(This is part of a series of ongoing posts we’re calling Brandcrumbs, which are bits and pieces of branding advice left over from our regular conversations about real-world brand positioning challenges.) Like many in the branding and marketing world, we use the word “culture” a lot. We say things like “a successful company needs to create a… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Now that 2019 has closed, we’re looking back at some of our favorite discoveries of the year in a series of posts covering each of the sectors we serve. In this first post of the series, we’re looking at food and beverage. As always, we avidly watched developments in food and beverage—not only as professionals… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Now that 2019 has come to a close, we’re looking back at some of our favorite discoveries of the year in a series of posts covering each of the sectors we serve. In this, the third of the series, we look at the pet and animal market. As Americans have developed higher expectations for pet… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Now that 2019 has come to a close, we’re looking back at some of our favorite discoveries of the year in a series of posts covering each of the sectors we serve. In this post, we look at the health and wellness sector, with a focus on human dietary supplements. This is a constantly changing… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Over the last few months, we’ve worked alongside a successful B2B brand with over 45 years of experience in trace mineral animal supplements to launch its first consumer brand: TruCare Trace Mineral Supplements. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed working through the brand development process with them, beginning with brand discovery and market research, which led to positioning and concepting… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Among the industries we serve, the pet products segment ranks as one of the most dynamic: new products and companies rise and fall on a regular basis, and consumers show themselves willing to at least trial new products frequently. In this ever-changing marketplace, however, pet food and products steadily mirror trends in human food toward… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
“B2B or B2C?” Often among the first things agencies ask their prospective partners is this question of initialisms, delineating whether the company aims to reach an industry or a consumer audience. Conventionally, B2B and B2C marketing share little in terms of technique, channel, or sensibility. A categorical difference in audience extends to numerous considerations that… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
In my last blog post, I talked about the benefits of print advertising as part of an integrated advertising campaign for B2B companies. In this post, I’ll show you the power of papers – white papers, that is – as part of the mix. Fall is not only PSL season; it’s also media planning season.… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Although the food industry has historically been dominated by entrenched major brands, startups and venture capital have begun to move aggressively into food and beverage and agriculture, rightly perceiving the industry to be both exciting and profitable. High-profile food startups like KRAVE and Blue Bottle Coffee have found success bringing an entrepreneurial, tech-centric ethos to food and… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Perhaps no label has more power over the health-focused consumer than that of “superfood,” a whole food said to have uniquely valuable nutrition benefits. One food after another has been labeled a superfood, from blueberries to açai berries to kale, resulting in booming sales. A recent study identified newly-popularized superfoods as one of the top 10 food… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Powerlifting and digital marketing aren’t typically talked about in the same space. As someone with experience in both, I’d like to change that. Though one features squatting, benching, and deadlifting and the other branding, storytelling, and selling, the same fundamentals are required for success in either. 1. Set Realistic Goals When I was approached to… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Why repackage? Among other reasons, surveys say that 70% of consumers make their buying decisions at the shelf* and that 68% of purchases are impulse driven.** These decisions are based on many factors, and in this economy price is usually close to the top of the list, but not always. I don’t know how many… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
NPR’s food blog The Salt recently reported on a pop-up restaurant in Washington, D.C., serving a menu devoted to insects. Sponsored by an exterminator and called the “Pestaurant,” the eatery features grasshoppers, crickets, mealworms, and ants. As it happens, we talked last year about whether eating bugs could be one of several new food trends,… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
I ’m no dog food thief, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find my name on a “Beware These Up-to-no-Goodniks” list shared among St. Louis pet stores. On my way home from work and on the weekends, I go to Petco and PetSmart and Walmart and Target and farm & feed stores and independent retailers… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Food companies confront no more sensitive topic today than the debates over genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Consumers are deeply concerned, asking questions like “What are GMOs doing to our food supply,” “Are they dangerous,” and, whether they are or not, “Should they be labeled?” Many of us have strong opinions about these questions, and even… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>