What’s Loyalty Got To Do With It?

I’m amazed to hear people still using dead language when it comes to brands. One such piece of deceased wordage is “brand loyalty.”

Remember the concept of brand loyalty? Your Mom always bought Charmin so you bought Charmin. Your Dad was a Ford guy so you were a Ford guy. You can still find attitudes like this scattered around the country, but the idea of brand loyalty basically doesn’t work anymore.

Today, you stop buying Charmin because you see a brand on the shelf that promises a higher amount of recycled paper, and you and your wife are trying to reduce your collective carbon footprint. Or you stop buying Fords when you see pictures of the vanishing glaciers and decide your next car will be a Toyota Prius. There are all kinds of reasons why people do not remain loyal to brands anymore, but the biggest reason, according to anthropologists, is meaning. And meaning is the opposite of loyalty, because meaning constantly changes.

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Wealth of recent hires

We are so incredibly fortunate to have been hiring over the last several months. Given the economy, it might sound like we got sauced and went on a spree. But, sad to say, we were totally sober.

We have a lot of work happening. Like I said, we’re ridiculously fortunate.

Not just to have been hiring, but in the caliber of people we’ve hired. Some of these folks I’ve known for ten or fifteen years and never dreamed I’d be able to hire them. Others are jewels more recently discovered.

Besides the news I announced a few weeks ago about Josh Berger of Plazm,

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Kerri Martin’s new ride

So let’s see what happens when you put some high-test fuel behind the launch of a new electric car.

Kerri’s back.

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Brand Ethos

Spend to save?

The headline says “Every Bottle Makes a Difference.” Ethos water, acquired by Starbucks in 2005 distributes .05¢ from each $1.80USD bottle sold ($.10 per unit in Canada) to fund clean water projects in under-developed areas. Although sales of Ethos water have raised over $4,000,000 for clean water efforts, and the marketing positioning suggests clearly that purchase of this water will make the lives better for people who make less per week than the cost of the bottle itself, the brand is not a charity organization. 94% of the sale price does not support clean-water projects, but rather the Starbucks bottom line. “So what?” you might say, “Starbucks is giving back.” The founders of Ethos say the brand is intended to raise awareness of third-world clean water issues and provide socially responsible consumers with an opportunity to support the cause by choosing Ethos over other brands. After all, nearly 2/3 of the people on the planet do not have access to clean water, and as global population increases, sources are becoming fewer and fewer.

There is no doubt that the money and awareness Ethos raises is

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How do we spend our time?

Unemployed Americans

Explore American’s time use through an interactive New York Times map charting gender, age, race, employment, and education. Comparing and contrasting can cause us to consider what we value in our daily lives.

Employed Americans

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Playboy jumps into a rabbit hole

When I say the word “Playboy” to you, what comes to mind? If you’re a boomer male or even Gen X, you probably think of the Bunny logo and Hugh Hefner, the indefatigable leader and creator of this great brand.

Playboy's Iconic "Bunny" Logo

If you’re a fan of brands, like I am, you may even recall the brand’s rich history,

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