Category Archives: Value Proposition
(From Wikipedia) What the customer can expect and/or actually gets for his money/time.
The evolution of private label brands
Did you know that private label brands (PL) have been around for almost a decade? Back in 1928, the Swiss introduced the PL concept and since then it has been spreading like wildfire. Actually, we should point out that PL is not only spreading but also “evolving.” We are witnessing a quiet renaissance, which deserves to be analyzed. This is the first installment of a series of essays on private label branding.
Migros eliminated the middleman, inventing the private label concept.
What makes Apple special?
I’ve been writing about branding for years, yet only one of my articles talks about the greatest brand of our time: Apple… Here is why: As soon as we start talking about brands and branding, it becomes extremely difficult to find an article that doesn’t refer to Apple. Every conference I attend, analyzes Apple as a brand… Every presentation I watch, accurately or wrongly, uses Apple as an example… I like Apple, I use their products and I admire what they stand for. But since there is too much talk about the brand, the point I’d try to make will eventually get diluted. So, “media saturation” is why I don’t talk or write about Apple. That said, Apple has a “special meaning” in our world. And today, I intend to analyze it for you…
Know Canada?
Below, is the comment I left on an article on Brand New. My thoughts on Canada’s new campaign generated some interest, so I decided to share them with you. Enjoy it!
Peanut butter is Canadian
Key to customer loyalty
There are some brands that I find so successful. I call them magnetic. One of those brands is Maui Jim, the sunglass company. The brand is best known for its high quality, reasonably priced and fashionable polarized sunglasses. I bought my first Maui Jim sunglass in 2008. Since then, I bought two more. As rational consumers, we often think we are loyal to a particular brand because it offers the best value for money, often quality being the key pillar of value. Well, quality is necessary, but not sufficient to create loyalty… According to Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, the key to loyalty is not quality. It is the quality of “relationship”.
Smoothies and Tim Hortons… Success or failure?
Last week we talked about Starbucks’s recent experiment of serving alcohol in some of its locations. We ended up recommending them to create a second brand. We also said, on our next article we will focus on a successful line extension from Canada: Tim Horton’s, one of Starbucks’ archrivals. For those of you who are not familiar with the brand, here is how Wikipedia describes Tim Hortons: Read the rest of this entry
Brand as a status symbol
What is status? According to Wikipedia it is the honor or prestige attached to one’s position in society. (one’s social position) In consumer societies status can be achieved by owning certain brands. For instance, if you drive a Ferrari, you are considered as a higher status person than an owner of a Sebring because buying goods that others can’t afford has long been an ultimate status symbol. While this is still true, other forms of status are emerging. For example, suddenly you might get more social acceptance by driving a Toyota Prius, because caring about the environment is “in”. Who would have thought? Or instead of going to a three-star Michelin restaurant, you might prefer to show off your cooking skills at home and get more praise. After all everybody can cook but being a “chef” is a status skill. Read the rest of this entry
8 ways to attract and retain young talent
According to Steelcase’s 2006 survey Millennials already make up 21% of the workforce in the US. This number will only go north in a couple of years. I assume by now you have realized that young employees are not conformists, they don’t want to play by the old rules. So, whether you like it or not, you have to cater to the needs of Millennials if you want to stay in business. Read the rest of this entry
What can you learn from Genius Bar?
What do you stand for?
The author of this blog describes a brand as a promise. This is a universally accepted definition, which will be valid for years to come. However, for marketers to focus solely on the promise is not enough anymore. Here is why… Read the rest of this entry
How to market to Gen Y?
According to Wikipedia, Canadian Millennials are those who were born as of 1976 up to 1999, inclusively. They are also known as Generation Y or Echo Boomers. They have a characteristic set of values that makes them significantly different from earlier generations. Or so you thought… Read the rest of this entry
