It Takes Time for the World to “Get” Your Great Idea
DON’T GIVE UP!
So many inventors, makers, and consumer product producers get discouraged when their great idea doesn’t fly right off the shelves. They think that just because of its compelling merits, a great product should be an instant hit. And maybe it should. And sometimes it is. But...
Diligent Quality Control Can Save Your Brand’s Reputation
I DON’T BUY THAT BRAND ANYMORE!
When it comes to brand building, your greatest advocates can become your greatest detractors - over night! It takes years of consistently delivering quality to develop a strong base of satisfied customers who will stick their necks out and actually advocate for your brand. This is...
Grow Your Brand Faster with Velocity Pricing
SELL MORE - FASTER!
Everything has a price at which the greatest volume is sold. Whether it’s a crib or a car, a book or a bike, a refrigerator or a television, each has a popular price point. If we say camera, you think $200. If we say computer, you...
Branding Junk Hurts Your Brand
“BUT IT’S SO CHEAP!”
It never ceases to amaze us how so many companies put their logos on cheap giveaway items that malfunction or break almost immediately. Don’t they ever think about what message that sends regarding the quality of their branded products? Typically, the decision to do such a...
Brand Failure Can Be Caused by “Selling Down”
“THEY USED TO BE THE BEST!”
We have seen brands work diligently to be the best in their category, only to then try to be all things to all people and exceed their “brand width” in the process. It takes years to get the reputation of being the best in your category…...
Quality Control Cannot Be Outsourced – But Production Can
YOUR CUSTOMERS DESERVE THE BEST!
Folks used to ask us how we continued to get top awards for quality when we outsourced production, didn’t own a vineyard, and had no winery! We would reply “You can outsource everything but Sales, Accounting, and Quality Control.” Yes, you can even outsource Production, but...
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...
The Lifetime Value of Your Brand’s Customers
NOT JUST A ONE-TIMER
When you acquire a customer, you get something else - you get the opportunity to make them a lifetime customer. What is the value of that? What do you have to do to keep them buying your brand? It's an opportunity, not a given. In fact...
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?...
Blog Branding: Is Content Still King?
DOES EXCESS TRUMP CONTENT?
For years we’ve been advised that content is king, but is it really? Today the newsfeeds on everyone’s social networks are crowded with posts that go racing by to the bottom of the page and beyond. Once they are off the page, they are out of...
A Brand’s Guarantee is a Bet on their Own Quality
THE EAGLE FLIES AT EAGLE CREEK
Guaranteeing your products is a powerful way to add value and credibility to your brand. When you guarantee your products, you send a message that your company stands behind them and that you will provide customer satisfaction at any cost. It also sends a message that...
5 Elements of House Brands
SANTA’S NORTH POLE FROZEN PEAS - NAUGHTY OR NICE?
Whether they are called own brands, control brands, custom brands, or house brands, retailers are increasing the shelf space devoted to their own labels. These control brands, or private labels, have both advantages and disadvantages for retailers, suppliers, producers, and consumers. They are born out of...
Maximize Your Impressions with Strategically Chosen Logo Wear
WORN OFTEN OR WORN OUT - LOGO WEAR IS MORE THAN LAUNDRY
When we had Barefoot Wines, like many companies, we used logo products to get our name and image out there. These included T-shirts, tank tops, polo shirts, corkscrews and visors. We always chose the best quality, most long-lasting items we could find to put our logo...
Company Branding Should Convey your Message
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT, ALFIE? - Burt Bacharach
Michael Caine played a Cockney womanizer in the popular 1966 movie, Alfie. Burt Bacharach’s theme, by the same name, asked the rhetorical question that conveyed the message of the movie. Your company branding starts with a succinct message that communicates what it’s all about and how...