Every business needs brand image photos… (Your brand image can’t be built on words alone.) Unfortunately, most people turn immediately to free stock photo sites or Ai tools. Doesn’t matter if the images are for the website, ads, sales materials, email campaigns, social media posts or powerpoint presentations, they turn to the quick fix solution. […]
Stock images & brand image photos – Beware of visual clichés. Read More »
I’m really tired of people telling me no one reads anything anymore. “Copywriting doesn’t matter.” “Long copy is dead.” Those are the same Chicken Littles who post headlines on LinkedIn like “Social Media is dead,” “Content Marketing is Dead,” and “Advertising is Dead.” They’re just hype mongers and click-bait peddlers. A prospect recently told me
Who reads long copy these days? The hungry ones. Read More »
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 »
