I recently re-watched one of my favorite movies, with the theme God, Family Football. And it made me realize the last word, could be replaced by anything. Work, Friends, Hobbies…it does not matter. As long as God is FIRST, everything will always fall into place!

Anyone who knows me, knows that God is everything to me. He guides me, every single day! And my hope and prayer for you today, is that He guides you and blesses you above anything you could dare or dream to imagine!

I have spent so many years of my life, trying to be a blessing to ANYONE I have met, or come into contact with. My nickname since a child was Sunshine, and that is what I hope to bring anyone in my life — family, friends, co workers, strangers, anyone whom the good Lord sees fit to cross my path.

He has also gifted me with so many creative talents and a passion for all things marketing. If this sounds like someone you want to meet, or work with, to take your project to the next level, just reach out. I promise, I will respond promptly, even if I can’t personally help, I may know someone who can.

Here is my LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneelynnejames/

Here is my YouTube page with many of the videos I wrote, filmed, edited and produced https://www.youtube.com/@reneejames6618

and here is my email: [email protected]

Lastly, I wrote a Christian Album in the 90s, and this is STILL one of my favorite songs! If you are struggling with anything, and just need some hope, please listen! I hope it blesses you, as it still blesses me! ON EAGLES WINGS

I would love to hear from you. And just remember, put God First, and everything will always work out! Here is my blessed family below! My beautiful Mom, Brother, Husband, Daughter, Son and “Other Daughter”.

For many, working from home has always felt like a dream scenario. The thought of working in your pajamas, getting your own coffee in the room next to you, not worrying about anyone stealing any of your food in the fridge?

As many of you are being forced to work remotely due to COVID-19, or maybe you’ve always worked at home, there are some key things that you should do during the day to stay healthy and thrive.

  1. Get comfortable in your new space

Many people will tell you that you need a true, dedicated home office with an expansive desk and multiple computer monitors; but that’s simply not true.

You simply need to create comfortable, dedicated space. This might be a small desk in the corner of your living room, counter space at your kitchen island, or in my case, a converted dining room. I figure with “social distancing”, my formal dining room will NOT get any use; so why not convert it now. The long table is perfect for my 50” monitor, and sub-woofer speakers.

Finally, try to get enough natural light as possible. And, weather permitting, open some windows. Fresh air is very good for you!

  1. Stay Hydrated and Get Up and Sanitize

In in order to prevent mild dehydration, which can be difficult because it’s easy to become absorbed in the work and forget about everything else, don’t put a glass, cup or container of water on your desk. Yep, you heard me.

Instead, set a timer on your phone for every hour. As soon as the alarm goes off, get up, walk to the Kitchen, and get yourself a cold glass of filtered, spring water – 8 oz if you can.

This way, you will get circulation plus hydration!

And while you’re there, wash your hands with soap and water; don’t just use hand sanitizer – as some of them have synthetic elements and alcohol which will dry out your hands if used too much. Plus, recent studies from Cleveland Clinic, have suggested that children never use hand sanitizer with alcohol.

My suggestion? Get a toxic free, healthy hand sanitizer from Healthy Place – leaders in healthy, toxic free, essential oils and other healthy immunity-building products. They are already partnering with some of the biggest corporations in the world – airlines, shipping companies, restaurants, Whole Foods, etc. to provide a healthy way to get rid of germs and microbes.

So, do what they are doing! Make your place…wherever it is …a HEALTHY PLACE!

  1. Have good hygiene, get dressed, and be comfortable.

Studies have shown for years that people who get “dressed up” in business attire, function better, at a higher level, while at the office. This is also true for “workers at home”.

No, you don’t have to wear business casual (unless you want to). But you should at least get out of your sleeping attire. If you need to do a video meeting with anyone, you’ll want to look presentable. So, men, put on a dress shirt and remember to shave; women, put some make-up on and style your hair. Trust me, you will feel more confident, and be much more productive, if you do.

No video meeting? Then just get comfortable – yoga pants, gym shorts, loose-fitting clothing. After all, one of the biggest perks of working from home is being comfortable, so take advantage of it.

  1. Make sure you exercise at some point during the day

Many people typically get up in the wee hours of the morning, before work so they can go to the gym; others like to sleep as late as possible and spend a limited amount of time getting ready for their day.

Working from can change your entire timeline…but it doesn’t need to.

Still get up at that same time and do your workout in the morning. Or, if you like afternoon breaks, take 30 minutes then. If you love to work out at night, do that.

