MARKETING STRATEGY

Brands and corporate mergers — F15 Fighter vs. the 787 Dreamliner

In 1997 Boeing and McDonnell Douglas agreed on a merger.  That marriage looked great on paper…  Boeing’s strength was McDonald Douglas’ weakness. And vice-versa. A match made in heaven, or at least in the clouds. But the Boeing deal demonstrates how brands and corporate mergers usually butt heads. Boeing’s shortcomings on the military side would …

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Stop touting features and start talking about benefits

  If you’ve been in business for more than five minutes you’ve probably heard marketing advice about benefit-focused marketing messages. Usually it goes like this: “You gotta quit talking about features and start talking about benefits.” So what’s the difference? Features are simply the attributes of a product or service — the obvious bullet points …

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Strategic listening and consumer insight – Small business market research

I’m a big proponent of small business market research. For me it’s insight first, THEN execution. Insight is the foundation of every ground-breaking idea in history. Insight drives the strategy that directs the execution that produces results. How do you get the insight you need? By studying, listening and asking the right questions in your …

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The difference between marketing strategy and tactics.

A successful marketing guy asked me a question recently — a real no-brainer — which led me to believe he didn’t know the difference between marketing strategy and tactics. How can that be? He’s held several high-paying marketing positions. He has an MBA. He’s gotta know this stuff. So I started doing some research online …

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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 escape it. Whether you need to launch an ad campaign, build a brand, make a video, or improve your marketing overall, your P.O.V. can make all the difference. In Hollywood “POV” is a common technique used by directors to add …

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5 Things all iconic brands have in common.

Simon Edwards, former Brand Manager at 3M, started a lively online discussion around this question: “What are the common attributes of iconic brands? He opened it up on a LinkedIn Group that includes 4,363 branding consultants, practitioners, creative directors, gurus and wannabes. It was an intelligent, worthwhile discussion that hit all the hot buttons of …

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1 Tough Mother, 2 marketing objectives: Image advertising that works

It’s an age old debate… can image advertising actually move the needle on bottom-line business objectives?  Ad agency execs say yes, of course. But marketing directors, C-level execs and direct response guys are often skeptical. My humble opinion… absolutely. When it’s done well, “image” or “brand” advertising certainly can achieve both objectives… it can move …

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Ski Industry Marketing — New product launch vs. the birth of a brand

  It was the kind of day ski bums live for…  10 inches of new snow, calm winds, and the sky was clearing. It’s also the type of bluebird day that ski industry marketing revolves around. Queue the videographers! The experts with their GoPros were queued up before the first lift, chomping at the bit …

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marketing strategy in the golf equipment business

Golf industry marketing strategy – Parity vs “kickassery”

Let me tell you a story that illustrates the shortcomings of the typical golf industry marketing strategy… It was the last time I bought a new driver… Not a used, discounted driver, but a shiny new model from one of the biggest brands in golf. I did it for several reasons, none of which were …

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Advertising in a crisis: Shit happens, but brands endure.

Every entrepreneur experiences setbacks… Markets crash. Key team members leave with your biggest accounts. There are supply-chain snaffus, natural disasters, and now, a novel virus that slams the door on a robust economy. It’s hard to know what to do when you’re advertising in a crisis, but this is when your branding efforts can really …

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Brands that are built to last. (Jim Collins on brand values)

Built To Last, by Jim Collins, is commonly known as one of the most influential business books ever written. It’s on every consultant’s bookshelf and should be required reading for any executive, business owner or budding entrepreneur who cares about brand values. It’s also one of the best branding books you’ll ever read. You have …

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Marketing lessons from the not-so-surprising failure of Sears

The recent demise of Sears, once the country’s largest retailer, is replete with valuable marketing lessons for business owners, entrepreneurs, marketing execs and brand managers. It’s a classic American entrepreneurial tale. When the Sears store in my hometown closed its doors. a 60 year presence in the market I was not exactly distraught. I bought …

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Fake thrills and false advertising — Another automotive marketing misfire.

Automotive advertising, as a category, is notoriously bad. The big brands seldom produce memorable spots, print ads or campaigns. And at the dealer level there’s nothing but obnoxious yell & sell retail ads. Many have been accused of false advertising. Let’s look at a campaign for the Toyota Camry… This isn’t what I’d call blatantly …

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Strategic Thinking vs. Tactical Acting – Your marketing needs both.

I’ve been writing the Brand Insight Blog regularly since 2007. The single most popular post I’ve ever written focuses on the difference between marketing strategy and marketing tactics. Thinking and planning vs. doing and implementing. Seems there’s a some confusion there, to say the least, about the definition of tactics and strategy. For example, I …

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Marketing for financial advisors – beyond gift baskets

It was one hell of a gift basket, piled high with a delicious assortment of treats… Not unusual for the holiday season, except it came from my financial advisor. First gift ever from a planner who I’ve worked with for more than 10 years. Apparently, the stock market’s rise inspired her to do a little outreach. …

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Take your next agency for a spin.

You wouldn’t buy a BMW without getting behind the wheel. You have no idea what it can do. Same with BN Branding. So let’s go for a test drive… just one small assignment to prove how well we handle whatever you throw at us.

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