Have you ever wondered how it is that Kraft Macaroni & Cheese endures while other colorful, “Frankenfood” brands of its era like Velveeta, Jello and Tang have fallen by the wayside? The answer is a little crazy but it’s simple. Macaroni & Cheese is so unerringly consistent, innovating on a very, very small footprint of texture, taste, and experience, that it’s been able to grow into the ultimate comfort food.
How Brands And People Can Be More Charismatic
Here’s a tip for more charismatic communications — either personally or in the voice of your brand! Using storytelling and colorful language makes you more engaging and draws people to you. Perhaps the larger point is that everything I’ve ever seen that’s true of personal communications has also been true about brand communications, and I believe this one is no different.
The Autocorrect Factor
Here’s a tip that might help with selecting a name. All other considerations being equal, don’t pick the name that gets consistently mangled by Autocorrect. (I like to call that thing we all experience getting “ducked over!”) A name has to be really, really good to be worth respelling it repeatedly.
Farmer’s Markets Are Branded Experiences
Are farmer’s markets branded experiences? Yes, I think so! Check out this video to see why I say that. HINT: It’s because I define brands as “a relationship that creates an expectation and a feeling.”
Break The Script & Say Something Real
Break the script! Both as people and as brands we tend to follow a script that gets in the way of real, authentic conversation.
Check out this video where I share a tip for breaking that “hi, how are ya” script to actually see and hear each other. People need to do it to truly connect with each other. Brands need to do it, too.
Pair Data Points With People Points
We’ve been lucky enough to work on some really fun storytelling trainings with folks that aren’t typically thought of as storytellers. These are people in functions that aren’t consumer or customer-facing, like R&D or HR. Storytelling is just as powerful for them to communicate more effectively, but it’s also less familiar for them.
The Definition of A Brand
How do YOU define what a brand is? There are lots of people talking about it, but I seldom feel they get it right! In this video, I discuss a great quote on brands by Lisa Gansky and also share a definition of brand that I’ve developed. “A brand is a voice and a product is a souvenir.” — Lisa Gansky “A brand is a relationship that creates an expectation.” — me
The Best & Worst Brand Name
What do I think is the worst brand name of all time? It’s also the best! Okay, maybe it isn’t the very worst or best, but watch my video to see the brand name I’m fascinated by because it’s just awful and also quite brilliant.
Strategy Session Tip
Here’s another strategy session tip that might help you out the next time you need to facilitate a meeting of this kind. Of course, we always want to make people feel as comfortable as possible. But there’s some discomfort that’s actually a good idea in this kind of setting.