Now, you may not be able to go to your gym, but there are many things you can do at home to work out with or without Gym Equipment.

Ever heard of Charles Atlas and Isometrics workouts? Isometric exercises are long, slow hold contractions of a particular muscle or group of muscles. During isometric exercises, the muscle doesn’t noticeably change length and the affected joint doesn’t move. Isometric exercises help maintain strength. They can also build strength, but not effectively.

Isometric exercises may be helpful to you if you have an injury, arthritis, or other conditions which could be aggravated by using muscles to move a joint through the full range of motion.

Studies have shown that isometric exercises may also help lower your blood pressure. However, if you have high blood pressure, exercise at a lower level of intensity. Exercising at a higher level of intensity can cause a dramatic increase in your blood pressure during the activity.

So, get moving…slowly…. and concentrate! You’ll see a difference.

And for extra immunity building and recovery, think about using a diffuser in the room you are working and working out, and use peppermint essential oil and lavender to relax and restore! Got to Healthyplacebotanicals.com for more immunity-boosting products and tips!

  1. Stay connected and Have the right technology

There are SOOOO many tools for remote project management; Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Google Hangouts, What’s App, Trello, etc. If your team doesn’t use telecommuting tools already, suggest setting some of these channels to help everyone stay connected.

Oh yeah, there is also this thing called the phone. It’s not just for texting as millennial and Generation Z’ers think it’s for. You can actually call, or video chat, and yes, even use social apps to stay connected.

You might also suggest holding daily or weekly morning video huddles; since you’re not physically sitting with your teammates, it’s important to still get face-to-face time. A morning or weekly video check-in will help ensure everyone’s on the same page and staying productive.

And remember, it’s important to have reliable technology, and a back-up plan if needed. Say your internet goes down. You need to be able to use your phone as a hot spot to connect your laptop if necessary.

Or, if your wireless is too slow, and you can’t afford to upgrade, you can use an Ethernet cable (a what???). Yes, a cable to connect your computer to your modem. You might actually realize this is the fastest connection you’ve ever had

In closing, make sure you do one more thing while working from home.

Don’t work too many hours and miss the beautiful time you can easily ‘fit’ in with your family and children. Read a book to them; do an arts and craft; play video games; challenge them to “Just Dance” on the Wii.

If you’re taking a break, set up a “Do Not Disturb” setting on slack; or update your outlook with an auto-responder. Take it from me; working from home is a huge lifestyle adjustment. It might not be as easy as you thought. That’s why it’s important to set up some simple daily guidelines in the beginning to establish a new routine and figure out what works best for you. Then, continue to make adjustments as you see what works best.

Remember, the key to working from home is to fine-tune the right balance between “work” and “home”. I hope these suggestions work well for you!

Stay healthy and well!

Brand equity refers to the importance of a brand in the customer’s eyes, while brand value is the financial significance the brand carries. Both brand equity and brand value are educated estimates of how much a brand is worth.

What’s the Difference Between Brand Equity & Brand Value?

Brand equity and brand value are similar, but not the same. Oftentimes, there is confusion around how each differs so let’s look at exactly what each means:

Brand Equity

Brand equity is a set of assets or liabilities in the form of brand visibility, brand associations and customer loyalty that add or subtract from value of a current or potential product or service driven by the brand. It is a key construct in the management of not only marketing, but also business strategy.

In the late 1980s, brand equity helped create and support the explosive idea that brands are assets that drive business performance over time. That idea altered perceptions of what marketing does, who does it, and what role it plays in business strategy.

Brand equity also altered the perception of brand value by demonstrating that a brand is not only a tactical aid to generate short-term sales, but also a strategic support to a business strategy that will add long-term value to the organization.

Brand Value

Brand value, on the other hand, is the financial worth of the brand. To determine brand value, businesses need to estimate how much the brand is worth in the market – in other words, how much would someone purchasing the brand pay?

It is important to note that a positive brand value does not automatically equal positive brand equity.

How Should Brand Equity & Brand Value Be Measured?

While measuring brand value is fairly straightforward, the process for brand equity is not quite so simple. Brand equity is a set of assets or liabilities in the form of brand visibility, brand associations and customer loyalty that add or subtract from value of a current or potential product or service driven by the brand. Here we’ll dive into each.

