Corporate Branding
How Wells Fargo Lost Its Brand
Wells Fargo had an amazing reputation prior to the disaster that took down the CEO last summer. It was the friendly stagecoach bank with a historic legacy dating back to 1852. It was the main street bank with friendly service and great folks on the phone always there to help. Conservative loan practices protected Wells…
Read MoreWhat Donald Trump Can Teach Us about Branding and Marketing
The Not-A-Politician Brand So roughly a year ago, a bunch of friends and I could do nothing but make jokes about Donald Trump running for president. It seemed so silly! This self-promoter from The Apprentice who takes pride in saying he’s rich (very rich), who questioned Obama’s birthplace—he thinks he can run for president? Yes.…
Read MoreWhy the Shake Shack brand isn’t Shaking it
HELLO Shake Shack was a really cool place. A few years ago I went to one in New York with my kid Zachary. It had reinvented the burger experience around a simple menu–well prepared food with higher quality ingredients–and they had beer and wine, which beckoned to parents like me. The developers of the concept had it down and expanded all…
Read MoreOwning the outdoors – How REI’s brand was redefined by closing on Black Friday
REI’s decision to close on Black Friday this year was a revolutionary and actually anti-retail idea – don’t go shopping the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday: go outdoors, do something with your friends and family. This move was so dramatic the CEO wasn’t quite sure about it at first. But think about it. What…
Read MoreAsk a 10-year-old what your brand is about
I was driving my 10 year old son to school one day when he piped up and said that MacDonalds was a company that sold crappy food that made people unhealthy. I asked him why. He said that’s what everyone at school says—his friends, teachers, everybody. You see, we don’t go to MacDonalds, but he still has…
Read MoreCustomers’ values: the new branding tool
You may be paying more but look at all these cool things Whole Foods is supporting! You get the feeling that the extra amount you may be spending is going to something worthy and good, something that you may be connected to or are committed to and is a part of your local community.
Read MoreBreaking Bad: A real brand story about a pretend Albuquerque
Folks want the tangible experience of place combined with their emotional connection to the show brought to life for them.
Read MoreCollege brands – What’s in a name? Everything
Would you rather go to Contra Costa Community College or Contra Costa College? How about Vista Community College or Berkeley City College? Building a brand derives from understanding how names are perceived and what meaning is attached to them. And over time, this changes for the market and your target audience. The evolution of community…
Read MoreHow can nonprofit brands focus on real value?
Building clarity into a nonprofit’s communications of focus and commitment is critical in this new climate of increased expectations of real results. Everyone wants to know how to make a difference. How can your brand help? What’s the value you really bring?
Read MoreBarnes & Noble: retail store or Nook?– the value of location
why not focus on the bookstores? What else that’s totally unique does Barnes & Noble really have? With over 5,000 retail environments they can and should reinvent themselves into more that a bookstore.
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