About 95% of what executives in competing companies do is pretty much the same all around. This is good management. If you are CEOing a wireless communication services provider, you strive to have an advanced technological infrastructure with a promising future, cool end-user phones, other devices and accessories, a great service system, attractive added-value services, […]
Marketing - Brands
The Differentiation Challenge
This is a guest article from Jean-Claude Saade: On any given morning, if we open a newspaper it will be full of advertisements, messages and offers. At 10:00 am, let us try to remember the ads we have seen a couple of hours ago. We might remember something, only sometimes, but most of the time […]
Al Ries might be dangerous to your brand
In the business world’s hall of fame a special place is reserved for Al Ries. He is without any doubt one of the most prominent gurus of strategic thinking. More than 30 years ago, together with his partner Jack Trout, Ries coined the term “Positioning” – a concept which, to these very days, shapes the […]
Banking on the Brand
This is a guest article from Jean-Claude Saade: “Shining a light creates shadows” ― Michael Lewis, Flash Boys The banking sector is developing and facing multiple challenges and many opportunities at the same time. From growing customers’ expectations to the macroeconomic and technological context, change is affecting everything. Yet, the safest bet for banks remains […]
The Eternal Principles for Creating Luxury Brands
Attracting wealthy customers is potentially very profitable. In order to be successful, it requires different approaches than the regular marketing strategy. Dr. Dan Herman, our guest author, states that this … … involves a deep understanding of their psychological need, of their lifestyle, of the role of brands in their world and in their relationships […]
Create Enticing Brands, not “Lovemarks”
By Dr. Dan Herman Allow me to shorten for you an old but not outdated joke. A new divorcee, first-hand from an advertising professional, asks her new partner, a minute before getting into bed together, to be gentle with her because she is still a virgin. “But you were married…” the man wonders. “Yes” the […]
Brand Strategy (A Constant in a World of Change)
by Jerry W. Thomas What is a brand, and why do brands matter? What is brand equity or a brand franchise? And how do you measure and manage brand equity to maximize profits over the long term? Let’s first explore the notion of a brand and speculate about its origins.