May Brand-As-Business Buffet
If you’re looking for hot topics and insights on brands, businesses, and the people who work on them, here’s a digest of my content from the past month:
brand experience:
McDonald’s Metro: Lipstick on a Pig – a post about how McDonald’s new Metro concept only looks better, when it needs to actually be better
Nine Criteria of Breakthrough Brand Experiences – a post on how new and interesting restaurant and retail concepts like Patagonia’s Tin Shed and Chipotle-inspired Pie-o-logy create breakthrough brand experiences
Brand Experience Brief: Walgreens Chicago Flagship — a video audit of Walgreens flagship store in downtown Chicago
Long Live Retail – notes from a reader who says, “To achieve all you can be (in life and business) you must be good at both service and hospitality”
Breakthrough Brand Experiences – my latest brand-as-business brief ™ on what makes a store more than a store
brand-building:
Why Customers “Quit” Brands – a bit about how a single experience at a single location impacts a customer’s decision whether or not to do business with the company again
A Smart Guide to Using Daily Deals – my OPEN Forum column explaining that offering a daily deal might do your business more harm than good — but with a little planning, it can grow your brand
Brand Incentives — a bit on James Q. Wilson’s work on how organizations offer incentives for people to join and support them provides insight on how brands attract customers
More Than a Concept – a bit about how many restaurateurs fail to realize that a successful restaurant brand has to be about more than the food
business and innovation:
What’s Your Addiction? – a bit on how CNN’s reliance on breaking news and J.C. Penney’s on coupons illustrate the danger or relying on only one lever to drive traffic
Tiffany Shlain on Connectedness – an interview with award-winning filmmaker and online pioneer Tiffany Shlain who talks about the intersection of culture, communication, technology, and life
The Many Faces of Your Brand – my QSR Magazine column in which I explain having two distinct customer demographics might expand your sales potential, but it also presents a challenge of marketing to two different bases
3 Things You Should Know About Small Business — an excerpt of my QSR Magazine piece by The Street’s Laurie Kulikowski
What Good Is Good? – a bit recapping research featured in April’s Harvard Business Review which repoerts CSR programs can make companies more innovative
brand communication:
Is Burger King Poised To Retake Second Place From Wendy’s? – Burger King’s “lack of consistency and jumping around really confuses people” — an insight I provided to AdAge’s Maureen Morrison
The Science of Viral Ads – my note to Harvard Business Review editors saying that findings from a Harvard prof overlook two important factors in ad effectiveness: branded recall and conversion
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