brand-as-business bit: The power of distinctive brand positionings jumped off the page of a recent BusinessWeek write-up about Costco getting sued by Tiffany & Co. for selling “Tiffany” diamond engagement rings. The article suggested Costco customers are pragmatic and deal-driven (“People who can spend [$40,000] on a piece of jewelry aren’t usually the sort to accessorize at Costco. Yet […]
(Check out this new video. It’s one of a series of brand experience briefs in which I provide audit and analyses of new or interesting restaurant or retail concepts.) If you don’t operate out of a retail space, you may wonder how you can bring your brand to life and engage your target community. The […]
brand-as-business bit: Showrooming isn’t going away — it’s the way people want and expect to shop now. So, what are brick and mortar stores to do to compete with e-tailers that undercut them on price — especially in consumer electronics where the prevalence of mobile price checking apps and online discounters have really taken their […]
brand-as-business bit: Hold the cone! No, I don’t mean “hold the phone.” I’m saying “hold the cone” because that’s what ice cream shop workers should do. Allow me to explain: Recently while in the Virgin America terminal at SFO, I decided to treat myself to some Pinkberry. After preparing my cone of yogurt yumminess, the […]
brand-as-business bit: Last week as I sat working in my favorite hole-in-the-wall coffee shop as closing time drew near, I overheard two servers reading their store’s recent Yelp reviews to each other. (This, of course, is not a good practice for employees to engage in with customers in earshot, but since I’m such a regular […]
(Here’s the latest brand experience brief. In each of these short videos, I provide an audit and analysis of a new or interesting restaurant or retail concept.) Cafe Bene has become a coffee brand with excellent cafe design. Caffe Bene may be to Starbucks what Smashburger is to McDonald’s — a niche competitor with a distinctive product […]
(Here’s a slightly different brand experience brief. Instead of providing a video audit and analysis of a unique retail or restaurant brand experience, I contrast two direct competitors.) The New Balance and Nike stores across the street from each other in New York City’s Flatiron district delivered unique brand experiences in their own way. Check […]
brand-as-business bit: The news that emerged a few weeks ago about Apple getting approval from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for aspects of its store design got me thinking. On the one hand the application seemed somewhat excessive — that a single brand could lay claim to a glass storefront and oblong tables with stools […]
(Welcome to the newest brand experience brief. In each of these short videos, I provide an audit and analysis of a new or interesting restaurant or retail concept.) Denny’s is embracing the brand positioning “America’s Favorite Diner.” Its new flagship location on Las Vegas’s Fremont Street reflects this new positioning, while including several Las Vegas […]
(Check out my latest Brand Experience Brief — a video audit and analysis of a new or interesting restaurant or retail concept.) The Whole Foods store in Encinitas, California, brings the best of a farmers’ market and the best of a national grocer together, demonstrating how a national brand can engage its local communities authentically. […]