I am a fan of sports and always have been, I haven’t always been a fan of basketball, but ever since I moved to Arizona I have been fascinated with the Phoenix Suns.  More specifically, I am fascinated with Steve Nash. To me he exemplifies all of the reasons why people should involve themselves in team environments, whether we’re talking sports, work, school or just life in general.  To me, he’s an excellent athlete, role model, in essence, he is a winning brand unto himself. Here’s what I mean. Read the rest of this entry »

The social activist video, Kony 2012, went viral almost instantly. After only being online for a couple of weeks, it has over 80 million views. How does one small organization catch the hearts and minds of the world in just hours? With the same concept we use—Heart & Mind® Branding. Invisible Children created this video that touched people’s hearts by showing the cruelty Ugandan children are forced into, and gave tens of millions awareness of and hope that we can end Joseph Kony’s rein.

Read the rest of this entry »

Have you seen the Luvs commercial where the little animated babies are having a pooping competition? The cartoon kids walk on stage in their Luvs diapers, turn around and let one go. Their Luv diapers expand accordingly and the other baby judges seated downstage hold up cards: 6, 7, 6. Finally the last kid really puts Luvs to the test and the judges respond with: 10, 10, 10!

Read the rest of this entry »

Kodak announced they’re out of the digital camera business. Instead they will focus on other products like consumer and commercial inkjet printing, packaging printing and workflow software. After filing for bankruptcy last month, Kodak has one year to devise a restructuring plan. I have owned and carried a digital camera since I was about 13 years old, and it holds a special place in my heart. As a member of the “Internet generation,” I documented my life with photos, capturing memories of my friends and me inside the cafeteria at school, dressing up at home, acting goofy at parties, whatever and wherever. Kodak was part of my life. No occasion needed.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sunday’s Super Bowl or should we say Brand Bowl gave fans exactly what they wanted: celebrity, drama, winners, losers, laughter, tears, and I’m just talking about the commercials. While others will list the top spots that aired (you can view them here), I must say the top spot went to the biggest brand of the night: Madonna. Read the rest of this entry »

Legends are hard to come by these days, at least legends of this kind. And despite the controversy, Joe Paterno left his mark on countless millions. How will you remember him?  I am just one, but I choose to remember him this way: Read the rest of this entry »

I was watching a “Kardashian Marathon” recently when I saw a commercial for the new Kardashian Kollection for Sears. At first it didn’t quite register, then it did, and the more I thought about it, the Kardashian and Sears brands seemed like the oddest of brand partnerships. When I think of Sears, my mind immediately heads to washers, dryers, socks and underwear—not Kardashian designer wear. I get that the Kardashian’s want to create a line of affordable clothing that can make all of the regular folk Kardashian-esque, but does Kenmore and Kardashian really belong under the same roof? Does one cheapen the other or is this a match made in reality TV and misguided retailer heaven?
Read the rest of this entry »

One night after work, I found myself flipping through hundreds of channels on cable when I casually stopped on a re-run of “Undercover Boss.”  It was the Season 2 finale where the president of 1-800-FLOWERS went undercover.  By the end of the show I found myself wiping tears from my face watching all the wonderful things the president learned from his experience, and the amazing things he did for those few employees he had the privilege to work with—even serving as a “mentor” for one of the youngest managers in the company and offering him $25,000 to start his own 1-800-FLOWERS franchise.  After that first episode, I was hooked.  Or, was I? Read the rest of this entry »

What does a rock legend do to become relevant to more people? Release a new album? No, that will hit the hard core fans more than attract new ones. Launch a ten-city tour? No, same problem.  In today’s world, more than anything, you go on American Idol or The Celebrity Apprentice. Read the rest of this entry »

Because this is Tagline’s personal branding issue, this month’s “Brands from the Past” story is, of course, about a person: Luke Perry. You remember, Dylan McKay, the sensitive, dangerous heartthrob on “Beverly Hills 90210.” Those eyes, that voice, he stole every scene, and every girl’s heart on a weekly basis. Perry left the show in its sixth season to take on more dramatic roles. A smart move that likely saved him from the almost inevitable demise of a teen heartthrob brand. Since then, Read the rest of this entry »