Monthly Archives: March 2013

As predicted, they died

Posted on March 29, 2013 by

Several times I posted that QR codes were doomed. (Just search on QR to find my earlier posts). In a recent article by B.L. Ochman in Advertising Age, she declares QR Codes dead. The lessons she cites were my reasons … Continue reading →

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Focus matters: another example

Posted on March 27, 2013 by

I have posted a few times on the power of focus (just search the site on the word “focus”) because companies that focus usually outperform those that don’t. Today’s example is Carl’s Jr. (or Hardee’s for those of you in … Continue reading →

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Direct vs indirect competition

Posted on March 25, 2013 by

Most companies attempt to understand and counter direct competition. The best do likewise with indirect competition. (Alternatives that customers can choose instead of buying from your firm; even though the product or service acquired may not be identical, it uses … Continue reading →

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Brand re-positioning: difficult if not impossible

Posted on March 18, 2013 by

Repositioning a brand can be all but impossible, especially for a decades old, entrenched brand that has become a verb as has Xerox. However, the company has needed to expand beyond its position in copiers for many years to achieve … Continue reading →

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Great ads make a their point

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

Great advertising makes a specific point in a memorable way. This is an example of one Mitch  

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Men are not buffoons, or maybe they are?

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

In 2010 I named Dove for Men the oxymoron ad of the Super Bowl. I just don’t get the idea that you can take a brand (Dove) that has spent a fortune positioning itself as a women’s beauty product and … Continue reading →

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What gets measured gets managed

Posted on March 7, 2013 by

That maxim has been around for a long time and is an accepted tenet by most experienced managers. We need to be reminded that measuring the wrong things can result in managing the wrong outcomes. Measuring patient satisfaction in healthcare … Continue reading →

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If you can’t fix it; feature it

Posted on March 4, 2013 by

Over 2o years ago, Roy Fields, Group VP for Teledyne said that to me. At the time I did not appreciate the wisdom, but over the years I have come to love this recommendation. The merchants of downtown San Jose, … Continue reading →

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