See how our top picks of soft and hard hospitality brands build on their brand perception to fuel their marketing + grow guest bookings Image: Graduate Palo Alto, the brand’s 33rd hotel, opened down the road from Stanford University. Graduate Hotels. Lately, I’ve been having conversations with Google’s Gemini around the concept of “cool” in […]
Category: Strategy
Challenge, Accepted: Defining Competitive Differentiation to Confront Your Brand’s Real Dragons Â
To move your business into the big(ger) leagues, you’ve got to have the courage and clarity to challenge big conventions. Building a brand requires more than having a great product, pinpointing your ideal customer’s’ needs, or getting clear about your value propositions. It also requires a bit of business intuition. Because it’s not just the […]
Want to Attract More Travelers? Build A Brand-first Experience Strategy in Three Steps
“If Nike opened a hotel, we would be able to guess pretty accurately what it would be like. If Hyatt came out with sneakers, we’d have no clue.” I couldn’t help but wonder: Why is that exactly, Seth Godin? He concludes: “Because Hyatt doesn’t have a brand, it has a logo.” Brand vs. Logo: Why […]
The Power of Your Tribe: How Unearthing Your Ideal Customer Profile Can Transform Your Brand Success
What are the behind-the-scenes secrets to building a powerful brand? Come closer. It isn’t just investing in pretty packaging and expensive ad campaigns. It’s the ability to turn your ideal customers into long-term loyalists, generating powerful momentum to fuel your company’s future. In short, to create a tribe. Let’s take a page from the world […]
Beginning with the Brand Essence: Build a Brand with Value Creation at its CoreÂ
Years ago, my ECD posed a riddle: “Coca-Cola is worth over $200 billion. But what would it be worth if every one of its production/bottling/distribution plants burned to the ground?” Before I could say anything, he answered: “Over $200 billion. Because Coke’s not the beverage, it’s the brand, and as a brand, it might as […]
Gen Z shopping habits: How 40% of your customers make purchasing decisions—and how to win their dollars
Generation Z is plugged in, but far from checked out Born between 1997 and 2012 (roughly), there’s one major defining characteristic Gen Zers share: they are the first generation with no memory or experience of life before the Internet. They learn, work, date, shop and play online—spending hours of their days “plugged in” to consume […]
How to Conduct your Ad Agency vs. Marketing Agency Search with Confidence
You’re a CEO, on the hunt for an outside ad agency with fresh perspectives to support your marketing and growth initiatives. You take to Google and are not only overwhelmed with the number of agencies that claim to meet your every need, but you also begin to identify the language barrier we like to call […]
5 Steps to Building a Recession Proof Brand
Market volatility can stifle business growth plans. But dare we say that companies that know who they are, what they do, and who they sell to are less likely to have business altering deficits during a recession than those who lack clarity and alignment? Call us daredevils, but the proof is in the pudding. Ignoring […]
Marketing During Recessions: Keep It Up!
While many companies react to a recession by decreasing the marketing budget, maintaining marketing spending is the best move for success during and after the economic downturn. Here are three reasons why marketing budgets should remain intact (or even increase) during a recession.
Integrated Marketing: Why It Matters…an Agency Perspective
A strategic approach to integrated marketing can be a game changer for any business. Read the latest on why integrated marketing matters from an agency that gets your goals.
