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<!--Generated by Squarespace V5 Site Server v5.13.159 (http://www.squarespace.com) on Fri, 24 May 2013 17:26:02 GMT--><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><title>BrandRants</title><subtitle>BrandRants</subtitle><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/</id><link rel="alternate" type="application/xhtml+xml" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/"/><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/atom.xml"/><updated>2013-04-16T23:16:55Z</updated><generator uri="http://five.squarespace.com/" version="Squarespace V5 Site Server v5.13.159 (http://www.squarespace.com)">Squarespace</generator><entry><title>Social Media Mantra</title><category term="Social Media"/><category term="marketing"/><category term="social media"/><category term="social media mantra"/><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2013/4/17/social-media-mantra.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2013/4/17/social-media-mantra.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2013-04-16T22:44:21Z</published><updated>2013-04-16T22:44:21Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Before you even think about online networking for your brand, I suggest the following exercise. First, take your shoes off. Close the blinds and dim the lights in your office. Sit on the floor cross-legged. Place your hands on your knees palms up if you are alone, join hands in a circle if your colleagues are with you. Close your eyes and recite the social media mantra:&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><a href="http://fav.me/d58wfo9" target="_blank"><img style="width: 525px;" src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/Social Media Mantra.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1366154114998" alt="" /></a></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 525px;">Illustration by Shane Smith http://fav.me/d58wfo9</span></span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">OK, now you are ready to begin online networking. Good luck.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Post-apocalyptic Season's Greetings</title><category term="Mayan apocalypse"/><category term="Season's greetings"/><category term="The Duffy Agency"/><category term="The Duffy Agency"/><category term="mayan calendar"/><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/12/22/post-apocalyptic-seasons-greetings.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/12/22/post-apocalyptic-seasons-greetings.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2012-12-22T00:00:22Z</published><updated>2012-12-22T00:00:22Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<span class="full-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 150px;" src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/Mayan%20Christmas.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1356177704579" alt="" /></span></span>Congratulations. You have survived the apocalypse. I hope you had a pleasant end of days.&nbsp;]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Santa Claus Graphic Guidelines</title><category term="Graphic Guidelines"/><category term="christmas"/><category term="holidays"/><category term="santa claus"/><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/12/12/santa-claus-graphic-guidelines.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/12/12/santa-claus-graphic-guidelines.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2012-12-12T10:08:09Z</published><updated>2012-12-12T10:08:09Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p><span class="full-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 150px;" src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/santa blog.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1355307047319" alt="" /></span></span><strong><em>How not to get sued by an elf this Holiday Season</em></strong></p>
<p>Hey it's that time of year again.&nbsp;</p>]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Survival is overrated</title><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/11/9/survival-is-overrated.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/11/9/survival-is-overrated.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2012-11-09T16:26:32Z</published><updated>2012-11-09T16:26:32Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<span class="thumbnail-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2Ffoto.jpg%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1352478842753',1009,1830);"><img src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/thumbnails/15547928-20922058-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1352478844392" alt="" /></a></span></span>We would like to give a big thanks to the CEOs who attended the workshop, "Survival is Overrated" at MINC today. We enjoyed getting to know you and we hope you stay in touch.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>The social vote: Obama vs. Romney</title><category term="Barack Obama"/><category term="Election"/><category term="Mitt Romney"/><category term="Obama"/><category term="US Election 2012"/><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/11/6/the-social-vote-obama-vs-romney.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/11/6/the-social-vote-obama-vs-romney.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2012-11-06T11:38:22Z</published><updated>2012-11-06T11:38:22Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<span class="thumbnail-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/uselection/article/1275700--u-s-election-what-obama-and-romney-got-wrong-in-last-night-s-debate" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/thumbnails/15547928-20883430-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1352212518758" alt="" /></a></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 152px;">SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES</span></span>OK, all the Americans at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.theduffyagency.com">The Duffy Agency</a>&nbsp;have now voted. Like many Americans I'll be watching the results come in for the rest of the day trying to piece together the fragments and get a glimpse into the future of who will be my country's next president.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>The ups &amp; downs of startups: How entrepreneurs can level the playing field</title><category term="Education"/><category term="Lund University"/><category term="Startup"/><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/10/23/the-ups-downs-of-startups-how-entrepreneurs-can-level-the-pl.