Setting The Angel Free: Finding Authenticity In The Branding Journey

One of the challenges of branding a luxury real estate professional or company is whittling away at their currently projected image or the hype that is erroneously attributed to their success.  Many individuals and companies are blocked from their genuine selves, what they stand for, and their own personal truths.  In our strategic branding practice, we seek to identify the authentic soul of the personal or company brand and make what is implicit explicit.

We are reminded of one of Michelangelo’s quotes, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it, I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free”. 

Recent events in the world of celebrity, sports, and news figures have revealed the shortcomings of some high profile individuals.  They fell prey to the hype of their unauthentic personal brands, driven by the desire to maintain their visibility and marketability. 

Sooner or later, they find that they cannot maintain this false image, and are hugely relieved when the truth comes out.  Yearning to be set free from the imprisonment of an illusionary brand identity, it is as if they orchestrated their own downfall.

For us branding is not about creating a spin, or something that will please the target market. It is a journey of rediscovering and re-affirming our client’s authenticity, and then, developing a brand strategy together that fits like a glove. 

When a luxury real estate professional or a company is the genuine article and recognized as such, trust is gained rapidly and referrals abound. An angel set free has no limitations.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Beyonce’s Personal Brand Extension: Will You Bite?

Many celebrities have launched and endorsed their own businesses to leverage and extend their personal brands. Beyonce just launched a home delivery Vegan food service based on her 22 Days Vegan Challenge.  Will you bite?

In our previous post we discussed the importance of researching and anticipating the needs of your target market in your luxury real estate practice.  Beyonce definitely spotted multiple trends that converged in her new business model: the vegan trend, the non-GMO trend and also the trend of home delivery of groceries and prepared meals that can be ordered via the Internet. In selecting this business she is “riding the horse in the direction it is going”.

While home grocery delivery has attracted millions of venture capital dollars, the space is becoming extremely crowded.  Why would anyone enter this highly competitive field at this stage in the game?

Beyonce’s brand extension (beyond singing and acting) exemplifies our approach to this question: identify an uncontested and/or under served NICHE (within this larger category) that you can dominate.  She also has an “unfair” competitive advantage: her personal brand is very well known and she apparently “walks her talk”, i.e., she is a vegan and she looks stunning! 

Often, when we work with incumbent market leaders in luxury real estate, we are asked, “How can I expand beyond my current niche that I already dominate?”  The same approach applies. Once you dominate one niche, your strong reputation as a market leader precedes you if you want to extend your brand into another niche.

By leveraging your strengths you can more readily conquer your next challenge. Your credibility makes it easier for your new target market to “bite”.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Is Your Brand Package Remarkable, & Does It Reflect Your Strategy?

Being top of mind in your marketplace as luxury real estate marketing professionals requires having a remarkable presentation package, that is memorable and makes you stand out from the pack. 

Those who manufacture and sell cosmetics understand the concept of standing out with fierce competition surrounding them.  We found this packaging of GLAMGLOW remarkable and eye catching.  Glenn and Shannon Dellimore founded the company in the Hollywood Hills.  They understood that actors wanted to have their skin camera ready without visible imperfections, and glowing.  The magic mud was created and became known as GLAMGLOW.  And the public at large wants great looking skin, also.

Is Your Brand Package Remarkable & Does It Reflect Your Strategy?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Let The Truth Be Told About Your Brand!

When developing a brand,  articulating your marketing message should be your first priority.  We love analyzing wine brands because the competition for your attention is fierce.   You must instantly tell your target market how you are different and better than your competition. Or, if you don't they move on to the next brand.  

The same truth applies to luxury real estate branding. Let the truth be told about your brand!

We walked by the display of True Myth Wine.  Their slogan says,"Let the truth be told". What is the truth about this brand? What myth are they talking about?  Is this the elixir of truth?  Myth and truth are opposites. Their brand colors,  butterflies and beautiful pictures did not give us any clues

Photo of Sundial clock in Chateau de Pommard in Burgundy France by Zhukovsky

We feel there is a missed branding opportunity here given their choice of brand names. Perhaps, this was a play on words of the Latin phrase, "In Vino Veritas" (n wine is the truth), which was the rallying cry of the Russian Symbolism poetry movement.  (They wrote beautiful poems).  The Russians have a similar phrase: "What a sober man has in his mind, the drunk one has on his tongue."  Can you see where this brand could have been taken given this rich history?

