Does advertising really work? If so, how?
Every business owner on earth has asked this question at some point or another… They…
Marketing Magic From The Ice Cream Man
One of the earliest marketing lessons I ever learned was from the ice cream man….
How to simplify your marketing efforts for more efficiency
I think it’s human nature to add unnecessary complexity to things. But the most effective…
Stop touting features and start using benefit-focused marketing messages.
If you’ve been in business for more than five minutes you’ve probably heard marketing…
How to come up with a good business name – avoid these common traps
Business naming is one of those funny creative tasks that everyone thinks they can do….
Two alarming questions that are sure signs of trouble for startups
Entrepreneurs have to answer a lot of questions. It comes with the territory. Some, like…
AI in marketing — The amazing potential and real limitations
There’s so much buzz about AI in marketing I need a bee keeper’s suit just…
What to think if you’re thinking of hiring a brand strategist.
I recently landed a new client who had been thinking of hiring a brand…
How to manage your marketing efforts like a Hollywood Producer
Are you burdened by all the tactical marketing options? Ever wonder how to manage your…
Why startups fail — getting to the bottom of it
A lot of companies fail. We know that for a fact. What we don’t know…
What to watch for when you’re rebranding
Let’s face it… Rebranding can be a costly pain in the ass. It’s probably the…
Mapping out the customer journey – in story form
Everyone’s fixated on short copy these days… Gotta write as if everyone’s hyper-distracted and generally…
The lingering effects of your brand identity design – good or bad
Never underestimate the lingering power of brand identity design. Decades after you’ve completed that all-important…
Flip the marketing funnel — make it a mountain.
Let’s talk about one of the most popular marketing metaphors of all time; The…
Building a brand personality that’s genuine, authentic, AND effective.
Building a brand personality for your company that actually resonates with people is not easy….
Need to improve your marketing? Start with your P.O.V.
How you see things — your unique point-of-view — skews everything you do. You can’t…
Words matter! Why you need a tagline as part of your brand identity.
Cadillac stole my tagline. Back in 2004 I wrote “Be Iconic” to support my name…
Where branding begins — A holistic approach to branding and business.
A lot of business owners seem to think Branding begins with graphic design. As if…
From underdog to big dog: Take-aways from the Nike brand narrative.
There’s nothing like a good origin story to remind everyone what your brand’s really…
The semantics of branding & rebranding: Get the words right, or else.
Here’s a worst-case branding & rebranding scenario that every business owner should fear: You’re…
Brand Simplicity – Whittling success down to its core.
In business I think it’s human nature to add unnecessary complexity to all sorts of…
Custom club fitting: Path to perfection, or folly of the fragile golf psyche?
One of the hosts of an immensely popular golf podcast recently stated, on the air,…
Putting Your Best Foot Forward – How to make your products look great online.
At BN Branding we’ve been working with more and more ecommerce companies. It’s the…
6 good questions about branding agencies and their owners
A lot of questions arise when people ask me “What do you do?” “I have…
Naming your company – Why is it so dang hard to do well?
If you conducted a poll of 100 people like myself who develop brands for a…
Packaging design — unwrapping a critical element of your brand
Management guru Tom Peters once said, “Too damn few of us take packaging design as…
Brand experience – How one ski area is trying its best to manage expectations.
Ski area operators live and die by the whims of Mother Nature. So the brand…
Lessons learned from 30 years in a professional services business
Professional services marketing is one of the toughest specialties in my line of work….
Marketing lessons from all that annoying political advertising of 2020
I’m sure you’re all relieved that the political ads of 2020 are behind us. From…
Small-Business Management 2020 — Unusual times require an unreasonable approach.
You’ve heard this pessimistic preamble a thousand times by now… “In these unprecedented times… Blah…
