branding – MC2: Pure Energy

Reassuring Customers After Data Hacking: How Vudu Did It Right And What We Can Learn From It

April 10, 2013 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

I just got an e-mail (see below) from the CTO of on-line movie streaming service Vudu telling me that thieves broke into their Silicon Valley offices recently and made off with computer hard drives containing customer data. My immediate reaction was "yikes!" but then I read on. Unlike a lot of notices that I get on an all too regular basis from banks and retail outlets, this wasn't an impersonal message about an undisclosed "security event" that led to a compromise of customer data. I was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Digital Marketing, Marketing Best Practices

The Circle of Life, Brand Development Style

March 27, 2013 By Tom McCall 9 Comments

Like so many elements of marketing, the process of developing and articulating a differentiated brand is an ongoing one. Done right, it's a continual cycle of discovery, definition, communication, and evolution. At ICU Medical, we broke the process down into four easy to understand steps, each with its own set of strategies, objectives, and tactics that ultimately led to what we believe to be a sustainable brand that fits who we are today and has flexibility to extend to where we want to go tomorrow. In a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are, 2. Be Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are, 4. Grow Who You Are Tagged With: advertising, branding, business, Marketing, Marketing Best Practices, technology

Want to Know What People Really Think Of Your Brand? Look Around. All The Way Around!

December 27, 2012 By Tom McCall 2 Comments

The first step in developing a compelling brand for your product, service, or company is to know who you really are right now, and decide whether who you are now is who you want to be. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is—and it isn’t. All it really takes is an open mind and the ability to ask a few questions. But it also takes commitment to a process that requires you to set aside preconceived notions and be willing to accept the truth—even if it hurts. And since the truth can come in many forms depending … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Marketing, messaging, Self Awareness

Tell Me a Story. Why Medical Technology Marketing Doesn’t Have To Be Lifeless

November 28, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

Dr. Diana K. Lopez, the inspiration behind the Diana Hazardous Drug Compounding System. A story of tragedy leading to innovation.

Those of us who work in medical technology marketing are a pretty lucky bunch. We get to bring products and technologies to market that make a real difference in the lives of real people. Products that help doctors and nurses provide better care. Products that improve efficiencies and reduce the cost of care. Products that save lives. So why is it that so much medical technology marketing is lifeless drivel when we have such a powerful story to tell? I think some of it has to do with the long, involved, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Marketing, Medical Device, Simplicity

4 Steps To Take When Your Sales Force “Doesn’t Get It”

November 20, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

As marketers, we spend a great deal of time and money developing brands and positioning products in such a way as to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and motivate customers and prospects to take action. We agonize over the details of each ingredient in the marketing mix, every link in the value-delivery chain, to make sure we turn interest into action. Global branding into gross margin. Sales promotions into sales leads. And when we’ve done our jobs well, those sales leads turn into honest-to-goodness … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2. Be Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Marketing, Sales Force Alignment

Branding Missteps: Stuff You Can’t Make Up, Volume 1

October 16, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

Global Branding 101 teaches that if you’re going to compete globally, make sure your brand translates appropriately. This weekend at a major medical technology trade show I came across a company that apparently never took that class. Say hello to Pajunk Medical Systems. Now, from what I’ve since found out, Pajunk Medical Systems is a German medical device company with a decades-long history of success, founded in 1964 by the brothers Horst and Heinrich Pajunk. And, according to the helpful fellow at the Pajunk … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are, 2. Be Who You Are, Uncategorized Tagged With: branding, Global Marketing, Marketing, Naming, Trade Show Marketing

Now, What Was It You Wanted to Sell Me?

October 12, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

I love that ad! It was created in the 1950s, but the message it sends is every bit as valid today. Don’t try to sell to me until you’ve built a relationship with me. Unfortunately, too many companies try to do just that. They may be successful in their existing niche, but when they try to expand beyond their base, their efforts fall flat. There are tons of examples I could cite, but one that sticks in my mind is a company I worked with that had been successfully selling into the clinical marketplace for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Medical Device, Medical technology, messaging

Do You REALLY Know Who You Are?

October 11, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

Thin intellectual standing in front of mirror reflecting muscular body builder figure

It has always fascinated me how some people can have such a severely skewed view of how the rest of world really sees them and yet be totally oblivious to it. You know the types. The scrawny kid who looks in the mirror and sees a chiseled Adonis. The ill-tempered overbearing boss who believes his minions love and adore him. The overage Lothario who doesn’t realize he looks like a buffoon as he chases down women half his age. And on and on it goes. Why is that? Are they surrounded by lackeys who only tell … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Self Awareness

Keeping it Simple is Harder than it Seems

October 10, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

Albert Einstein once said: “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Simplicity is a powerful differentiator. That’s why I decided to focus this blog on the four simple principles I believe are essential for building a successful brand. Whether you are running an established business or launching a start-up, the keys to branding and business success are the same. Simply put, you need to: > Know Who You Are > Be Who You Are > Show Who You Are > Grow Who … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are, 2. Be Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are, 4. Grow Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Marketing, Self Awareness, Simplicity

Reassuring Customers After Data Hacking: How Vudu Did It Right And What We Can Learn From It

The Circle of Life, Brand Development Style

Want to Know What People Really Think Of Your Brand? Look Around. All The Way Around!

Tell Me a Story. Why Medical Technology Marketing Doesn’t Have To Be Lifeless

4 Steps To Take When Your Sales Force “Doesn’t Get It”

Branding Missteps: Stuff You Can’t Make Up, Volume 1

Now, What Was It You Wanted to Sell Me?

Do You REALLY Know Who You Are?

Keeping it Simple is Harder than it Seems

Building Brands that Build Business

Follow Tom via E-Mail

Top Posts & Pages

Archives

Tags

Tom’s Twitter Feed

Follow “MC2: Pure Energy”