A branding blog of practical advice, ideas and examples.

Every week the Brand Insight Blog offers deep, insightful articles you can use to launch a new brand or improve your existing business ... read more →

Why most marketing videos miss the mark.

December 2, 2012

These days, you can watch videos on any subject under the sun. Seriously. Just go to YouTube and search for “underwater basket weaving.” I saw a guy playing ping pong the other day with a Go Pro mounted on his head. What’s next? Small HD cameras and simple video editing software have made video production [...]

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How to build brand credibility, one detail at a time.

November 25, 2012

The brands I work with are not like WalMart. They don’t spend a half a billion dollars a year flooding the airwaves with traditional advertising. They don’t have enough money to sway public opinion in their favor. And all of them face stiff competition from bigger businesses. Last week I had to convince a retail [...]

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Want to build a brand? First, own an idea.

November 11, 2012

I think all entrepreneurs should study advertising. Advertising is an industry of ideas. Great ideas — paired with exceptional execution — produce growth for clients, win awards, and vault agencies into the national spotlight. The same can be said for brands. Businesses that start with a big idea, and then stick to it, are the ones [...]

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How to sell more stuff online.

November 1, 2012

Awwwww, the traditions of autumn… Halloween candy, the first snow in the mountains, and holiday shopping. You’ve heard of Black Friday… the mayhem-loving bargain hunter’s favorite day of the year. And “Cyber Monday,” the online equivalent. They’re coming up quickly. The Wall Street Journal predicts there will be ninety six million online shoppers. That’s almost [...]

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Truth, Lies, and Advertising Honesty.

October 18, 2012

I don’t comment on politics. However, the recent political dialog has certainly inspired this week’s speech on brand authenticity, honesty and truth in advertising. In politics, the standards for lying are lower than they are in business. You can sling mud and hurl half-truths at your opponent and get away with it. He’ll simply sling [...]

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The corporate head shot vs. good personal branding.

September 21, 2012

Recently we had a client who didn’t like the photos we had taken for her website. Said they didn’t look “professional enough.” In other words, she didn’t like that we did something different than the usual, corporate head shot. The problem is, in this case, “professional” translates to invisible. Everyone has a boring “professional” portrait [...]

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Successful brands are built on beliefs. Not products.

August 29, 2012

Most people never think about the important underpinings of their brand. They just want to deliver a good product. Build the business. Make some sales. And earn a good living. That’s understandable. But the most successful small businesses — and all the beloved, billion-dollar brands — are built on a solid foundation of shared values [...]

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