Brand Builders Must Respect Shipping Size, Weight, and Configuration Requirements.
BIGGER ISN”T ALWAYS BETTER
Too many compelling package designs fail simply because they aren’t practical. During the design phase it is essential that you realize that you don't have the world of all possibilities in which to design your package. Find out what the distribution system demands before you even...
Successful Brand Builders have to be Prepared to do the Middlemen’s Work
THAT’S NOT WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR
When your brand is new, you may be disappointed by the performance of brokers, distributers, jobbers and retailers in the handling and merchandising of your branded products. We were! In fact we were in denial for months. You know that river in Egypt? We were drowning...
Volkswagen Hurts its Brand Image
CHEATERS NEVER PROSPER
Volkswagen has now officially apologized for apparently deliberately installing software that was designed to fool emission testers. After the apologies, mandatory firings and purging that will inevitably take place, we are still left with the atomized structure that allowed this to happen in the first place....
“The Rule of 99” – Consumers Perceive a Penny More as a Dollar More!
DON’T LEAVE MONEY ON THE TABLE!
Crazy as it seems, consumers perceive a price that ends in .99 as a dollar less than one cent more. But it’s only one cent less. The same is true with $9.99 which is read as $9. Folks will see $99.99 as $90, rather than $100....
Successful Brand Builders Avoid Chains and Box Stores until their Brand is Established
WE’LL TAKE A TRUCKLOAD!
Getting a huge initial order from a big box store or national chain sounds like the answer to a brand builder’s dream, but if they aren’t already established in the general market, it could be more of a nightmare! Sure, new brands need instant exposure and...
Build a Consumer Products Brand By Staying in Stock
CONGRATULATIONS - YOU’RE IN! SORRY - YOU’RE OUT!
Most brand builders take staying in stock for granted, but we learned that a consumer products brand is only as good as the continued availability of its branded products. Staying in stock is challenging when you are new because your retail buyers have not had any...
Consumer Product Brands Must Provide Customer Service
ALL BUSINESSES ARE SERVICE BUSINESSES
Probably the biggest misconception we see coming from aspiring and launch-phase consumer product producers is that they think they are in the product business. But they are all ultimately in the service business. Why? Their products and their customers will need servicing! The quality of that...
5 “P’s” of the Price of Sales are Often Underestimated
VIEW SALES AS AN EXPENSE
Today we meet with many hopeful startups with fantastic ideas. They are often inventors who believe that the invention itself will bring them success. Somehow they think their idea is so disruptive, so innovative, and so desirable that the world will beat a path to their...
Launching a New Brand Requires Consistent Effort to Overcome Inertia
EVERY SHIP THAT SINKS WAS FIRST LAUNCHED
Launching a new brand is easy. Getting it out of the harbor and onto the open seas of commerce is much more difficult. It seems like every day you hear about a new business launch. But you hear very little about what it takes to gain...
Corporate Structure Itself Can Hurt the Customer Experience
“IT’S ALL THE SALESPEOPLE’S FAULT!”
When sales drop off, it’s easy to simply blame the sales division. We often hear, “They’re just not doing their job!” But is it really the sales division, or is it something we generally take as an unchangeable constant, like the very structure of the company...
When It Comes to Brand Reputation, Retailers Never Forget
“WE TRIED THAT 10 YEARS AGO - IT DIDN”T SELL!”
Retailers seem to forever remember any brand that didn’t sell in their stores. You can’t really blame them because their very income is at stake. It doesn’t matter whose fault it was, if it didn’t sell, they remember and banish that brand, generally forever. We had...
Keeping Your Brand in Front of a Reluctant Buyer Will Pay Off (Later)
SHE’S NOT SHOPPING
When we began building the Barefoot Wine brand, we hired one of our first chain store managers to call on the big supermarket buyers in California. He was a tall Dutch guy named Jack Voss who kept us entertained with his charming accent and idioms that...
Granting Every Sales Request Can Hurt Your Brand
IF ONLY…
We’ve often said that Marketing and Production should pay attention to Sales and Customer Service because they are the only people in your company who talk to your customers every day. They know why customers buy – and why they don’t. They know what the competition...
7 Obstacles that Can Slow Your Brand Growth
THE GRIND
Successful brand building requires a good plan, a great product, excellent positioning, and a good value, but the most essential ingredient is time. Sometimes it seems like your growth is gaining steam, then, for apparently no reason, it stymies. Sometimes it’s beyond your control and sometimes...
Build Your Brand by Taking Sides
WHAT DOES YOUR BRAND STAND FOR?
Last week the US Supreme Court upheld the right of same sex couples to marry. Just 20 years ago President Clinton signed a bill denying marriage to these same citizens. What has happened to change the minds of a nation? There were long and arduous legal...
The Catholic Brand of Ecology
THE POPE WITH HOPE
Pope Francis made headlines with his encyclical on the climate last week. It’s official! This is the first time a major religion took a public position on climate change, its causes, and what we can do about it. The Catholic religion is the largest religion with...
Volta Builds Brands with Free Electric Car Charging
CHARGE UP WHERE YOU SHOP
Can you build your retail brand by installing a free charging station out front? A San Francisco startup says you can! More drivers are choosing electric cars, increasing the need for convenient charging locations. And more retailers are discovering the benefits of projecting a green image...
Brands Can Self-Destruct by Growing Too Fast
EASY DOES IT
Sometimes brand builders can kid themselves into believing that their brand is growing when it is actually dying. In a misguided effort to rack up as many sales as possible, new brand builders can get the idea that any sale from anywhere is a good sale....