Pricing from the Customer Perspective
Customer input on pricing is crucial to business success. JC Penney sought to simplify its pricing, according to Stephanie Clifford and Catherine Rampell in the NY Times, but: Just having [...]
Optimizing Advertising Investment
In the March 2013 Harvard Business Review issue, the focus is on “Advertising that Works”. In the article, “Advertising Analytics 2.0“, a clear case is made for understanding how the [...]
Swing Voters and Non-Users Have Something In Common
In the final weeks leading up to the Presidential election where focus is on the swing vote, the comparison to attracting non-customers is timely.
Using Brand Rituals to Create Successful Brands
Zain Raj in his new book, Brand Rituals: How Successful Brands Bond with Customers for Life, proposes that companies can drive business and longevity in the marketplace by building bonds with [...]
‘Great by Choice’: Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen on Excelling in Uncertain Times, Part Two
Companies can win even in chaotic, challenging times, not by chance, but with proven strategies. Particularly in the area of Innovation, companies that are successful are often not the most innovative [...]
McCormick’s Alan D. Wilson on Pricing, Innovation and the ‘Romance of Spice’
Understanding customer needs is at the heart of successful brand strategy. McCormick has benefited from that customer focus by identifying an emerging need and leveraging it into new product offerings. [...]
Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
Why are some brands able to consistently lead their category? From the Wright Brothers and Martin Luther King Jr. to Apple, it turns out there is a pattern to leadership [...]
Innovation for the Sake of Permanence
A greater reliance on technology has given rise to a desire for tradition as well. In the world of brands, innovating while reinforcing the brand’s identity taps into this bi-lateral need. [...]
Memorable Companies that Vanished
Remember E.F. Hutton? Merry-Go-Round? Eastern Airlines? General Foods? TWA? They were once household names, but not anymore. Take a walk down memory lane, and read this MSNBC article, 15 Most [...]
McCormick’s Innovation and Marketing Success
Once again, marketing at work. Local spice giant, McCormick, increases profitabiltiy and grows as a result of innovation and marketing efforts. As per the company: “Innovation has also helped the [...]