Whenever people ask us about building challenger brands, inevitably the discussion turns to what books have been most influential for us and which are our favorites. Admittedly, asking our crew…
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Cries for innovative thinking echo off walls of corporations, hospitals, governments, and schools across our country, but when novel solutions are presented, they are often met with resistance—even scorn. It’s…
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If you know anything about The Loomis Agency, or have visited our website, you know we’re big dog lovers. For most of us, that’s been the case since we were…
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Yesterday, we looked at the first four questions you need to ask before choosing a new ad agency partner, or a new client if you’re an agency. Just to recap, they…
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Getting married is exciting. There’s the nervous energy that comes from starting your new life together. The anticipation for what the uncharted future will bring. And of course, there’s the popping…
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Dear budding graduates and new job candidates, As winter graduation grows close and June graduates start getting ahead of the curve, many of you will reach out to our agency…
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When it comes to competition in the restaurant world, it doesn’t matter whether you’re casual dining, fast casual, or QSR. The battle royale for customers is brutal and getting tougher all…
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The headlines could have been a lot different this morning. Had Scotland voted to leave the United Kingdom in favor of independence Thursday, the economic and political aftershocks would have been…
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“If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention.” – Tom Peters This pretty much sums up the marketing ecosystem we are all operating in right now. As the director of strategy…
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Build a culture. And brand it. Four months ago, I stepped into the LOOMIS office for the first time when I interviewed for the position of Brand Manager. It’s an afternoon…
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If you’re disgusted by the latest Carl’s Jr. TV spot featuring Paris Hilton and Hannah Ferguson, um … washing a truck, then I know something about you: You’re not the target…
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Hands down, the most clichéd request in marketing is for “out of the box” thinking. But what we often forget is that sometimes, the magic and the big ideas can come…
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Last week I took the long drive from Dallas to Los Angeles with my daughter to start her freshman year of college. I promise there’s a great tie-in to challenger brand…
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You’re a disease. A brutal, heart-breaking, mysterious disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). You’re not heart disease. You’re not cancer. You don’t have a Race for Life, or a Pink Ribbon…
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Struggling to overcome the declining reach on Facebook? Join the club. Fortunately, help is on the way. Our friends at Shoutlet are all about building social relationships that build business and…
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We all have something we stand for—something we believe in, something we strive toward. And we tend to seek out and build relationships with like-minded people for spouses, friends, and employers…
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Let’s be honest. We live in a world where people get paid the big bucks for what they know. Just look at the value we put on degrees from places like…
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Over the past week, we’ve explored the importance of incorporating great people and a great customer experience into your company and your brand. Having the right team is crucial to fighting…
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Until a company is delivering an optimal customer experience through excellent and consistent customer service, it is not well positioned to achieve maximum benefit from advertising or any other marketing activity.…
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“Anybody who doesn’t understand that companies are in business to make a profit isn’t plugged in right.” That colorful sentiment was issued by a colleague to drive home his point that…
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How does Chick-Fil-A consistently train the best employees in fast food? The short answer is, they don’t. Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy addressed this very question directly in a 2005 interview. He acknowledged the tremendous energy the…
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The most important marketing weapon for consumer-facing brands is something most companies assign exclusively to human resources. It’s people. The customer experience is a social one driven by emotion. Whether it’s…
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You don’t have to look too far to find article after article about the dilemma American workers are facing these days of too much work and not enough time. Increasingly, people…
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This is the time of year that corporate marketing teams across the land begin gearing up for advertising agency reviews. Advertising accounts change hands all the time, of course, but many…
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The average American spends a little less than $7 dining away from home every single day. Competition for those dollars is intense, and the pressure to compete drives all sorts of…
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You don’t have to tell restaurant owners the dining out landscape is more competitive than ever and getting more so. Every day, there’s a new concept, a new chain for development,…
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It would seem traditional advertising agency reviews are the best deal going for marketers looking for new agencies. Agencies invest hundreds of man-hours and thousands of their own dollars developing creative…
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It was reported last week that Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel was forced out by an impatient board of directors who no longer believe in his long term plan and are using…
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If you think about it, moms and Challenger Brands have quite a few common characteristics. In honor of Mother’s Day, let’s take a look at some of the practices that make…
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Have you ever had to mix gas and oil for a two-stroke engine? That sort of opening line limited my dating success back in the day, but there’s a great marketing story…
