Green image with a pie chart and bar graph

How to: Analyze your brand and position yourself for long-term marketing success

An army is bushwhacking its way through a dense tropical forest when one of the soldiers decides to climb to the top of a nearby tree to get a better lay of the land. From his perch high above the forest floor, he quickly realizes that they’re heading in the wrong direction. When he calls out to alert his fellow soldiers they angrily shout back, “shut up, we’re making progress!”  At some point (whether we’ve… Read More
By Craig Lindeman  |   On April 30, 2021  |   0 Comments
Analysis, brand analysis, branding, communication, communication audit, marketing research, research, SWOT
Disneyland sign

Disneyland through the eyes of a marketer

It’s a place of awe and wonder. A place where make believe brings fantasies to life. A place where everything is just as it should be.  It’s the “happiest place on earth” and I had avoided it my entire life … until last week.  When a family vacation just happened to kick off in LA,… Read More
By Craig Lindeman  |   On July 24, 2019  |   9 Comments
branding, customer service, Disneyland, marketing, Mickey Mouse

Branding lessons from a McDonald’s bathroom

The golden arches. For nearly 60 years they’ve dotted our landscape, calling out to the world’s most hungry, budget-conscious carnivores. But go on a road trip and the site of those exact same arches looming on the horizon can represent the fulfillment of another—much more urgent—primal need (one where a #1 and a #2 don’t… Read More
By Craig Lindeman  |   On May 14, 2019  |   0 Comments
branding
Man with stick on "my name is" name tag

How to … name a business, product or service

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – Juliet Capulet, “Romeo and Juliet” (II, ii, 1-2) Juliet, Juliet, Juliet … poor, naive Juliet. As much as she may have truly believed that names didn’t really matter, in the end, it was a name (two… Read More
By Craig Lindeman  |   On April 25, 2019  |   0 Comments
brand development, branding, business name, marketing, naming, product name, service name
Man searching for marketing support on a laptop computer

Advertising agency, boutique marketing firm or freelancer, which one is right for you?

Whether you’re looking for a new logo, a mass-media campaign or a strategic plan, there is no shortage of options when it comes to finding someone to help you with your marketing. The problem is knowing exactly which one is right for you. Over the course of our careers, we’ve had the opportunity to gain… Read More
By Craig Lindeman  |   On October 17, 2018  |   0 Comments
advertising, Big advertising agency, copywriting, Design boutique, Freelancer, graphic design, marketing, public relations, small advertising agency, strategy, Versus, vs
Empty college classroom

Seven of the most common challenges facing higher-education marketing

When you work within a given industry for over 15 years you see, experience and ultimately learn a lot. For me, my decade and a half (plus change) in higher-education marketing exposed me to not only the challenges and individual pitfalls facing my own institution but those of my competitors and fellow college and university… Read More
By Craig Lindeman  |   On August 21, 2018  |   0 Comments
admissions, advancement, branding, College, higher education, marketing, recruitment, University
Young employees in a casual work environment

How your company’s culture affects your brand and seven things you can do to improve it

What you’re about to read will probably fly in the face of virtually every modern marketing axiom you’ve come to know and love, but we think it needs to be said. You may be spending too much time thinking about your customers. Sacrilege, right? Well, before you go burning us in effigy, hear us out…. Read More
By Craig Lindeman  |   On May 15, 2018  |   0 Comments
branding, chevron, company culture, Google, hiring, internal communication, management, marketing, southwest airlines

Five reasons we’ve been able to work together and stay married … so far.

When we were just starting out, we knew there were two things that set us apart from other marketing and communication firms: 1) we offered more experience and a wider range of services than most people expected from just two individuals and 2) we’re married. Deep down, we always knew that the first point was… Read More
By Craig Lindeman  |   On March 29, 2018  |   0 Comments
branding, communications, couple, marketing, married, small business, tips, working relationships