Current Affairs
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 MorePeddlers at the door – why I hate repeat Internet ads
Time for a rant. Why does it seem like everyone’s following me? Because Internet ads are following me. Is it more important to build sales volume by knowing who I am than caring about who I am? The insane persistence of Internet ads following me is like going to the store, spending an extra minute reading…
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 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 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 MoreGreat Britain’s Downtowns and the Death of High Streets: some tips from America
Creating a city brand is what it’s all about. If these magnificent older cities and towns dig into their historic past there are many assets they can play with as did American towns, in recreating their value to their community. Now’s the time to rebuild and revaluate what that can be.
Read MoreBIG DATA – it’s where the real value is for brands
Businesses, governments, even you and me have so much data—how the heck do we keep track of our exploding world? It’s like suddenly having the Library of Congress in your bedroom: what good is it if you can’t even figure out how to find anything?
Read MoreChanging the way we think: Steve Jobs 1956-2011
The amazing thing about what Apple has done under Jobs established a benchmark for a whole different experience for the consumer. He obsessed about this and knew that it was not the amount of ram or speed you had it was what things did and how they simplified your world
Read MoreDon’t Mess with Customer Loyalty, Netflix!
When Netflix just announce a 60% increase in rates they drove shock waves through thousands of loyal customers of absolutely loved Netflix. Is say loved because many of the comments, blog entries and Tweets are saying how Netflix is screwing over their loyal customer base.
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