Sam Walton grew up poor during the Great Depression, yet rose to start the biggest retail store Wal-Mart.
When Walton died in 1992, the family’s net worth approached $25 billion. Today, Wal-Mart is the world’s #1 retailer, with more than Wal-Mart Stores has more than 5,700 stores, including some 1,350 discount stores, nearly 2,000 combination discount [...]

Below is a great story from the Right Now Customer Experience blog that I can really relate to.
Dave Carroll’s story depicts the value of great customer experience and illustrates that spending a little can save millions when it comes to your brand’s reputation.
In 2008, Dave was flying United Airlines with his band Sons of Maxwell [...]

Back in November I commented that General Mills drastically changed the packaging of Raisin Nut Bran, a staple in my home.
Many of you agreed with me that the new packaging was boring, unappetizing, generic and just plain bad. (Original post here.)
Recently, we noticed that the old packaging had returned to the shelves. At [...]

You should never fake it.
To counteract scathing reviews by Web users at sites like InfomercialScams.com and RealSelf.com, do-it-yourself face-lift maker Lifestyle Lift  allegedly posted fake user reviews with positive critiques by supposed patients to review sites and other destinations.  But this strategy had a flaw:  the “patients” turned out to be company employees who had been paid to enthuse [...]

I never thought I would see the day when I was delighted by Northwest Airlines.

Today I got this in my email:
A jump start can be the perfect beginning.
That’s why we’re excited to provide you with 10,000 complimentary Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) – which have already been deposited into your WorldPerks account – to help you [...]

Apparently, it’s hard to find good people out there.
I have recently had several CEO’s and CMO’s tell me that they are frustrated with the candidates they are interviewing for various marketing roles, ranging from “utility player” marketing mangers to Senior VP’s . They tell me of candidates yawning during interviews, looking at their watches, being [...]

The New York Times reported yesterday that Tropicana is reverting to its familiar orange juice packaging after hearing from upset consumers and bloggers.
From the article:
The about-face comes after consumers complained about the makeover in letters, e-mail messages and telephone calls and clamored for a return of the original look.
Some of those commenting described the new [...]

In yet another example of a new packaging design trend that turns “Branding” into “Blanding”, Sierra Mist has changed their logo and bottle design.
As with other packaging redesigns I have seen recently, there is nothing “New and Improved” about the drink, no special promotion, no advertising campaign or any other reason I can see why [...]

In another brilliant example of throwing design and branding out the window, Tropicana has decided to genericize their brand and the packaging of their top selling product.
And so, I will go on a rant….
Having lived in Florida for over a decade, and graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), I know something about orange [...]

There is a big transition happening on February 17, 2009 when all over the air TV broadcasts move from analog format to digital format.
Do we think the average person knows the difference, or really cares?

For those of us who consider ourselves “digital internet marketers” it’s a great time to remind yourself that most people:

Don’t care [...]