Here’s an excerpt:

Since sustainability is a relatively new concept for the general public, it is defined in a multitude of ways. The mistake that green builders make is not communicating what green means to their company.

Indeed. If you’re going to market yourself as green, be sure you are honest and transparent about what that means. You don’t have to be perfect. Nobody is. But people will give you credit for trying.

And remember, don’t lose sight of your true colors, whether that’s green or something else.

It seems as though Mr. James is like John Cleese in this excerpt of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” wanting to be rid of Old Man Branding and get on with his life.

Problem is, Branding is “not quite dead.” In fact it’s getting better. So we would be wise not to club it on the head and throw it on the cart.

To be sure, Branding is vastly different than it used to be. Quality and innovation are more important than ever. But branding still plays an important role in the success of a product (or service, etc.).

First, it helps to define branding. Some say it’s little more than the logos, jingles and ads. I agree that too much emphasis is often placed on those things, but I think branding is much more.

Your brand is the foundation on which the customer-facing portion of your company is built. It is what people – customers, employees, vendors, the community – thinks when they hear your name or see your logo. It is what sets you apart from your competitors.

How you build and nurture that brand is, of course, a huge issue. People much smarter than I have debated this for decades, and continue to do so.

Nevertheless, I’ll throw my hat in the ring. Watch this space for a discussion of the key elements of Branding. And by all means, join the conversation.

The issue was that this kind of thing could lead to inappropriate or worse interactions between students and teachers. Furthermore, the host was lamenting the fact that people have not considered the ramifications of putting all their personal information on sites like Facebook. After all, the Internet is forever.

All of those things are true. Kids can and have gotten into trouble by posting too much on Facebook. And I also agree that people may not yet fully understand how the social Web will affect them down the road.

But I have two problems with the idea of a blanket rule banning Facebook relationships between students and teachers.

The first is that it assumes teachers are not responsible adults, capable of making decisions about when to and not to “friend” their students on Facebook. I am troubled by individual judgement and responsibility continually being usurped by rules. But that’s another discussion.

The other problem I have is the mentality of resisting (futilely, I might add) the advance of technology and the social Web instead of embracing it. Facebook and the rest are here, for better or worse. We might as well embrace it and use it to our advantage.

There are some really innovative teachers out there. Why not give them all the tools they want to come up with new ways to teach the next generation and engage them?

The thing I’ve noticed about sites like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and others is their potential in business, education, culture and more is nearly boundless. But you don’t know what the possibilities are unless you dive in, embrace technology and start using it. New ideas will present themselves to those who look for them.

But the larger issue is that these kids are growing up in a world we never could have imagined. We do them a disservice by pretending it doesn’t exist.

Super Bowl ads have become a joke, and not in a good way. The stories are about the ads themselves, not the products they’re trying to sell, or the brands they’re representing. The big game is more of a showcase for ad agencies, a contest to see who can make the ad of the game. Creativity for creativity’s sake.

Good advertising should allow the brand message to resonate with the target audience. It should connect with the consumer and create some spark of awareness about the key benefit of the product for sale.

Instead, Super Bowl ads, for the most part, are just trying to out-do one another to get laughs, often at the expense of the brand. Although the Super Bowl still delivers a great value in terms of the audience size, I have to believe that the $3 million plus production costs of the ad could be much better spent.

The problem, of course, is advertising in general doesn’t work like it used to. People are skeptical, and don’t like having messages shoved in their faces when they’re trying to enjoy a game or a TV show. Today’s marketers have to be smarter than that.

There are ways to stand out in the Super Bowl ad race, and one of those ways is to have your ad rejected. GoDaddy.com became a master of this tactic. Make your ad too controversial so as to be rejected by the network. Then issue a news release about your ad being rejected. People will jump on YouTube immediately to see what all the fuss is about. This year, gay dating site ManCrunch.com used this tactic perfectly.

Recognizing that most people reading this blog are not in a position to buy ad space during the Super Bowl, what is the lesson here? It’s simply this: resist blowing big chunks of your market on making a big splash. You will be much better served engaging in far cheaper marketing tactics that engage your customers and build loyalty and community around your brand.

One she featured recently was a dramatic, black faucet from an Italian manufacturer (naturally). I lifted the image from Leslie’s blog. As you can see, it’s a visually stunning faucet.

But what caught my attention wasn’t so much the faucet, it was the comments. A commenter noted that since the handle was on the right-hand side of the faucet, it would be frustrating to use for about 13% of the population.

That got me to thinking. What if the faucet company catered exclusively to lefties? They would be heroes to some 39 million Americans. They would quickly generate more awareness and notoriety than they could ever hope to by designing just another fancy product like everyone else.

Sometimes the way to get noticed is not in your product, but who you sell it to.

