2022-01-01 22:15
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
As per tradition, here’s my ever-evolving list of annual resolutions for principled, ambitious brand leaders.
My hope is that it will help guide your… Read More
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That Branding Thing is the blog of brand strategy expert Matthew Fenton. It focuses on matters of positioning, strategy and execution, with a focus on helping underdog brands to win.
2021-12-29 02:40
(Reading Time: 7 minutes)
Welcome to my annual list of the books I read and loved in these last 52 weeks.
This is (mostly) a branding blog, but there’s not a single book on thi… Read More
2021-05-19 20:06
(Reading Time: 5 minutes)
“If the big boys are doing it, it must be working.”~ a former boss, who could not have been more wrong on this point
It hasn’t been the be… Read More
2020-12-27 00:15
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
Who says resolutions are just for personal goals? As per tradition, here’s my ever-evolving list of resolutions for brand leaders, meant to help gu… Read More
2020-12-22 02:27
(Reading Time: 6 minutes)
2020 was the year I learned to quit a book.
See, I have a problem. Maybe you have it too. Once I start a book, I feel guilty about putting it do… Read More
2020-11-28 00:00
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
“We hired your brain, not your ass.”
I received these words of wisdom from one of my first bosses, half a lifetime ago.
It’s one of my… Read More
2020-11-21 02:10
(Reading Time: 3 minutes)
“The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win” will be on my list of the best books I read in 2020. It’s a… Read More
2020-10-13 13:56
(Reading Time: 7 minutes)
In my last post, I proposed five principles of brand differentiation:
The goal is not “difference.” The goal is value and meaning.Differen… Read More
2020-08-26 13:59
(Reading Time: 3 minutes)
Harvard’s Michael Porter famously said that there are exactly two ways to compete: Cost leadership and differentiation.
Are you Walmart or Amazon?&nbs&hell…Read More
2020-07-29 14:00
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
A few years back, I received an inquiry from a large company – one that’s advertised in the Super Bowl.
They wanted me to…
Facilit… Read More
2020-07-09 14:06
(Reading Time: 3 minutes)
Last week, I shared five reasons why I’m at odds with the “Change or die!” fear-mongers. Today I offer an alternate (and calmer) approa… Read More
2020-07-01 16:59
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
“CHANGE OR DIE!!!”
I first heard this shrieking admonishment early in my career, nearly 30 years ago. I’ve heard it dozens of times since… Read More
2020-06-16 11:00
(Reading Time: 3 minutes)
My positioning & strategy consultancy, Three Deuce Branding, turns 23 today.
I started it from the second bedroom of my Cincinnati condo in 1997. I run… Read More
2020-05-10 17:58
(Reading Time: minute)
Walmart is the largest bricks-and-mortar retailer in the history of the world. This has been the case since 1989.
But think about how many other r… Read More
2020-04-28 20:29
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
I submit to you that there are three levels of brand values.
Level 1 – “No Values”
Here, you’re saying, “Values are irr… Read More
2020-04-23 22:13
(Reading Time: 6 minutes)
There’s a question that’s asked far too rarely as we develop brand and business strategies. It’s simple but extremely powerful, since i… Read More
2020-03-30 01:24
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
Last week, I joined a client for a virtual brainstorm. The focus: Our marketing next steps in these trying times.
We established a rule up-front: For… Read More
2020-03-19 19:05
(Reading Time: 7 minutes)
I first started working from home in 1997. I definitely didn’t pioneer the concept, but
I was perhaps an early adopter. And I’ve
had p… Read More
2020-03-03 02:58
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
In your local supermarket, right now,
there are hundreds of products destined for the graveyard. They’re just taking up space, hoping for a
miracl… Read More
2020-02-19 14:41
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
I woke up to
find a billing folio from the Nobis Hotel Stockholm in my inbox.
This was a
problem, since I woke up in Chicago, and I’ve never been to… Read More
2020-02-06 02:07
(Reading Time: minute)
Different companies serve different masters.
Some companies serve their quarterly revenues.
Some serve their stock prices.
Some serve the whims of thei… Read More
2020-01-28 21:12
(Reading Time: 10 minutes)
Friends, the Super Bowl is just a few days away. That means the Super Bowl ads are just a few days away. And that means the advertising media, an… Read More
2020-01-19 18:11
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
In Oregon’s
Willamette Valley, where pinot noir is king, you’ll sometimes hear a phrase:
“Pinot fatigue.”
Pinot fatigue
sets in (at… Read More
2020-01-12 20:00
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
Sparkling water
costs pennies per can to produce.
