April 19th, 2010
All children’s brands should be guided by an internalized dictum to “first, do no harm” that aligns organizational purpose, business strategy, brand management, and the optimal development of children. This sworn commitment requires a guiding philosophy that holds collective ability and judgment accountable, demands respect for scientific discovery, and vows […]
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 […]
July 9th, 2010
The secret to brand relevance isn’t a Cracker Jack prize, Twitter account, or Facebook Fan page. If you don’t have anything to say, you’re not worth listening to. Social Media is a valuable tool when it’s used as a relevant and meaningful contribution; when your company’s web chatter is driven […]
August 17th, 2010
If your brand is irreverent, your brochure should be too. Conscious design should be applied to more than just your color schemes and typography. Every billboard you put up and business card you hand out should reflect the essence of your brand. One of the secrets to attaining true cohesion […]
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 […]
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 […]
September 23rd, 2010
Urban renewal gained a justifiably notorious connotation following World War II. For more than 70 years countries followed architectural, city planning and governmental policies that were based on the ideas of a few and the will of even fewer . In putting commerce ahead of community we built places that […]
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 […]
November 2nd, 2010
Prescient, timeless and oft quipped, Marshall McLuhan’s Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man and its iconic quote [1] are as relevant today as when it was penned in 1964. Here are ten examples of McLuhan’s foresight in action: @YesIamPrecious The personified tweets of cross-country fundraising cyclist Janeen McCrae’s (@thenoodleator) bike. As the technologically savvy ventriloquist […]
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 […]