by Evelyn Starr | Jul 15, 2024 | Brand Experience, Brand Purpose & Values
When my biweekly cleaning service arrives to clean our house, my son AJ and I go out to lunch to get out of their way. Panera is among the restaurants in our regular rotation. We have long considered it one of our healthier options. I love soup and salad for lunch. AJ...
by Evelyn Starr | Jun 15, 2023 | Brand Purpose & Values, Brand Strategy
I didn’t have to convince my children to stay off their cell phones when they had friends over. My kids were in middle school before smart phones became common. But I was that parent who limited screen time during playdates. My challenge was mitigating Game Boy use. A...
by Evelyn Starr | May 20, 2023 | Brand Experience, Brand Purpose & Values
On May 20, 1993, my then-boyfriend Dan and I watched the Cheers finale along with 84 million other Americans. Unlike most of them, we watched from bleacher seats in front of the Bull & Finch pub, the Boston bar that inspired the series. NBC was going to broadcast...
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 | May 14, 2021 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brand Purpose & Values, Brands In Adolescence
After spending the winter of 2021 producing my book and the early spring getting it into the world, I needed a fun break. Don’t we all? Instead, I decided tackle one of the biggest brand dilemmas of the year. Who should host the quiz show Jeopardy!? If you haven’t...
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 | Nov 8, 2019 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brand Purpose & Values, Brand Strategy
**WARNING: Images of red wine stain on white carpet ahead. May not be suitable for all viewers. Red wine and white carpet. Not a winning combination. Our living room is a testament to that fact. We did not choose our white carpet. It came with the house which was only...
by Evelyn Starr | Apr 12, 2019 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brand Purpose & Values
On January 4, 2019 I implemented my plan to attend at least one writing conference this year by registering for the American Writers and Writing Program Conference (AWP) in Portland, Oregon at the end of March. Though the conference usually attracts 12,000 writers, I...
