4 Steps to Take Before You Grow Your Brand
TAKE A SHAKEDOWN CRUISE!
When it comes to launching a new branded product, we caution, “Every ship that sinks was first launched!” The launch is not the magic. Surviving the first few months is not the magic. Even achieving positive cash flow is not the magic. The real magic is...
Why Brands Are King – Brands Trump Commodities
KLEENEX - MORE THAN SOMETHING TO SNEEZE AT!
Like Kleenex, Xerox, and Coke, some consumer brands are so strong that their very names have replaced the commodities they represent in the lexicon. But they are commodities none the less. What has elevated these brand names to this level is their history, popularity, or virtual...
7 Characteristics that Set True Entrepreneurs Apart
TRUE ENTREPRENEURS ARE BRAND BUILDERS
These days the word “entrepreneur” has been expanded to mean just about anyone who is self- employed. But we would like to see a new definition that distinguishes between solopreneurs, sole proprietors and single service providers on the one hand, and brand equity builders on the...
5 Ways to Identify a Cause that Helps You Promote Your Brand
ALL FOR THE CAUSE
Cause Marketing is a mainstream term used today to describe cause or cause-related cooperative marketing efforts between a for-profit and a non-profit organization for mutual benefits. Back in 1986 when we started the Barefoot Wine brand, we made up a name because there wasn’t a name...
A Bad Brand Design Decision Should Be Corrected, Not Justified
DON’T GET THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE!
When it comes to branding decisions, some are much more successful than others. But when jobs are at stake and resumes are being built, there is a tendency, especially among larger organizations, to try to justify the brand design decisions and hold the course. Sometimes this...
Grow Your Brand by Getting Your Non Salespeople into the Field
MEET THE REAL BOSS!
Because salespeople are on the “outside” in most companies, and everybody else is on the “inside,” there is a tendency to view the sales team as somehow separate from the office folks. This can be very counterproductive when it comes to brand building. The inside vs...
Seizing Opportunity Requires Fast Action and On-the-fly Corrections
THE PROBLEM WITH PERFECT
Street smart brand builders are light on their feet, constantly looking for current events, market changes, and consumer mood shifts they can take advantage of. When you are building your brand, pop-up opportunities abound. But can you take advantage of them before that window of opportunity...
New Brands Should Lever Their Positive Prospects
SURROUND THE NAY-SAYERS WITH SUCCESS!
When many hopeful startups enter the marketplace, they are surprised by the large percentage of “nay-sayers” they encounter right off the bat! These folks say “no” because they’ve never seen your brand before. They have no history with it. They already have performing brands and limited...
The Best Brand Building Advice for the New Year
SAY HELLO TO THE REAL BRAND OWNERS!
“With your experience in the real world of brand building, can you just give me the one thing I need to know to build my brand in the New Year?” A member of the audience asked us this question after a recent keynote address. These days...
Tony Robbins’ Courses Helped Us Build the Famous Barefoot Wine Brand
IT’S A LONG DRIVE FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO LA
When we started Barefoot Wine, it was without money or knowledge of the wine industry. But we also had a few other challenges we were carrying around with us - right between our ears. For one thing, we had to overcome the negative thoughts that had...
They’re Not Strangers, They’re Customers
DON’T TURN MONEY AWAY!
We live in a world where entire groups of people are suddenly classified, by some, as the enemy, or personas non grata, but if we can get over political classifications we realize that everyone is our customer at some level. The real question is, will they...
The Lifetime Value of Your Brand’s Customers
NOT JUST A ONE-TIMER
When you acquire a customer, you get something else - you get the opportunity to make them a lifetime customer. What is the value of that? What do you have to do to keep them buying your brand? It's an opportunity, not a given. In fact...
Does Your Brand Contribute to Global Warming?
THE REAL PRICE OF “CHEAP”
The Climate Conference in Paris will not produce a solution for global warming or carbon emissions because there are simply no teeth in the deal. It’s all voluntary and “self-enforced.” One important game changer has come out of the conference however - public awareness. Not just...
Thanksgiving, a Day of Thanks or Just another Shopping Day?
BLACK FRIDAY ATTACKS GRATEFUL THURSDAY
America is one of the few nations in the world that sets a day aside just to give thanks, appreciate what we have, and celebrate friends and families. The banks are closed, the post offices are closed, and most businesses are closed. Until now! Within the...
Selling Your Brand Over the Web is a Price Race to the Bottom
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
When speaking to the Executive MBA class at Tulane University last week we were asked, “Why bother with bricks and mortar distribution challenges if you can sell your brand on the web?” We often get this question, especially from millennials who grew up with online commerce...
Badger Brand Well Positioned to Preserve the Reefs
KILLING THE REEFS TO SAVE OUR SKINS?
Did you read the alarming news that the world’s reefs are bleaching out to a ghostly white in a huge global die off? Anyone who has snorkeled in the tropics or watched a diving video has marveled at the vibrant colors and the multitude of life...
Branding Veterans Day to Spotlight Veterans as Employees and Contractors
HIRE A VET!
The first annual “Vets Rock" event is scheduled this year for November 11th, Veterans Day at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. This combination concert and business conference is designed to celebrate veterans and promote veteran-owned businesses. The event will be broadcasted all over the...
Brands Can be Hurt by Turnover When Key Relationships Are Severed
IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT!
Lost opportunities, reduced sales, broken relationships. These are the nightmares of all brand builders. Maintaining stable business relationships are crucial to brand growth, and business relationships are based on performance over time. So why would a brand builder risk turnover when key relationships hang in the...