Too often, marketers of premium brands seem to believe that advertising their brand or service will be, much like their brand, a premium proposition. They assume that good advertising is simply “too expensive.” And all that production and photography and printing and interactive stuff is just fancy frosting that their cake doesn’t need to...
In this famous quote from Hamlet lies an important truth about marketing premium brands. You must know who you are, and you must not deviate from that identity. As Seth Godin suggests , being unsure of your identity may endanger the future of your brand. In general terms, we see three categories of brands...
What does it take to make a commodity premium? It takes more than differentiation, it takes differentiation that matters to the customer. Marketers deal every day with putting a message out there for consumers to bite down on, but the commodities that can demand a higher price—and even invoke brand loyalty—are the ones that...
For companies in the home improvement categories, the tight economy is especially painful. Home improvement projects have come to an immediate stop. Contractors who months ago had a year’s worth of projects on their plates have found themselves laying off staff and completely without work, all because people are cautious about funding that big...
We all know that awareness is the first and necessary step toward getting customers to buy. But what about brands that already have awareness? They often lose at the point of sale because another brand is cheaper, has something new to offer, or (in the case of grocery products) they have bad placement in...
I’m thrilled that our Premium Brand Panel launches today, April 6. This is something we’ve been talking about, strategizing for, and researching for nearly 18 months. Today is the launch of the first panel session. I can’t wait to post our first findings, which should be any day now.
In the grocery aisle these days, there’s a noticeable change in the placement of store brands. They’re getting the prime real estate. It seems grocers are trying to maximize their margins by pushing their private label brands, when it’s the name brand products that have brought the customer to the store. Consumers may appreciate...
