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While having coffee with one of my colleagues one afternoon, I asked for his views of the future of luxury brands and Baby Boomers. “Luxury brands are dead,” he said, pointedly. I was taken aback by this cryptic pronouncement. Probing further I asked him to reconsider such a pessimistic position. Entire companies and industries depend […]

I am honored to be the first guest blogger on Arjun’s blog. I don’t need to know that others were asked before me and turned down the opportunity. I seized the chance to tell my tale of the turnaround of a brand; or least the beginnings of a turnaround. By definition, a turnaround has to […]

This piece of artwork was created by K.K. Muralidharan , specially for Restaurant Marketing Group (a division of ZenMango) for the Leaky Bucket research. Brands of all types use Leaky Bucket research to determine why past customers do not return to the brand.

Over the last fifteen years I have helped numerous brands in using comparative ads to win over the consumer. If the decision has been made to directly target a competitor and prove brand superiority, the brand must be prepared to substantiate that claim. If challenged, all internal communication and research must be shared with federal […]

Have you ever seen a serious runner not time his runs? Football teams measure how long a punt is in the air, because higher air time means defense is more likely to prevent an advance. Every successful “super professional” I have encountered over the years was simply amazing on knowing the state of their business […]

All of us are caught up in the discussion about how bad the current economy is and how we will survive this tough time. Recently, I experienced a practice by two brands who are doing things a “tad” differently to beat these tough times. First, Chili’s. Chili’s has a new promotion for two in which […]

Many a time when I think about Marperations, I think about Operations not being consistent. My recent experiences with my iPhone made me start thinking, when Marketing over-promises, does Operations even have a chance? The AT&T dropped call storyBeing a single dad and small business owner, most of the time I am on my cell. […]

1. Relevant awareness of non-profit The target must know all relevant information about the non-profit. Here are some key issues to consider as the non-profit builds awareness: The information should come to target first hand and not filter through second or third hand audience. That builds a connection. The communication should be on-going and not […]

In 1988, when I got my first job offer to work for Pizza Hut corporate in Louisville, I was introduced to the complexities of the pizza wars.  It is amazing to see that the members of the Pizza Hut team of 1988 are now at CMO level positions in at least seven major restaurant chains. […]

What is the one thing a frequent traveler wants from a hotel during a business trip? Of course a clean hotel, a nice room, a great flat-screen TV, a shower with amazing water pressure and other things. But all this is of no avail if one cannot have a good night’s sleep. Some of us […]

Many times when I write about Marperations™, Operations gets the bad guy image, something which is trying to come in with measures to be more efficient and hence makes the guest experience more blah. The following incident is slightly different as Marketing set a tone which put Operations in a no-win situation.June 16, Westminster, ColoradoA […]

Recently, my daughter was not feeling well. It was a Friday afternoon, after 4PM. Most readers who are parents will agree with me that health problems with our children mainly happen either after hours or on weekends. So like any dad would do, I took her to The Children’s Hospital. In Denver they have a […]

During my days in working in the Pizza Industry (I started my career at Pizza Hut and eventually was the VP of Marketing & Operations Services at Papa John’s), one thing always baffled me. Why did the pizza category have the highest deal rate among any restaurant category? (A deal rate simply means what percentage of customers felt that they […]

Recently, I was visiting a Target. At check-out, I only had seven items so I went through the fast lane. It was quick and efficient. I was done in lightning speed. When I was ready to gather my bags and leave, I paused to look at the long line of regular customers who were buying more than […]

(What happened after hours, just happened after hours.) Last week I attended the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group (MEG) conference in Chicago. This is a list of the Top 10 Winners & 1 Hmmm at MEG this year. If you were absent, please contact your MEG friends to catch up on the scoop (as you really […]