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 […]
Consumer demand drives innovation, right? Demand for better health, more pleasure, access to information, transportation, etc. And, the success of any innovative idea has one thing in common, EASE. If a new idea isn’t easy to engage, it typically fails. Ease and simplicity are at the core of what we consider improvements to everyday life. […]
Imagine if John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote great songs, with story, melody and the right words. Then imagine that they went into the studio, recorded an “okay” take, called it a day and went to the pub. The point is, if your marketing efforts aren’t delivering the results you’re looking for, maybe you should […]
Are you thirsty for better creative? You don’t necessarily need to dump everything and go back to the well for a complete redesign. Sometimes all you need is a refreshing splash of H2O . Water? No, not that kind H2O . This kind of H2O … Hierarchy.Hygiene.Organization. How can these three elements invigorate your design? […]
Chris Hayes EVP, Brand Strategy Marketers are understandably excited about Generation Z. Members of this newest demographic cohort, aged 16 to 21 (the overall cohort is 7 to 21), spend an estimated $143 billion annually and that number does not include the money spent by parents on their Gen Z children. There are approximately 65 […]
