A lot of people are talking about a sign posted at Nordstroms that explains why they won’t be decorating the stores for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Nordstroms is taking a stance and getting a lot of positive reaction for it. It seems people really identify with the move and want to support Nordstroms because of it. Can more businesses stand upon principles and have it pay off?

I ran across this post today and really like it. Sometimes in the day-to-day stress of the job we need a little reminder.
Treat clients like friends:

Understand they have bad days, good days, days they need you and days they need to be left alone
Give them a second chance if they make a mistake
Give them a hand when you can
They have different levels of knowledge (sometimes you have to walk them through things)
Show them something new, Read More

We’ve worked with College World Series of Omaha, Inc for many years. In fact, our involvement goes way back to the beginning when one of our founders and a group of Omaha businessmen convinced the NCAA to bring the tournament to Omaha. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a labor of love for everyone involved. And every year is special. However, this year is extra special, new and exciting. New place, new traffic patterns, Read More

It’s certainly no surprise that people don’t like change. So any change from what we’ve come to know, or are comfortable with, can, and often does, create resistance and fear — fear of the unknown or an expectation that we’ll lose something. Read More

It’s hard for most of us to truly visualize or imagine something different from what we know until it’s very real. So any change from what we’ve come to know or are comfortable with can, and often does, create resistance and fear — fear of the unknown or an expectation that we will lose something. Which was certainly the case with the new TD Ameritrade Park stadium. Read More

We spent the first workday of the new year in our new office space. The place is a mess of boxes and stuff that still sits where the movers put it down, but the place feels great. And as we get it all put together it will be amazing.
The move was quick, but it was a long time in the making. We first starting pondering a move to a less corporate space when we bought the company back from Interpublic Group in 2001. Read More

The other day I was driving home flipping through the radio channels and I heard John Tesh drop one of his pearls of wisdom. He said that several thousand “environmentally friendly” products had been evaluated for their level of environmental friendliness and ninety-percent had been caught in a big fat lie. I hit the brakes as the full meaning of that statement hit me. He was saying that the vast majority of products marketed as eco-friendly were not offering any benefits to the environment whatsoever. Read More

Technology research firm Gartner recently released their list of the top 10 strategic technologies for 2011. Gartner defines ‘strategic technologies’ as those that have just matured or are still emerging.
I was struck by the fact that at least six of the technologies have already, or will, impact brand strategy and communications planning. Many of these are already being employed at some level.
Listed below are the six technologies with a brief explanation taken from the Gartner press release. Read More

When I saw your Fall TV spot I thought it was brilliant! Your model is the quintessential 50-something woman. The one so many of us dream of being. She’s cool and hip – gorgeous with a look of intelligence. I can relate to her!

I shop at Chico’s on occasion but I have steadfastly avoided anything that resembled an “outfit”. I’ve never wanted to be tainted with the slightly dowdy, more mature woman look that I’ve always associated with the brand. Read More

In order to have a mutually beneficial vendor-client relationship both parties must be on the same page. We must make sure we listen to each other and ask the right questions to ensure we truly understand one another.
In an industry that is riddled with lingo and acronyms it is very easy for people to be saying the same word but have different meanings. While someone may throw out the term “brand”, it could mean one thing to a small retailer and something entirely different to a large service oriented company. Read More