Flip the Axis

Learn from what your customers are telling you, whether it’s through calls to customer relations or certain ads being more effective than others.

Gretchen HolquistMarch 5, 2021Bright Stories LLCbranding, brand strategy, brand management, marketingmanagement, marketing plan, marketingstrategy, content, market research, consumerinsights, consumer journey, brightstoriesmarketing

Keep Focus on the 4Ps

While the definition of each P needs to be broader than it was 10 years ago (e.g. promo can’t just mean TV and banner ads), ignoring the importance of these fundamentals risks a business, or at best, inhibits growth unnecessarily.

Gretchen HolquistFebruary 26, 2021Bright Stories Marketingbrightstoriesmarketing, marketingmanagement, marketing plan, marketing, marketingstrategy, brand strategy, brand management, 4Ps, business framework

Build a Better Brainstorm

Generating new ideas is critical for businesses. Here’s a better method if traditional brainstorms aren’t getting you what you need.

Gretchen HolquistJuly 9, 2019Bright Stories Marketingbrainstorming, branding, brand strategy, marketing, marketing plan, marketingstrategy, innovation, brainwriting

Who's It For?

Knowing who your story is for and then telling it to them is marketing’s job.

Gretchen HolquistJune 21, 2019Bright Stories Marketing, LLCbrightstoriesmarketing, branding, brand management, marketingmanagement, marketingstrategy, advertising, positioning, target consumer, value proposition

Using Listening Ears

Why we need our listening ears in marketing, and tips to practice using them regularly.

Gretchen HolquistMay 30, 2019Bright Stories Marketing, LLCmarketing, marketingstrategy, consumerinsights, marketing brief, creativebrief, strategic planning, listening ears, market research, active listening

Mom. Mom. Mom!! Or, why are we constantly interrupting our prospects?

What my kids taught me about making sure we show up at the right time to be heard.

Gretchen HolquistMay 22, 2019brightstoriesmarketing, adplanning, mediaplanning, persona, persona template, social media advertising, ideal customer profile, target consumer, permission marketing, marketingmanagement, marketing, marketingstrategy, marketing plan

Don't F-up the Brief

Lessons learned from screwing up the marketing brief, and questions to ask yourselves before starting work.

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