Branding a Nation and a President

There were originally 18 design concepts for the Lincoln Cent reverse. Check out the link below to see the concepts and which one the Treasury chose.

http://2010lincolncents.com/2010-lincoln-cent-design-proposals/

Our COO, Mike Provenzano shares his opinion:

"My own preference is LP 16. Several reasons for that design. First, Lincoln was obviously a significant figure in the Civil War, one of the most dramatic conflicts ever on U.S. soil. In some ways with John Wilkes Booth as a confederate supporter, Lincoln paid the ultimate price for his beliefs of a united country free of slavery.

"Now fast forward to the New Millennium. America is a country with a changing landscape of population both legal and illegal. To celebrate Lincoln’s dramatic role in U.S. history why depend on those who MAY understand Latin (E Pluribus Unum). LP 16 says clearly “One Country, One Destiny”. If Lincoln ever had a mission statement that certainly says it. (It also contains in much smaller type E Pluribus Unum).

"Let’s just say our Secretary of the Treasury may have skipped Branding 101."

What are you thoughts? Which design would you have picked?

BP Brand Vitality Handicapped Before Day One of the Catastrophe

By Mike Provenzano

Every day it's nearly impossible not to hear or see the status of relief efforts in the Gulf Region. Much has already been said or written about BP's handling of the crisis. It seems most is negative. And deserved.

They now face potential long-term brand erosion because BP didn't initially control the message with company leadership or it appears, even have a significant Crisis Communication Plan on the shelf, considering it happened in their industry before. Even though the Exxon Valdez disaster happened in one of our most remote states, Exxon was immediate with leadership messaging to the public. CEO's were front and center from almost day one. Likewise with J&J and the Tylenol crisis. Both had well guided PR counsel that lead to visible senior executives telling the truth to the public, taking charge, day one and every week after that until their company's crisis and image were in an early phase of restored consumer confidence.

I must admit that Darryl Willis, BP VP Resources, the on-air employee who oversees claims and has ties to the region, is making a positive impression. And we might even see in the weeks ahead a series of other ads and BP middle managers with ties to the region doing the same. And yes, there is no doubt they are helping.

But in the future, will the lack of the BP CEO Tony Hayward taking charge day one in a visible public role hurt the BP brand? Only time and restoration to the region will tell. One thing is for sure, both Tylenol and Exxon are vital brands again. It seems BP might have a long road ahead.