If you knew
this fact only, and you were in the sparkling water business, you might
reasonably conclude:… Read More
2020-01-06 16:57
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
“Manipulating the masses into buying stuff
they don’t need! That’s what I do! That’s marketing!”
That’s an… Read More
2019-12-30 01:59
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)
Here are ten resolutions I
propose for leaders of brands – a set of reminders to help guide your success
in 2020 and beyond. Read them, live
them, lam… Read More
2019-12-23 20:42
(Reading Time: 9 minutes)
2019 was another good year for reading things. I completed 48 books, 26 of which I recommend to you here.
As either a warning or a selling point, mos… Read More
2019-10-25 23:09
(Reading Time: 11 minutes)
I just might have a new favorite European city.
Kara & I
just spent eight days in Copenhagen. And
we can’t wait to go back. Here&rsq&helli…Read More
2019-08-14 14:22
Let’s begin with a simple truth:
Every business has problems.
Those problems may be internal or external (often both). They may be created by others or self-inflicted.&nbs&helli…Read More
2019-03-13 19:13
It was early 1993. I was less than a year out of college, and the Assistant Brand Manager of Airheads candy. (A title that no doubt made my parents very proud.)
After the succ… Read More
2019-03-11 21:37
“Atomic Habits,” by James Clear, will be among the most valuable books I read in 2019.
I was drawn to it because, as a soloist, my time is my inventory. I’m al… Read More
2019-02-04 03:52
By now, we’re at the point where we know what to expect from the Super Bowl ads.
Before the game, you could have jotted down a list of what you thought you would see, based on history… Read More
2019-01-02 18:21
Here are the 20 best books I read in 2018. These books weren’t necessarily released in 2018. And they’re not just business books, because there’s more to life t… Read More
2018-12-29 22:27
Here are ten resolutions for leaders of challenger brands, to help guide your success in the new year and beyond.
As I lead my brand, I’ll keep two things front and center: The humans… Read More
2018-10-29 18:47
Why is consumer trust of marketers at an all-time low?
Because, in part, of crap like this.
The photo is of a piece of direct mail I recently received. There can’t possibly be a… Read More
2018-10-03 16:46
The story of Theranos, the one-time unicorn with the $9 billion valuation, has already entered the ranks of legendary cautionary tales. In “Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silic… Read More
2018-05-25 19:25
Well, it happened again.
Earlier this week, in a seemingly unrelated conversation, a stranger found a chance to take a swipe at Millennials, and went for it! According to this person… Read More
2018-05-03 01:37
The last few weeks have been bad for Southwest Airlines.
So bad, in fact, that it’s fair to ask: Is Southwest still a great brand? Let’s discuss the cases for and against… Read More
2018-03-16 21:22
J.K. Rowling is a hack.
I don’t believe that, but some people do. Devotees of Hemingway think she uses too many adverbs, probably. And some call her stories “derivati… Read More
2018-02-15 16:40
Regular readers of this blog know that I’m an advocate of feedback loops.
There are dozens of ways that you can (and should) use feedback loops to better understand your consumers.&nbs&hell…Read More
2018-02-05 04:17
Quick show of hands: Do you have a marketing budget of five million dollars?
And if you did, how would you feel about spending it in 30 seconds? Because that’s exactly what last… Read More
2018-01-23 13:27
For many leaders of smaller businesses, sustainable growth can be difficult to conjure up. If that sounds like you, I’d like to introduce you to a company that should give you ho… Read More
2018-01-16 08:12
There’s a terrific scene in the movie “Big,” in which Paul, the rival of Tom Hanks’ Josh, shares his silver-bullet idea for the upcoming year.
In the spirit of toys t… Read More
2018-01-11 17:13
“We’re in a crowded market. We have no meaningful advantage, and if we did, someone would copy it by next Tuesday. So how do we create brand differentiation?”
T… Read More
2017-12-29 22:07
2017 was a good year for reading things. I completed 49 books, a personal best, and I may be able to squeak one more in before year-end.
For this, I must thank the Kindle, and the in-l… Read More
2017-12-27 16:33
With a new year just around the corner, I offer ten new year’s resolutions for leaders of challenger brands, to help guide your success in 2018 and beyond.
I will bring my brand vision… Read More
2017-12-07 13:49
At some point in the history of marketing and sales, the “purchase funnel” was created.
At the top of every funnel is the first step – awareness. We then proceed… Read More
2017-11-27 17:48
Be selective.
