Been on vacation? You might have missed some good stuff to feed your brain — here are five of my pieces from this past month, in a virtual buffet of insights for you to choose from: strategy IS execution — A guest post on Bulldog Drummond’s blog about how execution is actually becoming strategy. Superior operational […]
(Get the insights and analysis on new and interesting restaurant and retail concepts with my brand experience briefs. Here’s the latest:) Target is experimenting with a new store format, CityTarget. The effort is intended to reach more Americans, and their money, who have been leaving the suburbs for the city. Check out all that’s great […]
brand-as-business bit: Much has already been said about the letter that JC Penney‘s CEO Ron Johnson recently sent to customers (see below), but I wanted to shine a spotlight on the closing line where he asks for feedback. See my latest OPEN Forum column on why I think this was only a goodwill gesture, not a […]
(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 […]
This is not a rant. It may seem like a rant at first – but I’m actually trying to draw attention to a growing problem I see among many companies. It’s the “over-promise” problem. Here’s what I mean: […]
brand-as-business bit: Hindsight is 20/20. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the history books of failed brands. Julian Day, RadioShack’s former Chairman-CEO, probably has a few regrets. Although Day has been out of RadioShack’s hot seat for a year, his leadership marked the beginning of the brand’s demise. With Best Buy fighting for its […]
(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 […]
(Here’s a Brand Experience Brief — a video recap of my audit of a new or interesting retail or restaurant concept.) In “A Humbled Gap Tries a Fresh Coat of Pep,” New York Times journalist Stephanie Clifford reports on the venerable retail chain’s efforts to revitalize its brand. Key to the company’s strategy is a new […]
brand-as-business bit: One of my colleagues in private equity, Rahul Aggarwal of Brentwood Associates, and I were recently discussing the importance of image and environment in the quick-service and fast-casual restaurant industry segments. He relayed a sentiment that really resonated: new always wins He was referring to the buzz and excitement that a new facility […]