Today wraps up my 5 favorites on friday series on great brand resources with a post on favorite podcasts. 
While the challenge with past entries in the series (covering favorite brand books, blogs, and articles) was narrowing down the huge number of choices, this week I struggle to name 5 great podcasts on brands/branding. (more…)
One of the things I love to do when traveling on business is checking out new restaurant concepts. On a recent visit to Chicago, I visited Protein Bar and I haven’t stopped thinking about the brand since.
Last week I started a series about my favorite brand resources. Last Friday’s post reviewed 5 of my favorite brand books; today it’s brand blogs.
To marketers in despair, a rebrand may be like a knight in shining armor.
How better to re-awaken the passion for a brand than to create a new name and image?!
Despite the promise of a fairy tale ending, more rebrands fail than succeed. Executing a rebrand is fraught with challenges and requires some rather subjective decision-making. The stories of two high profile rebranding efforts currently underway – the Sci-Fi Channel and Starbucks — prove this point. (more…)
In light of it being summer and time for some fun, I’m devoting each Friday in August to a post about my favorite brand resources. Over the next few weeks, I’ll include recommendations for favorite articles, blogs, and podcasts on my favorite topic, brand — today, it’s 5 of my favorite brand books.
CNN Money recently featured a list of 14 “brand name companies” that are going bankrupt. 
Among them were Crunch (the chain of fitness clubs), Tribune Co. (owners of the LA Times and the Chicago Tribune), and Hartmarx (the maker of mens’ suits). (more…)
Apparently my “Outside Insights” column, How to Defeat McDonald’s**, on QSR Magazine‘s home page has prompted concern among the folks at McDonald’s. 
It was intended as a service piece for fast feeders looking for insights on how to establish competitive advantage — but the Golden Arches media relations team seems to view it as a judgmental report on their strategies.
Quite frankly, I’m surprised by their reaction — but I’m curious to hear what you think. Here’s the original piece, followed by the comments submitted by a McDonald’s spokesperson (she initially emailed these comments to me with a request for a correction to be issued.)
features a troubling 