As one of three design teams selected at the Financial Brand Forum, we were challenged with presenting a branch design concept to NYC-based Municipal Credit Union—live on stage, in front of 900 conference attendees. This presented a terrific chance to share our perspective on innovation.
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Do I have to call it nepotism?
I’ve written before about why I love producing radio. Now I can add one more reason to the list — a seven-year old, precocious, all-pink, all-attitude, talented little voice actress named Gretta. And if you can’t tell from the photo, she also happens to be my daughter.
Sun Tzu and the Art of the Cheeseburger
What would you do if you were responsible for a new branding campaign for McDonalds? You might look for inspiration from the master brand strategist of millennia past: Sun Tzu. He’d tell you to pick a fight you can win.
Starbucks Theatre of Roasting
Seattleites know coffee. In fact, we’ve been called coffee snobs. So what does Starbucks, a major coffee icon in a coffee town, do when a green mermaid logo has become synonymous to the McDonalds’ golden arches where you can expect convenience and consistency? In a town of coffee snobs – me included – you need more. To stay relevant, Starbucks has created a very high-end, state of the art prototype store. A prototype store is nothing new for Starbucks, but this store, rumored to cost $20 million dollars, took it to a whole new level.
Would You Have Approved This Ad?
I play a little mental game from time to time to help me keep my creative mind open. The game is called, “Would I Have Approved That?” It’s a game that’s easy to learn, simple to play, and you can do it just about anywhere. But before I explain the rules, a little background.
Telling a story of optimism. Inviting the community to join in.
OnPoint Community Credit Union recently unveiled its new brand campaign, titled, “Join In”. The series of spots, produced by Weber Marketing Group, showcase Oregon, its people, and the unbridled potential of those who call Oregon home.
Inside the Elevations Branch 2.0
When you love where you live, it matters where you bank. Elevations Credit Union, based in Boulder, CO, built their brand on that premise. It’s about loving local, embracing differences, and reflecting the community in which you live. Weber helped Elevations define a branch prototype that extends that brand positioning into the newest Elevations branches — the first of which opened to the public this summer.
Putting Social First
Recently, I had the pleasure of presenting to a really smart group of credit union leaders about social media at the CUES School of Strategic Marketing. But I only had 30 minutes on the agenda – how do you cover such a sprawling topic in such a tiny timeframe? Lucky for me, the group was focused and we got right down to business tackling three big challenges of managing a social media program:
- Risk Management
- Resource Management
- Culture Management
Your biggest social media fans are sitting right next to you
If you could hire someone to exponentially improve your social media program’s organic reach, increase the number of word-of-mouth referrals you receive, generate thought-provoking, branded content for your website and social media platforms, and deepen and enrich your relationships with your members, you’d do it, right? Guess what? You already have. And they’re sitting right next to you.
What makes the renaming decision easier? (Hint: when your name is shared by a notorious radical terrorist group.)
Imagine discovering an Islamic militant group ravaging Iraq and Syria shared your brand name (ouch!). What would you do? Abandon your name? Or hold onto the equity you’ve built and risk negative brand associations by keeping your newly controversial name?
These are the questions Isis, a mobile wallet company, faced when ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) started hitting headlines for links to sectarian violence against government forces and civilians.