The Brandcast

So the holidays are officially behind us. Santa is back at the North Pole, the Elves are sleeping (for a day) and the “HOLIDAY SALE” signs are being put in a landfill somewhere. What does this mean to a brand? A lot.

It’s time to set a path that brands can walk on for the upcoming months to get back to November 1st. Start with a plan that opens up opportunities that have yet to be explored. Take a look at new venues for people to see your brand, join new associations that may expose it to influential people that are looking for new things to write and talk about.

The whole idea here is to pre-plan for the season that makes a difference outside of your current or past endeavors. Force yourself to spend a few hours brainstorming with these questions about your brand:

1. What haven’t we done that will make a splash via the media?
2. What can we do to expose our brand to influential people (advocates)?
3. What did we want to accomplish last year that we didn’t?
4. What can we do immediately to build brand awareness?
5. What can we do immediately to sell more product or services?

Obviously you won’t be able to implement all the things that have floated to the top of the mountain, but you can look at all your ideas with a fresh new perspective and focus on a few that make a real difference this year.

These should help start the process. I raise a glass in your honor. Here’s to a prosperous 2007.