When trying to create competitive advantage, many companies fall into a familiar trap – they allow themselves to be defined by the limitations and assumptions of “the business that they’re in.” For example, consider the soft drink industry – Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other smaller regional brands. This industry is faced with growing media scrutiny and public…

I get the feeling sometimes from watching TV ads that a lot of people in the advertising industry would rather be artists, movie directors or comedy writers. Too many ads seem like they were made with the goal of getting laughs, dazzling the audience with visual tricks, or (in the worst cases) impressing other ad…

Too many companies, especially small-to-medium size companies that are not as familiar with the world of advertising, are being sold on “branding advertising” as the answer to all their marketing challenges. Advertising is an important part of building a brand, but it’s not the only part. It’s worth re-visiting the difference between branding and advertising…

How to avoid the “Race to the Bottom” and marketing your company as a higer-value provider In tough economic times, many companies are tempted to try to compete on price. “If we cut our prices, we can drive up our sales volume,” these companies’ leaders say to themselves. “Then we’ll be better off – and we…

The Google competitive advantage allows it to uphold the position as the dominant search engine in the world, with almost 90 percent of the total search market, according to Connexity. To maintain Google’s competitive advantage, the company has developed an infrastructure that guarantees a fast and efficient search engine, as well as branching out its efforts…

While touting a rather irresistable competitive advantage message, Progressive impels consumers to take control of their insurance prices with a strong marketing message. FLO: Hi, may I help you? Customer: Yeah, I’m looking for car insurance that isn’t going to break the bank. FLO: You’re in the right place! Only Progressive gives you the option to name your price. Here!…

As highly-competitive manufacturers and retailers become lost in a sea of sameness in the eyes of consumers, it is up to the brand to catch the focus of consumers’ eyes and differentiate from competitors. Following the introduction of the Apple iPad, Hewlett-Packard began discussing setting prices on its anticipated PC version of a tablet to directly compete in price with…