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(2054, 4, '2015-01-14 19:05:39', '2015-01-14 19:05:39', 'Picture a steak — beautiful, medium-rare filet with grilled asparagus. Can you smell it? Now picture it on a paper plate on your desk as you read this. Not as appetizing? That steak will taste differently depending on where you are and how it’s presented.\r\nYour environment has an effect on how you perceive food — a huge effect. McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson explains, “If you have a restaurant that is appealing, contemporary and relevant from both the street and the interior, the food tastes better.”\r\n\r\nWith foodservice emerging as one of the biggest trends in convenience, many retailers are reexamining many aspects of their brand and business. The type of consumer we are targeting has changed to include females, families and Millennials. Chefs are being consulted and culinary trends are being analyzed. With a focus on food, internal capabilities such as health, operations and purchasing are being affected. What\'s not always obvious is that design plays a huge part in the success of a foodservice offering.\r\n\r\nDesign wasn\'t always critical. Convenience stores were a place to buy stuff: cokes, smokes, chips and lottery tickets. Stores needed to be clean and bright. In order to differentiate between other stores, over-the-top branding was used. You know, the “Xtreme Mountain Fountain Zone” type of thing.\r\n\r\nWell, times are changing. Convenience stores have long been moving away from highly disruptive graphics toward restaurant cues. Many top c-store chains compete with the Dunkin’s and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) of the world on a regular basis. Casey\'s pizzas, Wawa hoagies and Stripes’ Laredo tacos are all credible alternatives.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Screen-Shot-2015-01-15-at-Thursday-January-15-2015-2.29.27-PM.png\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8755\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Screen-Shot-2015-01-15-at-Thursday-January-15-2015-2.29.27-PM.png\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at Thursday, January 15, 2015, 2.29.27 PM\" width=\"661\" height=\"182\" /></a>There are many ways to design for food and not every store has to be cookie-cutter to be successful. Neighbours, a concept designed for Petro-Canada more than 10 years ago, made waves in the convenience industry with a more restaurant-inspired look and feel.\r\n\r\nFormer senior director of foodservice at Petro-Canada Ed Burcher explains, \"We needed the guest to think ‘FOOD’ from the time they pulled into the parking lot to when they entered the store. The colors, textures and design had to reinforce the food purchase. We were able to do this and people thought of Neighbours as a restaurant and coffee shop, not a c-store. Our competition for the food occasion was Tim Horton\'s and McDonald’s, not other gas stations.”\r\n\r\nNeighbours’ exterior was made of stone, while dark, earthy colors covered the interior. The atmosphere was rounded out by specialty lighting, imported glass tile in the bathroom, a barista and an open kitchen with chef-inspired uniforms. In the first year, the first 10 stores sold more coffee than the rest of the network. Was the offer better? Of course it was. But it looked like a place to buy coffee, not a place to buy motor oil and toilet paper that happened to sell coffee.\r\n\r\nIt was a successful design that showcased food on a pedestal. This aesthetic has become an industry paradigm, borrowed and imitated for nearly a decade. But what\'s happened now is that everyone is chasing it and only looking inside the industry for design inspiration. We\'ve seen new stores across the nation from different convenience retailers sporting similar details. It makes you want to be in the stone, red awning and gooseneck lighting business.\r\n\r\nTo be with and even ahead of the times, you need to look inside and outside of the category. Where are people buying food? Grocery stores, drugstores and QSRs are only a few channels that have become competition.\r\n\r\nInterestingly, about two years ago, top QSRs started adapting a more European approach to design. McDonald’s, Wendy\'s and Burger King were all updated. Bold, solid colors, liberal use of wood and geometric architecture have all been seen in new store offerings. Inside, they are experimenting with multiple chair types and specialty lighting. They look like dining rooms, not bathrooms. (Look at your store to see if the flooring, lighting and wall colors are the same inside the bathroom as in the foodservice area. If they are, it might be time to reconsider.)\r\n\r\nFood presentation is also key. Even if you sell hot dogs, you have to be willing to overstock in order to show abundance and appetite appeal. You have to invest in foodservice. If you are set on waiting until the last hot dog is sold off the roller grill, then you should get out of the business. No one wants that last dog.\r\n\r\nA little food theater can go a long way. We are seeing more open kitchens, fresh produce areas and eye-catching equipment like the tap-style Unicorn soda dispenser from Lancer.\r\n\r\nCustomers will respond to your efforts. They will associate the design of your store with a place to come for fresh food and beverages. People eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouths. Design is an amazing thing. It lives. It evolves. It changes people\'s emotions. It comforts. It excites … and it sells food.\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"%20http://www.csnews.com/product-categories/foodservice/designed-foodservice-success#sthash.R0DjrKIb.dpuf\">here</a>.', 'Designed for Foodservice Success', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'designed-for-foodservice-success', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/designed-for-foodservice-success', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2055, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:10', '2018-09-27 16:53:10', '', 'orange-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'orange-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:10', '2018-09-27 16:53:10', '', 1665, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/orange-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2056, 4, '2015-01-14 20:30:26', '2015-01-14 20:30:26', 'CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy based here, has been retained by OKKO, the L\'viv, Ukraine-based network of 400 petroleum and convenience stores, to help refine its product offering and shop design standards. OKKO stores can be found along highway interchanges as well as more densely populated urban areas in this country of more than 45 million people.\r\n\"OKKO operates traditional c-stores throughout the region, which are quite modern and good looking,\" said veteran c-store designer and consultant Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments. \"However, the chain recognized a need to enhance its product offering, particularly for stores located in urban areas where fast, fresh and convenient food offers could help the company stand out among its competitors and increase market share and profits.\"\r\n\r\nThe assignment includes helping OKKO balance traditional c-store offerings along with food-to-go selections. To that end, CBX will work with the chain to develop a scalable foodservice program that can be rolled out across the network while also rationalizing existing merchandise selections. \"In the global convenience store market, food-on-the move is a growth area for all operators, but especially for those in emerging markets with an expanding middle class,\" Bona explained. \"Our role is to help OKKO define itself through product offer as the leader in their market.\"\r\n\r\nOn the design side, Bona noted that OKKO recently instituted a chainwide remodel and refresh program involving its gas canopy logo and forecourt standards. Under its assignment, CBX will build upon that program by developing new complementary standards across different assets, including exterior and interior shop design, shop layout, uniforms, temporary and permanent signage, menus, and other communication vehicles. \"The goal is to project the OKKO brand\'s strong local roots and its focus on innovation,\" Bona concluded.\r\n\r\n\"We are really excited to work with the CBX team,\" said Iryna Moiseyeva, Director of Private Enterprise at OKKO. \"Their international experience and strong retail background supports us in our strategy, planning and renovation projects. We are looking forward to opening the first three new stores with our new concept and updated offering in the beginning of 2015.\"\r\n\r\n<strong>As seen in:</strong>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.pennenergy.com/marketwired-oilgas/2015/01/14/leading-ukraine-c-store-network-okko-taps-cbx-to-enhance-product-offering-and-shop-design.html\" target=\"_blank\">Penn Energy.com</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.nacsonline.com/News/Member_News/Pages/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">NACS Online</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://insights.retailenvironments.org/2015/01/19/cbx-retained-ukraine-based-c-store-network/\" target=\"_blank\">A.R.E Retail Environments</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/leading-ukraine-c-store-network-okko-taps-cbx-enhance-product-offering-and-shop-design\" target=\"_blank\">VMSD</a>', 'Leading Ukraine C-Store Network OKKO Taps CBX to Enhance Product Offering and Shop Design', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leading-ukraine-c-store-network-okko-taps-cbx-to-enhance-product-offering-and-shop-design', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/leading-ukraine-c-store-network-okko-taps-cbx-to-enhance-product-offering-and-shop-design', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2057, 4, '2015-01-14 21:51:11', '2015-01-14 21:51:11', '<strong>Veteran retail consultant David Weinberger outlines ‘Four 2015 Retail Trends.</strong><strong>You Haven’t Heard About’ in column for Chain Store Age Online.</strong>\r\n\r\nAs retailers try to squeeze more sales-per-square-foot out of smaller spaces over the next year, they will be forced to get more creative—even partnering with each other to make their stores more compelling, writes Dave Weinberger, VP and director of engagement for CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy, in a Jan. 8 column for Chain Store Age Online.\r\n\r\nIn the column (“<a href=\"http://www.cbx.com/news/four-2015-retail-trends-you-havent-already-heard-about/\" target=\"_blank\">Four 2015 Retail Trends You Haven’t Already Heard About</a>”), Weinberger describes how real estate pressures will drive four trends in the year ahead, all of which are related to better understanding and catering to today’s shoppers. “Consumers are shopping more often and making smaller trips,” Weinberger writes. “Because of this, retailers are not just shifting to smaller formats; they are also taking increased note of how people shop and why their habits are changing.”\r\n\r\nThe consultant describes “theme-parkifying,” for example, as a way to give shoppers an exciting experience that happens to be convenient as well. He cites the Chicago and New York locations of Eataly as a possible source of inspiration for chains seeking to innovate in this way. “Sometimes likened to a grocery store with tasting rooms, the Italian food and wine emporium offers a compelling mix of retail, restaurants, food and beverage stations, a bakery and cooking schools, all under one roof,” Weinberger explains. “Such themed and curated shopping experiences are precisely the types of brick-and-mortar concepts that can inspire people to close their MacBook Pros, get off the couch and drive to the mall.”\r\n\r\nIn the year ahead, other retailers will likely put their own spins on creative curation and theming. Babies “R” Us, for example, could take over a large-footprint store and create an experience built around a theme such as “motherhood.” Such a hybrid concept could have Babies “R” Us joined by, say, a Starbucks, a Lululemon, a Massage Envy and a wine shop all inside a vacant big-box store, Weinberger writes.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, “corner grabbing” refers to the likelihood that convenience concepts will snap up premium corner locations, which are among the most convenient in any marketplace but are frequently owned by banks that no longer need this real estate. “In 2015, as the major convenience players jockey for position, look for c-store companies such as Couche-Tard, 7-Eleven or CST brands to make big real estate deals with banks as they seek to seize such coveted real estate,” he writes.\r\n\r\nIn 2015, struggling retailers will also try to “reboot” and get out of their real estate commitments rather than simply closing their doors as in the past. Six months ago, for example, Authentic Brands Group announced it was shutting down all Juicy Couture locations, with a re-launch of the brand planned for 2015. “Store-in-store deals are part of this proposal as well,” Weinberger writes. “Is this strategy high-risk? Sure. But it is potentially high reward as well.”\r\n\r\nLastly, the consultant describes “side selling”—a trend toward looking for alternative channels in which to sell retail goods. Retail is currently popping up in parks and other public spaces, he explains, and it will continue to branch out in the year ahead. “We will start to see colleges and universities, which have the demos and traffic flow retailers crave, sign more exclusive partnership agreements with retailers,” Weinberger predicts. “More businesses, too, will open up their extra space for retail.” Gyms, for example, could boost productivity by offering vitamin shops, apparel stores and juice bars, he writes.\r\n\r\n“I firmly believe retailers will have to get creative to compete in the marketplace and get the most out of their real estate in 2015,” Weinberger concludes. “Channel lines will continue to blur as retailers invite, not only more consumer brands and tech vendors, but also other retailers into their stores. It should be an exciting year.”\r\n\r\nThe full column is available <a href=\"http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/four-2015-retail-trends-you-haven’t-already-heard-abou\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n<strong>As seen in:</strong>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/theme-parkifying-corner-grabbing-side-selling?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Daily%20News%2001-16-2015%20%281%29&amp;utm_content=&amp;spMailingID=47822664&amp;spUserID=Mj\" target=\"_blank\"> CSPnet</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong> </strong>', 'CBX Expert: Real Estate Pressures Will Spark Retail Creativity in 2015', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-expert-real-estate-pressures-will-spark-retail-creativity-in-2015', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-expert-real-estate-pressures-will-spark-retail-creativity-in-2015', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2058, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:11', '2018-09-27 16:53:11', '', 'wawa_interior300', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'wawa_interior300', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:11', '2018-09-27 16:53:11', '', 1673, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/wawa_interior300.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2059, 4, '2015-01-16 17:40:03', '2015-01-16 17:40:03', '<strong>CBX reveals real-estate trends that will spark retail creativity in 2015</strong>\r\nAs retailers try to squeeze more sales-per-square-foot out of smaller spaces over the next year, they will be forced to get more creative--even partnering with each other to make their stores more compelling, said Dave Weinberger, vice president and director of engagement for CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy, according to a report by Chain Store Age.\r\n\r\nReal-estate pressures will drive four trends in the year ahead, all of which are related to better understanding and catering to today\'s shoppers.\r\n\r\n\"Consumers are shopping more often and making smaller trips,\" Weinberger said. \"Because of this, retailers are not just shifting to smaller formats; they are also taking increased note of how people shop and why their habits are changing.\"\r\n\r\nHe described:\r\n\r\nTheme Parkifying. A way to give shoppers an exciting experience that happens to be convenient as well. He cited the Chicago and New York locations of Eataly as a possible source of inspiration for chains seeking to innovate in this way.\r\n\r\n\"Sometimes likened to a grocery store with tasting rooms, the Italian food and wine emporium offers a compelling mix of retail, restaurants, food and beverage stations, a bakery and cooking schools, all under one roof,\" said Weinberger. \"Such themed and curated shopping experiences are precisely the types of brick-and-mortar concepts that can inspire people to close their MacBook Pros, get off the couch and drive to the mall.\"\r\n\r\nCorner Grabbing. Refers to the likelihood that convenience concepts will snap up premium corner locations, which are among the most convenient in any marketplace but are frequently owned by banks that no longer need this real estate.\r\n\r\n\"In 2015, as the major convenience players jockey for position, look for c-store companies such as Couche-Tard, 7-Eleven or CST Brands to make big real-estate deals with banks as they seek to seize such coveted real estate,\" he said.\r\n\r\nSide Selling. A trend toward looking for alternative channels in which to sell retail goods. Retail is currently popping up in parks and other public spaces, and it will continue to branch out in the year ahead.\r\n\r\n\"We will start to see colleges and universities, which have the demos and traffic flow retailers crave, sign more exclusive partnership agreements with retailers,\" Weinberger predicts. \"More businesses, too, will open up their extra space for retail.\" Gyms, for example, could boost productivity by offering vitamin shops, apparel stores and juice bars, he said.\r\n\r\n\"I firmly believe retailers will have to get creative to compete in the marketplace and get the most out of their real estate in 2015,\" Weinberger concluded. \"Channel lines will continue to blur as retailers invite not only more consumer brands and tech vendors, but also other retailers into their stores. It should be an exciting year.\"\r\n\r\nNew York City-based CBX specializes in creative marketing services, including branding, retail design, packaging and promotional programming. Clients have included Dr Pepper Snapple Group, General Mills, Kimberly-Clark, A&amp;P, Pathmark, Walgreens and Wawa and more.\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/theme-parkifying-corner-grabbing-side-selling?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Daily%20News%2001-16-2015%20%281%29&amp;utm_content=&amp;spMailingID=47822664&amp;spUserID=Mj\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'Theme Parkifying, Corner Grabbing & Side Selling', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'theme-parkifying-corner-grabbing-side-selling', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/theme-parkifying-corner-grabbing-side-selling', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2060, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:11', '2018-09-27 16:53:11', '', 'home_RICKFastCo_carousel-632x420', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'home_rickfastco_carousel-632x420', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:11', '2018-09-27 16:53:11', '', 1679, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/home_RICKFastCo_carousel-632x420.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2061, 4, '2015-01-19 21:36:21', '2015-01-19 21:36:21', '<strong>Rick is the Chief Creative Officer and a founding partner of strategic branding agency CBX</strong>.\r\nWith twenty years of expertise in consumer and retail branding, Rick is responsible for inspiring, directing and motivating creative teams to develop powerful design solutions.\r\n\r\n<strong>How did you get into the branding industry?</strong>\r\n\r\nI got into the branding industry rather by accident. I always knew I wanted to do something artistic, but I didn’t always know what. Back when I was really young, I won a scholarship by submitting a drawing of Woody Woodpecker to a kids’ magazine. After that, my mother encouraged me to do all kinds of creative things. I started off going to the regular public high school, but I was not a very good student. My mother had the foresight to know that a traditional liberal arts high school was not optimal, so I transferred to the Youth Performing Arts High School in Louisville, KY. Next thing I knew, I was enrolled at Carnegie Mellon as a theater major. By my sophomore year, I realized that if I stayed in set design, I’d be broke for life. So, I transferred my major to communication arts and the rest, as they say, is history.\r\n\r\n<strong>Tell us about CBX. What inspired the idea and what is your vision for the company?</strong>\r\n\r\nCBX is an agency that specializes in creative marketing services including branding, retail design, packaging and promotional programming. We currently have a staff of around 160 employees.  CBX was founded in 2003 and some of our clients include: Dr Pepper Snapple Group, General Mills, Kimberly-Clark, Scotts Miracle-Gro, A&amp;P, Pathmark, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord &amp; Taylor, Shinsegae, Walgreens and Wawa.  In addition to our New York City Headquarters, we have offices in Minneapolis and San Francisco.\r\n\r\nI was inspired to start CBX because I didn’t want to do time sheets anymore! I’m kidding (kind of). The truth is that I wanted to take control of my own destiny and do the work that I felt passionate about. My co-founder and I wanted to start working with our clients in whatever way we felt appropriate without constraints so that we could create success for our clients – NOT success for a public holding company.\r\n\r\n<strong>Life Motto?</strong>\r\n\r\nI have a few:\r\n\r\n“You’ve gotta have a passion in life.”\r\n\r\n“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”\r\n\r\n“ Outwork everybody else.”\r\n\r\n<strong>CBX\'s Motto?</strong>\r\n\r\nWe believe that nurturing a culture of creative minds, dirty hands, straight talk and good manners inspires us to find more creative, innovative and purposeful ways to connect with people.\r\n\r\n<strong>Your greatest success as founder/CCO of CBX? Most difficult moment-how did you overcome and what did you learn?</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen we first started CBX, we were two guys coming from humble beginnings with a wing and a prayer. We were hoping some of our past relationships would start up our business, and that our skills and our talent would be validated.  So, I don’t know if I’ve had one greatest moment of success, but I do remember the day everything changed.  In the early days of CBX, we were invited to participate in a pitch for a celebrity chef’s private brand. It was a significant piece of business at the time, we were a seriously small agency – I’m talking half a dozen people – and we really had no credentials in the category at that point. As we prepared for the pitch, we found out that we were up against some of THE global leaders in the industry. Just being named in the same sentence as those guys was a huge success in our eyes. So on the way to the pitch, I said to my co-founder, “remember – just being asked to the party means we are on our way.” That was the moment we knew that we were on our way to bigger and better things.\r\n\r\nAs far as a difficult moment goes… Flash forward 11 years from the day we pitched the celebrity chef and we’re now a multi-disciplined agency with 160 people, 3 offices, and have worked with some of the best clients in the marketplace. Times have changed a lot since that first big pitch. I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I can’t do everything. I’ve had to realize that I need to empower, support and grow the talent that we hire, which was a hard reality for me. I started off so entrepreneurial – I was literally doing all of the creative development. But as we’ve grown with time, I’ve built a team full of immensely talented people who complement each other, and I’ve had to adjust my behavior to set them free and let them do what they do best.\r\n\r\n<strong>Your advice to an aspiring entrepreneur?</strong>\r\n\r\nMy biggest piece of advice is to have perspective. In your endeavors, commit to what you’re passionate about, but be realistic. Open yourself up to learning (if you think you know everything, you’re not going to learn anything) and be prepared to course correct along the way. Understand your strengths and your weaknesses, and spend time learning how to leverage your strengths and improve your weaknesses.\r\n\r\n<strong>How do you motivate your employees?</strong>\r\n\r\nWith snacks.\r\n\r\n<strong>One food and drink left on earth, what would you choose?</strong>\r\n\r\nStewart’s Cream Soda and bucket of Joe’s Stone Crabs.\r\n\r\n<strong>What literature is on your bed stand?</strong>\r\n\r\nPorsche – Origin of the Species with a foreword by Jerry Seinfeld.\r\n\r\n<strong>Role model - business and personal?</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I was in college, my father attended a trade show where Rick Pitino (at the time head coach of the New York Knicks) was the keynote speaker. The trade show gave attendees cassette tapes of Rick’s speech, which my father passed on to me. That was the first time I was introduced to Rick Pitino as a leader. I listened to the tapes right away, and I’ve had them ever since. I don’t have a machine to play them on anymore, but that talk has guided me through my career.\r\n\r\nI like his approach to coaching and life. He believes that ego is a potential killer. He’s passionate, and he’s committed to what he does and what he believes in. The other thing Pitino does phenomenally well is that he manages and leads situationally. There are no cookie-cutter solutions. He analyzes the moment and I think that’s very important in business and in life.\r\n\r\n<strong>Current passion?</strong>\r\n\r\nI’m passionate about vintage automobiles. The interest stems from my childhood and has been a passion for my entire life. If I weren’t in the business of branding, I’d probably be working with cars in some way.  There’s a creative design element to cars, as well as a very personal childhood association for me.\r\n\r\n<strong>Most interesting headline you\'ve read this week?</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/nyregion/MTA-targets-manspreading-on-new-york-city-subways.html\" target=\"_blank\">Manspreading</a>. What is manspreading anyway?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"http://thenativesociety.com/tnspeak/2015/1/16/rick-barrack-chief-creative-officer-founding-partner-of-cbx.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'Native AdVice with Rick Barrack', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'native-advice-with-rick-barrack', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/native-advice-with-rick-barrack', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2062, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:12', '2018-09-27 16:53:12', '', '0312_Craines-A-Breeding-Ground', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', '0312_craines-a-breeding-ground', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:12', '2018-09-27 16:53:12', '', 1685, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/0312_Craines-A-Breeding-Ground.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2063, 4, '2015-01-21 19:14:44', '2015-01-21 19:14:44', '<strong>CBX to Handle New Identity Program for Virginia Chain\'s Stores and Fuel Centers</strong>\r\nCBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy based here, has been retained by Miller Oil, the family-owned operator of more than 50 fuel centers/convenience stores in Virginia, to update graphic identity for its retail network.\r\n\r\n\"The Miller name has enjoyed great recognition in the markets it serves ever since Gus Miller opened his first Miller Mart in the 1980s,\" said veteran c-store designer Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments. The Norfolk-based chain\'s stores can be found from Virginia Beach to Manassas, Va., but its community presence can be felt through the Miller Oil Foundation, which benefits children\'s charities, domestic violence shelters, assisted living centers, the arts, and more.\r\n\r\nIn the intervening years since the first Miller Mart -- now called Miller\'s Neighborhood Market -- opened, national chains have entered the market, Bona explained. \"The national competition has stiffened over the years,\" he noted, \"and the family understands the need for its identity to speak with one voice.\"\r\n\r\nCBX teams will update the existing script Miller logo and identity standards for use on fuel pumps, pylons and canopies. Inside, the new Miller identity will be used for wayfinding, point of sale and food and beverage service signage. The chain\'s on-the-go beverage offerings include Miller\'s Choice coffee and tea, along with Miller\'s Chiller fountain sodas. The stores also offer snacks, fresh fruits, pantry basics and toiletries.\r\n\r\n\"As Chairman of NACS, I learned the value of studying not just the competition in the US, but being aware of international trends as well,\" said Jeff Miller, President of Miller Oil Company. \"Joe Bona and CBX bring a global perspective to convenience retailing that I believe will help us thrive in the highly competitive marketplace here in southeastern Virginia.\"\r\n\r\n<strong>As seen in:</strong>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.dailypress.com/business/tidewater/dp-miller-oil-hires-cbx-to-update-its-branding-strategy-at-virginia-stores-20150122-story.html\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Press</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.pennenergy.com/marketwired-oilgas/2015/01/21/miller-oil-selects-cbx-to-update-graphic-identity.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Penn Energy</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/industry-news-and-trends/corporate-store-operations/miller-oil-update-its-brand-identity?cc=3\" target=\"_blank\">CSNews</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/miller-oil-selects-cbx-refresh-graphic-identity\" target=\"_blank\">CSPnet</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.nacsonline.com/News/Member_News/Documents/CBXPR012115.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">NACS</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://insights.retailenvironments.org/2015/01/28/cbx-update-graphic-identity-oil-company/\" target=\"_blank\">Retail Environments</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://insidebiz.com/news/data-business-community-bulletin-board-feb-16-2015\" target=\"_blank\">Inside Biz</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'Miller Oil Selects CBX to Update Graphic Identity', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'miller-oil-selects-cbx-to-update-graphic-identity', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/miller-oil-selects-cbx-to-update-graphic-identity', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2064, 4, '2015-01-29 22:19:19', '2015-01-29 22:19:19', '<strong>CBX to Design a New Scalable Store Prototype to Cross Cultures and Trading Borders</strong>\r\nCBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy based here, has been retained by MOL, the Budapest, Hungary-headquartered oil and gas corporation, operating over 1,700 service stations in 12 central and southeastern European countries, to consult on a number of design and strategic initiatives.\r\n\r\nOver the years, MOL Group\'s store count has grown through acquisition. As a result, the company consists of a group of branded networks doing business under a number of nameplates. While the company has already developed a design solution to unify its forecourt, pumps and canopy design, CBX was charged with creating a flexible store prototype for MOL\'s expansive network of service stations. \"We will be working to create a design that respects and reflects the cultures, languages and geographies of MOL Group\'s diverse trading area,\" said veteran c-store designer Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments.\r\n\r\nBeyond design and identity, CBX teams will assist MOL in developing criteria for scalability, helping the company determine what size store and product mix are best suited to the demographics of a particular market or locale. In connection with that, the firm will work with MOL to develop an overall c-store offer. This will include food-to-go fare as well as traditional c-store offerings.\r\n\r\n\"This challenging assignment reflects the global nature of today\'s changing c-store industry,\" Bona noted. \"It\'s an exciting take on the future of this market segment. In the end, the store and the offer will reflect the global changes shaping this ever-evolving industry, but still be tailored to meet the needs of local customers.\"\r\n\r\n\"Based on the solid track record of the CBX brand agency, we believe that they are a great partner for us to create best-in-class service stations, delivering excellent and relevant customer offers,\" said Lars Höglund, SVP of MOL Group Retail.\r\n\r\nAs seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://insights.retailenvironments.org/2015/01/30/cbx-help-oil-corporation-redesign/\" target=\"_blank\">A.R.E Retail Environments</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'MOL Group Selects CBX for New C-Store Design', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'mol-group-selects-cbx-for-new-c-store-design', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/mol-group-selects-cbx-for-new-c-store-design', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2065, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:13', '2018-09-27 16:53:13', '', 'Dominick_pressrelease', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'dominick_pressrelease', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:13', '2018-09-27 16:53:13', '', 1702, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Dominick_pressrelease.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2066, 4, '2015-01-30 18:09:58', '2015-01-30 18:09:58', 'By Gregg S. Lipman\r\nDid you like <a href=\"http://time.com/3676375/new-england-patriots-deflategate-krispy-kreme/\" target=\"_blank\">Krispy Kreme\'s response </a>to the \'Deflategate\' cheating scandal?\r\nHow about Apple\'s \'Je Suis Charlie\' banner on their French website? Starbucks\' homage to Martin Luther King?\r\n\r\nCall it the New Holy Grail of marketing -- a brand generates speed-of-light positive buzz by jumping in on a timely social issue or responding to a cultural moment. To this day, Oreo\'s <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Oreo/status/298246571718483968\" target=\"_blank\">infamous blackout tweet</a> during the 2013 Super Bowl is considered the epitome of a <a href=\"http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/02/04/how-oreo-culture-jacked-the-super-bowl/\" target=\"_blank\">social media win</a>, garnering 525 million earned media impressions, which is five times the number of people who actually watched the game. Ben &amp; Jerry\'s delighted their fans last year with <a href=\"http://elitedaily.com/news/world/ben-jerrys-wins-internet-hilarious-tweet-weed-legalization-colorado/\" target=\"_blank\">a tweet </a>about the legalization of marijuana in Colorado. And most recently, Krispy Kreme scored a real-time marketing touchdown with their Deflategate-themed<a href=\"https://twitter.com/krispykreme/status/557920121532870656/photo/1\" target=\"_blank\"> social image</a>.\r\n\r\nYou might be saying yourself: \"I have an idea. How about if I don\'t play the game at all? Isn\'t that the safest play?\" Here\'s the thing: branding is all about creating value beyond product benefits. We live in an era where people use brands, not only to express their personal style, but who they are and what they believe in. When <a href=\"http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/how-social-entrepreneurship-can-produce-profits/?scp=1&amp;sq=goodpurpose%20study&amp;st=cse&amp;_r=1\" target=\"_blank\">87% of consumers</a> believe businesses should consider societal interests as much as their own interests, it speaks to new consumer expectations: reflect my values, reinforce my self-concept, earn your identity.\r\n\r\nStaying on the sidelines isn\'t going to cut it. People expect brands to play an active role in their personal lives, which means participating in the conversations that are relevant to them. Like it or not, at some point, you have to take the mic. When you do grab mic, it\'s helpful if you don\'t act like the plowed groomsmen at a wedding. Nobody doubts Drunk guy at Wedding means well with his impromptu speech - what he\'s lacking is execution.\r\n\r\nExecution starts with knowing who you are as a brand (it also helps if you\'re not knackered when you tweet.) These social movements are opportunistic but fleeting and your behaviors are a reflection of your true (brand) self. Every action you take defines you. So make sure you know: Can you execute effectively and remain true? What\'s your purpose? Why do you do what you do? What\'s your reason for existing? What is your soul? For example, Southwest\'s purpose is short and sweet: democratize the skies. Ben &amp; Jerry\'s purpose is to bring joy to the belly and the soul, which they accomplish, not only through a product mission, but also a larger social mission to positively impact society and the environment.\r\n\r\nVoicing their support for causes like <a href=\"http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203833004577249811049566178\" target=\"_blank\">Occupy Wall Street</a> and the legalization of marijuana is a way to earn their identity as a brand committed to progressive values. After all, it\'s not enough to say it internally. You need to prove it publically. That\'s how purpose becomes authentic, through deeds and actions, by taking a real stand. \"With values-led marketing you just go out there and say who you are. You don\'t have to fool people to sell them your product,\" Ben Cohen explained in his book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Ben-Jerrys-Double-Dip-Values-Led-Business/dp/0684838559\" target=\"_blank\">Ben &amp; Jerry\'s Double Dip</a>, co-written with Jerry Greenfield.\r\n\r\nOnce you\'ve defined your purpose, then you have to establish your overall voice. Does your voice reflect your personality? If we personified Haagen Daz, she might be Catwoman - sophisticated, indulgent and worldly. Would Ben&amp; Jerry\'s be Seth Rogen - a fun-loving oddball stoner?\r\n\r\nWhile Ben &amp; Jerry\'s has made moves of late to look a little less tie-dye and a little more premium, their core personality is expressed in everything they do - including wacky-named flavors (including one based on their support of <a href=\"http://firstwefeast.com/eat/ben-and-jerrys-trivia/s/their-vehement-support-for-marriage-equality-has-even-inspired-changes-to-the-names-of-their-flavors/\" target=\"_blank\">marriage equality</a>) and whimsical packaging. Their Colorado marijuana tweet worked because it conveyed a mischievous sense of humor, which felt in line with their quirky personality, as well as their brand philosophy, if it ain\'t fun, then why do it? Not surprisingly, Ben &amp; Jerry\'s Colorado marijuana tweet began as an internal joke, according to Mike Hayes, the brand\'s Digital Marketing Manager. It felt authentic because it was authentic.\r\n\r\nIf Haagan Daz had made the same visual joke, it would have fallen flat as a result of feeling forced, inauthentic and out-of-character. Besides being genuinely clever, no small feat, Krispy Kreme\'s \"Deflategate\" social image felt in step with their cheeky personality. On the other hand, a brand like Charles Schwaub is all about stability, intelligence, competency. Let\'s hope they never tweet: \"Deflated balls? Talk to Chuck.\"\r\n\r\nBrands often get caught up in the question -- Should I comment on this event? Or should I take a stand on this issue? -- that they lose sight of perhaps the most crucial component to a successful branding campaign. Namely, that the creative execution be as strong as the sentiment is authentic and on brand.\r\n\r\nStarbucks\' recent <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/01/19/a-powerful-starbucks-homage-to-mlk/\" target=\"_blank\">ad saluting Martin Luther King</a> is a great example of delivering a pro-social message that feels on brand. But the real power of the ad is in the creative execution, which was done in-house. The ad features the alphabet spelled out in simple white type against a black background, only the letters are in reverse order, revealing the sequence M, L, K, which is highlighted in red. The copy reads: \"It\'s time to look at things differently. Again.\"\r\n\r\nPrinted in the New York Times and posted on social media, the ad garnered glowing responses from the public and in the media. It works because it tells a straight-from-the-heart story through simple visuals and impactful copy, a story that reinforces their brand purpose and brand image (warm sincerity with a double shot of social activism and community).\r\n\r\nBy placing a discreet version of their signature logo at the bottom, and nothing else, they communicate to the audience that they are behind the tribute but recognize the messaging priority. To do otherwise would be insincere. As well as sending a message of support to the cause of racial justice, Starbucks is conveying a message that, in all aspects of their business, they are unafraid to \"look at things differently.\" In turn, this allows their tribe of coffee-drinkers to reinforce their own identity as socially conscious free-thinkers.\r\n\r\nFor the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, who are also a multi-million-dollar brand, their attempt <a href=\"http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/seahawks-follow-their-big-win-bigger-fail-we-shall-overcome-mlk-tweet-162421\" target=\"_blank\">to honor MLK</a> was infinitely less successful. One day after their stunning comeback over the Green Bay Packers, which earned them a Super Bowl bid, the Seahawks posted a tweet that read, \"We shall overcome #MLKDay\"-- comparing their unlikely comeback to the civil rights movement. Adding insult to injury, it included a photo of quarterback Russell Wilson, crying tears of post-game joy, captioned with this MLK quote: \"Take the first step in faith. You don\'t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.\"\r\n\r\nAs much as branding experts preach sincerity and authenticity, the Seattle Seahawks and the Starbucks shared the same positive sentiment -- the difference is that one Seattle brand nailed the creative execution, the other botched it.\r\n\r\nEven when you have the right brand message, getting the ad right still comes down to creative execution. Oreo proved this point with a social media campaign in 2012 called the \"<a href=\"http://adage.com/article/digital/oreo-s-daily-twist-campaign-puts-cookie-conversation/237104/\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Twist</a>\", in which they posted a daily image of an Oreo cookie depicting a pop culture moment, past or present, tied to that date. Part of what made Oreo\'s jump into the cultural conservation successful was the way it projected a humanistic vision, from a 7-layer rainbow Oreo to celebrate Gay Pride Day to one featuring red-dyed cream marked with tire tracks to honor the Mars landing.\r\n\r\nFor Oreo to come out and honor Gay Pride Day surprised many - it\'s not like they are known as the Ben &amp; Jerry\'s of cookie purveyors. Although the tweet did spark some mild backlash, the overall campaign succeeded for two reasons: the strength of the creative concept (it was not only about taking a bold stand on that one social issue but \"filtering the world through the playful imagination of Oreo,\" a true expression of their brand personality) and its artistic realization -- it was visually striking and told a story in a clear and entertaining way.\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy to forget but Oreo wasn\'t only brand to chime in during the infamous power outage at the Superdome, nor was Krispy Kreme alone in taking to Twitter to offer their two cents on Deflategate. Why did so many other brands fail to gain any traction? Ultimately, it\'s the same reason why one of the two teams playing in the Super Bowl is going to lose this Sunday: lack of execution.\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/responding-to-a-cultural-_b_6571576.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'Responding to a Cultural Moment? Don\'t Use Deflated Creative', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'responding-to-a-cultural-moment-dont-use-deflated-creative', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/responding-to-a-cultural-moment-dont-use-deflated-creative', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
