by Marc H. Rudov | April 26, 2009 | Article
Words — love, hate, lawsuit, bailout, bankruptcy — elicit strong emotions and behaviors in and from us. Selling is no exception: it leads to defensiveness, where a purchaser feels that an unneeded or unwanted product will be pushed on him. This dynamic is...
by Marc H. Rudov | April 18, 2009 | Article
Window shopping is the practice of viewing, but not purchasing, the merchandise displayed in a storefront window. Such ephemeral browsing is not limited to storefronts. It also occurs on Websites, magazine ads, billboards, and TV commercials. Why? Lack of connection....
by Marc H. Rudov | April 8, 2009 | Article
When a product has inherent value and its leading purveyor brands it properly, customers will grasp and demand it instantly. Otherwise, “educational” seminars begin sprouting like weeds to fill the void. The latest example of foggy branding is cloud...
by Marc H. Rudov | March 28, 2009 | Article
There’s only one way a CEO can confirm his brand’s effectiveness: buzz, word-of-mouth. Without buzz, there is no brand. Buzz is easy to discern — listening to customers and journalists, searching on Google, checking blogs, monitoring users’...
by Marc H. Rudov | March 22, 2009 | Article
It seems that, no matter what I watch on TV, I am bombarded with GEICO spots. I know GEICO wants to sell me insurance, but what do I want to buy? I’ve yet to watch one of this third-largest car-insurance giant’s quirky, inexplicable commercials and then...