Brand Visibility

This means that the brand has awareness and credibility with respect to a particular customer need—it is relevant. If a customer is searching for a buying option and the brand does not come to mind, or if there is some reason that the brand is perceived to be unable to deliver adequately, the brand will not be relevant and not be considered.

Brand Associations

Brand associations involve anything that created a positive or negative relationship with or feelings toward the brand. It can be based on functional benefits but also a brand personality, organizational values, self-expressive benefits, emotional benefits or social benefits.

Customer Loyalty

Customer’s loyalty provides a flow of business for current and potential products from customers that believe in the value of the brand’s offerings and will not spend time evaluating options with lower prices. The inclusion of loyalty in the conceptualization of brand equity allows marketers to justify giving loyalty priority in the brand building budget.

Driving Brand Value in the Short Term

The value of a brand represents its impact on the short-run and long-run flow of profits that it can generate. With respect to short-term profitability, the problem is that programs that are very good at driving short-run products – like price promotions – can damage brands.

Looking at the ways a brand can help drive short-term financial performance can help mitigate this tendency:

  • Brand Loyalty

    • Reduced Marketing Costs
    • Trade Leverage
    • Attracting New Customers via Awareness & Reassurance
    • Time to Respond to Competitive Threats

  • Brand Visibility

    • Anchor to Which Other Associations Can Be Attached
    • Familiarity Which Leads to Liking
    • Visibility That Helps Gain Consideration
    • Signal of Substance/Commitment

  • Brand Associations

    • Helps Communicate Information
    • Differentiate/Position
    • Reason-to-Buy
    • Create Positive Attitude/Feelings
    • Basis for Extensions

Improving Brand Value in the Long-Run

One of the ongoing challenges of brand equity proponents is to demonstrate that there is long-term value in creating brand equity. The basic problems are that brand is only one driver of profits, completive actions intervene, and strategic decisions cannot wait for years.

There are, however, some perspectives that can be employed to understand and measure the long-term value of brand equity:

Brand Value Approach #1: Estimate the Brand’s Role in Business

One approach is to estimate the brand’s role in a business. The value of a business in a product-market such as the Ford Fiesta in the UK market is estimated based on discounting future earnings. The tangible and intangible assets are identified and the relative role of the brand is subjectively estimated by a group of knowledgeable people, taking into account the business model and any information about the brand in terms of its relative visibility, associations and customer loyalty.

The value of the brand is then aggregated over products and markets countries to determine a value for brand.  It can range from 10 percent for B2B brands to over 60 percent for brands like Jack Daniel’s or Coca-Cola.

Brand Value Approach #2: Observe Investments in Brand Equity

A second approach is to observe that, on average, investments in brand equity increase stock return, the ultimate measure of a long-term return on assets. Evidence comes from a series of studies I conducted with Professor Robert Jacobson of the University of Washington, using time series data which included information on accounting-based return-on-investment (ROI) and models that sorted out the direction of causation.

The consistent finding was that the impact of increasing brand equity on stock return was nearly as great as that of an ROI change, about 70 percent as much. In contrast, advertising, also tested, had no impact on stock return except that which was captured by brand equity.

Brand Value Approach #3: Reflect on Other Valuable Brands

A third approach is to look at case studies of brands that have created enormous value. Consider, for example, the power of the Apple personality and innovation reputation, BMW’s self-expressive benefits connected to the “ultimate driving machine,” and the ability of Whole Foods Market brand to define an entire subcategory.

Or, the fact that from 1989 to 1997 two cars were made in the same plant using the same design and materials and marketing under two brand names, Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet (GEO) Prism. The Corolla brand was priced 10% higher, had less depreciation over time, and had sales many times more that the Prizm. And consumers and experts both gave it higher ratings. The same car! Only the brand was different.

Brand Value Approach #4: Consider the Conceptual Model

It’s important to consider to consider the conceptual model surrounding a business strategy. What is the business strategy? What is the strategic role of the brand in supporting that strategy? How critical is it? Is price competition the alternative to creating and leveraging brand equity? What impact will that have on profit streams going forward? Management guru Tom Peters said it well:

“In an increasingly crowded marketplace, fools will compete on price. Winners will find a way to create lasting value in the customer’s mind.”

Final Thoughts

Brand equity continues to be a driver of much of marketing, indeed business strategy. For it to work, it needs to be understood conceptually and operationally. And it is important that it be tied to brand value in credible ways.

Discover how Prophet helps companies establish a brand strategy that drives business growth.