Posts by Jay Gronlund

The EU Brand, Brexit And Millennials – A Lost Opportunity For All

Posted by on Nov 10, 2016 in Blog | 0 comments

The EU Brand, Brexit And Millennials – A Lost Opportunity For All

In many ways, the EU (European Union) was the ideal brand because its core promise to all Europeans involved sharing and connecting across all borders.  But the tumultuous impact of Brexit on the future viability of the EU brand is a good example of what happens when an outside event undermines its basic brand positioning.  And Millennials in the UK played a big role for causing this possible disaster. It was the sense of community and connectivity that defined this Generation Y, known as the first digital generation.   The EU brand meant more to Millennials than older people.  They were...

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Why Branding Is Even More Important For Start-ups – 10 Tips

Posted by on Oct 18, 2016 in Blog | 0 comments

Why Branding Is Even More Important For Start-ups – 10 Tips

  True branding can be a bewildering challenge for many managers, especially entrepreneurs.  Either they don’t completely understand the strategic benefits of authentic branding, and/or they assume that branding simply consists of a new name, logo and proprietary graphics.  And most certainly they don’t know how to apply relevant branding principles to improve their marketing and communications, especially when faced with new competition, changing customer preferences or other market based trends. Entrepreneurs are understandably obsessed with their new product ideas.  I conducted a workshop...

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How Putin’s Brand Inspires Trump

Posted by on Sep 19, 2016 in Blog | 2 comments

Donald Trump recently praised President Putin of Russia with full admiration as “a leader far more than our leader” and that he “has very strong control” over Russia.  As a forceful, deal-making businessman, Trump can relate to Putin’s leadership style.  Both are authoritative kindred spirits.   But will Putin’s authoritative brand image have any impact on Trump’s political behavior?  And if so, what could we expect from a Trump presidency?  In any case, this comparison also provides a case study of how similar leadership brands may not generate the same results because of a different...

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Inequality of Pay Undermining Trust In CEOs and Corporate Brands

Posted by on Aug 17, 2016 in Blog | 1 comment

Inequality of Pay Undermining Trust In CEOs and Corporate Brands

Inequality of pay in business has become a crisis, fueled mainly by the excessive compensation of CEOs.  In 1965, the average ratio comparing CEO pay to the median worker’s was 20:1.  Today CEOs earn more than 300 times, or 300:1.   This alarming disparity has stimulated a widespread negative reaction, as the passionate response by Millennials for Bernie Sanders has demonstrated.   Even more disconcerting is evidence from studies showing that the highest-paid CEOs are often the worst performers.   In short, the growing problem of inequality and extreme pay checks for CEOs has undermined the...

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The EU Brand, Brexit And Millennials – A Lost Opportunity For All

Posted by on Jul 18, 2016 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

The EU Brand, Brexit And Millennials – A Lost Opportunity For All

In many ways, the EU (European Union) was the ideal brand because its core promise to all Europeans involved sharing and connecting across all borders.  But the tumultuous impact of Brexit on the future viability of the EU brand is a good example of what happens when an outside event undermines its basic brand positioning.  And Millennials in the UK played a big role for causing this possible disaster.   It was the sense of community and connectivity that defined this Generation Y, known as the first digital generation.   The EU brand meant more to Millennials than older people.  They...

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