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(2068, 4, '2015-02-10 16:44:53', '2015-02-10 16:44:53', 'Traditional supermarkets on both sides of the Atlantic are losing market share, thanks to a rapidly advancing horde of competitors seeking to outdo them on price, convenience and quality, experts say.\"Whereas once consumers bought all their groceries at one location, this is no longer the case. Consumers are now splitting their grocery shopping across multiple channels - as many as five,\" wrote JLL analysts in the firm\'s Retail Shop Topic report published last September. \"By 2018, traditional supermarkets\' share of grocery dollars [in the U.S.] will have shrunk 300 basis points to 37.2 percent.\"\r\n\r\nRivals of all types and sizes surround these chains. The list of competitors includes massive wholesale clubs and supercenters; fresh grocers focused on perishables and ethnic foods; a new breed of small, format stores in closer proximity to shoppers\' homes and geared toward faster, easier shopping; and thousands of food, focused dollar stores, drugstores and convenience stores. Meanwhile, online sales are gaining momentum, as the likes of Amazon.com\' s Prime Pantry, FreshDirect, Google Express, Instacart and Pea pod roll out grocery delivery services in major markets.\r\n\r\nIn the U.K. the highly efficient German grocers Aldi and Lidl are wooing droves of customers from mainline rivals such as Tesco, Sainsbury\'s and Morrisons, says Joseph Bona, president of branded environments at CBX, a global brand agency and retail design consultancy. \"Aldi and Lidl are going like gangbusters in the United Kingdom,\" he said. \"Their motto used to be \'stack it high and sell it,  but now they\'re offering a better customer experience and higher quality without sacrificing competitiveness on price. They pose a serious threat.\"\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-full wp-image-8825 alignright\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/1.jpg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"185\" height=\"216\" />These German chains aim to challenge U.S. supermarkets as well: Aldi already has 1,300 stores in the U.S., Bona notes, and could have as many as 2,000 there by 2018. Lidl is preparing to enter the U.S. bv 2018 with an initial focus on the mid-Atlantic region, according to Naveen Jaggi, president of retail brokerage for JLL Americas. \"Here Lidl will not be playing in the discount sector at all, \" he said. \"It plans to build a 30,000-square-foot, high-end store that in its presentation- architecturally as well as in price and product mix will be going straight for the Whole Foods consumer. Lidl will have no problem putting its stores right across the street from Whole Foods. It will be an interesting battle to watch.\"\r\n\r\nThe rise of alternate food-selling channels is eroding sales of packaged, nonperishable goods typically offered in the center of the supermarket, says Jim Prevor, a Boca Raton, Fla.-based analyst who blogs at PerishablePundit.com. \"Profit has just drained out of the \'center store,\'\" he said, referring to the packaged foods-oriented central areas of a grocery store, as opposed to the perimeters, where fresh produce is placed. The reason is simple enough: A box of Tide laundry detergent or Kellogg\'s Corn Flakes is the same no matter where it is sold. That makes it easy for price-conscious shoppers to hunt for bargains on commoditized goods by website, in dollar stores, at Walmart or in a multiplicity of other food selling outlets, Prevor says. \"Even if traditional supermarkets can continue to sell center-store items, they have to do so at such deep discounts that they\'re just not able to generate profitability,\" he said.\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-8827 alignleft\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/3.jpg\" alt=\"3\" width=\"634\" height=\"402\" />Though the so-called Great Recession is technically over, it has led to an enduring change in the way people spend their money, Jaggi says. \"Consumers now feel that anything you shop for can be found cheaper if you are willing to shop for it,\" he said. \"That is the big shift. Nearly all retailers have tiered down their price offerings. They want to force consumers to come to them for all sorts of goods, as opposed to going and getting two weeks\' worth of supplies in one trip at the supermarket.\"\r\n\r\nOne direct result of these spending pattern shifts is an on going consolidation in the grocery senor, observers say. The latest example is Albertsons\' $9 billion merger with Safeway, which was on track at press time for a January 2015 closing and will reportedly lead to the sale of 168 stores across eight states. \"The Safeway-Albertsons merger is going to change the grocery sector from the Midwest to the West,\" Jaggi said. \"Consolidation is, hopefully, going to give these companies more buying power and efficiencies in distribution. That in turn could enable them to spread those savings to the consumer. It is probably the dearest indication that the grocery sector is going through a significant change.\" The September JLL retail report also cites a raft of other examples from the past couple of years, including Albertsons\' $385 million purchase of United Supermarkets; Kroger\'s $2.6 billion acquisition of Harris-Teeter; Safeway\'s closure of 72 Dominick\'s stores in Chicago; and Yucaipa\'s acquisition of 110 Fresh &amp; Easy stores. The Dominick\'s closures resulted in the return of some 4.5 million square feet of space back into the Chicago market and spiked local retail vacancies by about 80 basis points, according to the JLL analysis.\r\n\r\nDoes this instability mean that traditional supermarkets will shrink dramatically along the lines of \"right-sizing\" retailers such as Best Buy? Not necessarily, Prevor says. \"It is a possibility, but I believe it is just as possible supermarkets will further evolve ,\" he said. Already, major chains are ramping up their focus on fresh and prepared foods around the perimeter of the store by installing foodie-friendly cheese caves, wine bars, mini-restaurants and more, according to Prevor.\r\n\"Some supermarkets are transforming themselves into hybrid food-service and retail emporiums,\" he said. \"This actually holds out the possibility that some of these stores could get bigger.\r\nThat way, they can have food courts and other things that we haven\'t traditionally associated with supermarkets.\"\r\nChains could simultaneously confront discounters by adding the types of products found on the cheap at warehouse clubs, Jaggi says. \"Do you have to go to Costco to get that giant pallet of paper towels?\" he said . \"Maybe not - maybe Kroger starts carrying that.\" By offering touches of both Costco and Whole Foods, in other words, supermarkets stand to broaden their appeal. \"All these major brands, whether you\'re talking about Kroger, HEB or Publix, are trying to appeal to as broad a demographic as possible,\" Jaggi said. \"They want their stores to appeal to discount-oriented consumers, aspirational consumers and affluent consumers alike.\'\'\r\nLandlords could employ a similar strategy when retenanting shopping centers that have lost large-format grocery anchors owing to sector consolidation, Prevor says. Instead of a single grocery anchor, the shopping center could offer multiple highly specialized food tenants that occupy in the aggregate roughly the same square footage as the departed anchor. \"One tenant might be a deep-discount concept like an Aldi, another might be a health-oriented, upscale concept like Whole Foods,\" Prevor said . \"You could also have an ethnic-food store focused on Asians or Latinos. So the model moving forward might he for multiple 10 ,000- or 15 ,000-squarefoot stores instead of one 60,000-foot store. The design of these centers could change.\"indeed, the JLL report does predict continuing closures of traditional supermarkets over the next three years as alternative channels - particularly dollar stores and fresh-format grocers - expand aggressively. Meanwhile, online grocery concepts will eat into supermarket sales even further in coming years, says Susan Porjes, a market analyst (or research firm Packaged Facts. \"Back more than 10 years ago, investors were leery of online grocery shopping, due to some spectacular failures, like Webvan,\'\' said Porjes. \"But online grocery sales are poised to take off on a high-growth trajectory\".\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-8826 alignright\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2.jpg\" alt=\"2\" width=\"190\" height=\"208\" />Indeed, U.S. online grocery sales are set to grow from about $23 billion last year to nearly $ 100 billion by 2019, which would amount to 12 percent of total grocery spending, according to Porjes, who wrote an October 2014 report on the phenomenon. Others see it too. Ultimately untrammeled growth of online grocery shopping could spell trouble for supermarkets, write the JLL analysts. \"If Amazon figure out a successful solution to a wide-scale implementation of its Amazon Fresh model, it poses a significant threat to groceries, particularly supermarkets with thin margins.\"\r\n\r\nBut even this trend could at the same time create certain opportunities for landlords, Porjes notes. Companies such as Chronodrive, which has 74 store across France, specialize in building drive-through, Internet-enabled grocery stores. \"That model has been successful in France\" Porjes said. \"You place your order, and on the way h0me from work you go to the drive-through and they have everything ready for you.\" The stores, which Porjes likens to small warehouses with limited assortments, represent a new potential retail tenant, particularly for shopping centers that lack grocery anchors.\r\n\r\nDrive-through grocery Zoomin Market launched this concept in Olathe, Kan., last April - local shoppers place orders using a smartphone app. and a text alerts them when the groceries are ready for pickup. Walmart began testing a similar concept last September on its home turf in Bentonville, Ark.\r\n\r\nSome grocery sellers are installing lockers at which shoppers can pick up their online-ordered bags of produce and packaged goods- a trend that could supplement retail leasing revenue over time, Porjes says. Peapod, for one, is leasing space for grocery pickup lockers at three Metro stations in Washington, D.C., as part of a six month pilot program. \"For commuters who are not always able to be home for grocery delivery, this is a perfect solution.\" Porjes said.\r\n\r\nFinally, the practice of \"crowd sourcing\"- where by companies such as Uber use the Internet and GPS-enabled smart phones to tap into pools of freelance delivery drivers - could also be a boon to supermarkets and other food stores, Jaggi says.\r\n\r\nGeneral Growth Properties, Macerich, Simon and other top U.S. mall owners are using some of these freelance drivers to offer rapid delivery of items bought from tenants\' stores. For Jaggi, the potential for supermarkets to do the same was underscored on a recent Uber ride in Dallas. \"Before the Uber driver picked me up, he asked me if i wanted a lunch,\"Jaggi said. \"He told me many of the drivers he knew were offering delivery services. When you start getting third party service providers in the business of delivering groceries - now you\'ve got a real change in the way we perceive the shopping experience.\"\r\n\r\n<strong>Growth in specialty grocer sector spurs development, attracts investors</strong>\r\n\r\nMobs of investors are fighting over properties anchored by big supermarket chains such as Harris Tooter, Kroger and Publix, leading those seeking less competition to focus on shopping centers anchored by specialty grocers, such as Earth Fare, Sprouts Farmers Market, The Fresh Market, Trader Joe\'s and Whole Foods. According to Franklin Street Retail Investment Advisors, 51 specialty-grocery-anchored U.S. shopping centers have traded hands in the past two years, accounting for an aggregate $1.3 billion, double the amount sold in 2012.\r\n\r\nAbout 80 percent of last year\'s specialty-grocery-anchored properties were single-asset deals, according to Gary Saykafy, senior director at Franklin Street. Of the 10 transactions that were part of a larger portfolio sale, most consisted of entry-level transactions or the buyout of a partnership interest. Fresh Market was the most popular specialty supermarket among traded properties last year, accounting for 37 percent of the total, Saykaly reports. Whole Foods made up 28 percent of the deals, Trader Joe\'s 22 percent, Earth Fare 12 percent and Sprouts 2 percent. Whole Foods properties garnered the lowest cap rates: 4.9 to 5.4 percent.\r\n\r\nIn regional terms, the Southeast was the hot zone, as 66 percent of the total sales volume last year occurred in Florida and North Carolina, according to Franklin Street. Georgia was the third-most active state with 22 percent of the total. The majority of sellers were private investment groups, among them Och-Ziff Capital Management Group and Rialto Capital Management.\r\n\r\nSpecialty grocers are helping to drive a new wave of ground-up development as well, since they are growing much faster than their traditional supermarket peers, according to Franklin Street. Whole Foods has 15 new stores under way, followed by Fresh Market, Which is planning to open 10. Meanwhile, Earth Fare, Sprouts and Trader Joe\'s have collectively announced 22 stores set to open this year. All these are to roll out in the Southeast, 17 of them opening in Florida. Only eight are redevelopments, Saykaly says. The majority of the developers involved are privately owned.\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"http://sct.epubxp.com/i/448937\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'Discounters and Other Innovators are Turning the Global Supermarket Industry on its Head', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'discounters-and-other-innovators-are-turning-the-global-supermarket-industry-on-its-head', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/discounters-and-other-innovators-are-turning-the-global-supermarket-industry-on-its-head', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2069, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '', 'NACS', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'nacs', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '', 1711, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/NACS.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2070, 4, '2015-02-06 20:56:18', '2015-02-06 20:56:18', '<strong>Taking a Stand on Trending Cultural Moments Can Be a Savvy Move -- So Long as Those Trenchant Tweets Actually Match Your Brand, Writes CBX\'s Gregg S. Lipman in Column for The Huffington Post</strong>\r\nChiming in about trending cultural moments is the new Holy Grail of marketing. The trick, however, is to make sure your brand\'s social commentary doesn\'t turn into the functional equivalent of a drunken groomsman\'s awkward wedding toast, writes Gregg S. Lipman, Managing Partner at brand agency CBX, in a Jan. 30 column for The Huffington Post.\r\n\r\n\"Nobody doubts Drunk Guy at Wedding means well with his impromptu speech,\" writes the veteran brand consultant. \"What he\'s lacking is execution.\"\r\n\r\nIn the column (\"Responding to a Cultural Moment? Don\'t Use Deflated Creative\"), Lipman cites powerful examples of on-brand responses to various social issues and cultural moments, such as Oreo\'s real-time response to the third-quarter power outage at the Superdome during the 2013 Super Bowl (\"Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark\"). \"To this day, Oreo\'s infamous blackout tweet is considered the epitome of a social media win,\" he writes. \"It garnered 525 million earned media impressions, which is five times the number of people who actually watched the game.\"\r\n\r\nLikewise, Ben &amp; Jerry\'s delighted its fans last year with a tweet about the legalization of marijuana in Colorado (\"BREAKING NEWS: We\'re hearing reports of stores selling out of Ben &amp; Jerry\'s in Colorado. What\'s up with that?\"). And the sheer cleverness of Krispy Kreme\'s \"deflategate\" tweet -- a picture of a football-shaped, cream-filled donut with the words \"Ours are fully filled\" -- blew up on Twitter. It was in response, of course, to the scandal about the New England Patriots\' alleged use of improperly deflated balls during the NFL playoffs.\r\n\r\nBut other attempts to \"grab the mic\" on social issues have come across as inauthentic. Lipman cites the Seattle Seahawks\' awkward Martin Luther King, Jr., tweet. One day after their comeback over the Green Bay Packers, which earned them a Super Bowl berth, the Seahawks posted a tweet that read, \"We shall overcome #MLKDay.\" By comparing their unlikely comeback to the humanistic victories of the civil rights movement, the team was guilty of borderline-offensive speech.\r\n\r\n\"Adding insult to injury,\" Lipman writes, \"it included a photo of quarterback Russell Wilson, crying tears of post-game joy, captioned with this MLK quote: \'Take the first step in faith. You don\'t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.\'\"\r\n\r\nProper execution, he explains, is about knowing what your brand means to consumers. For example, voicing support for causes such as Occupy Wall Street or the legalization of marijuana is perfectly consonant with Ben &amp; Jerry\'s famously progressive brand and values. \"Ben &amp; Jerry\'s purpose is to bring joy to the belly and the soul, which they accomplish, not only through a product mission, but also a larger social mission to positively impact society and the environment,\" Lipman writes. \"After all, it\'s not enough to say it internally. You need to prove it publically.\"\r\n\r\nGiven the risks of falling flat, some companies might want to play it safe by staying out of the cultural fray. But they risk their relevancy by doing so, Lipman writes. \"Branding is all about creating value beyond product benefits,\" he notes. \"We live in an era where people use brands, not only to express their personal style, but who they are and what they believe in ... Staying on the sidelines isn\'t going to cut it.\"\r\n\r\nIn addition to on-brand content, execution is also about creativity and skill. Lipman cites Starbucks\' recent ad saluting Martin Luther King, Jr. \"The real power of the ad is in the creative execution, which was done in-house,\" he writes. \"The ad features the alphabet spelled out in simple white type against a black background, only the letters are in reverse order, revealing the sequence M, L, K, which is highlighted in red. The copy reads: \'It\'s time to look at things differently. Again.\'\"\r\n\r\nPrinted in The New York Times and posted on social media, the Starbucks ad garnered glowing responses from the public and in the media. \"It works because it tells a straight-from-the-heart story through simple visuals and impactful copy, a story that reinforces Starbucks\' brand purpose and brand image (warm sincerity with a double shot of social activism and community),\" Lipman writes.', 'CBX Expert: Brands Can and Should \'Grab the Mic\' on Social Issues', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-expert-brands-can-and-should-grab-the-mic-on-social-issues', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-expert-brands-can-and-should-grab-the-mic-on-social-issues', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2071, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '', 'walgreens_hartland_wi', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'walgreens_hartland_wi', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '', 1713, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/walgreens_hartland_wi.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2072, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '', 'bionic_logo_detail1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'bionic_logo_detail1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '2018-09-27 16:53:14', '', 1714, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/bionic_logo_detail1.gif', 0, 'attachment', 'image/gif', 0),
(2073, 4, '2015-02-25 20:58:36', '2015-02-25 20:58:36', '<strong>New Packaging Is Vibrant and Playful as It Embraces an Authentic View of Parenting</strong>\r\nWith help from brand agency CBX, The First Years brand\'s newly redesigned packaging transcends outdated storylines that have long dominated the baby aisle.\r\n\r\n\"Gone is the baby boomer fantasy of angelic babies and perfect parents blissing out in la la land,\" said Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer. \"Instead, CBX worked with The First Years to do something refreshing for this category. We actually embraced the awesome -- but at times messy and gritty -- reality of the parenting journey. This is something millennial moms can relate to.\"\r\n\r\nWith new logos, fonts, \"selfie\"-style imagery and warmer colors, the redesigned packaging for products such as bathtubs, sippy cups and breast pumps began to hit the baby aisles in January. In addition to crafting three millennial-friendly packaging formats for The First Years\' 2015 rollout, CBX also developed a set of packaging guidelines geared toward applying the brand to future products.\r\n\r\n\"Now a part of TOMY International, the First Years has been a trusted name in the baby category since the 1950s and is known for putting a priority on the parenting experience,\" Barrack said. \"Indeed, this is the company that invented plastic-coated safety pins so that moms wouldn\'t hurt their fingers. From a design perspective, however, there was a need for more storytelling and differentiation.\"\r\n\r\nThe branding project, which included surveys of both new and existing moms, was important in part because competition for shoppers\' attention is so keen in the baby category, said Barrack.\r\n\r\nTraditionally, the baby aisle has been packed with an array of products featuring flawless photography of cooing babies along with somewhat clinical imagery suggesting safety and security.\r\n\r\n\"We recognized the need to stand out and stand for something,\" said Willie Wilkov, Chief Marketing Officer of TOMY International. \"Our goal was to bring some freshness and reality to a tired category. We appreciate that CBX pushed our thinking because we wanted to push the envelope. The result is a visually relatable brand that speaks directly to the next generation of parents using honest, real language.\"\r\n\r\nIn addition to playfulness, vibrancy and a sense of discovery, the new brand emphasizes straight talk. For example, CBX and The First Years chose photography that would seem right at home on Facebook or Instagram. \"There\'s a humor and irreverence to the photography we chose,\" said Barrack. \"We went with pictures that an actual mom might have taken after something unusual or funny happened, not a perfectly posed shot with perfect lighting. On The First Years\' new packages, the baby might even have a stain on his shirt.\r\n\r\n\"After all, millennials are looking for honest conversation about parenting, including candor about imperfection and realness,\" Barrack continued. \"They want to make their own choices. To them, parenting is a new form of freedom in a way. It isn\'t the end of something; it is a new beginning.\"', 'CBX Helps The First Years Rebrand -- With Younger Moms in Mind', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-helps-the-first-years-rebrand-with-younger-moms-in-mind', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-helps-the-first-years-rebrand-with-younger-moms-in-mind', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2074, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:15', '2018-09-27 16:53:15', '', 'CSN_092012_54a', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'csn_092012_54a', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:15', '2018-09-27 16:53:15', '', 1718, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/CSN_092012_54a.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2075, 4, '2015-03-03 20:47:06', '2015-03-03 20:47:06', '<strong>CBX to Develop a Branded C-Store Concept and Foodservice Program for New England Fuel Distributor</strong>\r\nCBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy based here, has been retained by Nouria Energy Corporation, the Worcester, Mass.-headquartered fuel station and c-store operator, to create a unified brand identity and convenience store concept for the company\'s network of more than 125 locations.\r\n\r\nFounded in 1989 by Tony El-Nemr, Nouria started out with a single location in Auburn, Mass. and has since grown to become one of the largest fuel distributors in New England, supplying more than 125 gas stations operating under the Shell, Gulf and Irving Oil brands in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Currently, Nouria operates 85 sites offering fuel, convenience stores, co-branded and proprietary foodservice. In addition, Nouria operates one of the largest car wash networks in the country.\r\n\r\nTo assist Nouria in its ongoing expansion, CBX will provide a range of services, including the development of a store name and logo, car wash name and logo, store layout, and building exterior and interior design that encompasses graphic treatments, lighting, flooring and fixturing. The firm will also work with Nouria on developing a proprietary foodservice program that reflects the needs and tastes of its customers.\r\n\r\n\"Our challenge is to create a uniform brand identity and store design that can be executed across the entire network of locations, making them customer destinations and complementing the powerful fuel brands,\" said veteran c-store designer Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments. \"The goal is to develop a number of store prototypes that can work with the company\'s diverse footprints, with the first grouping of next-generation locations expected to open before the end of the year.\"\r\n\r\nAccording to Bona, the new prototypes will be rolled out through a combination of renovations, re-builds and all-new, \'ground-up\' sites.\r\n\r\n\"We are very excited to team with CBX as we begin this journey,\" said El-Nemr, Nouria CEO and president. \"I\'m very confident that CBX\'s creative and c-store industry expertise make them the ideal partner as we work together toward our ultimate goal of better identifying and meeting the needs of our diverse and ever-changing customers.\"\r\n\r\nAs seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/nouria-energy-selects-cbx-c-store-design\" target=\"_blank\">CSpnet</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/industry-news-and-trends/corporate-store-operations/nouria-energy-eyes-new-branded-c-store-concept?cc=3\" target=\"_blank\">CSnews</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://insights.retailenvironments.org/2015/03/03/cbx-to-unify-brand-for-new-england-fuel-distributor/\" target=\"_blank\">A.R.E</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.griffinpublishing.net/c_c-store.php#c1\" target=\"_blank\">The Griffin Report</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'Nouria Energy Selects CBX for C-Store Design Development', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'nouria-energy-selects-cbx-for-c-store-design-development', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/nouria-energy-selects-cbx-for-c-store-design-development', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2076, 4, '2015-03-06 17:24:23', '2015-03-06 17:24:23', '<strong>In a complete redesign of the packaging for its Satinique haircare line, Amway creates a vibrant, elegant, and easily navigable system expressly designed for a global audience.</strong>\r\nAmway Corp. is an $11.8 billion direct-sales corporation based in Ada, MI, that distributes consumer products in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide. Among its brands, the Satinique portfolio of haircare products—with its emphasis on the nexus of health, beauty, and hair—offers a universally appealing solution that is popular across the globe, especially in countries such as Russia, China, and Southeast Asia.\r\n\r\nSatinique’s point of differentiation is its proprietary ENERJUVE Complex, which Amway says was developed specifically to isolate where hair is at its weakest and then bind to it from the inside out, to strengthen, repair, and restore its original state of health. The result is hair that is energized and rejuvenated “from root to tip,” the company says.\r\n\r\n“Amway’s deep commitment to scientific innovation elevates Satinique to be among the best haircare brands on the market,” says Amway VP Global Beauty Maud Pansing. “We’ve raised the bar in the category with technology and performance in the formulations that truly make a difference to the health of hair, inside and out.”\r\n\r\nIn 2010, recognizing that the spare, white packaging it was using for the Satinique portfolio was not bringing the brand story to life, Amway began a project to redesign the packaging to help the brand remain relevant, contemporary, and fresh for years to come. Working with global brand agency CBX, Amway conducted consumer research to tap into the universal preferences of premium haircare brands around the globe.\r\n\r\nFirst launched in 2013 in Japan, the redesigned Satinique package is a sleek, feminine bottle structure with a premium feel that uses vibrant, jewel-tone colors to differentiate need states and convey the brand’s rejuvenating, revitalizing aspect. Says Allison Koller, CBX Creative Director, “It was a very involved process, but we are extremely happy with the results.”\r\n\r\n<strong>Modernization, consistency needed</strong>\r\nThe Satinique portfolio consists of nine cleansing and four conditioning products as well as a range of styling gels and serums, final-touch sprays, mousses, and other styling products. Among the need states addressed are Color Repair, Thickening/Anti-Hairfall, Extra Volume, and Revitalizing/Anti-Dandruff, among others. Most shampoo and conditioning products are available in a 9.4-oz and a 25.6-oz size; the 9.4-oz was the main focus of CBX’s structural redesign.\r\n\r\nAs Koller explains, the overhaul of Satinique’s packaging was undertaken for a few reasons, but primarily to modernize the brand. “I would say the existing packaging was about 10 to 15 years old,” she explains. “It was an oblong bottle with a simple flip-top cap. The majority of the line was very white, with a kind of semi-serif typography for the brand mark and all the information on the pack. Over the years, it began to look a bit dated.\r\n\r\n“Amway had also innovated over time without considering a design system for the collection of products. The packages started to feel like one-off SKUs versus having a really strong color-coding system. They had also attempted to introduce some icons for different need states within the portfolio, but there wasn’t consistency of application there either.”\r\n\r\nAnother reason for the redesign was to provide Amway sales representatives with a brand story to share with their consumers. As mentioned above, Amway also wanted a package that would appeal to a newer and more global consumer base. A final driver was the introduction of new formulas and the opportunity to rationalize the portfolio.\r\n\r\nAll of these factors made the redesign a unique and challenging project for CBX. Says Gregg S. Lipman, Managing Partner at CBX, “Because Amway is an $11.8 billion company with a vast network of global customers and distributors, the structural positioning and graphics also needed to be universally appealing. And since Amway customers receive products direct from distributors rather than shopping for them at shelf as with a typical CPG, the design considerations were a bit different as well.”\r\n\r\n<strong>Homing in on consumer preferences</strong>\r\nThe first step in the redesign process was to conduct global research to identify packaging characteristics that were globally appealing to Amway’s diverse customers around the world. This was followed by an audit of the premium or prestige beauty and haircare category internationally to understand how people in diverse markets think about product aesthetics and even portfolio mix in the category.\r\n\r\n“It really required some good research in terms of understanding what’s happening in each market and what women are accustomed to in terms of communication about beauty and personal care products. It involved looking deeply at other brands within the same space, then reaching beyond that into the world of fashion and beauty, and then trying to see our similarities in each of those regions.”\r\n\r\nThe research, along with quantitative testing, revealed that consumers consistently favored a simple, sleek, and streamlined design—in both package structure and graphic elements. Using that information, CBX created a 9.4-oz, multilayer high-density polyethylene bottle structure with an elongated, feminine form that suggests an upward sweeping movement. The cap is positioned flush with the slim, cylindrical bottle, resulting in a clean silhouette. “It came down to the sleek and streamlined nature of what it means to be more premium in the global haircare space,” says Koller.\r\n\r\nThe bottle offers functional benefits as well. Because of its slightly hourglass, ergonomic shape, it creates a comfortable feeling in the hand and provides an easy grip in the shower. The bottle, with a middle layer of post-consumer recycled HDPE, is supplied by Axium Plastics, while the cap is from Menshen Packaging USA.\r\n\r\n<strong>Conveying energy through color</strong>\r\nThrough consumer research, CBX not only learned that consumers prefer simple, clean graphics, but they were also able to identify those colors frequently associated with different need states in the haircare category. For example, pinks, oranges, or reds are often associated with formulations for colored hair, while silvers and blues cue anti-dandruff or multipurpose formulations.\r\n\r\nTo convey the rejuvenating nature of Satinique, CBX selected a vibrant jewel-tone and metallic color palette with premium finishes for the bottles. Each cleansing variety is differentiated with its own color for bottle and cap: purple for Extra Volume, red for Color Repair, and silver for Anti-Hairfall, for example. The complementary conditioning product is packaged in a white bottle with a matching, color-coded cap.\r\n\r\nAccording to Mimi Anderson, Global Lead for Satinique, the biggest challenge associated with manufacturing the bottle was the time it took to color-match the jewel-tone colors. “The vibrancy is obtained by using one color in the outer layer, and a second unique color in the middle layer. Color matching was time consuming, but it was shortened by the colorant supplier’s ability to blow-mold three-ounce sample-sized bottles in their R&amp;D facility for us to approve, which saved us a lot of time.”\r\n\r\nFor the bottle’s graphic design, CBX created a new brand mark that consists of the Satinique name in capital letters in a clean, sans-serif font, with a customized “Q” that turns into a droplet, “building on the idea of a ‘secret sauce’ with a magic ingredient that brings rejuvenation and revitalization to your hair,” says Koller. An additional visual element calls to mind wisps of free-flowing hair. The brand mark runs vertically along the front panel; the variety descriptor is at the bottom, in both English and French.\r\n\r\nWhile CBX primarily focused on the redesign of the cleansing and conditioning product packaging, Koller says that they also worked on the packaging for Satinique’s styling products, which will ultimately comprise 30 SKUs. The styling products use stock containers with similar clean-sided silhouettes, and are colored a soft silver, with touches of color to signify the need state with which they pair.\r\n\r\n<strong>A new brand story</strong>\r\nThrough the combination of an elegant, simple bottle structure that conveys a premium product, an ergonomic shape, and jewel-tone package colors that suggest energy and vibrancy and differentiate need states, Amway has met its goal of providing sales reps with a compelling brand story to share with consumers.\r\n\r\n“The new design gives them much more of a handle on that storytelling piece, for example how that bright, beautiful raspberry color translates to keeping gorgeous color in your hair,” says Koller. “Hopefully we are telling a story like that about each of the products, and the design should become a showpiece for that.”\r\n\r\nSince its launch, the new Satinique product line and packaging have been very well received—exceeding Amway’s expectations, says Anderson. “The talk is all about how these amazing new formulas are truly making a difference to the health of their hair,” she says. “The exclusive and addictive fragrances have become favorites with men and women, while the simple elegance of the packaging delivers on both form and function.”\r\n\r\nThe design community has also taken note of the new package design, Anderson adds. In 2014, Satinique received top honors in the haircare category of the HBA International Package Design Awards.\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/redesign/amway-haircare-rebranding-brings-global-appeal\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'Amway haircare rebranding brings global appeal', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'amway-haircare-rebranding-brings-global-appeal', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/amway-haircare-rebranding-brings-global-appeal', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2077, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:15', '2018-09-27 16:53:15', '', 'Aloha_pressrelease_2012', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'aloha_pressrelease_2012', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:15', '2018-09-27 16:53:15', '', 1732, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Aloha_pressrelease_2012.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2078, 1, '2015-03-09 18:13:07', '2015-03-09 18:13:07', 'When Terpel wanted to reinvent itself a few years back, the Columbian oil and gas company sought to envision the gas station of the future. The design for its next generation of properties included wing-like canopies flying over the pumps, along with service bars, modern furniture and other unexpected flourishes inside its c-stores. In a nod to modern day technologies, Terpel even explored a wide range of options that included gas canopies sporting solar panels, park-like “green” roofs, recycled-asphalt parking lots, and roof structures illuminated by dramatic skylights and energy-sipping LEDs.\r\nEnvisioning the future in this way can be a valuable exercise. But the point is not to make predictions that will come true in 10 or 20 years’ time. Rather, it is to make thinking creatively about how today’s trends might shape tomorrow’s gas stations a regular practice. And when it comes to today’s trends, one of the most important is the need to create and develop meaningful brand experiences.\r\nWhile petroleum companies will continue to try to differentiate themselves at the pump—offering the cheapest gasoline and/or the highest-performance additives—the fact remains that gas has become a commodity purchase for most consumers. How, then, do you get people to purposefully drive past your competitors and spend their money with you?\r\n\r\nFor the likes of Wawa, RaceTrac, Speedway, QuickTrip and Sheetz, the answer has been to focus on the customer journey. The idea is to make sure all aspects of the experience—from seeing a sign on the interstate, to pulling up to the pump, to walking out of the store with a steaming cup of java in your hand—will deepen your connection to the brand. Petroleum company executives are correct, then, to focus on securing control of the entire property—gas pumps, c-stores, carwashes and everything in between (up to and including websites and mobile apps). After all, this is the only way to completely safeguard the integrity of the customer journey, and to brand it distinctively.\r\n\r\nIn years to come, count on the petroleum industry to get even more sophisticated about their brands. For some, this will mean introducing more color, personality and humor, which is precisely what we have been seeing over the past few years across retail, consumer products and other sectors.\r\n\r\nImagine what would happen if Richard Branson, the outlandish founder of Virgin Group, were to get his hands on a portfolio of gas stations. You can bet the journey would be more whimsical, futuristic and fun than what we have come to expect—with a social conscience thrown in to boot. Technology would certainly be a part of the picture. At Virgin’s gas stations, dashboard-mounted RFID chips might enable members of the loyalty program to simply drive up to the pump, fill their tanks and drive off. No need to swipe a card or hand cash to the clerk inside.\r\n\r\nBut the challenge remains; how do companies encourage such customers to go inside of the site’s c-store? Maybe the pump reads the RFID chip, analyzes the customer’s preferences (the customer buys coffee and donuts every other week) and pushes a customized message to his iPhone: “Greetings. It’s great to see you again. As a token of our appreciation, just show this text to the cashier and you’ll get half-off your regular coffee and donuts.”\r\n\r\nIn the years to come, we know technology will continue advancing rapidly. It will become easier to pay for stuff—whether you’re talking about gas or potato chips. And of course, the POS system will know more about you, too (whether you find this creepy or convenient). The trick for petroleum companies is to incorporate such advances in ways that feel true to their brands. If your pumps have TV monitors or play music, that’s great. But is the content you play synched to the customer journey or disconnected from it? Let’s say a brand has some retro elements that the company has chosen to play up at other touch points. Why inundate your shoppers with the latest pop songs? It would make more sense, given your brand attributes, to play a loud “ding-ding!” as they pull up to the pumps, with 1950s Elvis or big-band music wafting from the speakers as they stand there and pump their gas. Rather than mash-ups of the morning news, the TV monitors could play cheeky, nostalgic visuals that echo your brand.\r\n\r\nThe notion here is to explore the potential for brand-right fueling experiences. If your brand attributes include “freedom,” “choice” and “convenience,” for example, you could have pumps that work just like everyone else’s—or you could strive to make the fueling experience noticeably faster and easier, on the industry’s leading edge. Like the individual words in a sentence, all elements of the fueling experience—from the design of the canopies and pumps, to payment-processing interfaces, to the types of fuels available—send a message to customers.\r\n\r\nIt’s important to think carefully about the messages you’re sending. Branding the journey is important elsewhere as well. Food, for example, is an increasingly important trend for the c-store business. Part of the reason—lifelong habits form early. According to the research firm NPD, Millennials have embraced c-stores’ broader food offerings in surprising ways, given the assumption that this generation prefers all things artisan and local. According to the research firm, c-stores accounted for 11.1% of Millennials’ food and beverage stops in 2014, up from 7.7% back in 2006. These younger customers also are big fans of fast-casual dining, which accounted for 6.1% of their F&amp;B stops last year. Thus, c-stores that incorporate elements of fast-casual into their food and beverage approaches stand a good chance of winning lifelong customers.\r\n\r\nBut for the aforementioned retro gas station, it would be one thing to try to clone Chipotle Mexican Grill and quite another to put a brand-right spin on the idea to bring QSR into the c-store. Wouldn’t a throwback hamburger concept be just as popular, and bolster the brand?\r\n\r\nMajor site-configuration changes, too, could be filtered through the brand: If you replace your carwashes with battery-swapping or rapid-charge stations for electric vehicles in, say, 2021, one way to approach this would be to simply add the new amenities and advertise them, almost as a public service. Wouldn’t it be better, though, to make those changes with some panache and theater—to write a new chapter for your larger customer journey? They could be integrated into a brand-reinforcing, story-driven advertising campaign, with strong graphics, mobile web marketing and more.\r\n\r\nWhatever the future brings in terms of technology, site configuration or anything else, do some careful thinking about how to make those changes in ways that reinforce your brand and encourage people to see the experience as consonant rather than dissonant. “Honey, Virgin Gas now has these pickup stations where you can order stuff from Best Buy or Walmart and pick it up right in their parking lot,” says Future Man to his wife. “What’ll Virgin think of next?”\r\n\r\nPeople are searching for meaningful experiences, and this is likely to be just as true tomorrow as it is today. If commoditized merchandise is easy to acquire now, think about how easy it will be 10 or 20 years hence when delivery drones are crisscrossing the skies and you can 3D print anything you want (except maybe gasoline). But people don’t want just any old experience; they want experiences that speak to their values and personalities. In the future, customers will choose gasoline brands that appeal to their sense of identity, not just their wallets or pocketbooks (if those even still exist…).\r\n\r\nBrand identity will continue to be increasingly important in the years to come. Simply put, those who create the most integrated and compelling customer journeys will win the day, with fundamentals such as price, convenience or having the right real estate being the price of admission. So think hard about the future, but also carefully consider your brand by looking within. Your customers want to know that you get them. How can you get them if you don’t even know who you are?\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"http://www.oilgasmonitor.com/know-thyself-for-petroleum-brand-the-future-of-retail-is-about-looking-within/9030/#more-9030\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', '‘Know Thyself’: For Petroleum Brands, The Future of Retail is About Looking Within', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'know-thyself-for-petroleum-brand-the-future-of-retail-is-about-looking-within', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:10', '2018-09-27 17:42:10', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/know-thyself-for-petroleum-brand-the-future-of-retail-is-about-looking-within', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(2079, 4, '2015-03-12 14:48:38', '2015-03-12 14:48:38', '<strong>Petroleum Retailers Would Do Well to Focus Harder on Storytelling and the Customer Experience, Writes Veteran Design and Branding Consultant Joe Bona</strong>\r\nThe need to create and develop meaningful brand experiences is critical for retailers today, but petroleum companies in particular face these challenges when planning their stores of the future, writes Joseph Bona, president of Branded Environments for brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in a March 6 column for Oil &amp; Gas Monitor online.\r\n\r\n\"While petroleum companies will continue to try to differentiate themselves at the pump -- offering the cheapest gasoline and/or the highest-performance additives -- the fact remains that gas has become a commodity purchase for most consumers,\" Bona writes. \"How, then, do you get people to purposefully drive past your competitors and spend their money with you?\"\r\n\r\nIn the column (\'Know Thyself\': For Petroleum Brands, The Future of Retail is About Looking Within), the veteran convenience store/fuel station designer highlights the role of the customer experience in cementing brand loyalty. He cites the examples of industry leaders such as Wawa, RaceTrac, Speedway, QuickTrip and Sheetz, all of which emphasize a brand-consistent customer journey.\r\n\r\n\"The idea is to make sure all aspects of the experience -- from seeing a sign on the interstate, to pulling up to the pump, to walking out of the store with a steaming cup of java in your hand -- will deepen your connection to the brand,\" Bona writes.\r\n\r\nHe goes on to describe several ways in which petroleum companies can make both the fueling and c-store experiences feel brand-right and engaging, and invites readers to imagine what would happen if Richard Branson, the visionary founder of Virgin Group, were to get his hands on a portfolio of gas stations. \"You can bet the journey would be more whimsical, futuristic and fun than what we have come to expect -- with a social conscience thrown in to boot,\" Bona writes.\r\n\r\nLike the individual words in a sentence, all elements of the fueling/c-store experience -- from the design of the canopies and pumps, to payment-processing interfaces, to the types of fuels available, to the look and feel of the store itself -- send messages to customers, he explains. \"Whatever the future brings in terms of technology, site configuration or anything else,\" Bona writes, \"do some careful thinking about how to make those changes in ways that reinforce your brand and encourage people to see the experience as consonant rather than dissonant.\"\r\n\r\nThe full column is available <a href=\"http://www.oilgasmonitor.com/know-thyself-for-petroleum-brand-the-future-of-retail-is-about-looking-within/9030/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAs seen in:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.petrolplaza.com/news/print/browse/MiZlbiYxODEwNiYmMSYzMCYx\" target=\"_blank\">Petrol Plaza</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'CBX Expert: Petroleum Brands Need to \'Look Within\' and Modernize', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-expert-petroleum-brands-need-to-look-within-and-modernize', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-expert-petroleum-brands-need-to-look-within-and-modernize', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2080, 4, '2015-03-12 15:49:09', '2015-03-12 15:49:09', 'An outdated graphic storyline dominates the baby products aisle: flawless photograph of happy babies and along with clinical imagery of safety and security. New packaging by CBX for The First Years brand seeks a change. “Gone is the baby boomer fantasy of angelic babies and perfect parents blissing out in la la land,” says Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer. “Instead, we worked with The First Years to do something refreshing for this category. We actually embraced the awesome — but at times messy and gritty — reality of the parenting journey.” The project, aimed at millennial parents, includes logos, fonts, selfie-style imagery that would seem at home on Facebook or Instagram, warm colors, as well as straight talk and irreverent copy. “Our goal was to bring some freshness and reality to a tired category,” says Willie Wilkov, CMO of TOMY International. “The result is a visually relatable brand that speaks directly to the next generation of parents using honest, real language.”\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"http://www.cbx.com/news/cbx-helps-the-first-years-rebrand-with-younger-moms-in-mind/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'CBX Gets Messy with Millenials', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-gets-messy-with-millenials', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-gets-messy-with-millenials', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2081, 4, '2015-03-08 14:32:39', '2015-03-08 14:32:39', '<iframe src=\"//www.wnyc.org/widgets/ondemand_player/wnyc/#file=%2Faudio%2Fxspf%2F433824%2F\" width=\"600\" height=\"130\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>\r\nNot so long ago, ads for pads and tampons showed images of women in gauzy garments, doing yoga on the beach. Manufacturers left it to moms and big sisters to give young women \"the talk.\"\r\n\r\nToday, these brands speak to girls directly:\r\n\r\nAlways’ “#LikeAGirl” ad, featuring young women, ran in the last superbowl. “First Moon Party”, a humorous take on a girl’s wish to get her first period, got over 30 million views since it went up on YouTube last year.\r\n\r\n“It’s not surprising that it could be turned into something funny because it’s already something that I’m comfortable with,” said Willa, a 12-year-old Brooklynite.\r\n\r\nDirect talk and the rhetoric of female empowerment seem to be a good match for young women today. But when the product being advertised is clothing or makeup, it can raise questions.\r\n\r\nEmily Long, director of communication at The LAMP, a media-awareness organization for kids, said companies use soft-focus feminism to obscure the fact that a brand must play on a woman’s insecurities in order to sell product.\r\n\r\nShe cited Dove skincare, which has a selfie campaign for teens, and Aerie, which announced last year it would stop re-touching photos of its models.\r\n\r\n“It’s still a construction, “ Long said. “They’re still creating a shot, putting them in costumes and lighting and makeup. Just because they’re not going back over it later on with something like Photoshop doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been manipulated.”\r\n\r\nAerie says its ads are aimed at young women 15 and up. Pink by Victoria’s Secret, a rival clothing brand, says it focuses on “college-aged women”\r\n\r\nBut in fact both brands are popular with tweens, because they sell fashionable underwear that fits them.\r\n\r\nA recent study by EPM Communications put tween spending power at $43 billion.\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"%20http://www.wnyc.org/story/what-brand-would-give-be-tween-girls-friend/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'What a Brand Would Give to Be a Tween Girl’s Friend', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-a-brand-would-give-to-be-a-tween-girls-friend', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/what-a-brand-would-give-to-be-a-tween-girls-friend', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2082, 4, '2015-03-18 16:45:39', '2015-03-18 16:45:39', 'By David Weinberger\r\nInnovation ain’t easy. For starters, it requires something precious that all consumer product <a href=\"http://www.smartblogs.com/tag/brands\" target=\"_blank\">brands</a> must work hard to achieve — trust. And once that trust is finally won, brands naturally tend to stick with the relative safety of the known. Instead of leaping forward with profound innovations — which, after all, could inadvertently alienate those hard-won loyalists — they play it safe and move sideways.\r\n\r\nHow, then, can <a href=\"http://www.smartblogs.com/tag/cpg\" target=\"_blank\">CPG</a> brands innovate and meet consumer need even as they leverage their existing levels of consumer trust? Like I said, it ain’t easy. A case in point is the way in which <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/tag/restaurant/\" target=\"_blank\">restaurant</a> brands like <a href=\"https://www.tgifridays.com/\" target=\"_blank\">TGI Fridays</a>, <a href=\"http://www.starbucks.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Starbucks,</a> <a href=\"http://www.nathansfamous.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Nathan’s Famous,</a> <a href=\"http://www.whitecastle.com/\" target=\"_blank\">White Castle</a> and <a href=\"http://www.chichis.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Chi Chis</a>, to name a few, offer iterations of their products in grocery stores. While these brands enjoy distinct advantages, many of these offerings can be found only in the frozen-food aisle, which makes delivering on expected product quality a challenge. Moreover, an important part of enjoying food in a restaurant is the experience and the environment: the servers, the music, the decor and the people you’re eating with. Like consumer trust, the experience that goes along with your brand bears a huge value. While I understand that such approaches can be hard to resist, I bet companies can push further.\r\n\r\nLet’s flip the tables — smart CPG brands can offer something new and innovative (while maintaining their consumers’ trust) by simply doing the reverse of the frozen spinoff. Instead of offloading your brand to an inert environment, you animate it in a brick-and-mortar setting replete with servers, decor, music and friends. Bear in mind, I’m not referring to flagships along the lines of <a href=\"http://www.mms.com/\" target=\"_blank\">M&amp;M’s Stores</a> or <a href=\"http://www.chobani.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Chobani Yogurt bars</a>, which are essentially write-offs that offer certain advantages but are under no real pressure to make money. I’m talking about investing in something innovative and profitable, with the potential to go big — I’m talking national or even international. The key is to figure out how to bring consumers an experience they can’t get by just buying your products at Dollar Tree, Shoprite or, heaven forbid, Amazon. Let’s transform these CPG brands into a destination.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.heinz.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Heinz</a> is an example of a company that could pull this off. Famous on six continents, the company has tremendous heritage, trust and awareness that it has yet to fully leverage. Heinz can start by taking advantage of three major food <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/tag/consumer-trends/http://\" target=\"_blank\">trends.</a>\r\n\r\nStart with customization. Across the U.S., we see restaurants such as <a href=\"http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/default.aspx?type=default\" target=\"_blank\">Chipotle Mexican Grill</a> and <a href=\"http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Subway</a> riding the <a href=\"http://www.smartblogs.com/tag/fast-casual\" target=\"_blank\">fast-casual</a> wave as they allow their fans to create their own meals. Another example of this is the rise of “fixin’s” bars in convenience stores such as <a href=\"https://www.maverik.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Maverik</a>, <a href=\"http://www.ampm.com/\" target=\"_blank\">ampm</a> and <a href=\"http://www.cornerstore4u.com/Home\" target=\"_blank\">Corner Store</a>.