What makes something get shared or go viral? This seems to be the Holy Grail of brand bliss. Everyone wants their day in the Internet sun. Recently at a Content Marketing Conference at which I did a keynote presentation, another presenter talked about taking her non-profit's blog from a ghost town to shared by thousands. One of her nuggets of wisdom? Make people laugh, cry or fume. Here are 12 … [Read more...]
Fine wine brands: “Chanel vs. H&M”
Some of you may know I’ve been a freelance wine writer online and in print before. I’m not an expert sommelier by any stretch but I love wine so I was fortunate enough to share the novice’s point of view and land some fun gigs tasting, researching and chatting up wine experts. I often tout that good wine is any wine that you like, whether it costs $10 or $150 a bottle. Recently, I got the … [Read more...]
How this small biz vodka + sausage + great story hooked us
I LOVE when I see small businesses doing things right. On a recent wine-tasting trip to Woodinville, Washington, we were leaving one small winery (many of the wineries there occupy warehouse park space so it's fun to hit like 12 in an hour) to head to lunch when a sign caught our eye: Project V Distillery & Sausage Co. What? Huh? Distillery and sausage company? "Oh, we have to check … [Read more...]
Battle of the college re-brands: ASU vs WSU and who did better
It’s not often you get to see two similar brand rollouts side by side and see clearly why one way is better. As you know, sports fans tend to get closely attached to their team’s brand… and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to college sports. Arizona State University (ASU) has been trying to differentiate itself over the past few years… in some ways successfully, and in others… well, … [Read more...]
Five Signs of a Power Brand
Clients often ask us, “How will we know when we’ve got a winning brand?” Rather than telling them, “You’ll know it when you see it” there are some guideposts along the way to tell you your brand is moving in the right direction. At first, it starts small: increased website hits, increased referrals, uptick in positive social media chatter – even anecdotal evidence like more positive comments from … [Read more...]