To be fair to the producers of this wine from Central California, here is the review our research uncovered from wine.com.

"This wine comes from The Paragon Vineyard - one of the best vineyards for white wine in Edna Valley. This 2012 Chardonnay shows brilliant acidity and flavors of mango, citron, lime and orange. A touch of oak brings rich notes of buttered toast and vanilla".

Even the best companies miss branding opportunities that are right under their nose.  Perhaps, they were not inspired by the "nose" of the wine itself! What do you think?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Brand Surgery Or Brain Surgery: It Is Not As Simple As Buying A Logo

Refreshing your brand is a very important task if you want to maintain your position as a market leader.  Staying sharp, relevant and up-to-date technologically is imperative!  But, take it from us; get some expert help! Performing your own “brand surgery” is like performing your own brain surgery.

We are just now completing our own brand surgery. It was a grueling experience for many reasons.  The process of further distilling your own extraordinary promise of value to its bare essence and then communicating it with even fewer words and images is a daunting task.

This challenge is exacerbated by the new constraints of contemporary website design that has to work not only on desktop computers but also on all mobile devices (both in landscape orientation and portrait).  We are excited about the results. And, we will share the new Napa Consultants, Int’l website with our readers by the end of the month.

Refreshing your brand is not like shopping for a logo.  Sure, you can update your look. But, a look is not necessarily a brand.  Your brand needs to empower your entire current and future referral base to spread the good word about you. It needs to be remarkable to spark word-of-mouth advertising.

Your website needs to become your silent salesperson. It needs to be a polished presentation that communicates who you are and how you are different from your competition with an economy of words. 

Do not attempt brand surgery on your own. It is hit or miss at best. It took us six months to figure out our own rebranding.  Think of how many homes you could sell in six months.  It is not as simple as buying a logo, get some expert help!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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An Example of Re-Inventing Yourself And Paying It Forward

You most likely have heard of Tony Robbins, best selling author and "life strategy coach".  He has been around for decades, now.  But, what makes this one-man brand one of our nominees for personal brand of the year is the fact that he has done a brilliant job of re-inventing himself.  

That is an astonishing accomplishment and an imperative for luxury real estate marketing professionals who aim for longevity in this business.Reading Tony's new book, Money: Master the Game, maybe one of the most important investments of your time that you can make.  It was for us.

Like a modern Paul Revere, Tony the "town crier", exposes the fact that over 98% of all mutual funds in the US are not only under-performing non-managed and less volatile indexed funds, but all that Americans are getting gouged by unnecessary management fees.  This is quite shocking especially for baby boomers heading into retirement years with a longer life expectancy.

Tony also interviews some of the most successful money minds in the world, and has them reveal the strategies that they offer to their ultra-high net worth clients, and shows us all how to replicate these fundamental wealth building strategies to gain TOTAL FINANCIAL FREEDOM in an accelerate way.

Tony's commitment to empowering people to become financially independent is palpable as well as his commitment to end hunger in America. All profits from the book are donated to this cause.  He also exemplifies the fact that it is possible to thrive while paying it forward.  That is why he is one of our nominees for 2015 personal brand of the year.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Manage Your Outlook or Throw Your Business Plan Out The Window!

A term you often hear in customer service training is “managing expectations” (of your clients). The recommended idea is to under-promise and over-deliver.  But, how does that apply to your own expectations of yourself?  Will 2015 be a year of great expectations for you, a year when your dreams come true? 

When it comes to managing your own expectations for 2015, here is a great tip.  Make your business plan; set your conservative goals and your optimistic goals.   Then, manage your OUTLOOK vs. your performance.

The value of “keeping things in perspective” rather than dwelling on an expectation that is not fully realized cannot be over-estimated.  The minute you allow things to get “out of perspective” and lose sight of all of things that are moving along swimmingly, you diminish your chances of success.  If you allow your diminished expectations to dominate your thinking you might as well throw your business plan out the window.

