Does your brand stand for something? Is it more than just products and services? Does your brand have a cause greater than commerce? More and more, brands are aligning themselves with charitable causes. And customers are taking notice. Last year, Ad Age published a study by the research firm Toluna about the impact of brands […]
My husband and I are on a quest to downsize and get rid of “stuff” that serves no purpose in our lives. This includes our two sets of beautiful Wedgwood china that we lovingly chose many years ago. But, to our dismay, no one wants it. Not even our sons. And it’s not just me. My […]
To truly stand out in today’s marketplace, you must do more than offer a product or service. You must create an experience, one that will resonate with customers. Don’t just serve, impress. Don’t just deliver, elevate. Make their time interacting with you something they cannot forget. What can your brand do to craft an experience […]
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: […]
There’s a conspiracy underway in the catalog business. It’s happening right under our noses. You know what I’m talking about, copy kidnappers! Someone has been rounding up copywriters and turning them into CONTENT EDITORS! “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” comes to mind. You know, the “snatched people” attend to their daily tasks, but they really […]
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 […]
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 […]
Why You Should Keep It Simple “Simple is harder than complex.” –Steve Jobs Browsing through a catalog of one of my favorite brands, I found myself completely frustrated, to the point that I eventually threw the catalog aside. Why? Because they made it hard for me to shop. We are in an era […]
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, […]
