Food and Drink
Humans need stories. Good brand marketing gives them meaning.
We all remember stories. We invent stories. We have to explain why. Some scientists say that humans are different from all other primates because we need explanations, reasons — the why?— to understand the meaning of what happens in our world. We primates live in a way of seeing our past and future; the stories…
Read MoreNot Enough Microchips or Ketchup, Now That’s a Problem
How human behavior shifts everything in markets. When the pandemic came, how people lived, what they did and how life occurred for millions of people changed overnight. Restaurants were shuttered, toilet paper and cleaning supplies disappeared off the shelves and people stopped driving and worked from home, hunkered down with their laptops. Human behavior is…
Read MoreWhat’s With All the Rebrands?
At the end of last year and moving into 2021 there’s been a flurry of corporate rebranding moves by some very big companies. Everyone from Target to GM to Pfizer has shifted their look, rebranded, and created or updated a new brand story around this. Many of them are recognizing they need to live in…
Read MoreHow the Lonely QR Code Found a Purpose in a Pandemic.
When it was launched back in 1994 who knew that it would create a whole new form of customer/brand engagement? Invented by DENSO, a Japanese company, QR code was touted as a means of getting you to view large amounts of content quickly. Mind you there were no smartphones to scan with then. Originally, awkward…
Read MoreCOVID-19 and Keeping the Brand Connection
When the pandemic began everyone initially thought this can’t last that long. This crisis has now become way more dramatic. In just a few short weeks, people have shifted into protection mode, focusing on themselves, their families, their employees, their customers, and their communities. Social media reflects this, with pleas for fellow citizens to follow…
Read MoreThe Durability of Brand Strategy is Always Tested by A Response to Disaster
By responding to the changes in the market, a company, a brand can succeed in solving major problems if they understand their value and meaning to customers.
Read MoreWithout a People Strategy, There is No Brand Strategy
The Eight Questions You Should Ask to Define Your People Strategy The focus on brand strategy is almost always on the market situation, unique business model, competitive strategy, and product focus, or the company. The core message, the differentiation from competitors, is what makes this brand unique and building that into a marketing campaign is…
Read MoreNoodle Theory: How to Reopen Retail and Bring Back People
In the small German town of Schwerin on a warm spring day in May, as Germany is beginning to open up and come back to some semblance of normality, Cafe Rothe had just re-opened after months of closure, and they provided a handy way of keeping people safely apart while they had their coffee. The owner provided noodle hats…
Read MoreTime to Pivot: Five things to do to Reinvent Your Brand Strategy
First, remember, who you are is not the same. The key is understanding that the rules that governed what you did and how you did it for your business or non-profit have all changed. The radical shift in the world caused by literally turning off almost all business transactions and activities that drive consumer behavior…
Read MoreIn a Global Crisis It’s Time to Redefine Your Brand Marketing
This classic phrase from the Wizard of Oz movie in the 1930’s lets us know we’ve now stepped outside of what was normal and entered a realm that is unfamiliar, strange or even threatening. This does not mean all is lost…
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