Naming a business is tough. I’ve conjured up thousands of business names, product names, non-profit names and even names for corporate marketing initiatives. Here’s one thing I’ve learned: Naming a baby is much easier than naming a business. First of all, with baby names there are only two people who have a say in the […]
Naming a baby vs. naming a business Read More »
One of the hosts of an immensely popular golf podcast recently said, on the air, that “custom club fitting is a total waste of time for most people.” It was the type of statement that boosts ratings and incites debate among golf industry insiders. But his reasoning was weak; “It’s not like real life,” he
Custom club fitting: Path to perfection or folly of the fragile golf psyche? Read More »
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
Stop touting features and start talking about benefits Read More »
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
Strategic listening and consumer insight – Small business market research Read More »
Chocolate vodka? Dill pickle vodka? Bacon flavored vodka? Cinnamon Roll Vodka? Smoked Salmon Vodka. I kid you not. When it comes to branding for craft spirits, fantastical flavors are all the rage. Ten years ago there were basically only four or five choices of vodka. Now there are 20 brands, and every brand has a
Absolutely better branding for craft spirits Read More »
This past year I landed a new client who had been thinking of hiring a brand strategist for more than four years. This particular entrepreneur is exceptionally mindful about what he buys and who he works with. In fact, he’s particular to a fault, often over-thinking simple decisions and holding up progress in the
What to think if you’re thinking of hiring a brand strategist. Read More »
At what point does a trendy new restaurant become an iconic brand? And when do all the branding efforts under the sun produce nothing but another shuttered dining establishment? The restaurant business is littered with cases of meteoric success and dramatic failure. It’s an inherently volatile business. This is the story of several competing restaurants
Restaurant Branding — Recipes for success and failure Read More »
A lot of companies fail. We know that for a fact. What we don’t know is why even well-funded startups fail. Even though 8 out of 10 new brands never make it, no one can really say for certain what went wrong. There are plenty of contributing factors and routinely cited reasons… If you Google
Why startups fail — getting to the bottom of it Read More »
Ever since the COVID pandemic every category in the e-commerce industry has been growing like a weed plant. Everyone wants to know how to make their products look great online so they can cash in on the ecommerce gold rush. Small, family-owned boutiques are starting their own online operations; Bricks and Clicks, it’s called. Manufacturing
Putting your best foot forward – How to make your products look great online. Read More »
For some reason, many business owners think that “branding websites” won’t sell product. And on the other hand, they don’t think an ecommerce site will help their branding efforts. As if the two are mutually exclusive. But we’ve been producing branding sites that sell since 2004. You really can, and should, have a dual-purpose website
Dual Purpose Websites – How to create branding sites that sell. Read More »
