Justin McCarthy is the spokesperson for Garmin‘s fitness and outdoor segments throughout North America. In his role, he applies a wealth of technical knowledge as well as truly understanding the mindset of an athlete and what they want, in order to help the company market its fitness products. Because of this unique perspective, I [...]
(Welcome to a “brand experience brief” — insights and analysis of new and interesting restaurant and retail concepts.) REI’s first store in New York City is the quintessential flagship store – it’s big, it’s in a prominent location, and it showcases the brand like no other retail store. Check out my video recap on this [...]
brand as business bit: Here’s a quick add to my previous critique of this year’s Super Bowl commercials. Making a Super Bowl ad involves a level of innovation, strategy, and skill that rivals what goes into making the advertised product itself. So it’s helpful to see what can be learned from those in a similar [...]
brand as business bit: In my inaugural piece as a regular contributor on OPEN Forum, I talk about how attempts to define a brand make me think of the elephant parable. You know the one in which different blind men describe an elephant based on what different body parts feel like. I referenced a few [...]
brand as business bit: I’m interested in the Komen/Planned Parenthood situation from a brand point of view, not a political or moral one. That’s why a piece by James Gregory, CEO of Core Brand, a brand valuation consultancy, piqued my interest. He says the Komen organization should have done things differently by focusing on: “basic [...]
brand as business bit: SmartBlog on Restaurants just published a piece of mine, “So You Want to Try a New Concept?” In it, I layout the considerations in designing a test that will ensure you get the most learning and value out of it – including: carefully evaluating your options before jumping to the most [...]
Super Bowl advertisers could learn a thing or two from Eli Manning. The Giants’ quarterback threw some crisp, clean passes in Sunday’s Super Bowl because he was crystal clear about who the intended receiver was. Moreover he used his insights about the receiver – how fast he could run, how well he could outmaneuver the [...]
(Here’s my latest “brand experience brief” — insights and analysis of new and interesting restaurant and retail concepts.) Steak ‘n Shake Signature in New York City’s Times Square is not your father’s Steak ‘n Shake. With a retro-contemporary feel and upgraded menu, the classic diner change is trying to win over burger aficionados. Check out [...]
brand as business bit: During the Big Game tomorrow, most eyes will be on Tom and Eli, but it’s David, Jerry, and Elton and the other celebs featured in more than a third of the ads who I’ll be most keen on watching. That’s because Super Bowl ads make for great case studies on what [...]
brand as business bit: My latest Brand New Perspectives column in QSR Magazine answers a QSR operator’s question about keeping customers coming back. The piece outlines my thoughts on increasing purchase frequency — an objective of practically every marketer — I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the effectiveness of a heart-felt ‘thank you.’ [...]
Hi folks! Trying a new feature this year — a monthly round-up of my published content. It’s a mental buffet of ideas that may seem schizophrenic at times (I do work on fast food restaurants as well as fitness brands, after all!), but it’s all in the service of helping companies understand and apply the [...]
New York Times’ Stephanie Clifford asked me for reactions to J. C. Penney’s recent presentation about the vision and path forward for the venerable chain.
(Here’s the latest “brand experience brief” — insights from my audits of new and interesting retail and restaurant concepts.) Check out this video featuring photos and my notes on Tin Shed, Patagonia‘s new retail concept — and then check out my interview with head of retail marketing at Patagonia, Vickie Achee, which I posted a couple [...]
Today’s interview takes a peek behind the curtain at an extraordinary company, Patagonia. Patagonia is known worldwide as an outdoor clothing and gear brand, but I wanted to better understand the company’s retail strategy. Who better to ask than the head of marketing for the North America Retail Division at Patagonia, Vickie Achee. A twenty-plus [...]
brand as business bit: Phil Rosenthal‘s analysis of Eastman Kodak’s failure in yesterday’s Chicago Tribune is quite insightful — particularly in its juxtaposition of Kodak and R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co., the commercial printing company that’s been shedding its legacy and reinventing itself. Most telling is the quote from Donnelley’s CEO and President Thomas [...]
