Many catalogers today still approach their business as retailers first and marketers second. Retailers sell merchandise by focusing primarily on pricing and products. Marketers position their brands for success by introducing emotion into the mix. It’s easy to see why catalogers fall into the “price and item” trap. Consumers, when asked the reason for their […]
It’s frustrating to hear politicians talk about what they plan on doing, what their strategy is, how they’re more qualified to get things done…all without actually getting anything DONE! It’s just talk. They rarely execute any of these ideas. Unfortunately, this is also true of many brands today. Lots of great ideas, weak on execution. […]
Invisible monsters, augmented reality and the future of catalogs So, how many Pokémon have you caught? You know, I used to chase invisible monsters through the park. They called me crazy. Today, everyone’s doing it. Who’s crazy now?! Pokémon GO is a legitimate pop culture phenomenon. Launched just this month, the free game app has […]
In early May, British musicians Radiohead did the unthinkable: they lived up to their song title “How to Disappear Completely,” and erased themselves from the internet. Their website gradually decreased in opacity over the course of several hours, until it disappeared completely. Then, the band and its lead singer, Thom Yorke, removed all past posts, […]
There’s an old saying in marketing, “Happy customers tell three friends. Unhappy customers tell ten.” These days, with the ease of sharing on social media, those numbers are probably an understatement. The fact is the customer experience is arguably the most critical element of a brand’s success. According to a McKinsey study, 70% of buying […]
J.Schmid President and Chief Creative Officer, Brent Niemuth, shows us that even while on vacation there’s always a branding lesson to be learned – How do brands that sell a commodity product or service separate themselves from their competitors (assuming the price is the same)? Need help making your brand stand out in a commodity […]
I recently came across an interesting study that looks at the power of brand from a little different angle. Anyone reading this is probably familiar with the concept of the placebo effect. The subject of countless articles, it was first defined over 60 years ago. It identified the important role that perception plays in physical […]
Sadly, we’ve lost a couple more music legends recently—Merle Haggard and Prince. It’s the latter I’d like to talk about. There is no doubt that Prince was a musical genius. And there are actually many branding lessons we could learn from him. The importance of being different, of standing out, of being true to who […]
Is the location of your business important to your brand message? Are you using it to your advantage? Consider a brand like Starbucks, who made Seattle (where the brand originated) part of their brand story. Need help finding your brand message? Email our CEO, Lois Brayfield, or call 913-236-2988.