\r\n\r\nNext is the ongoing globalization of cuisine. From the coasts to Middle America and beyond, flavors are blending. Latin and Asian influences in particular are on trend, with chipotle and <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/?cat=5853&amp;s=sriracha\" target=\"_blank\">Sriracha</a> popping up all over. Earlier this year, Heinz announced the release of a product that combines classic American ketchup with Sriracha, a flavor that used to be known only to epicures fond of browsing Asian grocery stores. It may be hard to find, but Heinz is touching on a big opportunity here.\r\n\r\nThe third trend is simple authenticity. Heinz has been around since 1869 and is one of the most trusted brands in the world. What kid doesn’t like ketchup?\r\n\r\nLeveraging this consumer trust and riding the tails of these three food trends, I believe that Heinz can move beyond line extensions and into the world of <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/tag/food-retail/\" target=\"_blank\">retail</a> destinations, and break new ground — literally. Retail locations could help the Heinz brand truly own “customization of flavor.” Imagine walking into a fast-casual sandwich place called “Flavors 57.” Like the menus at Chipotle and Five Guys, the Flavors 57 menu would offer creative spins on burgers, dogs, hoagies, falafels, croque madames, banh mis, tortas, you name it. (Oh, and fries of course.) It would all be made in front of you with any fresh toppings you want. After you get your meal, you walk over to the “Heinz Saucing Station.” Fifty-seven sauces? Exactly. Take that Arby’s.\r\n\r\nThere would be 10 types of ketchup, branded mustard, mayo, relish, chutney, tahini, salsa, hot sauce, tartar sauce, cheese sauce, peanut sauce, steak sauce, secret sauce, Limited Time Only sauce and, of course, Awesome Sauce.\r\n\r\nThe idea here is not to spotlight Heinz, but to point to the potential of maximizing under-leveraged — but highly trusted — brands. One could say much the same for the likes of <a href=\"http://sabra.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Sabra</a>, <a href=\"http://www.applegate.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Applegate Farms</a>, <a href=\"https://www.kashi.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Kashi</a> and many more. If IKEA can serve meatballs, why can’t <a href=\"http://www.traderjoes.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Trader Joe’s</a> open its own QSRs?\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/tag/innovation/\" target=\"_blank\">Innovation</a> ain’t easy. But it can come from anywhere. Even a tomato.\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/food-and-beverage/2015/03/18/moving-from-on-the-shelf-to-on-the-street-rethinking-what-it-means-to-be-new-and-improved/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'Rethinking branding, what it means to be “new and improved”', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'rethinking-branding-what-it-means-to-be-new-and-improved', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/rethinking-branding-what-it-means-to-be-new-and-improved', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2083, 4, '2015-03-31 14:24:04', '2015-03-31 14:24:04', '<strong>Beloved brand emphasizes its hard-hitting, dynamic and challenging workouts via comprehensive rebranding campaign by CBX.</strong>\r\nAfter an endorphin-boosting Jazzercise workout, you’re likely to feel toned, breathless, energized—and ready to come back for more. But what about those whimsical legwarmers and leotards? In its comprehensive rebranding project for Jazzercise, brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX is helping the $100 million company retire these outdated misperceptions.\r\n\r\n“The reality is, Jazzercise has continually updated its workouts for the past 45 years to keep them in perfect step with contemporary fitness trends ,” said Gregg S. Lipman, CBX Co-Founder and Managing Partner. “Jazzercise continues to transform the bodies and lives of thousands of people all over the world. It is every bit as results-oriented as the likes of CrossFit or Zumba. Our objective was to modernize the perception of this brand by better telling its story.”\r\n\r\nThe new brand elements debuted on the Jazzercise website in January and are now being rolled out companywide to appear on retail products such as apparel, interior and exterior signage, promotional materials, advertisements and posters. Elements have also been incorporated in corporate and franchised Jazzercise centers.\r\n\r\nAs part of the rebranding, CBX body-sculpted the Jazzercise logo by ditching its serif-based font for a sleeker, more energetic look. The firm created a bold, clean color palette for Jazzercise’s background fields, typography and accents, employing shades of yellow, grey, blue and white. The new brand voice is conveyed in messaging such as “Jazzercise: You think you know us, but you don’t” and “We keep you moving, we keep it coming—you’ll transform.”\r\n\r\n“We based our approach on extensive consumer research, and the messages we received were, in essence, ‘Inspire me’ and ‘Get me results,’” said Rick Barrack, CBX Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. “These workouts are sweaty, real and challenging. They’re about intensity and results, which is precisely what we sought to convey in this rebranding.”\r\n\r\nCBX’s effort focused in part on grittier, high-contrast photography, Barrack explained. “Visually, we zoomed in on the strength of women’s muscles and the sweat on their bodies, with brick backgrounds, close cropping and a color palette that really pushes performance and strength,” he said. “It is real, raw and empowering, which happens to be more in keeping with today’s trends, from the TV show ‘Girls,’ to the unapologetic ads of U By Kotex.”\r\n\r\nSpecific words on the brand guidelines list include pulse-pounding, beat-pumping, beats jumpin’ and bass droppin’, which is appropriate given that customers can incinerate up to 800 calories in one 60-minute Jazzercise class, Barrack noted. “We also added boldness and strength to the advertising copy with language such as ‘Our only throwback is our right hook’ and ‘Our new beats break 80s barriers.’ ”\r\n\r\nFounded in 1969, Jazzercise has never stopped growing: its more than 8,300 certified instructors teach more than 32,000 weekly classes in 32 countries. However, the 45-year-old brand wanted to gain an edge on other fitness programs by focusing on the future, Lipman noted. “Jazzercise founder and CEO Judi Sheppard Missett wanted to reach out to a new audience with a bold new message: ‘You think you know us, but you don’t,’ ” he explained. “This rebranding has laid the groundwork for an enduring and engaging brand, one that acknowledges that sweat is sexy—no legwarmers required.”\r\n\r\nAs seen in:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://clubindustry.com/cbx-helps-jazzercise-rebrand-focus-intensity-results\" target=\"_blank\">Club Industry</a>', 'CBX Helps Jazzercise Rebrand with Focus on Intensity, Results', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-helps-jazzercise-rebrand-with-focus-on-intensity-results', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-helps-jazzercise-rebrand-with-focus-on-intensity-results', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2084, 4, '2015-03-31 20:55:38', '2015-03-31 20:55:38', 'Jazzercise president Shanna Missett Nelson, leads a class called Dance Mixx on Friday at the Jazzercise studios in Oceanside, California. — Eduardo Contreras\r\nOn a Friday morning, Iggy Azalea\'s \"Trouble\" blasts through a room filled with mostly women and a few men who are shaking their hips – and everything else – to the music.\r\n\r\nThis is not your mother\'s <a href=\"http://www.jazzercise.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Jazzercise</a>, and it\'s certainly not stuck in the 1980s. Instead of leotards, dancers are wearing Lululemon, and there\'s not a legwarmer or sweatband to be seen. But there is plenty of sweat. And where there used to be simple, low-impact movements like hip swivels, now there\'s a blend of kickboxing, Pilates and hip-hop moves.\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eqru4MtZJ1E\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nThe 46-year-old fitness franchise headquartered in Carlsbad this year introduced a bold new logo, color scheme and advertising campaign to shake off its dated reputation and show people a modern, harder-edged Jazzercise that delivers results.\r\n\r\nIt is also rolling out a new menu of calorie-crushing classes as part of its \"You Think You Know Us But You Don\'t\" rebrand.\r\n\r\nThe goal is to abolish misguided and outdated stereotypes about Jazzercise, said Sandra Creamer, vice president of strategy at CBX, the New York agency that crafted the rebrand.\r\n\r\nThe new look, which also features cropped images of women\'s toned bodies while working out, is designed to show women that Jazzercise isn\'t all jazz, but it\'s also exercise that will help them slim down and tone up their muscles. At the same time, Jazzercise wants to show the world it has the stuff to compete with newer fitness concepts such as Zumba, kickboxing and Bokwa.</br>\r\n<strong>The revolution</strong>\r\n\r\nJazzercise was one of the first organized fitness concepts in the United States when professional dancer and choreographer Judi Sheppard Missett started teaching her dance-based workout classes in 1969. It started as a performance dance class, but Missett quickly realized her students were more interested in something less disciplined that would allow them to get fit while having fun.\r\n\r\nSo she turned them away from the mirror and started calling out simple steps while leading from the front of the room. That first class had 15 students, she said. The second class had 30, because everybody brought a friend. By the third meeting, the group of 60 had outgrown the room.\r\n\r\n\"That was kind of my \'ah-ha!\' moment,\" Missett said.\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/FYXiiYjV8U8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/eP9T_7f1uCE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nShe didn\'t set out to turn her aerobic dance lessons into a business, but her classes kept growing and by the mid-80s, Jazzercise had helped spearhead a revolution that turned fitness into an organized industry boasting evangelical personalities like Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda.\r\n\r\nJazzercise was one of the first companies to market fitness as fun, and became one of the first fitness programs to train and franchise its instructors. It also pioneered on-site childcare for its members, making it easier for them to squeeze exercise into their busy lives.\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tgxvza2yhFw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n\"People were teaching group fitness classes for many years before that, but in the \'80s is when we saw it really take off, and Jazzercise was a very big part of that,\" said Jessica Matthews, senior adviser for Health and Fitness Education at the <a href=\"http://www.acefitness.org/\" target=\"_blank\">American Council on Exercise</a> based in San Diego. \"That\'s when you started to have this identified profession.\"\r\n\r\nACE, established in 1985, was the first to offer any sort of credential in the fitness industry, Matthews said, and its first credential was for aerobic dance instructors like those who taught Jazzercise.</br>\r\n<strong>The evolution</strong>\r\n\r\nJazzercise has since expanded into an estimated $100 million fitness empire boasting 8,300 franchisees teaching more than 32,000 classes per week in 32 countries around the world. It is now ranked No. 7 on Entrepreneur magazine\'s list of <a href=\"http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/jazzerciseinc/282474-0.html\" target=\"_blank\">Fastest-Growing Franchises </a>and No. 13 on its list of America’s Top Global Franchises.\r\n\r\nAlthough Jazzercise is practically a household name, Missett said that is a double-edged sword, because the name recognition often comes with an old-fashioned understanding of what Jazzercise is all about. So many people who think they know her company, she said, don\'t in fact know anything about the bass-thumping, heart-pumping classes it offers in 2015. Instead, they associate it with their mothers or grandmothers in the 1980s.\r\n\r\n\"Here\'s the thing: If we had stayed an \'80s program, we wouldn\'t be here today,\" said Missett, now 70 and still teaching classes.\r\n\r\nShe thrives on change, she explained, and works hard to keep a constant stream of new songs and choreography flowing to her instructors and franchisees. That helps keep both instructors and customers from getting bored.\r\n\r\nThe company, too, has evolved with their changing needs. For example, said Missett\'s daughter and company president Shanna Missett Nelson, Jazzercise has developed a variety of business models for its franchisees, whether they\'re just teaching as a hobby or want to turn Jazzercise into their livelihood.\r\n\r\nMatthews often jokes that fitness is like fashion, she said, with trends that die out and make a comeback, but Jazzercise seems to be an exception.\r\n\r\n\"It\'s not a surprise to me that Jazzercise and dance-based fitness formats continue to thrive after all these years, because quite honestly, most people don\'t equate dancing with exercise,\" she said.\r\n\r\nThat means they go to have fun, and the workout is a side benefit.</br>\r\n<strong>A new image</strong>\r\n\r\nBut that fun-first image is exactly what Jazzercise is trying to distance itself from, said Creamer from CBX.\r\n\r\nAlthough the fun of a dance party keeps the average Jazzercise customer coming to class for an impressive seven years, that\'s not what will get new people in the door for the first time, she explained. The fact that a customer can burn as many as 600 calories in one 60-minute session will.\r\n\r\nPeople are well aware of how entertaining Jazzercise can be, which is one reason some don\'t take it seriously. That perception, coupled with a growing attraction to more intense fitness concepts like boxing and CrossFit, has slowed Jazzercise\'s growth in recent years.\r\n\r\nThis new, harder-core image will help Jazzercise compete with that trend and appeal to a younger generation who want to fit exercise into their schedules, but won\'t bother unless they believe it\'s going to challenge them and deliver results.\r\n\r\nThe more aggressive, authoritative image, projected by phrases such as \"Our classes are way too hot for legwarmers\" and \"Our only throwback is our right hook,\" is what will get people to try Jazzercise for the first time, Creamer said.\r\n\r\nThe fact that it\'s enjoyable is what will keep them coming back – a challenge for most workout programs, but something Jazzercise excels at.\r\n\r\n\"If you\'re going to exercise, it\'s not about intensity, but continuity,\" Creamer said. \"They have a winning formula for that, and they just want to share that with more people.\"\r\n\r\nJazzercise unleashed its rebrand on Jan. 1, and Leah Castle, owner of the College Area franchise, said it led to a strong month for her business. Oddly, though, her new new customers weren\'t in the new target demographic of women in their 30s. Instead, they were mostly women in their late 40s.\r\n\r\nStill, she said, the new image was an important step for the company and its franchisees.\r\n\r\n\"I think it was needed, and I really think Jazzercise is on the right track,\" Castle said.\r\n\r\nThe full article is available <a href=\"http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/mar/31/jazzercise-80s-reputation-rebrand/?#article-copy\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>', 'Jazzercise shakes off \'80s reputation', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'jazzercise-shakes-off-80s-reputation', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/jazzercise-shakes-off-80s-reputation', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2085, 4, '2015-04-06 17:06:02', '2015-04-06 17:06:02', '<strong>CBX Open-Letter Ad in Advertising Age Asks Cannes Lions, CLIO &amp; Pencil Awards Programs To Begin Honoring Agencies For Naming Efforts</strong>\r\nIn a full-page, open-letter ad in today\'s edition of Advertising Age, the chief executive of branding agency CBX asked the Cannes Lions, CLIO and Pencil awards programs to begin honoring creative agencies for their work in naming or \'Verbal Identity.\'\r\n\r\nThe letter from Gregg S. Lipman, CEO and Managing Partner of the New York-based firm, reads as follows:\r\n\r\n<strong><em>To the esteemed Governing Bodies and Judging Committees of the Cannes Lions, CLIO, and Pencil Awards:</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Thank you. Your awards elevate an entire industry and celebrate the best and brightest in our field. They validate a job well done. But is it possible, perhaps, you may have forgotten something?</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>What about Naming?</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>On behalf of Branding &amp; Naming agencies everywhere, we humbly submit that you may want to consider the singular importance of Verbal Identity. It is the most enduring aspect of any brand; without it, there would be no identity at all. No big idea. No creative campaigns. No trophies in the lobby.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Might we recognize this critical component to the marketing mix with an award as well?</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>We could even create a clever name for it if you\'d like.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Thanks so much,</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Gregg S. Lipman</em></strong>\r\n<strong> <em> ceo/managing partner</em></strong>\r\n<strong> <em> #whataboutnaming</em></strong>', 'What About Naming?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-about-naming', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/what-about-naming', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2086, 1, '2015-04-15 15:40:42', '2015-04-15 15:40:42', '<strong>Global branding industry should do more to honor the most creative and successful naming and verbal identity projects, says Gregg S. Lipman, CEO of the New York-based brand agency.</strong>\r\nEach year naming experts at brand agencies across the globe spend countless hours working to develop verbal identities for a dizzying array of corporations, products and brands. And yet major industry awards programs continue to ignore the foundational role of naming in the brand-building process, said Gregg S. Lipman, CEO and Managing Partner of CBX, the New York-based brand agency and retail design consultancy.\r\n\r\n\"Nothing is as foundational to a brand as its name,\" Lipman said. \"So why don\'t programs like Cannes Lions and CLIO honor creative agencies for their work on naming? On behalf of all of those who value the critical role of verbal identity in the branding process, we at CBX are calling for a change.\"\r\n\r\nEarlier this month, CBX took out a full-page advertisement inAdvertising Age in which Lipman urged major industry awards programs to begin honoring creative agencies for their hard work and creativity in the naming arena. Verbal identity, Lipman noted, is the most enduring aspect of any brand and is therefore every bit as worthy of recognition, if not more so, as a visually attractive logo or clever ad campaign. \"Without verbal identity, there would be no identity at all,\" Lipman wrote. \"No big idea. No creative campaigns. No trophies in the lobby.\"\r\n\r\nSpecialists in CBX\'s Naming and Verbal Identity group have created hundreds of names from scratch for a raft of corporate, service and product brands. Recent examples include everything from corporate to consumer: Big Heart Pet Brands (the world\'s largest standalone pet food and snacks company); Brew York City (Duane Reade\'sgrowler bar brand); Nice (a Walgreens private label brand); and Topaz (an Irish fuel brand), to mention just a few. \"When they \'nail it\' and come up with the perfect name for a brand, naming experts at firms like CBX get plenty of recognition from clients, but to date there has been no way for them to receive formal recognition from their peers,\" Lipman said. \"This could be easily remedied, which is why we are taking the unusual step of publicly calling for the addition of awards categories for naming and verbal identity.\"\r\n\r\nLipman pointed to the importance of naming in other creative arenas—from Hollywood, to the music industry, to book publishing.\r\n\r\n\"There\'s a reason Ernest Hemingway agonized over the title of The Sun Also Rises; a far cry from its original title Fiesta. This was the quintessential novel of the Lost Generation, and so the title had to be perfect,\" Lipman said. \"What would have happened if \'The Beatles\' had stuck with \'The Quarrymen?\' After Prince changed his name to a visual symbol, he had to go back to \'Prince\' because no one knew what to call him anymore. Simply put, naming matters—and this is every bit as true in the world of branding as it is in other realms.\"\r\n\r\nThe wrong name is like an unstable foundation, whereas a strong verbal identity serves as a solid platform for great brand-building campaigns for years, decades or even centuries to come, Lipman added. \"Campaigns last only as long as the media buy, and even logos and fonts evolve and change with time,\" he said. \"Names endure. And you have one shot to get it right. They are often multigenerational. Your great-grandfather probably wore Levi\'s.\"', 'CBX Urges Wider Recognition Of Naming\'s Role In The Brand-Building Process', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-urges-wider-recognition-of-namings-role-in-the-brand-building-process', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-urges-wider-recognition-of-namings-role-in-the-brand-building-process', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2087, 1, '2015-04-21 14:10:24', '2015-04-21 14:10:24', 'Thousands of cliché images bombard us through all forms of media on a daily basis. Pristine babies smiling angelically at the camera; women doing cartwheels on the beach during their period; mom preparing a perfectly homemade dinner with a smile on her face. While these scenarios rarely reflect real life, marketers often rely on these images to reach their consumers. They do so because clichés are safe, and generally don’t make consumers feel uncomfortable. But, the question is, what are clichés really doing for your brand?\r\nAllison Koller, Creative Director at CBX, will explain why our society focuses so heavily on clichés, will dig into examples of brands successfully defying clichés, and will wrap up with key takeaways to apply to your own brand.', 'Get Real: Branding Beyond the Cliche', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'get-real-branding-beyond-the-cliche', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/get-real-branding-beyond-the-cliche', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2088, 1, '2015-04-21 15:25:41', '2015-04-21 15:25:41', '<strong>Formerly Known as Dice Holdings, Inc., DHI Group, Inc., Celebrates Its New Visual and Verbal Identity Today by Ringing the Closing Bell on the New York Stock Exchange</strong>\r\nAs DHI Group, Inc. (\"DHI\") rings the Closing Bell on the New York Stock Exchange today, it does so with a new visual and verbal identity created by CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy, in consultation with DHI.\r\n\r\nFormerly known as Dice Holdings, Inc., DHI is a leading provider of specialized websites and services for professional communities. With the help of CBX, the Company has rebranded as DHI and adopted a new logo that includes the brand-reinforcing tagline \"Delivering Hire Insights.\"\r\n\r\n\"We began as the Dice business nearly 25 years ago and have developed and expanded to serve multiple specialty verticals, with new products and services that will further expand our market opportunity. The name DHI better represents the evolution of our Company into a diverse portfolio of specialized websites and services that serve targeted constituents and are unified under one corporate umbrella,\" explained Michael Durney, DHI\'s President and CEO.\r\n\r\n\"For the new logo, CBX sought to create a symbol of reliability, trust and quality,\" said Rick Barrack, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at CBX. \"We used proprietary, bold, uppercase letterforms to define the new brand mark. Running from the cross bar of the \'H\' and leading to the accent graphic over the \'I,\' the visual path we created in the logo calls to mind the upward trajectory showing positive results. It represents ambition, innovation, forward-thinking and setting new paths of opportunity.\"\r\n\r\n\"The new tagline -- \'Delivering Hire Insights\' -- complements this visual identity even as it evokes the human dimension of DHI\'s people-centric mission,\" Barrack said. \"The tagline defines what DHI is all about, and what it does for its clients and the professionals who use their services.\"\r\n\r\n\"With our new verbal and creative assets, DHI now has its own distinct identity, allowing our Dice brand to strengthen its position as the leading digital career resource,\" Durney noted. \"The name DHI and our new tagline more clearly reflect the globally unified company we have become.\"\r\n\r\n<strong>About DHI Group, Inc.</strong>\r\nDHI Group, Inc. is a leading provider of specialized websites and services for professional communities including technology and security clearance, financial services, energy, healthcare and hospitality. Our mission is to empower professionals and organizations to compete and win through specialized insights and relevant connections. Employers and recruiters use our websites and services to source and hire the most qualified professionals in select and highly-skilled occupations, while professionals use our websites and services to find the best employment opportunities in and most timely news and information about their respective areas of expertise. For almost 25 years, we have built our company on providing employers and recruiters with efficient access to high-quality, unique professional communities and offering the professionals in those communities access to highly-relevant career opportunities, news, tools and information. Today, we serve multiple markets primarily located throughout North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region.', 'Leading Digital Provider for Professional Communities Rebrands as DHI Group, Inc. With Help From CBX', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leading-digital-provider-for-professional-communities-rebrands-as-dhi-group-inc-with-help-from-cbx', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/leading-digital-provider-for-professional-communities-rebrands-as-dhi-group-inc-with-help-from-cbx', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2089, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:22', '2018-09-27 16:53:22', '', 'Aloha_pressrelease_2012-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'aloha_pressrelease_2012-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:22', '2018-09-27 16:53:22', '', 1732, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Aloha_pressrelease_2012-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2090, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:22', '2018-09-27 16:53:22', '', 'AG-8275c', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'ag-8275c', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:22', '2018-09-27 16:53:22', '', 1746, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/AG-8275c.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2091, 1, '2015-04-17 19:37:50', '2015-04-17 19:37:50', 'By Nancy Brown\r\nBrands need to explore new packaging strategies in the era of online delivery to keep consumers coming back for more.\r\n\r\nPackaging offers a way to establish brand identity and create personalized consumer experiences. But in the era of online delivery, shouldn’t brands do a lot more to give online shoppers more compelling and on brand packaging experiences—right on the consumer’s doorstep? In today’s economic environment, after all, brands are competing as much on the experiences they offer as the products they sell.\r\n\r\nWe all saw the numbers for the 2014 holiday season: more online purchases than ever. By 2018, nearly one-half of CPG growth—a total take of $35 billion in sales—will derive from online transactions, according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association. And more and more as e-commerce sales continue to take over the market, that classic moment of truth when shoppers first see your brand as it hangs on a hook or perches on a shelf will never happen. Instead, it will begin when they open the front door or a mailbox to find the product they have ordered in a box.\r\n\r\nThink about that for a moment. Innumerable Ph.D. theses have been written about the art and science of the consumer-product encounter at shelf. But how much time and effort is going into the experience of receiving and opening products ordered online, from a branding and packaging standpoint?\r\n\r\nAs more consumers transition from brick-and-mortar stores to e-commerce, brands will need to find new ways to improve the packaging experience at the doorstep. The goal should be to thrill consumers and keep them coming back for more.\r\n\r\nOnline retailers like Birchbox, Mantry and One Kings Lane are already taking creative approaches to the aesthetic and tactile experience of opening their packages at home. They represent a potential source of ideas and inspiration for ways in which other brands could improve upon their experience\r\n\r\nStart with a subscription to Birchbox. Consumers sign up for monthly deliveries of sample-sized beauty, grooming and lifestyle products, tailored to a personalized style profile. The goal? To give people access to a variety of products—cult brands, up-and-coming lines and everything in between—and to gain loyal consumers through an inspirational monthly subscription service. The monthly deliveries arrive in brightly colored shipper boxes (see photo above), which function as a Pavlovian cue to make consumers say, “Fantastic! My Birchbox is here!” Every detail within the box is beautifully designed to feel like a gift. There are pouches within boxes, cleverly written letters to consumers and straight shooting product descriptions. Different themes every month add to the delight and surprise of the deliveries. Summer boxes come with sunscreen and tips for staying cool and fresh looking, while winter boxes share tips on skin hydration. Some boxes even come with promotional campaigns like this April’s tie in with the finale of Mad Men. Each month offers something unique while providing a cohesive brand experience. In turn, those charming monthly deliveries drive further sales for the company and breed loyal consumers.\r\n\r\nMantry bills itself as offering curated craft, artisan and small-batch food and beverages targeted to fit the modern man’s lifestyle. The company’s eye-catching packaging was inspired by prohibition-era liquor crates. The products are shipped in a literal crate, the tops of which are nailed shut, and consumers immediately feel like they’re about to make something with their own two hands. Each month, Mantry subscribers pry off the lids to unveil the surprise products within. “The core goal of the service is to help guys discover the undiscovered makers doing amazing things in food and drink,” the company says.\r\n\r\nLastly, One Kings Lane, a flash-sale home decor business that operates a furniture and home accessories sales website, redesigned its packaging with the goal of “taking the brown box and making it a little more special.”\r\n\r\nRather than opening a nondescript box, a One Kings Lane consumer might find a package with a hand-drawn elephant on the outside and a printed motif lining the inside, a ribbon-tied box filled with artisan soap bars wrapped in wax paper or even a “thank you” note as the first interaction with the brand once the box is opened. These unique details are reminiscent of the amount of love and attention that their consumers put into decorating their homes. The fact that each package is slightly unique encourages consumers to continue ordering from One Kings Lane, because each experience is sure to be surprising and delightful every time.\r\n\r\nAs marketers move forward with new approaches rooted in the reality of e-commerce, they should consider making the tactile joy of receiving and opening packages a fundamental consideration. The biggest trap that big brands can fall into is clinging to strategies that worked great offline but simply don’t hold up online.\r\n\r\nSo, could other brands, including those with a more mass-market appeal—potentially the Amazons and Macy’s of the world—change their online packaging experience? Possibilities run the gamut: Try sending small assortments of samples or other free gifts related to the consumer’s purchase or designing a visually engaging shipping box. For multi-channel retailers, the point is to delight online shoppers just as much, if not more, as their brick-and-mortar consumers. Just because the shelf doesn’t play a role in the e-commerce equation does not mean that packaging loses its importance.\r\n\r\nWhen people shop online, they are rarely looking to duplicate the in-store experience. They expect something different. Let’s start giving it to them.', 'The Power of Packaging at the Doorstep', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-power-of-packaging-at-the-doorstep', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-power-of-packaging-at-the-doorstep', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2092, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:23', '2018-09-27 16:53:23', '', 'GOODDELISH-LEMONADE', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'gooddelish-lemonade', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:23', '2018-09-27 16:53:23', '', 1763, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/GOODDELISH-LEMONADE.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0);
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(2093, 1, '2015-04-28 22:15:36', '2015-04-28 22:15:36', 'The concept cars unveiled at major auto shows always seem a bit “out there.” But by making a practice of radically rethinking their products, global car makers have learned to unleash their creativity and position themselves for the future.\r\nAre chain drug stores doing the same? How much time and money does the industry spend envisioning radical, out-there, seemingly impractical prototype stores — metaphorical “concept cars” that could ultimately exert real, paradigm-shifting influence years or decades down the line?\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to the already lagging front of the store in particular, the industry would do well to entertain the possibility of radical shifts that would amount to an overthrow of the current, convenience-oriented model.\r\n\r\nWhat could replace that current model?\r\n\r\nWhen they aren’t ordering stuff online, both baby boomers and Millennials are keenly interested in health and wellness — a trend that is likely to gather steam with time. Indeed, the definition of health and wellness is expanding to encompass an ever-wider circle of both products and services.\r\n\r\nFor example, people will continue to embrace the notion that food is medicine, and that community is essential to both health and well-being. For nationwide drug store chains, then, this all spells potential opportunity.\r\n\r\nAnd so one strong possibility is a front of the store in which the focus is on curating a bigger message around health and wellness. Arguably, such a focus would be more on-brand and relevant, because drug stores are all about consumers taking better care of themselves.\r\n\r\nFrom CVS Health boldly and bravely ditching cigarettes to Rite Aid launching its wellness ambassadors program, the industry has taken its first steps in this direction anyway.\r\n\r\nWhat would a huge leap look like? If a national drug store chain were to launch a prototype that took health and wellness even more seriously, one approach would be to focus on four fundamentals: footfall (how to get more people in the front door), frequency (how to get them in the front door more often), relevance (selling things that matter to consumers) and brand consistency (offering on-brand products and services that are connected to a healthy lifestyle).\r\n\r\nWith respect to brand consistency, the Drug Store of the Future could offer products that reflect a more elevated consciousness. For example, candy and high-sugar drinks would play a less prominent role, and the store’s business plan would not include tempting shoppers with chocolate at every possible turn.\r\n\r\nSigns already point to the growing numbers of consumers who are rejecting sugared drinks in favor of bottled water and other healthier options; the prototype store would have a deep selection of artisanal waters, unsweetened teas and the like.\r\n\r\nThe prototype would also place far less emphasis on the commoditized products — anything from Styrofoam coolers to lawn chairs to low-end electronics — that formerly gobbled up square footage at the front of the store. This type of merchandise has nothing to do with health and wellness. If it is already omnipresent at dollar stores, discounters, convenience stores and in other retail channels, how much more available will it be in the future?\r\n\r\nAnd so the front of the store will no longer be reminiscent of Dollar Tree or a c-store. Instead, it will have polished wood floors and call to mind the supplements section at Whole Foods Market.\r\n\r\nThe pharmacy would still offer flu shots, but the preventive medicine clinic would do brisk business as well, in part because of revolutions that will make diagnostic tools and techniques cheaper and more portable.In fact, given all the research proving the health benefits of societal engagement, the prototype might even include a small community room, perhaps adjacent to the pharmacy/clinic. You could look through the oversize windows and see that an on-brand yoga class is in full swing. What’s on the schedule for tomorrow? Massage.\r\n\r\nOn the food front, it isn’t too hard to imagine a high counter that has a juice bar that offers customizable, kale-infused concoctions. Shoppers may also find a display at the front of the store that features organic, zero-sugar and antioxidant-rich pomegranate juice. It’s right next to the big display of anti-inflammatory turmeric supplements. Does the store have cashew nuts? Sure. But they’re dry-roasted and organic. You may even find a tilt table with some fresh organic produce from local farms.\r\n\r\nBear in mind that chain drug stores are already in the food business. Shifting into a higher orbit with more healthful offerings might be a stretch, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility. We are already seeing urban fresh format stores that are designed to combat food deserts.\r\n\r\nTechnology would be an integral part of the store as well. Say you’re a member of a rewards program. When the RFID scanner detects your phone, you could receive a text that gives you the option of downloading a free article on nutrition or on high-intensity fitness, or maybe a digital recording of a stress-reducing guided meditation. It would be the health and wellness equivalent of the free MP3 downloads that Starbucks offers to its loyalists.\r\n\r\nThe store’s exterior could also reflect the growing opinion that a healthier planet is a healthier you. That could mean lots of e-vehicle charging stations in the parking lot — all of them topped, of course, with solar panels — as well as rain barrels here and there outside and maybe even a rooftop garden and “living wall” covered in greenery.\r\n\r\nInside and out, the idea here is to shoot for a future in which consumers think of you first whenever they contemplate anything related to health and wellness. After all, that is your niche. So that might mean a product offering that includes things that might seem unthinkably impractical today such as organic cotton yoga pants or expensive fitness-tracking gizmos from the Quantified Self movement.\r\n\r\nToday, drug stores are full of merchandise that dilutes or even harms their brands, which is precisely why CVS Health kicked tobacco to the curb. And yet drug stores have just as much of a brand to uphold as all of the brands they carry.\r\n\r\nIf American society becomes increasingly focused on health and wellness, as it appears likely to do, then why not try to bring about a future in which consumers strongly associate national drug stores with their health and wellness needs? Why cede this territory to the likes of Whole Foods, which could never achieve the geographic market penetration of a CVS or Walgreens?\r\n\r\nFar-out prototypes rarely go to market as is, but they can and do lead to new ideas and incremental changes that, over time, translate into competitive advantages for chain drug retailers in the real world. The industry has already identified a need to reinvigorate the front of the store and carve out a stronger identity for itself in a world of both channel blurring and commoditization. Pushing prototypes past what might seem possible or practical is one way to shift that quest into overdrive.\r\n\r\nOriginally printed in <a href=\"http://www.chaindrugreview.com/envisioning-the-drug-store-of-the-future/\" target=\"_blank\">Chain Drug Review</a>', 'Envisioning the ‘drug store of the future’', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'envisioning-the-drug-store-of-the-future', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/envisioning-the-drug-store-of-the-future', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2094, 1, '2015-04-30 19:14:34', '2015-04-30 19:14:34', 'By Joseph Bona\r\nLet’s say a burglar breaks into your hotel room and steals your laptop, iPad, car keys, briefcase, passport and more. What does it say about you if you can’t stop thinking about how the whole nightmarish event was such an epic fail on the branding front?\r\n\r\nI guess it means I’ve been at this branding business for a long time. Let me explain. On a business trip to San Antonio a few weeks ago, I was staying at a seemingly nice, albeit lower-end, hotel bearing the name of one of the top three chains. When I returned from dinner one evening, I noticed my laptop was not on the desk where I had left it. My heart leaped out of my chest when I saw that my briefcase was gone, too. Had I put anything in the safe? Impossible; there was no safe in the room.\r\n\r\nI went downstairs and told the staff. They called the police, who showed me how the door had been jimmied, and pointed out the lack of a standard-issue security plate . As a result, it had been easy for the burglar to compromise the lock by cramming something in between the door and doorjamb. Well, at least they probably filmed the guy on the interior hallway cameras, right? No cameras.\r\n\r\nThe staff phoned the manager. Would he be coming in to create a strong sense that the hotel was deeply concerned about this rare breach of security? Nope. How about a real-time call in which the manager said, “Mr. Guest, I am sorry this happened.” Didn’t happen. And would it surprise you to learn the hotel’s insurance company later tried to browbeat me into putting it all on my homeowner’s insurance?\r\n\r\nWhen brands interact with people, they do so at a wide range of touch points, far beyond the brand name and physical appearance of the hotel.\r\n\r\nWhen your guest can’t find her child at the swimming pool, has a medical emergency, or has her hotel room burglarized, these, too, are critical touch points.\r\n\r\nIt is a fatal flaw for a company to put time, effort and money into routine customer-facing brand impressions, while ignoring the customer experience during inevitable adverse events. At lower-end properties, consumers will not expect a Ritz-Carlton mint on the pillow. However, things like basic security precautions and an empowered and well-trained manager are the price of entry, especially if you plaster a well-respected brand name on the hotel.\r\n\r\nHumans are emotional creatures, and a brand is intended to connect on an emotional level. If I had been able to talk with the manager on the phone right after the burglary, my primary expression of anguish would not have been about the loss of my belongings. Instead, I would have talked about how the burglar had made off with the gifts that my wife had given me 25 years ago. Silly as it might sound, some words of empathy and concern from the manager at that time would have made me feel more appreciated by the brand I was once loyal to. Later, when the manager called up and offered me 10,000 loyalty points, it was too little, too late.\r\n\r\nI couldn’t have cared less about the monetary value involved here. For me, the problem was the seeming callousness on the part of the company in response to the break-in. From a branding perspective, this hotel fell down on the job at all of the post-event touch points. Instead of disregarding my concerns, the brand could have had guidelines in place in order to show compassion and sympathy. This would have demonstrated its seriousness about keeping my business and maintaining my brand loyalty. And by the way, think of what happens when you poorly handle such things in today’s social media environment, where your customers can update thousands of people on your brand’s shortcomings, live.\r\n\r\nIf your customers aren’t going to be surprised and impressed with how well you handle adversity, you need to think harder about the potential negative effects this could have on your brand over time. At the end of the day, companies must deliver and execute against all the promises — explicit and implicit — behind a brand.', 'How A Hotel Burglar Stole My iPad - And My Brand Loyalty', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-a-hotel-burglar-stole-my-ipad-and-my-brand-loyalty', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/how-a-hotel-burglar-stole-my-ipad-and-my-brand-loyalty', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2095, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:24', '2018-09-27 16:53:24', '', 'SCOTTS_snaplineup', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'scotts_snaplineup', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:24', '2018-09-27 16:53:24', '', 1769, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/SCOTTS_snaplineup.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2096, 1, '2015-05-04 14:34:06', '2015-05-04 14:34:06', 'Congratulations, Dave Weinberger – Vice President and Engagement Director, for being recognized as one of 40 under 40.\r\nAs a branding and identity specialist, Weinberger leads interdisciplinary teams on retail, corporate and consumer initiatives. His leadership and teams have been instrumental in helping craft strong design initiatives for brands like Duane Reade, Chase and The Home Depot. Weinberger is considered an expert in the energy and convenience channel, having worked with national brands like Hess, Wawa and PetroChina. He frequently writes for industry publications and blogs about retail and branding trends.\r\n\r\nMy favorite place to shop is: The Lego Store.\r\nThoughts on mentoring: Coaching kids teaches you how to coach adults.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.designretailonline.com/displayanddesignideas/content_images/40under40_layout.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">See the other winners here.</a>', 'design:retail announces 40 under 40', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'designretail-announces-40-under-40', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/designretail-announces-40-under-40', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2097, 1, '2015-05-05 14:17:54', '2015-05-05 14:17:54', 'Tonya Garrett has joined brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX as Vice President, Client Services Group Director.\r\nIn her position, Garrett will be responsible for directing the firm\'s client services team, including the advisement of clients, growth of relationships and management of projects. She reports to Satoru Wakeshima, Senior VP, General Manager.\r\n\r\nGarrett comes to CBX with more than 18 years of digital marketing, management consulting and P&amp;L experience, most recently as Managing Director/NY Market Lead at Proof Integrated Communications/Burson-Marsteller Company. In that position, she was responsible for leading the New York office\'s P&amp;L and operations to deliver digital campaigns from research, creative and technical execution.\r\n\r\nFrom 2010 to 2013, Garrett was a Managing Director at JWT, a global full-service employee relationship marketing agency focused on recruitment advertising, employer branding, strategy and internal communications. Prior positions included Client Engagement Director at global digital marketing agency Razorfish; Director of Project Management/Account Director and Director of Operations and Delivery at Omnicom\'s Agency.com; and a Senior Consultant at Accenture, where she began her career in 1996.\r\n\r\n\"Tonya\'s diverse experience and outstanding track record position her as exceptionally qualified to lead teams across our organization,\" said Wakeshima. \"I\'m confident that her passion, vision and comprehensive thinking will help us continue to drive cohesive branding solutions for our clients, with measurable results. Additionally, our clients and teams will really enjoy working with Tonya -- she\'s a great cultural fit for CBX. I\'m very excited to have her join our senior leadership and look forward to an exciting future together.\"\r\n\r\nGregg Lipman, the firm\'s CEO/Managing Partner, added: \"Tonya\'s addition to the team underscores CBX\'s commitment to a rapidly changing marketplace in which clients with thinner resources rely on firms like us to offer the breadth and depth of services to fulfill their unique needs, and be proactive business partners in the process. With her vast experience, Tonya Garrett will be a catalyst to ensure CBX is at the forefront of that change.\"\r\n\r\nGarrett, a resident of New York City, earned an M.B.A. from Duke University\'s Fuqua School of Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance and Accounting, from the University of Oklahoma.\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/potmsearch/detail/submission/4620531/Tonya_Garrett?l=&amp;time=&amp;ind=&amp;type=&amp;ro=6\" target=\"_blank\">New York Business Journal</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.nacsonline.com/News/Member_News/Documents/CBXPR050515.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">NACS Online</a>', 'Tonya Garrett Joins CBX as VP, Client Services Group Director', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'tonya-garrett-joins-cbx-as-vp-client-services-group-director', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/tonya-garrett-joins-cbx-as-vp-client-services-group-director', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2098, 1, '2015-05-07 15:20:37', '2015-05-07 15:20:37', '<strong>Creating metaphorical \'concept cars\' is a way for drugstore brands to unleash their creativity and position themselves for the future, retail design veteran Joseph Bona advises.</strong>\r\nChain drug stores should position themselves for the future by experimenting with paradigm-busting store prototypes that rethink business-as-usual approaches, writes Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments for brand agency CBX, in the April 27 edition of Chain Drug Review.