Sunday, March 16, 2008

Things You Don't Really Want To Hear

You know the expression, "I really don't need to hear that"? It usually means that something isn't going as planned, that the news isn't all that good. Well, there are times in the creative development process when clients might say this very thing to their agencies. There are certain statements that their agencies often make that, on the surface, seem harmless enough. But upon closer look, these very statements have subtle and troubling meanings. They really are things the client would rather not hear. This week we take a look at some of these - with the hope that they will become like "alarms" for the client.


The DISPATCHESTM for March 16, 2008 can be found here:

THINGS YOU DON\'T WANT TO HEAR

It is also available in PDF here:

ThingsYouReallyDon\\\'tWantToHear.pdf (PDF File)

Sunday, March 09, 2008

IT TAKES TRAINING TO "UP YOUR GAME"

Starbucks' is in the news yet again. On February 26 the company closed the doors of its 7,100 U.S. coffee houses for 3-hours (starting at 5:30pm). The reason for the closure was to conduct a nationwide training event designed to energize its 135,000 partners (baristas), (re)train them in the art of pulling the perfect shot of espresso and, thereby, transform the customer experience. In other words, Starbucks is attempting to "up their game" in the quest to regain a competitive advantage.

The DISPATCHESTM for March 9, 2008 can be found here:

It Takes Training To - Up Your Game

It is also available in PDF here:

ItTakesTrainingToUpYourGameRev.pdf (PDF File)

Sunday, March 02, 2008

POSITIONING AT RETAIL - SOME LESSONS

More and more, it seems, those of us working to build brands in Fast Moving Consumer Goods look to popular retail brands with admiration - even sometimes with envy! We envy them having a place where target customers can be surrounded by the brand, can truly have an extended brand experience. And, invariably, when consumer goods brands look to evolve an existing brand positioning or develop a positioning for a new brand, you hear retail brands cited as models. What can we learn about positioning from some of these successful retail brands? This week Dispatches takes a look.


The DISPATCHESTM for March 2, 2008 can be found here:

POSITIONING AT RETAIL - SOME LESSONS

It is also available in PDF here:

PositioningAtRetail-SomeLessons.pdf
(PDF File)