This week I was one of nearly 1000 attendees at the Annual Market Research Event that took place in San Diego, California. There are all sorts of reasons why people attend this conference – for me, it was the opportunity to hear the chatter from within the research business and to get a sense of what’s important to this tribe of bright people and specifically what they are thinking and feeling about the future.
So let me start with a few personal observations: (more…)
What a funny old week. But to some of us in the branding and design business, the smiling has already faded. And a big question begins to emerge, namely…just who does ultimately manage the brand? Is it the owners or is it the users? (more…)
Sterling is pleased to announce that we’ve added two more brilliant minds to our Strategy Group!
Alison Munsell, SVP- Strategy SF
Alison is a committed brand-geek with a passion for disciplined problem solving of really meaty brand issues (more…)
I have to believe that the current Toyota brand trauma has resulted in many nervous boardroom discussions in other corporations around the world. I mean, how did one of the most sought-after and respected brands trip so badly and tumble so far. And have we even gotten to the real truth, yet?
But as ever, here’s my point of view. From everything I know about brand building generally and Toyota specifically. I’d put the cause down to an almost psychotic pursuit of becoming the biggest…at the expense of virtually everything else. (more…)
In a recent Mintel presentation on Consumer Trends for 2010, there was an emphasis placed on the concept of Balance, and specifically our need to find balance between the low-end necessities we purchase and those few indulgences we still allow ourselves despite the recession- because we’re only human after all.
Right?
In our positioning work, we focus our time on designing winning strategies for our clients – strategies that are projective, aspirational and that focus on growth. Nothing surprising here. After all, positioning is all about the future and directing efforts to finding meaningful “white space”. (more…)
