Posts by Jay Gronlund

Millennials Are Finally Taking Action In Brand Support

Posted by on Jul 26, 2017 in Blog | 0 comments

Millennials Are Finally Taking Action In Brand Support

  Marketers and political leaders have been frustrated for years with the reluctance of Millennials to actually follow up on their desires/complaints and take real action on brand issues.  As the first digital generation, their values and perceptions are quite different from previous generations. While they voice strong opinions on social and political issues, their actual initiatives to date at the voting booths and consumer brand choices have been both mystifying and disappointing. Younger consumers are very skeptical of their future, for good reasons.  This segment of 80 million...

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How Trump’s Unpopular Decisions Can Strengthen Brand Engagement

Posted by on Jun 16, 2017 in Blog | 0 comments

How Trump’s Unpopular Decisions Can Strengthen Brand Engagement

We are living in a new world today, where contentious decisions by Trump are creating unexpected ripple effects throughout society, government and the business community.  Controversy becomes the norm, and reactions by all sides are more intense than ever, even stimulating passions among heretofore quiet consumers.  These hyper partisan consumers are now demanding to know where their favorite brands stand or how they are reacting to these major decisions.  But now many big brands see these emotional reactions as an opportunity to more positively engage with their customers and strengthen...

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How Customer Values Are Transforming Brands Today

Posted by on May 18, 2017 in Blog | 0 comments

How Customer Values Are Transforming Brands Today

  Brands are under attack today from many sources, most often triggered by activists on social media.  They are demanding brands take a stand on controversial socioeconomic and political issues that are getting more attention with our divisive politics today.   Most brands can no longer ignore these trends and remain apolitical.   There are always risks of offending some customers and employees so the challenge is to determine what issues to address, and how.  The answer should depend on the core values that define the brand equity and image, and related to this the most important values of...

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How Customer Values Are Transforming Brands Today

Posted by on May 18, 2017 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

How Customer Values Are Transforming Brands Today

Brands are under attack today from many sources, most often triggered by activists on social media.  They are demanding brands take a stand on controversial socioeconomic and political issues that are getting more attention with our divisive politics today.   Most brands can no longer ignore these trends and remain apolitical.   There are always risks of offending some customers and employees so the challenge is to determine what issues to address, and how.  The answer should depend on the core values that define the brand equity and image, and related to this the most important values of...

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The Rise of “Morality-via-Branding” to Add Empathy and Connect Emotionally

Posted by on Apr 17, 2017 in Blog | 0 comments

The Rise of “Morality-via-Branding” to Add Empathy and Connect Emotionally

If you are like me, you are probably sick of all the acrimony, blatant lies, nasty accusations, partisan rancor and exaggerated rhetoric in politics today.  Have we all lost our moral compass?   Can we trust and believe anyone anymore?  Can’t individual politicians simply do what’s right, and not just what their party demands?  Well, in response to this increase in anger and negativity, there is a refreshing “morality-via-branding” trend emerging, where brand advertising is becoming more empathetic, providing a new port in this storm. In his new book, “#Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age...

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