April 29th, 2011
Why are condom and tampon brands so far behind the eco-friendly times? A cultural shift has happened and it’s made us all increasingly aware of our social and environmental impact. The 2009 Global Edelman goodpurpose* study found that “83% (of consumers are) willing to change consumption habits if it can […]
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 30th, 2011
Progressive hospitals keep it real. Investing in meaningful strategies that tap the passions of working cultures is the only way to deliver persuasive differentiators and drive preference in any industry. Especially hospitals, where the lifting is heavy, the work is long, and the high call is “personal”. Effective brand and patient […]
January 24th, 2012
Raising girls is tough. Raising confident, curious, inspired, courageous, authentic, well-rounded, well-educated young women who don’t feel pressured to conform to the world’s view of perfection is beyond daunting. We’re looking for parents of 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls willing to talk honestly about parenting girls. We’re setting out […]
July 18th, 2012
I hate the word “branding” for 2½ reasons, all of which have everything to do with popular usage and connotative meaning…. Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/trimmer741/ 1.) When Branding is used as a verb, it typically refers to the isolated one-time or occasional applying of tactics to improve brand image. “Branding” typically […]
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 […]
December 20th, 2012
It’s difficult to make a difference or solve an issue when you are spreading limited resources across a long list of worthy causes. Sometimes less really is more. It should come as no surprise that “just” giving money, without thoughtful coordination, doesn’t produce significant change. Nor does it cultivate any […]
April 16th, 2013
During the 70’s and 80’s, two separate clusters simultaneously developed in completely different industries, in completely different countries… and coffee just might deserve credit for both. The first was a cluster of automotive testing facilities in the rural town of Arjeplog, in Northern Sweden. The second is Silicon Valley. Fika […]
May 21st, 2013
You get one shot at life! We should all act accordingly– strategically plotting a plan to do what you love! With all that in mind you should know that we aren’t convinced that people need “personal brands”. But, if you want to know how to identify and fulfill your purpose, […]