Starbucks is on of the most iconic brands in my humble opinion. Maybe it's because I love what they do, love their coffee, love the mission that Howard Schultz set out to achieve (create a third place, a community, over coffee). I know everyone likes to rain on their parade and think of them as the big bad "chain" shop, but let's face facts: they did indeed create a new market for coffee in this … [Read more...]

Ok, seriously, one of the best pieces of email marketing I've received in a LONG time, from.....well, an email marketing company. Emma always useswitty copy and a fun attitude in their brand, but this email campaign is genius - appealing to playfulness, business needs, AND your quest to help the environment. It all ties together quite nicely. I think I may have found a new email marketing company … [Read more...]

Did you catch the brouhaha last week over the LA Times ad for NBC's new cop drama "Southland"? Seems it was listed on Page One of the paper, separated by a border, in a different font and marked as an advertisement - but it still looked and read a bit like editorial (it mentioned "this reporter" following police on a night that ends in a shooting.) At the end of the article, they listed the air … [Read more...]

Great post by my buddy Karin Koonings, which links back to a resourceful checklist by Jay Heyman on determining if a promotion is in line with your brand strategy or not. Seems KFC is offering to refill potholes in exchange for chalk advertisements in the road or something. What?! Forget about all the bad "chicken getting hit crossing the road" jokes or roadkill analogies. She references a quick … [Read more...]

All this hullabaloo about U.S. bailout recipients continuing to honor their sports marketing sponsorship contracts, got me thinking about the common misperception of marketing in our world. Albeit a pretty balanced post about the issue here at Huffington Post, I can't help but add to the discussion.People are steamed because of lavish parties, perks and executive pay run amock at companies … [Read more...]

Seems WPP and Google are teaming up to finally research in-depth how effective online ads are. More specifically, "how online media influences consumer behaviour, attitudes and decision making." They will be looking at both buying actions as well as psychological impact of all different types of online ads. Some heavy hitters are involved here, including researchers from Harvard and M.I.T.While … [Read more...]

Eddie Bauer is getting back to its roots - essentially the initial brand strategy. They are a great example of what happens when you expand and do not stick with your core reason for being. Not that expansion is bad - you just need to ensure it remains consistent with your brand.According to the WSJ, the company spent the last decade or so branching out into women's casual wear. But the company … [Read more...]

When it comes right down to it, we are in business to make money. But unless you know the true essence, the core of what your business is all about, you will be commoditized to the lowest price or the easiest solution. And in a market where many new businesses fail, that is a death sentence.Having a clear brand strategy enables you to do everything else in your business so much more easily. It … [Read more...]

Steelers or Cardinals? I actually don't care about either team, so I'm just not sure. But the Super Bowl will be good as always for one thing: the ads.But according to today's WSJ, Super Bowl ads are ditching kitchy for hard-sell, immediate action.In a sign of the times, many of the Super Bowl ads this year - which are going for a whopping $3 million for a 30 second spot (and that doesn't … [Read more...]