A Brand Apart: How Brands Can Stand Out from the Competition
February 5, 2020
Rising above and standing apart are critically important in today’s increasingly crowded market. Going with the flow and being part of the crowd are recipes for a failing brand. But how, specifically, can a brand set itself apart? Be Different We often associate products with a particular feeling or attitude. Mattresses = comfort. Roses = Read more
Adapting and Coping with Cultural Change
January 15, 2020
COPING WITH CULTURAL CHANGE It’s said that death and taxes are life’s only certainties, but we’d like to add shifting cultural attitudes to that list — after all, the things people embrace or reject change over time, often in unexpected ways. And even the most successful businesses need to be able to cope with these Read more
Why Some Stores Thrive In a Tough Retail Environment
December 19, 2019
The holidays and retail shopping go together like hot chocolate and marshmallows. But recent trends have not been kind to retailers. We read about the impending death of retail channels nearly every day. We’re told that brick and mortars retail is in a steep decline, that consumers are buying everything online, and that Read more
Super Powering Your Business: Lessons from Superheroes
December 4, 2019
Super Powering Your Business: Lessons from Superheroes Teleportation, X-Ray vision, time travel, telepathy, regeneration—let’s face it, superheroes are cool. They can do things we only wish that we could. It’s a fun, escapist adventure to see life through their eyes. But even superheroes have their weaknesses, which just makes them that much more endearing. While Read more
Wanting Less: The Simplicity Trend
November 20, 2019
When we think of innovation we often think of more buttons, more features, and greater complexity. But things don’t have to be bigger and flashier to be innovative; innovation can mean making things simpler, too. In fact, we’re sitting at a cultural moment that leans toward the simple. In everything from clothing to housing to Read more
Why is Whiskey Winning?
November 3, 2019
When you look at spirit sales, whiskey is right there at the top of the heap in terms of success. According to the New York Post, in 2016, sales of whiskey were up 7.7 percent, which outpaced the rest of the spirits industry quite handily. With those numbers staying on track, the question everyone Read more
The Flat Internet: Social Media’s Questionable Content
October 16, 2019
The number of people using social media around the globe is projected to hit 3 billion by the end of 2019 — and the average amount of time spent on social media is nearly two hours a day and increasing. People use social media for different reasons, from staying in touch with family and friends, Read more
Science Fiction or Science Fact: Who’s Ready for a Brain Chip?
October 3, 2019
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” So said the late great Walt Disney. But would he have been willing to have a microchip implanted in his brain? Would you? As it turns out, several companies are currently developing technology Read more
The Promise and Peril of Deepfakes
September 18, 2019
Technology is a wonderful thing, but it can also sometimes be terrifying. It opens so many doors, but those doors don’t always lead to good places. Consider for example the types of technology that compromise your privacy. Not just your browser history, but your face, your voice, your very identity. This is the perilous promise Read more
Turning Customers into Brand Advocates
September 4, 2019
In September of 2016 Walmart acquired Jet.com — one of the fastest growing startups in history — for approximately $3 billion. Much has been written about what constitutes “the secret sauce” behind Jet’s rapid growth (before the Walmart acquisition they’d garnered 3.5 million loyal fans). Jet CEO Marc Lore attributes the company’s success to its Read more