We are going to try an experiment this year and you are welcome to join us.  We are going to focus on a single theme for 2015 and that is VITALITY.  When you manage your feeling of vitality (with whatever method works best for you) you AUTOMATICALLY put yourself in the best position to maintain your perspective and a clear outlook. Solutions come to mind faster, an abundance of opportunities present themselves and your performance can far exceed even you own wildest expectations.  

Don't throw your business plan out the window. Manage your OUTLOOK versus your performance. Wishing you VITALITY in 2015!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Focus, And Say (Grilled) Cheese!

Focusing on doing a few things really well is a surefire way to success.  This was Steve Job’s mantra at Apple.  Yet, specialization is, by far, one of the most challenging concepts for luxury real estate marketing professionals to embrace. They are afraid of losing out on other opportunities that comes their way.

Recently we had lunch at a restaurant in our neighboring town of Ventura that exemplified the power of focus.  805 Bar & Grilled Cheese specializes in grilled sandwiches that are simply out of this world. In fact, grilled sandwiches comprises their entire menu (with a choice of complimentary side orders) And, they have an excellent wine list. The restaurant is located right on the marina in Ventura Harbor where you can sit outside, see the boats and enjoy waterfront ambiance.

Growing up, one of our most comforting comfort food combinations was a grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. 805’s tomato bisque is best in class. It is rich and spicy with plenty of tomato chunks, the perfect compliment to the sandwich.

The name, 805 (our area code) Bar & Grilled Cheese tells you exactly what the brand category is, local comfort food, and also its niche within that category.  This not only makes it easy to remember, but also easy to spread the good word via word-of-mouth advertising. And, that is the power of focus and specialization!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Hold The Vision, Trust The Process!

According to a dear friend our ours, who has been an inspiration to us for many years, there is a certain mindset required when it comes to taking on a huge challenge that is outside your comfort level. That expression is “hold the vision, trust the process”.  To do so consistently requires overriding your own self-doubts, especially when others are telling you that you are crazy, or you should quit.

We applaud those visionaries who take on these kinds of challenges.  This year a movie was released that took 12 years to make, ‘Boyhood’.  According to Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal, it is destined to be the frontrunner come Awards Season.  It follows the same cast, a boy and his family over time as the kid comes of age. 

This is groundbreaking, an unprecedented achievement. And, no special effects to speak of, mind you.  It was a huge gamble by a cast, crew, director and producers.  You can rent it now or stream it online. This is not a review; it is a thumbs-up for those who are daring enough to take on huge challenges and see them through. 

We applaud these people because they reflect our own values. They held their vision and trusted the process. We hope they will be acknowledged both in box office numbers and top entertainment awards.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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A Branding Challenge: Don’t Sing Opera to a Rock & Roll Audience!

What works in  creating a brand in your real estate market place is  focusing on your audience.  Choosing colors follows the same logic.  So when you are thinking of branding yourself, think twice and don’t necessarily default to your tastes. Take a moment to analyze why you are creating your brand and the audience you are appealing to.  In other words don’t sing opera to a rock and roll audience!

Recently, when we working with a client in the wine country, we identified her color preferences, and it was clear that they would not necessarily be a fit for the marketplace.  So we started to walk around and focused on at the environment and the colors of nature that surrounded us. 

We noted the colors she loved in the environment that represented her  her market niche in the wine county.  We took our inspiration from the golden hills, the tawny color of the light, the dark green and brown of the oaks growing on them and the reddish umber colors of the soil.  These colors became part of the brand’s identity, as represented in the color swatch above. 

By using a mix of the colors of the environment for her brand identity, she is singing on key, the right song for her marketplace.  Her brand is her silent salesperson.  It tells her story: who she is, where she is, and makes it easy for her clients to refer her.   We will be sharing her brand identity and web site which is presently under construction.

Remember your marketplace is the economic driver! Don't default to your tastes or someone else's ideas.  It is more important to create a brand that will work rather than one you like.  Don’t sing opera to a rock and roll audience! And if you are an opera singer, find your marketplace, and your audience!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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The Symbolism And Nuances Of The Color Black In Branding!

