While the world of Technology has filled the world with tools of productivity and connection, it has its drawbacks. Many people today suffer from the shadow side of technology. Droves of burned out, screen-addicted zombies sign up for Digital Detox weekends. Families schedule nights without cellphones at the table once a week or only allow [...]
Many companies and people confuse what they mean when discussing Value Propositions, Benefits, and Features. Be clear with your product marketing. Value Proposition: Definition: A value proposition is the concise statement of the overarching solution to your customer’s problem. The solution then is not your product or its technical details, but the solution your product or service provides; i.e. the [...]
Command-and-control, top-down organizations have the most trouble innovating. In particular, the fearful mindsets that review, align, and sign off on “decks” to be presented to Vice President-level colleagues often edit out the insights and recommendations that have the power to grow the business in new ways. These well-trained, obedient keepers of the status quo are [...]
If you want to create a high-growth company or transform a slow- or flat-growth organization into a category-dominating leader, you cannot manage this type of growth with an MBA-styled leader who wants to function like a strategic CFO by mainly cutting costs and managing profit and loss. Companies looking to lead—to either invent or reset [...]
Part 3 of 3. See part 1 and 2 Your marketers either need to create a fire or be fired. If you have uninspired and uninspiring marketing professionals on your team, be warned. Give him or her one chance to kick into high gear. Then act decisively. Fire them if they cannot change tempo. Be [...]
Part two of three. See part 1 here One real power of a brand is that it serves as a tuning fork for an organization, helping them quicken strategic decisions, vetting new opportunities, and making hard choices when projections are slipping away from the target. Nothing kills brand value more than short-term revenue focus. When [...]
Like famous musicians, effective brands maintain a certain sway over those who come into contact with them, a sense of awe and authority that translates talent, focus, and hard work into an essence that communicates instantly. Let’s begin by defining the word “brand.” To start we will play the game “no.” I’ll ask several questions [...]
In last week’s column we explored the corporate psychological journey that happens to accept the fact that a once-leading brand needs to be transformed and relaunched. This column will walk you through how to do it. Allow me to be clear. I am not discussing refreshing a logo or crafting a new tag line, but [...]
Once market shares dwindles and revenue targets are missed year after year (despite category growth), it may be time to reboot a once-beloved brand. First off, you need to decide if you genuinely want to reboot a brand. Some people get so tethered to old ideas about the brand that there is resistance to rethink [...]
Change is difficult, and changing for the better rarely happens out of virtue. When prospects reach out we know only one fact: They want to change something in their organizational mix and grow and want help. Often the need is an unexpressed and even unconscious urge for the company or nonprofit. Sometimes the board demands [...]
