Much has been written about the demise of America’s brick-and-mortar retail institutions due to the expansion of e-commerce and mobile technology. With slowing population growth, the future of retail sales will depend largely on increased individual spending, much of which will come from the demographic cohort known as Millennials. Some relevant facts about this group: […]
People spend a lot of time (like, millions of hours) watching videos on the internet. And with so many videos out there, it’s important to do them right. Art Director Chris Yankey sits down to talk about the significance of utilizing video for marketing as a powerful medium for your brand. Need more video pointers? […]
I often get asked if there is ONE thing that a company can do to improve their brand, what would it be? That’s easy. Improve your culture. I’ve had the opportunity to walk into hundreds of companies over the years, peek behind the curtain and see what makes them tick. What I notice right away […]
The notions that “the customer is king” and “the customer is always right” have been marketing gospel for generations of business school grads and brand managers. I’d never suggest that a strong customer focus shouldn’t be a key element of any brand’s marketing efforts. But how do marketers keep “King Customer” from becoming a total […]
How to gamble on new ideas without losing big I just spent this past weekend in Vegas. Nice little getaway. Saw a show, played a few slots, danced with a monkey (don’t ask). But as I contemplated how much to wager at the Blackjack table, it occurred to me that there are no sure bets. […]
By Chris Hayes, EVP Brand Strategy This 18th Century quote from my high school lit class got me thinking about a conversation I had with a marketing director from a well-known cross-channel brand a few weeks ago. He mentioned his company would like to do comparison research on their catalog covers to determine which ones […]
Well, the secret is out. For decades, creative types working at agencies across the country knew instinctively a few secrets they could rely on to create brand stories, campaigns and messaging that would resonate with consumers. The Don Drapers of the world knew these little secrets could help sell more products. We knew if we […]
Whew. Glad I got that off my chest. You see, it’s 2016. By now, almost every brand is aware of viral videos, and like so many other things, marketers are trying to ruin them. In short, there is no formula for creating “viral” content. Are there certain elements that a lot of viral content contains? […]
Admitting it is the first step to re-cover-y. Look at your most recent catalog cover. Really look at it. Imagine it was the first time you were ever seeing it. Would it get your attention? Would it make you want to stop and open it? Or…and be honest…does your cover suck? (It’s ok. Just admit […]
