When Does a Brand Become Merely a Label?
IT’S LOST ITS STUFFING!
There are millions of labels out there! But, every so often, you come upon a real brand. It’s not so much what the label looks like as it is what the brand stands for in your mind. The best brand builders have done an effective job...
Keep Sales Momentum Going After an In-Store Demo
LIFT OR DRIFT?
Tons of money is spent every year on instore demos for CPG products. Customer feel more confident about buying your product if they try it out first, right? Because of this fact, many CPG brand builders are inadvertently led down an expensive and slippery path that...
Business Succession should be More than an Afterthought
WHAT THEN?
For most cash strapped startups, the last thing they want to think about is succession plan. Too busy putting out fires to think of long-term goals! Just achieving a positive cash flow is a huge challenge, they feel they don’t have the luxury to indulge in...
Seasonally Themed Selling Make Your Products More Attractive
IS IT THEN ALREADY?
As retail store customers, we are all used to seeing the decorations and advertising materials in the retail stores changing with the holidays and the seasons. But as CPG branded product producers ourselves, we were surprised at how much effort and forethought seasonal selling really entailed....
7 Customer Loyalty Factors that Affect the Success of Your Brand
THAT’S MY BRAND!
Ever wonder where your new customers come from? They came from someone else’s brand! That’s right, they lost them and you picked them up! The question is can you hold on to those new customers, or will you lose them like they did? What are the...
3 Reasons Why Now Is the Time to Start a New Branded Product
RISK TOLERANCE VS. RISK ADVERSITY
Are new brands getting squeezed out of the packaged goods markets? It seems like every day there’s some new merger to further consolidate the production, distribution and retail channels. The markets are getting monopolized by a few big players with hundreds of brands. Access to market...
CPG Brand Builders Often Fail Before Finding Out What They Need to Succeed
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...
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 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...
How to Build a Brand Without Hitting the (Distribution) Wall!
WHOA! WHAT WAS THAT?!
Branded consumer product producers can only get so big before they “hit the wall” - the distribution wall, that is. Your brand’s success is dependent upon its availability. It’s got to be there to sell. Many producers think they will avoid going through conventional distribution channels...
Brand Failure Can Be Caused by “Selling Down”
“THEY USED TO BE THE BEST!”
We have seen brands work diligently to be the best in their category, only to then try to be all things to all people and exceed their “brand width” in the process. It takes years to get the reputation of being the best in your category…...
Without a Brand Promise, A Brand is Just a Label
WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?
Brands go back to Roman times. They were used to identify the merchant who produced a product emblazoned with a particular mark. Today, brands represent not just the producer’s identity but also the brand’s promise. This brand promise covers not only product performance, but extends to...