For many years, I have looked forward to studying Fortune’s Most Admired Companies. It was credible, it was influential and it translated positively into building corporate reputation. But that was in simpler times when it was possible to dominate the media with a single study and it suddenly struck me this year how much everything has changed in this regard. And the more I dug, the...
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The Oscars is the ultimate, star-studded, classy extravaganza in our annual calendars and yet the morning after the 83rd event, I have to admit that I am left feeling a little sad and disappointed. Now my comments that follow are not directed at any one of the mediocre thank-you speeches or at the disproportionate focus in last night’s show on the Academy of the past. No, my concerns are centered...
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Almost all agencies worth their salt include it as one of their core competencies. Almost every client of any sophistication acknowledges its importance. And yet, it seems to me, as an avid brand follower, that the topic of brand positioning and the accompanying benefit to the end user of meaningful difference, is totally absent from the everyday debate and chatter about brands. Big question: If...
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This week I was one of nearly 1000 attendees at the Annual Market Research Event that took place in San Diego, California. There are all sorts of reasons why people attend this conference – for me, it was the opportunity to hear the chatter from within the research business and to get a sense of what’s important to this tribe of bright people and specifically what they are thinking and feeling about...
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