Devoted to branding and building and protecting brands

No more answers that look for questions.  No more solutions trying to find a problem.  The people who shed the least amount of blood and weight in the coming year will be those who create more value for customers and consumers.  Hardly surprising, but it's amazing how many companies out there, of all stripe and size, delude themselves into seeing the world only through the lens of whatever it is they're peddling and assume that their value is intrinsic.  As if they had a divine right to marketshare, price-earnings premiums and success.  In a tough economy, those who propose real value will outshine those who don't.  And in such times, anybody who shines will stand out.  Step one: start looking at your product, or service, through the eyes of the people to whom you sell.  You succeed as a business practitioner (read: vendor) to he extent that you remember what it is to be a BUYER.  What brings you back to a retailer? A brand? A manufacturer?  A restaurant?  Whatever makes an experience satisfying, fun, memorable and pleasant, better start applying it to your offerings.  

The above thoughts, and other observations, were delivered last week by Steve Turner and me to a class of MBA candidates at the University of San Francisco.  The students seemed to get it.  Now let's hope they're enabled to apply it back at their respective offices!  Good speed to them.