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Some companies understand branding, while others never will.   Apple is so smart, evidenced by its newest venture – branding a train station in Chicago.  By the time Apple is done remodeling this run-down CTA Red Line station, it will probably become a destination rather than an eyesore.   Since no one else has done this before, being […]

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A recent New York Times story about Ruby Tuesday's efforts to become a viable casual restaurant choice caught my attention on many levels.  The article focused on CEO and founder, Sandy Beall (pronounced BELL), and his efforts to figure it out in a tough economy with strong competitors for the food dollar. Ruby Tuesday has […]

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One of the lessons of the new media world is how category leaders don't own the franchise, and dominance is far from guaranteed.  In radio, we have become accustomed to seeing the same radio stations on top of the heap for years – or even decades – KGO in San Francisco, KMOX in St. Louis, and […]

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One of the lessons of the new media world is how category leaders don't own the franchise, and dominance is far from guaranteed.  In radio, we have become accustomed to seeing the same radio stations on top of the heap for years – or even decades – KGO in San Francisco, KMOX in St. Louis, and […]

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A research update for comScore's "Natural Born Clickers" study from a study first conducted two years ago reveals some alarming stats for Internet-focused advertisers.  While banner and display ads are ubiquitous on websites all over the Internet, the percentage of "clickers" is precipitously falling. In the 2007 study, about one-third (32%) of Internet users clicked […]

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Old friend and veteran rock programmer, Ron Nenni, sent me an eye-opening chart, courtesy of the Silicon Alley Insider.  As you can see below, a new Nielsen analysis of a media use study conducted by the Council for Research Excellence shows that radio out-reaches the Internet on a daily basis. The methodology of this study […]

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There is sure to be a lot of controversy about ABC-TV's new V, which debuted earlier this week.  If you haven't tuned in, it's the saga of a charismatic new leader offering the promise of hope and peace.  Of course, it's all cleverly disguised and is, in reality, an alien invasion.  Politically, the show raises […]

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There is sure to be a lot of controversy about ABC-TV's new V, which debuted earlier this week.  If you haven't tuned in, it's the saga of a charismatic new leader offering the promise of hope and peace.  Of course, it's all cleverly disguised and is, in reality, an alien invasion.  Politically, the show raises […]

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Volkswagen has always been a car company that has marched to a totally different drummer.  From its "Think Small" campaign for the Beetle, to "Fahrvergnügen" (OK, maybe not the best slogan of all time), the German automaker has taken a left-handed approach to marketing.  You have to give them credit for being consistently inconsistent.  For […]

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No, this isn't a post about college or pro football.  Instead, it's about how you kick off a new campaign, startup, or a brand extension in 2009. The poster child is Starbuck's new VIA, an instant coffee product that comes in convenient little packets that hopes to mimic the taste of the real thing by […]

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A recent MediaPost article – "Using Personality to Help Drive Engagement" – advised companies about the importance of email having a well-known personality, celebrity, or some type of icon.  Silverpop's Loren McDonald writes that database members will respond more to a person than simply an impersonal company email. Here's an excerpt of his article that […]

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One of the key differentiators between how music was marketed "back in the day" and how it's been packaged over the last decade has revolved around artist branding and promotion – or the lack thereof.  I'm sure our friends on the label side have an opinion on the topic, but from my viewpoint, the emphasis […]

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Marketing Evaluations, the company famous for Q Scores – that is, celebrity ratings – has come up with a different way of analyzing television programs. They now have a metric called "Emotional Bonding Q" which they say measures a combination of likability to viewing frequency to dedication to watching future shows. A new show like […]

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Some of the fallout from the David Letterman scandal revolves around interns and the ways in which they are used – and abused in the business world.  Not long after Dave's admission, another intern scandal broke out involving former Mets' GM and now former ESPN analyst Steve Phillips. Not since Monica Lewinsky have interns been […]

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Some of the fallout from the David Letterman scandal revolves around interns and the ways in which they are used – and abused in the business world.  Not long after Dave's admission, another intern scandal broke out involving former Mets' GM and now former ESPN analyst Steve Phillips. Not since Monica Lewinsky have interns been […]

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It was the winter of '07 and we were just completing the pre-test phase of "The Bedroom Project," the ethnographic study we conducted for Arbitron among 17-28 year-olds.  As we were wrapping up one of the early interviews, a young lady was discussing how she communicates online.  And her conclusion?  "Email is for old people." […]

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It was the winter of '07 and we were just completing the pre-test phase of "The Bedroom Project," the ethnographic study we conducted for Arbitron among 17-28 year-olds.  As we were wrapping up one of the early interviews, a young lady was discussing how she communicates online.  And her conclusion?  "Email is for old people." […]

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As readers of this blog know all too well, we believe that the newspaper business can function as a canary in a coal mine for radio.  The trials and ordeals impacting journalism may be just a year or two ahead of what we will face as radio broadcasters.  So, there's a great deal to be learned […]

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As readers of this blog know all too well, we believe that the newspaper business can function as a canary in a coal mine for radio.  The trials and ordeals impacting journalism may be just a year or two ahead of what we will face as radio broadcasters.  So, there's a great deal to be learned […]

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Martha Stewart has made her fortune by providing expert advice on any number of topics that revolve around the home, food, and lifestyle. But we would all be smart to pay attention to her advice about branding because she has created a playbook on how to use multi-platform sources to create an "omnipresence" effect.  Speaking […]

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