Dear friends, Yet another year culminates with holiday cheer and celebration. Despite a year that posed difficulties for virtually everyone—high inflation, war, shortages of basics, intensifying divisiveness—it’s the time of gifting others with our thoughts, prayers and presence. As we enter this joyous holiday season and approach the birth of the New Year 2023, we […]
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This past Saturday, 10 December, I participated in the Commencement ceremony for University of West Florida (UWF) graduates. I, along with others from the class of 1972, was recognized as a Golden Graduate. As you know, a golden anniversary celebrates 50 years. Whew, that’s a long time. My wife and I celebrated our golden wedding […]
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We, marketers, can all agree that emotional connections are vitally important in creating brand loyalty. Why will consumers pay a significant price premium (upwards of 50%) for Johnson’s Baby Powder (despite its fall from grace for many)? Is it the talc ingredient found in the product? Or is it the product’s fragrance? The fact of […]
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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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