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 […]
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 […]
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” […]
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 […]
March 30th, 2011
There are so many companies with so many brands that it is hard to believe there is much “new” out there. Do you ever get over whelmed by finding ways or trying to be inventive and original? Finding ways to help relevant, authentic brands tell a unique story is rarely […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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….