The story of how the venerable Ford Motor Company managed to recover from the Great Recession of 2008 may be one of the greatest corporate turnarounds in U.S. history. And it demonstrates how great brands rebound from turbulent times. Not only did Ford recover, but it ended up thriving and achieving heights once thought impossible […]
Spot a great brand in action? Want to share your favorite brand? Inspired by a new brand? Please share your images on my new #WGBD Pinterest board — or tag your Twitter or Instagram posts with the hashtag #WGBD and I’ll make sure they get added to the board. Images of anything — a product, […]
From What Great Brands Do: All the little things you do — or fail to do — for your customers in person will out-communicate the big things you clam through mass media. This is a good reminder in this season of big budget advertising campaigns. According to a recent study from Nielsen, last year’s fourth-quarter represented […]
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 […]
From What Great Brands Do: Asking “What business are we really in?” drives the development of innovations that break boundaries while maintaining critical emotional ties to consumers. For example, the folks at Uber bill the company as a “transportation network” and they talk about evolving the way people move. The company mission: Transportation as reliable […]
Today marks the six month anniversary of the launch of my new book, What Great Brands Do! Thank you to all of you who have read the book, given it to friends/colleagues/clients, posted a review or write-up, interviewed me, shared it with your social networks, and otherwise helped make the launch so successful! I am […]
From What Great Brands Do: By connecting internal culture to broader cultural movements, great brands create futures in which they thrive and grow. What do I mean? How about: Lululemon Athletica employees are part of the movement that’s making yoga more than just an exercise routine. Zappos employees are on a mission to “wow” customers at just […]
From What Great Brands Do: Great brands know that if you try to be all things to all people, you’ll never connect deeply with anyone. Here are a few resources to inspire your thinking about narrowing your customer focus: Mercedes Is Driving Dangerously, Chasing Customers Why Red Bull Loves Its Haters Great Brands Don’t […]
From What Great Brands Do: With great brands, company culture and customer experience are inextricably linked. other quotes: your brand can ’t just be a promise; it must be a promise delivered a brand is what you do when you can’t see any daylight between… […]
When Dietrich Mateschitz launched Red Bull in 1987, he wanted the brand to be perceived as an ultra-premium drink so he made it the most expensive carbonated drink around at $2 a can. […]