\r\n\r\nIn the column, the retail design veteran likens creative store prototypes to the unimaginable concept cars unveiled every year at major auto shows. \"By making a practice of radically rethinking their products, global carmakers have learned to unleash their creativity and position themselves for the future,\" Bona observes. \"Are chain drug stores doing the same?\"\r\n\r\nThe point is to generate new ideas that could ultimately exert real influence years or decades down the line, regardless of how impractical those ideas might seem today, Bona explains. When it comes to the already lagging front of the store in particular, he writes, the industry might rethink the current, convenience-oriented model by focusing more narrowly on health and wellness in ways that bolster the retailer\'s brand-promise.\r\n\r\n\"Drug stores are all about consumers taking better care of themselves,\" Bona writes. \"The \'Drug Store of the Future\' could offer products that reflect a more elevated consciousness.\"\r\n\r\nFor example, in the future, chain drug store staples like candy, high-sugar drinks, lawn chairs, Styrofoam coolers, low-end electronics and other space-clogging, commoditized products may be downplayed or eliminated altogether. Instead, the prototype could add healthy elements such as a preventive medicine clinic, an organic juice bar, a wide selection of artisanal waters, FitBit-style gizmos and even a pick-up area for farm-to-table produce, Bona writes. The store might also include a small community room for yoga classes, massages and other services.\r\n\r\nIn turn, shopper rewards programs might include free downloads of articles on nutrition or high-intensity fitness, or a digital recording of a stress-reducing guided meditation.\r\n\r\n\"Today, drugstores are full of merchandise that dilutes or even harms their brands, which is precisely why CVS kicked tobacco to the curb,\" he notes. \"If American society becomes increasingly focused on health and wellness, then why not try to bring about a future in which consumers strongly associate national drugstores with their health and wellness needs? Why cede this territory to the likes of Whole Foods, which could never achieve the geographic market penetration of a CVS or Walgreens?\"\r\n\r\nWhile \"far-out\" prototypes rarely go to market in full form, Bona writes in the conclusion to the piece, \"they can and do lead to new ideas and incremental changes that, over time, translate into competitive advantages for chain drug retailers in the real world.\"\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.chaindrugreview.com/envisioning-the-drug-store-of-the-future/\" target=\"_blank\">The full article is available here.</a>\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/drug-store-future-should-not-compete-c-stores\" target=\"_blank\">CSPnet</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://insights.retailenvironments.org/2015/05/14/cbx-expert-national-drug-chains-should-go-boldly-into-the-future/\" target=\"_blank\">A.R.E.</a>', 'CBX Expert: National Drug Chains Should Go Boldly Into The Future With \'Out-There\' Store Prototypes Focused On Health & Wellness', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-expert-national-drug-chains-should-go-boldly-into-the-future-with-out-there-store-prototypes-focused-on-health-wellness', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-expert-national-drug-chains-should-go-boldly-into-the-future-with-out-there-store-prototypes-focused-on-health-wellness', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2099, 1, '2015-05-06 20:32:23', '2015-05-06 20:32:23', 'The London International Awards (LIA) has announced the addition of the \'Verbal Identity\' category to its 2015 Design competition.\r\nThe introduction of the category is a reaction from LIA to the \'What About Naming?\' campaign launched by New York-based brand agency CBX.\r\n\r\nWith major industry awards programs continually ignoring the foundational role of naming in the brand-building process, CBX launched the \'What About Naming?\' campaign. CBX quite rightly believes that more should be done to honor the most creative and successful naming and verbal identity projects.\r\nOn April 6th, CBX carried out a full-page advertisement in Advertising Age that targeted the industry\'s award shows. Although it was not directed at LIA, the advertisement thanked the awards for validating a job well done but then pointed out that maybe they\'d forgotten something, and asked the question: \'What About Naming?\'\r\n\r\nSays Barbara Levy, founder of LIA: \"When I read the ad that CBX took in Advertising Age, although the ad wasn\'t directed at us, we realized that LIA needed to take action. As LIA has become one of the most progressive festivals and continuously works with the industry on what they need changed, we decided that we would respond and work with CBX to award this forgotten category. We immediately got in touch with CBX and partnered with them to define the category so that LIA could add it to our 2015 competition.\"\r\n\r\nCBX revealed in a statement that \"LIA acted fast to reach out to us in response to our campaign to promote industry recognition for naming and verbal identity. We were thrilled to learn that our vision will become a reality at LIA\'s 2015 awards festival.\"\r\n\r\nLIA recognize that Verbal Identity is an important part of developing a consumer brand and that there is an obvious gap in the awards festival for a Naming &amp; Branding category. LIA took CBX\'s \'What About Naming?\' campaign as invitation to fill this gap.\r\n\r\nLIA and CBX will continue to work together to ensure that the new Design category is exactly what Naming &amp; Branding agencies require. Rick Barrack, chief creative officer/founding partner of CBX, will judge the category.\r\n\r\nSays Gregg Lipman, CEO/managing partner of CBX on why \'Verbal Identity\' is so important: \"You will never talk about your brand without using the name. Unlike the tagline or logo, it\'s the one touch-point that follows every single interaction with the brand. In written or verbal conversation, the name is always part of the dialogue. Simply put, your brand name follows you wherever you go.\"\r\n\r\nSays Barrack: \"People are often afraid to reward things until they know they are a success. Part of the issue is that language is universal. Most people aren\'t afraid to admit they can\'t design, so outsourcing design is acceptable. Language is different. Everyone speaks, so it seems like anyone could name a brand. But the reality is, naming a brand presents serious trademark, linguistic and strategic challenges that need to be addressed by professionals.\"\r\n\r\nAny company or individual, including clients, that are involved in the long-term verbal assets (naming or re-naming) of the brand are eligible to enter into the \'Verbal Identity\' category.\r\n\r\nThe LIA 2015 Entry System is now accepting entries through August. Judging will take place from 1st October to 10th October. The shortlists will be announced as each judging session concludes, with winners being announced 10th November. For more information on submissions and eligibility please visit http://www.liaawards.com/enter/eligibility/.\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/223/12/128021.html\" target=\"_blank\">Bizcommunity.com</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bestmediainfo.com/2015/05/lia-introduces-verbal-identity-category-to-design-competition/\" target=\"_blank\">Best Media Info</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/249435/naming-agency-that-begged-cannes-clio-pencil-to.html\" target=\"_blank\">MediaPost</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.campaignbrief.com/2015/05/lia-becomes-first-awards-festi.html\" target=\"_blank\">Campaign Brief</a>', 'LIA becomes first awards festival to introduce \'Verbal Identity\' category to Design competition', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'lia-becomes-first-awards-festival-to-introduce-verbal-identity-category-to-design-competition', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/lia-becomes-first-awards-festival-to-introduce-verbal-identity-category-to-design-competition', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2100, 1, '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'Dave Weinberger, vice president and engagement director at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, was named to design:retail magazine\'s \'40 Under 40\' list of the top young professionals in the retail design community.A branding and identity expert, Weinberger leads interdisciplinary teams at CBX on retail, consumer and corporate initiatives. \"His leadership and teams have been instrumental in helping craft strong initiatives for brands like Duane Reade, Chase and The Home Depot,\" the magazine writes in its May 2015 issue. \"Weinberger is considered an expert in the energy and convenience channel, having worked with national brands like Hess, Wawa and PetroChina.\"\r\nIn addition to the aforementioned brands, over the course of his career at CBX and other global branding agencies, Weinberger has designed and directed programs around the world for such major corporations as Sunoco, BP, PKN Orlen, Marriott, Statoil, Kimberly-Clark, Quintiles, General Motors, and Western Union.\r\nWeinberger\'s work and writing have been featured in numerous publications, blogs and books. He has won multiple creative awards and been invited to speak before several university, industry and professional groups.\r\n\"I\'m thrilled that Dave has been recognized by the design community as one of the next generation of design leaders,\" said Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments at CBX. \"Having worked with Dave across many different geographies and cultures, I\'ve seen him develop into a true student of the world, learning how to adapt and respond to a wide variety of unique creative challenges. His passion for design and positive team approach provides inspiration and guidance to the generation behind him, and lays the foundation for his continued growth and creative leadership for years to come.\"', 'CBX V.P. Dave Weinberger Named to design:retail\'s \'40 Under 40\'', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', '', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/?post_type=thinking&#038;p=2100', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2101, 1, '2015-05-13 16:25:51', '2015-05-13 16:25:51', 'Dave Weinberger, vice president and engagement director at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, was named to design:retail magazine\'s \'40 Under 40\' list of the top young professionals in the retail design community.\r\nA branding and identity expert, Weinberger leads interdisciplinary teams at CBX on retail, consumer and corporate initiatives. \"His leadership and teams have been instrumental in helping craft strong initiatives for brands like Duane Reade, Chase and The Home Depot,\" the magazine writes in its May 2015 issue. \"Weinberger is considered an expert in the energy and convenience channel, having worked with national brands like Hess, Wawa and PetroChina.\"\r\n\r\nIn addition to the aforementioned brands, over the course of his career at CBX and other global branding agencies, Weinberger has designed and directed programs around the world for such major corporations as Sunoco, BP, PKN Orlen, Marriott, Statoil, Kimberly-Clark, Quintiles, General Motors, and Western Union.\r\n\r\nWeinberger\'s work and writing have been featured in numerous publications, blogs and books. He has won multiple creative awards and been invited to speak before several university, industry and professional groups.\r\n\r\n\"I\'m thrilled that Dave has been recognized by the design community as one of the next generation of design leaders,\" said Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments at CBX. \"Having worked with Dave across many different geographies and cultures, I\'ve seen him develop into a true student of the world, learning how to adapt and respond to a wide variety of unique creative challenges. His passion for design and positive team approach provides inspiration and guidance to the generation behind him, and lays the foundation for his continued growth and creative leadership for years to come.\"', 'CBX V.P. Dave Weinberger Named to design:retail\'s 40 Under 40', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-v-p-dave-weinberger-named-to-designretails-40-under-40', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-v-p-dave-weinberger-named-to-designretails-40-under-40', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2102, 1, '2015-05-15 16:11:30', '2015-05-15 16:11:30', 'Dustin Longstreth doesn’t believe you should just build brands – it’s about relationships, too. Ask the VP and strategy group director for New York City branding agency CBX, and he’ll tell you that connecting with people in this ever-evolving world of branding is the true key to success today. For the last 10 years, Longstreth has helped innovate and re-energize consumer-facing and internal brands such Del Monte, General Mills, PepsiCo, Scotts Miracle-Gro and Arby’s. Here he shares some secrets on the art of branding today.\r\n<strong>What’s happening in the branding world today?</strong>\r\nThe biggest shift is in the nature of media. We now live in a 24/7, always-on world, where media is a means of utility and connection. As a brand, you must move past the “if all assets look consistent, I have a brand,” to a cohesion of actions and behaviors. Today, brands are as brands do – it’s all about the actions you take to fulfill its purpose and make life better for the people it seeks to serve. Stop obsessing about standing out and focus instead on leading, delivering value and being understood. The greater clarity you have about why you do what you do, the more you understand the needs and motivations of your constituents and the value you bring. This will help you stand out from the cacophony of meaningless platitudes and make it easier for your constituents to “pick” you.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is it possible to stand out today?</strong>\r\n\r\nYes, but only if you have a clarity of purpose. Historically, brands only needed to ensure the consistency of a message and an image across a limited number of mediums (print, TV, retail, etc.). In today’s digital world, the number of mediums is exponentially more, and the nature of those mediums is fundamentally different. It’s more about engaging in a conversation and providing utility than simply blasting a message. Therefore, coherence of behavior and action becomes just as important, if not more, than consistency of image. Clarity of purpose is the thread that provides the necessary coherence of behavior and actions.\r\n\r\n<strong>How important is it to be agile today?</strong>\r\n\r\nAgility – size, speed, positioning, benefits, style – is the single most sustainable competitive advantage for brands today. Agility is defined as the power of moving quickly and easily. Being nimble. It’s the ability to think and draw conclusions quickly. For brands, the flat, hyper-connected world is more reflective of pickup ball at the playground than the controlled environments of league play. The brands that can thrive in this new environment, the brands with agility, will win.', 'On point with... Dustin Longstreth', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'on-point-with-dustin-longstreth', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/on-point-with-dustin-longstreth', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2103, 1, '2015-05-18 13:41:33', '2015-05-18 13:41:33', 'Alibaba is once again in the hot seat facing allegations of supporting the sale of counterfeit goods on its sites. The issue has been a thorn in its side this year and is one of the reasons the stock has not been performing well. It\'s now facing a lawsuit from the owner of some of the world\'s top brands. CCTV America\'s Karina Huber filed this report from New York.\r\n<a href=\"http://bit.ly/1KiE8J0\" target=\"_blank\">Watch Maryann Stump, VP Strategy Director, comment on the affects of counterfeiting on brand.</a>', 'Luxury brands sue Alibaba for selling alleged fake goods', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'luxury-brands-sue-alibaba-for-selling-alleged-fake-goods', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/luxury-brands-sue-alibaba-for-selling-alleged-fake-goods', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2104, 1, '2015-05-28 16:54:42', '2015-05-28 16:54:42', '<strong>Andy Austin, the Technology Expert Who Directed the Customer Experience at AT&amp;T\'s High-Touch Retail Stores Nationwide, Will Head CBX\'s Experience Technology Group</strong>\r\nAndy Austin, a thought leader in high-touch retail who oversaw groundbreaking tech rollouts at 2,200 AT&amp;T stores nationwide, has joined brand agency CBX as its new Group Director of Experience Technology.\r\n\r\n\"Andy is a veteran of the wireless and consumer electronics industries who has spent more than a decade at the creative intersection of retail and technology,\" said Gregg S. Lipman, CEO/Managing Partner. \"While Andy is a tech insider, this is about more than adding technical expertise. As both Andy and CBX see it, in the branding context, technology is useful only insofar as it drives a broader strategy -- namely, one that sparks meaningful conversations with and among consumers.\"\r\n\r\nAustin, whose client list as an independent consultant includes the likes of Audi, JCPenney and Ford Motor Co., formerly helped AT&amp;T pioneer customer-centric stores as the company\'s Director of Retail Customer Experience for 10 years. The senior-level position involved rolling out a raft of smart, customer-facing technologies -- including the first worldwide launch of the award-winning Microsoft Surface. Over the course of his 20-year career, Austin also held various sales and marketing positions for companies such as MCI/Worldcom, Verus Technology Solutions and Caesars Tahoe.\r\n\r\nAt CBX, Austin and his team of developers, designers and engineers will use technology to create more meaningful exchanges between brands and customers through human-centered experiences. \"These experiences will enable brands to invite conversations, drive engagement, and deliver value,\" Austin said. \"That is essential today, because attitudes are changing. Consumers are in charge of the buying process. They want to have conversations with brands and each other.\"\r\n\r\nThe goal, Austin noted, is to create experiences that surprise and delight consumers to such an extent that they remember and strongly identify with the brand. \"This is about things like emotion, eye contact and mirror neurons -- the traits that make us human,\" he said.\r\n\r\nBringing this vision of conversation-based retail to life can therefore be as much about salespeople and human interaction as it is about nifty apps or digital displays, Austin explained. \"There is a reason for brick and mortar retail to continue to exist,\" he said. \"By creating a conversation-rich journey in which the consumer is in the driver\'s seat, you empower your sales force. That, in turn, makes them more effective, and enables you to actually raise sales quotas.\"\r\n\r\nCPG brands, too, can cement customer loyalty by taking a conversation-based approach to brand building, Lipman added. \"Moving forward, Andy and his team will be applying these proven, high-touch retail solutions to current and prospective clients,\" he said. \"We are thrilled to have Andy on our team as we continue to explore the effective use of technology in our very human world.\"\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/technology/articles/cbx-hires-experience-technology-thought-leader?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Daily%20News%2005-29-2015%20(1)&amp;utm_content=&amp;spMailingID=48758942&amp;spUserID=MjU0MDQ2MTI\" target=\"_blank\">CSPnet\r\n</a><a href=\"http://pointofsale.com/PointofSale.com-Blog/BRAND-AGENCY-CBX-HIRES-THOUGHT-LEADER-IN-EXPERIENTIAL-RETAIL.html\" target=\"_blank\">Point of Sale News\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/industry-news-and-trends/people/people-move-kroger-co-millercoors-loves-traxx-cos\" target=\"_blank\">CSN\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/austin-hired-to-be-cbxs-thought-leader-in-experiential-retail/?utm_source=NetWorld%20Alliance&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=EMNARCE06012015\" target=\"_blank\">Retail Customer Experience\r\n</a><a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/brand-agency-cbx-hires-thought-leader-experiential-retail-0\">VMSD</a>', 'Brand Agency CBX Hires Thought Leader in Experiential Retail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'brand-agency-cbx-hires-thought-leader-in-experiential-retail', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/brand-agency-cbx-hires-thought-leader-in-experiential-retail', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2105, 1, '2015-05-26 20:18:39', '2015-05-26 20:18:39', 'Brian Collins, chief creative officer and co-founder of Collins, has been named as the Design and Package Design jury president for the 2015 London International Awards (LIA).\r\nThe Design and Package Design Jury will consist of a host of the world\'s finest creative minds, including: Rick Barrack, Tim Greenhalgh, Pum Lefebure, Rebeca Mendez, Christian Mommertz, Joanina Pastoll and Ronnie Wu.\r\n\r\nWithin the Design &amp; Package Design medium will lie the \'Verbal Identity\' category, one of two categories making their debut this year. The introduction of the \'Verbal Identity\' category is a reaction from LIA to the \'What About Naming?\' campaign launched by New York-based brand agency CBX. Also, new to the 2015 Design competition is the \'Product Development\' category.\r\n\r\nSays Collins: \"I\'m beyond happy to join such a distinguished list of judges this year - and across so many established, new and emerging disciplines. I\'m also beyond happy that the thoughtful people at the London International Awards had a few more highballs before it came time to select this year\'s design chair. How nice for me.\"\r\n\r\nCollins is chief creative officer and co-founder of Collins, a company dedicated to designing experiences and communications that shape companies and people for the better.\r\n\r\nHis creative work has been featured in The New York Times, Creativity, Fortune, Graphis, NBC News, ABC News and Fast Company, which named him one of five American Masters of Design. Business Week named his work on the Hershey Chocolate Factory in Times Square as a design \"Wonder of the World.\"\r\n\r\nCollins speaks globally on design and innovation and he was the first graphic designer invited to participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He is also a member of the Forum\'s Global Agenda Council and, in 2011, he was selected by the AIGA to represent the United States at Beijing Design Week.\r\n\r\nCollins is vice president of The Art Directors Club and is a director of Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter. He has been a professor in the Graduate Program of the School of Visual Arts in New York since 2001.\r\n\r\n<strong>2015 Design &amp; Package Design Jury:</strong>\r\nBrian Collins (Chief Creative Officer &amp; Co-Founder, Collins, New York) - Jury President\r\nRick Barrack (Chief Creative Officer, CBX, New York)\r\nTim Greenhalgh (Chairman &amp; Chief Creative Officer, FITCH, London)\r\nPum Lefebure (Co-Founder &amp; Chief Creative Officer, Design Army, Washington D.C.)\r\nRebeca MÃ©ndez (Artist &amp; Designer, Rebeca MÃ©ndez Studio, Los Angeles)\r\nChristian Mommertz (Chief Creative Officer, Geometry Global, Berlin)\r\nJoanina Pastoll (Executive Creative Director, Lowe Cross Colours, Johannesburg)\r\nRonnie Wu (Group Creative Director, Y&amp;R Beijing, Beijing)\r\n\r\nThe LIA 2015 Entry System is now accepting entries through August. Judging will take place from 1st October to 10th October. The shortlists will be announced as each judging session concludes, with winners being announced 10th November.\r\n\r\nFor more information on submissions and eligibility please click <a href=\"http://www.liaawards.com/enter/eligibility/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nTo find out more about LIA Awards, visit <a href=\"http://www.liaawards.com/\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.liaawards.com/</a>.\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://sourceecreative.com/news-or-feature-story.php?type=news&amp;ID=10484\" target=\"_blank\">SourceEcreative</a>', 'LIA names Collins co-founder Brian Collins as Design and Package Design jury president', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'lia-names-collins-co-founder-brian-collins-as-design-and-package-design-jury-president', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/lia-names-collins-co-founder-brian-collins-as-design-and-package-design-jury-president', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2106, 1, '2015-05-15 16:57:28', '2015-05-15 16:57:28', '<strong>Brand journalism elevates the marketing conversation for a connected world.</strong>\r\n\"Let\'s face it, the young millennial woman has an undeniable presence in social media,\" Kristi Bryan, global design director at Kimberly-Clark Design, remarks. \"She lives and breathes it. She expects it. For U by Kotex, it isn\'t an elective, it is mandatory. It is simply the way we work and communicate to her to create a seamless brand experience.\" And it\'s not just the younger consumers who are plugged into this hyper-connected world...\r\n\r\nAllison Koller, Creative Director at CBX, sees some marketers forgetting to invite package design to the table for these integrated marketing campaigns and says it can be a lost opportunity. \"For example, Always just came out with their high impact \'Like A Girl\' campaign, which is all about female empowerment and abolishing nasty stereotypes,\" Koller notes.\r\n\r\nRead the rest of the article <a href=\"http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/packagedesign_201505/index.php#/34\" target=\"_blank\">here</a> and learn more about U by Kotex <a href=\"http://www.cbx.com/works/back-in-black/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n[video width=\"480\" height=\"270\" mp4=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/U-by-Kotex_video-case-study_Mobile.mp4\"][/video]', 'Dialogue by design', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'dialogue-by-design', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/dialogue-by-design', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2107, 1, '2015-06-10 14:40:23', '2015-06-10 14:40:23', '<strong>Vibrant new packaging graphics coincide with Snapple\'s efforts to boost share across the country</strong>\r\nWith new graphics that amplify the playfulness, wit and simple goodness of its brand, Snapple is moving beyond its traditional East and West Coast strongholds to ramp up growth in markets across the United States and globally. The comprehensive brand refresh was spearheaded by CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy.\r\n\r\n\"Snapple has a strong following on both coasts, and now it\'s about reaching the center, so to speak, as it moves to boost household penetration throughout the country,\" said Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer for CBX.\r\n\r\nThe brand refresh touches all Snapple products—more than 20 different flavors of regular and diet teas and juice drinks. The new design is hitting store shelves now.\r\n\r\nWith a campaign that includes a hand-drawn New York skyline, the refresh emphasizes Snapple\'s New York roots. \"New York consumers are some of our most passionate brand advocates—they absolutely love the great taste of Snapple—which is part of the reason our work with CBX included a strong focus on Snapple\'s New York heritage. We want people all across the country to share this excitement about the brand because, although it was born in New York, it\'s truly made for everyone,\" said Brent Chism, Snapple Director of Marketing.\r\n\r\nSatoru Wakeshima, CBX General Manager, added: \"CBX has been responsible for Snapple\'s visual identity and packaging for the past 10 years. That\'s a great honor that comes with the responsibility of respecting the brand\'s heritage, maintaining what makes Snapple different and continually evolving the brand to remain relevant in an ever-changing marketplace.\"\r\n\r\nThe new Snapple logo includes a sun graphic in a hand-drawn style to provide the playful, natural character of the brand. The evolved logo also uses letterforms with a bit more movement and personality, yet maintains the curl of the iconic Snapple \'S\'.\r\n\r\nAdditionally, CBX created an Earth icon to embody \"Made from the Best Stuff on Earth,\" one of the brand\'s long-lasting trademarked statements, dating back to its small Brooklyn storefront origins. \"We wanted to make that statement more ownable,\" Barrack said. \"And we carried this element through to the top of the Snapple cap.\"\r\n\r\nThe refresh included the use of flavor captions such as \"Life\'s a Peach,\" \"Lemon Large,\" \"Takes 2 to Mango\" and \"Kiwi Meets Berry.\"\r\n\r\n\"The captions help establish a sense of delight in Snapple\'s great flavors,\" noted Wakeshima, \"and unlike its competitors, Snapple doesn\'t take itself too seriously. These visual and verbal elements of the refresh work together for a uniquely engaging experience and add to the brand\'s approachability.\"\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/product-categories/beverages/snapple-brand-refresh-coincides-market-share-focus\" target=\"_blank\">Convenience Store News\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.beverageworld.com/articles/full/17420/snapples-graphic-refresh-seeks-to-boost-brands-playfulness\" target=\"_blank\">Beverage World</a>', 'Brand Refresh by CBX Amplifies Snapple\'s Playfulness and Simple Goodness', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'brand-refresh-by-cbx-amplifies-snapples-playfulness-and-simple-goodness', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/brand-refresh-by-cbx-amplifies-snapples-playfulness-and-simple-goodness', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2108, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:33', '2018-09-27 16:53:33', '', 'AG-8275c-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'ag-8275c-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:33', '2018-09-27 16:53:33', '', 1746, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/AG-8275c-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0);
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(2109, 1, '2015-06-10 21:30:49', '2015-06-10 21:30:49', 'Snapple has emerged with a new look following a makeover from the company’s longstanding brand agency, New York City-based CBX. The company announced the “brand refresh” in a press release Wednesday, revealing that over twenty different flavors of Snapple’s regular and diet teas and juices will see a packaging redesign. The moves comes as part of the company’s efforts to deepen its presence across the United States as the ready-to-drink tea category continues to experience significant growth.\r\n“Snapple has a strong following on both coasts and now it’s about reaching the center, so to speak, as it moves to boost household penetration throughout the country,” said Rick Barrack, CBX’s Chief Creative Officer.\r\n\r\nYou might not notice Snapple’s new face at first glance but its graphics have seen some tweaks. In an effort to “amplify the playfulness, wit and simple goodness” of the brand, its lettering has been updated while keeping the brand’s signature curled “S” intact. A new hand-drawn sun also now hangs above its logo. CBX also placed an emphasis on Snapple’s New York roots with a NYC skyline featured on its bottles.\r\n\r\n“We want people across the country to share this excitement about the brand because, although it was born in New York, it’s truly made for everyone,” said Brent Chism, Snapple’s director of marketing.\r\n\r\nLastly, Snapple’s flavors will also now feature captions including “Life’s a Peach,” “Lemon Large,” “Takes 2 to Mango” and “Kiwi Meets Berry.” The new bottles are hitting store shelves now.\r\n\r\nOriginally printed in <a href=\"http://www.bevnet.com/news/2015/snapple-undergoes-brand-refresh/\" target=\"_blank\">BevNet</a>.', 'Snapple Undergoes “Brand Refresh”', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'snapple-undergoes-brand-refresh', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/snapple-undergoes-brand-refresh', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2110, 1, '2015-06-10 18:06:36', '2015-06-10 18:06:36', 'Snapple is looking to boost its share across the US. Helping it stand out as consumers reach for cold drinks this National Iced Tea Day and beyond: Vibrant new graphics, including a new logo that aims to “amplify the playfulness, wit and simple goodness of its brand.”\r\nOwned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Snapple is a leader in US premium beverages. Founded in 1972 by three childhood friends, Snapple got its start in Greenwich Village, New York and is now available throughout the United States. Its Big Apple roots play into the brand refresh with the tagline, “Born in New York, Made for Everyone.”\r\n\r\nIn addition to joining fellow iced tea brands in pouring out free samples across America this National Iced Tea Day, the introduction of Snapple’s new visual identity comes as the beverage is moving beyond its traditional East and West Coast strongholds to ramp up growth in key markets across the US and globally.\r\n\r\nThe brand refresh touches all Snapple products—more than 20 different flavors of regular and diet teas and juice drinks—and is hitting store shelves today.\r\n\r\nThe new Snapple logo includes a sun graphic in a hand-drawn style to provide the playful, natural character of the brand. The evolved logo also uses letterforms with a bit more movement and personality, yet maintains the curl of the iconic Snapple ‘S’.\r\n\r\n“Snapple has a strong following on both coasts, and now it’s about reaching the center, so to speak, as it moves to boost household penetration throughout the country,” said Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer for CBX, the agency responsible for its new look.\r\n\r\nAdditionally, CBX created an Earth icon to embody “Made from the Best Stuff on Earth,” one of the brand’s long-lasting trademarked statements, dating back to its small Brooklyn storefront origins. “We wanted to make that statement more ownable,” Barrack said. “And we carried this element through to the top of the Snapple cap.”\r\n\r\nWith a campaign that includes a hand-drawn New York skyline, the refresh emphasizes Snapple’s New York roots. “New York consumers are some of our most passionate brand advocates—they absolutely love the great taste of Snapple—which is part of the reason our work with CBX included a strong focus on Snapple’s New York heritage. We want people all across the country to share this excitement about the brand because, although it was born in New York, it’s truly made for everyone,” said Brent Chism, Snapple Director of Marketing.\r\n\r\nSatoru Wakeshima, CBX General Manager, added: “CBX has been responsible for Snapple’s visual identity and packaging for the past 10 years. That’s a great honor that comes with the responsibility of respecting the brand’s heritage, maintaining what makes Snapple different and continually evolving the brand to remain relevant in an ever-changing marketplace.”\r\n\r\nThe refresh included the use of flavor captions such as “Life’s a Peach,” “Lemon Large,” “Takes 2 to Mango” and “Kiwi Meets Berry.”\r\n\r\n“The captions help establish a sense of delight in Snapple’s great flavors,” noted Wakeshima, “and unlike its competitors, Snapple doesn’t take itself too seriously. These visual and verbal elements of the refresh work together for a uniquely engaging experience and add to the brand’s approachability.”\r\n\r\nSnapple prides itself on developing, producing and marketing a wide variety of premium beverages, including ready-to-drink iced teas, juice drinks, 100% juices and water. Dr Pepper Snapple Group is a leading producer of flavored beverages, marketing Snapple and 50-plus other brands across North America and the Caribbean.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.brandchannel.com/2015/06/10/snapple-new-logo-061015/\" target=\"_blank\">brandchannel</a>.', 'Snapple Unveils New Logo and Look For National Iced Tea Day', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'snapple-unveils-new-logo-and-look-for-national-iced-tea-day', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/snapple-unveils-new-logo-and-look-for-national-iced-tea-day', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2111, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:34', '2018-09-27 16:53:34', '', 'GOODDELISH-LEMONADE-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'gooddelish-lemonade-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:34', '2018-09-27 16:53:34', '', 1763, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/GOODDELISH-LEMONADE-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2112, 1, '2015-06-15 17:02:12', '2015-06-15 17:02:12', 'Veteran retail, hospitality, airport and commercial facilities architect and designer Anthony Deen has joined brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX as Creative Director, Branded Environments.\r\nIn his position, Deen will partner with senior management in shaping the vision for retail, restaurant, hospitality and commercial clients’ branded environments that are relevant in the marketplace. He reports to Rick Barrack, Founding Partner &amp; Chief Creative Officer.\r\n\r\nDeen comes to CBX from Landor, a brand consulting and design firm in New York City, where he was Creative Director, Environment Design since 2011. In that position, he served as practice leader in branded environments and created award-winning designs for clients such as Barclays, the Central Park Conservancy, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and The World Trade Center. Deen’s work for Central Park garnered a Cannes Gold Lion, and Gold Award at the International Design Awards and a GOOD Green Design award among others.\r\n\r\nPrior to Landor, Deen was a Senior Design Director and Senior Associate at TPG Architecture, New York, N.Y., where he served as studio and design lead for airport, retail and hospitality clients. From 2003-2007, he worked at Rockwell Group, New York, N.Y. as a Senior Architect and Associate responsible for design and project oversight for clients such as FAO Schwarz, JetBlue Airways, Macy’s, and the W Hotel Group. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President of Retail Design and Brand Development for Virgin Entertainment Group, Los Angeles. In that role, he served as store design lead for Richard Branson’s megastore chain in North America, with responsibility for the look and feel of the U.S. stores.\r\n\r\nDeen is also an adjunct associate professor at Parsons School of Design, School of Art, Media + Technology, where he cofounded and directed the school’s Design and Technology graduate program.\r\n\r\nA resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., Deen holds a Masters of Architecture from the Parsons School of Design and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Cooper Union For the Advancement of Science and Art, Schools of Art and Architecture.\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/cbx-taps-anthony-deen-creative-director-branded-environments\" target=\"_blank\">Chain Store Age\r\n</a><a href=\"http://insights.retailenvironments.org/2015/06/16/anthony-deen-joins-cbx-as-creative-director/\" target=\"_blank\">Retail Environments\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/potmsearch/reprint/submission/4766181?ana=e_potm_thx&amp;ana=e_notification_potmhttp://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/potmsearch/reprint/submission/4766181?ana=e_potm_thx&amp;ana=e_notification_potm\" target=\"_blank\">New York Business Journal\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.designretailonline.com/displayanddesignideas/industry-news/CBX-Names-New-Creative-Director-Branded-Environments-13572.shtml?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Template_Daily_070115%20(1)\" target=\"_blank\">design:retail</a>', 'Anthony Deen Joins CBX as Creative Director, Branded Environments', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'anthony-deen-joins-cbx-as-creative-director-branded-environments', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/anthony-deen-joins-cbx-as-creative-director-branded-environments', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2113, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:35', '2018-09-27 16:53:35', '', 'Nice', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'nice', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:35', '2018-09-27 16:53:35', '', 1770, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Nice.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2114, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:35', '2018-09-27 16:53:35', '', 'SCOTTS_snaplineup-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'scotts_snaplineup-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:35', '2018-09-27 16:53:35', '', 1769, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/SCOTTS_snaplineup-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2115, 1, '2015-06-17 15:20:45', '2015-06-17 15:20:45', 'Consumer products industries brand specialist Jennifer Tausch has joined brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX as Creative Director.\r\nIn her position, Tausch will partner with CBX executive creative directors and senior management in shaping the vision for various consumer products clients’ brands. She reports to Joe Violante, Executive Creative Director.\r\n\r\nTausch comes to CBX from brand design agency LPK in Cincinnati, where she had served as Global Creative Director for Proctor &amp; Gamble feminine care brands since 2010, beginning with Naturella and Tampax, and later handling Always.   She began her career in 2002 at Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati, rising to Senior Design Manager. During those years, Tausch managed the internal design process within the P&amp;G multifunctional global teams for Always, Pampers, Evolve and UnderJams. In addition, she has served as an adjunct instructor at the Art Academy of Cincinnati since 2012.\r\n\r\nA resident of Manhattan, Tausch earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati.\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/potmsearch/reprint/submission/4766111?ana=e_potm_thx&amp;ana=e_notification_potm\" target=\"_blank\">New York Business Journal\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.storebrands.info/store-brand-insights/store-brand-news/jennifer-tausch-joins-cbx-creative-director?cc=28\" target=\"_blank\">Store Brands</a>', 'Jennifer Tausch Joins CBX as Creative Director', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'jennifer-tausch-joins-cbx-as-creative-director', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/jennifer-tausch-joins-cbx-as-creative-director', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2116, 12, '2015-06-24 16:05:55', '2015-06-24 16:05:55', '<strong>Throw out the PIE to build your career with CARE</strong>\r\nCareer advancement and self-promotion go hand-in-hand, but how do you avoid undesirable side effects like appearing narcissistic or looking like an obnoxious over-sharer on social media when trying to get ahead?\r\n\r\nSome swear by the so-called PIE self-branding model, which focuses on Performance, Image and Exposure. But alas, PIE is flawed. For starters, performance is overrated. <a href=\"http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/reasons-you-were-not-promoted-that-are-totally-unrelated-to-gender\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Reasons You Were Not Promoted that are Totally Unrelated to Gender</em></a>, a sardonic piece published on the daily humor website McSweeney’s, deftly describes the quandary:\r\n\r\n<em>“You’re abrasive, for example that time when you asked for a raise. It was awkward and you made the men on the senior leadership team uncomfortable.”</em>\r\n\r\nBut equally likely, the author notes, is a criticism like:\r\n\r\n<em>“You don’t speak up. We’d really like to see you take on more of a leadership role before we pay you for being a leader.”</em>\r\n\r\nDid you notice how performance wasn’t exactly an issue in either case? So how are women supposed to navigate such ‘lose-lose’ scenarios?\r\n\r\nThe key is to base your career-building efforts on confident and well-orchestrated (as opposed to calculated or manipulative) self-promotion. Unfortunately, lack of confidence continues to hold many women back. The 2009 bestseller <em>Womenonics: Write Your Own Rules for Success</em> highlights that self-doubt pervades even among women at the top of their game.\r\n\r\nExamples of this abound. Last fall, I attended a conference for hopeful female MBA applicants at an Ivy League university and repeatedly noticed the timid stature, humility and deference displayed by many of the women there. On the bus ride home, I remembered my former job at a tech company, where I could not get a word in edgewise with the engineers unless I interrupted and spoke loudly to own the room. At another former employer, I had to encourage my younger female colleagues to speak up, while a male college intern let his opinions be widely known—even during his first week.\r\n\r\nConfidence is a huge factor in how people are evaluated. No advice can magically confer confidence, but there are some tried and true strategies that you can use to get noticed and build your career.\r\n\r\nConsider my CARE model (Confidence, Approach, Risk-taking and Exposure), which centers on building and using confidence to propel your career to the next level.\r\n\r\nStart by learning how to own the “room” no matter the audience size through eye contact, a strong speaking voice and a modulated, well-paced, statement-oriented tone. For tips on body language, just watch psychologist Amy Cuddy’s <a href=\"http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en\" target=\"_blank\">2012 presentation at TED Global</a> for some “power poses.” Cuddy’s talk illustrates how standing in a posture of confidence can affect your brain chemistry—and maybe your chances for success.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, in a 2014 study (“Vocal Fry May Undermine the Success of Young Women in the Labor Market”), researchers conclude that young adult female voices exhibiting “vocal fry” (low pitched, creaky-sounding speech) are perceived as “less competent, less educated, less trustworthy, less attractive, and less hirable.”\r\n\r\nEqually detrimental are practices such as ending your statements as though you were asking a question, using filler phrases like “kind of,” or peppering your sentences with the likes of “actually” or “basically.”\r\n\r\nYou have already gone a long way toward projecting Confidence. Now it is time to hone your approach to others. That means actively managing your career by networking. Of course, texts and emails aren’t enough: You need to approach others in person by strolling into corner offices, striking up conversations with higher-ups and, of course, having something interesting to say. Consider reading Susan RoAne’s classic <em>How to Work a Room</em> and Keith Ferrazzi’s <em>Never Eat Alone</em>.\r\n\r\nIn the latter book, Ferrazzi suggests that instead of avoiding the most senior people in the room, you should approach them and bring something to share. (At a minimum, introduce yourself.) RoAne’s advice includes specifics on how to “break and enter” a small group and then gracefully exit. The goal is to significantly enhance your confidence, both real and perceived.\r\n\r\nNext, ramp up Risk-taking with respect to career opportunities, new ideas and solutions. If you have been talking to enough of the right people, you will have contacts to advise and support you. Make sure to learn your manager’s top values and priorities and deliver on those prior to taking a risk like asking for a raise. Whenever you approach your manager, come with solutions to share, not just questions or problems.\r\n\r\nFinally, we have Exposure. In some fields this is critical. A recent c-suite placement at a fashionable fitness organization in New York City was reportedly hired in part because of her social media following. Figure out if leaders in your field are active on social media. If so, get involved. A word of caution: be sure to ask yourself the typical reporter questions first: <em>who</em> is interested, <em>what</em> are they interested in, <em>when</em> is it best to post, <em>where</em> are the networks that are most appropriate, and <em>why</em> will this help me further my career. That way, you won’t be just a narcissistic over-sharer. Your social media profile will have a clear purpose.\r\n\r\nIt is 2015, and times are changing—but not fast enough. Use the CARE model to kick-start your advancement and get ahead in the workplace.\r\n\r\nOriginally published on <a href=\"http://career-intelligence.com/get-ahead-with-c-a-r-e/\" target=\"_blank\">career-intelligence.com</a>', 'Get Ahead With C.A.R.E.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'get-ahead-with-c-a-r-e', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/get-ahead-with-c-a-r-e', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2117, 1, '2015-06-30 14:31:21', '2015-06-30 14:31:21', '<strong>The talk show host’s new site, EDbyEllen.com, sells clothing, housewares and accessories marked by DeGeneres’ distinctive style.</strong>\r\nEllen DeGeneres is already a comedian, author, talk show host, and producer. Now she can add lifestyle brand maven to the list.\r\n\r\nDeGeneres launched her new e-commerce site, <a href=\"http://www.edbyellen.com/\" target=\"_blank\">EDbyEllen.com</a>, on Tuesday. Pronounced “Ed,” the brand covers everything from clothing and accessories to barware and throw pillows.\r\n\r\nThough it was <a href=\"http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ellen-degeneres-new-luxury-line-795383\" target=\"_blank\">previously reported</a> that the site would carry luxe items like $2,000 cashmere sweaters, DeGeneres appears to be sticking with more reasonably priced goods, at least for now. Items on the site range from $8 pins to a $365 cake plate. Apparel starts at $34.50 for a crewneck t-shirt and goes up to $245 for tailored jackets.\r\n\r\nED joins a flood of <a href=\"http://fortune.com/2015/05/12/reese-witherspoon-retail-draper-james/\" target=\"_blank\">celebrity lifestyle brands</a> already on the market, including Gwyneth Paltrow’s <a href=\"http://fortune.com/2015/05/06/gwyneth-paltrow-makeup-goop/\" target=\"_blank\">Goop</a>, Jessica Alba’s <a href=\"http://fortune.com/2014/08/26/jessica-alba-honest-co-ipo/\" target=\"_blank\">The Honest Co.</a> and Blake Lively’s <a href=\"http://time.com/3907683/blake-lively-preserve-interview/\" target=\"_blank\">Preserve</a>. Reese Witherspoon joined the mix last month, launching <a href=\"http://time.com/3848424/reese-witherspoon-draper-james-launch/\" target=\"_blank\">Draper James</a>. Within a few hours, Witherspoon’s site had sold out of a $325 shoulder bag and a $225 dress.\r\n\r\nOf course, DeGeneres says that ED will offer something unique. In an <a href=\"http://www.refinery29.com/2015/05/87665/ellen-degeneres-clothing-line-ed#.2vxulo:JQ16\" target=\"_blank\">interview with <em>Refinery29</em></a>, she talked about the particulars of her own “sort of non-gender-specific” style and her impetus for creating the line.