What does LeBron James’ first ring signify? Part 2

Previously, I shared some of my thoughts on LeBron James, mythology and archetypal psychology. Let's continue from where we left off. This is the second instalment of a three-article series. About James’ recovering popularity I genuinely believe that LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of his generation. That has been obvious the last couple …

Why do place brands fail? The mistakes of the places. Part 2

Previously, we mentioned that 86% of place brands fail. Then, we first examined the mistakes that brand consultants commit. Today, we will talk about the other half of the equation: The errors that places make. This essay is the second installment of our three-article series.   As always, let's start by stating the obvious: a …

What does LeBron James’ first ring signify? Part 1

As expected, LeBron James has finally won his first championship. I’d like to share my thought on the mythological and archetypal significance of his first ring. This is the first installment of a three article series. Let’s go! About James-Wade relationship The major problem with the Heat last year was that both James and Wade …

Archetypes or stereotypes?

Ottawa ad campaign

Recently, I have learned that 86% of place branding projects fail. While the research does not explain why, I am willing to bet that one of the principal causes of failure is “thinking stereotypically instead of archetypically,” and go even farther to suggest the only way to successfully brand a destination. Case in point: Ottawa. The picture on the left was taken …

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! "I like the simplicity of the design, as well as applications and the selection of images. As usual, BMD has done an excellent "design" …

Brand Jordan

NBA lockout is about to end. The hot topic of discussion is what's the damage to Brand Jordan? Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of all times. But his skills and will are not enough to explain how he became the magnetic person that he is. During his Hall of Fame induction speech, …

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 …