the Canon brand. Although Canon’s sales, profit and reliable image stand strong, its market share and brand image may be suffering. As I posted earlier, I was asked to write some quick analysis for this piece. Here’s the article in full.

Media magazine asked me to comment on the state of the Canon brand globally for an article it’s putting together. Here’s what I came up with:

Financially, Canon is a solid performer. In the last five years, Canon stock has steadily risen. Unlike some competitors, Canon has always favored building its own brand internationally rather than increasing sales through OEM partnerships. These efforts have paid off. In terms of brand value, Canon has maintained a mid-30s ranking in Interbrand’s Best 100 Global Brands league table for the last few years. It ranks 36 this year with a value of $10.5 billion (US), up 6% over 2006.

In short, Canon is grade-A on paper. However, it falls short in brand image, particularly one that clearly defines its vision, strikes an emotional chord with consumers and exerts industry leadership through revolutionary products.

The Canon brand obviously stands for quality. However, the brand vision, the big idea driving the brand, is not apparent. Canon’s kyosei corporate philosophy is internally focused. The company’s brand statement, which is key to communicating brand vision to consumers, also varies from region to region. The current situation will not build serious brand loyalty.

To get people to truly live the brand like Apple and Sony have done, you need to push their emotional buttons. 75% of Canon’s business, which includes printers, copiers and other optical devices, isn’t perceived as being cool or sexy. Therefore, appealing to emotions in these domains is almost impossible. The other 25%, cameras, is of course exciting now and very consumer focused. Cameras have made it into the hands, pockets and packs of the masses, which are great places to build emotional connections. Canon’s success here will contribute to building the brand overall. Whether it is enough, though, remains to be seen.

Canon needs to break new ground. The brand must show greater industry leadership through silver bullet products—ones that either shake up a category or create a totally new one. This is no easy task in today’s hyper-competitive market. However, through innovative technology, design and applications, they may have a chance.

We know from its vast portfolio of products that Canon has the technology. It is clear from the success of brands like EOS and PowerShot (Ixy in Japan) that Canon has the know-how. However, does Canon have what it takes to move the brand to the next level—to really make it possible?

PingMag, a super-hot site covering all things creative in Tokyo, Berlin and more, did a little write-up on me. Although the article itself is less than steamy (I thought the reporter would go deep, deep, deep into verbal identity, not just a simple Q&A with yours truly), I’m convinced that most press is good press.