\r\n\r\n“[W]e started making my own clothes on the show and noticing that a lot of people who were coming to the show were trying to dress like me, but those clothes weren’t out there,” she said. “I mean, I have a very distinct way of dressing, and clearly other people are responding to it, so that was the impetus to launch the brand. So, there’s a line that’s out there that’s not extremely feminine, it’s not masculine, it’s just comfortable.”\r\n\r\nSome industry watchers believe DeGeneres has the potential to become a major force in the lifestyle brand space. “Most celebrities don’t have a really specific point of view,” says Laura Ries, president of Ries &amp; Ries branding strategy firm and the author of several books on branding. For a star’s brand to succeed, “it has to be very specific and authentic to them. Ellen has a really unique style, and it’s one that we haven’t really seen in the fashion world.”\r\n\r\nHer accessibility may also help her stand out. While we’re used to spotting Paltrow, Lively or Witherspoon looking glamorous on the red carpet, Americans are more likely to associate DeGeneres with her goofy talk show escapades.\r\n\r\nCompared to other brand-fronting celebrities, “I’d put her as ‘real people,’ and I don’t see those others as real people,” says Christina Papale, vice president of strategy for the brand agency CBX.\r\n\r\nIn many ways, DeGeneres is already a brand, with an empire that has rapidly expanded over the last decade. <em>The Ellen DeGeneres Show</em> is in its 12th season. Her production company, A Very Good Production, is developing six projects, including a new NBC series that starts production next month. Then there’s her three <em>New York Times</em> #1 bestsellers, her record label, streaming video site and game app. Now she has an interior design book, <em>Home</em>, coming out in October.\r\n\r\nDeGeneres has assembled an experienced team for ED. Her partner, Christopher Burch, co-founded Tory Burch and C. Wonder. (The latter closed in January after three years in business and its former president, Andrea Hyde, is now CEO of Draper James.) ED’s managing partner is Marisa Gardini—the former president and CEO of Isaac Mizrahi. The company’s board of directors includes Michael Frances, chief global brand officer of DreamWorks Animation (and the former global CMO of Target) and Janet Grove, the former CEO of Macy’s merchandising group.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Talerman, CEO of the brand strategy firm Nucleus, worked with Martha Stewart Living in 2006, the year the brand entered Macy’s stores. Her best advice for Ellen? “Think carefully about what your legacy will be and honor that, so you don’t go from an entertainer to a huckster. You want to go from an entertainer to a style.”\r\n\r\nAbove all, Talerman says DeGeneres should hold on tightly to the same accessibility that makes her Ellen.\r\n\r\n“If she gets up on a high horse of guidance and preachiness—which I think is where Martha Stewart’s brand may have gone wrong—that’s a guidepost for her brand stewards. Oprah is apart from us—a deity, a queen,” says Talerman. “Ellen needs to make sure she’s a part of us.”\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://fortune.com/2015/06/30/ellen-degeneres-lifestyle-brand/\" target=\"_blank\">Fortune</a>.', 'Look Out, Gwyneth: Ellen DeGeneres Launches a Lifestyle Brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'look-out-gwyneth-ellen-degeneres-launches-a-lifestyle-brand', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/look-out-gwyneth-ellen-degeneres-launches-a-lifestyle-brand', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2118, 1, '2015-07-07 21:01:33', '2015-07-07 21:01:33', 'In today’s digital age of networking and communication, you might think the paper business card is a lingering relic of an ancient era. While it’s true that we don’t use them functionally the same way we used to, they still serve as ambassadors for you and your business, and they’re an extension of your professional identity.\r\nWe spoke to Dave Weinberger, vice president and engagement director at brand agency CBX in New York City, to learn why business cards are still important and how people can design effective, memorable ones.\r\n\r\n1. Simplicity is key — avoid the tricks and gimmicks.\r\n\r\n“You want a business card to be pretty easy to use. Like most design, simple is better — don’t over-design things,” says Weinberger. Keep your card clean and uncluttered by being thoughtful about what information you include, as well as how you include it. “You don’t need to do tricky things with your phone number and address, because that’s obnoxious and people need to access that information,” he says. The same applies to font color; he recommends sticking with simple colors like black or dark/medium gray.\r\n\r\n2. Treat your business card like a marketing tool, and use it in a deliberate, purposeful way.\r\n\r\nSure, we all know that the direct purpose of business cards is contact information, like your name, job title, and email address. But nowadays, when it’s super simple and fast to connect with someone on LinkedIn, “the information almost becomes the least important part of a business card,” says Weinberger. “It’s kind of an antiquated aspect.”\r\n\r\nSo instead, you should treat your business card like a marketing tool and first figure out: What’s the purpose of using this, and how can I achieve these goals?\r\n\r\nFor example, you might want to use your business card to make a good first impression or act as a conversation starter. To do so, you could use heavier or thicker paper stock, sandwich multiple layers of stock together, or play around with the orientation, colors, and ink on the card. Weinberger says that he’s designed vertical business cards in the past in order to stand out from the crowd: “It allows you to stack information, and if you have a lot of phone numbers and a long address, it’s actually helpful.” Changing up the size of the card is another creative way to make it unique. Rather than stick with the standard 3.5” x 2” size, try designing a larger or smaller one. These all add visual surprise and complexity.\r\n\r\nYou could also experiment with die-cuts, letterpress, or unconventional materials (like wood or plastic, to name a few) in order to get people to notice you in an unusual, inventive, and memorable way. Avoid printing cards on glossy paper, which can look low-quality. “You generally want to do it on uncoated stock. Gloss and too much varnish can look cheap and gaudy,” says Weinberger.\r\n\r\nAlternatively, you might want to use your business card as a meeting tool. Weinberger says what makes his CBX business cards unique is that their first names are the largest things on them, which make them valuable during meetings. “When people put the cards in front of them in a meeting, they quickly glance down and the names are huge so they can see who they’re talking to, which is helpful,” says Weinberger.\r\n\r\n3. Use the back of the card as extra real estate.\r\n\r\nIn order to maximize your business card to its fullest potential, try using the back for supplemental branding or messaging. Weinberger says he’s seen companies put photos, brand statements, and logos on the back, which can help make your card more memorable. “If you have a card that you want to use as part of your first impression, it certainly costs more to print 2-sided, but it could be worth the effort,” he says.\r\n\r\n4. Enlist professional help.\r\n\r\nThis seems like an obvious tip, but don’t overlook the importance of using professional designers, printers, and photography. Because a business card is part of your first impression, you don’t want to present something that’s confusing, poorly designed, or unprofessional. The card should reflect well on your business and also quickly convey who you are and what you value. Graphic designers can easily create creative cards that are innovative yet professional, and printers can provide the proper paper stock and ink that are well worth the money. If you’re looking for beautifully designed, ready-to-customize business cards, you can also check our Business Card Templates lightbox.\r\n\r\n5. Avoid putting temporary messaging on the card.\r\n\r\nPutting ad slogans, campaign taglines, and coupons on your business card might seem like a good idea because it’s additional brand messaging, but Weinberger cautions against it. “We generally say: You don’t want things that aren’t evergreen on your business card. You want it to be a permanent statement because someone’s going to keep it for a long time,” he says. Stick to evergreen items like basic contact information and logos.\r\n\r\nYes, business cards are a formality. However, a well-designed business card will communicate information clearly, lend credibility to you and your business, and make you memorable with the people you meet. They are more than just a means of conveying contact information; they are marketing tools that can be used in a purposeful way. It’s up to you to explore your purpose, goals, and then design accordingly.\r\n\r\nOriginally published on <a href=\"http://www.shutterstock.com/blog/5-tips-for-designing-an-effective-business-card\" target=\"_blank\">Shutterstock</a>.', '5 Tips for Designing an Effective Business Card', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-tips-for-designing-an-effective-business-card', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/5-tips-for-designing-an-effective-business-card', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2119, 1, '2015-07-15 15:04:13', '2015-07-15 15:04:13', '<strong>The challenges of merchandising in the ethnic foods aisle</strong>\r\nThe other day I was in the “ethnic” aisle at our local <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/tag/food-retail/\" target=\"_blank\">grocery store </a>picking up some items I needed for a few home-cooked meals. As I strolled past the likes of Mission brand tortillas, Ortega salsa, Kikkoman soy sauce and Goya black beans, the experience at the shelf was unremarkable — that is, until I noticed the Taco Bell-branded taco shells. I had seen them before, butthis time, for some reason, I paused. I was in the ethnic aisle. And there was Taco Bell. In the ethnic aisle. Taco Bell. Ethnic? I found myself contemplating the whole Venn diagram of ethnicity and branding in U.S. retail today — and the way our thinking around these issues can create unnecessary redundancy and confusion.\r\n\r\nFor starters, this is America. Aren’t we all ethnic? The globalization of cuisine doesn’t just affect major metro areas. This is a national trend. After all, you’re just as likely to find Chipotle in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as in Los Angeles, New York or Chicago. Meanwhile, Chinese and Japanese restaurants are in small-town strip malls across the country. In the U.S., believe it or not, salsa outsells ketchup, and tortillas outsell white bread. Did I not just hear a sriracha reference in “Pitch Perfect 2?”\r\n\r\nWhat makes tacos ethnic and spaghetti not ethnic? In a Whole Foods in New York City, seaweed snacks were recently moved from the ethnic aisle to the snack aisle. If seaweed can live next to granola bars, can’t soy sauce live next to hot sauce? This is an issue for retailers, who are creating redundancies around the store. There’s so much pressure on making every square foot count, and yet ethnic aisles include items such as beans, soda, rice, oils and spices. Why double-merchandise? Meat, dairy and produce are grouped, and consumers seem to understand the rationale just fine. Although they come from various climates and geographies around the world, I don’t find it confusing or inconvenient that bananas, corn, mangoes, avocados and apples can all be found in the same area.\r\n\r\nGreater exposure — bringing more shoppers and families into the mix, regardless of ethnic identity, and exposing them to additional tastes and foods — is the missed opportunity here for brands. In a word, that means missed sales. In my local Shoprite, you can only find sriracha in the ethnic aisle, and yet sriracha is trending. Its sales have skyrocketed in recent years. There’s no doubt that families staying in center store and looking for hot sauce options should see these “ethnic” options as well. Food is universal. It’s a win for brands and retailers.\r\n\r\nWhy would Goya not want to compete with all of the other major brands? Couldn’t Goya win on authenticity and flavor with many audiences outside of its target consumers? Wouldn’t the same be true for other brands stuck in the ethnic aisle? Won’t more exposure lead to more interest, more recipes and more sales? It makes me think of the Apple brand. Apple used to be an exclusive club, meant for creatives and other cool tech folks who wanted to think differently. Well, Apple did a great job of saturating that market and decided that in order to grow, it needed to expand its customer base and appeal to a wider audience. Apple’s ads, messaging and product design went from edgy to functional. The brand transformed itself from an exclusive club into everyone’s favorite Mother’s Day gift. Huge financial growth ensued.\r\n\r\nAlong the same lines, salsa, sriracha and soy sauce should be allowed to rub elbows with the rest of the condiments we all hold dear. Enough with the ethnic-aisle redundancies. Let taco shells and tortillas go head-to-head with bread. Let rice be with rice, olives with olives, spices with spices, and beans with beans.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/food-and-beverage/2015/07/15/who-moved-my-seaweed-the-challenges-of-merchandising-in-the-ethnic-foods-aisle/\" target=\"_blank\">SmartBlog Food &amp; Bev</a>.', 'Who Moved My Seaweed?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'who-moved-my-seaweed', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/who-moved-my-seaweed', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2120, 1, '2015-07-22 16:25:05', '2015-07-22 16:25:05', 'Veteran account director and business developer Jodi Sutherland has joined brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX as vice president, engagement group director.\r\nIn her new position, Sutherland will partner with peer leaders at CBX to market the firm to key audiences and develop business-building opportunities with new and existing clients, driving core competencies more broadly and identifying new offerings to support clients\' evolving needs. She reports to Gregg S. Lipman, CEO and Managing Partner.\r\n\r\nSutherland comes to CBX from global advertising agency Publicis Worldwide, New York, where she was Senior Vice President Group Account Director. There, she led a multidisciplinary team for integrated business development for the P&amp;G Family Care brands, including Bounty, Basic and the introduction of Bounty with Dawn.\r\n\r\nPrior to that, she was Executive Director Client Services/Business Development at global brand and creative design agency Brand Union, New York, from 2011 to 2014. At Brand Union, Sutherland was responsible for leading the consumer branding team for North America, covering global and regional clients on projects that ranged from strategy and positioning to creation of visual brand language, naming, brand architecture, design and implementation.\r\n\r\nFrom 2006-2011, she was Executive Director of Client Service and Business Development at Kramer Design Group, a New York-based branding and design firm specializing in luxury brands and retail. While at Kramer, her clients included Donna Karan, Waterworks, Wynn Hotel, Kate Spade, Rocawear, Hugo Boss, Club Monaco, Barneys New York, and Judith Leiber.\r\n\r\nShe began her career in 1988 as a Strategic Planner/Account Management at Warwick, Baker &amp; Fiore in New York and went on to serve as Vice President, World Wide Account Director at D\'Arcy Masius Benton &amp; Bowles, and later as a Consultant to the Intrepid Wine Company, a highly specialized boutique wine company.\r\n\r\nA resident of New York City, Sutherland graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. degree in Consumer Studies.\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/jodi-sutherland-joins-cbx-vp-engagement-group-director\" target=\"_blank\">VMSD\r\n</a><a href=\"http://newyork.citybizlist.com/article/285144/jodi-sutherland-joins-cbx-as-vp-engagement-group-director\" target=\"_blank\">citybizlist\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.designretailonline.com/displayanddesignideas/industry-news/CBX-Names-New-Vice-President-Engagement-Group-Director-13847.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">design:retail</a>', 'Jodi Sutherland Joins CBX as VP, Engagement Group Director', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'jodi-sutherland-joins-cbx-as-vp-engagement-group-director', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/jodi-sutherland-joins-cbx-as-vp-engagement-group-director', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2121, 1, '2015-07-30 18:22:50', '2015-07-30 18:22:50', '<strong>Get results through a more nuanced approach to cost containment </strong>\r\nDay in and day out, managing costs is part and parcel of the retail business. For retail chains, this means always being on the lookout to do things such as ramp up backend efficiencies or trim the bottom 10 percent of underperforming stores in the portfolio. Call it “cost-consciousness.” It’s a strategic imperative that retailers must maintain if they want to survive in today’s highly competitive marketplace.\r\n\r\nThe same holds true when retailers develop their private label packaging; the question is: Does this need to be core to a private label’s DNA?\r\n\r\nMost retailers make a practice of asking manufacturers to keep the component costs of store brand product lines under tight control. Those costs certainly include the package. After all, every component of the package and its design — the box, the ink, the artwork, you name it — comes at a cost, right?\r\n\r\nTrue enough, but being competitive in today’s retail market is also about building and leveraging private brands in ways that differentiate retailers and cement customer loyalty. In that context, building your brand is clearly about much more than containing costs.\r\n\r\nIn fact, going to market with best-in-class private brands is really a wise long-term investment. When retailers and manufacturers work together with design firms and all appreciate the value of sophisticated approaches to private brand building, they are more likely to benefit. Arguably, though, it is all too easy in this day and age to underappreciate the true value of private label packaging and, consequently, to underinvest in it.\r\n\r\nShould the next evolution in private label be to evolve the quality and design standards of the package? Why not? It’s the primary — if not the only — marketing tool private label gets.\r\n\r\n<strong>Question the status quo</strong>\r\n\r\nFor the past 20 years, leading retail chains have continued to embrace more sophisticated approaches to private label. As a result, a growing number are willing to make national brand-like investments in the initial research and testing phase of the process and to mine data in ways that help them better promote those private brands and better understand how those brands will resonate with customers.\r\n\r\nAnd yet when retailers move to execute on the packaging design, all too often their concerns about cost take over. As the industry sees it, shouldering the cost of package design is ultimately a component cost of goods versus a strategic investment into a marketing tool that can drive growth. When viewed as an investment, this becomes an opportunity for collaboratively developing the right products with the right quality in the right package. Instead of battling over costs, focus on the impact of the first moment of truth at shelf on customers. Skimping on design costs hinders the retailer’s ability to get the product perception right.\r\n\r\nYou can understand this perspective: The whole point of a private label program is to have a value offering in the category, but “value” and “low price” are not synonymous. Retailers and manufacturers spend way too much time trying to cut costs on packaging, which is their main selling tool. Put simply: Better design leads to more sales, which lead to benefits (loyalty, growth, emotional connection, value) for all parties involved. So why are we all still battling over the cost of designing a great package? Let’s all start working together to drive sales.\r\n\r\n<strong>Realism vs. idealism</strong>\r\n\r\nSo is the notion that retailers and manufacturers could invest more into private label packaging too idealistic? Possibly. But consider the stark contrast between the level of investments in the national brand world versus what happens in the realm of private label. Let’s say two companies — one a national brand manufacturer and the other a retailer with a private label line — want a design firm to create new packaging for a dog food brand. Typically the private label constituents will be willing to pay a fraction of what consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies will allocate for such a project, understandably so. The store brand most likely doesn’t have the same volume and brand awareness in the category, so it’s not as able to scale and amortize. Yet a few dollars more for a design would most likely be offset by that incremental growth.\r\n\r\nWith CPG companies, by contrast, brand is everything and packaging rules. Clearly, CPG leaders see packaging as a powerful marketing tool that allows them to differentiate from the competition. They understand that brand impressions at shelf are more valuable than traditional TV or magazine ads. They know that whenever shoppers interact with that package, they are creating impact and a connection. Let’s look at the value of keeping your package design relevant and on trend. Let’s say you have a $1 billion store brand with 20 percent market penetration, and that redesigning your packaging will translate into at least a 2 percent lift. That’s $20 million in growth, and the design expense would be a fraction of that (and, as I see it, a worthy investment.)\r\n\r\nThe time has come for retailers and manufacturers to ask themselves the hard questions. Is building a brand a component cost of goods, or is it an investment in your future? If you view it as the latter, how much are you willing to stretch in pursuit of that goal? How do you balance the need to manage costs with the reality of a private label marketplace in which brand sophistication is rapidly becoming the price of entry?\r\n\r\nThere are no universal answers here. But to speak frankly about the matter, the failure to consider these issues at all is starting to seem downright archaic.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.storebrands.info/store-brand-insights/experts-insights/reconsider-packaging-design?cc=28\" target=\"_blank\">Store Brands</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'Reconsider packaging design', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'reconsider-packaging-design', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/reconsider-packaging-design', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2122, 1, '2015-08-04 13:54:50', '2015-08-04 13:54:50', 'Do you ever get the sense that retail technology is overhyped?\r\nPersonally, I love it. In my career, I have overseen technology roll-outs at thousands of high-touch retail stores nationwide. I have also consulted with major retailers and automakers on a raft of tech-related projects.\r\n\r\nBut let’s take a moment to get real about the role of technology in retail.\r\n\r\nOne of the biggest stumbling blocks I often see is the tendency to apply new technology to old techniques. We all feel comfortable sticking with known commodities — the approaches that have generally worked for years or even decades. All too often, the Web and ad agencies with which retailers have existing RFPs and retainers find it easier to rely on status-quo methods. This leads to shortcuts along the lines of, “We already paid $XX,XXX to create that message for the end cap, so let’s just make that show up on someone’s phone, too.” Or, “Make sure to tweet about that new (brand/product/feature).”\r\n\r\nTweeting might seem advanced, but if you think about it, it’s really a one-way communication — the equivalent of taking out a newspaper ad. Likewise, push text messages are hardly different from those pesky hawkers on the street who try to stuff random flyers in your hand. Some would even have retailers step into the role of an omniscient Big Brother by tracking customers’ always-on cellphone signals and automatically texting a coupon within a certain radius.\r\n\r\nTruth is, most people find this kind of thing irritating… and a little creepy.\r\nRetail technology is useful only insofar as it sparks meaningful conversations with and among consumers. If the technique in question won’t feel authentic and humanized on the receiving end, is it worth adopting? If it doesn’t involve listening and learning on both sides, is it really cutting edge?\r\n\r\nThe real promise of retail technology is its ability to facilitate meaningful two-way interactions in a variety of channels, both digitally and in real life.\r\n\r\nSo what does that look like? For starters, you don’t need to spend $1 billion on holograms and virtual-reality headsets. A simple tablet will do. What’s important is how you use the tools at your disposal. Let’s say you’re a retailer of high-end, modern furniture. A customer wants to know what that svelte sofa would look like in lime green. She also wants to see it in a living room that has pastel-yellow walls just like hers. The salesperson can now use the tablet to show the customer a digital mockup of exactly what she has imagined. In this scenario, the salesperson can offer to enhance the mockup with coffee tables, lamps, ottomans, etc., because the pitch is taking place as part of a two-way exchange that is willingly entered into by the customer.\r\n\r\nNeiman Marcus, for example, rolled out a shoe table that “listens” to customers in a novel way. When the customer picks up a shoe to examine it, a video rolls on the table showing a model striding down the runway in those flats or pumps. The customer thereby gains information both visually and, by holding the shoe, through touch. She has made a closer connection to the product, and the retailer learns about this connection because, upon activation, the sales staff learned precisely which shoe had piqued the shopper’s interest. The moment that video rolled, a legitimate reason for the salesperson to engage the customer in further conversation was presented.\r\n\r\nThe two-way nature of this is important, because when people feel listened to, they want to extend the dialog rather than walk out of the store. This is why retailers such as Apple, Nordstrom and AT&amp;T were smart to bring point-of-sale out from behind the counter and into the workspace. The conversation just flowed. At AT&amp;T, the goal is to inject learning into these interactions. “You have a new Audi A3?” the salesperson says. “That’s cool. Did you know those cars have wireless-hotspot functionality? It can save your family a ton of data.” Yes, the tablet has a quick video showing how AT&amp;T’s hotspot plan works, but it’s only effective because customer interest was piqued by a personal conversation.\r\n\r\nSo why not just rely on status-quo methods? Because attitudes are changing. Today, consumers want to be in charge of the buying process. They want to have conversations with brands and with each other. So forget about “pushing” content down a one-way street. Instead, let your customers take the wheel with you right by their side.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/social-media/2015/08/04/what-neiman-marcus-gets-about-retail-technology/\" target=\"_blank\">SmartBlogs</a>', 'What Neiman Marcus Gets About Retail Technology', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-neiman-marcus-gets-about-retail-technology', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/what-neiman-marcus-gets-about-retail-technology', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(2123, 1, '2015-08-05 15:19:14', '2015-08-05 15:19:14', '<strong>All Too Often Retailers and Manufacturers Tussle Over the Costs of Store-Brand Packaging Rather Than Viewing It as a Wise Investment That Will Benefit Both, Writes Branding Veteran Todd Maute</strong>\r\nIn today\'s retail marketplace, beating the competition increasingly requires savvy approaches to building and leveraging store brands. And yet retailers and manufacturers often squabble over the cost of store-brand packaging rather than seeing it as a valuable marketing tool worth investing in, writes Todd Maute, a partner at brand agency CBX, in a July 29 column for Store Brands magazine.\r\n\r\n\"Building your brand is clearly about much more than containing costs,\" writes Maute in the publication\'s Expert Insights column (\"Reconsider packaging design: Get results through a more nuanced approach to cost containment\"). \"In fact, going to market with best-in-class private brands is really a wise long-term investment.\"\r\n\r\nIndeed, when retailers, manufacturers and design firms put a priority on creating best-in-class store brand programs, all are more likely to benefit, Maute observes. Toward that end, he encourages retailers to evolve their store brands further by ramping up the quality and design standards of the packaging. \"It\'s the primary -- if not the only -- marketing tool store brands get,\" he notes.\r\n\r\nNor, Maute writes, would taking this step be particularly unrealistic: Over the past 20 years, leading retail chains have steadily embraced more sophisticated approaches to store brands, especially when it comes to research and testing. \"Instead of battling over costs, focus on the impact of the first moment of truth at shelf on customers,\" he writes. \"Skimping on design costs hinders the retailer\'s ability to get the product perception right.\"\r\n\r\nUsing the example of a $1 billion store brand with 20 percent market penetration, he points out that a minimum 2 percent lift in sales from a packaging redesign would translate into $20 million in growth -- \"and the design expense would be a fraction of that.\"\r\n\r\nThe full column is available <a href=\"http://www.storebrands.info/store-brand-insights/experts-insights/reconsider-packaging-design?cc=28\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'CBX Expert: Retailers Should See Packaging as a Marketing Tool, Not a Cost', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-expert-retailers-should-see-packaging-as-a-marketing-tool-not-a-cost', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-expert-retailers-should-see-packaging-as-a-marketing-tool-not-a-cost', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2124, 1, '2015-08-11 06:19:19', '2015-08-11 06:19:19', 'If you’ve walked by the area of 37th and 6th and wondered who will be coming moving into the empty real estate, we have an answer for you.\r\nOscar Fittipaldi, an immigrant and Argentian-American, is the new franchise operator who will soon be running a Chick-fil-A out of Herald Square beginning in October.\r\n\r\nSome chicken lovers are rejoicing out there, but others are perhaps feeling a bit torn on this one — particularly members of the gay and lesbian community.  That’s because Chick-fil-A’s President and CEO said he’s against same-sex marriage  and he didn’t only voice his opinions once, but numerous times.\r\n\r\nBut will New Yorkers tweeting and bashing the company’s stance truly stand by their calls to boycott one of America’s favorite fast food chains? Or give in to their love of the food instead? We took that question to Dustin Longstreth, branding strategist with CBX in New York City.\r\n\r\n“I think New York City respects authenticity and the commitment of conviction above all, but at the end of the day the thing that unites New Yorkers is not a liberal agenda or a political opinion, but rather the love of good food,” said Longstreth.\r\n\r\nLongstreth believes there’s no question Chick-fil-A knew exactly what they were doing when they rolled out with this new ad spot to create a new and different tone from perhaps previous preconceptions surrounding the company and its CEO.\r\n\r\nThe company turned the tables and made the story more about Fittipaldi’s background.  That, according to Longstreth was a smart move, but will it work?\r\n\r\n“New York is a city that thrives off of tension.  Chick-fil-A will bring that tension and New York City also thrives off of great food, so they better bring some good chicken,” said Longstreth.\r\n\r\nIn a statement to PIX11, Chick-fil-A said:\r\n“Chick-fil-A believes that success in a community is tied directly to the caliber of the individual franchised Operator who runs the local Chick-fil-A restaurant. Oscar has not only an incredible background in leadership and hospitality, but he also has an entrepreneurial spirit. He has been running the Chick-fil-A restaurant at Aramingo in Philadelphia since it opened more than five years ago, bringing together a diverse community in an urban location. His experience in Philadelphia – combined with his energetic personality – makes him the right person to open the first restaurant in New York City.\r\n\r\nPIX11 also asked Chick-fil-A if they are concerned about a potential boycott in New York City or even protesters, to which the company said it “is not concerned and hopes to sincerely and genuinely welcome everyone from the community.”\r\n\r\nOriginally aired on <a href=\"http://pix11.com/2015/08/11/will-chick-fil-a-retain-its-anti-lgbt-stance-for-its-move-to-nyc/\" target=\"_blank\">PIX11 News</a>.\r\n<div class=\"videoWrapper\"><iframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/136560245\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"></iframe></div>', 'Will Chick-Fil-A Retain its Anti-LGBTQ Stance for its Move to NYC?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'will-chick-fil-a-retain-its-anti-lgbtq-stance-for-its-move-to-nyc', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/will-chick-fil-a-retain-its-anti-lgbtq-stance-for-its-move-to-nyc', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2125, 1, '2015-08-19 20:32:40', '2015-08-19 20:32:40', 'For a pair of American brands that recently underwent similarly massive rebrands – Big Heart Pet Brands (formerly of the Del Monte empire) and Jazzercise – heritage was found in the companies’ histories, but also in their values and objectives for the future of their business. American brand agency CBX worked on both rebrands.\r\nBig Heart Pet Brands is, essentially, a new brand. It’s logo and brand system are new. It’s positioning is new. Yet, it is also the only remaining vestige of FMCG giant Del Monte’s business after a sell-off of its human food brands. The company found that its remaining pet-focused holdings were not best served by the Del Monte brand, despite the brand affinity among consumers for the parent company and its own 129-year history.\r\n\r\nSatoru Wakeshima, general manager at CBX, says this was a compelling position as the company was now all about pets. That was a proposition that made sense to its consumers, internal audience and investors alike. “While Del Monte Foods owned strong, well-known leadership brands in this space, such as Milk-Bone – and they very well could have gone the route of calling it the Milk-Bone Pet Company – there was a much bigger opportunity. When you’re creating a brand, you’re telling a story. And our story was more than just about the products this company sells, it was about a mission, a purpose: nurturing the bond between pets and the people who love them, making every day special.”\r\n\r\nWakeshima adds, “Big Heart Pet Brands would be a completely different company than Del Monte Foods and that transformation happened literally, overnight.” Despite throwing off the Del Monte mantle, though, Big Heart Pet Brands focused on its objective – love for one’s pets and the emotions within that relationship. From that standpoint, the brand was able to establish a new heritage in pet care by harnessing the company’s culture, the equity in its renowned brands and a new photographic and visual style. Wakeshima says, “Unless heritage has relevancy, it’s merely that: your past. Brand equity is what you own in the minds of people and there’s tangible, visual equity and there’s the intangible, emotional equity that’s associated with a brand.”\r\n\r\nJazzercise also saw heritage as both a boon and a burden. The high-intensity exercise brand had become inextricably tied to the 1980s, and all the visual clichés inherent in that decade. In rebranding, it had to acknowledge the household brand’s heritage, but also address its relevance to the modern woman.\r\n\r\n“A rebrand allows any business to take a step back and evaluate its past, present and future place in the market and wider world. Ultimately, it’s a moment to identify its raison d’être”\r\nCreative director at CBX, Alison Koller, says Jazzercise chose a frank, straightforward tone of voice that recognised and dispelled the associations the brand had with the past. But it also remained true to its core proposition of offering fun, intense workouts infused with choreography and dance music. Koller says, “We looked at all of the historical materials from Jazzercise, and understood that the name was the one clear piece of equity for the brand. The visual elements, however, needed a complete transformation... Innovation can come in the form of a new product or service. In the case of Jazzercise, the simple extension of the brand into greater strength and higher intensity toning (still based in dance) was a straightforward innovation.”\r\n\r\nSee full story in <a href=\"http://www.transformmagazine.net/articles/2015/who-am-i-heritage-and-rebranding/\" target=\"_blank\">Transform Magazine</a>.', 'Who Am I?: Heritage and Rebranding', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'who-am-i-heritage-and-rebranding', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/who-am-i-heritage-and-rebranding', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2126, 1, '2015-08-25 18:19:12', '2015-08-25 18:19:12', '<strong>Choosing the right name is one of the most important decisions entrepreneurs make when starting up a new business. Here are some fresh insights into naming your business well.</strong>\r\nChoosing the right name is one of the most important decisions entrepreneurs make when starting up a new business. Ryan Lockhart, co-founder of boutique advertising agency group46, says the name can make or break a first impression of a new business’s brand. “I believe that the name comes from the future. The name is only a word, or a cluster of words, before the company puts a connotation behind it,” he says. “An apple was a fruit until the company revolutionized it.”\r\n\r\nChoosing a brand name is as much a strategic decision as a creative decision, argues Rachel Bernard, vice president of branding agency CBX. “Start by identifying the role the name should play for the business,” she counsels. “For example, if the business will be entering a crowded category with lots of competitors, a disruptive name that really stands out or a name that highlights a differentiating feature of the brand will be a big competitive advantage.”\r\n\r\nWhen you choose the right name for your brand, you allow all of the positive associations of that word or set of words to flow into your brand position and reinforce your core principles and values, says Adam Padilla, founder and CEO of BrandFire Creative Agency. “When you choose a not-so-good name, you wind up fighting an uphill battle to undo the preconception that the name carries, which means wasted marketing dollars. Worse, you run the risk of creating your own ‘brand ceiling,’ where you grow only as far as the name allows you to,” he warns. “This happens to many SMBs without the branding savvy to adjust their brand identity and fit into the larger national and international conversation.”\r\n\r\nSerial entrepreneur Bill Rinehart, who is currently founder, chairman, and CEO of DUFL, a travel and services app, has been through this exercise several times. He says choosing a name can be a do-it-yourself project, “although it doesn’t hurt to have outside opinions.” However, he feels it is important to engage third-party expertise for help with the logo, “which, in many cases, can be as important as the name.”\r\n\r\nLockhart stresses that choosing a name should be one of the final steps in the branding process for a new business. Completing the bulk of the branding process first “allows the personality and values of the company to be accurately reflected in a concise name.” He also reminds entrepreneurs to make sure they check for multiple definitions of any words used in the company name, and not just in the English language -- especially if your company will be doing business in other countries.\r\n\r\nMarketing consultant Brynn Winegard suggests that startups choose a name that is simple, descriptive, aspirational, differentiated, unique, Web-friendly, and can be trademarked. That last quality should not be overlooked. “After selecting a name, it is important to enlist the help of a trademark attorney to better assess the risk associated with the use of the proposed name,” says Jennifer Mikulina, a partner at McDermott Will &amp; Emery and head of its global trademark prosecution practice.\r\n\r\nOnce you choose your name, you must take steps to protect it. Start by filing an application to register your name as a trademark or service mark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Mikulina advises. That creates a presumption of ownership of the trademark and the exclusive right to use it nationwide in connection with the goods or services listed in the trademark application. You should also create a strategy to police unauthorized third-party use of the name, for example, by setting up a Google Alert or using another online tool to notify you of references to your name online.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.inc.com/comcast/choosing-the-right-business-name.html\" target=\"_blank\">Inc.</a>', 'Choosing the Right Business Name', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'choosing-the-right-business-name', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/choosing-the-right-business-name', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2127, 1, '2015-08-22 18:23:58', '2015-08-22 18:23:58', 'When you visit <a href=\"http://www.starbucks.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Starbucks.com</a>, the “Responsibility” tab is front and center. Click on it, and you’ll find nearly 30 different links under headings such as “Community,” “Environment” and “Ethical Sourcing,” along with a 19-page Global Responsibility Report for those who would take an even deeper dive into the company’s practices. Starbucks, in other words, makes a real effort to walk the talk of responsibility. And yet, when the company launched its <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23racetogether&amp;src=typd\" target=\"_blank\">#RaceTogether</a> campaign back in March, the mockery was swift and merciless. The plan, as we all remember, was for baristas to write “Race Together” on customers’ cups in an effort to spark dialog about race in America.\r\nUnfortunately for Starbucks, #RaceTogether is now synonymous with #PRdebacles.\r\n\r\nSo what happened? How could Starbucks have gotten it so wrong? In the age of the self-aware consumer, brands have no choice but to engage with their customers on the issues of our time, right?\r\n\r\nThe risk lies in losing track of the all-important difference between integrity, an objective state of being, and the far-more-subjective sphere of morality/ethics. When brands focus on achieving the integrity of their purpose (making whole on their promise), these campaigns tend to get results. When brands stray into opportunistic preaching or moralizing, the response from consumers is often “Who the hell do you think you are?”\r\n\r\nHarvard University business professor Michael Jensen puts it best when he defines integrity as “a state or condition of being whole, complete, unbroken.” Morality and ethics, by contrast, are normative, subjective concepts: What is moral or ethical to someone in the Bay Area might be immoral or unethical to somebody in the Bible Belt. By contrast, integrity—or the lack of it—is objective and easy to spot. It either exists or it doesn’t. Chipotle Mexican Grill, for instance, routinely talks about the high quality of its grass-fed beef and humanely raised pork. If the chain were to be busted for lying about its food sources, we would all see this as a breach of integrity, regardless of what we happened to think about the morality or ethics of eating conventional beef, pork and poultry. (And in fact, Chipotle’s integrity is now under fire: The chain faces a <a href=\"http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/lawsuit-claims-chipotle-has-been-deceiving-customers/ar-AAdPKEx?ocid=mailsignout\" target=\"_blank\">class action</a>  alleging it has been deceptive about being GMO-free.)\r\n\r\nTherefore, with regard to campaigns prioritize and highlight the great things your brand does to make good on its promises. Resist the impulse to try to boost your brand’s cachet by taking stances you believe will be popular or politically correct—especially if those stances are largely unrelated to your core purpose.\r\n\r\nIn the age of the self-aware consumer, complying with the radically varying moral demands of diverse audiences is impossible. However, any company can look within and focus sincerely on making sure its brands have integrity. These internally consistent, honest stories then become building blocks for campaigns that will boost customer loyalty over the long term—and keep you out of #PRdebacles on Twitter.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.commpro.biz/public-relations/avoiding-prdebacles-integrity-is-the-key-to-brand-campaigns-that-never-backfire/\" target=\"_blank\">CommPRO.biz</a>.\r\n\r\nPhoto courtesy of <a href=\"http://www.finerminds.com/consciousness-awareness/integrity-honesty/\" target=\"_blank\">finerminds.com</a>.', '\'Avoiding #PRdebacles’: Integrity is the Key to Brand Campaigns That Never Backfire', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'avoiding-prdebacles-integrity-is-the-key-to-brand-campaigns-that-never-backfire', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/avoiding-prdebacles-integrity-is-the-key-to-brand-campaigns-that-never-backfire', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2128, 1, '2015-08-26 19:13:44', '2015-08-26 19:13:44', 'National drug chains are working hard to drive more sales in the beauty care category.\r\nThe merged Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., for starters, is revamping its stores with a swankier cosmetics offering centered on the Boots No7 skin care line, which already drives traffic across Europe. For its part, Rite Aid Corp. is rolling out its Receutics Active Skin Repair, a new line of over-the-counter, dermatologically tested skin care products. And of course, CVS/pharmacy continues to reap the benefits of its popular Nuance Salma Hayek line.\r\n\r\nThis emphasis on beauty is no accident. Clearly, drug stores need to leverage their proximity to consumers and drive more traffic to the store. Instead of emphasizing food offerings, like many drug stores are doing, there’s an opportunity to focus on a higher-margin offering, such as cosmetics.\r\n\r\nSo, how can retailers elevate their game in the high-margin beauty aisle and make it a destination? One approach would be to truly own the category.\r\n\r\nA few years ago, for example, when consumers needed pet food, most of them just went to the grocery store. Today, national pet retailers own the pet food category. These chains smartly created strong narratives that positioned themselves as the real experts on pet food — places where you could talk to an expert to get the low-down on the healthiest and highest-quality selections for your particular pet, and where there would be a diverse offering of brands. (It also didn’t hurt that, like drug stores, pet retailers saturated the marketplace and are now on every corner.)\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">Likewise, national chain drug stores could position themselves as category killers that steal customers from department stores and other beauty mainstays.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">To accomplish this, however, they must redesign their approach to beauty marketing, branding, merchandising, service and even store design to give the area a more fashion-forward feel. Even women of limited means are often willing to drive to Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sephora or Saks to splurge on cosmetics. What they’re after is the experience of being catered to in a sumptuous, high-service environment. Drug stores need to offer something similar if they hope to compete in this category.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">Offering a strong private label brand approach in beauty is a good first step. To truly capture loyalty, however, drug chains need to ramp up the general impression of service as well. That could mean bringing in a cosmetologist for occasional product demonstrations, “makeover days,” classes or other events, or pointing to the fact that pharmacy personnel can answer questions about how certain products — or even supplements and food — can affect sensitive skin.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">Marketing and branding should reinforce this expert angle. The chain’s social media presence, for instance, could include a cosmetologist blogger whose posts are more about answering legitimate consumer questions than pitching products. Use this opportunity to be proactive — don’t wait for consumers to come to your website. Your experts need to be out there, not just on YouTube and Twitter, but also on major venues like “Good Morning America” and CNN as well.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">In addition to reputation-building efforts of this kind, chains could focus harder on elevating the customer experience in the beauty aisle.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">At many drug stores today, the beauty aisles look much the same as those in which consumers might buy such mundane items as school supplies. But what if, upon reaching the beauty area, women were to discover a visual feast of colorful and neatly arranged cosmetics along the lines of Sephora? What if the beauty aisles at chain drug stores were packed with unique and differentiated brands arrayed for maximum visual appeal?</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">The approach could be integrated and omnichannel — right down to automated replacements of mascara or other items populated as favorites via an iPhone app. Customers get a text telling them that their replacement item is ready for pickup, along with a coupon or two.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">Walgreens, for one, is collaborating with a new “social competition” app called Challenged to “bring summer beauty tips to life.” Along the lines of the Ice Bucket Challenge, Walgreens is challenging users to submit 12-second video clips using either CIRCA Beauty or Nonie Creme Colour Prevail, both of which are Walgreens private label products. Beauty expert Lauria Locsmondy of the Walgreens Social and Content creative team will judge the top-three “viewed” Beauty Challenge videos. This is savvy positioning.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">With its emphasis on health, Rite Aid’s Receutics line also appears to be on trend. According to the company, both research and feedback from pharmacists indicated that Rite Aid’s customers wanted dermatologist-strength solutions to common skin care issues. The pitch here is that Receutics aren’t just clinically proven to be effective — they’re also affordable. The products, which range in price from $9.99 to $49.99, fall into one of four categories: acne clearing, therapeutic relief, sun care and antiaging.