Aug
16
2016
For over four years, I worked for The Simplicity Company, helping clients simplify their strategies, businesses, brands and experiences. Achieving any degree of simplicity was real work. Throughout those four years I was struck that Simplicity seemed difficult to...
Aug
06
2016
Dollar Shave Club’s recent acquisition by Unilever has many business folks talking, and for good reason. DSC was purchased for well above the valuation set by VC firms that had invested in the company. (While it sold for $1...
Mar
03
2016
Diana Vreeland was a legendary figure in the fashion industry. But the vast majority of people probably have never heard of her. She was the managing director for Vogue magazine in the 60’s and was known for her distinctive...
May
18
2015
I was at a sustainability conference recently, thinking about my boots. "Business casual" is interpreted very loosely in Silicon Valley. CEOs turn up for meetings in t-shirts. Ties are donned ironically. I was wearing my Red Wing boots as...
Jan
05
2015
The sales cycle is a classic framework that has been around for a long time. You can find versions that are more complicated than this, but I like this one.
For me, this is the simplest way of breaking down...
Feb
17
2014
Brand perceptions are built on reactions to experiences with a brand. As such, changing the experience is a powerful way of changing brand perceptions and behaviors. Although the phrase “experience design” has traditionally been applied to digital experiences, the...
Sep
17
2013
Tip O'Neill, former Speaker of the House, once famously said "All politics is local." It was a lesson he learned in his first political loss: unless you connect to the needs and desires of the folks near you, you...
Apr
16
2013
One of the reasons I named this blog "Brand Is Action" is that I believe this is how brands will be built in this next era of branding - not through image but through behavior. The experience of the...
Oct
30
2012
Last night I learned again the true power of Twitter. At least for me.
In the last 5 months, I've moved to New York City. Big change: new job, new responsibilities, new city. An exciting opportunity. But now, most of...
Feb
15
2012
JCPenney has been in the news a lot lately. Although still a beloved brand with millions of Americans, it’s a brand that has become a little dusty and tired. In fashion, it seems like all the brand love and energy these...