Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend. He traveled the land in search of worthy foes. (Cue prospective worthy foes)..."I see you like to chew. Maybe you should chew...on my fist!" The warrior said nothing, for his mouth was full. Then he swallowed. And then he spoke...

"Enough talk, let's fight!"

So begins the classic opening sequence from Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda. This short exchange reveals a lot about human cynicism and its implications for marketing and communication. Namely, people don't buy the hype. No matter how legendary you claim your skills are, people don't want to talk, they want to fight.  More »

Just spent a night in downtown Chicago with my wife celebrating my 40th birthday. We splurged and stayed at the W hotel (ok, we Pricelined it, but still...). If you've never stayed at a W, or if you're just a brand junkie, I highly recommend paying a visit to your local W. Not surprisingly, W's are everywhere, and everything ties back to their "Whatever, Whenever" slogan that encapsulates the whole experience.  More »

Just revisited the Sears...er Willis...Tower for the first time in probably two decades. From a purely branding perspective, I have to say that I think the Tower is the most cohesively and completely branded attraction I've seen since Disney. Not surprisingly, the brand is essentially "whoa...this is a really big building" and every touchpoint with the visitor is carefully crafted around that brand.

The graphic approach begins as soon as you get in line. Shades of grey and orange, with big, bold, simple fonts and graphic representations of staggering statistics, are everywhere. From the ridiculous...how many thousands of feet of electrical wire in the building...to the sublime..."The Willis Tower is 323 Barack Obamas Tall". While you wait, interactive kiosks bide your time with touchscreen quizzes that instantly compare your results with the 30,000 other visitors. The mandatory video presentation is simply presented but deeply informative, and is current up to and including the recent renaming. My favorite touchpoint was the elevator ride, where a plasma screen tracks your progress as you rocket past other major buildings and structures on your way to the 103rd floor. If you weren't already convinced, by the time you get to the top, the brand is fully entrenched in your mind. Yes, it is a really big building.  More »

I'm a big fan (and consumer) of Starbucks. Their marketing is good, their coffee is good, their tie-in with iTunes is good, their sense of style is good...heck, they even distribute a newsletter called GOOD.

So it was with eager anticipation that I awaited the arrival of my Starbucks Gold Card.   More »