“Designing Brand Identity” with Alina Wheeler

February 5, 2010
McCarthey Athletic Center
801 N. Cincinnati St.
Spokane, WA 99201

Breakfast meeting: 7:30am - 9:00am,  McCarthey Athletic Center Foyer
Fast track overview of Designing Brand Identity focusing on fundamentals and process.

Workshop: 9:30am - 11:30am, McCarthey Athletic Center Herak Club Room
2-hour in-depth workshop on the Designing Brand Identity process with interactive components.

RSVP and pay for this event online by January 29th.

Brand identity development not only consists of fundamentals such as taglines or logomarks – but it describes a disciplined, collaborative process that contributes to the success of a brand.

Alina Wheeler is a worldwide branding expert and the author of Designing Brand Identity: an essential guide for the whole branding team, from the CEO to the creative director, to the design and marketing team. It is the first book to deconstruct the branding process into a universal, disciplined five-phase methodology. Alina reinvents the idea of a marketing textbook, seeks to demystify branding, and illuminates the range of tools used by experienced practitioners.

To purchase Designing Brand Identity prior to the program, visit www.alinawheeler.com.

Event Location Details: McCarthey Athletic Center is located at 801 N. Cincinnati Street. Free parking is available on the south side of the building. From the parking lot, enter through the set of glass doors on the Southeast corner of the building.

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In addition to the upcoming branding program and workshop, you have the opportunity to book a one-on-one private consultation with Alina Wheeler while she is in Spokane. These custom consultations are a unique opportunity to address your own brand strategy questions with this nationally-known expert.

Custom consultations can cover topics including, but not limited to:

• Building agreement on your brand.
• Writing a better proposal that sets you apart.
• Growing your department/business.
• Reinventing or refreshing your company’s brand/messaging.
• Personal coaching: Brainstorming session about building your personal brand.
• Brand therapy: What keeps you up at night? A brainstorming session to make it better!

Several local organizations have already signed up, but we still have a few time slots open on Wednesday, February 3rd. The consultations can be booked in 1 to 4 hour sessions at $200/hour – for individuals as well as whole marketing teams/departments. Please contact Ashley Martin for more information at 456-5576 x119 or ashleym@klundthosmer.com.

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Who are you? Who needs to know? How will they find out and why should they care?

These are the types of questions that are critical to ask yourself about your company’s brand. At this month’s upcoming breakfast and accelerated workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to ask these questions and hear more insight on branding from Alina Wheeler, author of Designing Brand Identity.

I recently purchased her third edition of this book and found myself wanting to continue reading it even when I had plenty of other projects to accomplish. The book itself is a beautiful, easy-to-read manual with bursts of color, quotes from other brand leaders and a nice balance of white space. She asks questions and outlines steps, ultimately breaking up the brand process into a thoughtful road map for both entry-level and senior practitioners.

Her book opens with brand basics, which even though I understand branding, I certainly appreciate and learn from her perspective. It then discusses brand identity ideals – vision, meaning, differentiation, coherence and value. Wheeler then breaks down a brand – sound, image, characters, etc. and illustrates various outlets where your brand can thrive….or die. Finally, she outlines the five phases of building or rebuilding your brand.

Throughout the book, quotes from brand leaders are folded into her knowledge, and it’s those quotes that I find the most interesting. Here are a few of the ones I really enjoyed:

• "One eye sees. The other eye feels," Paul Klee
• "For GE, imagination at work is more than a slogan or a tagline. It is a reason for being," Jeffrey Immelt, CEO, GE
• "Social media is word of mouth on steroids," Blake Deutsh
• "Answering questions is relatively easy. Asking the right question is more difficult," Michael Cronan
• "A good business card is like a kick-ass tie; it won’t make you a better person, but it’ll get you some respect," Sean Adams
• "Brand is a living thing. It must be nurtured, attended to, and disciplined in order to survive and grow," Bart Crosby

I hope that you will join us on February 5th for MarCom’s breakfast and workshop following. This will be one program that you don’t want to miss!

- Alli Benjamin

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IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Spark Award Entry Packet and Form has been updated on the Web site. Leslie Czernik with Pearson Packaging Systems is now listed as the contact person for the entry submissions. Please download the new packet at www.spokanemarcom.com/awards/.

All awards are due on or before February 11, 2010. A Drop Off Party will be hosted by Dean Davis at his studio (216 W. Pacific, Ste. 102) on February 11th, from 4-6 p.m., so be sure to put it on your calendar!

We also set the official date for the Spark Awards! Mark your calendars for April 29th at the Lincoln Center. We hope to see you all there!

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Are you a student in search of a rewarding internship experience to prepare you for the world of work? Are you an employer in search of bright, enthusiastic student interns who are seeking real-life work experiences? Apply for the MarCom Internship Program!

Very soon, MarCom will match three student interns with member organizations for 10-week summer internships. The deadline is just a few weeks away – don’t forget to turn in those student and host applications!

Download intern and host applications and view testimonials on the MarCom Web site: www.spokanemarcom.com/internships/.

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Pearson Packaging Systems is a professional, friendly and knowledgeable provider of packaging equipment. Our technical team offers custom solutions including robotic engineered systems for top loading, palletizing, depalletizing and magazine loading; top load case packers and secondary packaging equipment solutions including case erectors, case sealers, bag inserters & uncuffers, beverage equipment and specialized products.

We pride ourselves in standing behind our products and always delivering on what we promise. We help our customers throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and South America develop applications for delivering food, beverage, durable, non-durable and pharmaceutical goods. Part of our promise includes aftermarket parts and service. With regionalized service technicians and access to ordering upgrade kits and parts online, we are committed to making your job easier.

www.pearsonpkg.com     |     Twitter - @PearsonPkgSys

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"Brand identity is tangible and appeals to the senses. You can see it, touch it, hold it, hear it, watch it move. Brand identity fuels recognition, amplifies differentiation, and makes big ideas and meaning accessible. Brand identity takes disparate elements and unifies them into whole systems." - Excerpt from Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler

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