Branding can be game-changing for a corporation. Several years ago I bashed UPS for their “What Can Brown Do for You?” campaign. I thought it was vacuous and certainly did not position UPS in the field of FedEx and DHL. What’s more, just like the color, the slogan and the idea behind it were bland. [...]

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It’s unrealistic to plan your positioning strategy in a vacuum. Remember, you’re positioning against competitors who also have positioned their offerings – with the help of their customers and prospects. The idea is to find an unfilled position that is relevant and compelling to your target market. Those people actually position you – but you [...]

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Perception mapping is a tool that can aid in visualizing how people perceive a product or service as measured by product attributes. They are usually arrayed on an X-Y axis that compare two different attributes such as quality and price. Here’s a typical example using local restaurants. This graph circles depicts American cuisine establishments with [...]

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I believe you should think of differentiation as a company’s strategic position that drives everything: what products are marketed, what markets are targeted and which brands to compete against.

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By introducing a slick insert called WSJ. targeted to luxury markets, the Wall Street Journal is diluting its brand focus.

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The Wall Street Journal ran an article today about Hyundai’s entry into the luxury car market. The piece is comprehensive and addresses the major points any brand-conscious marketer might ask. You can see the entire article by clicking “Hyundai Bets New Sedan Is a Luxury It Can Afford”. But before you do, here are my [...]

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So many taglines are just so much fluff and don’t contribute to a strong brand. John Moore at BrandAutopsy.typepad.com suggests building brands without taglines. If the other elements are strong, a slogan isn’t required.

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Two reasons entrepreneurs won’t take niche marketing seriously: they’re impatient and they don’t want to miss ANY sales. But without directing a small business to a lucritive niche, there will be no long term success.

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