Category Archives: Trends 2010
What’s in a name?
For the sake of illustration, let’s divide the business world into two categories: companies that have brands, and companies who have names. The difference is not an insignificant one. Companies with brands have reputations and relationships that must be fed on a continual basis, across a spectrum of (increasingly numerous) customer touch points, and must provide meaning that resonates with both the company and the customer.
Read MoreCause and Affect
Are companies engaging in social causes because they genuinely want to help or because they recognize they can’t win in consumers’ minds if they don’t? As Home Depot CEO Bob Bardelli put it, “Our duty as individual citizens and as corporations isn’t to simply wait for government to do everything for us, but to recognize [...]
Read MoreOld Spice – strategic, not just social
Social media does not exist in a vacuum. It is part of a complex marketing mix that needs to stem from sound strategy.
Read MoreIs Procurement Hurting your Brand?
In tough economic times, companies turn to their procurement departments for more fiscally-disciplined policies that help reign-in unchecked spending and wasted resources. Increasingly, companies are subjecting strategic and creative services to standardized procurement processes across the board without differentiation. And while this is great for their bottom lines, it is restricting their ability to come up with the innovative ideas necessary for brand leadership.
Read MoreShort & Simple
Just ask Shorty—nicknames are rarely chosen by the ones who wear them, they’re assigned. And for major brands, those nicknames can wield immense power: they can permanently shift a brand name or image, and have the ability to solidify a connection with people’s daily lives—but only if the brand accepts that the nickname exists and has the guts to adopt it.
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