Brands must reassess the path to building belief…

By Robert Wheatley

United Airlines extols that It’s Time To Fly, while simultaneously revealing more fees to go alongside the other precipitous declines in service. Travel is already painful but never mind. Banks and financial service firms wax on about their forthright expertise and ask investors to place their faith in them. Right behind the message comes scandal, bankruptcy and accusations of malfeasance, which are flying in all directions.

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Can “Value Attribution” Confound Brand Communications?

Note: forgive the long post, but this stuff was too interesting not to pass along…

For the most part we operate as marketers and communicators day-in and day-out with a built in assumption that consumers listen to us, understand us and act accordingly. Of course, there’s ongoing debate about the real level of listening. Well, it also seems there’s the possibility that our messages are misconstrued or misunderstood or misinterpreted due to some funny ways humans operate to process information.

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New world order for brand building

By Robert Wheatley

We really appreciate and enjoy reading Patrick Scanlon’s think pieces and articles. His latest published in AdAge entitled ‘Winning in the Pick Economy’ charts the changes in dynamics between marketer and consumer in an age of the latter’s over-arching control.

Says Scanlon: “In today’s world, media are fragmented, markets are fragmented. Skews of race, sexual orientation, work life, digital experience, marriage and child status, plus other sociological forces crosscut markets even further. We have micro-trends, micro-markets and micro-meals. Only in rare cases can products, like oil and toilet paper, claim to be (both) ubiquitous and necessary. These days’ consumers choose from miles of aisles of cars, clothing, electronic equipment, food, beverages and other staples. To push is dangerous. To pull is difficult. We are engaged in a revolutionary new marketing model not driven by manufacturers or their marketing partners.”
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The many facets of what value can mean to different people…

By Robert Wheatley

In our last post we examined the various facets of value that drive brand purchase. Value has many dimensions, and as we indicated, one person’s sense of what is valuable may differ widely from another.

We now market products and services in an era dominated by customization, choice and individualization. Categories have, in amoeba-like fashion, sub-divided into smaller, narrower segments based on the unique needs and interests of distinct consumer groups we affectionately refer to as tribes. So value will have many faces and looks to different tribes. Read More»

Understanding the interplay of value components vital to sound strategy
By Robert Wheatley

In his excellent book entitled “The Momentum Effect,” author J.C. Larreche describes the unique characteristics of momentum driven businesses that seem to grow more rapidly at the top line because consumers flock to their value proposition. He says: “Momentum powered firms don’t just offer good customer value, they offer compelling value - a value so intense and personal that it resonates with their needs in a gripping and powerful way.”

But value isn’t just a quick summation of benefits, features, price and the rational evaluation of those pieces. Read More»

Marketing Truths Light the Pathway
By Robert Wheatley

We have a second home in a rural area of Southwest Michigan known as Harbor Country. Our place sits on a small lake in the middle of an apple orchard, surrounded by farms and vineyards. Not surprising… Read More»

Marketing Make-Up Applied is Illusory
By Robert Wheatley

Did you notice the elaborate animation commercials from United Airlines during the Olympics? Beautifully done. Engaging. Interesting. And perhaps also a waste of time and dollars. Bob Garfield, AdAge… Read More»

The sublime intersection of understanding your audience and effective engagement… Bravo!!
By Robert Wheatley

Business goal: effective introduction of a major new product. Launch strategy: deliver the news in a meaningful way by surrounding the potential… Read More»

In his viral_marketing.pdf on Viral Marketing, digital media expert David Meerman Scott recites the story of Cindy Gordon, Vice President of New Media and Marketing at Universal Orlando Resort, and her groundbreaking effort to successfully launch a new Harry Potter themed attraction… Read More»

Starbucks Dilutes Original Passion
By Robert Wheatley

Starbucks and I are old friends. We go way, way back. All the way to Seattle where my agency career started at an Ogilvy & Mather owned firm called Cole & Weber — and before the brilliant Howard… Read More»