For starters, the proposition part of WeTransfer’s advertising packages: at $120 per year, brands get the opportuntity to launch their own space for efficient transfer of large files, between the brand and their users or users among themselves. Branded Channels are created as a ‘secure’ environment (i.e. using the https:// instead of http:// prefix) and use the brand name as a dedicated machine name (i.e. https://brandnameXYZ.wetransfer.com). Existing examples include those of Ontwerpkantoor and Dinnick & Howels.

Brands have to supply a 1680×1050 pixel background image, from which WeTransfer generates a scalable version for most any screen being used to visit the service. “The confirmation e-mail will stay WeTransfer, but when your clients go to download/upload files they will go to your own WeTransfer Channel and see your own background with the link to your site”, says Elena Kitkevich,
Support Manager at WeTransfer.com.

So why is this relevant for brands?

Being Branded Channels, I had to set up and try for ourselves. Please see the results at https://brandedchannels.wetransfer.com.

From now on, anytime I will have to transfer a video (or any other large file) to a client, I will use this channel to do so. The result is a pleasant surprise for most clients as they will be reminded of my service through the background image displayed when downloading. Clicking anywhere on the image, they will also be transferred to this site.

But does this mean this service could transcend beyond professional services providers? Sure! Imagine a real-estate agent that enables its clients to upload a video, for use on the brand’s YouTube channel… or a travel brand offering a chance to win a free holiday for those that create a winning video.

Just let your imagination run for a while and you’ll come up with more creative ways.

InterbrandFirst, let’s look at the financial institutions:

Rank
2009	2008	Brand		% change
22	15		American Express	-32
32	27		HSBC	-20
36	19		Citi Bank	-49
37	37		JP Morgan	-11
38	38		Goldman Sachs	-10
53	55		Axa	-7
57	42		Morgan Stanley	-26
72	41		UBS	-50
81	82		Allianz	-5
94	100		Visa	-5

Financial Services: integrity as brand differentiator

Never before has the value of brands eroded as fast as it did in 2008-2009. “As a group, financial services brands have lost a third of their value in a matter of months”, writes Interbrand. As can be concluded from the above ranking, UBS (-31 positions), Citi Bank (-17) and Morgan Stanley (-15) suffered the most in Interbrand’s Top 100.

Brands are all about trust, which is was the factor shaken the most as a result of the financial crisis. So what are brands in the financial sector to do to regain consumer trust? “Future financial leaders will still provide the same types of service, but deliver them in a more consistent and thoughtful manner – and always with integrity. This, in the new world, will be the real differentiator”, concludes Interbrand.

Automotive in decline

Along with the financial institutions, the automotive sector is confronted with changing consumer perception – and, ultimately consumer demand. New demand for cars can be summed up as: smaller, greener and more efficient. The days of the gasoline-gulping V8s and V10s are gone, never to return. As the world approaches peak oil, the need for alternative energy sources will continue to grow. Automotive brands have to respond to that new reality – or suffer the consequences. One of those clear victims is Harley Davidson, which saw its brand value plunge by 43%. As a not-so-environmental-friendly brand that relies heavily on its strong heritage, it’s not easy to re-invent. Brands who have established a more innovative image over the years, suffer the least: Hyundai (-5%), Honda (-7%) and Toyota (-8%). Also in ts report, Interbrand included an interesting picture of the demise of the Ford brand since 2000, which indicates that Ford saw its brand value decline from $35 billion to $7 billion.

Media warning: here comes Google

In record time, Google has risen to the top of the Interbrand chart. In 2009, Google now commands a number 7 position, with a brand value increase of 25%. “The common theme is low price and high functionality with added transparency,” Interbrand writes. These should be dire lessons for media companies. Content still is king, but the source of information is rapidly shifting from being centralised (the media) to being decentralised (with the help of all the technology and services Google provides).

Interbrand states: “The media sector landscape is being redefined by non-traditional players, and is facing pressure from all sides. Technology companies such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook are entering the conten creation and delivery arenas and giving users the power to dictate their means of media formation and consumption, threatening to render the old media brands obsolete.”

Source: Interbrand site & magazine