I was recently interviewed by News 97.5FM on this topic.  Most of what I said was reiteration of the earlier blog entry on social couponing.  The interesting part is when small business owners called in to express their views.  The few that called didn’t have a positive experience with social couponing.
You can listen to the [...]

It’s a sad  day for Apple and its legion of fans.  Apple is always part of the discussion on great brands, customer experience, business strategy and so on.  This story on how Apple’s famous logo came to be is fascinating.
See “Unraveling the tale behind the Apple logo.”
As brand strategists, we talk about how to align [...]

This post discusses short-term benefits and long-term consequences of online social couponing and proposes some recommendations.

Last year I switched to a new land-line telephone service provider.  For years I was overpaying with my previous telco.  Over an 18 year period, I reckon I’ve spent at least $36,000 with this company.   Finally, one day I called customer service and asked them why they were overcharging me when lower rates are available.  [...]

Gap recent attempt to change its logo didn’t work out the according to plans.  Fans of the venerable apparel retailer took to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to voice their opposition.  Gap quickly reversed its decision, given the huge consumer opposition.  Here are the old and new versions.  Gap is still identified [...]

It’s been a year when several brands have taken a big hit on their reputation.  The most famous cases being Tiger Woods and Toyota.  But many others like Citi, UBS and many others in the financial sectors lost brand value, partly attributable to the crisis in the sector and partly attributable to faulty business models.  [...]

Some well-known brands disappear from the marketplace altogether.  GM retired Oldsmobile and is set to do the same to Saturn and Pontiac.  Hummer will meet the same fate if a buyer isn’t found soon. Kodak eliminated Kodachrome film, which was synonymous with photography for many generations.

Well-known brands from Studebaker to Commodore (remember the “first” PC [...]

Brand extensions are are certainly less expensive than building a new brand from the scratch. If a brand has strong equity and an established customer franchise, the extensions may even have a ready-made market.  The problem arises when companies stretch brands in ways and directions that don’t make sense.
When Nike went from shoes to apparel [...]

Recently several brands have redesigned their “look”. Updating visual elements of a brand is often an attempt to keep the brand relevant and contemporary.  Among the brands that have undergone recent renovations are Pepsi and Xerox.
At Pepsi the brand update comes with a $1.2 billion price tag over the next 3 years.  According to Chairman-CEO [...]

The words “customer experience” don’t often pop-up in the same sentence as the words “vacuum cleaner.” It’s not a sexy category and it is a category where customer experience is often not satisfactory. I’ve had my share of unsatisfactory experiences with different brands over the years.
Dyson, which retails in Canada starting at about $500, [...]