Segmentation in B2B markets
B2C companies often use segmentation analysis, which is a complex tool that divides the market into distinguishable segments, separated by consumer behaviour or need. The beauty of segmentation analysis is that you can look at the size, value and performance of these segments and decide whom to concentrate your efforts. Although segmentation analysis is a technique more frequently used by B2C companies, B2B firms can use a similar approach too. Read the rest of this entry
Life. Simplified.
All of a sudden, the earth has started to spin too fast. So much going on in the world. We are all overloaded with information and choices. It is not a surprise that brands that simplify our lives are very successful these days. Googles and Apples strive by actually giving their customers less! About a year ago, we talked about “paradox of choice”. The more you give to your customers, the less happy they become. Sounds weird eh? I recently read a great article about this topic and wanted to write a follow up to my previous article. Read the rest of this entry
Branding Through Storytelling
I recently read a well-written book named “Storytelling: Branding in Practice.” As you know “storytelling” is a buzzword in brand strategy. Unfortunately, it is an often-used yet seldom-understood concept. “Branding Through Storytelling” is a nice “how to” guide to finding, unlocking and leveraging corporate stories to support brand strategy. Read the rest of this entry
Phonetic symbolism and naming
Which one of the below shape is booba and which one is kiki?
According to Wolfgang Köhler’s “booba/kiki effect” study, 95% to 98% of people choose “kiki” for the sharp, angular shape and “booba” (or “bouba”) for the soft, rounded shape. Interestingly, recent work by Daphne Maurer and colleagues has shown that even children as young as 2.5 (too young to read) show this effect. Now, that is powerful. But, how is it related to branding? Read the rest of this entry
Scarcity and escalation of commitment as means of persuasion
Last weekend we went to a factory sales event of a clothing brand. Apparently, the event was so well advertised that the factory was jam-packed with warrior/shopper women. Honestly, I can’t remember how many times a lady hit me in the shoulder or stepped on my foot (Albeit, I don’t recall receiving a single apology). According to their ad everything was “up to 70%” off. But, I am fairly sure there was an item or two that were actually 70% off. The rest of the cloths were in the range of 30-40%. However, when you commit to spending at least part of your Saturday in a factory, you automatically convince yourself that everything is indeed 70% off. That was the trap we fell into. We tried on some jackets, but none of them were interesting enough. Then we said, at least let’s buy a belt! But, two days later we realized that we actually paid almost the full price for the belt! How did that happen? Are we that silly? Well, there were two psychological factors in play. Let me explain them. Read the rest of this entry
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
Alcohol and Starbucks… Success or failure?
I recently read an article by Mr. Martin Bishop from Landor about Starbucks serving regional wine and beer in some of its Seattle locations. Lately, Starbucks successfully updated its identity and announced that it aims to be more than a coffee company. The brand’s little experiment clearly shows that it means it. But I think such a line extension is the wrong way to go. Let me explain why. Read the rest of this entry
What’s in a name?
I love working with a brand named after its founder because they make my life much easy. The majority of brands still communicate merely what they’ve got (their products, their services, or their features.) Only a small number of brands communicate their “promise”, which is definitely a better marketing strategy. A promise is the universally-accepted definition of a brand. But… Even that communicating your promise is not enough anymore. Today, brands need to communicate their purpose as well as their promise, because people are looking for “meaning” these days. And there is no easier way of creating meaning than telling a compelling story about the founder of a brand. Read the rest of this entry
The art of effective writing
Almost a year ago I decided to start this blog, primarily because I realized that as a non-native speaker, I needed to improve my writing skills, a problem far beyond writing error-free articles. I had to improve the structure of my articles to be a more effective communicator. Structured writing was a skill that I was taught neither at school nor at work. So, there you have it. This blog is a selfish act. That said, I truly enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with you. Therefore, today I will share with you some of the little secrets of structured writing. Read the rest of this entry
FREE! advice to sell more products
Recently, I had to empty my apartment in Toronto. So, I decided to sell all my furniture. I managed to sell big items like mattress and sofa, but I had difficulty in finding buyers for stuff like cutlery and pans. So, I went ahead and posted`an ad on Craigslist and Kijiji with the following subject line: “Free stuff. Everything must go today!” And the rest is history… Read the rest of this entry
