The motivation to protect what’s unique to a specific community, a region, or a particular street has come as a reaction to the mass influx of chain stores in the last 30 years.

Do you think the same guy who’s selling you a a Chrysler Le Baron or Jeep Wrangler can sell you a Fiat 500? Not on your life. Fiat is doing it right by launching 200 new dealerships in the U.S.

Although Toyota has taken a media beating in the last few weeks because of two recalls on popular models, In my opinion they will not fall permanently from grace.

I don’t think all multiple store chains are killers of authenticity. Fundamentally, what do they provide that’s not being served to the consumer? And is it real in how it connects to consumers’ experience?

Target’s entry with P-Fresh will add substantially to the already glutted grocery store square-footage in the United States where more and more retailers are competing for the same number of consumer dollars.

The actual design of the new labels along with the methodology to change the names is a disjointed and confusing with sports illustrations that look like a collage gone bad. There are so many activities I can’t figure out what I’m supposed to be doing. The visual images are more evocative of an energy drink than a beer.

The Flip video camera focused on what people want to do. The company, Pure Digital that created it, was not an electronics company. The founders saw an unmet opportunity in the growing digital video market and had a video camera

Apple defied the predictions of the analysts and the recession with increased sales and overall increase in revenue and profit for the first quarter of 2009. In the same period Microsoft had its first ever drop in sales

Tropicana got lost in the world of generics. It was just another white container with a picture of orange juice pouring. Consumers were saying where’s the orange with the straw?