Business Strategy or Brand Strategy?

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”0|0px|0|0px|true|false”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” custom_padding=”0|0px|27px|0px|false|false” _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] The Power of Aligning Your Business Strategy and Your Brand. In developing business strategies executives often focus on key metrics related to growth, personnel, and finances. Obviously, these are critical to a company’s survival in today’s complex business environment.…

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Eat a Bar, Drink a Beer and Go Climb A Rock

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”0|0px|26.3125px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0|0px|13.1562px|0px|false|false” _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″] Three companies who have souls and sales. How innovative, mission driven-brands can collaborate on consumer values. ClifBar, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, and REI have something in common– their values and their customers.  What’s this mean though? Having a product with a significant market share…

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Flying Dogs and Electric Cars – How brand value is shaped by our emotional connections

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”0|0px|0|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0|0px|27px|0px|false|false” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] Baily loves great dog treats Although we believe we make good choices based on rational thinking, most everything we react to is based on emotional perceptions. These emotions are more powerful than we think. They shape what brands…

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Hangouts, Eats, Experiences– what shapes a great place-brand?

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”4px|0px|28.3281px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0|0px|14.1562px|0px|false|false” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] The Unique Mix of Temescal Alley. What draws you somewhere? What makes that place special? What suddenly turns an ordinary location into a hot, buzzing focus of activity? Creating a brand for downtown, a neighborhood shopping area or…

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You will do well to expand your horizons

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”1px|0px|29.7031px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.0.74″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] Simple technology shifts change markets and challenge brands You will do well to expand your horizons. This phrase came from a fortune cookie. A simple statement that says a lot about how we view our world,…

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Amazon 4-Star Store: Can You Have a Customer-Rated Brand Experience?

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”1px|0px|54px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”26px|0px|6px|0px|false|false” _builder_version=”3.17.2″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″] I visited this small store on Fourth Street in Berkeley. It immediately struck me it doesn’t really provide much of a selection. But it’s not really about the depth of selection; it’s about value validated by consumers like you.   The Real Feature is…

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The Demise of the Department Store: Think Dinosaurs

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″] Shopping is an experience, retail brands are beginning to adapt  The apocalyptic news of one mall after another losing flagship stores such as Macy’s, JC Penny’s and Sears, is like reading panic newscasts during a massive Hurricane. You just look for the next victim, the next destroyed mall. Does anyone understand this…

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Creating a There, There

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.17.2″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.17.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] Creating a There, There: A guide to marketing and activating the urban space What suddenly transformed Uptown in Oakland from being a dead place to having 34 restaurants, live theatre, galleries and bars? What caused a shift in the scene? What…

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