Facebook Reneges on Its Brand Promise
“YOU REACHED 9 PEOPLE”
Without notice to its subscribers, Facebook suddenly changed its algorithms, essentially reneging on its basic brand promise. Remember, the brand promise is not so much what is made by the brand owners as it is the expectations of the brand’s customers, what they have come to...
The Freedom Tower is More Than an Office Building – It’s a Brand
THE JEWEL IN LOWER MANHATTAN’S CROWN
When we were in New York City last year the cupola antenna was being hoisted into place at the top of the new Freedom Tower in the newly rebuilt World Trade Center. As a huge crane gently positioned the last piece of the Tower's stature in...
All Your People are Salespeople When They Believe in Your Brand
OVER DELIVER
Our new book, The Entrepreneurial Culture, 23 Ways to Engage and Empower Your People, will be coming out in September. This book was written specifically for corporate executives who want to improve their company culture by borrowing techniques successful entrepreneurs use every day. They know that...
Traditional Corporate Structure Can Hurt Brand Health
THE DEFICIENCIES OF SCALE
In order to stay fresh, relevant, and dominate their space, brands must constantly reinvent themselves. But does the traditional company structure itself suffocate a brand’s growth and evolution? Does the structure itself create its own roadblocks, choke communication, and suppress innovation? Traditional corporate structure puts marketing...
Alan Mulally Remortgages, Repositions and Saves Ford
FUN – A THREE LETTER WORD
About to retire after eight years Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company’s CEO, is leaving on a high note. When he was passed over to run Boeing after taking a big part in the reorganization of that company, he accepted Bill Ford’s offer to become CEO. At...
Electric Cars Gain Traction as Local Governments Cut Costs
LARGE PURCHACES LOWER PRICES
Sonoma County, California is making the nation’s largest single government purchase of electric vehicles. This is just the beginning of a trend that seeks to save taxpayers from the high cost of gasoline- powered vehicles. Over a five-year period, the County’s purchase of 31 all-electric Ford...
New Consumer Brands Face Lethal Challenges
THE BRAND THAT WOULD NOT DIE!
3 Options for New Consumer Brands There is a limited amount of shelf space out there for new consumer brands. So, if you are someone trying to get your new brand into that precious space, you basically have only three options: you can wait for another...
Branding the West Coast of Ireland – the Wild Atlantic Way
SLí AN ATLANTAIGH FHIÁIN
As if Ireland didn’t need another reason to attract visitors to this magical, historic and bucolic gem of an island, it has given the world one more reason to make that visit: the Wild Atlantic Way! The Wild Way Logo Stretching along 2500 kilometers of rugged...
8 Considerations Before You Sell Your Brand
THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN MONEY
Sometimes you put so much focus, energy and resources into building your brand that when you finally monetize your brand equity, you are unprepared for what comes next. Having your brand acquired seems like all you need. It is totally gratifying. But life goes on, only...
The WNBA Brand Stays Relevant by Including LGBT
SALES TRUMP CONTROVERSY
For us, it was no surprise that the Woman’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) finally decided that it was time to publically embrace the LGBT community. They were under mounting financial and popular pressure to do so. After all, they have to sell tickets. In 2012 the WNBA...
Elon Musk – Brand Builder Delux
THINK BIG, REALLY BIG!
Serial Entrepreneur When we are asked, "Who is your brand building hero?" the answer is easy: Elon Musk. He has built and sold brand after brand. He is the classic entrepreneur, taking the money from his last sale and plowing it into a new project, each...
Company Structure Can Help or Hurt a Brand
CUSTOMER SERVICE = CUSTOMER INTEL
The Old Pyramid Structure When we hear of recalls in the automotive industry, we know their own sales and customer service departments knew about the problems years in advance. Today, many companies say they put the customer on top. But how can they if they put...
The Anti-Discrimination Brand
DISCRIMINATION IS BAD FOR BUSINESS
Arizona tried it and Mississippi passed it - laws that give permission to businesses to discriminate based on strongly held religious beliefs. Businesses that feared a big drop in revenue pressured the Arizona governor so much that she vetoed a bill that would have allowed businesses...
Palcohol Learns an Important Brand Lesson – the Hard Way
PLEASE UNRING THAT BELL
Palcohol, a new brand of beverage alcohol, attempted an introduction into the U.S. market. What makes this brand different is that unlike its competition, it’s dry - really dry. It’s so dry, in fact, that it’s powder! Just add water or basically any liquid and voila,...
Starbucks’ Decision to Scrap Cup Recycling Tarnishes a Progressive Brand Image
IS IT TOO COSTLY TO BE THE GOOD GUY?
Succumbing to the Economic Challenges of Recycling Starbucks serves 4 billion disposable cups a year to eco-conscious patrons. So in 2008, to improve their brand image, they announced that all company-operated stores would offer recycling by 2015. But in its 2013 Global Responsibility Report (out just...
GM Brand Hurt by Violating the Public Trust
STOOPING OVER DOLLARS TO PICK UP DIMES
The general public believes that General Motors (GM), or for that matter any automaker, would not knowingly allow an unsafe product on the market. They know that honest mistakes happen from time to time. But they also expect that once discovered, the automaker will deal with...
Beware of TMT (Too Much Trouble)
WORK-AROUNDS ARE JUST TOO MUCH WORK
When processes or products suffer from inefficiency, a too-limited focus, or become less relevant, their designers try to “fix” the situation by requiring some action from the users. These “fixes" are an afterthought that usually require the user to perform a series of onerous steps to...
Entrepreneurship Is Brand Building – But How Do You Teach Entrepreneurship?
BUY MY BRAND!
We’ve often said that entrepreneurship is at its essence brand building. Unless you are just creating a job for yourself or a legacy for your kids, you are building value in a brand which you can monetize through acquisition or merger. Today there is an explosion...