A couple Z2 staffers had the opportunity to spend time at the impressive World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas earlier this week with one of our newer clients, Putzmeister America… and it was a blast.

Over the past few months, we have worked on many projects for the show, including the booth itself, brochures, product videos, press kits, sales sheets, and much more. It was great to see it all come together, and to help Putzmeister stand out at the event. A special thanks to the Z2 staff for the hard work that went into the show, and to our client for a valuable new partnership.

By now, you’ve probably at least seen the new Facebook Timeline layout. (Maybe you even recall getting a sneak preview of it a few months back in a blog post by Pete.) I recently switched over to the new layout myself. Personally, I find it a little less user-friendly, but maybe that’s because I’m still getting used to it.

To my point… I just came across the first example I’ve seen of a business/organization using Facebook Timeline for marketing purposes. The Israel Anti-Drug Authority created a fictional profile of a guy that depicts what a year of his life would look like while using drug, versus a year of clean living. That was the concept at least, however, it really only goes back to Dec. 1, 2011. Although the execution fell flat, especially on the druggie side, which turned out a little cliché, the idea behind using the timeline in this way is creative.

This got me thinking about the potential uses for Facebook Timeline in terms of marketing and branding. The platform would be great for showing a company’s history, product innovations, major events, etc. Although Facebook has not revealed details on Timeline for brands just yet, I’m guessing it will follow this initial rollout for individuals. In the meantime, it’s exciting to imagine the possibilities.

Kelloggs recently said that they are considering burning their logo into corn flakes with a laser. (Talk about branding!) One of their representatives had this to say: “We’ve established that it is possible to apply a logo or image onto food.”

It’s true! In fact, look at this chocolate bar…

Chocolate is a little easier to get your name on, as molds are used instead of lasers. Lasers tend to melt chocolate. Sure, you can blast a laser at any piece of food, but I don’t want to get too deep into laser etching food right now…

Hey look, even our friends at Roundy’s have their name on their chocolate bars… which are the generic equivalent of a Hershey bar.

The idea behind Kelloggs “branding” some of the flakes in each box is to ensure that you’re getting genuine Kelloggs brand Corn Flakes™ and to let you know that some knock-off brand is just that, a cheap knock-off of the original.

So where will the future of branded food take us? I’ve got my own ideas (and I’ve done a few experiments) but I’d love to hear what others think.

Ask 10 people around you to name a brand. I’m sure you will get answers like Coke, Levi’s and Starbucks, or even Fender and Apple.

But brands can be as simple as, well, you.  You are a brand. I am a brand. We have a personality and life experience and other things that people think of when they hear our name.  Some people will think good things and others, I’m sure, not so good. It’s your job to “brand” yourself. If you want people to like you, then you brand yourself in a certain light. Simple?

So, to answer the “simple question” is actually… simple.  Brands need to communicate.  Pure and simple, you need to communicate your personality, a feeling, a quality, in a simple, believable way. Stepping back and understanding the core behind the brand is sometimes the hardest thing to do. It’s subconscious.

Look at those brands I listed above again and compare them to you. When you think of them you might see a logo or a cup or even a guitar shape in your head, but subconsciously you think of what is behind it. A great taste, a feeling or an experience that you can’t put into words. When I think of my best friend there is no logo in my head, but a simple feeling. If I made a tagline for my best friend it might be: “Trusted. Loved and Respected.” Hell, my best friend doesn’t have a logo, brochure or even a website. That’s good branding of a brand.

So next time someone asks you to name five brands… put you on the list.