Re-branding

by Dennis Howlett on August 13, 2006

888888909I’ve known for a long time that AccMan Pro as a brand sucks. At the time it was the best I could manage from the available 3 brain cells operating in this clapped out brain.

In the alternative, many people refer to this site by my name. Hey, I’ve never pretended to understand these marketing nuances.

Aaaaanyway, this weekend I enlisted the help of my one time sparring partner and otherwise smart guy Hugh MacLeod (I got the 16 ounce gloves, he supplies the refreshments) to get the site branding thing sorted out. This is what he came up with. What do readers think?

If it works for you then it goes up.

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  • Ok - I give up - the jury's spoken. I'll see if Hugh's up for a couple of tweaks as suggested by Jeremy and then if it looks OK, maybe logo the site.

    Just as well I didn't go with 'Den's Unhinged Mind' - but then plenty of people know that's myu subtext anyway :P)
  • I can see a gapingvoid cartoon of the 'Accman' in sunglasses, with the emphasis on 'Pro'...

    Stick with what is obviously working Den - if you can't get a graphic or brand image to match, don't fix what isn't broke.

    Just look at the comments thread above...
  • Stick with what you have - I like the idea of it been used as a strap line.
  • Dennis

    It will make you look like a crank, dipslaying mid life angst, if you use it.

    It bears no relation to the content of the site as far as I can see

    Ken
  • Perhaps we can approach this from another angle. With a MBA/management consultancy hat:

    1. How do you see your blog in 3 to 5 years time?
    2. Do you see guest bloggers posting articles?
    3. Do you see creation of other services around AccMan Pro brand, or will the brand be simply limited to this blog?
    4. Is there potential to earn revenues other than from sponsorship and google ads? Flogging merchandise come to mind
    5. Is your readership confused with the intention of the blog? I am not an accountant, but your strap line suggests this blog is for accountants

    etc etc

    Regards
    Manoj
  • I agree with the many people that suggest changing AccMan Pro would lose the existing brand recognition you've built up. I'd incorporate Hugh's cartoon and the joke of "unbalanced view" (which I like a lot, and should appeal to many accountants) in to a new strap line for the site.
  • Nope. All your views are balanced.Stick with what you've got.
  • I think the answer is simple. Ask your audience how they introduce your blog to others!

    I always introduce your blog as Dennis Howlett's blog. The reason is Dennis Howlett brand is bigger than Accman Pro, and it is easier to introduce a person by his name than using a name that does not mean much to a first timer.

    Who is your audience? Do you have enough data to segment and analyse? Perhaps ask audience to fill a questionnaire. Use surveymonkey.com (it has a free version)

    Best regards
    Manoj
  • Kevin
    If you read Scoble's "Naked Conversations", I think he would argue to re-think your question. If you asked yourself, or better yet your readers, how did you find me, what did you type into google to find my blog (if that's indeed how it was found), I think you'd arrive at an answer.

    Now perhaps the answer would be the 'tag' or sub-line below the actual title, I'm not sure. But I would think you'd want accounting, professional, and a couple other words that people would type into a seach engine.

    Just my two cents, and I found you through Gaping Void, so what do I know.
  • er...I've actually grown fond of Acc ManPro..but then I'm not an accountant!
  • Yeah I would stick with AccMan Pro as the name (I would kill for the name recognition you have built up!), but you could incorporate the screaming cartoon man into a rebranding of sorts.
  • Accmanpro serves your accounting readership well, so I'd be cautious about changing it. You all have enterprisey, which is a super name, sometimes I'm not sure what your goals are with that blog in comparison..

    Maybe try unbalanced view as another blog? if it is a play on balance sheet then it is a bit subtle...i#'m also not sure that your views are that unbalanced..


    Keep writing and we will keep reading.
  • Depends what you're trying to achieve.

    If you want to appear unbalanced or warped or distorted, the first word is fine.

    Nothing wrong with 'view'

    Where's the focus? Would anyone seeing "unbalanced view" know that this site is for accountants? Or wouldn't it matter?

    Having said all that, gapingvoid works for Hugh. And what's that got to do with anything.

    If AccManPro is getting you traffic, loyalty etc why change?
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