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There’s a quote about leaders and followers that suggests “If you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes.” For many brands, that’s certainly true. We all understand there are a…
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Every party animal knows Taco Bell is the best bet for a 2 a.m. taco, but who knew they were open for breakfast? Nobody. And that’s because they weren’t. But now…
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What is your six seconds of genius? If Vine is not on your short list of elements to add to 2014’s marketing calendar, it probably should be. Many of you are…
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#newTwitterprofile This week, Twitter revealed a fresh, new look for Twitter profiles designed to increase user presence and engagement. The new look, which has been the subject of some speculation since…
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April 1st is just another day of the week. Another day they wake up at the same time, drive the same route to work, park in the same parking space, walk…
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April 1, 2014 – DALLAS – According to anonymous sources close to the Trademark and Patent Office, Dallas ad agency LOOMIS has purchased the trademark for the word “Underdog” to help solidify…
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Is there any celebrity, athletic or otherwise, more respected and beloved than Peyton Manning? Last season, Manning set a number of NFL records, including throwing for a gaudy 55 touchdowns. He…
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Are computers the best thing to happen to the advertising industry, or the worst? If I were to write a book on advertising, this would likely be the title of the…
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Spring is in the air, and with it, NCAA March Madness. This 64-team tourney gives us fast-paced drama, incredible athleticism, fierce competition, and more reasons to skip work than the Internet…
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Unless your company dominates its category, it’s a challenger brand. It may or may not be a strong challenger brand, and the difference often comes down to marketing. Unfortunately, one hallmark…
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Visual cues have always been important to marketers in branding, in product design, in advertising and in store. But did you know that color has the potential to impact consumer behavior…
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Introducing a new web series by LOOMIS called “Smart on Advertising.” Smart on Advertising is a series of short videos designed to help business professionals stay on top of the myriad…
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As 2013 begins to ramp up, Big Data is a topic that’s on many marketer’s minds. In fact, it’s the number one key change that keeps marketing executives up at night.…
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The Atlantic ran an excellent piece titled, “The Irrational Consumer: Why Economics Is Dead Wrong About How We Make Choices.” If you have ten minutes, it’s worth reading, but I’ve summarized five…
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This month, more than 700 digital media professionals gathered in Dallas to discuss digital trends at the first annualDallas Digital Summit. The future of SEO was a hot topic on the…
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The retail sector is more complex than ever. With evolving consumer behavior, changing economic environments, and the increasing importance of technology in shopping behavior, industry leaders must adjust their practices to…
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Music is no Holy Grail for advertisers, but when it’s skillfully integrated into message delivery for the right product or service, music can work magic for memory. “You deserve a break…
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Four Lessons From the Egyptian Revolution Cultural barriers and physical distance too often reduce events like the Egyptian Revolution to abstractions for us, but there are important lessons here for astute…
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Any kid with a Lemonade stand can explain the sales impact of poor traffic, but something far more complex lies at the heart of the matter. In fact, when it comes…
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It may not be time to break out the party hats, but there’s no doubt the economy has been improving – albeit quietly. In fact, important indicators such as disposable income…
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This must be the six-millionth piece written about Apple, but it may be one of the few that’s not about the love. OK, just a little love. Like so many, I…
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Companies don’t have souls. People do. That’s never clearer than when company leaders step all over their people, intentionally or otherwise. Crushed spirits turn into crushed brands and broken companies. Rarely…
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I can’t recall when I first heard the expression, “mind the gap,” but its origins apparently trace back to a 60s-era warning posted for London train passengers stepping from trains to…
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If you’re looking for an example of the challenger spirit look no further than a youngster struggling to beat childhood cancer, the number one disease killer of children. The devastating diagnosis…
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While roaming Seattle I stumbled into an AllSaints Spitalfields clothing store. The brand is clearly positioned for younger shoppers, which places it squarely in the competitive crosshairs of innumerable clothiers large…
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Oh, the plight of the market leader! McDonald’s has been the fast food industry top dog for decades, so they know all too well the unique challenges success can bring. Like…
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When does a challenger brand cease to be a challenger brand? Some would say when they stop acting like one. The truth is, the shift starts far earlier than that. Underdogs…
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If it’s not the first question I’m asked after telling people I run an advertising agency, it’s the second. “How many people do you have?” is a familiar query many of…
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By definition, challenger brands work against the grain. They run a reverse on convention, making moves that are absolutely inconsistent with category norms and expected competitor behavior. I believe it’s the…
