As marketers we’ve been here before. We’ve had to grapple with keeping our business moving during times of crisis. Most recently the recession in 2008 and before that in 2001, the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The challenge is speaking to your customers in a way that recognizes the gravity of the situation while at the same […]
Chris Hayes EVP, Brand Strategy Google the word “Millennial” and you’ll likely see a collection of contradictory articles. For instance in the same month late last year CNBC wrote “Millennials to Blame for a Sluggish Economy” while MarketWatch wrote “We Need to Thank Millennials for a Booming Economy.” OK… we get it. Millennials, the folks […]
10 Key Questions The world is grappling with the widespread effects of COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus. Recent statistics from the end of February indicate that up to 44 percent of businesses have been affected by the coronavirus. As marketers, we have to face and brace for this impact. We don’t need to panic; […]
About 10 years ago, REI made me so stinking mad that I swore I’d never grace their check-out again. A brand-advocate no more, I huffed my outraged “customer-no-service” story to everyone that cared to listen. Their offense? They made me pay for return shipping on a few items that didn’t fit. And worse, because I […]
Look, it’s really simple. If your brand doesn’t have a chicken sandwich as part of its merchandise offering, you might as well just close your doors. Soon, every brand will be judged on the quality, availability and deliciousness of their own chicken sandwich. Think of it as a new arms race. Or in this case, […]
Brands who act more human—who are relatable and have a personality that people genuinely like—are the ones who are winning today. How human is your brand? Does it act and behave like a person would, or does it come across as a cold and boring company? There’s a trick that we use when defining a […]
This week at J.Schmid, we’re working on an important fax blast for one of our clients. You read that right. A fax blast. Single page. 8.5 x 11. All black type to avoid pricey color printouts on the customers’ end. Promoting a big discount on one of their best-selling items to a group of non-responders. […]
New Year’s resolutions? Okay, let’s look at mine for a second: only drink wine on the weekend, cut-back on refined sugar, hit the gym. It’s likely they’ll turn out to be: hit the wine and cut back on the gym…but it’s good to have a plan. Whatever our resolutions might be it’s a positive step […]
Lois Brayfield, CEO I’m heartbroken to learn that last week, after battling cancer, industry leader and icon Glenda Shasho-Jones has passed away. Our paths first crossed in the mid-’90s when she critiqued a catalog I worked on as Creative Director and – wow – she taught me more with her assessment than I’d learned in […]
