January is a Critical Month for CPG Brand Builders
MAKING THE CUT
Happy New Year! January and February are the months when the Big Chains look at your sales for the past year and decide whether to discontinue (“DC”) your products or leave them in for another year. This is why it’s so important to push for displays...
Pioneers Have to Break the Ice but are the First to Benefit
FASTER HORSES!
Henry Ford once said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said, ‘Faster Horses!’” The trouble with trying to sell something new to the market has always been the same: Is the market ready for your solution? Or better yet, does the...
Americans Are Getting a Crash Course in Distribution Management
THE BACKBONE OF OUR STANDARD OF LIVING
COVID-19 vaccines have been developed! YAY! They have been produced and approved! YIPPEE! They are sitting in the warehouse. WAIT! WHY CAN’T I GET IT NOW? As CPG brand building advisors with real world experience on how to build a successful brand, we are taking a...
Tell a Story to Build Your Brand
THEY BOUGHT THE STORY
Our business, like many businesses, was totally dependent on sales. At first we thought our customers, who were distributers, retailers and the general public, would be swayed by superior features and benefits, and, to a degree, they were. But when our sales really began to take...
We Connect with Someone Who We Believe is Being Authentic with Us
WHO ARE YOU?
It used to be all about features and benefits, pricing and programs. And it still is to a degree. But now there is a growing preference to do business with companies and brands who are transparent, credible, and socially conscious. In other words, authentic. Merriam-Webster offers...
Make Friends with People in “Low” Places to Understand Distribution
DIRT UNDER THEIR FINGERNAILS
We had no money. We had no knowledge of the industry. So how did Barefoot Wines become the blockbuster that it is today? Distribution management! True Grit Distribution is the life blood of consumer products. Regrettably, it is often overlooked by consumer brand builders in favor...
Increase Your Audience and Make a Permanent Impression with Audio Theatre
CONVENIENT AND EFFECTIVE
“There should be no doubt that the future of marketing and social media will have a strong audio component.” That is according to Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor, Peter Harengel. The Next Big Thing Harengel points out that, “Just as marketers and regular social media users perfected the art...
Tell Your Story With an Experienced and Award-Winning Team
THEY’VE DONE IT BEFORE
If you are considering bringing your business story to life in an audio theatre production, you want to make sure that you are engaging with the right team. After all, this is an investment in time and money that will provide you returns for generations. You...
3 Common Mistakes New Businesses Make
MISTAKE #3 SOMEONE ELSE WILL DO IT
This is the third installment in a three part series on common mistakes businesses make. They are all based on popularly held misconceptions. In the first two installments we examined the first mistake, thinking that all you need is money, and the second mistake, thinking that...
3 Common Mistakes New Businesses Make
MISTAKE #2 THE BETTER MOUSE TRAP
Due to all the upheaval these days involving the economy, the virus, and the environment, it’s no wonder that so many folks are reconsidering their future. Many are thinking about starting their own businesses to address these challenges. Many have been thinking about starting their own...
3 Common Mistakes New Businesses Make
MISTAKE #1 MONEY SOLVES EVERYTHING
Let’s start with a dose of reality. Most start-ups fail. Two recent articles, one by Forbes and one by Fortune, cited a 90% failure rate of start-ups. And top Harvard Business School lecturer, Shikhar Ghosh, confirms that 75% of U.S. venture-backed firms don’t even return investors’...
5 Reasons to Build Your Brand on the Mitigation of Climate Change
DON’T BE CONSPICUOUS BY YOUR ABSENCE!
For over a decade we have been warning CPG companies that the day was coming soon when consumers generally will rate your brand on its ecological friendliness. Well, that day is here! Timely Messaging What does your brand, your label, your signage, and your branding say...
Anchor Your Brand with Business Audio Theatre
I CAN IDENTIFY!
What anchors your brand in the minds of your investors, vendors, employees, and customers? Is it your logo, your slogan, your imagery? We think the most powerful brand anchor is your brand story! It is through your story, that folks learn about you, what you stand...
The Beginning of the End of Consumer Packaging Disposal
THE BOX STOPS HERE!
For years, fulfillment companies and on-line marketers have left it to the consumer to dispose of their delivery packaging, mostly cardboard and plastic. In the days before the virus, when most consumers would leave their homes and physically shop, they first got paper bags, then plastic...
Get Your Work-From-Home Employees Back to the Corporate Office by Rebooting Your Company Culture
“IT FEELS LIKE A PRISON!”
Many companies are already planning to eventually bring their remote employees back to the corporate offices. Interestingly, productivity has not taken a hit with work-from-home. So why bring them back to the office? Perhaps, now employers feel their employees can work more safely back at the...
Conveying Culture and Values to a Remote Work Force
“I LOVE WHAT MY COMPANY STANDS FOR!”
“As of late June (2020), 42% of the US labor workforce was working from home, and a third was unemployed – making it a work-from-home economy.” That, according to Alexandra Marvar writing for Biznow. She goes on to add, “During that time, TopResume monitored job satisfaction...
How to Turn Your Customers into Advocates (Even During a Pandemic)
I RECOMMEND THIS BRAND!
The pandemic has resulted in many businesses closing. Many are hanging on by a thread. Others have been turned upside down. And many more have lost customers and sales. What can you do about it? Some may advise you to advertise more. That can be effective....
Stop Trying to Have Virtual Conferences on Your Phone
TINY FACES ARE LESS REAL!
Just like everybody else these days, we are being thrust into virtual conferences. We had them before the virus, but now they are mandatory. Unfortunately, this situation was thrust upon us so fast that we didn’t have time to develop and agree upon a set of...