Tag Archive

Zappos: Rhetoric and Reality

Published on February 22, 2013 By Matt

Lest I be misunderstood, let me state for the record that I love Zappos. I admire, perhaps even envy them. And I like shoes as much as the next guy. When companies attain preeminence, it is usually due to a convergence of factors. Surely Zappos is no exception. Being early to the game helped; with […]

Mind Your Back End

Published on December 18, 2012 By Matt

“Brand” has lots of definitions. Conveniently and not surprisingly, there is a strong correlation between how a marketer defines “brand” and the kind of branding that that particular marketer happens to execute. I shall leave it to you decide if marketers hold to an approach because they believe in it, ferociously defend an approach because […]

How to create the next “Will It Blend?” viral video

Published on November 30, 2012 By Matt

Making promotional videos that go viral is a cinch. You need do only three things: 1. Create a visual presentation so compelling that people WANT to watch it. It can be funny, dramatic, enigmatic or what-have-you. If you’re lucky enough to have a product with a visibly demonstrative advantage, make that your compelling visual. That […]

The Value of Showmanship

Published on November 27, 2012 By Matt

We’re taught never to judge by appearances. We all do it anyway. Our all-too-human tendency to judge a book by its cover surely is unfortunate from a social justice standpoint, but from a marketing standpoint it offers an opportunity not to be missed. Namely, the opportunity to dress up your product or service to look […]

Implementing Your Real Brand

Published on January 6, 2012 By Matt

Branding is about values–the core values that describe your bank and why it matters. Pseudo-branding is a change in appearance without a change in substance. We don’t want that. What we do want is to implement those core values at every level of the organization. And how well the bank adheres to these core principles […]