Challenger Brand Strategy
14 posts
Who Cares!!?
Ads. News. Social media posts. More ads. Emails. Notifications. Even more ads. Every day, we’re bombarded with a constant cacophony of information. In...
Creativity Trumps Tariffs
When tariffs go up, creativity goes on sale. When U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods hit 25%, most brands braced for impact. Bob’s Your Uncle decided to t...
Economic Empathy
Economic Empathy: How Brands Avoid Tone-Deaf Marketing When wallets tighten, sensitivity rises. And the brands that win don’t panic-discount or preac...
The Brand Relevance Playbook
The Brand Relevance Playbook Relevance isn’t trend-chasing. It’s the discipline of staying emotionally meaningful while the world changes around you....
Behavioral Strategy for CPG Launches
Behavioral Strategy for CPG Launches Awareness doesn’t build brands. Repeat does. The best launches are designed around one question: What behaviour ...
Cultural Backlash and Reputation Risk
How Brands Respond to Cultural Backlash and Reputation Risk Backlash isn’t random. It follows patterns: misread culture overclaim tone mismatch t...
Constraint to Creativity Framework
Constraint to Creativity Constraints don’t kill creativity. They force it to get sharp. Budgets. Regulations. Naming rules. Category sameness. These ...
Brand Disconnect: A Lesson from Wendy's and Kellogg's Missteps
Brand Disconnect: A Lesson from Wendy's and Kellogg's Missteps Recent events have spotlighted a growing issue: brands losing touch with consumer reali...
When Brands Miss the Mark
When Brands Miss the Mark: A Reflection on Consumer Disconnect We’ve witnessed some startling examples of brands seemingly losing touch with consumer ...
Tariffs Are Coming—So What Are You Going to Do About It?
Tariffs Are Coming—So What Are You Going to Do About It? The proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, set to take effect on February 1, are about to ...
From $10 Million to Half a Billion: The Art of Masterful Brand Building with Meiky Tollman
From $10 Million to Half a Billion: The Art of Masterful Brand Building with Meiky Tollman When I connected with Meiky Tollman, the genius behind tran...
We Can't Call it Bourbon...But You Can
Creativity Trumps Tariffs: 'We Can't Call it Bourbon, But You Can' In the world of international trade agreements, labels matter. Under the United ...
Snoop Dogg's 'Quitting Smoke' Stunt: A Leap Off the Pedestal of Trust
Snoop Dogg's 'Quitting Smoke' Stunt: A Leap Off the Pedestal of Trust Is it just me, or does Snoop Dogg's recent announcement feel like a practical jo...
Taco Bell's 'Ambitious Goal...Is to Be a Brand Bully?'
Taco Bell's 'Ambitious Goal...Is to Be a Brand Bully?' Taco Bell, in its quest to "free Taco Tuesday," has successfully pressured the last holdout, Gr...