by Evelyn Starr | Sep 8, 2017 | Brand Strategy
About eight years ago I went from striving to finish a 32-ounce tub of yogurt before it went bad (usually over three or four weeks) to consuming a tub a week. Two events led to this change. First, my husband Dan and I began taking annual summer trips to The...
by Evelyn Starr | Aug 10, 2017 | Marketing Insights, Marketing Tools & Tactics
During the latter half of July my husband Dan and I took a 10-day vacation to Scotland with friends. Lots of golf for Dan, lots of sightseeing for me. It was a wonderful break and I came back with that relaxed vacation feeling that gives you a new perspective on your...
by Evelyn Starr | Jul 14, 2017 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brands In Adolescence, Marketing Insights
From the moment my eighth grade French teacher informed me that you could study abroad in college I knew I was going to France. Six years later I spent the summer preceding my junior year at a program in Avignon and the fall semester in Paris. I traveled for the two...
by Evelyn Starr | Jun 8, 2017 | Marketing Insights, Marketing Tools & Tactics
In the summer of 1991, when the unemployment rate in Boston hit 8.4 percent, I had the unfortunate need to find a job. I was transitioning from a full-time MBA student at Boston College to part-time. I was temping during the day to pay the bills. Two nights each week...
by Evelyn Starr | May 11, 2017 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brand Strategy, Brands In Adolescence
If you wanted to buy a book online, where would you shop? If you wanted to buy organic foods, where would you go? If you wanted to see how your baseball team fared at its most recent game, where would you look? Raise your hand if you answered Amazon, Whole Foods or...
by Evelyn Starr | Apr 14, 2017 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brand Strategy, Marketing Insights
When a fashion-conscious teenager opts for a 104-year-old product, there must be something special about it. So when my 16-year-old daughter Fiona chose L.L. Bean rainboots, I had to ask her what the appeal was. To Fiona’s credit and my relief, she did not say...
by Evelyn Starr | Mar 9, 2017 | Brand Strategy, Brands In Adolescence, Marketing Insights
Do you know how brand images are formed? Come behind the scenes to my kitchen project and take a look. I was seeking a tile contractor to install a new backsplash in my kitchen. My aim was to get three bids. I got a list of names from two tile retail stores and...
by Evelyn Starr | Feb 9, 2017 | Brand Storytelling, Marketing Tools & Tactics
When I read Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography Born to Run in January, I learned that he and I have a few things in common. Both of us like the smell of coffee but not the taste. Neither of us can read sheet music. Both of us grew up in New Jersey (okay I knew that),...
by Evelyn Starr | Jan 13, 2017 | Brand Strategy, Brands In Adolescence, Marketing Insights
What do Netflix and “The Godfather” have in common? Both showcase visionary brands that have succeeded with unorthodox methods. In Netflix’s case, to paraphrase Mario Puzo, keep your friends close and your competitors on the payroll. Wait – what? Most business...