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">Notice that, with Receutics, Rite Aid has much more than an opportunity to boost sales: The customer encounter with Receutics — whether we’re talking about in-store, online or anything in between — is a meaningful impression in and of itself, with broad potential to bolster the overall Rite Aid brand.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">All in all, the focus on higher-margin beauty items is a solid strategy and, given that the U.S. beauty industry alone is worth $12 billion, there is a lot of room for robust growth. Having done the work on the product front, the next step is to kick execution into a higher gear. Before you know it, most women will be skipping those trips to the mall — and picking up their cosmetics at neighborhood drug stores.</p>\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.chaindrugreview.com/with-elevated-offerings-drug-chains-can-own-beauty/\" target=\"_blank\">Chain Drug Review</a>.\r\n\r\nPhoto courtesy of <a href=\"http://www.entdigest.com/winning-a-sephora-gift-card/\" target=\"_blank\">entdigest.com</a>', 'With Elevated Offerings, Drug Chains Can Own Beauty', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'with-elevated-offerings-drug-chains-can-own-beauty', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/with-elevated-offerings-drug-chains-can-own-beauty', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2129, 1, '2015-08-26 20:12:29', '2015-08-26 20:12:29', '<strong>Build brand awareness, enhance brand credentials, drive incremental usage among loyalists, and attract new users by stretching your brand into new and different areas.</strong>\r\nMarketers have always used line extensions to build business and grow consumer loyalty. Oreo is a classic example. You start with Oreo sandwich cookies and then extend in subtle ways. You add more filling (“Double Stuf”) and make the cookies bigger or smaller. Then you vary the base product a bit further by, say, covering the cookies with chocolate or changing their flavors and filling. This classic approach to line extensions worked decades ago and still works today.\r\n\r\nBut today there are reasons for brands to stretch further—to go beyond the simple and obvious. Today’s buzz-hungry, relevancy-oriented, social media-rich marketplace is fertile ground for brands to connect with consumers by innovating even more. By leveraging existing brand equities and stretching them into new and different areas, companies can build brand awareness, enhance brand credentials, drive incremental usage among loyalists, and even attract new users to the fold. Successful “stretching” leverages key packaging equities as a bridge to maintain a strong connection between the existing brand and the new innovation.\r\n\r\n<strong>Brand stretches that make sense\r\n</strong>A prime example of a brand stretch is Ben &amp; Jerry’s Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale, a collaboration with New Belgium Brewing Co. that will be available this fall. Here, the packaging for the brown ale clearly leverages the brand’s visual assets: the puffy white clouds against a light blue sky and the quirky cow with its bright-yellow scarf, snow goggles, and ski hat. But this packaging isn’t designed only for those of us who have stood before grocery-store coolers salivating at all the different Ben &amp; Jerry’s flavors; it also aims to appeal to craft beer fans who have done much the same looking at diverse selections of ales, stouts, and the like. In addition to the Ben &amp; Jerry’s equities, the packaging includes New Belgium’s logo and signature red bicycle.\r\n\r\nI doubt this is a first step in a move by Ben &amp; Jerry’s to become a dominant player in the world of craft beer. Nor is New Belgium likely to sell ice cream-inspired beer anytime soon. Instead, this is a quirky, fun, and buzz-generating collaboration that will put smiles on the faces of all involved. This brand stretch reinforces the good feelings already associated with both brands. If it makes money, that’s a happy bonus.\r\n\r\nAnother example is Patagonia Provisions by outdoor clothier Patagonia. The company’s world-traveling founder, Yvon Chouinard, cares deeply about food and began offering Patagonia-branded food items in 2013 with the introduction of lightly smoked, wild-caught salmon. More recently, the company began selling organic fruit-and-almond bars. Here, the effort clearly involved a careful survey of existing approaches to packaging in the healthy bar category. Patagonia’s fruit bars are visually spare, with about as much white space as you would expect to see on a trek through the Himalayas. This sends a message to consumers that the bars are about whole foods, not additives. The Patagonia logo is tastefully minimized but helps tie these products back to the original brand. The overall approach is utilitarian, making the bars feel like something you would pick up along with freeze-dried dinners and fuel for your camp stove, in preparation for a long backpacking trip. Are hardcore adventurers really the sole target audience for the bars? No, but who doesn’t want to feel like a hardcore adventurer at one time or another? Regardless of whether Patagonia Provisions becomes a big moneymaker, this stretch clearly helps bolster the overall Patagonia brand. In this case, the fit between the original product brand and the new offshoot is as snug as a pair of ski pants.\r\n\r\nWhen Condé Nast’s Self fitness and beauty magazine launched Self Healthy Kitchen frozen meals last year, the stretch made sense to anyone familiar with the magazine’s persistent attempts to play a more meaningful role in readers’ lives. Created in partnership with chef Calvin Harris, the line is reportedly headed for shelves at nearly 3,000 stores. Magazines and food might seem like ... well, apples and oranges, but the brand affinities here are strong and could help drive brand loyalty.\r\n\r\nAs with the Ben &amp; Jerry’s/New Belgium and Patagonia products, packaging was used to give this stretch added credibility. Viewed side-by-side with the latest issue of Self, the packaging for these frozen meals clearly resembles the cover of a monthly issue of the magazine. However, the “star” is not an artfully edited image of, say, Cameron Russell or Jillian Michaels. Instead, it is a scrumptious-looking picture of the entrée inside.\r\n\r\n<strong>Bad publicity better than no publicity?\r\n</strong>\r\n<p style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\">But can brands stretch too far? This is subjective territory. Unsuccessful attempts can leave your target consumers scratching their heads. An idea that seems a bit off to one person might appeal to another.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\">Back in 2012 when Heineken partnered with a retailer and fashion designer to offer a leather saddle shoe, I wondered whether beer nuts would have been a more logical choice. And to me, the idea of Zippo Fragrances is completely off brand. When I heard of this extension, I couldn’t help but imagine the dizzying odor of butane. Since 1933, Zippo has sold more than 500 million lighters across the globe. According to the company, “98 out of every 100 people surveyed have knowledge of the Zippo name and lighter without being coached in any manner.” Is this level of global brand recognition impressive? Absolutely. But I must admit that, for me, Zippo Fragrances seems a bit too much. In this case, though, the stretch is really more about novelty packaging than brand fit. The fragrance bottles look exactly like Zippo lighters.</p>\r\n<p style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\">To be sure, we will continue to see conventional approaches to line extensions in the classic mold—how many more granola bars and yogurt flavors and sizes can we come up with? In today’s always-on marketplace, companies need to try even harder to find new and novel ways to make their brands resonate with consumers. “Stretchy” brand expansions are a way to do precisely that, allowing brands to be present in additional apertures and in more categories. Charting unfamiliar territory can be risky, but it can also be a great way to grow your business and bolster customer loyalty. Before you embark on such a project, however, key considerations should include:</p>\r\n<strong>1. Brand fit:</strong> Can the signature attributes, benefits, or image associations of your brand credibly migrate to other offerings? What is it about your brand beyond straightforward product characteristics that can be leveraged in a new way?\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Potential benefits:</strong> Will the stretch generate more buzz or awareness for your brand, regardless of whether sales go through the roof? If so, the idea might well be worth pursuing. Even if the stretch isn’t particularly tweet-worthy, will it appeal to a different set of consumers in ways that could drive incremental sales growth over time?\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Strike a balance:</strong> If the idea is truly novel or offbeat, make sure it will put a smile on the face of consumers rather than cause them to scratch their heads in confusion. Is it something that you personally would want to chat about at the water cooler (in a positive way)? If so, that’s a promising sign.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/strategy/master-art-and-science-brand-stretch\" target=\"_blank\">Packaging World</a>.', 'Master the Art and Science of the Brand Stretch', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'master-the-art-and-science-of-the-brand-stretch', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/master-the-art-and-science-of-the-brand-stretch', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2130, 0, '2018-09-27 16:53:44', '2018-09-27 16:53:44', '', 'Nice-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'nice-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:53:44', '2018-09-27 16:53:44', '', 1770, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Nice-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2131, 1, '2015-09-09 14:10:45', '2015-09-09 14:10:45', '<strong>But the Effort Must Be Comprehensive and Focus on Elevated Approaches to Store Design, Marketing, Merchandising and the Overall Customer Experience, Writes Branding Veteran Todd Maute</strong>\r\nDrug stores are always looking to drive more traffic to the front of the store and boost sales of higher-margin items. Upping their game on beauty is one way to accomplish both objectives, writes Todd Maute, a partner at brand agency CBX, in the August 24th issue of Chain Drug Review.\r\n\r\n\"National chain drug stores could position themselves as category killers that steal customers from department stores and other beauty mainstays,\" Maute writes. \"To accomplish this, however, they must redesign their approach to beauty marketing, branding, merchandising, service and even store design to give the area a more fashion-forward feel.\"\r\n\r\nIn the column (\"Drug Chains Can Own Beauty with Elevated Offerings\") Maute cites the ongoing efforts of chains such as Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid to ramp up the sophistication of their beauty aisles. These efforts are for the most part on point, the veteran branding consultant comments, but the overall strategy should be to make the beauty aisle a true destination for beauty shoppers. \"Even women of limited means are often willing to drive to Macy\'s, Nordstrom, Sephora or Saks to splurge on cosmetics,\" he observes. \"What they\'re after is the experience of being catered to in a sumptuous, high-service environment. Drug stores need to offer something similar if they hope to compete in this category.\"\r\n\r\nDrug chains need to ramp up the general impression of service as well, Maute says. \"That could mean bringing in a cosmetologist for occasional product demonstrations, \'makeover days,\' classes or other events,\" he notes, \"or pointing to the fact that pharmacy personnel can answer questions about how certain products -- or even supplements and food -- can affect sensitive skin.\"\r\n\r\nMarketing and branding should reinforce this expert angle. The chain\'s social media presence, for instance, could include a cosmetologist blogger whose posts are more about answering legitimate consumer questions than pitching products, Maute writes.\r\n\r\nMoreover, chains could focus harder on elevating the design of the beauty aisle itself. \"At many drug stores today, the beauty aisles look much the same as those in which consumers might buy such mundane items as school supplies,\" Maute writes. \"But what if, upon reaching the beauty area, women were to discover a visual feast of colorful and neatly arranged cosmetics along the lines of Sephora? What if the beauty aisles at chain drug stores were packed with unique and differentiated brands arrayed for maximum visual appeal?\"\r\n\r\nMaute adds that \"the approach could be integrated and omni-channel -- right down to automated, replacements of mascara or other items populated as favorites via an iPhone app. You get a text telling you that your replacement item is ready for pickup, along with a coupon or two.\"\r\n\r\nSee the full article <a href=\"http://www.chaindrugreview.com/with-elevated-offerings-drug-chains-can-own-beauty/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nPhoto courtesy of <a href=\"http://dr40wallstreet.com/look_boutique\" target=\"_blank\">Duane Reade</a>.', 'CBX Expert: Drug Chains Can Own the Beauty Category by Upping Their Game', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-expert-drug-chains-can-own-the-beauty-category-by-upping-their-game', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-expert-drug-chains-can-own-the-beauty-category-by-upping-their-game', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2132, 1, '2015-09-10 14:45:14', '2015-09-10 14:45:14', '<strong>Design Creates a Retail Brand and Elevates Food Offering</strong>\r\nMOL Group, an international oil and gas company based in Budapest, Hungary, has begun rolling out a scalable convenience store prototype created in close collaboration between its internal retail group and CBX, the strategic brand agency and retail design consultancy based here. MOL operates a network of more than 1,900 fuel centers in 11 countries across central and southeastern Europe.\r\n\r\nThe first 28 locations under the Fresh Corner brand opened over the course of the past three months in six countries (Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic). The initial stores range in size from 500 to 2000 square feet.\r\n\r\nCBX was tasked with creating a new retailing concept and prototype that would reflect and respect the diversity of the company\'s distinct national markets. In addition, with its expansion driven by acquisitions, MOL\'s network currently incorporates a number of different nameplates and footprints. Consequently, part of CBX\'s assignment was to develop guidelines and criteria to help the company determine which store size and product assortment would be right for particular markets and locations.\r\n\r\nFinally, CBX worked with MOL to develop a core c-store offering, including hot beverages and food-to-go, that could be applied with modification across all of the company\'s national markets. Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments and a veteran c-store designer, noted that product offerings in MOL\'s retail facilities were heavily focused on automotive supplies and accessories.\r\n\r\nTo aid the company in developing a true convenience retail assortment, CBX analyzed MOL\'s sales data to determine the optimal core offering. \"We felt the convenience assortment needed to do three things,\" Bona explained. \"First, increase shopping frequency. Second, increase the basket size and third, provide items that people need on a regular basis, not for a roadside emergency. It was really about giving people more reasons to shop at the MOL network and encourage them to buy more when they do.\"\r\n\r\nReflecting on the overall scope of the project, Lars Höglund, SVP MOL Group Retail, commented: \"MOL defined a very ambitious retail strategy for the upcoming years. To be successful with our mission, we had to reconsider all aspects of our retail fundamentals step-by-step, and CBX was a great partner and mentor on this journey. The new design was created in order to best support the provision of the renewed offer. The external design communicates immediately that we moved away from the traditional forecourt shop towards a retail outlet where customers can make their daily top-up shopping, as well as buy hot beverages and food for the road.\"\r\n\r\nIn terms of site design, Bona noted that in many MOL locations, the gas canopies are connected to the stores, which typically has a dramatic influence on customers\' perceptions of the facility. \"We had to make sure the store\'s exterior communicated properly what is inside,\" he said. \"To accomplish that, we designed an all-glass storefront that clearly displays the convenience and food offerings inside, and created an outdoor seating area to further reinforce their food offering.\"\r\n\r\nAdjacent to the outdoor seating area, the store\'s exterior sports a newly designed visual identity -- a large graphic of a cup of Fresh Corner-branded coffee. This reinforces the message that food is inside to customers at the curb or gas pumps.\r\n\r\nOf course, that message is also conveyed through the store\'s new name, \"Fresh Corner.\" MOL had been employing the \"Fresh Corner\" descriptor to demarcate a small food area inside its retail facilities, and at CBX\'s suggestion, this became the stores\' main identity, branding them as a food retailer rather than just a gas station. \"Since the company owns the name, we took \'Fresh Corner\' and applied it to the exterior of the building over the entrance,\" Bona explained.\r\n\r\n\"Like the effort behind the stores\' core offering, the challenge of developing a foodservice offering that could work in the different countries was tackled in a similarly analytical fashion. We started with the belief that 80% of what people expect in terms of food-to-go from a c-store is fairly universal,\" Bona said. \"It\'s the other 20% where you need to create the flexibility to entertain different taste profiles, flavor preferences and unique items. The system we created allowed for local nuances. But the system of delivering the food, the preparation, the presentation and the packaging, all needed to be consistent.\"\r\n\r\n\"Our key challenge was to know exactly who our customers are and what they want in the different markets,\" noted Höglund, who added that MOL has also focused on improving customer experiences at the fuel pumps and other areas. \"We had to align ourselves with the latest market and customer trends and convert our filling stations to service stations. We aspire to leap-frog competition not only in our offer, but in operations, too. We are transforming our pump attendants into hosts, who from now on need to think, act and behave with 100%-customer focus.\"\r\n\r\n\"As a result of our intense, joint efforts,\" Höglund summed up, \"we now provide a relevant customer offer at all of the pilot sites, which includes an enhanced hot beverage and food-to-go program, a new convenience store concept with daily essentials, as well as a renewed car wash offer and other services. Ultimately, we intend to roll out these elements to all locations.\"\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://www.pennenergy.com/marketwired-oilgas/2015/09/10/hungary-s-mol-group-rolls-out-new-c-store-prototype-designed-by-cbx.html\" target=\"_blank\">PennEnergy\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.nacsonline.com/News/Daily/Pages/ND0911155.aspx#.VfNF7J1Viko\" target=\"_blank\">NACS Online\r\n</a><a href=\"http://conveniencestoresgasstations.retail-business-review.com/news/mol-group-rolls-out-new-c-store-prototype-designed-by-cbx-110915-4668327\" target=\"_blank\">Retail Business Review\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.petrolplaza.com/news/print/browse/MiZlbiYxOTA1NCYmMSYzMCYx\" target=\"_blank\">Petrol Plaza</a>', 'Hungary\'s MOL Group Rolls Out New C-Store Prototype Designed by CBX', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'hungarys-mol-group-rolls-out-new-c-store-prototype-designed-by-cbx', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/hungarys-mol-group-rolls-out-new-c-store-prototype-designed-by-cbx', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2133, 1, '2015-09-14 12:10:43', '2015-09-14 12:10:43', 'CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy, received five awards in Graphic Design USA’s American Package Design Awards 2015 competition.\r\nThe firm was honored for its work on behalf of a range of clients in the beauty and personal care; home, garden and industrial; health and wellness; posters, displays and kiosks; and wine, beer and liquor categories.\r\n\r\nThe editors recognized CBX for its work on behalf of Amway’s Satinique line of hair care products, Prestige Brands’ Little Remedies, ASICs Super J Display, Scotts Miracle-Gro’s new Nature’s Care product line, as well as for the new line of LIQS pre-made cocktail shots.\r\n\r\nConducted by the editors at Graphic Design USA, The American Package Design Awards have recognized excellence in packaging for over five decades. The competition, one of the fastest-growing, generated over 2,000 entries this year.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Satinique_Shampoo_LL.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9345 size-large\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Satinique_Shampoo_LL-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Satinique_Shampoo_LL\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" /></a> <a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ASICS_Dsply_3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9344 size-large\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/LilRemedies_LL_1-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"LilRemedies_LL_1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" /><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9341 size-large\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ASICS_Dsply_3-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"ASICS_Dsply_3\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" /></a> <a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/MG-Natures-Care-bags.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9342 size-large\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/MG-Natures-Care-bags-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"MG Natures Care bags\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" /></a> <a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/LIQS_LL_1_alt3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9343 size-large\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/LIQS_LL_1_alt3-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"LIQS_LL_1_alt3\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" /></a>', 'CBX Wins Five Awards In American Package Design Competition', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-wins-five-awards-in-american-package-design-competition', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-wins-five-awards-in-american-package-design-competition', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(2134, 1, '2015-09-15 15:41:24', '2015-09-15 15:41:24', '<strong>Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen take center stage of simplified and enhanced brand program.</strong>\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/BJ_fine_look_00013_RGB_Edit_150911_HiRes_sm.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9352 size-large\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/BJ_fine_look_00013_RGB_Edit_150911_HiRes_sm-1024x701.jpg\" alt=\"BJ_fine_look_00013_RGB_Edit_150911_HiRes_sm\" width=\"1024\" height=\"701\" /></a>\r\n\r\nHundreds of new Berkley Jensen and Wellsley Farms packages are hitting the shelves at BJ\'s Wholesale Club thanks to an own brands consolidation and redesign project in partnership with CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy.\r\n\r\nThe brand consolidation project streamlined the BJ\'s brand portfolio to create greater clarity, awareness, and focus, explained Kris Modugno, assistant vice president of own brands for BJ\'s Wholesale Club. \"Instead of managing ten separate own brands across multiple categories, as we did before, we have now rolled our food items into Wellsley Farms and our non-food items into Berkley Jensen –both have the strongest brand equity and loyalty among our Members. The result is a rationalized platform of own brands, which better positions BJ\'s Wholesale Club for future growth.\"\r\n\r\n\"BJ\'s Wholesale Club is at the forefront in terms of commitment to the quality of its own brands products, and they needed to design the brands strategically to more effectively communicate this reality,\" said Todd Maute, a partner and private label branding specialist at CBX. \"For both Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen, the new design systems created are consistent enough to provide impactful identities on shelf and flexible enough to speak to individual product features and benefits, as well as to specific consumer targets.\"\r\n\r\nTo enforce consistency, CBX used the pack as a vehicle for sharing stories about both the high-quality sourcing and certification of all Wellsley Farms products, and the best-in-class manufacturing methods and beneficial features of products in the Berkley Jensen line. That might mean emphasizing the German-engineered, triple-ply construction of stainless-steel cookware, or highlighting the responsibly-sourced, premium-quality seafood.\r\n\r\n\"This new approach will help educate our Members on how these own brands products meet their needs of value, freshness, selection and quality,\" said David Atkins, vice president of own brands for BJ\'s Wholesale Club.\r\n\r\nAs an organization, BJ\'s Wholesale Club showed extraordinary commitment to its own brands throughout this project, Maute noted. \"From senior management down to marketing and procurement, just about every department at BJ\'s was involved,\" he said. \"The support we received was thoughtful and broad-based. Clearly, BJ\'s is dedicated to maximizing the success of these brands.\"\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://mypbrand.com/2015/09/17/bjs-rethinks-private-brands/\" target=\"_blank\">My Private Brand\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.massmarketretailers.com/front-page/newsbreaks/bjs-wholesale-club-revamps-store-brand-offerings\" target=\"_blank\">Mass Market Retailers\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.packagingstrategies.com/articles/88311-cbx-revamps-own-brands-identities-at-bjs-wholesale-club\" target=\"_blank\">Packaging Strategies</a>', 'CBX Revamps Own Brands Identities at BJ\'S Wholesale Club', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-revamps-own-brands-identities-at-bjs-wholesale-club', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-revamps-own-brands-identities-at-bjs-wholesale-club', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2135, 1, '2015-09-15 20:00:58', '2015-09-15 20:00:58', '<strong>MOL Group has begun rolling out a scalable convenience store prototype created in close collaboration between its internal retail group and CBX. </strong>\r\nThe first 28 locations under the Fresh Corner brand opened over the course of the past three months in six countries (Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic). The initial stores range in size from 500 to 2000 square feet.\r\n\r\nCBX was tasked with creating a new retailing concept and prototype that would reflect and respect the diversity of the company’s distinct national markets. In addition, with its expansion driven by acquisitions, MOL’s network currently incorporates a number of different nameplates and footprints. Consequently, part of CBX’s assignment was to develop guidelines and criteria to help the company determine which store size and product assortment would be right for particular markets and locations.\r\n\r\nJoseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments and a veteran c-store designer, noted that product offerings in MOL’s retail facilities were heavily focused on automotive supplies and accessories. To aid the company in developing a true convenience retail assortment, CBX analyzed MOL’s sales data to determine the optimal core offering.\r\n\r\nReflecting on the overall scope of the project, Lars Höglund, SVP MOL Group Retail, commented: “MOL defined a very ambitious retail strategy for the upcoming years. To be successful with our mission, we had to reconsider all aspects of our retail fundamentals step-by-step, and CBX was a great partner and mentor on this journey.”\r\n\r\n“As a result of our intense, joint efforts,” Höglund summed up, “we now provide a relevant customer offer at all of the pilot sites, which includes an enhanced hot beverage and food-to-go program, a new convenience store concept with daily essentials, as well as a renewed car wash offer and other services. Ultimately, we intend to roll out these elements to all locations.”\r\n\r\nMOL operates a fuel retail network of more than 1,900 sites in 11 countries across central and southeastern Europe.\r\n\r\nEditors Note:\r\n\r\nCBX feature in the forthcoming PetrolWorld Magazine with a special feature article entitled “New Era Retail”. <a href=\"www.Petrolworld.net\" target=\"_blank\">www.Petrolworld.net</a>\r\n\r\nThe full story of the new Fresh Corner c-store created by CBX for MOL will appear in the forthcoming Cstore Executive Magazine online. <a href=\"www.Cstoreworld.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.Cstoreworld.com</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.petrolworld.com/europe/item/23507-hungary-fresh-start-for-mol-convenience-retail\" target=\"_blank\">Petrol World</a>.', 'Hungary: Fresh Start For MOL Convenience Retail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'hungary-fresh-start-for-mol-convenience-retail', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/hungary-fresh-start-for-mol-convenience-retail', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2136, 1, '2015-09-17 16:22:43', '2015-09-17 16:22:43', '<strong>Argentinean Company\'s Award-Winning Concept Focuses on Creating a Genuine Cafe Experience</strong>\r\nAXION energy Argentina, headquartered in Buenos Aires, is rolling out a new and distinctive convenience store design created by CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy based here. The design just took first place honors in the convenience store category in VMSD magazine\'s annual Retail Renovation Competition, published in September.\r\n\r\nCBX\'s creation of AXION\'s Spot! Café concept marked a departure from the usual c-store development process. Recognizing the strong European cultural and social influence in Argentina, CBX decided to make an authentic café experience the main focus of the shop, with the convenience retail component secondary.\r\n\r\n\"During our research, we discovered that one aspect of the European influence in Argentina is the common practice of socializing over a cup of coffee or espresso a number of times a day,\" explained Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments. \"We also found that many of the country\'s convenience stores have seating areas and people often go to them to have their cup of espresso and then go on their way, without buying any food.\"\r\n\r\nAs a result, the CBX approach changed the focus of the shop. \"We felt there was an opportunity for the client to differentiate itself by making the shop not a typical c-store selling food and coffee, but instead creating a modern, state-of-the-art café that also offers an assortment of convenience products. So, the project really became all about creating a genuine café experience.\"\r\n\r\nAXION energy is a subsidiary of Bridas Corp., which acquired the assets of Esso Petrolra Argentina, the fuel distribution and retail subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corp., in 2012. The company operates 700 fuel centers in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. In the wake of the acquisition, along with its new identity, the company created a striking, ultra-contemporary forecourt design that CBX used as part of its inspiration in designing the shop.\r\n\r\nCBX created a retail brand identity for the shop with a high-impact sense of place. Both the exterior and interior designs for Spot! Café leverage the bright, cheerful color palette of the AXION forecourt, while the floor-to-ceiling glass storefront showcases what awaits the customer inside.\r\n\r\n\"We took a number of cues from the AXION brand design,\" Bona, a veteran c-store designer, elaborated. \"In addition to the colors, we took one leg of the \"X\" logo symbol of Axion and converted it into an architectural detail that highlights the store entrance.\"\r\n\r\nIn order to establish the primacy of the café experience, the layout separates the store and café as distinct sectors. Communal tables and outdoor patio seating help reinforce a sense of community and compliment the traditional café seating, which also includes club chairs. Digital menu boards, meanwhile, not only allow easy time-of-day menu changes but also underline the high-tech modern design throughout.\r\n\r\nThe flagship prototype facility debuted in October 2014 on Avenida Del Libertador y Salguero in Buenos Aires and the company had opened 15 additional locations in Argentina by mid-August. According to the company, sales at the flagship store were up 12% in the first nine months of operation, while gross profit grew an impressive 23%.\r\n\r\n\"We had to have a specific solution for the modern convenience store shopper, and we wanted to build the best breakfast experience in town,\" says Claudio Freue, Marketing Director, AXION energy. \"The selection of products was chosen carefully, placing special emphasis on providing our shoppers with healthy options.\"\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://www.petrolplaza.com/news/industry/MiZlbiYxOTA3NCYmMSYzMCYx\" target=\"_blank\">PetrolPlaza</a>', 'Axion Energy Rolls Out C-Store Prototype Design Created by CBX', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'axion-energy-rolls-out-c-store-prototype-design-created-by-cbx', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/axion-energy-rolls-out-c-store-prototype-design-created-by-cbx', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2137, 1, '2015-09-23 15:09:49', '2015-09-23 15:09:49', 'I recall a business meeting where my team hosted 20 colleagues from Japan. At the end of the meeting, each and every one of our guests twisted the cap back onto his soda bottle and placed it in his bag. I had noticed cultural differences via greetings and meeting behaviors throughout the day. This action, however, transcended customs and geographies and I realized in that moment that appreciation for beauty and art is a universal human trait. These people “liked” this showstopper packaging design and decided to keep it. These particular bottles were the streamlined metal <a href=\"http://www.coca-colacompany.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Coke and Diet Coke bottles</a>, and would undoubtedly be put on display when they returned home.\r\nHistorically, consumers held onto packaging only if it served a functional purpose. Cigar boxes, coffee tins and <a href=\"http://www.quakeroats.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Quaker Oats</a> canisters were repurposed as storage or toys. They ended up sticking around for days, months or years as subtle reminders of the brand. Growing up, I can remember having <a href=\"http://www.folgerscoffee.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Folgers</a> cans in our basement filled with nuts and bolts. The Container Store wasn’t ubiquitous in the 80s, so my dad improvised. As a result, I will never forget those Folgers cans.\r\n\r\nFunctionality will keep an old package around. Creating something that consumers find beautiful enough to hold onto is another. There are two major benefits to showstopper packaging.\r\n\r\nThe first is impressions. Traditional advertising is on the decline, social media is on the rise and brands around the world are challenged to connect with consumers in unique and personal ways. Showstopper packaging delivers strong, personal impressions over and over again. When you pick up a pack, that’s an impression. When you eat or drink the product, that’s an impression. And when you display the pack, you get a new impression every time somebody so much as glances at it. That’s as good as advertising. I’d like to go so far as to say “free advertising,” but it’s not free. It costs money to design and produce showstopper packaging. These impressions, while small in scale, are so valuable because they reach the unreachable to manufacturers: homes and offices.\r\n\r\nThe second major benefit is creating incremental sales. With showstopper packaging, consumers may choose to buy an item just to keep, use or display and still buy a separate package to consume. Any kind of olive oil sold at Williams Sonoma is an example of this. These packages work hard to show off the beauty of the product, and as a result double as decoration. If a consumer wants to display it and consume it, he or she will need to buy two. This is a huge win for brands, and one that the post office has been pulling off for years by encouraging people to collect stamps. Showstopper packaging also reaches a subset of people who wouldn’t ordinarily buy a particular product. If a pack is notable, they may be inclined to purchase it as a gift or put it on display, resulting in even more incremental sales.\r\n\r\nThere are many benefits to packaging that consumers want to keep and all are linked to sales.\r\n\r\nFor new food and beverage brands, great packaging is needed to stand out on the shelf. So much has been done before with form, substrate and graphics. To enter the crowded vodka market, <a href=\"http://crystalheadvodka.com/en/age_check\" target=\"_blank\">Crystal Head Vodka</a> designed a glass skull. These bottles were undoubtedly designed to grab attention and give consumers something interesting to display at home. New brands can also use showstopper packaging to create the perception that their brand and product has value.\r\n\r\nFor existing brands, showstopper packaging can be used to make news and cause people to pause for a second look. Many brands take advantage of licensing partnerships, throwback designs, designer series or sports team themed seasonal packaging. A strategy like this will certainly get people to take notice, but doesn’t necessarily convey a sense of increased value that showstopper packaging does. <a href=\"http://www.millerhighlife.com/av?url=http://www.millerhighlife.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Miller High Life</a> recently commissioned a designer series, but there were very few variations and multi-pack cases did not carry the variety. Thirty of the same doesn’t say “special.”\r\n\r\nThe way to create a showstopper package for food and beverage is to create something that people want to hold in their hand and put on display. They need badge value. They need to be cool — like the metal coke bottles that my Japanese colleagues carried home with them. And even more so, like the original coke bottles: showstoppers.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/food-and-beverage/2015/09/23/showstopper-packaging-the-power-of-a-bottle/\" target=\"_blank\">Smartblogs</a>.\r\n\r\nPhoto courtesy of <a href=\"http://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/image-library/aluminum-bottles\" target=\"_blank\">Coca-Cola</a>.', 'Showstopper Packaging: the Power of a Bottle', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'showstopper-packaging-the-power-of-a-bottle', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/showstopper-packaging-the-power-of-a-bottle', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2138, 1, '2015-09-22 17:25:43', '2015-09-22 17:25:43', '<strong>Reassure consumers with a package design that conveys trustworthiness, craftsmanship, joie de vivre and simple goodness.</strong>\r\nWhatever food, beverage, over-the-counter (OTC) remedy or health and beauty care (HBC) product is in that box, bottle, can, pouch or jar, it’s going into or onto a consumer’s body. So that consumer needs to know that everything’s going to be OK with that product.\r\n\r\nIndustry experts agree, therefore: It’s important to be authentic, upfront and direct with your package design. Evoke purity and innocence. Convey vibrancy and joy. Build trust in your own brand.\r\n\r\nCompanies are embracing a more welcoming, friendly appearance on packaging to connect with consumers on a more personal level, says Deborah Ginsburg, founder and CEO of Oakton, Va.-based Strategia Design. Handmade artisanal looks with stripped-down styles, shapes, patterns and easy-to-read fonts bolster this image, Ginsburg declares.\r\n\r\nThe market-driving, influential millennial generation of young adults is drawn in by authenticity and innocence. They want products that are good to them and good to their earth.\r\n\r\n“Everyone wants to believe in something,” observes Jennifer Gaeto, creative director of Equator Design, Chicago.\r\n\r\nEco-friendliness is considered the norm to members of this generation, who seek genuine value from the things they purchase, Gaeto adds. Design that is more moody, less idealized, simple and straightforward tells a story consumers want to hear — that a product is less processed, purer and more natural.\r\n\r\nAbstract patterns, bold graphic elements, two or three colors, and monochromatic colorations are on-trend, especially for food and beverages, Gaeto declares.\r\n\r\nSimplicity and honesty are fresh, adds Maria Dubuc, director of Boston-based Marketing By Design.\r\n\r\n“This is a growing trend based on consumer reaction to overbearing and overworked brands that employ packaging filled with predictable yet disingenuous claims,” she says.\r\n\r\nClean and honest branding with minimalist graphics works better, Dubuc adds.\r\nTraceability, social responsibility and value experience are the three micro trends across the food, beverage, OTC and HBC categories that are impacting the private label industry, according to Jean-Pierre Lacroix, president of Toronto-based Shikatani Lacroix.\r\n\r\nLacroix groups these trends under the “macro health umbrella,” and says they relate mainly to baby boomers and millennials.\r\n\r\n“Boomers are entering their retirement and want to live longer and healthier. The emerging millennials’ buying power increases, and their interest [in] social responsibility, environmental issues and their own health will only get stronger with time,” Lacroix observes.\r\n\r\n<strong>Emerging trends</strong>\r\n“Delight and joy” have become prominent visual themes, says Chris Ertel, managing director of Kaleidoscope in Chicago.\r\n\r\n“We see floods of bright colors, reflecting a tone and energy associated with the brand. Taste and health credentials are confirmed through natural patterning, realistic photography, less-composed food styling and typography with personality,” Ertel says.\r\n\r\nVisually authentic style showcases the craft, quality and skill in both the product and packaging design, says Jim Lucas, principal and founder of The Evanston Consulting Group, Evanston, Ill. Some of these elements, he adds, include handwritten, raw, freeform or sketchy typography; vintage-inspired references or typography; simple hand-rendered illustrations; and natural color palettes.\r\n\r\nAnother emerging trend driven by millennials is what might be termed “in-the-moment,” Lucas adds. With high expectations and low patience, these consumers want the information they need to make a choice at the point of decision. Lucas cites Google research showing that 82 percent of smartphone users turn to their phones to influence a purchase decision while in the store.\r\n\r\nShoppers are looking for more information about the brands and the products they purchase, which is why trends such as clean labeling and transparent packaging have become popular, Lucas observes.\r\n\r\n<strong>Advancing own brands</strong>\r\nDesign strategy should be a thoughtful component to any private brand program and should have a clearly defined brand role, says Todd Maute, partner at New York-based CBX. A brand-led versus product-led approach is a step in the right direction, he adds.\r\n\r\nIn planning for the future, Maute advises: “Be yourself. Have a brand purpose and execute it in a way that is right for you and your consumers. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Design can be a powerful tool to tell a unique and differentiated story.”\r\n\r\nDesign is an under-leveraged tool, one with the power to cause a reaction, Maute declares.\r\n\r\n“Use design strategically, creatively and as a tool to express your brand and beliefs,” he advises.\r\n\r\nGaeto recommends that retailers differentiate their private brands by standing for something.\r\n\r\n“Create something people can believe in,” she says.\r\n\r\nAnd thinking of private label as a private brand instead changes just one word, yet transforms a retailer’s entire mindset, Gaeto says.\r\n\r\n“Once you go down that path, you think like a national brand will think. Know what you stand for and what your products stand for, and you will have a more compelling product,” she stresses.\r\n\r\nGinsberg advocates for long-term planning to create “visionary” brands that will inspire loyalty.\r\n\r\n“There was a time, about 15 years ago, when retailers were building their programs, and the long-term visions played a stronger role in product development, packaging quality and pricing strategy. Today, many retailers are trying to get products out faster, cheaper and easier, and they are losing a sense of detail and care that is very noticeable to their customers,” she notes.\r\n\r\nThere is a big opportunity for own brands to profit by understanding how their products add value to consumers’ lives.\r\n\r\n“Develop a system and design language to activate this promise, and then leverage a unified architecture across the categories,” Ertel says. “A confident and flexible branded system that delivers the right category cues, while reinforcing a larger retailer proposition, allows retail brands to offer consumers differentiation more nuanced than price alone.”\r\nRetailers need to constantly assess the definition of value across their consumer segments, too, and explore ways to deliver this through products and packaging, says Lacroix.\r\n\r\n“Our role as brand strategists and designers is to help our clients bridge the current and the future by creating a design roadmap that ensures we bring their customers along for the journey,” he explains.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.storebrands.info/store-brand-insights/special-features/pining-purity\" target=\"_blank\">Store Brands</a>.\r\n\r\nPhoto courtesy of <a href=\"http://fromseattletosuva.com/\" target=\"_blank\">fromseattletosuva.com</a>.', 'Pining for Purity', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'pining-for-purity', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/pining-for-purity', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2139, 1, '2015-10-01 16:28:36', '2015-10-01 16:28:36', '<strong>New Innocor Seamlessly Unifies Companies Focused on Manufacture and Sales of Innovative Foam Products, Including Mattresses, Pillows, Furniture and More</strong>\r\nCBX has created a new brand focused on the manufacture and sale of a wide variety of products primarily related to sleep and comfort. The new Innocor brand platform, which is based on the unifying theme of \"Where Innovation and Comfort Meet,\" ties together three companies acquired by global private equity firm Sun Capital Partners, Inc.\r\n\r\nIn the new identity system created by CBX, the overarching parent brand is Innocor, Inc.; the consumer-facing retail products business is called Innocor Comfort; and Innocor Foam Technologies refers to the B2B business. These brands encompass three companies acquired by Sun Capital: Flexible Foam Products, Inc., Sleep Innovations and Advanced Urethane Technologies.\r\n\r\n\"The client hired CBX to bring to life a new brand that could conceptually and aesthetically unify all three of these well-regarded companies,\" explained Gregg Lipman, CEO and Managing Partner at CBX. \"The project involved developing the new Innocor name, designing brand marks, as well as branding a showroom for Innocor products in the Flatiron district of Manhattan.\"\r\n\r\nCBX conducted an in-depth analysis of brands in the foam industry as part of the project. To unify the entities acquired by Sun Capital, the branding agency focused on four primary attributes shared by all three companies: comfort, innovation, trust and quality, Lipman explained.\r\n\r\n\"These attributes are reflected in the new Innocor brand mark,\" he said. \"The letterforms combine comforting, rounded shapes with sharper lines in a way that suggests a fine balance between innovation and comfort. Likewise, the sweeping graphic breaks softly and gently, but with a layered, forward momentum that, again, suggests this balance of comfort and innovation,\" noted Rick Barrack, Founding Partner and Chief Creative Partner.\r\n\r\nThe CBX team used color to highlight different brand attributes for each of the Innocor companies. \"For the parent entity, we used red to bring out the more confident aspect,\" Barrack said. \"For the customer-facing retail brand, we highlighted the cool colors that are common to the category. On the OEM technology side, we used teal -- a nice balance of warm and cool -- to signal innovation.\"\r\n\r\nMemory foam pillows, mattresses, mattress toppers, residential and commercial floor mats, furniture and other products branded with the Innocor Comfort name are already appearing on shelves at many of the larger sleep products retailers, Lipman noted.\r\n\r\nFinally, CBX designed how the Innocor brand would come to life in the showroom in Manhattan\'s Flatiron district. The team created a three-dimensional version of the brand mark in chrome, brushed aluminum and translucent acrylic, as well as a prominent graphic mural across a 30-foot glass wall inside the showroom.\r\n\r\n\"We changed what might otherwise have been a purely functional office into a gallery space that was inspiring and that could showcase Innocor\'s innovative product offerings,\" Barrack said. \"It was exciting to bring this brand to life in 3D.\"\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://citybizlist.com/article/303901/cbx-creates-major-new-foam-brand-for-private-equity-client\" target=\"_blank\">City Biz List</a>', 'CBX Creates Major New Foam Brand for Private Equity Client', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-creates-major-new-foam-brand-for-private-equity-client', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-creates-major-new-foam-brand-for-private-equity-client', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2140, 1, '2015-10-06 22:56:14', '2015-10-06 22:56:14', '<strong>See how the office layout and decor energized the workforce</strong>\r\nAn office redesign can be the ultimate embodiment of how a new brand can motivate and energize a company’s employees, as demonstrated by the collaboration between brand agency CBX and Del Monte to create a new name and visual identity for its pet products business.