Black is often the default brand color of luxury.  Black is associated with power, class, formality and prestige.  However, keep in mind that black is not the only color that communicates these nuances.  In branding yourself as a luxury real estate professional, black may not be appropriate.  For instance, if you are selling homes in a resort location, black is not necessarily the right color for your brand.

When people travel to a resort location, they are thinking of relaxing.  Formality is the last thing they want, as they are escaping from their cities.  Whenever we have worked in second home locations, we have discouraged black as the dominant brand color. We have encouraged our clients to adopt the colors of their marketplace, and not their favorite color which may be black.

Conversely, in the city, (New York, San Francisco) black may be the perfect brand color.  If you are working in the Hamptons, New Yorkers' get away place, black is inappropriate, and the same goes for San Francisco where their getaway is the Napa/Sonoma Valley.

In some cultures, black is the color of death and mourning. It is also associated with mystery, magic, nightime.  Resort living connotes a happy, daytime environment and a casual nightime, no black tie needed.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Do You Have A Remarkable Slogan? Part 1

One of our biggest challenges as brand strategists is to refine, condense and distill our clients’ extraordinary promise of value into a remarkable slogan in just a few words. After brainstorming with our clients and gathering a tremendous amount of information about them and their marketplace, it usually comes to us in a flash! We know we have nailed it when the slogan sticks in the minds of their target market, including any potential referral source, and sparks word-of-mouth advertising.

You may have heard the expression, “Finders keepers, losers weepers”. Recently, we came across an ad for a service that conveys their extraordinary promise of value in just three words. It is a play on this expression.

FINDERS OF KEEPERS

For fun, we will not tell you the category of business this is. In part two of this article series we will reveal the answer and also analyze this brand’s other tag line that further defines its value proposition in 5 words. 

Do you have a remarkable slogan? Can you guess the category of business “Finders of Keepers” belongs to?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Planning For 2015: Dream Big Or Go Home!

The Garden of Dreams in Katmandu, Nepal, Photo by Jerry Way

Dream Big or Go Home is the saying our French partner’s father told her time after time.  If you are going to dream, why not dream big!  My father (A) had a similar mindset.  As a child when I admired a Rolls Royce, and indicated that I wanted one; his response was “Why just one, why not one for each day of the week?”

As many of you are planning for 2015, take a moment to dream big without limiting your thinking.  Shut down all negative thoughts and considerations, and take a flight into the realm of “everything is possible”. This is the wonderful world of creators and innovators.  Don’t focus on details and the how to.  Work on creating images and experience what it would feel like to be in the dream and realize all you want to achieve.

This past week in Florida, Ron and I walked into a dream, the inaugural event that launched a new venture that we have been creating with our ideal partners for over a year and a half. It was heady and exceeded our expectations.

Using your imagination without self-imposed limitations is what it takes to dream big.  Dream Big or Go Home!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Personal & Company Branding: What Do You Stand For?

Now over 100 years old, Hallmark is a heritage brand that has re-invented itself over and over again. Yet, it has stayed true to its core values that can be summed up in a couple of words: “Wholesomeness” and “Sentimentality”. Consistently adhering to your values over time establishes your brand position.  It lets people know where you stand. This is a vital component of successful personal and company branding in the realm of luxury real estate marketing. 

Hallmark’s greeting card slogan, “For those who care to give the very best” exemplifies their company values. The same applies to The Hallmark Channel on cable, which is now known as the “Heart of TV”.  

If you need an infusion of sentimentality just watch a Hallmark Channel movie or TV series. You might find them mushy, syrupy, or even over sentimental.  But, you cannot accuse this brand of deviating from wholesome entertainment that consistently has happy endings. 

Wholesomeness and sentimentality together comprise Hallmark’s brand position. You will not find R rated entertainment here.  It is specifically targeted for the entire family and fully embraces the baby boomer generation, which has become an underserved market niche.  Most new movies now are targeted to the 18-34 year old crowd. 

Hallmark has one of the most clearly articulated brand positions we have ever encountered.  And, it sets an example of how important it is to make your own brand position, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, crystal clear to you ideal target market.  What do you stand for?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Branding Starts With the Right Name!

