Bruce’s Blog

Convenience: Don’t Underestimate Its Brand Value

By BruceTieves - 17th September 2015

Americans love convenience. And it regularly influences our choices in life. Whether it’s as trivial as where to stop for gas, or as meaningful as where to work, convenience consistently comes into play either consciously or subconsciously when making choices. It’s far more influential than we realize. My dog groomer recently vacated her suburban storefront and moved her business 8 miles southeast to a rural location. Her decision to relocate – based primarily on two very legitimate reasons: reducing overhead costs...

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Sad To Say, Killer Brands Always Keep Their Promise

By BruceTieves - 14th August 2015

Mention the words “killer brand” and a few companies probably come to mind. Apple may top the list for many people but, for others, Nike, Starbucks, Disney or something far more obscure might sit atop the leaderboard. Number one on my list is Alzheimer’s disease. Unlike the popular brands mentioned above – of which I often indulge – true killer brands, like Alzheimer’s, never break their promise. I’ve learned this the hard way by witnessing the effects of this killer brand...

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Meet Mr. Write and Live Happily Ever After

By BruceTieves - 21st June 2015

To the delight of entrepreneurs and small businesses – but to the anguish of graphic designers and website developers – online marketing tools have dramatically changed the marketing communications landscape. Regardless of brand expertise the masses are empowered to build their own promotional materials online via Internet companies like Vistaprint and Go Daddy. Even doctors and lawyers are jumping on the DIY brand bandwagon these days. For a rather small investment brand novices can rapidly assemble a company logo, business...

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Slip on the Right Suit Before Surfing on LinkedIn

By BruceTieves - 25th April 2015

Typo in the subject line! That was a comment someone published on another person’s post on LinkedIn. It was in regard to an obvious, inadvertent typo that appeared in the post headline – which is one of the worst places on LinkedIn for a typo to appear (and really a sloppy mistake). Sadly, the error received even more attention when the Typo in the subject line! comment was posted, resulting in the potential exposure to hundreds of other connections on LinkedIn. How’s...

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Undivided Attention: It’s Better to Give than Receive

By BruceTieves - 22nd March 2015

When’s the last time you received some undivided attention? Was it during an intimate conversation with a loved one? Or when you shared jaw-dropping information with a co-worker? How about when you went ballistic on someone? Highly emotional situations generate undivided attention but, most of the time, it’s really hard to come by in a society saturated with distractions. That poses a real challenge to marketers who fight like heck to grab the undivided attention of an audience – as I’m...

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The MVP of the Classic Marketing Mix

By BruceTieves - 23rd February 2015

The traditional 4 P’s of Marketing – product, price, place and promotion – has served as the backbone of the marketer’s intellect for the past 50 years. And rightly so as many stellar brands have emerged as a result of this effective marketing mix. But the Most Valuable P (MVP) in the grand scheme of marketing is patience. The conception, birth and nurturing of a healthy brand takes time, effort and patience, similar to – you guessed it – raising...

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‘Tis the Season to Drop the F-Bomb

By BruceTieves - 11th January 2015

As usual retailers were dropping F-Bombs on consumers throughout the recent Holiday Season. And like our favorite Holiday music, movies and traditions, many of us welcomed the F-Bombs like snow flakes on Christmas Eve Night. Ah, yes, classic F-Bombs drifting from the skies included: – FREE shipping – Buy one, get one FREE – Get your FREE gift while supplies last. Marketers love dropping the F-Bomb because it nabs consumers’ attention like nothing else. It has the power to turn heads...

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“Hello, My Name is Bruce, and…”

By BruceTieves - 15th November 2014

Coming to grips with the truth can be difficult at times. One voice inside stirs us to deny, while another encourages us to accept. Sometimes these battles over truth can be brutal whether personal or business-related. But if honesty is truly the best policy – and I believe it is – then all of us will have better outcomes when choosing fact over fiction. As a sole proprietor in the services industry, I’ve come to accept the truth that “my business is...

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“If You Weren’t Acting Like Such A…”

By BruceTieves - 5th October 2014

Imagine uttering the following to one of your clients or customers. “If you weren’t acting like such a jackass, the project would have been completed on-time and on-budget weeks ago.” Few, if any, business relationships could withstand the aftermath of those piercing words. Thankfully, we all do a pretty good job of taming the tongue in our work environments. It’s good for the brands we represent as well as our personal reputations. Recently on the baseball field at my neighborhood...

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C’mon People…Let’s put Some Meat on the Bone

By BruceTieves - 11th September 2014

Don’t you love it when someone throws you a bone? Women really appreciate this one: “I love what you’ve done with your hair.” While the men dig on: “You’re looking pretty buff these days.” Pretty much everyone likes to get a bone now and then – it’s a big boost for the old ego. In business, we love bones, too, but most companies do a poor job of using them as effective promotional tools. All too often marketers neglect to...

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