When taglines become outdated, what’s a brand to do?
Every brand strives to achieve such recognition of their name and tagline that consumers immediately know the product. This is a good thing. It strengthens the brand in the marketplace, creates top of mind awareness, and can drive brand preference. But
Who is the face of your brand?
I recently walked into a mountain town restaurant for breakfast, the name of which will remain anonymous to protect the clueless. I was greeted promptly by a young man who looked like he just got out of bed. His hair
How to…
In the almost three years of blogging, we've developed a pretty robust archive of educational posts
On mascots, characters and spokespeople.
In the heyday of the “Burger King” the fast food franchise managed to take creepiness to a whole new level as its vaguely disturbing mascot jumped out at you from behind doors, disrupted football games and showed up in your
Ubiquitous Branding
I recently acquired a new Toyota 4Runner. While admiring its clean lines and snappy red color, I noticed something: nowhere on the exterior of this vehicle does the word Toyota appear. The word 4Runner is displayed prominently, as is the
Going Primal
It's early in the morning and the believers have arrived. They reverently line up to await their turn, surrounded by the icons of their faith. Outside, the pagans scurry by, disinterested in the ritual within. The believers utter the sacred
It’s still not about you.
Last time we talked about new customer acquisition and the importance of keeping your selling message focused on your customers’ needs, not the features of you. Now let’s talk about customer retention where it’s even more important to maintain a
It’s not about you.
So you’ve been in business for three generations, you’ve invested in all the latest equipment, you have a spiffy new website and you’re involved in the community. Those are all good things, but guess what? Your customers don’t care! If you’re
On kids, pets and advertising.
So here he is, the four-foot frontman for a local advertiser, leering at you from your flatscreen while the sound track rolls, the graphics pop up, and you reach for your remote. But wait! Here it is now, the payoff: “Muhsthke chmegk
That Relationship Thing
I once took a trip with a friend to the Oregon coast. As we drove past the dairy farming community of Tillamook, a large sign beckoned: TILLAMOOK CHEESE FACTORY. TAKE OUR TOUR! Unable to resist this cheesy come-on, we spent