Several years ago, I was hired for a full-time position handling marketing for a company. One of the executives asked me to develop a marketing plan for the organization, so I asked for the business plan, to which he responded,…
Branding Dry Cleaners
Every time I visit my local dry cleaner, I wonder why they, and most other dry cleaners, don’t seem to do anything proactively to brand and market their business. And then a writer for Fabricare magazine, a publication of the International…
Issues Management vs. Crisis Management
A few nights ago, I spoke to a group of executives in commercial banking on the subject of crisis management. There is no shortage of media coverage about how the “banking” industry is in the midst of a huge upheaval as…
Ford, stop trying to be like GM – instead, be like Ford
Apparently a high ranking automotive industry source has leaked that Ford is considering or possibly even planning to release a Mustang wagon. Yeah, you heard right. Here is what Autoweek quoted the source as saying: “It’s a case of reaching…
Business writing suffering from the need for speed
This AP article titled “Business, B-schools fight bad writing” suggests that demand for solid freelance/contract writers will continue to rise at least for the foreseeable future. There remains a dearth of pen-ability across the country as a result of the…
Holiday gifts for your favorite writer
The holidays are coming – faster than I anticipated. I am a terrible procrastinator when it comes to buying gifts. I now order most of my Christmas gifts online and pay extra for both wrapping and accelerated shipping. Thank you…
Corporate messaging between the lines
Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, is rumored to be interested in purchasing the Boston Globe newspaper from the New York Times Co. Here is what the AP reported as the New York Times Co.’s position: “The Times Co. has…
How does your brand look, feel, and smell?
I was at the mall today with my wife and 8-month-old, shopping for some clothes for the little one now that the weather is cooling off. I had a Macy’s gift card and remembered that I needed some new cologne…
Grocery stores missing huge opportunity for stronger customer relationships
Every time I visit the local Kroger grocery store, I swipe a card that looks like this to save a few pennies on various items in the store. In return, the store has a record of everything I purchase every time…
The power of headlines and slogans
I was driving down the road the other day when I saw a sign outside an auto shop that read: “We fix $99 brake jobs.” I admit that when it comes to car service, I am nauseous whenever I…