I recently made some changes to my iGoogle page and realized that most of the gadgets are blog feeds. Blogs have become my primary source of information, both professionally and personally. They have also been the inspiration and motivation for starting my own brand management and marketing blog, BrandUniq.

Of course I have my favorite marketing blogs that I read frequently. They help me stay updated on the current industry news and debates and provide valuable advice for the everyday task of managing brands. Today I am happy to share my favourite blogs with you (in no particular order):

Tavovalencia.com is a marketing manager’s blog featuring traditional marketing know-how used today, current industry news and a complete toolbox on strategy, creativity and leadership. The blog is managed by Gustavo Valencia, an experienced brand manager in the CPG industry from Spain. Gustavo does a great job at updating the blog regularly, which makes it even more interesting. What I really like about this blog is the real-life marketing advice and plain language used to describe the issues marketers face.

Al Ries’ Blog in Advertising Age . Al Ries and Jack Trout  pioneered the concept of “brand positioning” in the famous book “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind”. He is also the author of many Marketing books that have become classics, including “The Fall of Advertising and Rise of PR”, “The Origin of Brands” and many others. His articles are a must read for any marketer who wants to learn more about brand positioning, slogans, naming and developing an effective brand strategy. I use his valuable advice in most of my branding projects.

Ries’ Pieces is the blog managed by Al’s daughter Laura. Just like her famous father she is also a marketing consultant, author and public speaker. She only posts when she has something to say, which makes her articles very insightful and opinionated.

The Steven Howard Marketing Blog is a more recent addition to my list. Steve is an International Marketing Consultant with a career spanning over 29 years and two continents: Australia and Asia. In his blog Steven writes about marketing, customer retention, branding, corporate image, and green marketing based on his philosophy “if it touches the customer, it’s a marketing issue.”™. A truly interesting read. 

Brand Strategy Insider is a blog run by The Blake Project, a brand consulting firm that helps companies with their brand strategy. BSI is the first brand blog I started reading frequently and still do. Aside from practical marketing advice this blog provides a “Marketers Seeking Employement” section, which allows marketing professionals looking for new career opportunities to post their resume online.

Branding & Marketing is targeting marketing professionals who have an interest in learning and keeping up with branding strategy, marketing tactics and building community on the internet. The editor, Chris Brown, is the founder and owner of Marketing Resources & Results, and publishes on the blog two to three times a week. Typically Branding & Marketing averages 2.5 comments per post and has over 10,000 subscribers and 1,000 posts. Definitively a popular blog and a very useful resource.

I would be happy to add new RSS feeds to my collection. Feel free to recommend Marketing blogs you subscribe to by leaving a comment on this blog.

If you enjoyed this article I invite you to subscribe to this blog by e-mail or RSS feed and be the first to receive the latest articles on Marketing and Brand Management issues.