Does social media have value beyond a communications channel? An emphatic “yes” is the answer from today’s guest, Erich Joachimsthaler, Founder and CEO of brand consultancy Vivaldi Partners Group. Drawing from findings from his firm’s Social Currency 2012 report, Erich discusses how leading companies are using social media to impact their bottom line. He describes […]
Whaddya miss this month? Among my pieces that generated the most conversation and shares were: innovation or core? try both — My latest QSR Magazine column about how start-ups and established brands alike must balance their focus on their core brand, while also pushing the innovation envelope. brand romney — A post explaining what Presidential […]
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend the Consumer Electronics Association’s Industry Forum 2012. Leaders in the consumer electronics industry gathered to learn and connect, and speakers including John Gerzema, Alexis Ohanian, and Dean Kamen provided insight and inspiration – here are some choice quotes about business, new opportunities, and digital health… Soundbites from […]
It seems like Groupon has really changed, doesn’t it?! Today’s interview includes some of the back story behind the company’s evolution from a social deal-of-the-day offering to an engine of local commerce. I talk with Suneel Gupta, Groupon’s first ever product leader. Suneel helps us understand what Groupon is trying to become, why, and how. Check […]
brand-as-business bit: Business is defined by tensions: manage costs vs. maximize sales, acquire new customers vs. serve existing ones, grow organically vs. acquire — and pursue innovation vs. optimize core execution. Of course, none of these are really either/or’s — they are both/and’s. But achieving the right balance between innovation and core execution can be […]
(Last week’s Women’s Foodservice Forum Executive Summit featured excellent educational content from industry leaders and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management faculty. Here’s the next in this week-long series on key learnings from the conference.) brand-as-business bit: It seemed like Robert Wolcott, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Kellogg Innovation Network and Senior Lecturer at […]
(Get the inside scoop on new and interesting retail and restaurant concepts with my Brand Experience Briefs — here’s the latest.) Wired magazine recently reported on a new restaurant concept that aims “not just to build a radically sustainable, healthy brand of fast food…[but] to transform the way the world produces organic ingredients, doing for […]
Did ya miss any of these? Design Is Everybody’s Business — a write-up on Herman Miller’s ten principles of design (this post was featured on GigaOM and several other sites). Brand Experience Brief: Gap — a video comparing Gap’s store redesign to an “old” Gap The Over-Promise Problem — a blog post about how companies tend to over-promise […]
(Welcome to my latest Brand Experience Brief – a video report on my audits of a new and interesting retail concept.) Retail fashion trucks are starting to hit the road in most major metro areas. Take a look inside one of these hot innovations, Therapie Boutique. other brand experience briefs: GAP’s new store design ihop […]
brand-as-business bit: Nielsen recently released its “2012 Breakthrough Innovation Awards” in which it recognized new CPG product introductions that met its criteria for innovative-ness. The winners are an interesting mix (Glaceau vitaminwater zero, Chobani, and Zyrtec top the list) and the report is an informative read about the CPG industry and instructive about innovation in […]