\r\n\r\nThe company’s pet portfolio included several iconic brands, including Milk-Bone, Meow Mix, Natural Balance, Kibbles ‘n Bits, 9Lives, and Nature’s Recipe. Using its proprietary naming methodology, CBX first created a new name: Big Heart Pet Brands. It then developed a new visual identity centered on a “heartpaw” logo that combines a paw print with a heart to convey the emotional bond between pets and their “parents.\"\r\n\r\nPart of the assignment involved redesigning the client’s San Francisco headquarters to incorporate the new identity. The challenge was to implement the plan over a three-day weekend, so that when employees arrived for work the following Tuesday, they would learn for the first time they were working for a new brand.\r\n\r\n“Because we had so little time, we kept things very simple and went very big with it,” explained Joseph Bona, president of branded environments for CBX. “We wanted to make a big gesture that would achieve the greatest impact.”\r\n\r\nUpon returning to work, employees were summoned to the company’s second-floor conference space, where they were greeted along the floor’s corridors with larger-than-life photos of pets, along with the new logo and the brand message: “We nurture the bond between pets and the people who love them—making every day special.”\r\n\r\nThe impact on employees was immediate and dramatic, leading to a “casting call” that allowed staffers to have their pets professionally photographed for possible use in the company’s facilities. Employees’ dogs were photographed at a nearby dog park. To accommodate those with cats, a photographer went on location to photograph the pets in their home environments.\r\n\r\nEnthusiasm for the new brand identity and environment pervaded the company—which was subsequently acquired by the J.M. Smucker Company in February 2015 for approximately $5.8 billion. Eventually, field offices and even production plants received the same kind of graphic treatment.\r\n\r\n“Our goal was to create a brand, and to capture the spirit of pet parenting,” said Bona. “And we did it in a way that really brought the brand to life and created a wonderful environment that feels very natural.”\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.interiorsandsources.com/interior-design-news/interior-design-news-detail/articleid/19477/title/redesign-motivates-employees-at-pets-product-business.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Interiors &amp; Sources Magazine</a>', 'Redesign Motivates Employees at Pets Product Business', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'redesign-motivates-employees-at-pets-product-business', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/redesign-motivates-employees-at-pets-product-business', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2141, 1, '2015-10-07 14:03:57', '2015-10-07 14:03:57', '<strong>Minneapolis craft meat brand got its start at the local farmers market but is now headed for grocery aisles across the country.</strong>\r\nMan Cave Craft Meats is moving from its tent at the Minneapolis Farmers Market to grocery stores across the country—with packaging and branding help from CBX.\r\n\r\n\"The founders of Man Cave Meats, Nick and Josh Beste, were university students when they launched their business by crafting standout flavor combinations with an obsessive focus on quality,\" said CBX Managing Partner Nancy Brown. \"As Man Cave Meats geared up to reach thousands of new customers, our job was to help the company build its brand identity and create attention-grabbing product packaging.\"\r\n\r\nIn less than a year, the brand grew from zero to more than 500 stores, with even more aggressive rollout plans for the future. \"Man Cave Meats achieved this type of growth by bringing a truly new product experience to consumers,\" said Brown, who is based in CBX\'s Minneapolis office. \"From 50/50 Bacon burgers, to sriracha chicken sausages, to buffalo-style bratwursts with bleu cheese, Man Cave Meats offers creative combinations that are unique and appeal to consumers seeking new flavor experiences.\"\r\n\r\nBefitting this creativity, Man Cave Meats\' new packaging is atypical as well. The designs feature black backgrounds, attention-grabbing typography treatments and iconic imagery in an aesthetic approach reminiscent of the world of craft beer. \"This brand is all about distinctive flavor,\" Brown said. \"We wanted to reinforce this by creating a distinctive package design system that disrupts the shelf and ultimately drives sales.\"\r\n\r\nWhile the packaging celebrates quality and conveys the Beste brothers\' love of their craft, it was not designed to appeal to everybody, Brown noted. \"People who love craft meat are a kind of tribe, and they respond to an authentic, bold and true brand personality,\" she explained. \"They don\'t do \'generic\'.\"\r\n\r\nImages of muscular males with beards and tattoos might not be appropriate for mainstream brands on the meat aisle, but such images—as well as taglines like \"Long live the butcher!\"—are right in line with the Man Cave Meats brand, said Nick Beste, CEO.\r\n\r\n\"Our core customer is an unpretentious foodie—a down-to-earth meat-eater who wants food that satisfies and stimulates,\" Beste noted. \"He believes that meat should be damn good, which is why we make our products the same way today as the day we started—in small batches, with premium cuts of meat and in creative flavor combinations.\"', 'CBX Helps Man Cave Meats Gear Up for Geographic Expansion', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-helps-man-cave-meats-gear-up-for-geographic-expansion', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-helps-man-cave-meats-gear-up-for-geographic-expansion', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2142, 1, '2015-05-22 13:51:34', '2015-05-22 13:51:34', '<strong>As consumers demand greater transparency from CPG brands, brand owners are blazing new trails with refreshingly honest and real on-pack messaging—even for ‘delicate’ products.</strong>\r\nHave you noticed that brands have been “getting real” lately? I’m talking about refreshingly honest, no-BS messaging in ad campaigns and on packaging that tells it exactly like it is. This trend is not surprising. In today’s challenging market, honesty is a surefire way to establish reliability and connect with consumers. In fact, according to an October 2014 study on authentic brandsby global public relations firm Cohn &amp; Wolfe, the number-one quality or behavior that people demand of big brands is that they communicate honestly about their products and services. With information about a brand in real time readily available, consumers are now investigative reporters, and companies can’t risk having the public discover that something about their brand is dishonest.\r\n\r\nWe’re seeing this trend transcend categories. Under Armour’s “I Will What I Want” campaign, in which Misty Copeland proves that not all prima ballerinas are stick figures, and Sir Richard’s condoms’ ads, with copy lines like, “Let’s Change Positions, Not Diapers,” are blazing new trails with their honesty and humor. Forget about “beating around the bush,” to quote Hello Flo, a brand that mails out care packages for women’s and girls’ feminine protection needs. This is straight talk, pure and simple.\r\n\r\nThe movement toward transparency means that consumers are attaching themselves to companies that operate with honesty and integrity, rather than aligning with brands that try to pull the wool over their eyes. And while this kind of transparency first gained traction in advertising, it is now carrying over to packaging design. Companies are using this frank style of language and graphics to stand out on shelf.\r\n\r\nThree recent examples of brands that are “getting real” through frankness and intelligence on their packaging are Coca-Cola Life, which touts its use of “real ingredients,” Dollar Shave Club, which uses “real talk,” and The First Years, which showcases “real people.”\r\n\r\n<strong>Real ingredients</strong>\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9413 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/coke_carton.jpg\" alt=\"coke_carton\" width=\"668\" height=\"703\" />\r\nWhen the biggest beverage company in the world starts getting honest, you’re damn straight people are going to sit up and take notice. And that’s what happened when Coca-Coca Life launched in South America in 2013 and made its U.S. debut in the fall of 2014. Coca-Cola Life, which is Coke’s “natural” answer to the outcry against processed ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and Aspartame, was created to combat the era of the soda backlash. Coke had to do something to save falling sales and maintain category relevancy.\r\n\r\nCoca-Cola Life’s packaging is the epitome of transparency, with a green color that is a dramatic departure from its iconic red and immediately conveys that it is something new and different for the brand—something natural (or should we say, more natural). An approachable script font is used for the word “Life,” and an icon that closely resembles a leaf draws your eye to the fact that this soda is “Sweetened with Cane Sugar and Stevia.”\r\n\r\nCoca-Cola Life also claims to be a “reduced calorie soda” that has “35% less calories than Coca-Cola*” (albeit with an asterisk next to that line). Whether or not the product actually is better for you than other sodas has yet to be seen, but in this case, the departure from the brand equities communicates a desire to move away from consumer expectations of the brand and offer them something more real.\r\n\r\n<strong>Real talk</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/dollar_shave.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9422 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/dollar_shave.jpg\" alt=\"dollar_shave\" width=\"900\" height=\"900\" /></a>\r\nWhile Coca-Cola Life is an example of an established brand trying to regain market share through honesty, a newer (circa 2011) brand, Dollar Shave Club, is using a no-BS messaging strategy to build its online subscription business and procure customers. The tag line sums up the brand’s mission best: “Shave Time. Shave Money.”\r\n\r\nUsing clever, tongue-in-cheek language, the brand gets right to the point: Dollar Shave Club is a simple and easy way to avoid the cost and hassles of traditional shaving brands. Who wants to engage with the drugstore attendant every time they need a new razor? The brand’s message is conveyed everywhere you look. In fact, the words “simple” and “easy” are splashed across all of the brand’s touch points. Even back-panel copy on packaging is used to “get real.” One moisturizer says it is “the ultimate fix for the disruptive exercise of shaving,” while the blade packaging features an on-brand, though fictitious quote, “I like shaving with a dull razor” and then credits it to “No one ever.”\r\n\r\nAnd when it comes to real talk, who can deny the honesty of Dollar Shave Club’s One Wipe Charlies—certainly the only product on the market dubbed “buttwipes made for men.” If the statement, “the civilized way to wipe” isn’t transparent enough for you, well then, I don’t know what is.\r\n\r\n<strong>Real people</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/First-Years_SS_1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9261 size-large\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/First-Years_SS_1-1024x648.jpg\" alt=\"First Years_SS_1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"648\" /></a>\r\nSince we’re on the topic of wipes, The First Years—a brand of infant and toddler products such as potty training seats, dishware, and health and grooming items that has been trusted by mothers since the 1950s—recently rebranded itself with younger moms in mind. Anyone who has kids can tell you that new motherhood does not consist of a picture-perfect baby being fed rice cereal while politely cooing at an immaculate table. More often it’s a pretty dirty job. And no consumer group wants to hear the plain truth about that more than Millennials.\r\n\r\nMillennials are looking for a real conversation about parenting, warts and all, with on-point information so that they can make informed choices. This isn’t the end of an era for them like previous generations felt; it’s a new beginning. The First Years gets them excited about this new phase by cutting through the baby poop and telling it like it is, as shown through the “real photography” used on the packaging.\r\n\r\nGone is the Boomer fantasy of old—with angelic babies and perfect parents blissing out in la-la land; The First Years uses casual, often funny, selfie-style photography that a parent might post on Instagram or Facebook showing all the imperfections of new parenthood. By being supportive, friendly, and above all, honest, The First Years forges a relationship with consumers that will continue as their children grow.\r\n\r\n<strong>Transparency begets loyalty</strong>\r\nThese brands are telling it like it is for one reason: Because transparency begets loyalty, plain and simple. Of course, if you are claiming to be real, you better make sure that you’re really being real.\r\n\r\nIn recent years, a few brands have learned that the hard way and watched the public turn on them as a result of their dishonesty. In 2011, a public interest group sued Coca-Cola for marketing its VitaminWater brand as a healthy beverage. But the brand’s response to that action was even more surprising: It defended itself by saying that “no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking VitaminWater was a healthy beverage.” Which led consumers to ask, “How could Coca-Cola put the word ‘vitamin’ in a product name and not think that people would assume it had some health benefits?” That the brand belittled its consumers, rather than simply apologizing, was insulting and was reason enough for consumers to question the brand.\r\n\r\nJohnson &amp; Johnson—whose legendary credo states that its “first duty is to the doctors, nurses and patients, to mothers and fathers and all others who use our products and services”—lost the trust of those individuals when it pulled 22 products, totaling 300 million bottles, off its shelves beginning in 2009. But the worst part was that Johnson &amp; Johnson didn’t even offer its consumers so much as an explanation as to why they did this. Were the products tampered with? Were there quality control problems at their factories? Zilch. Not a peep. And then one day the product returned to shelves—after J&amp;J had lost $900 million in sales. Did consumers return to shelves as well? Only time will tell.\r\n\r\nTwenty, or even 10, years ago, consumers may not have held a Johnson &amp; Johnson or a VitaminWater accountable for trying to dupe them. But today, there’s no getting around the fact that transparency is the only real way to win the trust of the people giving you their dollars. Whether you’re speaking to health-conscious soda drinkers, fashion-conscious men, or Millennial moms, there’s no question that getting real is a win-win situation for today’s brands.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/packaging-gets-real\" target=\"_blank\">Packaging World</a>.', 'Packaging Gets Real', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'packaging-gets-real', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/packaging-gets-real', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(2143, 1, '2015-07-29 14:05:38', '2015-07-29 14:05:38', '7Up, U by Kotex and Barbasol use promotional packaging this summer to help make consumers feel like they are getting something special and unique—because they are.\r\nPeople are willing to go to great lengths to attract our attention—just look at presidential candidate Donald Trump and his latest shock-worthy remarks. Brands, like people, often do the same to regain market share, increase sales and/or grow their consumer base. They come out with new product innovations. They redesign their packaging. They create new formulas—gluten-free/sugar-free/fat-free—you name it. And they employ one of the best ways for a brand to get consumers’ attention: They launch a promotional packaging campaign.\r\n\r\nPromotional packaging often features unique graphics, compelling messaging and a call-to-action that creates intrigue, promotes trial and provokes purchase. In this age where it seems like everything is readily available (and via two-day shipping nonetheless), consumers need to feel like they are getting something unique to make a purchase.\r\n\r\nBrands like Coca-Cola and M&amp;M’s understand this, and have responded accordingly with inspiring campaigns. Coke has been personalizing its cans with people’s names to delight and encourage selfie-centric consumers to buy its products. M&amp;M’s not only finds innovative ways to surprise its consumers with new products, it also presents its fun-loving candy characters in a variety of seasonal outfits and situations worthy of collecting.\r\n\r\nBecause I’m always on the lookout for provocative new promotional packaging, I recently hit the supermarket to see what novel campaigns had cropped up for summer 2015. I noticed that this year’s summer promotions use three distinctive tactics to speak to consumers:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Embrace a trend</strong>\r\n<strong>2. Develop strategic partnerships</strong>\r\n<strong>3. Get seasonal</strong>\r\n\r\nLet’s look at each tactic.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. On trend, on the dance floor</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MSP-15-06-24-15.25.05.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9420 size-large\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MSP-15-06-24-15.25.05-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"MSP 15-06-24 15.25.05\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" /></a>\r\n</strong>It’s nothing new for a brand to want to stay on trend, but it is always impressive when they are able to target an unmet demographic at the same time. That’s what 7Up is doing with its new EDM-inspired cans.\r\n\r\nRecognizing that there was a void for products that targeted Hispanic Millennials, which comprised 38% of the market, 7Up went after this segment of positive, experience-seeking young people. At the same time, 7Up also recognized that no beverage brand was capitalizing on the huge Electronic Dance Music (EDM) trend that is so popular with Millennials, and decided to take action.\r\n\r\nThe 7Up team created new promotional packaging (shown above) that is vibrant, colorful and cool—the kind of packaging that Millennials want to be seen holding in their hands. A partnership with EDM stars Martin Garrix and Tiesto led to the creation of cans that convey the energy of an all-night EDM party. These designs reflect different consumers’ distinctive style and capture the essence of this music trend.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Partnering for success</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MSP-15-07-01-13.06.31.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9417 size-large\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MSP-15-07-01-13.06.31-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"MSP 15-07-01 13.06.31\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" /></a>\r\nIn recent years, retailers have gotten savvy about how to use promotional packaging exclusive to their stores as a way to keep consumers loyal and to keep brands happy. That’s what happened when Target teamed up with U by Kotex on its Style n’ Store boxes.\r\n\r\nThis summer, after recognizing that young women value great design, U by Kotex —which revolutionized the category with its black boxes, bright colors and no BS-tone of voice—launched Style n’ Store boxes to target young women craving style and balance. The boxes are so great looking that people simply don’t want to throw them out when they are done with them.\r\n\r\nSold exclusively at Target, Style n’ Store features bright, poppy designs in a box that serves a dual-purpose. Once emptied, it is used as storage for makeup, cotton balls, bobby pins and other knick-knacks that women need to store. It’s a great product for girls headed off to overnight camp, teen tours and college, who may be needing trendy storage units. And it is consistent with the great design that Target consumers expect to find at the store.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Always in season</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Barbasol-JW-Original-and-Aloe-300-dpi.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9419 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Barbasol-JW-Original-and-Aloe-300-dpi.jpg\" alt=\"Barbasol JW Original and Aloe 300 dpi\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" /></a>\r\nPromotional packaging and seasonal tie-ins pretty much go hand-in-hand, but the real challenge is to find a fresh, eye-catching way to inspire consumers to purchase a product.\r\n\r\nMovie partnerships are the classic summer promotion and, every June, a slew of new promotional packaging comes out to coincide with the launch of the summer blockbusters. Yes, we expect Chiquita bananas to promote “Minions,” but what does a Barbasol can have to do with dinosaurs? Well, a lot, it turns out, as the hundreds of millions of people who have seen the “Jurassic Park” movies over the years know.\r\n\r\nIn the first film in that series, a Barbasol can was used to nefariously smuggle dinosaur embryos off the island. That attempt failed, however, and the can was lost in the jungle, only to be brought back 22 years later. Barbasol’s Limited Edition “Jurassic World” cans feature various illustrated dinosaurs sitting against Barbasol’s iconic striped can.\r\n\r\nBy thinking out of the box and offering an unexpected twist on the movie tie-in, Barbasol offered a fresh take on promotional packaging and created a must-have collectors’ item for both fans of the movie and fans of good design.\r\n\r\nBy using unique approaches to promotional packaging, each of these brands has inspired consumers to keep them top of mind. It’s no surprise that the 7Up, U by Kotex and Barbasol promotions have created interest and buzz amongst consumers.\r\n\r\nPromotional packaging continues to be an important part of the marketing mix, and my prediction is that it will continue to be so in years to come. Even though I’m not so good with the changing of the seasons, I can’t wait to see what fall brings in terms of promotional packaging—and to see how “The Donald” will shoot his mouth off next.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/3-tactics-provocative-packaging-promotions/page/0/2\" target=\"_blank\">Packaging Digest</a>.', '3 Tactics for Provocative Packaging Promotions', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '3-tactics-for-provocative-packaging-promotions', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/3-tactics-for-provocative-packaging-promotions', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2144, 1, '2015-10-16 18:26:26', '2015-10-16 18:26:26', 'U.S. food brand Man Cave Craft Meats is moving from its tent at the Minneapolis Farmers Market to grocery stores across the country – with packaging and branding help from CBX.\r\n“The founders of Man Cave Meats, Nick and Josh Beste, were university students when they launched their business by crafting standout flavour combinations with an obsessive focus on quality,” said CBX Managing Partner Nancy Brown. “As Man Cave Meats geared up to reach thousands of new customers, our job was to help the company build its brand identity and create attention-grabbing product packaging.”\r\n\r\nIn less than a year, the brand grew from zero to more than 500 stores, with even more aggressive rollout plans for the future. “Man Cave Meats achieved this type of growth by bringing a truly new product experience to consumers,” said Brown, who is based in CBX’s Minneapolis office. “From 50/50 Bacon burgers, to sriracha chicken sausages, to buffalo-style bratwursts with bleu cheese, Man Cave Meats offers creative combinations that are unique and appeal to consumers seeking new flavor experiences.”\r\n\r\nThe designers say Man Cave Meats’ new packaging is atypical as well. The designs adopt a ‘craft-like’ aesthetic, featuring black backgrounds, bold typography treatments and deliberately masculine imagery.\r\n\r\n“Images of muscular males with beards and tattoos might not be appropriate for mainstream brands on the meat aisle, but such images – as well as taglines like ‘Long live the butcher!’ – are right in line with the Man Cave Meats brand,” said Man Cave Meats CEO, Nick Beste.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.logo-designer.co/cbx-designs-logo-and-packaging-for-man-cave-meats/\" target=\"_blank\">Logo Designer</a>.', 'CBX Designs Logo and Packaging for Man Cave Meats', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-designs-logo-and-packaging-for-man-cave-meats', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-designs-logo-and-packaging-for-man-cave-meats', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2145, 1, '2015-10-13 18:38:32', '2015-10-13 18:38:32', 'In creating product packaging for upstart brands, one approach is to look at the ultimate goal—rising to become a top brand in the category nationally or even internationally—and to then copy the look of brands that have already reached this summit. The problem with this approach, though, is its inherent lack of authenticity. Copying others is what you do when you have low self-esteem, right?\r\nThis “knockoff play” sometimes works, of course, but it can certainly be problematic in today’s marketplace, where the need for authenticity is playing an ever-larger role and will continue to do so as Millennials and Generation Z’s take the reins. Simply put, today’s consumers are looking for authentic stories. This is precisely why so many of them are strolling through farmer’s markets every week, befriending neighborhood chefs and food truck operators, and just generally doing all they can to live by the mantra “think globally, buy locally.”\r\n\r\nIn fact, the rapid success of so many local operators is translating into growing demand for an alternate strategy to the knockoff play—namely, helping brands maintain their authenticity and potential for category disruption even as they scale up to become players on the national stage.\r\n\r\nOne example of this phenomenon is Man Cave Craft Meats. Over the past couple of years, this plucky startup moved from its tent at the Minneapolis Farmers Market to a rapid and aggressive rollout, now underway, to more than 500 grocery stores across the country.\r\n\r\nThe founders of Man Cave Meats, Nick and Josh Beste, were university students when they launched the business. These young entrepreneurs started out by selling grilling products and other male-oriented stuff at product parties held in Minneapolis homes. However, when customers began raving about the standout flavors of the meats they were serving at these events, the Beste brothers smartly decided to switch gears. Man Cave Meats was born.\r\n\r\nAs the popularity of Man Cave Meats’ food truck and farmers market tent skyrocketed, the brothers also made the smart strategic move of bringing in a national agency for expert help with their brand identity and product packaging. Unlike the typical products on grocery store shelves, after all, Man Cave Meats’ flavors were true standouts. They included 50/50 bacon burgers, sriracha chicken sausages, buffalo-style bratwursts with bleu cheese and more.\r\n\r\nUntil recently, the de-facto approach might have been for the agency to try to persuade the Beste brothers to make Man Cave Meats another Hillshire Farms or Johnsonville Brats. But given the strength of local narratives in today’s marketplace, that would have been a mistake. Would the likes of craft beer icons Founders Brewery Co. or Summit Brewing Co. have tried to imitate the packaging of Coors or Budweiser? No way. Thus it made perfect sense for this local company to take a bold, independent approach to packaging as well.\r\n\r\nMan Cave Meats’ packs feature black backgrounds, attention-grabbing typography treatments and gritty photographs of manly characters with beards, tattoos—and no apologies. This is in keeping with the original inspiration of the brand and conveys the Beste brothers’ love of their craft. However, it also happens to contribute to a packaging design system that is distinctive enough to be disruptive at shelf.\r\n\r\nAnd disruptive is the operative word: These packs were definitely not designed to appeal to everybody. A grandma who has always bought Hillshire Farms or Johnsonville meats might indeed do a double-take at Man Cave Meats’ “Long live the butcher!” slogan, or the brand’s photographs, commissioned by the agency, of a muscular, bearded, tattooed butcher staring confidently into the camera.\r\n\r\nFoodies and down-to-earth meat eaters, however, immediately understand and respond to this packaging. So, too, do curious customers who are more adventurous and eager to branch out. Maybe they are already familiar with, say, small-batch bourbon, but haven’t yet tried craft meats. Man Cave Meats gives them the opportunity to discover something new.\r\n\r\nAs agencies increasingly work with local brands that have big dreams, then, here are four principles to keep in mind:\r\n\r\n1. Be not afraid.\r\n\r\nIt can be a joy to work with local brands that are not consumed with handwringing over how to be all things to all people. If the agency responds to this with conservative naysaying—“No, you can’t do that because you’ll put people off”—authenticity will be lost in the process. So, too, could the business opportunity represented by the offbeat brand’s disruptive potential. If the brand’s founders have achieved success locally by expressing a sardonic sense of humor, using edgy models, or being high-brow and uncompromising, your job is to make this scalable, not to play “Church Lady” and shut it down.\r\n\r\n2. Emphasize quality—but tell the truth.\r\n\r\nIn today’s marketplace, consumers who seek out authentic and local brands are typically obsessed with quality as well. Today’s consumers are highly educated. They regard generalized terms like “eco-friendly” or “top quality” as dubious, to say the least. Consumers know that meaningless terms such as these are the first resort of inauthentic brands (imprecise language can get you in trouble with regulators as well, but that’s another story…).\r\n\r\nBe specific. Tell people exactly how the brand differentiates itself from a quality standpoint, and make sure the story is true. The trick, though, is to avoid clutter in the process. Provide only as much information as the consumer needs to feel informed.\r\n\r\n3. Emphasize the local angle—but be subtle.\r\n\r\nHave you ever been to an airport or tourist trap gift shop where the “local angle” was laid on so thick you wanted to head for the exit? Emphasizing a brand’s local roots requires some subtlety. A visual or textural reference here or there to the city and state of origin is fine, but avoid laying it on thick via hackneyed and obvious references to geography. “Welcome to Florida!” is not what you’re trying to say with the brand.\r\n\r\n4. Be happy with smaller market share.\r\n\r\nSounds like sacrilege doesn’t it? And it is—for some of the mass-market players. In the case of local-inspired brands, however, being disruptive and nipping at the heels of the big dogs can be a perfectly sound strategy. Apologies to people with those big foam fingers, but you don’t always have to be No.1.\r\n\r\nAcquired by Unilever in December 2014, Minneapolis-based Talenti Gelato is a case in point. This local brand made its mark by going after the likes of Ben &amp; Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs in a savvy and disruptive fashion. Taking on Breyer’s wasn’t the goal. With its plastic jars and screw-on tops, Talenti was too different to have any hopes of occupying the No.1 spot. But this and other differentiators contributed to the brand’s growth within the category. If a local brand has disruptive potential, in other words, make sure the packaging leverages this rather than neuters it.\r\n\r\nWe live in a world of paradox. One of the funny things about local brands is that their authentic stories make them popular, not only with consumers, but with the brand-acquisition departments at multinational corporations as well. General Mills snapped up Annie’s. Hershey’s bought Krave jerky. And of course, most of the seemingly independent brands at Whole Foods—Tom’s of Maine, Odwalla, you name it—are owned by huge corporations. For me, this speaks to the power of local brands and the authentic stories behind them. If these brands weren’t appealing to consumers, after all, the biggie corporations would leave them be.\r\n\r\nStrong local brands have lots to be proud of. Knocking off others is the last thing they want to do. Our job as storytellers is to help them communicate as clearly and effectively as possible. If they ultimately make millions of dollars in the process and become household names well beyond the borders of their hometowns, who are we to complain?\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/4-tips-applying-local-inspiration-scalable-brands-big-dreams\" target=\"_blank\">Packaging Digest</a>.', '4 Tips for Applying Local Inspiration to Scalable Brands with Big Dreams', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '4-tips-for-applying-local-inspiration-to-scalable-brands-with-big-dreams', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/4-tips-for-applying-local-inspiration-to-scalable-brands-with-big-dreams', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2146, 1, '2015-10-16 14:36:53', '2015-10-16 14:36:53', 'The New York chapter of the Retail Design Institute (RDI) recently hosted its annual “Iron Design” Student Challenge at Steelcase in Columbus Circle, New York. Five teams of students from top New York design schools raced against the clock to create a winning holiday pop-up shop design. Ultimately, the Best Design Award went to “Team Orange,” comprised of students from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and LIM College for incorporating DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA)’s mission into a creative pop-up store concept and window display.\r\n“Our Iron Design Student Challenge represents a perfect blend of what the Retail Design Institute is all about—education, mentoring, career development and networking,” said Peter Tolin-Baker, president of Retail Design Institute and principal at PTB Design. “All of the teams were winners, but it was ‘Team Orange’s’ schematic that best incorporated both a pop-up retail concept, as well as an informative and compelling design narrative. Partnering with DIFFA for this year’s event adds the additional value of supporting a fellow non-profit organization and an important cause.”\r\n\r\nThe students had two hours to design a holiday pop-up shop featuring products donated by industry suppliers. Each team consisted of three to four students from FIT, LIM College and Parsons School of Design.\r\n\r\nThe teams were mentored and coached by professionals from design firms and retail brands, including: Leslie Ann Chiu, associate principal at Callison; Eduardo Figueroa-Ruiz, designer at CBX; Aya Matsumoto, senior designer at TPG Architecture; Norm Roberts, vice president/creative director of FRCH; Kate Russell, senior associate at Gensler; Adam Carmichael, director of store design at Saks Fifth Avenue; Stephanie Dobrosky, manager of international store design of Nine West Group; Megan Gundrum, director of store planning at Hudson’s Bay/Lord &amp; Taylor; Stephen Policano, vice president architectural and interior design at Kenneth Cole; and Niki Varadi, senior director of global store design at Kate Spade.\r\n\r\nThe student’s designs were judged on their overall concept for a shop and integration of messaging around HIV/AIDS. In addition to Baker, judges were Michael Sainato, vice president of creative at Design Within Reach; Johanna Osburn, executive director of DIFFA; Brian Guze, 2014 Iron Design winner and director of store design/visual at Tourneau; and Ana Pelucarte, co-founder of Pop Up Mob.\r\n\r\nTeam Orange’s winning design will be displayed in the Siegel &amp; Stockman Showroom located at 126 W. 25 St. in New York. There will be a private Opening Night Reception on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, from 6 p.m.-9 p.m.; and the holiday pop-up shop will be open to the public from Dec. 2-6, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. All shop sales will benefit Gift For Life and DIFFA, an organization that provides grants to HIV/AIDS organizations across the country.\r\n\r\nFor additional information, visit <a href=\"retaildesigninstitute.org\" target=\"_blank\">retaildesigninstitute.org</a>, <a href=\"diffa.org\" target=\"_blank\">diffa.org</a> or <a href=\"giftforlife.org\" target=\"_blank\">giftforlife.org</a>.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.designretailonline.com/displayanddesignideas/industry-news/RDI-Announces-Winning-Student-Design-at-Annual-Iron-Design-Challenge-14164.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">design:retail</a>.\r\nAlso seen in <a href=\"http://www.giftshopmag.com/press_release/2015/10/retail-design-institute-of-n-y-announces-winning-student-design-at-annual-iron-design-challenge/\" target=\"_blank\">Giftshop Magazine</a>.\r\n\r\nPhoto courtesy of <a href=\"https://www.retaildesigninstitute.org/chapter/7/events/569\" target=\"_blank\">RDI</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'RDI Announces Winning Student Design at Annual Iron Design Challenge', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'rdi-announces-winning-student-design-at-annual-iron-design-challenge', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/rdi-announces-winning-student-design-at-annual-iron-design-challenge', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2147, 1, '2015-11-02 22:51:20', '2015-11-02 22:51:20', 'The terminology we use in daily life can have a subliminal effect on the way we look at things, from advertising to packaging. Why? Because terminology shapes our thinking, and our thinking shapes our actions. As a case in point, contemplate the usual connotations around the word “private.” Typically, it’s a term that connotes something special and elevated: If you work for a top private equity firm, you’re a big shot. If your kids go to a private school, and your family belongs to a private country club, those are good things, too, right?\r\nAnd yet when it comes to use of the term “private label,” it is hard not to notice an undercurrent of discomfort in certain quarters. This is understandable: Consciously or unconsciously, many people still link private label with cheap knockoffs. In all likelihood, this is why so many retail executives bend over backward to use an alternate term like “own brands.”\r\n\r\nThis ambivalence around terminology might actually be a wise, almost instinctive, understanding that older approaches to private label are now thoroughly outmoded. The oldest approach literally was brand-less: In the 1970s, a generic bag of potato chips on U.S. grocery shelves offered little more than the words “One Pound, Potato Chips.” There was no imagery, no color. You could easily imagine this type of packaging on store shelves in Khrushchev-era Russia.\r\n\r\nBut what came next — knockoff-style packaging in which you tried to pull off an empty imitation of an established national brand — should also stir some discomfort. Sadly, many packaging design agencies continue to reflexively employ this intermediate step in the development of private label brands. It’s a bid to stake out the value proposition, nothing more.\r\n\r\nWhile the alternate term “own brand” is certainly a bit awkward — it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue — in the best-case scenarios it reflects a shift in understanding. The retailer is saying, “Hey, let’s own this thing. Let’s invest in this brand, redefine the category norm and increase perceived value.” Instead of knocking off Lay’s Potato Chips, for instance, Safeway created Spud Naked Kettle-Cooked Classic Potato Chips. The look and feel of the package was Safeway’s own. A brand came to life.\r\n\r\nUltimately, of course, it’s fine to use whatever terminology you like. The key, as I see it, is to pay attention to how language affects the way you think about and approach package design and branding.\r\n\r\nThe good private equity firms of the world, for example, are likely to talk about the private label brands they acquire as assets worth investing in. When retailers can be persuaded to think of private label brands in the same way, they are much more likely to make solid, brand-building moves. The story of New York City pharmacy chain Duane Reade helps illustrate the potential upside of an investment-oriented approach. Private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners sank millions of dollars into Duane Reade after acquiring the chain and eventually launched a major redesign of the customer experience inside the retailer’s New York City stores. The effort entailed new store designs with wider aisles and more appealing décor and signage; shopper-friendly changes to the pharmacy; the introduction of store-within-store beauty; the launch of a host of high-quality private label brands such as DR Delish, Prevail and the DR brand; and the creation of growler, frozen yogurt and sushi counters. The packaging here was all about redefining the retailer and being a leader, not a follower. The lesson? It’s necessary to invest in order to get a return on investment.\r\n\r\nIn this example, private label brands were seen as an asset to build, rather than something to marginally improve and offer as a national brand alternative. And as further evidence of the power of those brands, Walgreen Co. (which acquired Duane Reade in 2010) CEO Gregory Wasson said, “Duane Reade’s recent initiatives in urban retailing, customer loyalty and private brand products support and accelerate Walgreens’ strategy to enhance the customer experience in our network of more than 7,100 stores across the country.” With more stories like this, pejorative connotations around the private label term will fade into a distant memory.\r\n\r\nAnd in fact, there are many reasons to be both proud of private label’s evolution and optimistic about its future. For starters, the United States is currently in the middle of a major consumer shift toward Millennials, who see no shame whatsoever in snapping up private label brands. Millennials represent a huge and increasingly important target market. Their openness is like a blank canvass. Retailers have every reason to take advantage of this trend — now!\r\n\r\nChanging shopping patterns also bode well for private label brands. Historically, private label sales would improve when times were bad and fall when times were good. But in recent years, the trend has been for private label not to merely ride the economic wave but stay level even as the economy rebounds (Arguably, there was a missed growth opportunity here, but that’s another story …). Millions of people are now in the habit of buying private label products. Let’s give them more of what they’re looking for and want.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, our increasingly foodie-oriented culture happens to play right into private label’s strengths — so long as retailers seize the opportunity. Food is hot, and retailers should capitalize on general human interest when they can. With its cornucopia of private label brands, Trader Joe’s has smartly capitalized on the shift toward all things foodie. Now Whole Foods is doing the same with its smaller-format, private label-focused Whole Foods 365 stores, which will offer high-quality products while banking on the 365’s brand’s well-known value proposition. Capture this captive audience!\r\n\r\nLastly, private brands represent a medium of mass communication, with a targeted reach that can be as impressive, if not more so, than any TV program, blog or billboard. Media is all about consumer impressions. Along the same lines, every private label purchase carries with it distinct consumer impressions: When the consumer sees the product on the shelf, when the shopper buys the product and, finally, when the person actually consumes or uses the item.\r\n\r\nIf you sell 50 million units of a particular private label product in a given year, this will translate into a whopping 150 million consumer impressions. That’s more powerful than a Super Bowl ad. These impressions can powerfully shape customer loyalty and build the brand in ways that many retailers have yet to fully explore. Treat private label like a marketing tool — it will provide great returns.\r\n\r\nBy shedding the old connotations and embracing brand-led private label strategies, retailers can tell more compelling stories to a wide range of people. In this approach, every part of the process — the packaging, merchandising, product type (organic, natural, premium, etc.) — is seen as an opportunity to create a favorable impression with target consumers. Chains such as Safeway, Trader Joe’s and Kroger understand these dynamics. They have been using private label to connect with core consumers and new consumers alike and, with the benefit of higher profit margin in a variety of categories, to also build stronger loyalty to their stores. So powerful are these impressions that private label stalwart Trader Joe’s doesn’t even bother with traditional media. Its customer newsletter, The Fearless Flyer, isn’t the company’s primary ad vehicle. That role is played by the private label brands in its stores.\r\n\r\nIf you ask me, all of this speaks in favor of the true value of private label as a worthwhile marketing tool. Indeed, research shows that higher private label brand penetration also equates to higher store loyalty.\r\n\r\nLet’s be proud of the term, treat it better, and continually refine our strategic thinking around it.\r\n\r\nOriginally posted in <a href=\"http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/85184-when-did-private-become-a-dirty-word\" target=\"_blank\">Brand Packaging</a>.\r\nPhoto courtesy of Brand Packaging.', 'When Did \'Private\' Become a Dirty Word?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'when-did-private-become-a-dirty-word', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/when-did-private-become-a-dirty-word', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2148, 1, '2015-10-01 14:39:30', '2015-10-01 14:39:30', '<strong>When it comes to premium own-brand packaging, retailers should leverage current trends to create a unique consumer experience.</strong>\r\nWhether they feature high-end ingredients, a one-of-a-kind recipe or an exotic country of origin, premium foods and beverages are perceived as being a step above common grocery fare. But if the specialness of the packaging falls short of the specialness of the product, the premium message won’t get through to consumers.\r\n\r\nOne way retailers could communicate the specialness of premium own-brand products via packaging is by tying into some current premium packaging trends.\r\n\r\n“We see premium as more of a mindset than anything: Consumers reconcile the cost implications with a perceived value for that spend,” says Chris Ertel, managing director for Kaleidoscope, a brand consultancy with offices in Chicago and New York. “Because of this, we see several high-level trends that influence consumer choice for premium: ceremony, story and authenticity.”\r\n\r\nWithin the ceremony trend, Ertel points to trends in structural design that are driven by “the rise of ‘unboxing’ and packaging as badge value.” For instance, the Boxed Water brand was able to create a high badge value by communicating its “entire proposition” via its structure and brand name.\r\n\r\n“Consumers will pay a premium for packaging that provides secondary functionality, is beautiful to look at and [delivers] a layered experience from purchase to open to consumption and beyond,” he stresses.\r\nAs for storytelling, retailers could talk about origin, ingredients, the brand itself or other compelling details. Design cues for storytelling, Ertel says, include hand-crafted details, slight imperfections, real people and more.\r\n\r\n“Man Cave [Craft] Meats is an example of a brand disrupting a commodity category through the story behind the product more so than the story of the product,” he says. “A retailer that can create a conversation, either through process, product or purpose, will be able to separate the taste/functional benefits of the surrounding competitive set.”\r\n\r\nPaul Stallard, strategy director for UK-based Storm Brand Design, agrees that storytelling is a major trend for premium product packaging. Consumers who gravitate toward premium brands want to know what the product is, where it’s from and how it’s made.\r\n\r\n“When we recently developed a new brand for the five-times distilled premium vodka Brittains, we were inspired by the history of the stately home it originated from and the former owner’s penchant for flamingos,” he notes. “This led to a brand story combining authoritative heritage with Alice in Wonderland style eccentricity to deliver the brand message of ‘an extraordinary spirit’ — and a pack dominated by a beautifully crafted flamingo.”\r\n\r\nAnd storytelling that romances a premium private brand product’s uniqueness could help retailers clearly separate that product from its national-brand-equivalent cousins, suggests Todd Maute, partner with New York-based branding agency CBX.\r\n\r\n“When consumers explore trading up, they want to feel like they are getting a much better product and will also have an indulgent experience with the product and brand,” he adds.\r\n\r\nAuthentic product stories could help retailers connect with millennials, too, says Jean-Pierre Lacroix, president of Shikatani Lacroix Design Inc., Toronto. Today’s millennials are seeking brands that not only mesh with their lifestyles and social needs, but also give them a platform for story-sharing within their social communities.\r\n\r\n“They are looking for brands that are truly authentic and transparent, with product stories, features and ingredients that are both good for them and the environment,” he says.\r\n\r\nLike Lacroix suggests, authenticity is linked closely to storytelling.\r\n\r\n“The story has to be rooted in what is true about the product or brand,” Ertel points out.\r\nRetailers have many opportunities here — from communicating a product’s locally grown status to detailing the simplicity of the process used to create a certain item, he adds.\r\n\r\nSpeaking of simplicity, Stallard says retailers could let the product “speak for itself” via understated packaging that evokes “artisan simplicity” and a real commitment to product quality.\r\nPublix Super Markets uses the back of the package to engage in storytelling related to its Publix Green-Wise crackers.\r\n\r\n<strong>The experience counts</strong>\r\nAnd all of these trends could be considered to be part of one overarching trend: delivering an experience to the consumers.\r\n\r\n“Increasingly, premium branding is about delivering an experience that goes beyond the product itself,” Stallard explains. “The emergence of flagship stores delivering an involving, immersive experience around the product is testimony to this,” he adds, pointing to the Magnum (ice cream) Pleasure Store in London as an example.\r\nRetailers could win on the premium side by ensuring that premium own-brand packaging delivers an experience that extends beyond the store, he says.\r\n\r\nMaute points to Ahold USA’s Simply Enjoy and Walgreens’ Good &amp; Delish as brand names that are all about consumers’ experience with the product. Simply Enjoy communicates that experience through bright colors; large, clear product descriptors; and simple, clean imagery. Good &amp; Delish, meanwhile, “romances the experience,” conveying the product origin or experience through clever imagery.