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Long before our modern era of distraction, Seneca famously observed, “To be everywhere is to be nowhere.” I was reminded of the great stoic’s statement while listening to Stephen Dubner ofFreakonomics…
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Ever wonder if your company is a challenger brand? There are lots of ways to tell for sure, but here’s one great measure. Take a challenge facing your brand and consider…
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At 46-years-old, I’ve aged out of the core audience for stadium supercross, and my taste for carbonated beverages has shifted from sugary sodas to sparkling mineral water. Still, I dig AMA…
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Quick – name the only NCAA Men’s basketball team from Indiana to ever make it to back to back Final Fours. Larry Bird’s Indiana State team? No. How about Isaiah Thomas’s…
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Yielding to public outrage, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has pulled its “Ashley” bikini linewith heavily padded “push-up” tops aimed at 7- to 12-year old girls. So now this from the people…
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How do you create a deeply relevant consumer brand from scratch with no advertising in an extremely crowded and competitive category? One thing is certain: You don’t do it by trying…
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If ever there was a business that eats its own, it’s advertising. Last night during Game 1 of the World Series, Chevrolet debuted their new tagline/themeline “Chevy Runs Deep,” and already…
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Rangers ace Cliff Lee takes the mound for the Rangers in Game 1 of the 2010 World Series There’s a reason people love underdogs. Actually, there are lots of them. Underdogs…
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As achallenger brand, retail-focused agency, we are constantly looking for better, smarter, more efficient ways for our clients to succeed against bigger companies, bigger budgets and bigger odds. We frame everything…
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People power is where it’s at for challenger brands of all shapes and sizes. Finding, training and keeping people who are enthusiastic about delivering your brand experience is the point of…
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Blockbuster filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy today, putting an official stamp on what had been rumored for months. The move delivers yet another object lesson for leading brands that fail to view…
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Growing up, my younger siblings enjoyed the sorts of advantages that often accrue to the benefit of challenger brands. As the oldest kid, I was out front blazing the path and…
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Just a day after Steven Slater made his spectacular exit from a JetBlue airliner after being accosted by a passenger he is destined to become a cult hero for the underappreciated…
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I’ll admit I’ve never fully appreciated Marshall McLuhan’sfamous observation that the medium is the message. But, as I become familiar with the process of typing on my new iPhone 4 I’ve…
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A marketing director for a large company recently asked me for some help defending the use of television as an effective advertising medium to his skeptical board of directors. The board’s…
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[Part five of six] 1. Always start with the customer. Create a customer personification that includes key demographic and psychographic information. Include critical learning and insights about the customer’s desires and…
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[Part four of a six part series] Until a company is delivering an optimal customer experience through excellent and consistent customer service, it is not well positioned to achieve maximum benefit…
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[Part Three of Six] “Anybody who doesn’t understand that companies are in business to make a profit isn’t plugged in right.” That colorful sentiment was issued by a colleague to drive…
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[Part Two of Six] The short answer is, we don’t. Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy addressed this very question directly in a 2005 interview. He acknowledged the tremendous energy the company puts…
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Part One of a Six Part Series The most important marketing weapon for consumer-facing brands is something most companies assign exclusively to human resources. It’s people. The customer experience is a…
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Everyone loves the underdog. The story. The players. The battle. We love it all! And nowhere is the underdog narrative more pronounced, more spectacular, or more present than in the NCAA…
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Regular BARK readers know well our affinity for the underdog, the challenger brands of the world that make their mark by out-thinking rather than out-spending the competition. Few business experiences pack…
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It’s a fair bet that most marketers watched this year’s Super Bowl with an eye on the action during game breaks. The commercials are the show for folks like us. But…
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Most of us tend to assign all sorts of unflattering qualities to the generations that come behind ours. They don’t work as hard, don’t appreciate what they have, whine too much,…
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The California State Fair Wine Competition is billed as “the oldest, most prestigious wine competition in North America.” Established in 1855, it is the place where wineries have their carefully crafted…
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What’s the next move for an underdog when the category leader starts following? Microsoft’s move into the retail world probably looks more like stalking than following to the folks at Apple.…
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I’m a lifelong motocross fan, so imagine my delight whenYamaha served up a supreme example of challenger brand innovation with its all-new YZ450 for 2010. For years, Yamaha and all the…
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How do you feel about your 401K these days? Amazingly, most people aren’t exactly clicking their heels over the 50 percent gain in the stock market since its March low. And…
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If you believe nearly every major entertainment publication on the newsstand right now, Jay Leno’s new show appearing nightly on NBC is the clearly ordained future of Television. And if that’s…
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“You’ll get much more out of flattering your children’s teachers – even the ones that may be total jerks – than trying to intimidate them.” So proclaims the author of “A…
