The Practical Leader

AUGUST 16, 2023

Some managers will complain about a declining work ethic. When we look at 360 assessments or engagement surveys, it’s clear that a more accurate response to these managers is; nobody wants to work for you. Brand management is an inside job. External brand management is multiplied or minimized by workplace culture.

Energy 52

Energy Crisis Absenteeism Leadership 52

The Horizons Tracker

AUGUST 21, 2023

On the other hand, downplaying CSR initiatives, a phenomenon known as “greenhushing,” can create the false impression that a company is indifferent to its impact on society and the environment, ultimately harming its brand.

Company 85

Company Ethics Brand Brand Management 85

Career Advancement

AUGUST 27, 2018

Innovation and ability to thrive under pressure were the other two key attributes she most wanted to play up. Crafting your own distinctive brand won’t happen overnight. But your personal branding strategy will work in due time, if you’re persistent.

Brand 166

Brand Brainstorming Creativity Brand Management 166

Lead Change Blog

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Jim Taggert of Changing Winds provided Leadership and Innovation: Bridging the Gap. Jim shares: “ Innovation occurs throughout organizations. Joel shares: “ Individuals, like companies, have a brand. Leadership Tips for Managing Emotions. But managing emotions well is a vital part of achieving results.

Leadership Development 312

Leadership Development Development Leadership Brand 312

In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 28, 2012

In the early days of my 40 year business career, I was lucky to work under two gentlemen who instilled several critical success factors that guided me from Brand Manager to CEO. At the risk of this blog appearing as an advertorial for Harvard, I’ll gladly admit that Harvard Business Review was my favorite management resource.

Mentor 228

Mentor Advertorial Kotter Hamel 228

In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

As a 23 year-old Macleans Toothpaste Brand Manager in 1970, my colleagues and I competed against powerhouses P&G, Colgate and Unilever. You be obsessed with innovation. My business career is characterized with a bunch of David versus Goliath encounters. Wherever I went, the major competitor was 20 times larger.

Creativity 240

Creativity Brand Management Marketing Resistance 240

N2Growth Blog

APRIL 20, 2010

The preceding description paints the perfect illustration of why branding is one of my favorite topics…It is complex. Unless you are a very large enterprise it is unlikely that you have the time, money, staffing, or external professional relationships to execute a brand management strategy such as the one outlined above.

Brand 271

Brand Blog How To Public Relations 271

In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 26, 2016

Early in my career, when I worked for a couple of big companies in brand management, I joined my colleagues in nodding to the notion of taking a step back. I was surrounded by entrepreneurial thinkers – innovative leaders who refused to take a step back – people who knew where they were going and how to get there.

Brand 100

Brand Learning-by-Doing Brand Management Proposal 100

Women on Business

DECEMBER 2, 2012

I had a background in marketing and brand management, and working with concepts and ideas was my passion. Furthermore, I knew that if I wanted to have a successful business in the long run, I needed someone else on my team: someone who had skills and passions that complemented mine. And who knows?

Franchising 255

Franchising Finance Brand Management Advice 255

In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 10, 2011

Sixty-five innovative operations - four in the state of California alone. EA says that would stifle innovation. The leaders of these companies aren’t ‘managing the store’; they’re building new stores. The leaders of these companies aren’t ‘managing the store’; they’re building new stores. Does it excite you?

CEO 170

CEO Advice Company Competitive Advantage 170

Lead Change Blog

DECEMBER 17, 2015

And, it is the dream of every brand manager. The concept of brand in this country started in the west with the branding of cattle. Three principles characterize those organizations that elevate “trust in a brand” to “love for a brand”—inclusion, generosity, and honesty. Cattle shared open grazing range.

Brand 150

Brand Airlines Wilde Tools 150

Skip Prichard

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

These are the people who will turn things around, lead the organization to innovate, and drive through challenges. Over the past 27 years of my career in marketing, brand management and executive search + coaching, I’ve found time and again that organizations have blind-spots when hiring talent. That’s right. In the U.S.

Emotional Intelligence 74

Emotional Intelligence CTO Stress Exit Strategy 74

In the CEO Afterlife

OCTOBER 17, 2011

So, wouldn’t you expect a heck of a lot more company attention to commercial brands? Wouldn’t you expect greater care in stewarding brand identity, personality, positioning, single-mindedness, and strategic consistency? Wouldn’t you expect more innovation? The blemish is the abdication of brand attention by top management.

