These days, it seems that consumers can’t buy a major appliance, personal computer, or big screen television without being offered an extended warranty.
The irony in the sales pitch is that talking points from store personnel leading up to the purchase decision are centered on the high quality of the item being considered for purchase.  Once [...]

Suppose you’re a local craft brewery, without the marketing resources of a Coors, Miller or Sam Adams. You don’t have money in the budget for national TV commercials—or any TV spots for that matter. So how do you get the word out about your award-winning brews?
If you’re Delaware-based Dogfish Head, you [...]

Passion. It’s what fuels the average person like you and I to enter and train for a local 10K race or even a sprint triathlon.
Passion. It’s what every event sponsor at these races is hoping to stoke up by their presence at the events.
Participating in the Open Water Swim festival this weekend in Ft. Myers, [...]

The Return of the Hoodoo Gurus
I’ve been a fan of the Australian rock band the Hoodoo Gurus since the 1980’s, when they were college radio favorites with hits like Bittersweet, Come Anytime and What’s My Scene. The group’s sound has been described as everything from power pop to garage punk to surf rock, and has [...]

Burgers are burgers, or are they?
With McDonald’s squarely on top of the QSR burger world, Burger King has resorted to some innovative advertising, to say the least. Visit their website, slide the bar marked “King” to the right, and you’ll find everything from “Subservient Chicken“, “Whopper Virgins“,  and “Simpsonize Me“. The chain has even launched [...]

A celebrity endorsement—for a loyalty program?
The pros and cons of using a celebrity spokesperson in advertising have been long established.

The pros? A celebrity draws attention
The cons? A celebrity draws attention—away from your product or service

What’s more, as we recently saw with golfing legend you-know-who, there’s the potential downside of aligning your company with a celebrity [...]

I’ve gotten into a bad habit with my children. Whenever they ask me about overzealous promises from a product advertisement, I just tell them “It’s probably not true, it’s just marketing stuff“.
The bad part is that I am instilling a degree of cynicism in the little ones, but then [...]

When it comes to brand recognition, the usual names that dominate the conversation are Apple, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Visa and …. Chick-fil-A?
Ok, Chick-fil-A may not be a household name of the same caliber as Starbucks, but I guaranty that the “second largest chicken restaurant chain in the US” has the most passionate fan base in [...]

For me, the most compelling question to arise from the tawdry Tiger Woods scandal isn’t whether his wife will leave him, but whether his corporate sponsors will.  In particular, the management consulting company Accenture.
We’re not talking energy drinks or golf shoes here, Accenture is a starched white collar Fortune Global 500 firm that, excuse the [...]

It’s probably no surprise that the great brands are able to combine excellent products with a superior level of customer service. After all, it’s this magic combination that makes them great brands in the first place.
Go to an Apple store to purchase their (in my opinion) superior products, and you get service from friendly, helpful [...]