AUGUST 1, 2005 - NEW YORK CITY
The always-slippery topic of branding becomes more so on the Web, where "brand" bloggers typically spill the most ink on, well, blogging. We found three that offer on-target insights.
BLOG: BrandShift
WHO WRITES IT: Four branding gurus: Andy Lark, Johnnie Moore, Jennifer Rice, and John Winsor
WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: While their individual blogs often wander off-topic, BrandShift's authors stick to their knitting at this site. There's a healthy debate on defining the concept of branding and an account of the dead-on brand experience of calling the receptionist ("You've got it, bro") at Patagonia's headquarters.
BLOG: BrandNoise
WHO WRITES IT: Brand planners and researchers at scenarioDNA in New York
WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Mostly a roundup of stories on hip brands, scenario's blog collects insightful news without pitching its services. It offers surprising takes on current buzz concepts -- such as applying the notion of "brand hijacking" to the downtown New York music club CBGB, once country, now punk.
BLOG: Naming and Branding Meta Blog, an aggregation of the three blogs [all published by Igor] Snark Hunting, Whisper, and Wordlab
WHO WRITES IT: The folks behind Igor, a San Francisco branding consultancy
WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Whisper offers good musings on strategy, but the best stuff comes from Snark Hunting. Its authors riff on Gap Inc.'s new Forth & Towne store concept for middle-aged women, noting that it uses an ampersand rather than risk the acronym FAT.
