Branding

Consumer anxiety has been building over the last two years, and it changes the face of optimal marketing and communications strategy. Rampant uncertainty is being nourished by upheaval over what the future looks like, impacting the chemistry of what people want (greater control) while the rules of culture-informed behavior and expectations around them relentlessly shift. Here we provide direction on the two pillars of sound strategy, arriving now at the pinnacle of the consumer’s hunt...

One morning, I noticed something curious in my city. Within just a few hours, I saw three different versions of the same brand: the REMAX logo from 2005 on a moving truck, their 2017 logo on a for-sale sign, and the latest 2025 version on a bus shelter ad. Three identities, one brand—coexisting in plain sight. I call this “brand residue”: the traces left behind each time a brand changes its skin. While designers are...

Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s report on business schools’ ratings has just appeared. As expected, the big, elite business schools are holding the top ranks. Review the list of the top ten business school brands and aside from prestige and location, what is it that relevantly differentiates these business schools? Not every business school, even the top-ranking schools, has relevantly differentiated their brand purpose, brand promise, and brand values. Brands of business schools need proper brand management as...

The real risk when adding sustainability into a brand narrative isn’t saying too much or too little. It’s failing to connect—emotionally. Failing to enable people to feel why the work matters and how to participate in it. Sustainability today is under more than pressure; it’s under inspection. Despite media headlines, more and more people want progress to continue. And at the same time, believe claims less. Silence reads as avoidance. Overstatement reads as performative. And...

Despite all the talk about AI and the transformation of business, it remains that many brand businesses still wind up in financial distress, in the equity emergency room, repeating the same tendencies that lead to trouble. New is old when it comes to brand mismanagement. Viz Nissan. You may recall that in 1999, Nissan was in such dire straits that France stepped in and created a lifeline via Renault and Carlos Ghosn. The Nissan Renaissance,...

My odd last name, “Wunker,” comes from the medieval German word for “flag-waver.” We were the idiots in the army carrying just a flag. Miraculously, someone survived to become my ancestor. And that is why this story, from my new book AI and the Octopus Organization, is especially meaningful to me: Until the mid-nineteenth century, Europe’s armies consisted of heavily drilled regiments that stood shoulder to shoulder and fought in tightly coordinated formations. Each regiment...

Hain Celestial Group, the natural foods and organic personal care enterprise, just reported less than stellar results. This is not the first financial quarter that disappointed management, investors and Wall Street. There have been performance issues since 2016. This is a shame. Hain Celestial Group parents some well-known brands including iconic Celestial Seasonings with its true 1960s cred. Red Zinger tea is on the same nostalgic pedestal as a Day-Glo painted VW bus, bellbottom jeans,...

The global promotional products market keeps growing. It was $84.1 billion in 2021, is expected to reach $97.4…

From all my years in research and consulting, I think I’ve learned a thing or two about marketing worth sharing. Enduring fundamentals, mostly yet often overlooked. So, this year, I’m sharing some for your consideration. I hope they’re helpful. This week’s thought: Price is the most important P. When E. Jermone McCarthy first articulated the “Four Ps” in his 1960 textbook as the best way to organize a managerial approach to marketing, he put primary...