Brand 168

Brand CEO Stage-Gate SWOT 168

LDRLB

MARCH 12, 2012

As a 23 year-old Macleans Toothpaste Brand Manager in 1970, my colleagues and I competed against powerhouses P&G, Colgate and Unilever. You be obsessed with innovation. Strategy bell competition innovation strategy' My business career is characterized with many David versus Goliath encounters.

How To 95

How To Brand Management CEO Strategy 95

LDRLB

MARCH 12, 2012

As a 23 year-old Macleans Toothpaste Brand Manager in 1970, my colleagues and I competed against powerhouses P&G, Colgate and Unilever. You be obsessed with innovation. My business career is characterized with many David versus Goliath encounters. Wherever I went, the major competitor was 20 times larger.

How To 111

How To Brand Management CEO Resistance 111

In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 24, 2011

The original concept, created by Art Director Geoff Hayes in a bathtub, and perpetuated by several creative notables, has managed to stand the cruel test of time and create the 3 rd largest-selling liquor brand on the globe. ABSOLUT could not have found a better replacement brand custodian. How has this campaign lasted so long?

CEO 100

CEO Advertising Brand Creativity 100

In the CEO Afterlife

AUGUST 1, 2011

After the stint at Bristol-Myers, I moved on to Beecham Products (now GlaxoSmithKline) as Brand Manager of Brylcreem Hairdressing, Macleans Toothpaste and Silvikrin Shampoo. Yes, one can extend the declining life cycle of a brand with cosmetic surgery. The folks at Combe take themselves seriously, but their website is hilarious.

Brand 170

Brand CEO Stage-Gate Marketing 170

In the CEO Afterlife

AUGUST 1, 2011

After the stint at Bristol-Myers, I moved on to Beecham Products (now GlaxoSmithKline) as Brand Manager of Brylcreem Hairdressing, Macleans Toothpaste and Silvikrin Shampoo. Yes, one can extend the declining life cycle of a brand with cosmetic surgery. The folks at Combe take themselves seriously, but their website is hilarious.

Brand 131

Brand CEO Stage-Gate Marketing 131

Coaching Tip

APRIL 29, 2011

For example, when a global brand manager and a local sales organization share responsibilities, and are rewarded for working together, they will fight for their interests so that both the global brand and the local market are addressed. Why talent at the top doesn’t notice bad design while talent in the middle suffers. “

Development 112

Development Bureaucracy Globalization Middle Management 112

Skip Prichard

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

It has benefited enormously from employees and consumers acting as brand ambassadors, who rave on social media about the brand’s advocacy of social causes. Incidentally, this also made Ben & Jerry’s one of the world’s best-selling ice-cream brands. Jan-Benedict Steenkamp. Mind your lifespan.

Charisma 144

Charisma Bond Leadership Brand 144

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 23, 2018

That fear drives their companies to invest millions into coming up with breakthrough innovations. If innovation projects are going to succeed, they’ll need to survive a handoff from an innovation team to an execution team. These labels also nicely describe the phases of innovation: Explore, Scale, and Optimize.

Project 8

Project Innovation Team Stage-Gate 8

thoughtLEADERS, LLC

DECEMBER 16, 2019

When you talk about branding, you are talking about constant change. This fast-paced environment leaves brand managers with no choice: they need to favor SPEED over perfection. When innovation is a key element in the industry, processes must be faster. That is, if they want to succeed. Especially when launching products.

Marketing 11

Marketing Brand Management Brand Environment 11

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 20, 2013

Digital disruption has clearly been one of the major catalysts for this change, but less has been said about how the transformation is a prime example of open innovation , a focus of my research for many years. What it takes to make the successful shift to open innovation is always an important theme in our discussions.

Innovation 15

Innovation Advertising Market Segmentation Brand 15

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 20, 2012

More and more companies I see these days are making strategic process changes to drive unprecedented business model innovation. Consumer packaged goods manufacturers are monitoring social media to get real-time information on their customers' perceptions and share it with brand managers.

