nooks and niches

I know I'm repeating myself but please check out the contest we have going on right now.

Okay, so I know you have all probably heard about the nook by now, but I just have to say that I think the thing is AWESOME (though I don't have it yet, available for pre-order only right now). It is an eBook that has wireless built in, touchscreen, an mp3 player, with a memory card it holds up to 17,500 books, it lets you preview books before buying, lets you read books on your compatible phones, lets you lend the book to a friend for 14 days, you can also read books for free at any Barnes and Noble, load and read PDFs. It lets you take notes, highlight passages, bookmark, store photos, read for up to 10 days without charging, and has a built-in dictionary. What else needs to be said?

Amazon Kindle here. I'm just a bit jealous. I feel like people are going to start buying the nook instead of me and that Barnes and Noble really will succeed in their plan to take over the world. This is not good.

Okay sorry. Had to get that out. Though I've long loved the Kindle, I may be moving on.

On to Marketing & Branding Thursday:

What is your branding statement?
Branding is making yourself known for what you do, above others who do similar things. A branding statement (or your tag line, slogan etc.) is most effective when focused on the benefit to the consumer, not focused on you. Example: let us say I am a graphic artist. The slogan "artist extraordinaire, graphics with flare" is less effective than "art that moves you". "Graphics leader" is less effective than "art for your heart" or some such thing. You get my point. When people point out that they are the "best" or "No. 1" in their slogan it begs the question, "as compared to who?" or "who says?". When you appeal to the emotion or curiosity of your intended audience, you will go much farther.

That being said, what is your branding statement? Okay, now I need to go change mine.
image: www.barnesandnoble.com