Grow Your Brand with the Gift They Have to Give Away!
“I KNOW JUST WHO TO GIVE THIS TO”
Especially during the holidays, our clients want to know how to grow their brands. Whether they have a service business like a restaurant or produce a physical product, they want to get the word out about their quality and value. They have tried advertising, email marketing...
Grow Your Brand Faster with Velocity Pricing
SELL MORE - FASTER!
Everything has a price at which the greatest volume is sold. Whether it’s a crib or a car, a book or a bike, a refrigerator or a television, each has a popular price point. If we say camera, you think $200. If we say computer, you...
Build Your Brand with Holiday Sales – 4th Quarter Means Volume
OND RULES!
OND is not an old Norse term for the mystical Odic force as Google suggests – especially if you are a physical consumer product brand builder. It stands for the three most important months of the retail selling year: October, November, and December. The highest volume...
Labels Must Convey More Than a Cute or Powerful Image
IF IT DOESN’T POP, IT WON’T SHOP!
Commercial brand builders face many challenges when it comes to designing a label, and there are many ways in which it will be used. Sure, your label must convey the message of your brand, and distinguish it from others in the category. But there are many...
Successfully Selling Physical Product Consumer Brands is Becoming a Lost Art
GOING TO THE STORE
There’s not a week that passes that we don’t get in the car and drive to our local retail stores to buy branded physical products. Whether its food, beverage, hardware supplies, sundries, or clothing, we continue to make over 90% of our purchases in a physical,...
The Death of Brick and Mortar Has Been Greatly Exaggerated!
RETAIL (STILL) RULES!
Putting Things in Perspective Have we gotten so obsessed with digital marketing that we overlook the more than 90% of retail sales that still take place in retail stores? According to the US Commerce Department that tracks those sales, in 2015 online sales were up to...
What is the Difference Between a Product and a Brand?
THEY’LL BLAME YOUR BRAND!
Some folks use the words “product” and “brand” interchangeably. But we see a great distinction between these two terms. A brand is the sum total of the logo, label, image, positioning, promise, and overall reputation. A product is the item that is offered for sale. A...
Branding Junk Hurts Your Brand
“BUT IT’S SO CHEAP!”
It never ceases to amaze us how so many companies put their logos on cheap giveaway items that malfunction or break almost immediately. Don’t they ever think about what message that sends regarding the quality of their branded products? Typically, the decision to do such a...
Love-Hate Relationship Between Big Chain Stores and Independent Brands
WHOSE BRAND ARE YOU BUILDING?
Our clients get really excited about receiving an offer to produce their product under a big chain store’s name. The scenario usually goes like this: The producer presents their branded product to the big chain, but instead of the chain agreeing to take their brand, they...
Commercial Proof Makes Your Idea More Valuable
DON’T SELL OUT TOO CHEAP!
It seems like every month we hear about inventors, makers, and innovators who made a fortune on their ideas. What we don’t hear about is the great majority who sold out too cheap. An idea without commercial proof is just that, an unproven idea. But why...
Selling Branded Physical Products Online vs. Bricks and Mortar
THEY WANT TO TOUCH IT!
Often we are asked, "Should I sell my product online or in the stores?" Well, you may not have much choice! You may have to sell your product online simply because the stores won't take it. They may not have room. You may not be able...
Competitor Market Research Has Already Been Done by Your Sales Team
LET’S DO ANOTHER STUDY – NOT!
We think it’s really sad that some companies have become so siloed that they embark on expensive competitor research programs when their salespeople already know what their competitors are doing. Marketing departments in some large companies are getting carried away with “make work.” It’s almost like...
Measuring Brand Equity is Like Trying to Hit a Moving Target
HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH? …HOW ABOUT NOW?
Once your brand sells, there is no question about the value of your brand equity. It’s the time before that sale is final when your brand’s equity is a moving target. However, it is possible to understand the factors, or metrics, that determine that value –...
Brand Building – Nobody Wants to Do the Missionary Work
BREAKING THE ICE
When you are out to disrupt your industry, be prepared for the “missionary work.” This is the inglorious, frustrating, thankless, and painfully slow part of the startup process that new brand producers, in their excitement, often overlook. You can see how your invention, idea, or new...
Rebrand Without Losing Your Brand Equity
LOOK WHAT THEY’VE DONE TO MY BRAND!
Rebranding is dangerous! Proceed with caution! Ever wonder why so many brands disappear right after they are acquired? It’s because the acquirers thought they “owned” the brand and could do whatever they wanted with it. Maybe they saw their new acquisition as just another label, or...
Brand Performance is Judged by Instantaneous Retail Sales
NO ONE WANTS TO RAISE THE CALF
We were shocked to find out that retailers were quick to discontinue our brand if it didn’t move immediately! We thought they would allow a few months for shoppers to get used to seeing it, then they try it, come back and buy it again. We...
How to Measure Brand Equity
WHAT’S IT WORTH?
Most authorities agree that brand equity is the commercial value that “derives from consumer perception of the brand name of a particular product or service, rather than from the product or service itself.” But how do you measure brand equity? First, let’s get a hint from...
Branding a Product is a Multifaceted Challenge
MORE THAN A BASEBALL CAP!
When we say “branding” we are not limiting the discussion to putting a logo on a baseball cap. We are not talking about website, company letterhead, or big balloons with your name brand’s on them. When we speak of branding, we are talking about the comprehensive...