March 12th, 2011
I have partners. I have very smart partners that are not very creative. For being very smart they don’t seem to mind that we have a tagline that is not smart or creative. I think that they (we) are concerned that we won’t know the difference between a good tag […]
March 14th, 2011
Is there a brand book for start-ups? Probably. But it would likely be a mistake to read a brand book while you are working to bring a new endeavor to life. The best book to read if you are launching a start-up is Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start; […]
March 17th, 2011
What are your favorite taglines? Least favorite? My favorite is “Live Free or Die”, the official motto of the U.S. state of New Hampshire, adopted in 1945. I like “Don’t just watch TV; Direct TV” I loved the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Christmas Campaign in 2010: “When you put money […]
May 10th, 2011
Breakaway brand successes occur when brands with something to say begin speaking to audiences outside their close-knit school of thought. Far too often, brands spend their all their communications efforts on preaching to the choir. Over, and over, and over again. Remember our Outside Perspective blog? The disruptive technologies that […]
June 7th, 2011
“Acceptance of prevailing standards often means we have no standards of our own.” Jean Toomer Will anyone search out your sponsors’ products and services simply because you permitted their logo to grace your stage, your ad space, your playbill? Sometimes advertising, sponsorship, and strategic partnership slumming happens because the bills […]
August 3rd, 2011
Narrativity: [nar-uh-tiv-uh-tee]: 1.) the degree to which your brand spunk, funk, credibility, attitude, and vibe shines through your messaging. 2.) Your voice, your verbiage, your tone. While preparing for a wine-touring camping trip to Watkins Glen, I began perusing the websites of the nearby Seneca Lake wineries and plotting my […]
October 28th, 2011
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world… it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead It took me 30 minutes this morning to buy wheat pita bread at the grocery store. Not because the lines were long or the aisles congested, but […]
December 15th, 2011
Everything you need to know to get your brand new brand up and running… from writing your business plan to choosing your brand name, creating differentiators, identifying your customer….
January 11th, 2013
“There’s a dialogue out there and you’re either in it or you’re not.” – Herb Schmertz (Mobil circa 1970) Technology advancements, new apps, ubiquitous software and the mobilization of computing have driven the democratization of information beyond boundaries that have existed since Gutenberg cast his first type. Nowhere are the […]
February 19th, 2013
Brand is many things: a promise that drives customer engagement; a set of values that differentiate a company from its competitors; guidelines that align the working culture; a resource to simplify customer purchasing decisions. Simply put, a brand is a solution. For the social media, SEO and digital advertising industries, […]