INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1824, 4, '2013-06-04 20:40:09', '2013-06-04 20:40:09', 'By Nancy Brown\nClaims are popping up everywhere on packaging, and brands are using them for education, not just attention.\n\nMichael Pollan is at it again. His new book, “Cooked,” is guaranteed to be a runaway hit, largely because Pollan has become the high priest of ethical eating ever since he published “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” in 2006. So, I guess we have him to thank for the fact that we now spend $2 more per gallon on organic milk, suddenly believe the world should be gluten-free and think twice before reaching for that hot dog at summer barbecues.\n\nWe have him to thank for one other thing: The fact that pretty much everything we eat now touts its lineage right front and center on its packaging. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, food claims were mainly about how products would make you look, e.g., they were low calorie and fat free. Today, claims are all about where your food actually came from — in other words, how your food was grown or what your food ate before it landed on your plate (in the case of meat and eggs). Have you ever seen the “Portlandia” sketch with the couple at a restaurant asking about the lineage of its farm-raised chicken? I highly recommend you Google it for a good laugh.\n\nConsumers are now way more educated and care much more than ever about where their food is coming from and how it’s raised. As a result, there has been a surge of better-for-you claims on food packaging, everything from “gluten-free,” “cage-free” and “no GMOs (genetically modified organisms)” to “organic,” “100 percent real” and “grass-fed.” Whereas packaging of the past simply put a burst on the box and called it a day, packaging is now being used to educate consumers about the importance of knowing where their food came from and why that makes it better. Consumers are not just embracing it — they are actively looking for it. According to a recent\nExaminer.com article, more than 90 percent of Americans support the labeling of genetically modified foods.\n\nPeople are not only buying these foods, but they are also making them an entire way of life — e.g., joining “claim clubs.” Last week, a woman in line with me at Trader Joe’s talked about how thrilled she was with all the gluten-free offerings at that store, not because she suffered from celiac disease, but because she voluntarily opted to stop eating gluten to feel better. Michael Pollan and his protégés are vehemently “no GMO,” and this movement has spawned many organizations and websites. Twenty first century moms wouldn’t dream of serving their children anything but grass-fed milk, cheese and meat.\n\nSo what exactly do all these things mean? Here’s a guide to some of the new terminology popping up in the supermarket aisle.\n\n<strong>GRASS-FED</strong>\nWondering why you’re seeing blades of grass on so much packaging lately? It’s because companies want to show off just what they’re feeding the animals who made your food.\nAccording to the American Grass-fed Association, grass-fed products are better for people, animals, the planet and communities. It defines grass-fed animals as those that have eaten nothing but grass and forage from weaning to harvest, have not been raised in confinement and have never been fed antibiotics or growth hormones. Grass visuals are prominently featured on packaging for Organic Valley milk, Pat LaFrieda meat, Big Gorilla beef jerky and Vital Farms’ eggs, which put a creative spin on the grass-fed message by saying, “Our hens live outdoors.” They also use the term “ethical eggs,” which is as catchy as all get-out. Not coincidentally, Vital Farms was “Est. 2007,” the year after “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” was published. Just call this the pasture that Michael Pollan built.\n\n<strong>GLUTEN-FREE</strong>\nYou’d have to be living under a loaf of bread to not know that the anti-gluten movement has been raging for a while now. Sufferers of celiac disease have been avoiding gluten — a substance present in cereal grains, especially wheat, that is responsible for the elastic texture of dough — for years, but in the past decade, it seems that gluten has been shouldering the blame for a whole plethora of other illnesses, and many Americans are voluntarily cutting it out of their diets. In fact, TIME magazine labeled the gluten-free movement second on its top 10 list of food trends for 2012. It’s questionable (and often controversial) that gluten-free’s popularity is here to stay, but many brands, from Applegate to Newman’s Own to Annie’s Homegrown, are counting on it, offering gluten-free variations on their most popular offerings. Grain loving company General Mills offers more than 200 gluten-free products. But perhaps the best-named gluten-free product is Goodbye Gluten bread. How’s that for telling it like it is?