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On the heels of Microsoft finally stepping up and opening retail stores to answer Apple’s iconic dens of cool, comes another clash of the digital titans between Amazon andBarnes & Noble.…
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We are living in the Age of the Underdog. Not sure when it started exactly, but make no mistake, we’re in it and like a huge tidal wave threatening to crash…
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This afternoon at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, South Korean Y.E. Yang literally came out of nowhere to win the 91st PGA Championship by three strokes. That makes two…
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Woody Allen once remarked that it’s not a “dog eat dog world,” it’s a “dog doesn’t return other dog’s phone calls world.” As chief business development dude at LOOMIS,I can certainly…
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Forbes magazine published a list of “The Top 50 Marketing Blogs to Watch in 2009.” But who really has time to check in on 50 blogs, anyway? The list included several…
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I just left $80 at a local Kawasaki motorcycle dealer for a part the size of a turkey leg. But that’s nothing considering the small fortune I spend keeping the family’s…
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The Most Interesting Campaign in the World By Mike Sullivan Every so often, an advertising campaign comes along that rekindles my collegiate-era excitement for the profession. They’re campaigns rooted in…
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There’s no more exhilarating story to follow than that of the underdog on the verge. In the early 80s, Apple computer was an intriguing little computer company with a lot of…
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Today is a big day for one of our favorite underdogs, and probably one of yours too. In truth, they’re really not that big an underdog, but most of the time…
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We spend a lot of space in this blog talking about issues relating to the underdog – those underfunded, under-appreciated but very spunky companies that often jump up and bite their…
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Featuring interviews with: Grant Moise, GM of Briefing at The Dallas Morning News Guy & Jennifer Dineen: The 5 steps to making every interactive project great Phoenix Hart, aspiring Dallas singer/songwriter…
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Weighing The Options: Are You Too Fat To Fly United?We buy meat by the pound, fruit and veggies by the pound. Even nuts by the pound. Now, it looks like we…
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This month we launch our new podcast with an interview of Shaun Nichols, director of brand design for Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and Sean Gleason, former VP of marketing for Pizza…
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How ironic it is that it appears GM will have to back away from supporting the sequel to the wildly popular 2007 “Transformers” movie featuring a small fleet of its new…
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Amidst all the hand-wringing in the battered auto industry, there has emerged one shining example of a challenger brand that is turning defeat on its ear. You have no doubt heard…
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You’ve heard the business mantra for ’09: “Flat is the new up.” It sounds like the ultimate capitulation to me.This recessionary period marks an extraordinary opportunity for those who have vision,…
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There’s a new marketing buzzword on the launch pad for 2009: luxury shame. Consumers who couldn’t get enough of the good stuff as recently as a few months ago can’t get…
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Presidential elections remind me that advertising isn’t very effective at changing minds. In fact, I wouldn’t be the first to argue that advertising can’t change minds at all. That may sound…
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In boxing, it’s all about the lean. In heavyweight fights, when one boxer outweighs the other by 20,30, 40 pounds, inevitably, part of the winning strategy is to have the heavier…
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Did you see the article about YouTube setting aside its 10-minute content limit? Up to now, YouTube has put a limit on the length of clips that could be shown which…
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Be it a company or a product, have you ever noticed that when something new comes along, you often hear the phrase, “It’s the new this!” or “It’s the new that!”…
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What can smart marketers learn from a high school football coach? It turns out there’s a great challenger brand marketing lesson to be learned from the Piedmont Highlanders football team. Tired…
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When Crispin, Porter + Bogusky took over the Microsoft account, everyone waited curiously to see what they could possibly do to return the software giant to the vaunted place from which…
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How long has it been now that critics and media observers have been predicting the death of television and the television ad revenue model? About 10 years? That sounds about right.…
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“So much is interesting that nothing is,” says author Edward Hallowell, M.D. in his book“Crazy Busy.” Such is the dilemma for those of us who get paid to compete for attention.…
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Why is it that some brands flourish without the benefit of a concerted advertising effort, while others loaf along supported by millions in ad spend? Household brand names like Harley-Davidsonand Starbucks…
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I was enjoying my favorite hot beverage at the local Starbucks the other day when it dawned on me just how plain ugly their current logo is. I’m talking about the…
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Our Democracy isn’t perfect. Without a doubt, we live in the greatest nation on earth, but there are still a number of incredible challenges and things that need fixing. Energy. Education.…
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Between the old strike the new strike and now a “poison pen” letter to the Federal Communications Commission, is there any group in America feeling more persecuted than the Writers Guild…
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Ever look around and where the big ideas are? Where the answers are? Where the solutions went? Gasoline is going through the roof. Health care is too expensive. Airlines can’t fly…