Successful Brand Building Must Get Through Long Periods of Little Progress
THE GRIND
We had a friend who was a very talented singer and songwriter. He was convinced that if he could just get discovered (like in the movies), he’d have it made. He used to tell us, “It’s like one, two three! I play, Mr. Big sees me,...
Increase Sales with Positive Customer Experience
WORD OF MOUTH TRUMPS ADVERTISING
When a new company is just getting started or sales are down, the pressure is on for more advertising. But is that the best solution? Advertising is based on your long-term commitment to running expensive ads repeatedly before you can get any “traction.” But there is...
A Bad Brand Design Decision Should Be Corrected, Not Justified
DON’T GET THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE!
When it comes to branding decisions, some are much more successful than others. But when jobs are at stake and resumes are being built, there is a tendency, especially among larger organizations, to try to justify the brand design decisions and hold the course. Sometimes this...
Selling Your Brand Over the Web is a Price Race to the Bottom
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
When speaking to the Executive MBA class at Tulane University last week we were asked, “Why bother with bricks and mortar distribution challenges if you can sell your brand on the web?” We often get this question, especially from millennials who grew up with online commerce...
Brand Builders Must Respect Shipping Size, Weight, and Configuration Requirements.
BIGGER ISN”T ALWAYS BETTER
Too many compelling package designs fail simply because they aren’t practical. During the design phase it is essential that you realize that you don't have the world of all possibilities in which to design your package. Find out what the distribution system demands before you even...
5 Threats That Can Kill Your Brand in the New Year! – Part 5
Distribution
In this series we have been examining threats from inside your own organization that can kill your brand in the New Year. Now is the time to be on guard against them. As we like to say, brands are not murdered by the competition, but die...
Brand Image Suffers When Products are Out of Stock
DON’T PLAY HARD TO GET
We are often asked, “What was the biggest challenge you faced growing the Barefoot Wine brand?” People are always surprised by our answer, “out-of-stocks.” It’s the biggest problem facing any new brand. Some purists try to make a distinction between brands and products, often because they...
Most Microbrew Brands will Remain Regional
WEIGHT, WEIGHT – DON’T TELL ME
A microbrew, also known as a craft beer, is produced in a small commercial brewery that produces no more than 15,000 barrels (or just under half a million gallons) of beer per year. Exact definitions vary, but the terms are typically applied to breweries that are independently...
Our 10 Biggest Mistakes – Don’t Let Them Be Yours
HINDSIGHT IS 20-20
As we travel and speak internationally on the subject of entrepreneurship, we are complemented not so much on the successes we achieved, but on the mistakes we share. In order to engage our audiences of start-ups looking to survive, small businesses looking to grow, or established...
New Consumer Brands Face Lethal Challenges
THE BRAND THAT WOULD NOT DIE!
3 Options for New Consumer Brands There is a limited amount of shelf space out there for new consumer brands. So, if you are someone trying to get your new brand into that precious space, you basically have only three options: you can wait for another...
Brand Building Requires Constant Vigilance
COUNT THE REORDERS, NOT THE ORDERS!
Many producers, especially of consumer goods, get excited when their brand is for sale in some far away city across the country. They act like it’s some kind of an achievement to have placed their product there. They may even brag about all the places their...
Building a Brand – 11 Essential Building Blocks
START WITH A FIRM FOUNDATION
Today, there is a lot of talk about building a brand. It seems like brands pop up over night, especially on the web. Most brands, however, take years to become established. Some companies even buy up defunct brands because they may still have some brand equity...
Marketing Channels Do Two Things Well
MARKETING CHANNELS GET YOUR PRODUCT TO MARKET AND YOUR MESSAGE TO YOUR CUSTOMER
Marketing channels are the means of getting your product to market while also effectively communicating good reasons to buy it at every level of distribution. Marketing channels are often confused with advertising channels. Although advertising is required in one form or another, marketing channels deliver your...
Channel Distribution Management Trumps the Product
EVEN A GREAT PRODUCT WILL FAIL – IF YOU DON’T MAKE THE 7 SALES
Companies – especially new companies--underestimate channel distribution management. Channel distribution management includes everything from merchandising and delivery, to policies and procedures, oversight and field reports. It’s a huge area of concern. The bottom line is: Your customer can’t buy it if it isn’t there. The channels...