By Ken Gasque
This is a story about logos but it is also a story about the importance of design for your labels, pressure sensitive labels of course!Yes, there is a perfect logo. It’s my favorite logo, and it’s most commonly found in the South.* It’s abstract. It’s simple. It’s bold. It’s symmetrical. It’s distinctive. It’s easily sized from a business card to a billboard. It’s been in ...
By Ken Gasque
List making has been an activity that I have enjoyed since I was in elementary school. I think it started with books I wanted to read. I liked checking them off and watching my progress. Another of my favorite lists was quotations. I still have the list I first did, and my list of quotations now is over 30 pages long and can be sorted by author and subject matter.
I car...
By Ken Gasque
What makes your product different in a meaningful way? It is a question that is not easily answered. Before we go on, try answering it. What makes your product different in a meaningful way?
Well, how did you do?
I have met numerous business owners who are quick to answer: “We have great people.” “We exceed expectations.” “We produce the best quality.”
There...
By Ken GasqueThe fewer the rules the better. Or a marketing maximum from the school of design is “Less is more.” This rule is applicable in a number of things from the number of products offered (The paradox of choice by Barry Schwartz) to architecture. But like all rules, it doesn’t always work. And that is what makes a good marketer, knowing when to break the rule.
Take action is ...
By Ken Gasque There are lots of rules for success in marketing and living but I have found that the more rules you have, the harder it is to remember and act on them. I will do follow-up columns on the other rules you should be aware of and ways to measure. "If it doesn't get measured, it doesn't get done."
The first rule seems obvious but every week in my consulting ...
By Ken Gasque With fashion, it is a hat. Women with elegant hats receive 7 times as many compliments on their appearance as women without hats. And men with dress hats receive 9 times as many compliments as their hatless friends (this could be because men do not usually receive as many compliments as women with a hat or without).
So, what does this have to do with a g...
By Ken GasqueWhy now? Because the market is in turmoil, new opportunities are opening, change is coming, and change favors the bold.But first...You need to ask yourself a few questions. You need to understand what makes you different in the mind of the consumer. Ask yourself "what is it that we do better than anyone else?" Pretend for a moment that you are Coca-Cola. Colored sugar ...
By Ken Gasque
It has been during the toughest times that humans have been the most creative. Out of the dark ages came the renaissance. “The human race built most nobly when limitations were greatest. Frank Lloyd Wright. Some of our toughest times have been disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes. We had the event and then we did the cleanup. And we got back to our...
By Ken Gasque
If you want your advertising to work, tell a story about your differentiation. Your audience will get the message and remember it. What does a story do? It creates a movie for your mind’s eye. A good story will be played and replayed in the mind for days, weeks and months to come. You can tell me a story with a simple visual. Imagine a cowboy, smoking a c...
By Ken Gasque
There are five stumbling blocks that can get you labeled but not branded. If you are not careful and aware of what is happening, your customers will define who you are and label your product or service. Brand developers constantly monitor social media and talk to customers because they know listening gives them the edge.
Five Stumbling Blocks:
Don't bother asking que...