Who are the “lefties” among your customer base? That smaller, under-served group who would give their undying loyalty to a product or service that figured out to meet their unique needs.

Targeting one of these groups could get you a good, solid following in no time.

If you answered yes to the first two questions, and even if you answered no to the third, consider entering the First-Annual KBCulture Awards. To enter, just download the entry form (PDF) and get started. It’s a simple form, and the fee is just $25.

If you haven’t heard of KBCulture, you should check it out. It’s a blog run by the very astute and knowledgeable Leslie Clagett. A former magazine editor and published author, Leslie knows her stuff when it comes to kitchens and baths, and her readers look to her to find the latest & greatest.

Good luck!

The building industry has suffered more than its share during this recession, and as a result, fewer builders and contractors are spending the time and money to travel to extravagant places like Las Vegas for a trade show. However, in a way lightly attended shows provide a unique opportunity to connect with customers on a more personal level. And, there are some things you can do to reach the ones who don’t come.

So, here 5 ways to maximize your IBS ROI:

1. Engage show attendees & follow up. Social media is all the rage these days, and for good reason, but face-to-face meetings are the best way to get online relationships started. When you meet customers, ask them if they are on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter (LinkedIn is probably your best bet). If they are, ask their permission to connect with them there. Also, put your various Social Media URLs on your business cards. Before you know it, you’ll have an expansive network of potential customers.
2. Blog. If you have a blog (and you probably should), you need to start blogging about what you’ll be doing at IBS now. What you’ll have on display, where you’ll be staying, where you plan on eating, what shows you’ll see. Of course, you want to talk about your company, brand or product, but those little personal things are what get people engaged in conversation. After the show, blog about what you did, what you saw, what you liked or didn’t like.
3. Tweet. If you have a Twitter account (and you probably should), start Tweeting about the upcoming show. Engage your followers in conversations about your expectations of the show. Look for “Tweetups” where you can meet your Twitter friends at a bar or restaurant. Better yet, organize a Tweetup yourself.
4. Video. For the customers who couldn’t be at the show, take them on a video tour of your booth. Introduce them to the employees working the show, let them see the products. Give them the experience of being at the show as best you can. Have fun with it. Put the video up on your Web site or blog, as well as on You Tube.
5. PR. Even if overall attendance will be down, there will still be editors and reporters there. You can go to the IBS Web site and request a list (scroll to the bottom of the page). IBS doesn’t provide e-mail addresses, but you can usually find these through magazines’ Web sites. Contact a few editors who might be interested in your product, tell them what’s new, and invite them to your booth. Be careful, though. They are interested in seeing what’s new or interesting, so make sure you have a good story to tell.

Just because show attendance will be light doesn’t mean the show will be a waste of time. Do what you can to make the most of it.

UPDATE: IBS organizers have made it a bit easier for exhibitors to maximize their ROI with an iPhone app.

Last summer, my wife and I were having trouble getting our three-year-old son to take an afternoon nap on days when he was home. He took them at daycare, probably because all the other kids did. But on weekends and other days he was home, we couldn’t get him to do it, and we suffered the consequences in the late afternoon and evening.

The solution? We re-branded nap time.

We now call it “Quiet Time,” and it’s all the rage. He looks forward to Quiet Time and will often suggest it before we do.

It’s new! It’s cool! It’s the latest thing!

But once Quiet Time becomes passe, it’s back to the creative department.

Resolution #3: Enjoy Life

This past year was a doozy.  The reduced income, unemployment, foreclosures, bankrupcy, and other economic maladies affected a lot of people.  Stress levels went up, and many people spent the year worrying if they were going to make it.

If 2009 has taught us anything, it should be that life is too short to worry about temporary setbacks, and that we should focus on the things that make us happy.  Of course, we need to work hard and be smart, but things will turn around as they always do.

When it comes to marketing, building a brand, and running a business, I think this lesson is especially important.  At its best, marketing should be fun.  It’s all about trying new things, building relationships, and helping people.  What could be better than that?  The more you look at marketing as a fun, creative endeavor, the more successful you’ll be.

Resolution #2: Get Organized

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that on the heels of the chaotic Christmas season, people want to get organized.  They’ve acquired a lot of stuff in the last 12 months, and they want to purge what they don’t need, and organize what they keep.

Is your marketing disorganized?  Does it have a lot of pieces and parts that might be duplicating efforts?  Do some literature pieces have a different look and feel than others?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, it’s probably time to organize your brand.  Start by stripping it down to its essence.  What makes you different or better than your competition?  Why should your customers care?  How do you need to reach your customers?  With those questions answered, you can start to see what your marketing needs are, and which pieces you should toss, which pieces you should keep, and how you should organize them so they are all working together.

Like organizing your closet, it’s an arduous process.  But at the end of it, you’ll have a lean, effective, strategic marketing plan that represents your brand well.