Bringing Life to Your Brand: Should Your Brand Have a Mascot?
GEICO has a gecko. Aflac has a duck. Progressive has Flo. Smokey Bear, Old Spice man, the Most Interesting Man in the World (Dos Equis beer), roaming garden gnome (Travelocity), fr
Can Your Employees and Customers Verbalize Your Brand Promise?
When we do in-depth questioning research, one question that stumps people again and again is this: “What is your organization’s brand promise?” Research by Gallup
Loud and Literal Is a Mantra for Us All
Signs must communicate quickly and efficiently. Imagine if all your communications had to communicate visually all the time. A sign of the times is that new media is changing how w
The Hammer of Memorability
Some small marketers break through the clutter with dramatic effect because they realize one small but critical function of marketing. The marketing toolbox needs to include the ha
Target’s Plaid-Out Strategy
You’ve seen football teams do black-out nights in their stadiums, but Target took a plaid-out approach for the 2015 holiday shopping season. Reports of how the plaid push ended h
The Iowa Caucuses Are Today
The Iowa Caucus is tonight. Many will be glad to see it go. I’ll be glad to have all the Iowa jokes end. It’s tough here in the winter, but that is a good first test of who our
Freaky Fast Bathroom Branding
In this long-tail, inbox-cluttered smartphone world, it is nice to see how some marketers are using alternative media to stand up and stand out from all the competition. Jimmy John
The Curse of Knowledge and Coffee Makers
We talk about user experience for websites, but we also need to focus on the experience of dealing with our marketing vehicles: Envelopes that will not open without ripping Lobby v
The Otto’s Place Way to Engagement
There are times when you just know you have encountered something special. I had one of those experiences at Otto’s Place in Galena, Ill. Otto’s Place is not on the main drag w
Do Thank-You Ads Work?
I’ve seen a lot of thank-you ads over the years. And, it sounds nice to place an advertisement thanking people who have done something for your organization or business. But
