Last night I started reading a book that a fellow entrepreneur lent to me called “Founders at work” it is about founders of startups such as 37 signals, Hotmail and many more. The first chapter is about how PayPal became successful and eventually was acquired by eBay for 1.5 billion dollars. The initial idea was making a Palm Pilot payments and cryptography company (whatever that is). But soon after they got investment from Nokia Ventures, they changed their business model completely. Max Levchin PayPal’s co-founder claims that the main reason the investor didn’t freak out was because they belived in the team and saw that it was obvious that they were able to adapt to different circumstances.

What I take from the PayPal story is that innovation isn’t only one idea that you develop and hope that will become a success. It is series of innovative ideas that might sculpt your idea into a successful business. So even if our business looks solid according to the plan, I am keeping the option open that in the near future we might change it completely.

Regardless of what one thinks of politics, the Conservatives have been running a very successful rebranding campaign since David Cameron took the helm in late 2005. He even changed the logo to a tree when going green was still ahead of the curve.

It will be interesting to follow the general election here in the UK from a “branding” perspective and to see how Labour will react to the tree hugging conservatives.

Of course, in politics, an overzealous emphasis on branding has a name: Spin.

Let’s hope no party’s position of “brand communication manager” will evolve into the position of “spin manager”.

If you watched the whole thing you might have noticed a question in the end: “What’s your fave store to get lost in?”.

I immediately thought that this could be a great slogan for an Ikea commercial. The song fits perfectly. I visualize a couple or roommates picking up everything they need to furnish their apartment and getting lost in the process and discovering the wonders of Ikea!

Judging by the reaction from the Ikea employees however, this campaign will probably never be made.

It says in the book that Bill hires Donald to do a tour with him and pays him 1.5 million dollars for a lecture that takes one hour of his time. That is not too shabby, even for a billionaire. I think it is safe to say we have found the most valuable trademark in the world! And it is Trump.

Personally I find Donald Trump very entertaining. And I have watched a few of his apprentice shows. In my opinion 1.5 million for one hour with him, is a bargain. So I am definitely going to read the book because when I am done reading it, I will think bigger and kick more asses!

Donald is a born entertainer, this is what I call nurturing your investment.

Apparently she has been playing the piano since she was 4 years old and she has studied music. She writes her own material and writes for others. She has written songs for Fergie, Britney Spears and even Michael Bolton, which I find weird. Listen to the Michael Bolton song here, like Perez Hilton says, he murdered it.

This video changed my perception of Lady gaga:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP8SrlbpJ5A

Being talented is one thing but being successful is another. Using her background as a burlesque dancer, her passion for music and her provocative attitude, she has created a persona that is unique. You might say her personal branding is impeccable. I’m even starting to appreciate the way she dresses – not that I ever disliked it.

In a sense this joke captures the essence of why companies care about brands.

When you have a strong brand, your customers can

• Discover you
• Recommend you to others
• Ask for more

In fact, as we mentioned in an earlier post, the first ever registered trademark in Britain was for a beer brand: The Bass Ale Red Triangle. Registering the Red Triangle provided the brand with legal protection. Bass knew that if customers would see the Bass Red Triangle on any pub sign or bottle of beer, that triangle was in effect the company’s promise of a certain experience for the customer.

These days it’s not just signs on pubs and labels on beer bottles. And it’s not just the logo. To apply a brand today a company needs a way to consistently apply any part of their identity wherever their audience is. This could be a logo on a coffee mug, a template for a PowerPoint presentation or animations for digital banners. Or even a radio commercial in a remake of a classic B-movie.