Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Image Credit: Freepik . For years, branding, marketing and leadership expert, Debbie, Laskey , has offered her insights, observations and tips to my blog readers. Today, Debbie joins us again to answer questions about branding and leadership. Debbie Laskey has nearly three decades of marketing experience and an MBA Degree. She developed her marketing expertise while working in the high-tech industry, the Consumer Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, the nonprofit arena, and financial services and insurance sectors. Her expertise includes brand marketing, leadership development, and customer experience marketing. She is a regular contributor to several national blogs that provide insights about marketing and leadership, and she's been recognized as one of the "Top 50 Branding Experts" to follow on Twitter/X at @DebbieLaskeyMBA. Visit her website at www.BrandingAndMore.net and her blog at www.DebbieLaskeysBlog.com.   QUESTION: NBC has launched a new unscri...

“The most successful company brands achieve greatness not by claiming superiority, but by boldly positioning against an enemy,” explains Laura Ries , author of the new book, The Strategic Enemy: How To Build And Position A Brand Worth Fighting For .  She adds, “Consumers are overwhelmed by choices and inundated with marketing messages. And despite an obsession with positioning amongst the world’s most well-known companies, too many brands retain an outdated focus on being better (better service, better prices, etc.) and using line-extensions rather than on what really matters in the mind―being different than your strategic enemy.”  Riess shares that the human mind understands ideas best through contrast. Therefore, when you tell consumers you are different, it begs the question Why? Why are you different, and how does that make your brand better? It is more involving, creates news value, and opens the discussion. “When you communicate that difference by also being visually dis...

In her new book, Selling Yourself , Dr. Cindy McGovern shows you how to step-by-step create a powerful personal brand. Using her five-step strategy, you’ll learn how to build an impressive, authentic brand, live your brand and sell your brand.  “Whether your brand has created itself, you’ve outgrown your original brand, you’re ready for the next level, or you’ve changed your passion or purpose, this book is for you,” shares McGovern.  You’ll learn how to showcase your brand to expand your opportunities, establish trust, build deeper connections, have more confidence to ask for what you want, leave lasting impressions, and finally to express gratitude.  One of my favorite parts of the book is where McGovern includes this quote from Mahatma Gandhi :  Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny. ...

“Brand helps us engage customers and employees, unleash our competitive advantage, and fuel enduring growth,” explains Lindsay Pedersen, author of the new book, Forging An Iron Clad Brand: A Leader’s Guide .” “And yet, despite this power of brand, it is grossly underused. Few leaders leverage brand fully, believing (wrongly) that brand is squishy and elusive,” adds Pedersen. In her book, Pedersen deconstructs what brand is and why it is indispensable for leaders. Particularly, for leaders who yearn to create something truly different and truly enduring. And, for leaders who have trouble galvanizing employees to a common purpose. As you read the book, you’ll learn about the breadth of brand’s layers : ·      Brand is what you stand for ·          Brand is relationship ·          Brand is your promise and your fulfillment of that promise ·      ...

You likely have noticed the sea change in the market’s demand for brands to reinvent how they engage with customers. It’s the mandate to embrace Brand Citizenship . Which means “doing good.” Doing good for customers, employees, local communities, and the planet overall.   “People want the companies they do business with not only to ‘do good’ and make the world a better place, but also to advocate on their behalf and make them feel like they are part of a larger community or grander mission,” explains Anne Bahr Thompson , author of the new book, Do Good: Embracing Brand Citizenship to Fuel Both Purpose and Profit s .   Furthermore, Thompson explains that “doing good has come to mean taking responsibility for more than traditional philanthropy or corporate social responsibility initiatives.”   First in the book, Thompson sets the stage for what caused this growing trend where people are drawn to companies with a higher purpose – and consequently reward them ...

If you are struggling with how best to connect with your customers online whether it's via a company Blog or your website, consider these five approaches from the best-selling book, The Network Is Your Customer , by David L. Rogers: Try Branding, Not Selling -- Offer a story, entertainment, or a compelling idea that you can link convincingly to your brand, rather than trying to sell products or services directly. Offer Utility -- Provide content and interaction that helps solve a problem or answers a critical information need for your audience. Show A Personal Face -- Engage customers by showing a personal side and an authentic voice in digital content rather than the objective and authoritative voice of an institution. Focus On The Particular -- Focus on niche audiences and their specific needs and interests, rather than trying to engage every possible customer with the same content. Make It A Game -- Use the interactive, goal-based play of online games to engage custome...