What is in a name?  It should be everything!  When you select a name for your personal or company brand (apart from your own name) it should be the summation of your brand values, what you stand for and also your brand personality. Your logo, which contains your brand name, is a symbol that should be the distillation your entire brand story. It is the starting point of telling your brand story.  Therefore, branding is really the art of storytelling.

As brand strategists for the luxury real estate industry naming a company is one of the most exciting parts of our job.  The art of naming a brand involves part logic and part intuition. First we conduct a strategic brand analysis in which we assess our clients, their marketplace and their ideal target clients.  After this extensive “discovery process”, which is very analytical in nature, we switch to our left-brain, engage our creativity and open ourselves to be inspired. 

It is truly a magical experience when we develop a brand name that fully tells the brand’s story in a Nano-second. If it is spot-on it not only resonates with the individual or company we are branding, but becomes indelible in the minds of their target market. 

In a previous post we announced the launching of Cornerstone Coastal Properties,our Fort Meyers, Florida client who decided to go independent rather than renew their franchise agreement. After completely rebranding the company that is comprised of 50 agents, something amazing occurred. 

Many people who did even take notice of their previous brand have said, “We see your signs everywhere”.  Two homeowners approached them to list their multi-million dollar estates that would not have considered hiring them before, just based on a new perception of the brand and the new brand story. 

Branding is storytelling.  And, it all starts with the right name!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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The Symbolism and Nuances of the Color Orange in Branding

Orange is a hot color.  It has many attributes such as; extroverted, energizing, thrilling, fun, awe inspiring and playful.  Orange is dramatic and friendly at the same time thanks to its ancestry of red (drama) and yellow (cheerful and good natured).  It is one of the dominant colors of autumn and sunsets.

Orange captures attention.  It entices people to buy.  Like red and yellow, it has an effect on the part of our nervous system that stimulates the appetite. Restaurant often use orange or lighter shades as part of their décor, and their brand identity.   One of the most iconic French brands, Hermes, has orange as part of its packaging and brand identity.  Like Tiffany’s blue box, the orange Hermes box promises a wonderful gift within it.

The lighter shades of orange also attract the affluent and the sophisticated.  Peach, apricot, coral and melon evoke pleasant feelings of warmth and comfort.   These colors are great for the beauty industry also.  Peach and coral walls evoke serenity and wellbeing. 

Is orange one of your colors?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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The Symbolism and Nuances of the Color Blue in Branding

The color blue evokes consistency in our lives.  The sky is blue, the ocean is blue and they are still here.  It also is associated with reliability, trust, and dependability. We refer to loyal friends as true blue.  IBM is known as "big blue," even though its logo has transitioned to black and white! 

The other attribute of blue is that it is restful, which explains why we feel at peace, staring at a body of water or at the sky.  This also explains why hospitals use blue gowns for their surgical staff.

Not all blues are restful; turquoise, electric blue, royal blue engage as well as evoke exhilaration, vibrancy, and drama. Think of the many blue hues in the plumage of a peacock.  Royal Blue, navy blue and teal blue are associated with luxury and are considered rich and upscale.  Navy blue is also associated with authority and power and is seen in uniforms (naval, police, and pilots.)

In selecting your brand colors is blue true for you?  

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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The Symbolism and Nuances of The Color White In Branding

Recently we noticed two examples of extra virgin olive oil brands that are packaged in opaque white instead of the usual clear tinted bottles.  Although they stood out, the only connection we could make for the use of the color white is its association with the word, virgin, or the symbolism of a white wedding dress. Oddly, we were not inclined to buy either brand, because we are conditioned to purchase olive oil in see-through bottles.

Could this be a new trend?  Many national and international brands are re-packaging their websites and products using white as their dominant brand color.  Here are the reasons people are attracted to the color white.

The human eye interprets white as a bright color, which is why white is a good contrast color, and not a neutral.  Symbolically it expresses purity, simplicity, lightness, delicacy, minimalism, and sophistication. 

In the case of olive oil brand packaging, do you think this is taking this trend too far? Or, would you be tempted to try either of these brands because of the unique packaging?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Brand Loyalty: Jaw-Dropping Service Makes The Difference!

