Here’s a brain teaser. What are things that used to be free but now cost money?
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Walker Smith, Author at Branding Strategy Insider - Page 8 of 35
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” wrote Peter Drucker. Exactly. Everybody has heard this quote. And whenever somebody mentions it, heads nod, many vigorously. But do we really believe it? How hard do we work to put this insight into practice? Do we even know what culture means?
I was lucky enough to begin my career in market research before the final curtain came down on the Mad Men era of marketing. I never knew any first-generation Mad Men, but I was tutored by their next-generation protégés and apostles. One of whom was the legendary Larry Light.
The day after the assassination attempt on former president and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Vermont Democratic senator Bernie Sanders said on NBC’s Meet the Press, “Politics should be kind of boring, you know?” Which is to say, all about boring wonky stuff, not “radical rhetoric.” Certainly not violence. Politics should be boring.
Remember New Coke? Most people remember it as a cautionary tale that goes something like this. In 1985, Coke changed the taste of its classic namesake brand with a new formula — informally dubbed New Coke — that was instantly rejected by consumers. Thoroughly chastened, Coke did an about-face, took it off the shelves and brought back the original. Even so, Coke was hurt. Moral of the story? Pay attention to consumers. And don’t mess...