News Archive January 2011

Simmons Event Can't Be Missed: Branding Expert
From: Times & Transcript
Posted: January 8, 2011

Beneath the glitz and glamour of the Atlantic Brand Confabulation are some "very fundamental business lessons," says local branding expert Gair Maxwell.

Maxwell will be one of the speakers at the Jan. 14 Atlantic Brand Confabulation here in Moncton. Maxwell is also author of 'Nuts, Bolts and a Few Loose Screws,' a book that details exactly what makes great brands stick.

The author of Nuts, Bolts and a Few Loose Screws and co-founder of The Seamless Brand, Maxwell was recently added as the third speaker at the branding event that takes place a week from today and stars KISS rocker Gene Simmons and Nova Scotia folk singer Dave Carroll.

The Atlantic Brand Confabulation, which also features Hollywood-style lights and sound, a three-course meal and a handful of east coast bands performing, is first and foremost an "educational event" that businesses large and small should be attending, Maxwell says.

"What this really means, I think, is to help business owners in Greater Moncton and all through the Maritimes understand the difference between a badge that indicates ownership as opposed to owning a brand of distinction," he explains.

To explain the difference between the two, Maxwell uses computers.

There are many computer companies that "think" they own brands, he says, but instead only have badges of ownership.

Apple computers, which also markets items like iPods, iPads and iPhones, is the one true computer "brand" - something instantly recognizable by the company's logo, or by its cool guy-versus-nerd commercials.

Where signs and logos might simply be badges of ownership in many cases, a true "brand" tells a story, Maxwell says.

KISS, for example, isn't so much about the music as it is about the story they have told - four fictional, cartoon-esque characters played by musicians.

"While everyone else was in the music business writing songs, making records and touring and playing their instruments, KISS created a story around the Demon, the Starchild, the Space Ace and the Catman," Maxwell says.

It's a story Simmons and his bandmates have told for over 35 years, their far-reaching brand instantly recognizable around the world by its logo or four painted faces.

"KISS is a brand of distinction," Maxwell says, and no one has told their story better than Simmons, who also markets himself and even his family through his hit television show Family Jewels.

Simmons' "presence makes this the most significant business and branding education event of the year in Atlantic Canada," Maxwell says. "Gene Simmons is not only a man of great marketing and branding ideas, he is a man who has actually 'been there, done that.' In the case of KISS alone, there are over 3,000 licensed products bearing that logo being sold all over the world, generating a steady stream of passive revenue."

The local branding guru says if you're a business owner with hundreds or thousands of dollars invested into an idea, it's a no-brainer to put a couple hundred bucks into attending the Brand Confabulation, an event wrapped around the idea of successful branding.

"Usually, business people in the Atlantic provinces have to pay thousands of dollars and travel thousands of miles to places like New York, Chicago or L.A. to learn from people of this calibre and to get this type of event in our own backyard for only $250 bucks is a real bargain in my mind," he says.

The Atlantic Brand Confabulation, presented by The Momentum Group of Dieppe and the Car Guys at Moncton Chrysler, takes place next Friday, Jan. 14 at Casino New Brunswick, from 6-9 p.m.

Simmons is the keynote speaker, but also on the bill is Dave Carroll, a singer-songwriter known for his music video series, United Breaks Guitars, produced after U.S. airline employees broke one of his guitars. The company refused to reimburse Carroll, and it turned him into an overnight star when he released videos poking fun at the situation. He's an example of how social networking can work, and he will speak about branding, customer service and social media.

For his part, Maxwell plans to use his 15 to 20 minutes on stage to "help frame what (Simmons) will talk about in a way that a business audience will get maximum value out of. To me, this is all about maximum value.

"If you get caught up in the rock n' roll and the glitter and the glamour, you're going to miss some very fundamental business lessons," Maxwell says.

In an online video posted on the Confabulation's website, Simmons said he'll speak about the "power of branding."

"Only 850 people will be allowed in," Simmons said. "Be one of those people."

Organizers confirmed yesterday that less than 300 tickets are left for the Confabulation.

If you're in the market for some new wheels, the Car Guys at Moncton Chrysler have said that anyone who purchases a new or pre-owned vehicle at the dealership tomorrow will get two free passes to the Confabulation.

* Tickets to the Atlantic Brand Confabulation, to be held Friday, Jan. 14 from 6-9 p.m., are on sale now for $249. They're available at The Momentum Group's offices, 260 Champlain St., or by phone at 854-8759. For more information, visit www.thebrandedtour.ca online.