When a company has been around for a while, inevitably someone says, “We should do a timeline.” And before you know it, one has been thrown together and tossed up on the corporate website — often without imagery or relevant content or any type of interactive functionality.

This, of course, begs the question “what is the real purpose of a timeline?”

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Vote: The best new brand mark of 2008.

Five companies updated their brand marks. Take our quick poll to weigh in on which you think is the most successful update.

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It’s been a little over a year since Apple released the iPhone. I still don’t have one, nor do I want or see the need to have one (it’s just not practical for me and I’m not that plugged-in). I always thought I was that person though, the one who had to run out and get the latest, greatest, newest gadget to hit the market.

Now that I’m a little older, I realize I wasn’t that person.

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First, I need to say that I am a huge Burton fan. Here comes the but, and I mean that literally. I am pretty disappointed that they felt the need to produce a line of mens snowboards with designs of naked Playboy centerfolds on them.

The Burton Love Series of snowboards is a collaboration with Playboy that will hit the slopes this winter. As a designer, I think I have an open mind. And I get that, design can/should push the boundaries.

Seriously though, naked women on snowboards? Is this really necessary? Have you hit the slopes lately?

They’re filled with kids. And, check out all the girls riding. Maybe snowboarding has become too mainstream, and this was Burton’s way of shaking it up. I’m sure the controversy over these boards is going to help Burton more than hurts it. I don’t think you can say the same for the dude who’s riding on one. I doubt he’ll be getting much LOVE from the chics.

Let’s face it, change can be scary.

Especially when it comes to a company’s brand mark. It is the single most visible aspect of a brand. It appears on everything — stationery, signage, marketing collateral, packaging, websites and more.

One of the single biggest concerns about changing a brand mark is the impact the change will have on existing brand equity. Make no mistake about it, changing a company’s brand mark will most definitely have an impact on brand equity. But that’s the point really, because the motivation behind a well thought-out and expertly executed brand mark update or change is to build brand equity. 

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When creating a strategic marketing campaign to celebrate a brand’s milestone, the power of the anniversary’s meaning is what matters most. It shouldn’t be just a reason to celebrate.

What are the steps to developing a successful campaign?  Is it enough to add a “Celebrating 25 years” silver embossed label to everything distributed to customers during that 12-month time period? 

I say no. Well, yes, go ahead and make the logo, but don’t let it be your entire campaign strategy. Celebrating a meaningful milestone must start with a strategy that encompasses a brand’s external and internal audiences.

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First, a pop quiz for you: which of these events generated the most buzz?

a. The Macintosh iPhone launch

b. The Nintendo Wii Launch

c. The Windows Vista Launch

d. The final Sopranos episode

According to recent Nielsen BuzzMetrics, if you chose the iPhone launch, you are correct.

I’m interested in this factlet because I’ve lately been pondering a phrase oft heard these days: “Mobile marketing is the hot new way to communicate with your customers!”

What does that mean? Well, I know what mobile marketing is, but are consumers really ready for it? Are marketers ready to dive into uncharted waters? Or do they still need to be convinced of its relevancy to their brand? And, by the way, is mobile marketing really uncharted waters?

I am a member of the generation that learned to keyboard on a typewriter and didn’t necessarily have computers in high school, so I think technology is fascinating. I mean, MP3 players – that’s WAY better than carrying around a 10-pound “boom box” on my shoulder. (OK, I didn’t really do that, but I know a lot of people who did!).

So, when “they” started talking about mobile marketing, I wanted to find out more. I googled it, of course, and discovered that information is easy to find because people are talking about mobile marketing and, if they’re not already doing it, they really want to be doing it. In particular, I found a great paper by Jim Nichols on Brandchannel.com that sited this eMarketer poll:

I shouldn’t have been surprised. Social networking is a huge phenomenon and most American adults are doing more than talking on their cell phones, everything from texting and gaming to email and banking.

In fact, a survey of 35,000 people revealed that consumer interest in purchasing a cell phone with streaming video or MP3 capabilities doubled between 2006 and 2007. 

If you’re like me, you’re thinking that statistic represents a bunch of kids — only a teenager can figure out how to work the new phones and only a teenager truly embraces the new technologies. Lo and behold, research shows that isn’t the case.

Case in point: Jim Nichols sites a recent study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project illustrating that, while texting messaging demographics are skewed towards teenagers, there a significant number of 30 to 64-year-olds who are also using this service.

What does that have to do with mobile marketing? Well, it’s possible to deliver promotional messages and news via text messages, and even to gather valuable customer information.

But, you say, won’t that annoy my customers? Nielsen also reported recently that 23 percent of mobile users saw a mobile advertisement in March 2008, and that mobile users are willing to receive ads in exchange for lower phone rates … 

So, if businesses want to do it and consumers are ready to receive it –- what’s the hold up? Is it fear, caution, or simply that folks have yet to figure out how to leverage the technology?

The holiday season is on the horizon. I’ve already started a mental list of people I’ll be buying for this year, and once again, I’m racking my brain for “perfect gift” ideas.

Typically, I give gift cards as a last resort — I find it more exciting and gratifying to give and receive gifts that have been personally selected. A new survey from the National Research Network indicates that other people feel the same way: The perception that gift cards are impersonal is the top inhibitor for consumers purchasing gift cards, with nearly half of respondents citing it as a factor.

On a recent visit to Target.com, I realized that they now offer personalized gift cards, allowing users to upload photos or other images to their cards. Digging a little deeper, I found a few other retailers that are also offering this option (Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us and Starbucks to name a few).

Brandweek noted that consumers spent nearly 18 percent of their 2006 total holiday merchandise gift expenditures on gift cards, up from 13 percent in 2005, per the International Council of Shopping Centers. Among other findings in the study:

• Discount stores such as Wal-Mart and Target were the most popular gift card benefactors, with 42 percent of respondents reporting purchasing a discount-store card in the past year. Restaurants came in second (26 percent), followed by clothing stores (21 percent);
• More females (60 percent) than males (44 percent) reported buying cards in the last year;
• The average number of gift cards consumers receive tends to correlate with household income. As household income increases, consumers tend to purchase more gift cards;
• Christmas and birthdays were cited as the top occasions for gift card giving;
• This holiday season, younger consumers are expected to buy gift cards, with 78 percent between the ages of 18-24;
• Fifteen percent of gift card recipients spend less than the total gift card amount.

Will customization add that personal touch that sometimes seems to be missing in gift cards?

Personally, I think this is a great new product feature for those of us who prefer to add an extra touch to our gifts.