by Evelyn Starr | Mar 26, 2021 | Brand Strategy, Marketing Insights
This post was originally published on March 11, 2016 and updated on March 26, 2021. In addition to my roles as wife, mother, healer, and finder of things in our household, I am also Chief Operations Officer. Like any good COO, I seek to keep overhead costs down. Our...
by Evelyn Starr | Feb 19, 2021 | Brand Experience, Brands In Adolescence, Marketing Insights
On Sunday March 8, 2020, I took my friend Kathryn out for brunch. We did not know this would be one of the last times we would be inside a restaurant that year. We were celebrating her birthday, but she had a gift for me. Kathryn and her boyfriend Neal saw the mug in...
by Evelyn Starr | Jan 22, 2021 | Brand Experience, Marketing Insights
I gave up making New Year’s resolutions years ago. I’m more of a make-a-goal-when-you-need-a-goal person. But on New Year’s Day 2020 I got drawn in by Tara Parker Pope’s “7-Day Sugar Challenge” in The New York Times. Pope almost lost me on Day 1 with her admonition to...
by Evelyn Starr | Dec 11, 2020 | Brand Experience, Brand Strategy, Marketing Strategy
My son AJ has always had a penchant for colorful clothes. Orange is his favorite color. A fair portion of his wardrobe reflects that, along with an ample array of reds and greens. On November 11, I sought to replace a beloved, well-worn pair of Nike orange sweatpants...
by Evelyn Starr | Nov 13, 2020 | Brand Experience, Brand Growth & Rebranding, Marketing Strategy
Early November brings certain reliable events to our New England neighborhood. The whir of leaf blowers replaces the buzz of lawn mowers as trees shed their remaining colorful leaves. At least one household begins prematurely displaying holiday lights. Sweaters,...
by Evelyn Starr | Oct 9, 2020 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brand Purpose & Values, Brand Strategy
When I started my business in late 1999, I spent time interviewing self-employed contacts for advice. One mentor told me she limited herself to working with three clients at a time. That piece of advice has been invaluable to me. A three-client roster does not sound...
by Evelyn Starr | Sep 11, 2020 | Brand Purpose & Values, Brand Strategy, Brands In Adolescence
A new client requested a Skype call recently. I installed Skype on my new laptop and wanted to test drive a call with my son AJ. When I asked him, AJ said he did not think he had it installed on his four-year-old laptop. Then he asked if my new client was 80 years...
by Evelyn Starr | Aug 14, 2020 | Marketing Insights, Marketing Strategy
In October 1991 I took a Marketing Research Analyst position with Veryfine Products, a juice company headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts. I was in the middle of my MBA program, the first half of which I attended full-time. For the first 18 months that I worked...
by Evelyn Starr | Jul 10, 2020 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brand Storytelling, Marketing Insights, Starter Set
This post originally appeared in March 2012 and remains one of my most popular. Updated on July 10, 2020. That’s me in the Polaroid instant photo with actor Michael Vale, better known as Fred the Baker, or the guy who used to utter “Time to make the donuts.” Mr. Vale...