\n\n<strong>NO GMO</strong>\nA few weeks ago, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and Congressman Peter DeFazio introduced the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act, a bipartisan legislation that would require the Food and Drug Administration to label clearly GMOs in food so that consumers can make informed choices about what they eat. For the past few decades, the FDA has allowed genetically modified foods to be marketed without labeling, saying they were not materially different from other foods because the genetic differences could not be recognized by taste, smell or other senses. But today’s research shows that\nGMOs are harmful to both people and the environment, and the public is demanding to know which products contain them. Brands like Silk, Earth Balance, Nature’s Path and Amy’s Kitchen are not only proudly GMO-free, but they also feature sections on their websites explaining what this claim means. Even if they don’t say “no GMOs” on their packaging, nearly all organic brands — like Cascadian Farm and Applegate — are GMO-free, and my guess is they’ll soon be wearing that badge very proudly.\n\nBut this new claims terminology is not just being used by in-the-know, farm-to-table foodies. People’s Most Beautiful Person Alive, Gwyneth Paltrow, just published “It’s All Good,” a cookbook that shares the gluten-free recipes she makes for her own children. The book just topped the New York Times bestseller list, further proof that the general public is developing a greater interest in high-quality, well-grown, well-fed food. Michael Pollan, eat your heart out.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84488-getting-to-the-root-of-2013-claim-trends\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84488-getting-to-the-root-of-2013-claim-trends</a>', 'Getting to the Root: 2013 Claim Trends', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'getting-to-the-root-2013-claim-trends', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/getting-to-the-root-2013-claim-trends', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1825, 4, '2013-06-05 16:05:21', '2013-06-05 16:05:21', 'By Gregg S. Lipman\nChallenger soda brands, take note: there seems to be a tremor in the force of the beverage world. I\'m talking, of course, about the war being waged on \"big sugar\" -- sugary beverages like Coke and Pepsi, namely -- by one Mr. Michael Bloomberg (that\'s \"Mayor\" to you). Sugar is the devil these days, thanks in large part to widespread campaigns against childhood obesity, the trendy farm-to-table movement and an uptick in healthy eating in general. Soda sales dropped 1.2 percent in 2012, compared with declines of 1 percent in 2011 and .5 percent in 2010. New York has been embroiled in a battle over \"to tax or not to tax\" for the past year, and 33 other states are giving the thumbs down to soda and its sugary counterparts. And it\'s not just America that\'s giving these beverages the boot. Since 2012, France has imposed a \"fat tax\" on sugary beverages as well.\n\nNot that we should really feel that bad for Coke and Pepsi, who\'ve done a great job of expanding their portfolios to include water (now the #1 beverage in the world), juices and energy drinks. Apparently they knew the day would come when the tide would turn against soda, and it\'s paying off. They seem more focused on just maintaining the audience they have for their soda brands rather than necessarily growing that audience.\n\nThis means there\'s an opportunity for you, challenger brand, to take advantage of the backlash and create a little niche for yourself. Innovate around where the audience is, from Gen Y- and Z-ers to helicopter parents who couldn\'t imagine anything as toxic as soda touching their children\'s lips. Here are some tips we\'ve gleaned from the \"little guys\" -- many of whom seem to be doing this beverage thing right.\n<strong>\nShow you love the planet.</strong>\nEco-friendly packaging may have backfired for a snack brand like Sun Chips, but it presents a huge opportunity for beverage makers. SodaStream, a product that forces carbon dioxide gas into water, has become a worldwide sensation with messaging that is morally and economically attractive to younger generations. Owners of SodaStream makers can eliminate dollars spent and bottles wasted while enjoying the hand-crafted experience of making their own sodas. Coke and Pepsi might consider making their bottles refillable, a la growlers, with retailers allowing customers to bring their empty bottles to the store to be refilled at taps.\n\n<strong>Stay trendy.</strong>\nIf you think that fashion is temperamental, try the beverage industry. What\'s cool one season is suddenly passé the next, so it\'s important to keep abreast of what consumers want in the here and now. Remember when Snapple Ice Tea first came out? And VitaminWater? And Zico coconut water? At the moment, fizzy drinks are all the rage...even IF it was recently proven that one fizzy drink a day can raise the diabetes risk by a fifth.\n\n<strong>Offer your product in small batches.