April 28th, 2010
I can’t tell if what I am seeing is a gross over simplification or just a lackluster attempt to ‘spin’ a brand, get on with the show or turn a buck. What I do know is that the inherent power of brand to tell a vibrant story, capture the essence of […]
November 8th, 2010
We appreciate that you operate in a complicated cultural reality – economic uncertainty, political divide, scarcity mentalities, and fear have collided in the health-care sector. The insured, underinsured, and uninsured are feeling anxious, concerned, entitled, angry, and threatened. We find it frustrating and shortsighted that the health-care “hysteria” is largely […]
January 17th, 2011
What’s the point? We have found that outrageous talent united around a common focus, shared values, and a philosophical sense of purpose, engaged in meaningful work, that exercises the core competencies and enthuses the synergy of the working community of people, managed by commitment with enough resources to accomplish their […]
July 10th, 2011
It has been surprising to realize just how many business leaders are struggling with the same question: “What’s the point?” The question, asked any number of ways, is usually followed by a long list of reasons and arguments for convincing the working masses to show up every day to do […]
August 5th, 2011
“In ordinary times, most men and women do not have radical questions about their identity.” Sam Keen “In every society, however, there are extraordinary men and women who, for a variety of reasons, stand outside the social consensus, shatter the norms, and challenge the status quo.” Sam Keen BlackDog was […]
October 9th, 2012
When it became clear that it was time to retire the “flashy” BlackDog website, we did what we always do around here. We started looking around, asking questions, and reading the facts and findings of the guru’s that write the research. What we gathered was informative, most of it was […]
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, […]
March 3rd, 2013
Iceland is a very small country with a big “brand” influence in a state of recovery, discovery and evolution. “Few countries blew up more spectacularly than Iceland in the 2008 financial crisis. The local stock market plunged 90 percent; unemployment rose ninefold; inflation shot to more than 18 percent; the […]
March 8th, 2013
I read an article recently that declared that it was more important to have goals than a mission. Not long after a credible source published a piece that argued that organizations were wasting time and resources on “brands” when attentions should be focused squarely and singularly on customers. Both commentaries […]