AlphaGraphics Increases Its Reach
Emphasizing its expanded “full solution” approach to marketing services, AlphaGraphics recently unveiled its new brand which will be implemented across its entire network throughout the coming year. It’s a moment that everyone at Alphagraphics has been waiting for, and one that CBD has been working towards.
Having partnered with CBD early on in the planning phase, Alphagraphics underwent our rigorous brand evolution process to expand its product offerings appropriately and relevantly, and create a new brand presence in the marketplace that is sure to resonate with their target audience. Now, each of its 300 business centers are prepared to expand their core services from visual communications and traditional printing services including color, large format, offset and digital printing, to multi-channel, cross media solutions including online, mobile, direct marketing, e-Publishing and email marketing.
This evolution is the perfect example of change management at its best. And Alphagraphics did it right in working each step of the process. From task force implementation to primary and secondary research, internal workshops to business case development, Alphagraphics committed to doing everything necessary to guarantee success.
AlphaGraphics CEO, Kevin Cushing, harnessed the excitement of today’s marketing environment and recognized that technology innovations provide the network’s business owners with new and creative ways to reach existing and prospective customers. This insight, coupled with extensive market research, lead to the development of the new, highly meaningful tagline, Increase Your Reach.
Congratulations to everyone at AlphaGraphics for the hard work that led to this exciting brand re-launch. We wish you every success and are honored to have been a part of this tremendous evolutionary effort.
Customer-Centric Seminar Positions Energy Firms for Growth
Energy industry leaders are starting to embrace the consumer as an important voice in the national conversation about energy. As a result, understanding how to transition to modern customer interface practices is of paramount importance in building a stronger and more differentiated organization. While it is critical for utilities and providers to adopt a customer-centric business model, this is a huge organizational and cultural challenge.
In this one-day, executive-level strategy session entitled “The Energy Imperative: Adopting Customer-Centric Strategies to Differentiate and Thrive”, Colman Brohan Davis brings together leading energy industry experts to provide unique perspectives and change management practices for accomplishing this critical transformation. Specifically, discussions will present opportunities that can be realized for customer-centric providers and the threats that traditional top-down providers will face.
During this interactive session, we will address:
- Adaptive strategies of customer-centric companies in energy and other deregulated industries.
- Business models that recognize and embrace the changed role of the consumer.
- Insights into how regulations will evolve and how you should organize your efforts.
- Upgrades needed in IT capability and their anticipated costs.
- Customer perceptions of energy providers and strategies engaging audiences appropriately.
- And much more.
Our panel of experts includes Richard Guha, former President of Reliant Energy, Brett Perlman, former head of the Public Utilities Commission in Texas and Lynne Kiesling with the Department of Economics and Social Enterprise at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business. Lynne is also co-author of the book, “Electricity Restructuring, The Texas Story.”
For more detail on how this seminar will be the catalyst for change and for your organization, please contact me at lbrohan@cbdmarketing.com or 312-661-1050.
Will WindMade Logo Blow Away Consumers?
The wind power industry unveiled its new WindMade™ logo recently, marking a big step toward helping consumers identify products made with this clean-energy source. The move is worth applauding and already has the support of many corporate giants including Microsoft, Ikea and Wal-Mart.
Though it is yet to be determined which products will be the first to carry the new logo, criteria for using the designation requires that at least 25% of the electricity used to create a product must be derived from wind power. Are there products that don’t require electricity in their creation? Perhaps that’s a blog for another day.
For now, everyone involved in the project from the Wind Energy Foundation to the World Wildlife Fund, will have to wait and see what impact on purchase choice and behavior the new mark will have. The degree of persuasiveness will ultimately depend on marketing. If enough effort is put into awareness and education by those brands earning the designation, it stands to reason that sales and ROI will follow.
There are other gains these initial brands should also expect by promoting the mark in their marketing materials. For starters, their sustainability halo will glow considerably brighter, positive PR mentions and placements will thrive and social media mentions will grow exponentially.
Currently, it’s hard to imagine a downside to this new and exciting initiative, unless its not supported by marketing.
A Full Summer Reading List
A couple of weeks ago, I shared some of my recent favorite books that I thought you might enjoy adding to your summer reading list. Now I’m ready to list the titles I’ve lined up to read while in the sun or on vacation. Each of these books is currently stacked up on my nightstand waiting to be prioritized and devoured.
1. Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon–and the Journey of a Generation by Shelia Wecker. I was actually given this book by a colleague earlier this year, but got distracted by Keith Richards and Steven Tyler’s memoirs. Now, I’m looking forward to exploring how these three distinct yet dovetailing artists bucked the expectations that had been laid out for them by previous generations and blazed a new path for women to follow.
2. We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen is said to be a spellbinding fictional book which spans 100 years (starting in 1848) and 4 generations of families from the small Danish coastal town Marstal. Jensen’s debut novel is already hailed as an instant classic.
3. Old Town by Lin Zhe. This is the story of an ordinary family caught up in the maelstrom that was China’s most recent century. Zhe’s narrative ranges across the entire length of China, to California and back again, to the battlefields of the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance and the brutal “struggle” of the Cultural Revolution.
4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. This has been promoted as one of the freshest debuts in years: a comedy, a heartbreaker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read. The lead character is autistic and I am looking forward to what’s sure to be a new voice and perspective.
5. The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards. This is the story of a woman’s homecoming, a family secret, and the old house that holds the key to the true legacy of a family. My sister recently mentioned that she is adopting a life goal inspired by this story, but won’t tell me what it is until I read the book. So, I better get started.
As I look forward to reading all of these books this summer, some of which are rather long, it occurs to me that I’m going to need a longer season. That’s a lot to ask for from a Chicago summer, but I’m remaining hopeful.
Now that I’ve given you many books to think about. Please let me know what you’ll be reading this summer.
Utility of the Future Conference Highlights New Roles for Leading Change
Discussions on industry change, such as customers’ demand for more control and transparency, the rise of nontraditional competitors, and regulatory practices and policies, are stifling industry progress. This issue permeated the 4th Annual KEMA Utility of the Future Conference Leadership Series. Utility executives discussed industry issues and opportunities in a manner which would ensure their involvement in shaping the future, whereas they presently only participate in it.
The need to move faster toward more customer-centric realities punctuated this year’s event. Opening remarks noted that the customers will reign supreme in their demand to control information. This will require a major energy communications shift from simply presenting information to telling customers what they can accomplish with it. Continue reading
Ten Titles to Add to Your Summer Reading List
Time to take a break from business books and turn to titles that are great for toting to the beach or taking on vacation. And try not to feel guilty. Just because you’re reading for fun, relaxation doesn’t mean you won’t learn something that’s applicable to your marketing initiatives. Sometimes just experiencing a new voice or a different approach will help you to tell your story in a fresh compelling way.
1. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This is a true story of WWII survival. After reading page after amazing page, you’re left feeling that there is no such thing as “can’t.” And for those of us addicted to hope, it reaffirms that we’re on to something…big.
2. Life by Keith Richards. Keith serves up an alternate reality which proves that while rock stars are great at making music, their true genius lies in rationalizing truly bad behavior. I was torn between this and Steven Tyler’s memoirs, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You, but Keith’s is funnier. Continue reading
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
