From all my years in research and consulting, I think I’ve learned a thing or two about marketing worth sharing. Enduring fundamentals, mostly—yet often overlooked. So, this year, I want to share some snippets for your consideration. I hope they’re helpful. This week’s thought: Inclusivity is business 101.
Prior to COVID-19 and the price hikes of manufacturers, Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods were darlings of the food world. Beyond Meat products were mainly sold at retail. Impossible Foods products were at restaurants. Fast food outlets put plant-based offerings on their menus. Finally, there were actually tasty alternatives to animal proteins, mimicking the mouth feel and texture of ground beef, sausages and chicken.
It’s time for a new brand-building system to meet the shifting needs of today’s consumers. One that acknowledges that:
I believe a good life is like a good sentence – we craft it in the active voice, not the passive. Act on the world, rather than have it act on you. As we consider 2025, here are 3 questions for doing that in a company context:
Everyone knows what a brand is, and few consumers do not have a few favorite brands for which they will pay a premium price or exert extraordinary effort to obtain. Consumers routinely talk about “loving” a brand or feeling incomplete without a specific brand. Such comments reflect more than just familiarity or loyalty; they suggest a deep emotional attachment. Despite such common experiences, the process of creating a strong brand remains mysterious and the value...
