Bumps Ahead for Hooters

A brand, it is said, is not about what you — the company — says it is. It’s about what the customer says it is. So…Hooters, that great family restaurant, it appears is suffering.… Read More →

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One-Word Slogans: More with Less

Slogans. Does your company need one?* Good slogans–sometimes called “taglines”–along with good company names and good logos are your most-salient brand identifiers. And for all three (ceteris paribus), simpler is usually better. Slogan Simplicity A slogan with fewer,… Read More →

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When Brands Disappoint

By now, we know that a good brand offers benefits over a poor brand. One of those benefits is providing a “cushion” when things goes awry. Your BMW is leaking oil? Their service… Read More →

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How Will Your Employees Remember You?

While rummaging through the piles of paper I call my “archives,” I ran across a “thank you” note received some years ago from a former supervisor. The note took me back more than… Read More →

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Context Matters

Just watched an interesting TED Talk about a new(er) concept concerning the development of cancer. Breast cancer researcher and Distinguished Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Mina Bissell discusses how the extracellular matrix and the environment… Read More →

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Branding, Blind Men, and an Elephant

I’ve used this story more than once in my career whilst trying to explain the importance of branding. It’s used as an analogy for many other situations, as well. If you’re unfamiliar with… Read More →

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Which ‘type’ are you? Gene Kranz? Or that Grumman guy?

Apollo 13. Love that movie. I watch it so often that my wife and kids no longer moan when it’s on. As Americans…as humans…it really was of our finest hours. The tragic events… Read More →

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Organizational Narcissism: Readers Respond

Several readers responded to my recent post “The Perils of Organizational Narcissism” to me via e-mail. Some of their responses follow. As far as “remedies” for this situation are concerned, as some readers… Read More →

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The Perils of Organizational Narcissism

Some time ago, I posted a piece about a Gold’s Gym franchise in New Jersey that was hurting financially. The owners decided to lower the cost of membership to compete with area independent gyms… Read More →

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Loose Lips Sink Ships: The Titanic’s Achilles Keel

I couldn’t let the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic pass without a mention. I was in second grade when my brother borrowed from our grade school library the then-definitive account… Read More →

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