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/10/23/the-ups-downs-of-startups-how-entrepreneurs-can-level-the-pl.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2012-10-23T08:33:23Z</published><updated>2012-10-23T08:33:23Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<span class="thumbnail-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2FStartup.jpg%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1350980424195',768,1024);"><img src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/thumbnails/15547928-20720886-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1350980424200" alt="" /></a></span></span>Thanks to Craig Mitchell and all the entreprenuers from ENTN02 Entrepreneurial Marketing course under&nbsp;<a href="http://www.entrepreneur.lu.se/" target="_blank">Master programme in Entrepreneurship</a>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lusem.lu.se/" target="_blank">Lund University</a>&nbsp;for a great discussion on applying customer-centric strategic planning to startups. I'll be eager to follow your startup projects over the next semester.&nbsp;]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Why the CMO has to go</title><category term="CEO"/><category term="CMO"/><category term="CMO"/><category term="Marketing Operations"/><category term="ROI"/><category term="brand equity model"/><category term="marketing department"/><category term="research"/><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/9/26/why-the-cmo-has-to-go.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/9/26/why-the-cmo-has-to-go.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2012-09-26T08:03:01Z</published><updated>2012-09-26T08:03:01Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p class="p1"><span class="thumbnail-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2F-1.png%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1348647197987',1080,860);"><img src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/thumbnails/15547928-20421578-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1348647197992" alt="" /></a></span></span>The life expectancy of a CMO has reached an all time high of 3.5 years (nearly double what is was five years ago) but it seems the rift between CEOs and their CMOs has never been greater.&nbsp;</p>]]></summary></entry><entry><title>The illusion of communication and how to prevent it</title><category term="Ad Industry"/><category term="Marketing Operations"/><category term="Marketing Terms"/><category term="advertising"/><category term="communication"/><category term="marketing department"/><category term="marketing profession"/><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/9/21/the-illusion-of-communication-and-how-to-prevent-it.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/9/21/the-illusion-of-communication-and-how-to-prevent-it.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2012-09-21T06:15:00Z</published><updated>2012-09-21T06:15:00Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p><span class="thumbnail-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2F6a00e55168107b88330133f2545be7970b-800wi.png%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1348136063166',318,575);"><img src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/thumbnails/15547928-20355741-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1348136065134" alt="" /></a></span></span></p>
<p><em><span>How to create your own marketing micro-profession</span></em></p>
<p>Before getting involved in advertising, I had planned on attending medical school. A lot of my pre-med training focused on establishing a very precise foundation of language to describe all things medical. Then I got a job in an ad agency.</p>]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Coming to terms: What is a brand? What is branding?</title><category term="Marketing Terms"/><category term="brand explanation"/><category term="branding"/><category term="definition"/><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/9/18/coming-to-terms-what-is-a-brand-what-is-branding.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/9/18/coming-to-terms-what-is-a-brand-what-is-branding.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2012-09-18T07:37:31Z</published><updated>2012-09-18T07:37:31Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p><span class="full-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 150px;" src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/what_is_branding.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1347954970330" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p><em><span>LIKE BLIND MEN DESCRIBING AN ELEPHANT</span></em></p>
<p>Christopher Kenton&nbsp;is one of my favorite writers on the topic of brands. I first got hooked when I read his&nbsp;&nbsp;Business Week article&nbsp;"What, exactly, is a brand?"&nbsp;It was said to have sparked the sharpest response of any marketing article they&rsquo;d published.</p>]]></summary></entry><entry><title>How to bring your product launches to new heights</title><category term="Apple"/><category term="Apple"/><category term="Brand Development"/><category term="Brand Equity"/><category term="Marketing Strategy"/><category term="iphone 5"/><category term="launch pad"/><category term="product launch"/><category term="product life cycle"/><id>http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/9/12/how-to-bring-your-product-launches-to-new-heights.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.brandrants.com/brandrants/2012/9/12/how-to-bring-your-product-launches-to-new-heights.html"/><author><name>Sean Duffy</name></author><published>2012-09-12T10:43:28Z</published><updated>2012-09-12T10:43:28Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<h4><span class="thumbnail-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2FiPHONE5-BLACK-02.jpeg%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1347453855199',900,900);"><img src="http://www.brandrants.com/storage/thumbnails/15547928-20245672-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1347453855202" alt="" /></a></span></span></h4>
<h4><span>APPLE SHOWS US HOW IT'S DONE WITH THE iPHONE 5</span></h4>
<p>It may be apple season (with a small "a") in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, but globally it's Apple season (with a capital "A"). That's because today Apple will announce the new iPhone 5 in advance of its launch.&nbsp;</p>
<h4></h4>]]></summary></entry></feed>