</strong>\nSmall-batch beer brewing is huge; why not small-batch soda-making? Jones Soda offers 12-packs of quirky flavors like Berry Lemonade and Fufu Berry (what the what?) on its Internet site, and also allows you to design your own label for your bottles. Boylan Sodas calls itself \"a full line of hand-crafted small batch sodas and mixers to please any palate.\" Everything about Stewart\'s Fountain Classics, from its name to its bottles to its logo, harkens back to a more personal time. In this age of artisanal everything, a Starbucks-style soda shop - like the old-fashioned soda fountains - seems like a brilliant idea.\n\n<strong>Produce products the way nature intended.</strong>\nSince everyone assumes that soda is the unhealthiest product known to man, it would behoove companies making more natural beverages to say how their products are made. Virgil\'s Root Beer brews its combination of herbs and spices naturally, rather than concocting a chemistry experiment of artificial flavorings, dyes, and additives. Hot Lips Soda\'s lineup changes with the seasons, based on what\'s locally available; to make the soda, the company takes fruit, cooks it, adds water and cane sugar then bottles it, with much of the fiber-rich pulp intact, and carbonates it.\n\n<strong>Pack them full of good things (or, without any bad things).</strong>\nThese days, people want to know not only where their food came from but just what their food ATE before it arrived on their plates. So it\'s no surprise that people want the best, most natural ingredients packed into their beverages. Oogave, a soda that incorporates agave nectar as a sweetener, was started by a natural foods restaurant owner in Denver, and dubs itself \"the purest, best-for-you soda without chemicals or GMO products.\" Steaz is a family of \"all-natural, organic and fair tea-based beverages.\" Hot Lips sodas contain organic lemon juice as a preservative, rather than ascorbic or citric acid, both of which can be derived from genetically modified corn and soy.\n\nThese small guys may not be trying to be the next Coke or Pepsi, but they are doing a great job of making names for themselves in a crowded market. Utilizing one or several of these tips could help you snag a few customers from those beverage giants, and feel better about your brand in the process. Because let\'s face it...it\'s unlikely that people will ever STOP drinking soda, but they certainly are clamoring for more alternatives. The beverage options mentioned here are options that even sugar hater Mike Bloomberg can live with.Who knows - they may distract him long enough to stop hating on soda and seek out a new target - butter, perhaps?\n\n<a href=\" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/whats-the-future-of-soda_b_3384797.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/whats-the-future-of-soda_b_3384797.html</a>', 'What\'s the Future of Soda?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'whats-the-future-of-soda', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/whats-the-future-of-soda', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1826, 4, '2013-06-05 20:09:53', '2013-06-05 20:09:53', '<strong>THE ‘DEATH OF RETAIL’ HAS BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED, RENWICK WRITES</strong><em>--But CBX strategist cites need for socially relevant stores in new column for Chain Store Age Online.</em>\n\nPessimistic pundits claim that “show-rooming” and the explosive growth of ecommerce will be the death of brick-and-mortar retail. But by drawing inspiration from the kinds of social experiences Americans crave—live-action football games, rousing concerts, moving religious services and the like—retailers stand to reap big profits even as they prove the pundits wrong, writes Crosby Renwick, executive director of strategy at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in a May 30 column published at Chain Store Age Online.\n\n“Is retail really dead?” Renwick asks in the piece. “No, but its role is changing.” The veteran CBX strategist begins the column—titled “ ‘Social Retail’ to the Rescue”—by outlining the basic problem as just about everyone sees it: “When retail is literally everywhere, when we can buy virtually anything off our phones and have it delivered, why go to a store?” he writes.\n\nBut while Renwick concedes that many stores will close in the decades to come—particularly those focused on commoditized goods that shoppers can easily buy online—he describes the rise of ecommerce as an opportunity for retail to refocus. “When Pablo Picasso was asked if painting human figures was still possible after the technologies of photography and cinema were depicting them much more truly, his response was, ‘Now at least we know everything that painting isn\'t,’” Renwick writes. “Technology had killed painting’s previous purpose: depiction. But, on the other hand, technology freed painting to become something else.”\n\nLikewise, the proper role of retail in the 21st century is not to sell humdrum commodities in cavernous, uninspiring big-box stores, Renwick writes. “What to do with the empty storefronts?” he asks in the piece. “The success of social media provides the clue because it highlights the deep desire for human connection. People get lonely. They’ll pay for the chance to enjoy real-world social experiences with others who have similar interests.”