Business Model 15

Business Model Process Innovation Media 15

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

In the modern competitive business environment, innovative social initiatives offer a unique avenue for growth, customer loyalty, and employee engagement, often overlooked by organizations.

Brand 24

Brand Execution Customer Loyalty Loyalty 24

Building Personal Strength

APRIL 4, 2011

One of their first course offerings in La Jolla was the "Targeted Innovation" course, and they wanted my help. Three of the participants happened to be brand managers from Mobil. The course taught the process and techniques of team creative problem solving. Their problem?

Creativity 81

Creativity Brand Management Participative Course 81

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 16, 2010

These six ideas emerged in 2010 as powerful "innovation invitations" and seem sure to intensify in power and influence. They'll increasingly be a source of, and resource for, innovation differentiation in 2011, if not for your organization, then for the firm you most dread competing against. That's right. Contestification.

Innovation 16

Innovation Supply Chain Business Simulation Advertising 16

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 20, 2013

Digital disruption has clearly been one of the major catalysts for this change, but less has been said about how the transformation is a prime example of open innovation , a focus of my research for many years. What it takes to make the successful shift to open innovation is always an important theme in our discussions.

Innovation 8

Innovation Advertising Market Segmentation Brand 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 25, 2016

By far the best and most useful approach for managing those tensions is Michael Jensen’s path-breaking work in decision rights a quarter-century ago. An increasing number of organizations I work with use RACI (or some variant ) to create auditable accountability networks for project and process management.

RACI 8

RACI Agility Brand Management Decentralization 8

Strategy Driven

AUGUST 19, 2011

This U-turn must begin with you, the owner or senior manager, declaring war on yourself. It identifies your company’s red flags, and provides a powerful and innovative methodology to transition from failure to flourish. It’s not too late to turn your company around – go from sucking to soaring! Rudderless Leadership.

Marketing 50

Marketing Objective Short-term Discount 50

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 23, 2012

Lafley on my "Innovation Mount Rushmore" as a reminder of the importance of investing time and energy to understand the target market. It feels like a classic battle — the scientific approach of a company that launches 80 market research studies a day versus the intuitive touch of the iconic innovator of our time.

Audience 15

Audience Entrepreneur Maturity Innovation 15

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 4, 2018

Thoughtfully managed, recommendations can prove far more valuable to marketers than for the customers they ostensibly serve. Calendar managers visually and acoustically suggest scheduling options and priorities. That makes simple and engaging user experience design for management key.

Engineering 8

Engineering Marketing Advertising Brand Management 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

The product manager, who had come up with what he thought was an airtight, iron-clad, compelling and irrefutable business case for launching a fairly clever innovation, completely failed to persuade the impassive CMO. The pitch can be before venture capitalists, brand managers, product review committees and/or the CEO.

Venture Capitalist 8

Venture Capitalist Due Diligence Innovation Brand 8

Strategy Driven

OCTOBER 29, 2012

What are you doing to innovate it? Apple is the classic example of a brand, with products that back it up. They don’t have to talk about their competition – Apple is the innovator. Are you the dominant brand? Create internal excitement about innovation and new ideas. And they do it at their price. Are you Amazon?

Brand 50

Brand Reputation Customer Loyalty Industry 50

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

Indeed, even organizations where top management keeps their eyes glued to KPI-driven dashboards have trouble agreeing on what their Top Ten Most Important Customer/Client 80/20 analytics should be. Should management refine and dig deeper into existing 80/20 KPIs? is the challenge top management needs to both ask and rise to.

Due Diligence 11

Due Diligence KPI Loyalty Information Technology 11

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 6, 2013

First, other global firms have a deep bench of seasoned brand strategist supported by rich and varied set of brand management systems and tools that are lacking in Chinese firms. Both are largely based on the brand management effort pioneered by P&G some 75 years ago and extended by the many P&G progeny.

Brand 8

Brand Globalization Brand Management Long-term 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 24, 2014

A brand can’t just be a promise; it must be a promise delivered. And brand stewardship can no longer be under the exclusive purview of marketing departments and brand managers. Brands may drive communications activities, but little else. Smart companies form brand councils to meet this leadership imperative.

Brand 8

Brand Strategy Advertising Brand Management 8