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The Olympics — The world’s most powerful brand?

Mar 6, 2010 10:15am

I love the Winter Olympics. I got hooked as a boy when Franz Klammer made his infamous gold medal run at the Innsbruck Games, and I’ve been watching ever since. I have to admit, I even watch some of the ice skating. (But no Ice Dancing.) The summer games are fun too,...

A brand worth watching. And flying.

Feb 21, 2010 12:08pm

Here’s a news flash for all of you who are 35 or under: Flying wasn’t always this bad. There was a time when racking up frequent flyers miles was, actually, a little glamorous. You could fly the friendly skies and have a pleasant experience. Sorry you missed it. In the age of...

How to do a great branding ad — Subaru scores with skier-focused print.

Feb 9, 2010 4:34pm

Winter Storm Slams Into Washington. Travel Advisory For The Entire Mid Atlantic. Historic Storm Hits Atlantic Coast. Subaru of America loves headlines like that. Every time a big storm brings traffic to a standstill, the Subaru brand shines. You seldom see an all-wheel-drive Outback wagon or a Forrester stuck in a snowbank. And you...

Jargon vs. the branding power of plain english.

Jan 31, 2010 9:16pm

I had an experience in a brewpub last fall that was inspiring and insulting at the same time. Keep in mind, this Oregon, where there are more brewpubs per capita than anywhere on earth. So brands are plentiful and the competition is stiff. If you don’t like the food or the...

Disruption as a branding discipline.

Jan 26, 2010 2:21pm

The word for the day is Disruption, with a capital D. In our society there’s a stigma against all things deemed disruptive. When you’re in elementary school you learn to not be disruptive in class. Sit still in church and don’t disrupt the service. By the 6th grade it’s “don’t cause...

Back to Basics — A working definition of Brands and Branding.

Jan 13, 2010 5:32pm

Welcome to the new-and-improved Brand Insight Blog. I’m moving forward this week by going back… back to fundamentals and to the most frequently asked questions of all: What exactly IS branding, anyway? And why should the average business owner care? No doubt, the semantics of marketing and branding...

Branding in a skeptical world — Two Trends For 2k10

Jan 3, 2010 10:11pm

Magazine editors and TV journalists love year-end lists. And when it’s the end of a decade, there’s even more interest in rehashing the top 10 things in every category from celebrity scandals to the most trusted brands. I prefer to look forward, and I suspect many of you are with me...

The difference between a new product launch and the birth of a brand.

Dec 27, 2009 9:54pm

The Mt. Bachelor ski report for December 20th was delightfully promising: Ten inches of new snow, 18 degrees, calm winds. Not only that, the storm was clearing. Blue skies beckoned. It was the kind of day ski bums live for. The kind where they’re queued up before the first lift and...

Better survey questions — Avoiding the common pitfalls of market research.

Dec 21, 2009 12:28pm

I’m a big proponent of market research. I’ve seen, first hand, how it can be integrated seamlessly into the operations of a rapidly-growing start-up. (They tracked customer satisfaction every week, in every new store, and grew into a billion-dollar brand.) I’ve seen how research insight leads some brands in profitable new directions,...

The 4 P's of Internet Marketing. Plus one.

Dec 12, 2009 9:08pm

Every year, hundreds of thousands of businesses are started with nothing more than a whim and a prayer and website. Most will fail. Some will muddle through, doing nothing particularly amazing, beyond staying afloat. But a few will rise to meteoric success and become iconic brands. (Think Zappos) What’s the difference?...