Category: Branding & Market Views

Earning trust, the essential currency of commerce

What is the most important asset for success in business? A new idea? A strong team? Lean manufacturing? A sales plan? A huge email list or Twitter following? Location? This question is something like the old desert island query: “If you were stranded on a remote desert island and could...

7 new business trends we’re seeing in 2018

Millennials welcome generation Z America’s youngest generation, “Gen-Z” (those born after 1998), are now entering their formative years and rising in influence. At nearly 70 million strong, the eldest of which are now entering college and/or the workforce, this group will soon outnumber their Millennial predecessors. Millennials are not children anymore....

The Story Behind 25 Epic Strategic Marketing Fails

Influencing public opinion and behavior is a complicated art, and hitting all the right notes in your advertising and marketing is rarely an easy task. That’s why developing a solid brand and market strategy is so very important. We’ve compiled thumbnails on 25 efforts that haven’t worked out so well....

Is your website doing its job?

By Julie Stanko, Valcort Digital Marketing Manager It is rare to talk with a corporate leader who is enthusiastic about the performance of the company’s website, and we find great interest in our counsel on improving website results.  Many people recognize that SEO (search engine optimization) is one of the...

The World’s Best Corporate Websites

A company’s website is often the first point of contact with the world, yet many corporations have been behind the curve when it comes to their web presence. Bowen Craggs & Co., a London-based corporate communication consultancy, has published a critique of the websites of the world’s 200 largest companies,...

What’s your plan for Millennials?

by Katherine Jeffery, PhD There is a huge generational shift taking place in the world. Some find this exhilarating while others are left scratching their heads, not only wondering what happened but also trying frantically to figure out how to stay relevant. Millennials and Gen Z have upset the status...

Is anyone paying attention? The challenge of measuring progress

Valcort Research Report  Over the last 15 years, we have conducted dozens of diagnostic surveys to measure organizational strength on the 35 VALCORT business practices.  The Corporate Alignment and Market Readiness Assessment (CAMeRA) takes a snap shot of how well companies are mastering these practices, as well as the alignment of executive...

What’s your trust quotient?

Trust is important to all of us.  We make judgments related to granting or seeking trust every day. This is as true in business as it is in our personal lives.  Whether a corporate leader, investor, employee, channel partner or a customer, we intuitively determine the questions we should ask...

Is spontaneity underrated? The changing face of impulse buying

Adding a pack of gum or a magazine to your shopping cart has helped retailers make a crucial few extra dollars for decades. A recent survey by CreditCards.com found that 68 percent of U.S. consumers said their primary location for making impulse buys was “in person in a store.” Thirty...

13 Ways to Build Better Business Relationships

All successful businesses–regardless of what they do or sell–have one thing in common: their people know how to build and maintain relationships. The truth is that business leaders too often get caught up in the details of the kinds of products or services they are selling to notice how critical it...