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Characters Welcome USA Networks new branding initiative

Guest post by: Steve Cranford

Article Overview: A brand is your promise. How you keep it means everything.

Characters Welcome USA Networks new branding initiative

A brand is your promise. How you keep it means everything.
Brand strategy is the intelligence of being effective in the crafting of a compelling, engaging, and unforgettable brand promise.
Effective branding measures up to each of the following:
* Achieve separation from competitors
* Demonstrate to the world you are different
* Reinforce your uniqueness
* Create positive and lasting engagement with your audience
* Be unforgettable
* Propel itself through the world on its own, becoming a no-cost, self-sustaining public relations vehicle
* Provide a deep well of associated imagery, and
* Rise above the goods and services you provide.
When a brand achieves each of these measures, an organization demonstrates their understanding of the power of branding.
According to this press release, American cable television’s USA Network is one of these:
For the first time in its twenty-five year history, USA Network is launching a comprehensive branding initiative extending across all media, including on-air, off-air and online platforms, [as] announced today by Bonnie Hammer, president of USA Network… The campaign…features a new logo and the tagline “Characters Welcome,” a statement that will reflect and inform every aspect of USA, from marketing and promotion to program development.
“When we started developing a brand strategy we knew we wanted it to be enhancing rather than limiting,” said Hammer. “We didn’t want to tack on a meaningless tagline or claim an arbitrary niche or demo. I believe we’ve succeeded in developing a campaign that’s organic to USA, something that captures and communicates what the network is about, what lives and breathes on its air.”
“In talking to our viewers and realizing what they loved best about USA, we realized that there was real connective tissue around the concept of strong, relatable characters,” added Chris McCumber, senior vice president, marketing and brand strategy. “‘Characters Welcome’ delivers a clear message that establishes an immediate emotional connection with our audience.”
“The beauty of our new brand is that it truly embraces everything we do,” said Hammer. “Whether it’s an obsessive compulsive detective like Monk, the tormented returnees of the 4400 or a real-life action hero from the WWE, it’s the compelling, sometimes complicated, often funny characters that make USA Network what it is.”
…USA’s website will offer an…extension of its brand message, called “Show Us Your Character.” “We will literally lay out a welcome mat for our audience,” said McCumber…
We agree. USA Network has developed a brand promise that will work at every audience touchpoint, pointing to a unique difference contextualized with emotional immediacy. This promise also offers a clear management focus to the network’s leadership team, guiding content development and audience interaction on every delivery platform.
The new USA Network brand image measures up, achieving audience engagement — a recurring encounter to drive and sustain business growth. They accomplish this in large part by focusing on their audience, rather than themselves.

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