Cadillac has been our automotive brand for nearly forty years, and we’ve owned and leased them year after year. Our most recent Caddie was a CT6 luxury sedan. It was roomy enough to carry clients. It was sleek and attractive, prompting compliments from people who saw us driving it. The car was quiet and took […]
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Nearly all of our worldwide clients have training programs to promote the achievement of “marketing excellence.” But what is “marketing excellence?” What is it that they strive to achieve? What is Excellence? Excellence is about achieving the highest levels of performance. It means being more successful, much more successful than others (namely, the competition – […]
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Today is election day in the United States. Thank goodness! I’m tired of the relentless barrage of ads by politicians engaged in oppositioning to discredit their opponents. You know oppositioning as negative advertising. Competitive positioning is how we want our target customers to perceive, think and feel about OUR brand (or, in the case of politicians, their political party, […]
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Tomorrow is election day in the United States. Thank goodness! I’m tired of the relentless barrage of ads by politicians engaged in oppositioning to discredit their opponents. You know oppositioning as negative advertising. Competitive positioning is how we want our target customers to perceive, think and feel about OUR brand (or, in the case of politicians, their political party, […]
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Packaging is crucial to successful brand development. Yet it is often underappreciated, despite addressing multiple critical roles. Encloses and protects the product contents regardless of whether it’s cereal, beer, macaroni and cheese, frozen foods, pharmaceuticals, electronic equipment, contact lens—whatever. Promotes efficient transportation from the plant to the distribution center and customers. Aids stocking at retail, […]
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When we offer an additional service, even if it comes with a price tag to customers, is it a value-added brand builder or expense? The answer to the question will impact how you use it and the customer experience you deliver. First, let’s address what value-added means. It’s about going beyond the tangible product or […]
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Our target goal is to achieve sales of X, a market share of Y% (whether it be 15, 25, 35%, or more) in Z-time. Beyond receiving our weekly (or daily) sales results and a share report from a custom or syndicated data source, do we know what it takes and if we’re on track to achieve […]
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Our marketing strategies do two things of critical importance. First, they direct brand development—our aims. Second, they serve as a filter to help ensure that everything we do for the brand is consistent with a given strategy. However, most strategies are poorly written, and that’s because they’re poorly thought-out. So, our aims can be inappropriate […]
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David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy and Mather Advertising Agency, was a lion in advertising. He is considered by many the “Father of Advertising.” His advertising roared, generating brand preference and deepening consumer loyalty for the brands his agency represented. Mr. Ogilvy’s definition of creativity is simple: “It’s not creative unless it sells.” This one sentence […]
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A turnaround is quite different from a brand or business rejuvenation and revitalization. A turnaround is just what the name suggests, turning the business around from failing to succeeding. It is not a snapshot in time, although the turnaround has an inflection point. It’s moving 180 degrees from failing to restoring viability and promoting success […]
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