In my experience working with some of the world’s greatest brands, I’ve discovered the single most important requirement for building a great brand: ownership of brand-building by executives at the highest level of the organization. More than big marketing budgets, more than breakthrough creative ideas, more than strong sales capability — if you want a great […]
Leadership
In Case You Missed It — Here’s a round-up of my most popular content from this month, March 2015: CNBC Closing Bell interview: Starbucks’ ‘Race Together’ Campaign Goes Cold — Bill Griffith interviews me. Forbes column: What You Can Learn About Customer Experience From Sharing Economy Companies — Easy, effective, and emotionally engaging experiences seem indigenous […]
Here’s my newest “brand book bite” — check out the full collection of write-ups and author interviews here. the book: The Birth of a Brand: Launching Your Entrepreneurial Passion and Soul (Beyond Words Publishing), a business memoir about the world-renowned UGG brand of sheepskin boots from Australia the brain: Brian Smith, the founder of UGG, who writes […]
the book: Sticky Branding: 12.5 Principles to Stand Out, Attract Customers, and Grow an Incredible Brand – a very helpful book for small- and mid-sized businesses the brain: Jeremy Miller, brand builder, keynote speaker, and the President of Sticky Branding, a Toronto-based branding and business development consultancy. Jeremy wrote this book after having gone through […]
01.05.15
What Should Uber Do?
Uber seems to be under fire from all directions. The ride-sharing service is being blocked by some cities and entire nations, dealing with accusations of a driver having sexually assaulted a passenger, addressing a story by a reporter who felt threatened when a company executive suggested they try to squash negative coverage, receiving criticisms over […]
12.01.14
7 Brands to Watch in 2015
Welcome to what has become an annual tradition for me – a post highlighting my recommendations for the “Brands to Watch in 2015.” Importantly this is not a list of brands that I predict will grow, succeed, or otherwise go big. After all, Peter Drucker once said, “Trying to predict the future is like trying […]
Pivoting can be a start-up’s smartest move or the last nail in its coffin. For every Twitter (which started as a podcast subscription network before its founders realized that iTunes would quickly overtake them, so they turned their attention to microblogging), there’s a Color (a photo-sharing cellphone application whose founders tried unsuccessfully to pivot into […]
the book: How to Ruin a Business Without Really Trying: What Every Entrepreneur Should Not Do When Running a Business – a sometimes hilarious, sometimes hard-hitting book of lessons for entrepreneurs. […]
Only 6% of surveyed companies are doing what great brands do. This and other results were gleaned from participation in the brand assessment that I recently invited my blog readers and newsletter community to take. […]
10.27.14
Just Say No
From What Great Brands Do: To be great, you need to say no. I thought of this insight when I read a recent Businessweek article by Lindsay Rupp, “J. Crew CEO Drexler Says Retailer Will Sit Out Athletic Trend.” J. Crew Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mickey Drexler is quoted as explaining the decision, “Where we thought […]