The Surging Brand Power of Gen Z – What Next?
The recent UN climate summit in Glasgow has been a top news story for many good reasons, most importantly the severe threats to our planet and hence the urgency for global coordinated action. But there was another dynamic taking place in Glasgow that brand leaders around the world should recognize as a significant challenge going forward. Over 100,000 activists passionately voiced their criticism at this summit, predominantly young people or Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012), led by the 18 year old Greta Thunberg from Sweden. The main objection of these Gen Z protestors was that...
Read MoreHow Brand Reputational Costs Can Offset Lack Of Accountability
Our world is in sad shape – corruption, misinformation, growing inequality, tax evasion, unending partisanship, stagnation in Washington, anti-democracy rulings, and a pandemic that continues to divide society on vaccinations and curtail economic recovery. Frustration is deep as there is seldom any accountability or little progress for resolving all these problems. Recently a glimmer of hope has appeared. Three encouraging events have occurred this fall that demonstrate how new data mainly from whistle-blowers will convincingly expose the corrupt and unethical behavior of leading...
Read MoreWhat’s Wrong With The Anti-Vaccine “Freedom Of Choice” Branding
The U.S. is going through a tough period. A surge in deaths from the Delta variant of Covid-19 and the politicization of solutions, an economy waiting to recover fully, and a growing exasperation and desire to return to normalcy. Behind all of this is the continued reluctance by so many Americans to get vaccinated, falling short of the necessary “herd immunity” levels (i.e. over 70%, only 61% of adults are vaccinated now) needed to conquer Covid-19. A key reason for this shortfall is the effective branding and marketing by anti-vaccine groups, especially in the South. They have smartly...
Read MoreThreats To Our Democracy? A Branding Perspective
It seems ironic that in our polarized society today, there is a clear consensus agreeing on the importance of maintaining our democratic system, yet the approaches are very different. Our government leaders promise to uphold the constitution, but new issues have emerged that have created concerns on all sides on whether the tactics offered represent a threat or a boost to democracy. Democracy is about freedom of choice for all citizens, defined and protected by the constitution. Lincoln famously said “Democracy is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people”. Democracy...
Read MoreHow Victoria’s Secret Re-Defined “Sexy” to Re-Brand
The recent re-branding of Victoria’s Secret demonstrates a classic marketing challenge for adapting to changing tastes and desires of primary target customers. Recognizing how your audience has evolved is half the battle. A bigger question is how to update a brand to retain your core customers, yet also appeal to the emerging values of other potential customers. Understanding the origin of the Victoria’s Secret brand concept can help. In 1977 Roy Raymond started Victoria’s Secret with his first store near San Francisco. Roy grew up in Fairfield, CT, went to Tufts then...
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