\r\n\r\n<strong>Handle with care</strong>\r\nJust as important as being on-trend when it comes to premium packaging design is avoiding some common missteps. One potential blunder is falling back on overused “premium” colors such as black and gold and premium descriptors such as “signature,” “premium,” “select” and similar terms, Maute suggests.\r\n\r\n“I don’t think retailers have invested enough in breaking away from the ‘traditional’ premium brand image,” he asserts. “President’s Choice from Loblaws pioneered the tier — leveraged black and beautiful imagery to separate the brand from No Name; this is still widely used today,” he says. “With the multitude of new and unique product offers available, it is truly an opportunity to step away from the obvious premium cues and do something different to communicate the product’s point of difference.”\r\n\r\nStallard notes that UK retailer Tesco recently relaunched its Tesco finest range, moving from a simple black and silver design across all categories to category-relevant styles and identities. He calls the change “a distinct shift from universality to eclecticism.”\r\n\r\nHe says retailers have an opportunity to do something similar, but in their own way.\r\n“This requires thinking about the brand holistically and considering everything from the structure to the story and the experience of interacting with the brand — being distinctive and even disruptive to better meet consumer needs in the category,” Stallard says.\r\n\r\nAnother potential misstep is not capitalizing on the “foodie” trend in brand and packaging development here, Maute says. Instead of taking a product-led approach to brand development, retailers should consider appealing to consumers’ emotional side.\r\n\r\n“Study food culture and try to understand why consumers love unique foods so much,” he advises. “This [is] about the experience consumers will have with a unique and differentiated product experience versus stating ‘extra chocolate chips.’ Create a brand that consumers can emotionally connect with, one that relates to their desires.”\r\n\r\nRetailers should avoid the “more is more trap ” too in both product and packaging development Ertel says This baby boomer mindset doesn’t work to drive purchase like it did in the past. Instead, retailers should consider the job of the packaging structure and design.\r\n\r\n“If it is to delight or engage, then that is the brief,” he says. “Premium products, by nature, tend not to be staple items people need, but rather feelgood purchases people want.”\r\n\r\nAnd retailers that cloud their on-pack message with pragmatic benefits and reassurance about the product are “speaking the wrong language” to consumers who are looking for an emotionally driven reason to pay for a premium product, Stallard says. Instead of explaining to consumers why the product is worth more money, he advises retailers to “think about what drives irrational engagement.” They should identify relevant visual cues such as “delight,” “energy” and “respite” associated with the consumer “want state” and transfer those visual clues onto the packaging itself.\r\n\r\nBut perhaps the greatest mistake is ignoring the high-margin own-brand premium space altogether — something Lacroix suggests some retailers continue to do “as they rush to the bottom of the customer value pyramid.” Or they price such offerings below national brands.\r\n\r\n“Retailers need to seek premium brands that are rooted in unique value-added stories that talk to the emotional lifestyle needs of their customers who are willing to pay more if given an authentic reason why,” he says. “Jump in — the water is warm, and your customers want to discover new offerings that give them bragging rights,” he advises retailers.\r\n\r\nMaute adds that retailers can’t be afraid to step out of their comfort zone to create something truly unique.\r\n“Go for consumers’ heartstrings versus their ingredient intellect,” he stresses. “Think about it — the whole point of a premium program is to tell consumers you have great food and unique products. … If you do the same thing that everyone else does, it will go unnoticed. Be different.”\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.storebrands.info/research-and-data/category-intelligence/packaging/get-ready-wow-them\" target=\"_blank\">Store Brands</a>', 'Get Ready to Wow Them', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'get-ready-to-wow-them', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/get-ready-to-wow-them', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(2149, 1, '2015-11-29 19:26:33', '2015-11-29 19:26:33', '<strong>To create holiday packaging that will enchant consumers, you need to move beyond seasonal clichés and embrace quality design that brings a bit of the unexpected.</strong>\r\nWith the holidays upon us, celebrations beginning, and an influx of plastic Santas on rooftops, I can’t help but pine for more sophisticated creative this season. It goes without saying that much of the holiday packaging we see is, let’s face it, pretty tacky. It’s as if someone said, “Just slap a reindeer, Santa, or snowflake on the package and call it a day. Oh, and make sure it’s gaudy!” I believe that brands that use cheap tactics are underestimating the public’s ability—and desire—to embrace quality design. Let’s look at some great examples that haven’t used tacky gimmicks to convey “holiday.”\r\n\r\n<strong>Tissue boxes conjure classic holiday settings</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/kleenex-christmas-designs_497x295.png\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9507 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/kleenex-christmas-designs_497x295.png\" alt=\"kleenex-christmas-designs_497x295\" width=\"497\" height=\"295\" /></a>\r\nThere’s corny Christmas humor—ugly sweater contest anyone?—and then there’s keen Christmas wit. Kleenex opted for the latter when it launched its <a href=\"http://www.kimberly-clark.com.au/en/news/2013/newsbox/kleenex-launches-festive-new-designs?utm_medium=Print&amp;utm_source=pwgoto\" target=\"_blank\">limited-edition tissue box holiday collection in 2013</a>. Festive enough to leave out on the mantel alongside your stockings for those emotional holiday moments, the holiday tissue boxes were made to resemble quintessential settings like a gingerbread house and garland-draped fireplace. Best of all, the structure of the box was made to look like a roof, with the Kleenex logo at the top. These were tissues you wanted to show off around the house, rather than hide under the Christmas tree.\r\n\r\n<strong>Socks in a jar reflect handcrafted heritage</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/levis_project048_tp31.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9508 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/levis_project048_tp31.jpg\" alt=\"levis_project048_tp31\" width=\"695\" height=\"382\" /></a>\r\n\'Tis the season for cozy socks, as Levi’s knows better than anyone. To its credit, the brand figured out a way to make this classy holiday product more than just a stocking stuffer when it introduced Mr. Strauss’ Rediscovered Long Socks just in time for the 2014 holiday season. The socks are modeled after those worn by the founder of the brand, and claim to be “woven on a traditional 48 needle machine just as it would have been in 1853.” Packaged in a glass jar, with a handmade-style label printed on weathered, antique-style paper, there’s a homegrown feel to the packaging that supports Levi’s handcrafted heritage. As far as the connection to holiday, well, these cozy socks tell the whole story—imagine wearing those red, woolen socks while sitting in front of the fireplace sipping a hot toddy. What’s more holiday than that?\r\n\r\n<strong>Festive champagne bottle graphics get the party started</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/le-set-sq-crop.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9509 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/le-set-sq-crop.jpg\" alt=\"le-set-sq-crop\" width=\"750\" height=\"750\" /></a>\r\nSpeaking of color, winery Chandon made big news in the libations world in 2014 when it introduced its white-and-gold Limited Edition Party Bottle. No red and green pairings here; Chandon had the confidence to wrap its bottle in all white—reminiscent of a white Christmas—and use a festive gold script that implies celebration and makes the brand really pop (pun intended). Various playful copy lines convey the festivity of the season. The nicely designed, themed bottles make a great holiday gift, and a bottle worth bringing to any party.\r\n\r\n<strong>Clever copy alludes to season’s treats</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/butlers-pantry.jpeg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9510 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/butlers-pantry.jpeg\" alt=\"butlers pantry\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" /></a></strong>\r\nFor its line of holiday food products, Irish brand Butler’s Pantry veered away from conventional holiday clichés, and piqued their consumers’ curiosity. A neutral background pattern, made up of mini-snowflakes that hint at the season without overtly referencing it, sets the stage for the festive quotes. Copy such as “You’ve Got Beautiful Mince Pies” and “Delicious Piece of Hand Made Heaven Inside” cleverly alludes to the deliciousness that awaits.\r\n\r\n<strong>Beer gets gift-wrapped, including a bow</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/12_5_11_stella1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9506 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/12_5_11_stella1.jpg\" alt=\"12_5_11_stella1\" width=\"700\" height=\"350\" /></a></strong>\r\nIt’s no surprise that Stella Artois—a brand that was actually named for the Christmas star—really embraces the holiday season. Each year, Stella Artois turns out packaging that, while not quite revolutionary, is as understated as it is clever. A few years ago, <a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2011/12/6/stella-artois-limited-edition-holiday-packaging.html?utm_medium=Print&amp;utm_source=pwgoto\" target=\"_blank\">a festive box was introduced</a> leveraging Stella’s most significant brand assets, the star and the crimson color, staged in a repetitive pattern made to look like gift-wrap. The design covered cases of beer and was tied up with a bow. The perfect gift for any beer drinker on your holiday list—no wrapping required.\r\n\r\n<strong>Coffee-pack characters celebrate holiday moments</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/12_04_12_-holidaySB_5.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9511 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/12_04_12_-holidaySB_5.jpg\" alt=\"12_04_12_ holidaySB_5\" width=\"700\" height=\"553\" /></a></strong>\r\nIn 2012, Starbucks’ spirited holiday packaging portrayed an unexpected approach to the holiday season. Instead of the usual chubby Santa and happy snowmen, Starbucks opted to illustrate holiday moments with such characters as a Christmas caroler and an ice dancer, which were applied to each of its holiday blends and coffee to-go cups. It made every cup of coffee bring a smile to my face that season.\r\n\r\n<strong>Faceted glass vodka bottle helps holidays shine brighter</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/RTEmagicC_B_AB007_06.jpg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-9512 size-full\" src=\"http://cbx-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/RTEmagicC_B_AB007_06.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"RTEmagicC_B_AB007_06.jpg\" width=\"271\" height=\"600\" /></a></strong>\r\nLeave it to Absolut to create the best holiday bottle ever! Reminiscent of a sparkling diamond, the limited edition 2010 Absolut Glimmer bottle made for a shimmering Christmas gift and bar accessory you’d be proud to display at your holiday party. As opposed to other recent holiday bottles such as Absolut Bling Bling, Absolut Disco, and Absolut Rock Edition, Absolut Glimmer marks the first time that the bottle structure was altered, rather than just the graphics. The perfect excuse to shine a little brighter for the holiday.\r\n\r\nAs all of the examples here prove, beautiful design is indeed always in season. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:\r\n\r\n- Build on your heritage.\r\n- Look for the unexpected.\r\n- Pique your consumer’s curiosity.\r\n- Deliver an engaging experience.\r\n- Emphasize the craft.\r\n\r\nSo this year I urge you to go beyond the expected clichés of plastic Santas, Rudolphs, and Frostys. Instead, embrace holiday cheer with concepts that engage, entice and remind everyone to be joyful. After all, that’s what this time of year is all about.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/promotional-package/toss-tacky-and-other-strategies-inspiring-holiday-packaging\" target=\"_blank\">Packaging World</a>.\r\nPhotos courtesy of <a href=\"http://www.kimberly-clark.com.au/en/news/2013/newsbox/kleenex-launches-festive-new-designs/\" target=\"_blank\">Kimberly-Clark</a>, <a href=\"http://www.mailmovement.com/levis-puts-on-sale-mr-strausss-socks/\" target=\"_blank\">Mail Movement</a>, <a href=\"http://chandonusa.tumblr.com/payton-turner-flat-vernacular\" target=\"_blank\">Chandon</a>, <a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2014/12/5/the-butlers-pantry\" target=\"_blank\">The Dieline</a> 1, <a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2011/12/6/stella-artois-limited-edition-holiday-packaging.html?utm_medium=Print&amp;utm_source=pwgoto\" target=\"_blank\">The Dieline</a> 2, <a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2012/12/10/starbucks-holiday-2012.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Dieline</a> 3, and <a href=\"http://www.ricard.fr/en/brands/_absolut-glimmer-dazzling-purity\" target=\"_blank\">Societ Ricard</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'Toss the Tacky, and Other Strategies For Inspiring Holiday Packaging', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'toss-the-tacky-and-other-strategies-for-inspiring-holiday-packaging', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/toss-the-tacky-and-other-strategies-for-inspiring-holiday-packaging', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2150, 1, '2015-12-02 21:57:56', '2015-12-02 21:57:56', '<strong>Experts prescribe remedies for ailing beauty sales in languishing chains.</strong>\r\nFor many shoppers, the average mass-market beauty department is one big yawn. Retailers have elevated the assortment, but clunky, overstocked displays make finding many products difficult. Shoppers know just what to expect when they walk into their local chain store, and that’s the problem, said retail experts polled by WWD. The sameness across retail nameplates is prompting consumers to look elsewhere for beauty. For the first time in years, department and specialty store beauty sales are growing faster than mass.\r\n\r\nAccording to data from IRI for the 52-week period ended Sept. 6, in multiunit stores, most beauty category sales expanded an average of 4.5 percent over the year prior. While that shows some improvement over 2 percent inclines in the first half of 2015, it is below the 7 percent increase in prestige recently reported by The NPD Group.\r\n\r\nThat’s a tough reality given beauty products produce the second largest portion of sales in drugstores behind pharmacy, and the category ranks within the top five departments at discount stores. Consumers are looking for change.\r\n\r\nFor years, chain stores have presented beauty in much the same way, with cosmetics brands lining one wall, and skin- and hair-care and bath products filling rows and rows of shelving. They are only occasionally interrupted by photos or graphics.\r\n\r\n“Build me my magic box,” that’s what consumers are clamoring for, according to in-depth consumer research just completed by WSL Strategic Retail. “We’ve spent the last 10 years worrying about logistics or the implication of digital. But the reality is, 90 percent of sales are still in a store. People think about digital as a black box, they think about stores as a place to exercise and mingle with people,” said Wendy Liebmann, the founder and chief executive officer of WSL. “We’ve left the box to itself and shoppers are calling for change.”\r\n\r\nThat’s the clarion call. But a mind shift could be a challenge. “It’s tough for mass [merchants] to change up the way products are merchandised,” said Ben Bennett, cofounder and chief creative officer at Hatchbeauty. “Success is measured by dollar per square foot with products packed in rows in the aisles.”\r\n\r\nBennett, along with several other creative thinkers, suggested retailers station beauty at the center of the store, and have products build out from there.\r\n\r\nThe aisles and aisles of products, most of which are hidden behind bulky outer cartons, make beauty shopping more of a chore, said Jeanine Recckio, beauty futurologist of Mirror Mirror Imagination Group. “We expect the consumer to do all the work. We’re making shopping too hard and not fun to do….Retailers are so stuck on the numbers that they’ve forgotten the experience.”\r\n\r\nAt the root of the problem is the enormous volume of inventory housed within the beauty department. “The model is built for visual impact,” said Joe Magnacca, a former drugstore executive who most recently was ceo of RadioShack Corp. “It’s excessive from an inventory point of view, with 80 percent of the sales coming from 20 percent of the stockkeeping units,” said Magnacca, who is credited with sweeping improvements during his time at Duane Reade and Walgreens.\r\n\r\nJoe Bona, president of branded environments at CBX, a branding agency, agreed beauty needs an overhaul. “Mass-market retail has always been about ‘stack it high and keep the prices low,’ but beauty is bigger than that,” he said. “People go out of their way to shop at, say, Nordstrom or Sephora because these are sumptuous environments with elevated levels of service. These are places where women can relax and take care of themselves.” Bona envisions an oasislike approach where retailers jettison prosaic beauty aisles for more theatrical space. “You want women to cross the threshold, smell pleasant fragrances, hear soothing music, see softer lighting, and just relax. You want them to go ‘Wow. This is like a spa.’”\r\n\r\nVictoria Buchanan, a visual trends researcher at The Future Laboratory, said there is simply too much stuff for shoppers to peruse. In her view, rethinking the beauty department hinges on the idea of curation.\r\n\r\nDylan Lauren, founder and ceo of Dylan’s Candy Bar, also called for an edited approach, and a more inviting environment. Recalling the idea behind Dylan’s Candy Bar, she said, “I wanted my customers to experience candy differently. Our mission was to awaken the inner child.” Mass merchants could do the same with beauty with a leaner assortment, enticing packaging, better lighting and digital images, she said.\r\n\r\nEnticing the Millennial consumer is a must for the mass business to turn around. Not only are Millennials quickly becoming the biggest demographic group, they have a halo effect on other age segments, especially Baby Boomers who bristle when pegged as old and stodgy. “Millennials are drawn to experiences that involve their peers and friend endorsement. They want instant feedback on what they purchase and approval by their social followings. Playing to those elements is key for discount beauty retailers to draw in this audience,” said Amy Levin, founder of College Fashionista, a Web site popular with Millennials. She said current product displays cheapen the experience. Her advice: merchandise by occasion, such as brunch or a night out. Monetary rewards for those who spread the good word on a retailer can also sweeten sales.\r\n\r\nAnother hurdle to sales is that shoppers generally cannot try a product first. Betsy Olum, cofounder of Beauty Innovation Group, suggested offering samples of key launches, noting that most shoppers want to see, smell and touch a product before buying. “One of the most important things about beauty is being able to explore and play with the products,” said Olum, whose experience includes posts at Sephora and HSN.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"https://pmcwwd.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/wwd1202web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">WWD</a>.', 'Dreaming Up An Ideal Store', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'dreaming-up-an-ideal-store', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/dreaming-up-an-ideal-store', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2151, 1, '2015-12-08 20:21:06', '2015-12-08 20:21:06', '<strong>Why Victoria’s Secret is still thriving in America’s malls</strong>\r\nTo wring all that I could out of said store experience, I arranged to walk through the brand\'s Fifth Avenue flagship store with Anthony Deen, the creative director of branded environments for CBX, an agency that\'s worked with everyone from Duane Reade to Saks Off Fifth to M&amp;M\'s. On the walk over to the store, he admits he has always been skeptical of how Victoria\'s Secret panders to the male gaze while selling to a customer base of millions of women.\r\n\r\n\"Obviously, there\'s an aspect of the Angels that is just totally geared toward this male audience,\" he tells me. \"And I always saw that as somewhat cynical. But in going into the stores, you realize that there\'s actually something more to it, which is this proximity to beauty, and wanting women to associate beauty with this product, so that they feel beautiful when they purchase it and wear it.\"\r\n\r\nAs soon as we step into the store, he starts to point out the store\'s signature touches, like the framed pictures of Angels hanging from the walls, which feed into this idea of beauty proximity. \"This is like a rich person\'s private dressing room,\" he says, pointing out the faux dresser drawers doubling as wall decor. Tables and chaise lounges feature bras laid out on their cushions instead of on hangers on a rack; a range of sizes and styles are tucked into actual drawers under the tables so shoppers can help themselves to what they want. \"In the back of your head, you know that\'s what\'s going on, but you don\'t necessarily put it together to say, ‘Oh yeah, this is my closet.\'\"\r\n\r\n\"You realize that there\'s actually something more to it, which is this proximity to beauty, and wanting women to associate beauty with this product.\"\r\n\r\nThe store\'s sexier rooms, outfitted with black wallpaper and low lighting, are usually the first ones you walk into, while the milder ones featuring more everyday bras are set towards the back of the store. \"It says, ‘This is for women,\'\" Deen explains as we venture into a girly pink room. \"And it says, ‘Guys, you\'re not allowed back here.\'\"\r\n\r\nSalespeople greet us at the front of the store and hover in every room but don\'t approach us, which Deen counts as a plus. \"They\'re not overly solicitous,\" he says. \"People like to shop. If you get in their way, you inhibit them from actually exploring.\"\r\n\r\nCustomer service is indeed a big part of how Victoria\'s Secret differentiates itself from competitors, and Wexner laid out plans to invest more heavily in sales staff at the company\'s annual investor update meeting, saying that he wanted to pay \"fewer, better people\" up to $20 an hour in the stores.\r\n\r\n\"I\'m imagining in a couple of years virtually every sales associate is looking forward to a career in retailing,\" he explained. \"And 10 or 20 percent of them will be store managers somewhere in the world in a year. They can literally go from $40,000 to more than $100,000 a year in compensation and we can really teach and train and retain them.\" However, the brand only just got rid of on-call scheduling, where employees were forced to stay available for possible work shifts without pay or guarantee that they\'d be actually needed earlier this year.\r\n\r\nI visited stores in New York City; Pittsburgh; Amherst, Massachusetts; and Buffalo, New York over the past month to test out one of the brand\'s lauded features, the in-store bra fitting, and had no trouble finding sales staff eager to help at each store. The actual fitting wasn\'t always a seamless process, though — sometimes it took 10 minutes, sometimes it took 30 — and I left each store with a pink card proclaiming different results every time. In New York\'s Herald Square, I was confidently measured at a 32B, while in Amherst, I was surely a 34B. In Pittsburgh, I was a 34A, but in Buffalo, the bra specialist declared me a 36A.\r\n\r\nThis wasn\'t entirely surprising, as bra sizing is a Herculean task that apparently no one can get right — everyone from industry specialists to Kate Middleton\'s bra fitter has proclaimed that millions and millions of women are walking around in broad daylight, wearing the wrong bra size. When I went back to present my findings to the bra specialist at my hometown store, after getting four different results at four different stores, she was hardly shocked.\r\n\r\n\"I think each specialist does it differently,\" she explains. \"They have a different opinion. We all have the same method of measuring, but the way the bra looks — every specialist is a little bit different.\"\r\n\r\nIn the Fifth Avenue store, Deen and I start making our way through the beauty products. \"There aren\'t a lot of mirrors, which is kind of counter to any beauty environment,\" he says. \"It\'s a lot of skincare, so again it\'s about this idea of pampering, indulging in you and making you feel really comfortable and feminine.\"\r\n\r\nUp on the walls, more framed photos of overwhelmingly white, blonde Angels stare down at us, with the occasional close-up shot of Angel butt and Angel boob mixed in. \"There\'s an extent to which you can do this stuff, and then there\'s a point where you\'re pushing too far,\" Deen says. \"Ultimately, it can\'t be aspirational. People aren\'t just going to look like that. If I went into any store and saw nothing but male body builders, at a certain point I\'d be like, ‘This is not my store.\' There\'s definitely a point at which this beauty becomes oppressive.\"\r\n\r\nI mention that it doesn\'t seem to be slowing the brand down at all, and Deen points back to the fact that there is no real competition out there in this mass market space. As we head for the door, we again pass by the front displays of sequined holiday lingerie and busts with wings sprouting out of their backs. \"They really doubled down on this Angel metaphor,\" Deen says. \"They\'re reaching out to women and they\'re saying that they\'re angels. How that translates into the physical environment is a little bit tougher. The wings... that\'s a little over the top. Although, we\'ll see, in two years, maybe people will be walking around with their wings on outside.\"\r\n\r\nSee the full article on <a href=\"http://www.racked.com/2015/12/8/9870132/victorias-secret-brand-fashion-show\" target=\"_blank\">Racked.com\r\n</a>Photo courtesy of <a href=\"http://www.racked.com/2015/12/8/9870132/victorias-secret-brand-fashion-show\" target=\"_blank\">Racked.com</a>', 'Touched by an Angel', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'touched-by-an-angel', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:13', '2018-09-27 17:42:13', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/touched-by-an-angel', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2152, 1, '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', '<strong>New Green Valley® organic vegetables are a visual feast for Millennial moms, bringing their mission of \"Healthy Food for All\" to shelves near you</strong>\nAs created by brand agency CBX, the new Green Valley® brand from Salem, Oregon based-Green Valley Foods, LLC brings eye-popping innovation to a category long marked by a sea of sameness on the shelf.\n\n\"We threw out the rules for the organic aisle with Green Valley,\" said Gregg S. Lipman, CEO and Managing Partner of CBX. \"Our beans will come in visually distinct, shelf-stable pouches, as well as in cans. Each package blends tasty photography with hand-written typography and vibrant illustrations. The result is a fresh, farm-to-table brand that intrigues and excites.\"\n\nIn creating the new brand, which launched in October, CBX designed packages for Green Valley\'s full line of organic beans, as well as their canned vegetable and pumpkin offering. Prior to designing the packs, the team surveyed the category and was struck by the visual similarity of many of the leading brands of organic beans, Lipman said. Research, focused on Millennial moms from both coasts, underscored the need for a breakthrough in the category, he added.\n\n\"We saw that there was an opportunity here for something innovative and differentiated,\" Lipman explained. \"The \'classic\' organic cues were no longer on the menu. We were on a mission to create a vibrant, playful, honest offering that would spark optimism and creativity, catering to today\'s busy but conscious consumers.\"\n\nThe CBX team and Green Valley opted for an entirely new approach to the packaging by introducing a shelf-stable pouch for the bean varieties. \"Right away, that signals to the consumer that something is different about this brand,\" Lipman said.\n\nAnother goal of the brand was to inspire and engage Millennial consumers to enjoy the experience of cooking for themselves and for their kids, using Green Valley\'s organic ingredients. \"We introduced loose recipe suggestions on the back of the pack to inspire that creative cooking instinct,\" Lipman said.\n\nIn addition, the CBX team brought the strong brand identity and package design to life digitally by launching the brand across key social media platforms. At welcometogreenvalley.com, users are invited into the thriving, healthy world of Green Valley. The website and social media channels continue to build upon the \"Healthy Food for All\" platform with chef-created Green Valley product recipes, budget-friendly $10 family meals and information about organic food and farming practices.\n\n\"Already, social media results are indicating huge interest with more than 40,000 likes on Facebook,\" he reported. \"Distribution is set to grow rapidly over the coming months.\"\n\nGreen Valley believes in giving back, and has partnered with The Food Trust, a non-profit organization that shares a similar mission, to truly bring healthy food to everyone. The partnership will likely include donations and sponsorship of events across the country, Lipman said.\n\n\"Increasingly, simply being organic is no longer enough,\" he concluded. \"Consumers are looking for organic brands that mesh with their lifestyle, as well as their values. Green Valley fits the bill perfectly with a commitment to creative, organic and just plain healthier food for all.\"', 'CBX Creates Standout Organic Brand', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', '', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/?post_type=thinking&#038;p=2152', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2153, 1, '2016-01-07 15:44:10', '2016-01-07 15:44:10', '<strong>New Green Valley® organic vegetables are a visual feast for Millennial moms, bringing their mission of \"Healthy Food for All\" to shelves near you</strong>\r\nAs created by brand agency CBX, the new Green Valley® brand from Salem, Oregon based-Green Valley Foods, LLC brings eye-popping innovation to a category long marked by a sea of sameness on the shelf.\r\n\r\n\"We threw out the rules for the organic aisle with Green Valley,\" said Gregg S. Lipman, CEO and Managing Partner of CBX. \"Our beans will come in visually distinct, shelf-stable pouches, as well as in cans. Each package blends tasty photography with hand-written typography and vibrant illustrations. The result is a fresh, farm-to-table brand that intrigues and excites.\"\r\n\r\nIn creating the new brand, which launched in October, CBX designed packages for Green Valley\'s full line of organic beans, as well as their canned vegetable and pumpkin offering. Prior to designing the packs, the team surveyed the category and was struck by the visual similarity of many of the leading brands of organic beans, Lipman said. Research, focused on Millennial moms from both coasts, underscored the need for a breakthrough in the category, he added.\r\n\r\n\"We saw that there was an opportunity here for something innovative and differentiated,\" Lipman explained. \"The \'classic\' organic cues were no longer on the menu. We were on a mission to create a vibrant, playful, honest offering that would spark optimism and creativity, catering to today\'s busy but conscious consumers.\"\r\n\r\nThe CBX team and Green Valley opted for an entirely new approach to the packaging by introducing a shelf-stable pouch for the bean varieties. \"Right away, that signals to the consumer that something is different about this brand,\" Lipman said.\r\n\r\nAnother goal of the brand was to inspire and engage Millennial consumers to enjoy the experience of cooking for themselves and for their kids, using Green Valley\'s organic ingredients. \"We introduced loose recipe suggestions on the back of the pack to inspire that creative cooking instinct,\" Lipman said.\r\n\r\nIn addition, the CBX team brought the strong brand identity and package design to life digitally by launching the brand across key social media platforms. At welcometogreenvalley.com, users are invited into the thriving, healthy world of Green Valley. The website and social media channels continue to build upon the \"Healthy Food for All\" platform with chef-created Green Valley product recipes, budget-friendly $10 family meals and information about organic food and farming practices.\r\n\r\n\"Already, social media results are indicating huge interest with more than 40,000 likes on Facebook,\" he reported. \"Distribution is set to grow rapidly over the coming months.\"\r\n\r\nGreen Valley believes in giving back, and has partnered with The Food Trust, a non-profit organization that shares a similar mission, to truly bring healthy food to everyone. The partnership will likely include donations and sponsorship of events across the country, Lipman said.\r\n\r\n\"Increasingly, simply being organic is no longer enough,\" he concluded. \"Consumers are looking for organic brands that mesh with their lifestyle, as well as their values. Green Valley fits the bill perfectly with a commitment to creative, organic and just plain healthier food for all.\"\r\n\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2016/1/7/green-valley-foods?utm_source=feedblitz&amp;utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&amp;utm_campaign=thedieline\" target=\"_blank\">The Dieline\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/85238-cbx-creates-standout-visually-distinct-organic-brand\" target=\"_blank\">Brand Packaging\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.preparedfoods.com/articles/117531-cbx-creates-standout-organic-brand\" target=\"_blank\">Prepared Foods</a>', 'CBX Creates Standout Organic Brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-creates-standout-organic-brand', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-creates-standout-organic-brand', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2154, 1, '2016-01-13 23:33:18', '2016-01-13 23:33:18', 'As created by New York brand agency CBX, the new Green Valley brand from Salem OR brings innovation to the old-school organics category. Seeking a fresh concept in organic packaging, CBX turned to shelf-stable pouches. “We threw out the rules for the organic aisle with Green Valley,” said Gregg S. Lipman, CEO and Managing Partner of CBX. “Our beans will come in visually distinct, shelf-stable pouches, as well as in cans. Each package blends tasty photography with hand-written typography and vibrant illustrations. The result is a fresh, farm-to-table brand that intrigues and excites.”\r\nThe project included packages for Green Valley’s full line of organic beans, as well as their canned vegetable and pumpkin offering. Prior to designing the packs, the team surveyed the category and was struck by the visual similarity of many of the leading brands of organic beans, Lipman said. Each Green Valley package blends photography with hand-written typography and vibrant illustrations. The look that is meant to inspire and engage millennial consumers — especially millennial moms — to enjoy the experience of cooking for themselves and their kids. To better reach this demographic, the CBX team integrated the brand identity and design into key social media platforms; the website and social media channels build on a “Healthy Food for All” platform with product recipes, budget-friendly family meals and information about organic food and farming\r\n\r\n“We saw that there was an opportunity here for something innovative and differentiated,” Lipman explained. “The classic organic cues were no longer on the menu. By introducing the pouches, right away, that signals to the consumer that something is different about this brand.”\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://gdusa.com/packaging/cbx-rejects-classic-organic-cues-for-green-valley-beans\" target=\"_blank\">GDUSA</a>.', 'CBX Rejects Classic Organic Cues For Green Valley Beans', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-rejects-classic-organic-cues-for-green-valley-beans', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-rejects-classic-organic-cues-for-green-valley-beans', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2155, 1, '2016-01-19 17:50:53', '2016-01-19 17:50:53', 'With generic convenience stores seemingly on every corner, the easiest thing for customers to do is head to the location that’s … just convenient. Many C-store chains aim to stand apart from the crowd by ramping up the sophistication of their in-store environments. They are making stores larger, stocking them with healthier, fresher food, and adding modern dining furnishings.\r\nIt’s a nice start, but in contemplating the C-store of the future, designers need to imagine a world in which consumers pay greater attention to the brand attributes, product offerings, and consumer experiences available at competing quick-shopping options. That requires being bold and rethinking the category.\r\n\r\nHow would innovators in other sectors approach the challenge? As the former head of store design for Virgin Megastores, I can’t help but contemplate how Virgin founder Richard Branson might approach a portfolio of fueling station and C-store sites.\r\n\r\n<strong>Ideas from an innovator\r\n</strong>Branson is an innovator to the core. Since the retail gas industry is already mature, Branson’s business-centric inclination would be to jump to the head of the line. Forget about fossil fuels; Branson’s Virgin stations would sell electricity, natural gas, and biodiesel for green vehicles. His goal would be to create focal points for the growing community of drivers who see environmental sustainability as a top priority. His marketing, advertising, and branding for the chain would build loyalty and community around this shared value. In addition to sustainability, Branson’s brand would make its mark by evolving the customer experience. Today, Sheetz has such a substantial food offering that people go there regardless of whether they need gas. Likewise, chains such as 7-Eleven and Wawa can thrive even without gas canopies simply because their C-stores are destinations unto themselves. In seeking to evolve the C-store experience further, Branson would focus on selling food, culture, and lifestyle in a fun and comforting atmosphere unlike anything in the sector today. He would shoot for the kind of engaging experience that makes you drive past competitors’ locations and come to his C-store.\r\n\r\nYou can see this strategy in action at Branson’s other ventures. Even if you fly coach on Virgin Atlantic, you get a free ice cream bar after your meal, followed by the flight attendant offering you a hot towel. A comforting and relaxing experience isn’t reserved for premium customers alone. In keeping with the Virgin brand, Branson’s C-store might offer things like the industry’s cleanest, fully touch-free bathrooms, or massage tables in a quiet corner, enabling stressed-out commuters to stop and relax after a maddening stint on the road.<strong>\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Customized convenience\r\n</strong>Virgin Atlantic was the first to offer personalized TVs. This wasn’t technology for technology’s sake: It was to make the experience more personalized and engaging. Smart use of technology would be part of the picture at Branson’s stations as well. You can look around at today’s trends and get an idea for what this might entail. This year, Tesla Motors unveiled a cobra-like robot charging station for the Model S. It connects to the car, charges it, and then retracts—all without the touch of a human hand. Branson’s C-store would also offer a touch-less fueling or recharging experience. As the robotic “pump” attaches to your car, you could use your phone or display at the “pump” to have a smiling attendant bring your food order right to your car. Another aspect of your fill-up might be an automatic diagnostic. A sensor might mind-meld with the general control center of your car and tell you whether anything was askew.\r\n\r\nThat’s convenient, not just for people, but also for a future with driverless cars. Branson’s stations would be designed to allow easy access by driverless taxis and delivery vehicles in need of a fast charge. Meanwhile, dashboard-mounted RFID chips would enable human members of the loyalty program to drive up to the pump, refuel or recharge, and drive off without swiping cards or handing cash to clerks inside. Loaded with each club member’s preferences, the next-generation pumps would scan customers’ RFID chips and then send them customized offers: “Hi, Michelle! It’s nice to see you again. As a token of our appreciation, here’s half off your regular chai tea and low-fat scone.”\r\n\r\nOn Virgin America’s planes, colored lighting creates an atmosphere reminiscent of a small nightclub in a boutique hotel. A Virgin fueling canopy might have OLED-based lighting, using fiberoptics to transmit sunlight from above the canopy or to create a digital light show, pulsing in synch with music. Of course, the canopy and even the store’s roof would be topped with solar panels or living plants, reinforcing the brand’s stance on sustainability and making customers feel even better about their visit.\r\n\r\n<strong>Futuristic and fun</strong>\r\nNot all of Branson’s ventures have been successful, but today’s already-evolving C-stores and gas stations could certainly learn a thing or two from his core principles. They include creating a refreshing guest experience in an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere; making smart use of intuitive technology and customer-friendly automation; and investing in teams of well-trained employees who are people-focused. In the C-store space, you can bet Branson’s brand would be futuristic and fun—with a social conscience to boot.\r\n\r\nOriginally published in <a href=\"http://www.retailenvironments-digital.org/retailenvironments/january_february_2016?sub_id=j6vfHd08M3pi&amp;pg=25#pg25\" target=\"_blank\">A.R.E</a>.', 'What Would Richard Branson Do With Convenience?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-would-richard-branson-do-with-convenience', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/what-would-richard-branson-do-with-convenience', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2156, 1, '2016-02-17 15:21:05', '2016-02-17 15:21:05', 'Veteran retail store/restaurant designer and brand strategist James Sundstad has joined brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX as Vice President, Branded Environments.\r\nIn his new position, Sundstad will be responsible for leading the CBX Branded Environments group, reporting to Partner Todd Maute.\r\n\r\nSundstad comes to CBX with over 35 years industry experience collaborating with architects, interior designers, graphics firms, PR agencies, brand strategists, and other creative professionals. Most recently, he was Vice President, Retail Strategy &amp; Design at Studio D/Visual Graphics Systems, Carlstadt, N.J., a full-service manufacturer of next-generation signage. There, he established new strategic relationships with major retail and foodservice clients across the United States and Canada, including Chipotle, Whole Foods, Starbucks Coffee Company, Peet\'s Coffee &amp; Tea, Pizza Factory, FatBurger, Fuddruckers, Jamba Juice, Blue Frog Brewing, SuperValu and United Pacific Oil.\r\n\r\nBefore joining Studio D, James worked on a contract basis supporting the Starbucks new store development team. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President, Creative Services at King Retail Solutions, a retail design and build firm in Oregon. In that capacity, he was responsible for key account development and served as strategic director for such major retail clients as Starbucks, Safeway, PetSmart, GH Bass Shoes, Whole Foods, Rite Aid, Adidas, Kroger, Fred Meyer, Massage Envy, Butter London, Bartell Drug, Thrifty Foods, Sunoco, Walgreens, and Eddie Bauer.\r\n\r\nFrom 2009 to 2011, Sundstad was Managing Director, Director of West Coast operations for branding company FITCH in Seattle, where his clients included Microsoft Hardware &amp; Global Retail, City Target, Nokia, Dell, Buffalo Wild Wings &amp; Starbucks.\r\n\r\nPrior to FITCH, Sundstad spent five years in London as Owner/Creative Director of Werkspace Studios, Ltd., a firm focused on brand strategy, brand positioning and re-branding strategies. Earlier, Sundstad launched Werkhaus Creative Communications in Seattle. During Sundstad\'s 15 years as the branding firm\'s President and Creative Director, his project managers and designers handled assignments for such diverse clients as Nike, Starbucks Coffee Company, Tully\'s Coffee, Microsoft, Chihuly Studio, Nintendo, K2 Sports, U2 (the band) and Wells Fargo.\r\n\r\nAlso seen in\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/potmsearch/reprint/submission/5578542?ana=e_potm_thx&amp;ana=e_notification_potm?s=print?s=print\" target=\"_blank\">Biz Journals\r\n</a><a href=\"http://citybizlist.com/article/334861/james-sundstad-joins-cbx-as-vp-branded-environments\" target=\"_blank\">City Biz\r\n</a><a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/james-sundstad-joins-cbx-vp-branded-environments\" target=\"_blank\">VMSD\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.petrolplaza.com/news/industry/MiZlbiYxOTczMCYmMSYzMCYx\" target=\"_blank\">PetrolPlaza</a>\r\n<a href=\"https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-39337836.html\" target=\"_blank\">High Beam Research\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.designretailonline.com/news/people/James-Sundstad-Joins-CBX-26106.shtml?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter%20Template_053116%20(1)\" target=\"_blank\">Design:Retail</a>', 'James Sundstad Joins CBX as V.P., Branded Environments', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'james-sundstad-joins-cbx-as-v-p-branded-environments', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/james-sundstad-joins-cbx-as-v-p-branded-environments', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(2157, 1, '2016-02-17 20:21:05', '2016-02-17 20:21:05', '<strong>Inaugural location opens just north of I-80/35, with 28 additional locations to follow in 2016</strong>\r\nKum &amp; Go will open the doors tomorrow morning, Thursday, February 18, at 6 a.m. to its newly re-built location in Johnston, Iowa, at 5225 NW 86th Street. The store is a brand new, 6,000+-square-foot Marketplace design prototype with a variety of unique offerings for customers, making it unlike any other location. To encourage customers to try out some of those new offerings, the first 99 customers to arrive on Thursday morning will receive a coupon for a 99-cent whole pizza. Additionally, on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., customers can fill up with E-15 for $0.99 per gallon (available only at this store).\r\n\r\nDeveloping this distinctive model took nearly two years, and the result is an entirely new concept. The centerpiece of the store is an expanded and open food preparation area that customers can see from the moment they enter. Other location features include:\r\n\r\n- Elevated food experience with Kum &amp; Go’s “Go Fresh Market”\r\n- Open kitchen layout, clear aisles and easy-to-navigate zones\r\n- Seating inside with patio seating outside (weather permitting)\r\n- Complimentary Wi-Fi and charging stations for customers\r\n- Expansive beer cave and growler station with fresh beer\r\n- Designed for LEED-certified status, using energy efficient and sustainable design\r\n\r\nAdditionally, visible on 86th Street is a new piece of artwork commissioned by Kum &amp; Go specifically for this Johnston location. An 8-foot tall and 7-foot wide ampersand (paying tribute to Kum &amp; Go’s slogan “Where &amp; means more.”) sits on the north side of the store. Designed and produced by the award-winning, Des Moines-based art studio Sticks, the sign pays tribute to the community of Johnston with key words and images that reflect the area’s attractions and slogans on one side. The opposite side showcases the Kum &amp; Go core values and culture.\r\n\r\n“This new footprint represents everything that Kum &amp; Go strives to be for our associates and for our customers,” said Kum &amp; Go president and CEO Kyle Krause. “This is the evolution of our brand promise and business approach. Now customers can truly experience the “more” that we provide.”\r\n\r\nThe store design was conceptualized by CBX, a retail design firm headquartered in New York City, and working prototype developed by BRR, an architecture firm in Kansas City. Local partners included Henning Construction from Johnston, Performance Display and Civil Design Advantage from Grimes, and Seneca Companies from Des Moines. Additional partners included Hussmann, Nagle Signs, and Arning Companies.\r\n\r\nKum &amp; Go operates three stores in the Johnston community – the other two can be located at 5800 Northglenn Drive and 6130 NW 86th. All Johnston locations are open 24 hours, year-round.\r\n\r\nFuture locations of this new layout are planned for 2016 in Iowa, Colorado, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Missouri, and Arkansas. The next Iowa location will be located in Waukee in the new Kettlestone development, projected to open in spring 2016.\r\n\r\nOriginally published by <a href=\"https://www.kumandgo.com/2016/02/unveils-marketplace-store-0129/\" target=\"_blank\">Kum &amp; Go</a>.\r\nAlso seen in:\r\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/node/88955\" target=\"_blank\">Convenience Store News</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/corporate-news/articles/new-kum-go-design-elevates-food-fuel-beer-slideshow?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Daily%20News%2002-19-2016%20(1)&amp;utm_content=&amp;spMailingID=50731733&amp;spUserID=MjU0MDQ2MjI3NTES1&amp;spJobID=862321264&amp;spReportId=ODYyMzIxMjY0S0\" target=\"_blank\">CSP\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.cstoredecisions.com/2016/02/18/kum-go-debuts-market-place-prototype-store/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConvenienceStoreDecisions+%28Convenience+Store+Decisions%29\" target=\"_blank\">C Store Decisions\r\n</a><a href=\"http://www.nacsonline.com/Media/Daily/Pages/ND0219163.aspx#.Vs3XkJMrJsg\" target=\"_blank\">NACS</a>', 'Kum & Go Unveils First Marketplace Store Design in Johnston', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'kum-go-unveils-first-marketplace-store-design-in-johnston', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/kum-go-unveils-first-marketplace-store-design-in-johnston', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
