I am wondering why major consumer brands lose their names, leaving their brand icons to serve as their entire visual identity? Last week, I drove past a new Target store built into a tight little urban area near Fenway Park that is being rejuvenated with posh, high-rise residences. I knew it was Target because of […]
Category: Brand Strategy
The New UA Campaign Through My Millennial-Colored Glasses
In an age when marketers are trying to become their consumers’ BFFs, Under Armour’s new ad campaign,Rule Yourself, has turned me off. In trying to appeal to Millennials, its most recent campaign takes a risk, adopting a forceful, parental tone that comes across as lecturing. I, for one, am not enamored. The new campaign, Rule […]
Boutique fitness studios giving traditional gyms a run for their money
For years, the traditional health club/gym has been the only option for those seeking in-door health and fitness activities. The traditional health club model consists of attracting as many members as possible by offering everything to everyone, a “one stop shop” for all types of fitness activities, including cardio equipment, weight training, fitness classes, and […]
Brands: Sell Your Soul
Recently, the messaging app LINE caught my eye – primarily based on the fact that it was featured as the number 14 company in Fast Company’s “World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies” issue. On the surface, it seems to offer the same messaging benefit as many other apps, but with a differentiating functionality in the form […]
3 steps for more meaningful marketing metrics
It is estimated that more than a trillion dollars are spent each year through marketing activities – and that between 15% and 30% of those dollars are “wasted.”1 That’s right – wasted. Understandably, senior marketing leaders are under increasing scrutiny and pressure to prove the value of their marketing investments – however two of three […]
Market vigilance: a key job for strategic marketers
A key job of strategic marketers is to be on constant look out for changes in their consumers and their markets. But most of us don’t have this on the top of our priority lists of things to do. Most of us analyze our markets and develop our strategic plans for driving growth under the […]
I’m a Millennial, please stop trying to market to me
For a big consumer-facing brand, choosing the right social media platform to market to Millennials can be quite the uphill battle. Millennials are the generation that avoids direct marketing and are savvy enough to know when marketers are trying to bombard them with advertisements and promotional gimmicks. And, speaking as one myself, nothing turns us […]
“Glocal” Expansion: How Best-in-Class Retail Brands Succeed Abroad
In a previous article, we explored how best-in-class retail brands like Starbucks and McDonald’s execute marketing initiatives so effectively across their vast retail networks. From that analysis, we highlighted the four “keys to success” for companies that excel in executing marketing programs across large retail footprints: Focusing on a few impactful programs Clearly defining success […]
Infographic: How best-in-class retail brands execute marketing programs
This infographic is based on the Denneen & Company article: How best-in-class retail brands execute marketing programs
Big Data isn’t enough on its own, you need strategic insights
We now live in an era of Big Data, and like most strategists and marketers, I welcome more data and information regarding the market, customers, and consumers. But those data on their own are not enough to drive sustainable growth in a business – and neither are the high-level summary findings that typically come from […]
