If there's trouble, look to the top. Brand Modeling teaches us that the force most responsible for a dominant organization's success is the enthusiastic support of its best customers. So what force is most responsible for an organization's failure? A not-insignificant portion of the time, the...
For most organizations, the news that the company inadvertently sent a cannonball careening out of the safe confines of the firing range and through a private home would be a nightmare. Most organizations aren't Mythbusters. For this wildly popular Discovery Channel show, a ballistic blunder...
Talk about a tidal wave of change! Starbucks recently made headlines with its decision to close the public restrooms in many of their New York locations. Too many people are using the Starbucks' bathrooms, not all of whom are paying customers, and this makes it difficult...
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! It is our hopes that everyone reading these words has enjoyed many blessings this year. We're certainly grateful for those of you who have made this an interesting, thought-provoking, and productive year: you have made a difference in our...
Becoming the dominant player in any industry is tough. Holding onto that premier position is even harder. Brand Modeling teaches us that it is the leaders of any organization who must have a clear, fully articulated vision of what success means for their company—as well...
On September 29th, Bank of America announced that they were going to start charging debit card users $5 a month for the privilege of using their debit cards. It was a move intended to offset the impact of new limits on swipe fees. Swipe fees...
If you have to explain the joke, it might be that the joke's just not funny. This is conventional wisdom (at least for comedians), but it seems to have escaped the marketing team at Dr. Pepper. Their latest offering, a campaign for Dr. Pepper 10,...
Gary Gutting, a professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, had a fascinating article in the NY Times earlier this month. Entitled "What makes free will free?," Gutting's piece goes into the many factors that influence the way we make choices. Considering Brand Modeling's...
In case there's any confusion, let's handle one thing right from the start. Adolf Hitler is the short genocidal maniac whose name is synonymous with evil, responsible for the deaths of millions of people. Barack Obama is the President of the United States. Hank Williams Jr....
"There is a difference between moving too quickly—which Netflix has done very well for years—and moving too fast, which is what we did in this case." With those words, Netflix has backed away from its controversial plan to split the company into two parts. The...