. What qualities, values, and experiences are you offering your customers? In order for your branding to seem authentic and be effective, you need to project a truthful image of what your company strives to provide. Before you can do that, it's important to articulate your company's mission so that you're clear on what sets you apart from the pack. Think about the following questions: Why did you start this business? What goals do you want to achieve? Who are the people you want to help? What makes your company different from others in your field? Aim for your customers to think of your brand almost like a living, breathing person they can trust. They need to know that your product or service is the one they should turn to when faced with a dozen choices in the grocery aisle or a long list of names in the phone book. Taking your mission into account, decide what type of attitude you want to project. What spin are you going to put on your mission? Maybe you want your product to be seen as the ticket to an adventure or a brand new life or a second chance at youth. This approach is often taken by upscale food companies that sell products like goji berry juice or sprouted grain granola bars. Maybe you want to present your brand as smart and cutting edge. Being seen with your product will make customers feel cool, like they're in a special club. Brands like Urban Outfitters and Apple take this approach. Another approach would be offering your customers a reliable, completely trustworthy option that will never let them down. This is a good approach if you're selling a product that should never malfunction, like tires, or if you're building a brand for your law practice. You could also rely on nostalgia to build your brand. People feel connected to things that remind them of childhood and carefree times. When you buy a product, why do you buy it? What makes you choose a particular brand? See if you can use your answer to help you figure out how your own brand will come across. Find out what your customers are longing to feel and make your brand help them feel that way. Do they want to feel powerful? Responsible? Conscientious? Smart? Unique? Your brand needs to evoke this feeling with all of its copy, marketing, and design. Cue these feelings not only with language, but with colors and product design as well. Choose a catchphrase or slogan and some keywords that you want to be associated with your brand. The words should be closely aligned with your mission statement, and memorable enough for people to repeat to each other and recognize next time they read them. Use your brand language not only in the copy of your products and advertising, but also when you discuss your business and make contacts in person. Keep your text as streamlined and basic as you can, because it will be more memorable that way. A good example of this was the tagline Apple was using for much of the '90's and into the 2000s: "Think Different". This worked on multiple levels, because it painted the brand as smart and unique, and the concept was easily slipped into discussions and other branding platforms. Two words: ingeniously effective branding. All copy associated with your brand, including what appears on your product's label, on your website, and in advertising materials, should match the tone you're trying to project. For example, your company is meant to be seen as trustworthy and comfortably old-fashioned, use slightly formal language that will make your customers feel that the people who run your business are as dependable as their third-grade teacher. Your brand needs a look that's in keeping with the tone of your brand mission and language. Are you modern and sleek? Fun and colorful? Traditional and classic? This look should be synchronized across all of your media (brochures, website, product, offices, etc.). Design a great logo. Your logo will also be used to help embed your brand in your customer's mind. When someone sees a check mark, they think Nike, even if there is no other branding. Your logo must be well designed (so hire a professional) and you should use it frequently and place it prominently. Choose the colors that will represent your brand. These colors will be used as often as possible on promotional materials to help evoke your brand. Examples include McDonald's gold and red, Google's red, yellow, green, and blue, or wikiHow's green and white. Remember to keep things simple. You want your branding to be easily recognized and quickly remembered. The best way to do this is to be unique but also to be simple. You might want to get legal protection for your visual branding and any distinctive phrases you use to describe your business or your offer. Communicate the importance of your brand to your employees and explain why and how you arrived at the brand identity you are promoting. You will need their support for your new branding to be effective. Remember that everything your business does is linked to your brand in the eyes of the customer. This includes the way your employees dress and behave. Your employees will have their own idea of what your business stands for and whether it is delivering on its promises, and they'll provide invaluable insights along the way. Ask your employees how they believe your product is being received on the market, and don't discount their opinions.
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One-sentence summary -- Pinpoint your mission Decide how you want to be seen. Think like a customer. Refine your brand language. Choose a design scheme. Involve your employees.

In the example above, we found the average MU for several goods being consumed. This is one valid way to use MU. However, it's actually more often applied to individual units of goods consumed. This gives us the precise MU for each additional good (not an average value). Finding this is easier than it sounds. Just use the normal equation to find the MU when the change in quantity of goods consumed is one. In the example situation, you already know the MUs for each individual unit. When you haven't had any fish, the MU of the first fish is $8 ($8 of total utility - the $0 you had before/change of 1 unit), the MU of the second fish is $6 ($14 of total utility - the $8 you had before/change of 1 unit), and so on. In economic theory, consumers make decisions about how to spend their money in an effort to maximize their utility. In other words, consumers want to get as much satisfaction as possible for their money. This means that consumers will tend to buy products or goods until the marginal utility of buying one more good is smaller than the marginal cost (the price of one more unit). Let's look at the example situation one more time. First we said that each fish costs $2. Then we determined that the first fish has an MU of $8, the second has an MU of $6, the third has an MU of $3, and the fourth has an MU of $1. Given this information, you wouldn't actually end up buying the fourth fish. Its marginal utility ($1) is less than its marginal cost ($2). Basically, you're losing utility on this transaction, so it's not in your favor.)
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One-sentence summary -- Use the equation to find the MU for each additional unit. Use the equation to maximize your utility. Determine lost utility.

Before you start preparing your lights for storage, count how many strands you have. Recording the number will help you know how many hangers to buy later. Unplug any strands that have been plugged together, as Christmas lights are best stored singularly to prevent tangles. There's no point in storing a tangled mass of lights on coat hangers. The entire purpose of the coat hangers is to keep the strands separate. Locate the plug and use it as a guide while you untangle the lights. Work the plug in and out of the knots until you've detangled the entire strand. Be gentle with your lights as you untangle to avoid damaging them or worsening any knots. Separate untangled strands from tangled ones as you work. There's no point in storing burned-out lights. Make sure each one works by briefly plugging them into the wall. Fix or throw away broken Christmas lights, depending on your time commitment. Dirty or dusty Christmas lights will not only detract from the holiday spirit next year but also contaminate other strands. Wipe down dirty lights with a slightly damp washcloth, then use a dry rag to remove excess moisture. Pay special attention to lights that hung outdoors. Never submerge Christmas lights in water unless you have purchased waterproof lights.
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One-sentence summary --
Take inventory of your lights. Untangle the strands. Test the untangled light strands. Clean your Christmas lights.