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The 3 Critical Relationships that Determine the Customer Experience

The 3 Critical Relationships that Determine the Customer Experience

DOES MY BRAND LOVE ME BACK?

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Today there is a lot of focus on the customer experience. How do your customers feel about their experience with your product? Are they satisfied, confident, and pleasantly surprised? Or are they frustrated, confused, and disenchanted? What are the main elements that determine your customers’ experience?...
man in law library

5 Threats That Can Kill Your Brand in the New Year! – Part 4

Legal and Compliance

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

In most companies the legal department is referred to as “compliance.” However they do far more than make sure your company complies with the laws and regulations governing your industry. They protect you from liability exposures and potential lawsuits. They protect your intellectual property including trademarks,...

5 Threats That Can Kill Your Brand in the New Year! – Part 2

PRODUCTION

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

It’s hard to believe that your own team can damage your brand, but most brands are killed from self-inflicted wounds, not murdered by the competition. As you start out the New Year, be vigilant that your own people don’t take action that inadvertently hurts your brand....

5 Threats That Can Kill Your Brand in the New Year! – Part 1

MARKETING

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

We learned a lot about building an international brand during the two decades we grew Barefoot Wines. Most of it we learned the hard way, and that is why today we share our lessons in this blog devoted to brand building. Although we were successful, we...

Renew Your Brand Promise for the New Year

Renew Your Brand Promise for the New Year

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

This is a great time of year to renew your brand promise. Just like renewing vows in marriage, you recommit yourself to your brand promise. But unlike marriage vows, the promises are not yours. They’re the sum of your customers’ perceptions, expectations and beliefs about your...
older woman with scarf

The Brand Name That Says It All! Barefoot Bubbly Sells One Million Cases!

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

It was storming that night in 1996 when Michael slowly drove up the long dirt road that lead to his humble farmhouse in the rural hills of western Sonoma County. He was careful not to spin out in the mud nor get grabbed by the treacherous...
men eating lunch

Know the Metrics that Make Your Brand an Acquisition Target

WHERE AM I GOING AND WHY

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

We’ve often said that entrepreneurs are brand builders. Unlike sole proprietors, or even those creating a legacy, most entrepreneurs, sooner or later, want to have a capitalization event. That may take the form of a merger, IPO or cash infusion by a new partner, but it...
woman with binoculars and man behind her

How to Recognize Opportunity (and Make It Sustainable)

KNOCK! KNOCK!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

We often hear, “Follow your passion” as the universal prescription for happiness and success. But we say “Follow your opportunity, passionately” as a more plausible road to success. Opportunities abound! The key is to find a way to take advantage of them using your passion. So...
trash in a dumpster

Successful Brand Builders Use Representatives to Insure Program Execution at Every Level

SEND MORE MERCHANDISING MATERIAL!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

The best brand building signs and merchandising materials we ever saw were in the dumpsters of the very distributers who were expected to use them to sell the products of the brands they represented. What were they doing there? Because the distributers only had a limited...
British flag

The Norwegian Brand Promotes a Culture of Environmentalism

NORWAY IS THE CLEAN WAY

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

We are posting this blog from Norway where we came to support and present at the annual “Mixer” which supports entrepreneurialism at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. This is the largest technical university in Norway and has a robust entrepreneurial program...

Domestic Solar Brand Needs Repair

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Orders for domestic solar roof installations are, well, “through the roof!” As solar power finally becomes mainstream, we thought we’d share our experience with solar. We were early adopters. We put in our first solar array in 1998 and have been using solar to produce both...

The Mob Museum Adds History, Color, and Character to the Las Vegas Brand

PROHIBITION GAVE PERMISSION

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

It's ironic that the same former federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas that was the site of hearings and criminal proceedings against so many mob members wound up being a tourist attraction in the very town that was, in large part, originally built up by the...
before and after of a rennovation

Rebranding a Commercial Neighborhood with Paint and Sensibility

BARIO TO BRAVO

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

  We all have them in our towns: 50s-era strip malls with parking in front, originally designed to be convenient to an automobile-oriented society. Simply drive in, get your products and services, and drive out. Not much walking, not much community feeling, and not much fun. These...
fish swimming up a waterfall

Brand Equity Requires Constant Reinvestment

GROW OR DIE!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

There's no treading water in the market stream. Some say, “Sink or swim.” We always like to say, "Swim upstream or get washed out to sea!" What really distinguishes so-called serial entrepreneurs from their cousins, the merchants, brokers, and individual service providers, is their constant reinvestment...

VinoPro Reinvents Itself and the Wine Sales Business in the Process

THE BRAND BEHIND THE BRANDS

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

For the second year in a row, our client VinoPro again made the Inc. 500 list, showing 190% growth over last year. In 2013, they hit the ultra-prestigious Inc.500 list where they ranked No. 238 with a whopping 1,810% growth. Now, that is something to cheer...
facebook

Facebook Reneges on Its Brand Promise

“YOU REACHED 9 PEOPLE”

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Without notice to its subscribers, Facebook suddenly changed its algorithms, essentially reneging on its basic brand promise. Remember, the brand promise is not so much what is made by the brand owners as it is the expectations of the brand’s customers, what they have come to...
city skyline

The Freedom Tower is More Than an Office Building – It’s a Brand

THE JEWEL IN LOWER MANHATTAN’S CROWN

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

When we were in New York City last year the cupola antenna was being hoisted into place at the top of the new Freedom Tower in the newly rebuilt World Trade Center. As a huge crane gently positioned the last piece of the Tower's stature in...

All Your People are Salespeople When They Believe in Your Brand

OVER DELIVER

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Our new book, The Entrepreneurial Culture, 23 Ways to Engage and Empower Your People, will be coming out in September. This book was written specifically for corporate executives who want to improve their company culture by borrowing techniques successful entrepreneurs use every day. They know that...
hand reaching out of the water

Traditional Corporate Structure Can Hurt Brand Health

THE DEFICIENCIES OF SCALE

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

In order to stay fresh, relevant, and dominate their space, brands must constantly reinvent themselves.  But does the traditional company structure itself suffocate a brand’s growth and evolution?  Does the structure itself create its own roadblocks, choke communication, and suppress innovation? Traditional corporate structure puts marketing...

Alan Mulally Remortgages, Repositions and Saves Ford

FUN – A THREE LETTER WORD

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

About to retire after eight years Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company’s CEO, is leaving on a high note. When he was passed over to run Boeing after taking a big part in the reorganization of that company, he accepted Bill Ford’s offer to become CEO. At...

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