Narrative As Platform for Brand

I’ve been seeing more and thinking more about the idea of “narrative” as it relates to a brand. The notion is that a brand is perceived over time not by what it says but by what it does. And those acts form a spine of a narrative that invites consumers in to participate. An example [...]

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IBM Makes A Big Move On A Blue Ocean Opportunity

IBM announced this week the launching of the IBM Customer Experience Lab in Yorkville, NY. The Lab will bring together 100 researchers and consultants into what sounds like a center of excellence to help clients with “front office integration” around three general ideas: Customer insights Customer engagement Employee engagement The first–customer insights–isn’t new ground for [...]

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From Tumblr: DreamSongs The Last Great Book I Loved

storyboard: The Last Book I Loved: The Dream Songs The Last Book I Loved is an ongoing series with The Rumpus to highlight emerging Tumblr writers (and the books they love). Want to have your essay considered? Submit it here. My relationship with John Berryman’s Dream Songs, like the songs themselves, is murky, complicated, obscure [...]

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Phony Car Dealership Marketing Meets the 21st Century

Last Thursday we received two pieces of mail at our home. The first was from the Volvo dealership in Minneapolis where I have my car serviced.  The week before last I had taken the car in to have the brake pads and rotors replaced for $1,000.  I was also quoted another $1,700 to have the [...]

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Are Personas Useful in Social Media Strategy Anymore?

Best Buy may have fallen on hard times but a decade ago the big box retailer was one of the first “bricks and clicks” to embrace the use of personas in all aspects of marketing and e-commerce. Best Buy was renowned for its four personas–Buzz, Jill, Barry and Ray.  Buzz was the single, male nerd [...]

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