By now nearly every marketer and sports enthusiast is familiar with the new Nike ad featuring Colin Kaepernick, former San Francisco Quarterback who is, perhaps, better known for starting a movement to protest racial injustice by taking a knee during the American National Anthem than he is for his exploits on the NFL gridiron. It’s […]
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In the past few weeks we were asked to review two creative briefs. One was a client brief design (format) the other was from an ad agency. Two different brief designs consisting of different elements. One was for a medical device brand and the other for a pharmaceutical brand. What was our impression of each? […]
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President Trump has been levying and threatening tariffs on select countries and industries. Steel and aluminum are two such industries to be targeted. Harley-Davidson, expecting a decline in profits due to the increased cost of steel and aluminum needed to manufacture their choppers has been exploring making parts overseas to scooter around the tariffs. In […]
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QUESTION: Shouldn’t brands in high-penetration/frequent usage categories, like soft drinks, or snacks, or confection, aim communications as broadly as possible (especially when there are very high-efficiency means to do so—like TV–readily available)? For more than fifteen continuous years, we were most fortunate to have a client in “true FMCG…” a client whose many Consumer […]
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We know what it means to be competitive. Saying that your company or brand is competitive just doesn’t cut it. Nor is wanting to be competitive sufficient to improve your brand’s outlook. It takes more to be competitive. It is about being prepared to win in the marketplace, to beat the perennial leader, to grow […]
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When was the last time you gave your full attention, and listened, really listened, to the flight attendants as they announced and visualized safety instructions for your aircraft? You probably can’t remember. And, if you are being totally honest you’ll admit not only to not listening but actively tuning-out the instructions despite the fact that […]
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Senior managers will claim that their company, brand or new marketplace entry is “competitive.” Yet so very often their products are “me-too,” further contributing to the “age of sameness” in an era characterized by a proliferation of products (i.e., an “age of abundance”) in virtually every market. Additionally, they’re under-funded and/or their organization is not […]
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In our last DISPATCHES we had been recounting the little-remembered story of 7-Up’s “wars” against the big colas, Coke and Pepsi, during the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Just as a quick summary, 7-Up’s first attack came in the form of their legendary “Uncola” ad campaign…which had a lot do with their growth to a 7%+ […]
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Taxi cabs have been memorable in Chicago but not for exceptional service. There was a time when you’d get into a cab in Chicago only to discover that your driver spoke little English, if any at all. Nor might they know how to get you to your destination via the most direct route. The […]
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As it’s now the dog-days of summer, with some extended blazing temperatures across the U.S., we thought something a little refreshing was in order. Since we both were active participants in the relatively short-lived (and unsung) “lemon-lime wars” of the early 1980’s, we decided to summarize our lessons learned from them…principles, mainly, that in any […]
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