The new year is here! And as we venture forward with fresh business insights and useful strategy, here are the top 10 articles most popular with C-suites in 2019 that you may have missed. 

At some point, a business may need to rebrand to stay competitive in the market. But how do you ensure a smooth transition and not lose any customers in the process? 

Value is in the eye of the beholder. In a world teeming with new product offerings, a critical question we need to ask today is: in a sea of undifferentiated offerings, how do we make our product or service stand out so people will buy from us?

Should brands aim to be different or distinctive? What is the difference between the two, and how do these strategies add value to the branding equation? We take a closer look at shared evidence and form our own conclusions on why distinctiveness stumps differentiation.

Many brands aim for differentiation in their growth strategy. But is being different all it really takes to stand out?

Do you know how much your brand is worth? Although brand valuation can be difficult to measure, since a brand is an intangible asset, knowing its worth is useful not only for your business strategy but also in shaping your marketing strategy.

Are you proactively influencing how your target audience sees your brand in relation to all the other options available to them (a.k.a your competitors)? 

Your business is only one of hundreds or thousands competing for your customer’s attention. It’s a marketing battleground. And if your goal is to win the war, you need to differentiate yourself in a way that actually matters to your customers.

Whilst this sounds obvious, it’s not. All too often, businesses assume they understand what is important for their customers.

One of the many challenges businesses face today more than ever is connecting with their audiences, whether it's their customers or employees.

What may be a significant policy update that can lead to positive change, if delivered in the wrong tone or framed in the wrong way, could end up being received poorly by the team.

It was Steve Forbes who famously said, “Your brand is the single most important investment in your business.” But some, if not most, businesses tend to misunderstand this. Here’s why.

What really makes people decide to buy? And no, it doesn't have a lot to do with singing kittens riding bikes. Find out what does work here:

The heart of every business is human connections. At the end of the day, our work boils down to dealing with people: we exist to solve their problems and mitigate their pain points.

As the holiday rush pours in, you need to do more than the usual to make an impact in your holiday marketing.

To make a lasting impression that leads to conversion for the holidays, you have to be able to capture interest and emotionally connect with your audience to elicit a response and get them to engage.

The most effective way to do that is through emotive storytelling.  

Your brand is anything that comes from your company as a specific source. To the consumer, it symbolises what they can expect when they do business with you. And in today’s crowded marketplace, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your brand stands out from the crowd. 

This blog post features the 12th brand archetype in the series, which explores how brands use literary archetypes to stand out and be remembered.

Offering a product or service with utility or merit is no longer enough. It’s now necessary to create a value proposition to get people to notice and convert them to loyal customers.

One of the most important things to understand about marketing is that at the heart of every business, there is a brand story waiting to be told to the world.

IMPORTANT!!!

1. Watch my video first until I tell you to pause 

2. Then click: Lockitron 

3. Followed by: August 

4. Then return to my video. 

“65% of the economy will face digital disruption by 2017.” (Deloitte)

Disruption will merge sectors and make others redundant. New entrants are now challenging business norms and making huge profits riding the wave.

Have you noticed how most businesses talk about themselves? Check the “About Us” page and you’ll see that they are actually saying the same message:

If you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong, says the Jester. Does your business love having fun and living in the moment?

Does your business create products or provide services that help make a person more attractive, enjoy intimacy, or build relationships? Read on.

The Innocent customer looks for products that will make living life simple and good. Does your business offer this?

The nurturer, the supporter, the parent, the saint — this is the Caregiver archetype. Find out if this suits your brand.

When brands identify with archetypes, customers are drawn to them. No wonder archetypal marketing is now a prerequisite to effective marketing. Discover how you can use the brand archetypes in your own business.

This blog post features the 7th brand archetype in the series, which explores how brands use literary archetypes to stand out and be remembered.

This is the 6th brand archetype in the series, which explores how brands use literary archetypes to stand out and be remembered.

This is the brand archetype for the revolutionaries, the misfits, and the radicals. Think: Harley Davidson. Richard Branson and his Virgin empire. The Australian bushranger Ned Kelly. Does your brand define the Outlaw? Find out here.