I continue to be both astounded and embarassed.  I saw the advertising copy tonight for the New Gatordade.  This is beyond a useless piece of footage.  Someone is being given corporate permission to ruin one of the great brands of all times.
Can’t wait to see the newest numbers released.  I am just disgusted.
Over the years [...]

I ate the other night at the Montgomery Inn in a surburb northeast of Cincinnati. The Montgomery Inn is actually a KILLER BRAND. People from all over come there just to have their barbecued ribs.
This is a great example of focus.  The Montgomery Inn is a full-service full-menu restaurant.  Very upscale, in a [...]

The signs in the baggage department at Kansas City airport say, “Welcome to Kansas City, the heart of America.”  Thirty years ago I would have agreed.  That’s the city P&G picked as the test market for Bounce.
But now, I don’t know.  Kansas City hasn’t changed that much except for the good.  It is America that [...]

Animal crackers with which we are all familiar were not a brand.  Animal crackers are a commodity with many different manufacturers over the years, even a few now, but the niche category has been all but owned since 1902 by Nabisco with its Barnum Animal crackers.  WHY??
In 1902, Nabisco created a special package of Barnum’s [...]

In my career I cannot count the times that an agency brought in a storyboard with a big idea in it, but buried somewhere, or possibly as a non-associated tag line.
Your job as a client is to FIND THE BIG IDEA even if they don’t.  Believe it or not, it is easier to see when [...]

If you want to be a truly great marketer, become a stickler for words.
The English language has multiple times more words that any other language because we have borrowed so many from other languages.  But each word means something different.   And the difference between using one word vs. another can make quite a difference.
The classic [...]

Yesterday, March 7, 2009, Barbie of Barbie Doll fame turned 50 years old.  My wife remembers wanting one desperately, even though she was already 11 years old at the time.  The Baby Boomers made Barbie something special indeed.
Barbie sales are still going strong around the world, and particularly lighting up in emerging economies like China.  [...]

What will Starbuck’s do next to weaken one of the truly great Killer Brands to emerge in recent years?
First, they established the brand with strong, full bodied, european styled coffee for a different and more compelling expectation.  That lured enough coffee drinkers to make them a big time brand.
Then because they didn’t appeal to everyone, [...]

“Hey, I’ve got a new idea.  Let’s confuse our brand and our users!” exclaimed the brand manager at Nabisco.   “The Company already owns Nabisco Sociables, which since introduction have been a small snack or party cracker in shapes and savory flavors.  Let’s have another of our brands, Ritz, bring out a line of crackers [...]

The back panel copy on the new Triscuit Reduced Fat package made me want to barf.  Which is not good in the food business.  Here is the copy.  You decide.
“Headline:  A Tasty Romance Awaits
Copy:  The unique flavor, the satisfying crunch . . . Triscuit is just the kind of break your day needs.  Go ahead.  [...]