Is Differentiation Dead?

Wait. Hear me out. I’m not ready to call time of death on differentiation just yet, but something is going on that makes me wonder whether we need a new model for what drives value at the heart of...

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Your Brand Isn’t a Logo. It’s a System.

I’ve been a brand consultant for 20 years now. That is a difficult job to explain to people. Usually when I say I’m a brand consultant, people will respond, “Oh, you design logos.” And although I have an MFA...

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Why Brands Need A Point of View

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...

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The ‘New’ Center of the Sales Cycle

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...

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All Marketing is Local Marketing

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...

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Brand Experience vs. Branded Experiences

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...

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Apple Starts the Countdown Clock

As a long-time Apple fan, I followed a live blog of Steve Job's keynote speech at the Apple Developer's Conference yesterday. By then, the world knew most of the Apple news: iCloud and a new operating system plus a...

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Today’s Internet Lesson – #1 In A Series

It was quite the day on the Internet today. Sarah Palin's supporters were caught editing Wikipedia to match her statements regarding Paul Revere. Representative Anthony Weiner admitted to sending out 'junk shots', including one accidentally sent to all his...

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The Next Era in Branding

That seems like a grand claim. Like something a branding guru would say as they set you up in order to sell you something familiar dressed up to look different. I'm no guru, and I'm certainly not prescient enough...

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