by Evelyn Starr | Mar 17, 2023 | Brand Experience, Brand Strategy
As a mother of two young children in the early 2000s who worked from a home office, occasionally I would need a break. A few hours out of the house on my own to remember who I was without any obligation to feed, clothe, wash, educate, entertain, or otherwise support...
by Evelyn Starr | Feb 23, 2023 | Brand Purpose & Values, Brand Storytelling, Brand Strategy
For decades M&M’s conjured memories of focus groups for me. During my years in consumer insights departments (aka marketing research) for Veryfine Products and Dunkin’, I sat behind the mirror watching customers react to new product ideas, ad campaigns, and new...
by Evelyn Starr | Jan 27, 2023 | Brand Experience, Marketing Research Tips
Zappos disappointed me recently, but not with their shoes or their service. I had ordered five pairs of sneakers from them with the hope I’d find one I liked that fit. To my joy, three pairs fit. I liked all three but only needed one. I kept the one I liked most. As I...
by Evelyn Starr | Dec 9, 2022 | Brand Experience, Emotional Connections
I may be single-handedly keeping the post office in business. Few days pass when I don’t mail a card to someone. I buy 5 books of stamps at a time and cards by the dozens. Cronin Cards, a small business selling cards specifically for business communications, is a...
by Evelyn Starr | Nov 16, 2022 | Brand Experience, Marketing Insights
I love when my newsletter readers send me ideas for future issues. Last April my neighbor Tina emailed me to share a recent experience at Panera. On a Sunday Tina placed an order via Panera’s app as she was finishing her grocery shopping. She arrived at Panera 5...
by Evelyn Starr | Oct 25, 2022 | Personal Brand
When John McEnroe commentates, I want to listen. That was true in September both for the US Open and my light-fare TV watching while riding my elliptical trainer, Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series Never Have I Ever. Why would Mindy Kaling cast John McEnroe to narrate a...
by Evelyn Starr | Sep 30, 2022 | Marketing Insights, Marketing Tools & Tactics
Last January I took part in a virtual marketing panel discussion for my alma mater, Vassar College. Their Career Connections program helps sophomores learn more about potential fields of interest by featuring panels of alumni in different disciplines. The program also...
by Evelyn Starr | Aug 19, 2022 | Brand Experience, Marketing Insights
I used to joke that chocolate was a food group. I’m no longer joking. My diet contains a small daily dose of dark chocolate (or two) which I take with the devotion I used to give to a multivitamin. My husband Dan knows of my passion for dark chocolate and shares my...
by Evelyn Starr | Jul 15, 2022 | Brand Growth & Rebranding
Early in my career I found myself in the unusual position of giving advice to a lawyer. The lawyer was my college friend David who was working as a second-year associate at a firm in Morristown, New Jersey. This was in the late 1980s, when the popular TV show LA Law...
