(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. […]
retail
01.28.13
Nine Tenets for Retail in 2013
Nearly 30,000 thousand people gathered at the National Retail Federation’s Retail BIG Show 2013 to hear from thought-leaders on the challenges and opportunities in retail. Here are key tenets from the conversations. Nine Retail Tenets for 2013 by Denise Lee Yohn from Denise Lee Yohn, Inc. […]
(This is a Brand Experience Brief — a video audit and analysis of a new or interesting restaurant or retail concept.) Walmart Neighborhood Market, a smaller format store, competes against dollar stores and grocery stores — it looks to me like they just might win the fight. Check it out: Brand Experience Brief: Walmart Neighborhood […]
12.11.12
Brands to Watch in 2013
If we all don’t die falling off the fiscal cliff, 2013 will prove to be an interesting year for brands and businesses. The following are five (well, actually six) brands I’ll be keeping my eye on next year. Importantly, these are not necessarily brands that I think will fare well (predicting the future is not […]
11.26.12
Black Friday Blues
My Black Friday was a bust! A big let-down from all the hoopla about doorbusters and flash sales — a complete disappointment. But more than a personal sob story, I think my experience holds some important lessons for retailers and e-tailers. […]
11.07.12
Brand Experience Brief: C9
(Check out a new and interesting retail concept in this latest Brand Experience Brief.) C9 is Target‘s new active apparel store at San Francisco’s Metreon center. Featuring apparel from Champion, the store is a cross between a Target and a Gap store, and represents the company’s first move into specialty retail. Take a look: Brand […]
08.21.12
Brand Experience Brief: CityTarget
(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 […]
07.25.12
The Over-Promise Problem
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 […]
07.05.12
Bran Experience Brief: Gap
(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 […]