Marketing Advice from Slim Fairview

1. Your Logo
Logos
What does your logo look like?
Wrong!
I could ask, "What does your logo look like to your customer", but that would be
misleading. A better question would be, "What does your customer see when he looks
at your logo?"
The problem arises from the fact that you are confusing your logo with a graphic.
Graphics
Graphics are the little pictures on your letterhead, in your print ads, on the packages
your product is sold in. Your logo exists only in the head of your customer.
I thought about logos when I was watching an old episode of Real Housewives of NYC.
Bethenny's "Skinny Girl" Cocktails. The stylish letters, the silhouette of a skinny girl. Do
you believe anyone expects to lose weight drinking Skinny Girl" cocktails? Do you know
anyone who learned how to pick up Bunnies by reading Playboy?
What prompted me to write the article, however, is the renewed interest in J. C.Penney;
or Penney, or JCP. Also, the fact that only a very few short years ago, my wife told me
that Macy's always had that red star. (They did?!!!)
While Mayor Ed Koch may have brought umbrage down upon himself while running for
Governor of New York by disparaging Sears Roebuck suits, when I think of a suit from
JCP the only thing that comes to mind is "I didn't buy this suit at Sears I bought it at J C
Penney."
I did buy a Harris Tweed sports coat at Macy's though. The Logo? A snifter of single-
malt scotch. What snifter of single-malt scotch? The snifter of single-malt scotch I am
sipping in front of a fire while wearing that Harris Tweed sports coat. (Okay, maybe
Macy's is piggy-backing on the Harris Tweed Logo, still...)
Halo Effect
The halo effect is the warm and fuzzy feeling I get when i buy at Macy's. But there is a
flip side to that coin.
Remember when JCP told us there would be low prices every day? (If that is not what
they said, it is certainly what I remember.) Here is the opposite of the halo effect.

2. Remember when gas stations were competitive? Remember the sign, "Save 5¢ for
Cash"?
Remember the stations across the street? Cash or Credit, Same Low Price !!! Did you
believe it?
Is JCP an upscale Sears? Competing with Macy's? Target? Kohl's? Do you know? Do
they?
Rethink your logo. Forget what your customer thinks of your logo. Find out what your
customer is thinking about when he thinks of your store, product, or service.
Regards,
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview