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 | Oct 8, 2021 | Brand Experience, Brand Strategy, Marketing Insights
My internet browsers open to the front page of The New York Times. For years, the first thing I would see when I went online looked like this: My go-to browser was Google Chrome. It seemed to function best with the apps I use. On August 30, 2021, I saw my tech-world...
by Evelyn Starr | Sep 23, 2021 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brand Strategy
Every summer I go berry picking at least once. This year my husband and I picked blueberries on an August Saturday at Tougas Farm in Northborough, Massachusetts. During the two hours we were in the field, I reveled in the berry-picking crowd. Entire families picked...
by Evelyn Starr | Apr 16, 2021 | Brand Growth & Rebranding, Brand Strategy, Brands In Adolescence
Photo credit: https://www.alliekelleyphoto.com This post is adapted from an excerpt of my book Teenage Wastebrand: How Your Brand Can Stop Struggling and Start Scaling To celebrate my 50th birthday, I threw myself a party. Oh, don’t look so surprised. Yes, I am that...
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 | 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 | 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...
