I got a great haircut yesterday. Visited an old-school barbershop, where they take the time to do it right. Plus: guy talk, sports, and no stinky “product.” In fact, I think I have now found my go-to haircut place. But then the barber handed me a business card and I couldn’t help but be amused. […]
Engineering Drugs (and Clarity)
October 27, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Having worked in the life sciences (medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech) field for 30 years, I know how difficult it can be for those drug development/manufacturing companies to stand out. Their taglines all tend to sound the same – something about medicine, patients, caring, health, etc. But then someone mentioned Merrimack Pharmaceuticals to me, talking about […]
Solving a Branding Challenge in 30 Seconds
March 7, 2016 By Leave a Comment
I’ve had to face several significant branding struggles during my 10-year run as a consultant – which actually feels slightly embarrassing to have to admit, given that one of my key messages is developing a succinct and clear brand message! One of my enduring challenges is having two distinct audiences – a group of professionals connected […]
What is Donald Trump Tapping Into?
March 1, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Let me just state, as I begin this post, that I am not interested in generating a bunch of political commentary. So please refrain – can I get a hearty Amen? What I do want to do is muse a little bit on the phenomenon of the popularity of Donald Trump. Particularly, his branding as a […]
Announcing: Some Bold New Marketing Gibberish
February 17, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Later this week, I plan to meet with a local marketing agency (Blue Kite Marketing), which has been working on a re-brand for my business. But this post reminded me how much I *love* the marketing babble that accompanies re-branding efforts (especially new logos). You know – like this explanation when Twitter released its new bird […]
Welcome To Charlie’s Takeout Char-Broiled Chicken Thighs Served on China
August 17, 2015 By Leave a Comment
“Can I take your order? You’d like some char-broiled chicken thighs served on china? Well, you’re in the right place!” Is it possible to be a little bit too specific when naming your business? Actually….yes. I regularly advise companies not to be generic about their business name – Enterprise Business Solutions, Inc., for instance, says absolutely […]
Help Me Out Here, K-Rog
July 28, 2015 By 12 Comments
Dear Mr. Kroger, I’m a loyal customer, and I have a beef with you. By the way, since you’re a grocery celebrity, may I just call you K-Rog? J-Lo, A-Rod – it’s all the rage these days. OK, K-Rog it is. Anyway, I’m truly confused about something. Actually, I’m confused about many, many, things; but […]
Re-Launching Allergan
July 2, 2015 By Leave a Comment
In the commercial pharma space, there are currently a couple of (once small, but now) rapidly-growing companies that are gaining heft by making lots of acquisitions. One is Valeant. Maybe I’ll take a look at them another day. The other is Actavis. Which was once Watson (mostly generic drugs). They bought up several companies with branded […]
Is Your Brand Just Another Penguin?
June 29, 2015 By 1 Comment
This morning, I was driving up to a coffee meeting on I-65 toward Nashville when I spotted this truck. In amused disbelief, this blog post began to write itself in my mind as I drove. —— (ringing phone in grey, industrial cubicle…) “Good morning, is this Product Distribution Company?” “Yes, this is PDC, where entities move […]
Let’s Make Some Jargon!
May 28, 2015 By 1 Comment
Quick Quiz: What kind of design solution is a “visual identity system”? (hint: It may be related to a “brand isotope system.”) Give up? It’s a logo. These are some of the biz-jargon terms tossed around in this article about the re-branding initiative recently unveiled for the State of Tennessee. My initial reaction to the proposed new […]