As an independent luxury real estate marketing firm, who wants to compete against the big brand real estate franchises, you can have a distinct advantage by providing   “jaw-dropping service. It may cause potential clients to switch brand loyalty in your favor.

Recently, we visited our local independent pet store, instead of heading out to the national chain store in downtown Santa Barbara. They have only three locations in our area.

A young man cheerfully greeted us and was genuinely eager to find out how he could help us.  When we told him that cat food was our query he walked us over to that department and proceeded to go through every dry and wet food brand that they carry, explaining the pros and cons of each for our particular needs.  He knew the content of every product by heart, which thoroughly impressed us. 

Their cat food brands are not available at the national chain store or at supermarkets. We purchased two of each flavor of one brand for our two cats. The prices were the same as our typical choices at the national chain store.

After this gentleman explained the difference in each of their cat litter offerings, we decided to purchase a very large and heavy bag that he offered to carry to our car. He told us that this was what they do at their store unless we wanted him to divide it into smaller bags as a courtesy. Our jaws dropped!

What a difference in service between the local independent and the national chain store with 1000 locations!  Our cats love every one of the food items we purchased.  This actually represents a savings because it was always hit and miss with our finicky cats, which meant quite a bit of waste.

We started to contemplate defecting to the local independent store even thought we liked the convenient location of the chain store (next door to our most frequented market).  Then, came the clincher that overcame our switching barrier.

Ron wanted to return a defective cat toy purchased from the chain store. The checkout clerk, who knows us very well, refused to give him a full value credit ($3.99) because he did not have a receipt. He was offered a gift card for 70 cents, which is the current sales price of similar (defective) items.

An appeal to the store manager, who also knows us very well as frequent customers, was also fruitless.  He felt like he was talking with robots who were not allowed to override a policy to make important entrepreneurial customer retention decisions.

End of brand loyalty!  For about 3 dollars, they lost hundreds of dollars of business per year from us. Jaw-dropping service caused us to jump ship! 

How can you incorporate jaw-dropping service in your luxury real estate practice?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Buzz-Worthy Luxury Real Estate Websites 

Personal Branding Case Studies Company Branding Case Studies 

About Language of Luxury

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Luxury Real Estate Company Branding: Is Your Company Brand a Household Name?

If market leadership is your quest, as a luxury real estate company simply achieving the brand awareness of potential clients, or agents you would like to recruit, is not enough.  You must set you sites on having your company become a HOUSEHOLD NAME and achieve INSTANT RECOGNITION as the go-to brand in your marketplace. To get the lion’s share of business in your marketplace you must reach for top-of-mind status. This is a case study of CornerStone Coastal Properties in Fort Meyers, Florida.

We contacted Napa Consultants, International in May of 2014. We had been given 30 day notice that our franchisor was not going to renew our franchise agreement. The task to preserve and rebrand our successful real estate company in less than 30 days was overwhelming. Ron and Alexandra were assuring and proactive from the first conversation. They immediately met with us, designed, created and delivered a brand that positioned our company as the leader in our market place. The goal was to have a new company identity that represented our company; its culture, philosophies and business model that we could clearly articulate to our team of 50 agents, their past customers and clients, our local real estate community and the community at large. This task included: a new brand with a clear and concise marketing message, a logo, a full functioning and optimized luxury website, business card, letterhead & presentation folder designs, yard sign and facility sign designs, consultation on 25 custom agent websites, and coordination of incorporating our new brand into numerous real estate products used by our company. Ron and Alexandra exceeded our expectations. Their comprehensive knowledge of the real estate business was the golden key to achieving our success in rebranding in such short amount of time. Their tireless work ethic and level of professionalism was amazing. They will continue to be an integral part of our strategic planning and future success as we expanded into new markets. Without question I would highly recommend Napa Consultants, International.

David Cole, Broker-Owner, CornerStone Coastal Properties
CornerStoneCoastal.com

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

-WATCH VIDEOS-

 Buzz-Worthy Luxury Real Estate Websites  

Personal Branding Case Studies   Company Branding Case Studies  

About Language of Luxury

GET FLUENT. GET AFFLUENT! - JOIN THE LOL COMMUNITY