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How Buff is Your Brand Narrative?

September 1st, 2010

Everything that you say says something about you. Your brand narrative is how you tell your story. It runs deeper than a marketing rollout or an advertising campaign.  Your brand narrative is told in and through newsletters, press releases, promotions, CRM, sales, programming, products, annual reports, and internal communications- day […]

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Banners, Logos, and Neon Lights, oh my!

September 9th, 2010

We were recently at a sponsored event that was hosted by a world renowned art museum and showcased the talents of several remarkably gifted musicians. One sponsor, clearly still living in the land of magical thinking, elected to give away an ordinary solid-color t-shirt emblazoned with nothing but their logo […]

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The Rolling Stones Didn’t Have to Bribe THEIR Groupies

October 1st, 2010

We came across a newsletter this week that actually said: “‘like’ our Facebook page and receive an exclusive offer.” We’re not sure what the offer was, because we’re not interested in being bribed, manhandled, or coerced into social media engagement (…but we’re guessing it’s free shipping or a discount promo […]

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Social Media Masterminds: Facebook Pages that Are Getting it Right!

December 7th, 2010

“Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.”   Erik Qualman, The Social Media Revolution(1) Unfortunately, most companies use their Facebook pages as little more than a new medium for their old school marketing tactics. Facebook isn’t a place for interruption marketing, engagement through bribery, […]

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365: What would you like to brand?

January 18th, 2011

What have you been wanting to brand but haven’t gotten a chance to yet? A Public School (likely our next pro bono project). Every kid should know why they “attend” this place, what matters around here (authentically), what it means to belong “here”, what “we” collectively stand for, are made […]

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Crafting Content out of Fingerprints

January 28th, 2011

“If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it.” Tennessee Williams The hardest part of crafting an authentic brand narrative is excavating who you really are, what you really do, and why you really matter. It’s easy rattle off a check-list of standard, homogenized, […]

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Top Shelf: Communications Reads We Recommend

February 2nd, 2011

“Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath Why do some ideas make powerfully indelible impressions and others just don’t seem to stick at all? Chip and Dan Heath have the answer to what makes some ideas “stickier” than most. The official how-to guide on crafting and conveying ideas that […]

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365:How Much Branding is Necessary?

February 20th, 2011

Garland Pollard, a writer, web editor and SEO consultant writes “Is there too much branding? He continues, “… must we all be so concerned with branding? Isn’t a good brand really the result of a moral, well-run company? Isn’t it better that hospitals focus on patients, and let the “branding” […]

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365: Who Is Our Customer?

March 9th, 2011

We can’t seem to get a handle on just who our customer is to create a customer profile. We aren’t sure how to determine who our customer is without revealing that we don’t have a clue. Does it matter if sales are consistent? One of my favorite magazines, UTNE Reader […]

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365: How Does A Brand Diversify Into New Markets?

March 10th, 2011

We are taking an industrial product to new, broader markets. Should we be  concerned with losing the confidence of our existing and loyal markets? It is critical that you first understand the markets that support the product lines now to wisely interpret the direction, synergy, and prospective untapped markets moving […]

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