The Old Pyramid Structure When we hear of recalls in the automotive industry, we know their own sales and customer service departments knew about the problems years in advance. Today, many companies say they put the customer on top. But how can they if they put...
Arizona tried it and Mississippi passed it - laws that give permission to businesses to discriminate based on strongly held religious beliefs. Businesses that feared a big drop in revenue pressured the Arizona governor so much that she vetoed a bill that would have allowed businesses...
Palcohol, a new brand of beverage alcohol, attempted an introduction into the U.S. market. What makes this brand different is that unlike its competition, it’s dry - really dry. It’s so dry, in fact, that it’s powder! Just add water or basically any liquid and voila,...
Succumbing to the Economic Challenges of Recycling Starbucks serves 4 billion disposable cups a year to eco-conscious patrons. So in 2008, 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...
The general public believes that General Motors (GM), or for that matter any automaker, would not knowingly allow an unsafe product on the market. They know that honest mistakes happen from time to time. But they also expect that once discovered, the automaker will deal with...
When processes or products suffer from inefficiency, a too-limited focus, or become less relevant, their designers try to “fix” the situation by requiring some action from the users. These “fixes" are an afterthought that usually require the user to perform a series of onerous steps to...
We’ve often said that entrepreneurship is at its essence brand building. Unless you are just creating a job for yourself or a legacy for your kids, you are building value in a brand which you can monetize through acquisition or merger. Today there is an explosion...
With instant access to seemingly endless amounts of data at your fingertips, it’s tempting to think that you can answer any question or solve any problem with the click of a mouse. Questions? Maybe. But solutions may be another thing. Most difficult problem solving requires more...
Because corporations must protect their corporate brand image, they had to object to recent Arizona legislation that would have allowed discriminatory practices. The law would have allowed merchants to refuse service to members of the LGBT community based on “the business owner’s deeply held religious beliefs.”...
We often see aspiring brand builders fall so much in love with their concept, logo, label, and catchy phrases, that they forget the elephant in the room - distribution management. We did. When people commented on the success of our brand, they usually thought it was...
There’s something romantic and powerful about the aspiration to own a big national brand. When our clients say they want to build a national brand, we respond with, “You have to walk before you can run.” Building a strong regional brand is hard enough, and this...
Being true to your brand promise can be expensive in the short run but profitable in the long run. CVS Caremark, the largest integrated pharmacy company in the United States, has decided to forgo $1.5 billion in annual tobacco sales and an additional $.5 billion in...
Can having your products made in China hurt your brand image? We often say a brand is only as good as its product and reputation. Over the past decade, producers of branded products from machines to clothing, from toys to tools, and from eyeglasses to iPhones...
Consumer brand builders’ angst is over the top every year at this time. As the New Year begins to unfold, so do the corporate retail decisions about what products will remain in their stores and what the new shelf schematic (also known as the “official set”)...
Every new year we see new brands vying for attention, trying to get traction in the marketplace. Some make it and some don't. We love the success stories of the ones that do because they inspire us with their often unlikely solutions to the barriers of...
When you brand single-use containers, you are signing your own garbage. These “brand impressions” last long after the marketing process ends. But does the pollution of the beaches and the oceans benefit your brand image? Or does it broadcast that your brand condones the proliferation of...
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...
Thanksgiving is a “brand” with all the essentials of any other brand. It has a compelling popular brand story (even if not entirely accurate). European Pilgrims are saved by Native Americans who provide a feast of turkey, corn, and vegetables, for which the pilgrims give thanks...
When it comes to search engine optimization, not all sites are created equal. Ecommerce sites require a different structure than informational blogs. Community message boards require different strategies than a simple landing page for a business. Before placing the first building blocks of your new digital home,...
Several years ago, our national sales manager, Randy Arnold, took us to the beautiful Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco for a Hula Show. He knew how much we loved Hawaiian culture, and especially the Hula. The hula is more than a dance form. It's...
