Cradle-to-Grave, Your Product Life Cycle is Fraught with Challenges
MURDER OR SUICIDE?
Most brands aren’t killed by the competition so much as they die from self-inflicted wounds. This is especially true with branded products in the consumer packaged goods space. During the 20 years we spent building the famous Barefoot Wine brand, it almost died on several occasions...
Branding a Product is a Multifaceted Challenge
MORE THAN A BASEBALL CAP!
When we say “branding” we are not limiting the discussion to putting a logo on a baseball cap. We are not talking about website, company letterhead, or big balloons with your name brand’s on them. When we speak of branding, we are talking about the comprehensive...
Without a Brand Promise, A Brand is Just a Label
WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?
Brands go back to Roman times. They were used to identify the merchant who produced a product emblazoned with a particular mark. Today, brands represent not just the producer’s identity but also the brand’s promise. This brand promise covers not only product performance, but extends to...
Quality Assurance is Essential to Your Brand Promise
“BUT YOU PROMISED!”
Quality assurance is exactly that. You are assuring your customer that the branded products she has come to expect are what she gets. We have seen that even though you have the trademark and are the producer, you don't own your brand, and you don't own...
Vermont’s Darn Tough Socks Deliver on their Brand Promise
KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!
Just when you thought everything was made in China, just when you thought there was no alternative to products that didn’t hold up, just when you thought that American manufacturing was dead, here comes Darn Tough! This plucky little Vermont sock company, founded in 2004, is...
The 3 Critical Relationships that Determine the Customer Experience
DOES MY BRAND LOVE ME BACK?
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?...
Renew Your Brand Promise for the New Year
Renew Your Brand Promise for the New Year
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...
Purple Sunrise A Brand That’s Coming to your Breakfast Table Soon
DON’T CALL IT MUSH!
Hot cereals have long been part of the healthy breakfast. Most doctors recommend them as essential for good health, and a tasty alternative to the American standard of bacon and eggs. There are a variety of hot grain cereals to choose, from iconic Quaker Oats and the...
Facebook Reneges on Its Brand Promise
“YOU REACHED 9 PEOPLE”
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...
All Your People are Salespeople When They Believe in Your Brand
OVER DELIVER
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...
Starbucks’ Decision to Scrap Cup Recycling Tarnishes a Progressive Brand Image
IS IT TOO COSTLY TO BE THE GOOD GUY?
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...
CVS Caremark Honors its Brand Promise
“CIGARETTE SMOKING IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH” – The US Surgeon General
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...
Black Friday Exceeds its Brand Width
MORE IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER
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...
Word-of-Mouth Brand Building is a Double-Edged Sword
“HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT…?”
Word-of-mouth is perhaps the best form of advertising. It’s far more than just another form of commercial communication. It’s a personal endorsement from someone you know or find credible. In an attempt to validate the brand’s promise and value, part of every brand building strategy is...
7 Ways to Train your Customer Service Rep and Save Your Brand – Part 2
CUSTOMER SERVICE - WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD
Many companies spend thousands on surveys, focus groups, and marketing studies. They want to know what their customers think about their products. But they have a free channel to their customer everyday through their Customer Service Department. As far as brand building is concerned, we think...
7 Ways to Train your Customer Service Representative and Save Your Brand – Part 1
COMPLAINTS ARE GOLD - IF YOU KNOW HOW TO MINE THEM
[caption id="attachment_2161" align="alignleft" width="300"] Complaints are Gold[/caption] Customer service trumps marketing when it comes to brand building. Your brand’s reputation is on the line when unhappy customers contact you. In their minds, the way your customer service people treat them will be the real test of...
The 7 Essentials of Branding with Authenticity
THE REAL McCOY
Certain brands have woven authenticity into their products, delivery and message. These brands have a distinctive look and feel about them that says, “This is the original,” or “This is the genuine article.” Over time, they have carved out a place at the apex of their...
4 Pillars of Brand Promise
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SAY; IT’S WHAT YOU DO – AND DON’T DO
A friend who is a Fortune 500 exec asked us recently, “What really makes a brand?” We knew he was an experienced and knowledgeable guy, and we owed him a thoughtful reply. What initially came to mind were all the elements that affect a brand: its...