Strategy, who are you trying to reach and what makes you different?

Strategy, who are you trying to reach and what makes you different? “Begin with the end in mind.”  Stephen Covey. What is your strategy to get you to the end?  What is your offer and what differentiates it from competitive products or services? Differentiation is an experience.  A brand is an experience.  An experience can […]

Your Personas and Your Brand

Your Personas and Your Brand Identify your personas. What do you know about your best customers?  What  are their personas? I think you will agree it is very important to know who your best customers are because that is who you are looking for; and you will not waste time talking to people who are […]

Five fundamental rules for marketing and branding.

Five fundamental rules for marketing and branding. There are more than 5 rules for Brand image-makers but these 5 are the essential rules for small businesses.  Business people and professionals often scoff ‘everyone knows that, it’s basic’ and then they give them a cursory ‘lick and a promise.’ Not so fast, these rules are what […]

Nine steadfast rules of marketing.

Nine steadfast rules of marketing. These may seem like common sense rules but entrepreneurs and business owners often forget everything they learned about the rules of branding, marketing and advertising when they begin marketing their own products and services.  It becomes personal. Make it simple.  I don’t know what an Idiomatic Algorithm Modernizer P3 is.  […]

Branding with humor.

Branding with humor. Sometimes a simple idea is more effective and engaging than a collection of ideas that try to communicate all of the features and benefits of your service. The problem with the simple idea is not the idea but the client’s resistance to it.  They feel that it’s just too simple to work.  […]

Clients don’t know.

Clients don’t know. This is rule number one if you are in the brand development process. Don’t misquote me.  Clients know a lot about their products and their customers but clients are humans and humans have perceptions that sometimes are wrong and this can be a huge problem.  Remember—in the brand development process perception is […]

About branding… Be first or be different

About branding… Be first or be different. By Ken Gasque Being first with a good idea is really difficult and may not happen but once in your lifetime, if it happens then. Apple’s iPod, Coca-Cola, WD-40, Dixie Cups, Post-it Notes, Duct Tape, and Google are just a few great ideas that were first to the […]

Do you need brand aid?

Do you need brand aid? Distinct… or extinct.  Tom Peters. Very succinct and elegant.  If you are not different you are a commodity and you will not survive. I am sure you have heard the phrase ‘What gets measured gets done.’ I think it’s true because it focuses attention on the thing ng that is important.   Business […]

What is the easiest way to sell potatoes?

What is the easiest way to sell potatoes? Often the difference between a good product or service and an average product or service is image and design, but the third essential is great creative.  “Great creative” is an advertising term used to describe how well the product’s  message is communicated to the target audience. Great creative is […]

Be distinct… or become extinct!

Be distinct or become extinct… By Ken Gasque April 3, 2022 Tom Peters said “distinct…or extinct” in his book The Brand You. He was talking about personal branding, but the same tactics apply to businesses. If your product/service is no different from your competition, why should the consumer consider it unless you are willing to compete on price?  […]