"Don't Buy This Jacket"
- Written by: Alexandra Reilly
At a glance, this seems like a gimmicky marketing ploy. But is it?
Early last year Patagonia began a campaign that discouraged shoppers from spending on Cyber Monday and told them to "buy less."
I double dog dare you to call
- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
I'm not sure if this is a series of coincidences or a disturbing trend. But this week, I've had two "asks" for sizable charitable donations via email or Facebook. And I've had at least five sales people try to pitch me with a cold call via email. Really?
The dating game: how does your brand stack up?
- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
When they're hiring, lots of companies spout "great benefits" and "positive work environment" to anyone who will listen. But they don't think about the type of person they want to attract. That's right. Attract. Shouldn't it be more like dating?
Do your ambassadors wear the colors?
- Written by: Alexandra Reilly
Recently my children went back to school. A sheet came home asking parents to have their children wear specific colors for the first two weeks of class. The reason: our kindergarteners need help learning their colors. First it was Red Day. Then Brown Day.
6 ways to ensure reengineering success
- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
Team Tomato has 50 ideas. Team JuJube has 65. The competition is on overdrive and the company reengineering is well on its way... or is it?
A friend just gave me the lowdown on the year-old effort at her company. It's grinding to a halt.
Can upset employees sell Forever?
- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
"Dear (employee), We're cutting your hours and your benefits. If you have questions call nameless HR person. Oh, and by the way, please keep selling our great products with passion."
That's my take on a leaked employee letter from Forever 21 as reported by Jezebel.
How Borgification is fatal to brands
- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
Even a casual Star Trek viewer has heard of the legendary Borg. So united in purpose and mission, they were stronger than almost anyone else. The Borg were also scary, evil and incredibly nasty.
How ancient Chinese wisdom rallies internal brands
- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
There are lots of reasons to read the Art of War. Though it's literally about military strategy, I'll argue that it's equally applicable to a company's success:
"He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks."
Does your brand's R-Value keep out the leaks?
- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
In the building trades, R-Value is a way to gauge how well-insulated a structure is. Low R-Value results in lost energy and wasted money.
Process (or lack of it) is an R-Value for brands that leads directly to ROI.
How to combat acid-flinging swans
- Written by: Alexandra Reilly
The behind-the-scenes drama at the famed Russian Bolshoi Ballet has made worldwide headlines since the acid attack on artistic director Sergei Filin in January. But the poisonous culture at the Bolshoi has long been reported prior to this.
