STANDING UP FOR SOCIAL ISSUES WITHOUT SPEAKING OUT TO DRIVE GROWTH (AND CHANGE)

We can debate the purpose of business as it varies depending upon the goals and perspectives of various constituencies and individuals. However, make no mistake, a business must generate profit. Profitability is not a negative. It is the lifeblood for sustaining operations, investing in development, creating jobs, raising living standards, promoting human development, among many […]

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EGG-STRAORDINARY SEGMENTATION

Segmentation – Classifying parts that contribute to the whole. It’s no secret. I love eggs. I’ve written about eggs in DISPATCHES (“Egg-actly Brand Worthy Idea”) and Marketing Matters (“Serving Up The Whole Egg”). Each time I’ve addressed the egg it has been about marketing related matters. You might say I’m obsessed with two of the […]

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PROSITIONING VERSUS REPOSITIONING

When sales persistently decline, a common refrain among marketers is “It’s time to reposition the brand.” Well, it may be too late; in most cases, it is too late! Repositioning typically indicates a brand that is no longer healthy and in serious business decline. It’s reactive behavior to (typically alarming or consistent) sales, market share […]

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MULVANEY AND BUD LIGHT PARTNERSHIP: DUMB MARKETING

I feel like I’m walking on thin ice. At any moment, it will crack, and I will plunge into icy waters and be swept away. What am I talking about? Well, to start, I will conduct a postmortem on Bud Light. This undertaking alone is fraught with danger as corporations sweep their failures away to […]

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FIVE PRACTICES TO BECOMING YOUR AGENCY’S “PREFFERED” CLIENT

Over the past several weeks (since the lead-up to the Super Bowl), I’ve been sharing proven principles, best practices, and quality processes for making your advertising more effective. This article gets at a critically important but overlooked element, the client-agency relationship. We want customers to perceive our company and brand as the preferred “one” in […]

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COACHING FRAMEWORK – A MORE PRODUCTIVE WAY TO LEAD THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEADERSHIP ADVERTISING

Recently I blogged, “How to Provide Direction to Make Your Brand Messaging Matter More”: http://bdn-intl.com/how-to-provide-direction-to-make-your-brand-messaging-matter-more. I suggested “coaching” instead of “evaluating” work—yours or someone else’s. It’s an essential characteristic of an effective leader. Evaluating is pointing out what is wrong. Coaching is identifying what’s needed to make whatever work you’re doing or shared with you more […]

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HOW TO PROVIDE DIRECTION TO MAKE YOUR BRAND MESSAGING MATTER MORE

Direction – the management or guidance of someone or something. It seems like everywhere I turn people lament the absence of leadership and the adverse impact on their organization and life. Then there are those providing advice on what it takes to be(come) an effective leader. Why, then, the dearth of effective leadership? We’ve leadership […]

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SUPER BOWL LVII – USING CELEBRITIES IN ADVERTISING TO GRAB ATTENTION

What do Miles Teller, John Travolta, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Melissa McCarthy, Steve Martin, Serena Williams, Will Ferrell, Anna Faris, Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg, and Nick Jonas have in common?  They all starred in commercials aired during Super Bowl LVII. They were just a few that spring to mind from the many chosen to pitch […]

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MARKETING LEARNINGS FROM THE SUCCESS OF EL QUIM

I’m on an extended holiday in Spain and will not return to active duty until next month. So, I’m reposting articles. This article is about one of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona, El Quim. I hope you find it as nourishing and satisfying as I find the food from this restaurant. “La Boqueria,” el Mercat […]

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RESOLUTIONS FOR MARKETERS

res-o-lu-tion (noun) – a decision that reflects a determination to accomplish something important to you Happy New Year 2k23! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to a terrific year full of hope and optimism—despite continued challenges close and far from home.  This article is a repost of one I wrote a few years […]

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