March 19, 2024

Branding and the “It” factor

Is there an “it” factor to building a brand and becoming known, or can anybody do it? That’s a question that has haunted Mark Schaefer for some time. So much so that he has decided to write a new book on the subject. Recently I had the opportunity to pick Mark’s brain to find out […]

The new standard of authenticity

Authenticity is not what you think it is. A dictionary will tell you it means to be the genuine article, uncorrupted from the original. But for brands, it means more than that today. The standard for being an authentic brand is evolving. Defining authenticity is like defining a brand. It doesn’t matter what you say […]

The tension between results and relationships

You can tell more about a company’s values by looking at what it motivates employees to do than by what it says. We value what’s right for our customers in everything we do. Everything we do is built on trust. It doesn’t happen with one transaction, in one day on the job or in one […]

The secret to a hundredfold return

“What do you suppose makes an 89-year-old man want to keep working like this?” I wondered this recently as my wife and I sat in the historic State Theater in Minneapolis waiting for Tony Bennett to take the stage. It’s pretty remarkable if you think about it. He has been recording and performing music for […]