Today we meet with many hopeful startups with fantastic ideas. They are often inventors who believe that the invention itself will bring them success. Somehow they think their idea is so disruptive, so innovative, and so desirable that the world will beat a path to their door. They tend to look for investment just to … [Read more...]
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The Catholic Brand of Ecology
THE POPE WITH HOPE
Pope Francis made headlines with his encyclical on the climate last week. It’s official! This is the first time a major religion took a public position on climate change, its causes, and what we can do about it. The Catholic religion is the largest religion with a single leader and spokesperson. You could say it’s one of … [Read more...]
VinoPro Reinvents Itself and the Wine Sales Business in the Process
THE BRAND BEHIND THE BRANDS
For the second year in a row, our client VinoPro again made the Inc. 500 list, showing 190% growth over last year. In 2013, they hit the ultra-prestigious Inc.500 list where they ranked No. 238 with a whopping 1,810% growth. Now, that is something to cheer about! But, like many startups, they had to make major changes … [Read more...]
Facebook Reneges on Its Brand Promise
“YOU REACHED 9 PEOPLE”
Without notice to its subscribers, Facebook suddenly changed its algorithms, essentially reneging on its basic brand promise. Remember, the brand promise is not so much what is made by the brand owners as it is the expectations of the brand’s customers, what they have come to believe about the brand, and what it stands for … [Read more...]
The WNBA Brand Stays Relevant by Including LGBT
SALES TRUMP CONTROVERSY
For us, it was no surprise that the Woman’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) finally decided that it was time to publically embrace the LGBT community. They were under mounting financial and popular pressure to do so. After all, they have to sell tickets. In 2012 the WNBA commissioned a study that found that 25% of … [Read more...]
Starbucks’ Decision to Scrap Cup Recycling Tarnishes a Progressive Brand Image
IS IT TOO COSTLY TO BE THE GOOD GUY?
Starbucks serves 4 billion disposable cups a year to eco-conscious patrons. So in 2008, in order to improve their brand image, they announced that all company-operated stores would offer recycling by 2015. But in its 2013 Global Responsibility Report (out just in time for Earth Day), Starbucks announced that it was not … [Read more...]
Crystal Ball Says: Mobile Payments Are Taking Over in 2014
READY TO JOIN THE FUTURE YET?
Mobile payments are exploding in growth and popularity, and plenty of evidence supports this claim. The NBA's Sacramento Kings, for example, will begin accepting Bitcoin, an exclusively digital currency, as a payment method starting March 1, 2014. A state of the industry report released by Mobile Payments Today, indicates … [Read more...]
Black Friday Exceeds its Brand Width
MORE IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER
This year, many people were shocked at the incursion of Black Friday sales into Thanksgiving Day itself. They thought the Thanksgiving holiday should remain a time for family and friends to gather together to share appreciation and gratitude, but not for shopping. Nevertheless, the big box stores, in their ever-increasing … [Read more...]
The C-E-O Helps Students Build and Harvest Their Brands
WE DID IT – YOU CAN DO IT!
The vision of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (C-E-O) is “to change the world through allowing and supporting college students to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.” With over 240 chapters at colleges in more than 43 states, the C-E-O has become the go-to organization for the next generation of brand … [Read more...]
7 Leadership Qualities Essential to Brand Success
IT ALL STARTS AT THE TOP
We were recently asked by the President of a Fortune 500 company what we thought it meant to be a CEO. “Leadership,” we responded almost simultaneously. What does leadership really mean in terms of brand success, innovation, growth, and integrity? Certainly there are the obvious qualifying requirements for the job: … [Read more...]
Why Real-Time Face-to-Face Communication is Essential to Sales
PASSION AND STORY TRUMP FEATURES AND BENEFITS
People buy with their heart and justify with their brain. If you believe that, as we do, you must be sincerely excited about what it is you are selling. Sure, you can get excited about the features and benefits, but what captures people's attention is your enthusiasm for how it solves their problem and the brand story you … [Read more...]
Seize the Moment to Build your Brand!
ON-TIME TRUMPS 'PERFECT'
For new brands, seizing an opportunity when it presents itself is key to success. One of the big advantages small start-ups have over their big, corporate counterparts is their ability to quickly take advantage of openings in the market and time-sensitive circumstances. We have found that it’s better to make a move when … [Read more...]
Successful Branding Requires a Comprehensive Plan
ONLY AS STRONG AS ITS WEAKEST LINK
When you are branding, be thoughtful, thorough, and multi-faceted. Look at your branding from all sides. Think of all the different ways it will be used, viewed and maybe, booed! Don’t leave anything out because whatever is missing will stick out like a sore thumb. And it will open the door for a competitor with a more … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Train your Customer Service Representative and Save Your Brand – Part 1
COMPLAINTS ARE GOLD - IF YOU KNOW HOW TO MINE THEM
Customer service trumps marketing when it comes to brand building. Your brand’s reputation is on the line when unhappy customers contact you. In their minds, the way your customer service people treat them will be the real test of the brand’s promise. We’ve heard that less than 10% of unsatisfied customers take the time … [Read more...]
6 Elements of Brand Success
A CASE STUDY: A TOAST TO A GREAT PRODUCT
Martinelli’s Gold Medal Non-alcoholic Sparkling Apple Cider is a classic example of successful seasonal branding. Billing itself as the perfect alternative to alcohol, this sparkling beverage has defined and dominated its market category, making it a fitting brand success story to study for the New Year. Although … [Read more...]
4th Quarter Consumer Spending Predicts the New Year’s Economy
DON’T SPOOK THE CUSTOMER!
Whether we call it the fourth quarter, OND (October, November, December) or the holiday shopping season, current consumer spending actually trumps all other indicators for the future of the economy. When holiday sales are down, we repeatedly see a year with slower growth. When holiday sales are up, the economy grows … [Read more...]
Build your Brand with Charity and Thoughtfulness
DOGS ARE DISASTER VICTIMS, TOO!
Rachel Ray, the CBS TV personality and Emmy-winning chef, has donated 4 tons of her Nutrish brand of wet and dry dog food to the canine victims of Hurricane Sandy. She believes she should give back in the same way as she makes a living. Everybody who makes a product or offers a service needed by the victims can learn … [Read more...]
Joining Forces with Cause Marketing Forum
We developed what we called “Worthy Cause Marketing” growing the Barefoot Wine brand. Our lack of funds forced us to be creative, and in the process, we discovered a way to get the word out on Barefoot Wines and make the world a better place at the same time. Cause Marketing Forum is the country’s leading advocacy group … [Read more...]
Corporate Branding Captures a Company’s Persona
FOUR REQUIREMENTS OF CORPORATE BRANDING
Corporate branding is so much more than a cute logo. When done well, corporate branding encapsulates the whole personality of the corporation and indelibly imprints that image into the minds of the general public. Corporate branding is a process – a step-by-step discovery of what is possible in a world of all possible … [Read more...]
Your Brand is an Icon If …
3 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOUR BRAND IS AN ICON, AND HOW TO MAKE IT ONE
There are lots of icons in our world today. We find them on our desktops, in our favorite YouTube videos, and in the marketplace. Icons are usually something, be it a person, object, or character. Icons represent defining characteristics of our culture and our world. The word icon comes from the word iconoclasts. … [Read more...]