There has been an explosion of innovation for products and businesses since the beginning of the 21st century. With it, there’s been the advent of the internet. You may wonder how any brand gets famous with more places to advertise, more niches to fill, and more selling opportunities.
Some have stuck it out and climbed to the top of their respective industries. Many of them have become a verb, even if different or sometimes better products have come along in their time.
To maximize your own brand’s reach and memorability, we’ll explore three brands that have done it bigger and better than any others and reached the peak of their respective industries, from their humble beginnings to their everyday operations.
1. Google
The undisputed titan of its industry, Google is an undeniable force across many industries and one of the finest examples of “verb brands.” The company has nestled its way into our daily lives and language with finely tuned brand management so that it’s difficult to find any business or person untouched by its massive reach.
It originated as a dorm room company to create a search engine that could utilize links to rank the importance of specific pages residing on the internet. Though other search engines exist and have garnered some acclaim, Google has certainly retained full control over the industry while reaching out to others.
While digital marketing tools such as SEO and paid advertisements predate Google, they revolve around the juggernaut in their modern forms. BRANDefenders, in turn, is closely tied with Google and its search engine services.
When your brand is searched for on Google, the first page of results is a customer’s first impression of you and your services. The search will often yield your website and various reviews and articles from past clients. BRANDefenders is a top brand management company that is skilled at curating Google searches pertaining to your brand to make the best first impression to potential clients.
We do this through various means, from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to Online Reputation Management (ORM), consulting, and more. Many of our clients have been talked about negatively on websites like ripoffreport.com and scambook.com, and news sites of all sizes and those reviews will get picked up on Google searches without directly visiting those sites.
Our team is skilled at removing these harmful reviews from initial searches. In addition to ridding the internet of these slanderous reviews or articles via our legal techniques, we can replace them with truthful and positive articles, which are much more effective than simply creating promotional content.
How your brand utilizes online tools like SEO and paid advertisements will affect what potential clients and customers will see when they Google your brand or a phrase/keyword related to it.
The Google algorithm is constantly evolving, but many of the tactics used to optimize searches for your company remain. ORM is one of our many specialties. Through our service, you’ll find your first impression will always be a positive one.
2. Skype vs. Zoom
This next example highlights the constant battle of two household names, each with their own unique beginnings that have stood the test of time, each supported by a different generation.
Since its inception, Skype has been, like Google, a verb brand. Any time you were going to call someone on a video call in the early 2000s, regardless of the platform, you would call it a “skype call’ or “skyping” someone. The company began in 2003, and by 2005 its userbase numbered 50 million, and by 2010 a whopping 600 million.
You may be hard-pressed to find a Skype application icon on a new desktop now, but that doesn’t mean its software isn’t still making an impact in 2022. Skype was sold first to eBay and then later to Microsoft.
As a free app, Skype, and later Facebook and its Messenger app, became synonymous with communication. From business to staying in touch with international friends or even checking up on family in the next room, Skype solidified itself as one of the household names of the 21st century.
How Zoom Took the Lead
If you ask most children under the age of 15 about Skype, they’ll probably give you a funny look. It’s not until you say the magic word “Zoom” that they’ll realize what you’re talking about. How did the world’s premier communication app lose its footing?
When the historical quarantine early in the Covid pandemic began to stretch from weeks to months to over a year, superior video calling software was desperately needed. Zoom made its debut in 2011 and quickly became a household name through the worst months of the pandemic.
While both products offered the same service (video calls), Zoom overtook its competitor with a few key factors. Both services offer free plans, but Zoom has a range of more in-depth, paid plans.
In this respect, they were able to capitalize on the more complex needs of businesses and individuals alike: meeting participants up to 1,000 (compared to Skype’s 100), max call durations up to 30 hours (6 more than Skype), and a host of unique advantages such as breakout sessions, whiteboards, meeting transcripts, and more on their paid plans.
Maintain Your Brand, Regardless of Scope
Even if Zoom has taken the lead, Skype has remained a viable competitor for several reasons: brand management. While most companies do not compete on the scale that these titans do, you can certainly take away some pointers, like how both companies have maintained their digital reputations.
Employing the experience of BRANDefenders is a surefire way to maintain your brand’s reach. We specialize not only in helping businesses in difficult circumstances such as attacks on their reputation but also in consultations based on brand management and paid ads. Let your loyal customers speak for your company by allowing us to highlight their positive words.
Just because your competitor ranks well with SEO doesn’t mean you can’t as well. Our search engine experts have years of experience helping elevate brands’ stature in the digital ranking system.
3. Uber
If it feels like you’re noticing a pattern with these brands based on their names, you’re absolutely correct. If a brand has turned its name into a replacement verb for everyday activities, you know that you’ve struck gold. No one bats an eye at the use of phrases like “googling,” “zooming,” and now “Ubering,” a huge testament to each company’s expert brand management.
What sets Uber apart from the other brands listed here are the controversies it has overcome to remain at the top of its game. Its business model even includes a ranking system of its drivers and its riders.
Uber rose to prominence by providing a much-needed service that has sought to overcome every obstacle or need that’s come into its path. Its brand name has expanded across the continent and even overseas from its origins in San Francisco.
From a business and social standpoint, it’s been fascinating to see how the business has grown. While the convenience it has provided for most of America is second to none, its controversies on a public and personal level take some research to observe.
Most riders will be familiar with the app’s rating system for all of its partners: after a passenger has been dropped off, the app will prompt you and ask that you provide a rating and the desired tip. This rating averages with dozens of others displayed for any other customer.
Most customers are unaware that they, too, have a rating that can be viewed by drivers who get pinged by their Uber requests. The system has been put in place to keep both parties aware of how the other side will treat them.
While driving services develop more advanced rating systems for drivers and passengers alike, your brand is also subject to rating systems you’re unaware of. BRANDefenders comprises a team who are experts at finding where harmful reports about your brand or company have been posted, ensuring top-of-the-line brand management.
In terms of the driver/passenger relationship, there’s plenty of room for malicious intent to produce a poor review and harm someone’s digital reputation. We pride ourselves on over a decade of weeding out these reports for brands.
With BRANDefenders, you’re not paying for a counter-slander campaign or stamping out legitimate concerns about Google. We offer a professional search for maliciously produced online results and the skills and legal tools to get rid of them.
What Famous Brands Teach Us
Researching the juggernauts of the industry yields a great deal of useful information on how to maintain your own brand. The age of innovation has just begun, and the world’s next super brand could be one name change away from being an overnight success.
Whether you’re a new company learning the ropes or a seasoned veteran looking to maximize your brand’s reach, it’s imperative to focus on your reputation online. You can trust BRANDefenders to keep your brand’s track record straight from SEO management or quelling harmful reviews.