Retail
How 2020 Disrupted Our World, Redefined Brands and How We Connect.
From presidential elections to a global pandemic the world we were so familiar with has dramatically changed to a virtual and isolated world. But there is a silver lining. Although we’re not exactly connecting the way we did in the past our completely disrupted world is creating whole new possibilities. When normal ways of doing…
Read MoreThe Durability of Brand Strategy is Always Tested by A Response to Disaster
By responding to the changes in the market, a company, a brand can succeed in solving major problems if they understand their value and meaning to customers.
Read MoreWithout a People Strategy, There is No Brand Strategy
The Eight Questions You Should Ask to Define Your People Strategy The focus on brand strategy is almost always on the market situation, unique business model, competitive strategy, and product focus, or the company. The core message, the differentiation from competitors, is what makes this brand unique and building that into a marketing campaign is…
Read MoreThe Toilet Paper Conundrum
Buying behavior is based on some of the most basic emotional drivers: survival and status. What people believe they need is more important than any information that may inform them otherwise. How we act is essentially an emotionally-based experience that drives us and we then translate our choices into logical and rational reasoning that we have carefully figured out after the fact.
Read MoreNoodle Theory: How to Reopen Retail and Bring Back People
In the small German town of Schwerin on a warm spring day in May, as Germany is beginning to open up and come back to some semblance of normality, Cafe Rothe had just re-opened after months of closure, and they provided a handy way of keeping people safely apart while they had their coffee. The owner provided noodle hats…
Read MoreTime to Pivot: Five things to do to Reinvent Your Brand Strategy
First, remember, who you are is not the same. The key is understanding that the rules that governed what you did and how you did it for your business or non-profit have all changed. The radical shift in the world caused by literally turning off almost all business transactions and activities that drive consumer behavior…
Read MoreBrand Winners and Losers in 2019
It’s harder than ever for a brand to keep the focus on its promise. Enormous market forces pushing from all sides, the potential for extremely high returns if you take risks, global competitors after your brand and fickle customers ready to damage your reputation at any moment create enormous challenges to staying focused on long term value.
Read MoreA Coveted 1000-year-old Viking Brand and Yes, Cheap Knock-Offs
It’s roughly 1,000 years ago in Northern Europe, perhaps Finland or Norway. You are a seasoned Viking warrior and you’ve just acquired a unique and coveted sword you take into battle for the first time – a sword that you know will give you a clear margin of success…
Read MoreRetail’s Not Dead Yet. The New World of Experience Retail.
Like all changes in economic behavior shifts in technology empowering access to global markets have changed the retail world we’ve known. its a dramatic period of redefinition, new competition, evolution, and extinction. But actual shopping is not going away it’s just changing…
Read MoreBrand Naming for Startups… not exactly what you think
Working with startups is fascinating, and whether it’s a tech company or a craft brewer, the issues are the same. The names they develop often are sometimes random, connected to personal interests…
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