This is not a suggestion or an empty mantra. It’s one of the very few brand-building imperatives I’ll propose to you.
As a leader of a challenger brand, you&r&hell…Read More
2017-11-17 15:07
If growing your brand is among your priorities, at some point you’ll face a choice:
Would you rather grow rapidly, even if it means sacrificing the quality of your experience?
Or would… Read More
2017-11-09 22:23
Your brand is not your logo.
Your brand is not your website.
Your brand is not your color scheme.
These are elements of your brand. But they’re not your brand.
If you’re st… Read More
2017-06-16 17:50
On June 16, 1997, I declared myself “open for business” as a brand strategy consultant. I did this from the desk in my spare bedroom. I don’t recall thinking, … Read More
2017-03-15 12:00
In this case, advertising imitates art.
AdWeek reports that Heinz has approved ads that were originally presented on the TV series “Mad Men.”
In season 6 of that show, set in 196… Read More
2017-02-22 17:30
At conferences and speaking events, one of the questions I’ve received most often – for 20 years now – is this:
Does branding matter in B2B?
The answer is an emphatic &ldqu&hell…Read More
2017-02-16 21:43
It’s easy to sit on the sidelines, lobbing grenades at those who have done the work and put something out there.
I’m guilty of this myself at times. I do my best to frame t… Read More
2017-02-06 13:27
BizJournals.com has published my take on last night’s crop of Super Bowl ads, with a focus on what challenger brands can learn.
You can read it at LinkedIn by clicking here.
Or at… Read More
2017-02-02 18:38
Hello readers –
I’ve just published “The Armchair Marketer’s Guide to the Super Bowl Ads” on LinkedIn.
The premise: The Super Bowl offers advertising lessons &n&hell…Read More
2017-01-26 23:23
In my professional career, I have seen, with my own eyes:
A binder of over 200 pages meant to explain “our brand idea.” (“Just absorb these 30,000 words, and you&rsqu&hell…Read More
2017-01-12 00:49
Exhibit A:
Before a recent vacation, I emailed a pet-sitting service to inquire about their pricing and availability.
It took them 11 days to respond, during which time I located a less expe… Read More
2017-01-02 22:45
Happy 2017! As is tradition, I offer a list of ten resolutions that, taken together, will make you a more successful brand leader this year and beyond.
I will bring my brand vision to… Read More
2016-11-04 23:20
Hello friends –
Today, BizJournals.com published my post on the best World Series ads celebrating the Cubs’ historic victory.
To view it at BizJournals, please click here.
Or, if… Read More
2016-07-13 22:25
Here’s a statistic that I wouldn’t believe had I not measured it myself: 100% of my friends are excellent drivers.
I’m serious. You can ask them. Better yet, ask your frien… Read More
2016-06-17 02:01
On June 16, 1997, I formally took the leap as a soloist, and established the company that now bears the name Three Deuce Branding.
I celebrated the way I celebrate most days, by starting the… Read More
2016-02-08 13:34
About five million dollars. That’s the cost to have placed a 30-second ad in the Super Bowl 50 broadcast.
For most of us who lead challenger brands, that kind of outlay simply isn&rsqu&hell…Read More
2016-01-28 22:27
I’m now in my 26th year in branding, marketing and strategy.
I’ve yet to come across a single “silver bullet” – a tactic that works perfectly in all situations… Read More
2016-01-18 14:33
Back in 1997, I accepted a position as a Group Brand Manager for a Fortune 200 company that shall remain nameless.
My start date coincided with the annual marketing planning process. Here&rs&hell…Read More
2016-01-12 19:53
We’ve all seen them: The pipe dreams that are presented as “strategic plans.” Plans that seem to have no tether to reality. Plans that nobody believes in (but that somehow… Read More
2016-01-07 16:40
While visiting Northeastern Ohio over the holidays, I came across cans of Bud Light that were customized in Cleveland Browns colors. The cans featured the following slogan:
“The Perfec… Read More
2016-01-02 18:17
Happy 2016! With the arrival of a new year, I offer ten resolutions that, taken together, will make you a more successful brand leader in 2016 and beyond.
I will envision my brand as an exp… Read More
2015-11-16 18:46
It’s been called the greatest upset in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history.
Ronda Rousey entered Saturday night’s fight as the bantamweight champion. She was undefeated… Read More
2015-11-12 17:36
There’s a curious tendency these days to bemoan the “disloyalty” of consumers.
Some like to point to studies like Deloitte’s annual “American Pantry” stud… Read More
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