These days, marketing requires brands to be highly responsive and integrated in their approach, able to generate the perfect social post at the perfect time or to push updates to their software on a daily and hourly basis. This challenge, among other factors, has driven an increasing number of consumer brands to shift to an… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
(This brand naming post is part of an ongoing series of posts we’re calling Brandcrumbs, which are bits and pieces of branding advice left over from our regular conversations about real-world brand positioning challenges.) Brand naming is one of my favorite things to do at MarketPlace. I love the process of moving alphanumeric characters from… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
As Brand Growth Partners to food + beverage, pet + animal, and health + wellness brands, we’ve worked with a lot of perishable products: milk, cookies, and sandwiches, to name a few, along with the colors and ingredients that go into them. However, refrigerator marketing was one thing we hadn’t tapped into. How We Entered… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
What does CVS stand for? If you answered “Consumer Value Stores” or “Convenience, Value and Service,” color me impressed. Someone recently asked if I knew what CVS stands for. I said “murky carpet, oppressive red, and rows of overpriced wine.” This is not about CVS. This could be about why the “aha moment” shouldn’t be… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Typically, I’m neither for nor against shrimp. This morning, though, I felt very deeply about them. On my drive to work, I listened to a podcast. The specific episode of this podcast deals with color—its nature, how we experience it, why it matters, etc. As color is a crucial issue for many of our partners… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
(This is the first in a series of ongoing posts we’re calling Brandcrumbs, which are bits and pieces of branding advice left over from our regular conversations about real-world brand positioning challenges.) I do not like “it is what it is.” Because “it is what it is” means nothing. Because it means everything. It means that you… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
(This is part of a series of ongoing posts we’re calling Brandcrumbs, which are bits and pieces of branding advice left over from our regular conversations about real-world brand positioning challenges.) Like many in the branding and marketing world, we use the word “culture” a lot. We say things like “a successful company needs to create a… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
We’re looking back at some of our favorite discoveries of the year 2019 in a series of posts covering each of the sectors we serve. In this, the third of the series, we look at the pet and animal market. As Americans have developed higher expectations for pet product brands and services, innovation in this… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Over the last few months, we’ve worked alongside a successful B2B brand with over 45 years of experience in trace mineral animal supplements to launch its first consumer brand: TruCare Trace Mineral Supplements. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed working through the brand development process with them, beginning with brand discovery and market research, which led to positioning and concepting… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Although the food industry has historically been dominated by entrenched major brands, startups and venture capital have begun to move aggressively into food and beverage and agriculture, rightly perceiving the industry to be both exciting and profitable. High-profile food startups like KRAVE and Blue Bottle Coffee have found success bringing an entrepreneurial, tech-centric ethos to food and… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Why repackage your products? Surveys say that 70% of consumers make their buying decisions at the shelf* and that 68% of purchases are impulse-driven**. These packaging preferences are based on many factors, and in this economy, price is usually close to the top of the list, but not always. I’ve found myself buying a product… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
I ’m no dog food thief, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find my name on a “Beware These Up-to-no-Goodniks” list shared among St. Louis pet stores. On my way home from work and on the weekends, I go to Petco and PetSmart and Walmart and Target and farm & feed stores and independent retailers… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Food companies confront no more sensitive topic today than the debates over genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Consumers are deeply concerned, asking questions like “What are GMOs doing to our food supply,” “Are they dangerous,” and, whether they are or not, “Should they be labeled?.” Many of us have strong opinions about these questions, and even… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
We live and work in St. Louis, which means that we’re particularly fond of beer and baseball. We love October, and we can regularly be found after-hours gathered in a sports bar enjoying beverages and pub grub and rooting for the Cardinals. Game One of the 2013 World Series is Wednesday, and we’re already dreaming… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>