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A guy gets into a bar brawl over a new paradigm brand

I went into a bar the other day looking for my mother. She’d wandered off again. Somehow I ended up in a heated discussion about branding with two business marketing types.

One was adamant that branding is just a bunch of…

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Nordstrom IV: Prologue

If you’ve read any of my last three blogs about my various Nordstrom interactions, you may be left wondering if I have a point.

Fair enough.

There is power in a story.  They are informal, narrative and easy to understand.  They make…

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Nordstrom III: You give him just one more chance

This is the third installment of my Nordstrom saga.  Previously I wrote about their customer service and gave an example of how I was crushed by a negative experience, promising to never shop there again.

Well, of course I did .…

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Nordstrom II: The breakup

In my previous post I wrote about the retail store Nordstrom, explaining how they are known for their exemplary customer service.  Those that know me probably suspected it was leading somewhere.  And you were right.

There is this watch I’ve owned…

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Emotional decision-making

We all like to pretend that we make rational buying decisions. That it is the features-clearly-stated-as-benefits that makes the most impact; not that whatever it is we are contemplating purchasing comes in our favorite color.  But the truth is, all…

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It all begins at home

A brand is only a brand if the organization’s employees can represent it. Otherwise, it is simply a logo and collateral materials. While this seems like common sense, all too often we see clients who spend their entire marketing budget…

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