\n\nRenwick describes several popular—and in some case, expensive—social experiences that continue to inspire consumers. But the point is not to try replicate, say, a Bruce Springsteen concert, but to tap into the brand-, traffic- and loyalty-building potential that is inherent to such an experience. “These are the kinds of social experiences people pay money for,” he writes. “Am I suggesting a chain of stores that hosts rock concerts? No. But lessons drawn from these social experiences can and should be applied to retail. Lululemon has already done so with its in-store yoga classes. Likewise, I’d love a store where I could buy clothes that speak to the sensibilities of the classic rock fan. Where the staff would ‘get’ me.”\n\nShopping in a physical store has to be as much about social experiences, unique environments and customer validation as it is about the merchandise, Renwick notes in the conclusion to the piece. “Today’s shoppers can have nearly any merchandise brought right to their doors with little more than the swipe of a finger,” he writes. “But if we can bring them the kinds of experiences that forge memories, friendships and lifelong brand loyalties, they will keep getting in their cars and coming to us.”\n', 'The Death of Retail Has Been Greatly Exaggerated', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-death-of-retail-has-been-greatly-exaggerated', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-death-of-retail-has-been-greatly-exaggerated', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1827, 4, '2013-06-14 14:19:26', '2013-06-14 14:19:26', '<strong>WHEN RETAIL IS LITERALLY EVERYWHERE, WHEN WE CAN BUY VIRTUALLY ANYTHING OFF OUR PHONES AND HAVE IT DELIVERED, WHY GO TO A STORE?</strong></br>Pessimistic pundits claim that “show-rooming” and the explosive growth of ecommerce will be the death of brick-and-mortar retail. But by drawing inspiration from the kinds of social experiences Americans crave—live-action football games, rousing concerts, moving religious services and the like—retailers stand to reap big profits even as they prove the pundits wrong, writes Crosby Renwick, executive director of strategy at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in a May 30 column published at Chain Store Age Online.\n\n“Is retail really dead?” Renwick asks in the piece. “No, but its role is changing.” The veteran CBX strategist begins the column—titled “‘Social Retail’ to the Rescue”—by outlining the basic problem as just about everyone sees it: “When retail is literally everywhere, when we can buy virtually anything off our phones and have it delivered, why go to a store?” he writes.\n\nBut while Renwick concedes that many stores will close in the decades to come—particularly those focused on commoditized goods that shoppers can easily buy online—he describes the rise of ecommerce as an opportunity for retail to refocus. “When Pablo Picasso was asked if painting human figures was still possible after the technologies of photography and cinema were depicting them much more truly, his response was, ‘Now at least we know everything that painting isn\'t,’” Renwick writes. “Technology had killed painting’s previous purpose: depiction. But, on the other hand, technology freed painting to become something else.”\n\nLikewise, the proper role of retail in the 21st century is not to sell humdrum commodities in cavernous, uninspiring big-box stores, Renwick writes. “What to do with the empty storefronts?” he asks in the piece. “The success of social media provides the clue because it highlights the deep desire for human connection. People get lonely. They’ll pay for the chance to enjoy real-world social experiences with others who have similar interests.”\n\nRenwick describes several popular—and in some case, expensive—social experiences that continue to inspire consumers. But the point is not to try replicate, say, a Bruce Springsteen concert, but to tap into the brand-, traffic- and loyalty-building potential that is inherent to such an experience. “These are the kinds of social experiences people pay money for,” he writes. “Am I suggesting a chain of stores that hosts rock concerts? No. But lessons drawn from these social experiences can and should be applied to retail. Lululemon has already done so with its in-store yoga classes. Likewise, I’d love a store where I could buy clothes that speak to the sensibilities of the classic rock fan. Where the staff would ‘get’ me.”\n\nShopping in a physical store has to be as much about social experiences, unique environments and customer validation as it is about the merchandise, Renwick notes in the conclusion to the piece. “Today’s shoppers can have nearly any merchandise brought right to their doors with little more than the swipe of a finger,” he writes. “But if we can bring them the kinds of experiences that forge memories, friendships and lifelong brand loyalties, they will keep getting in their cars and coming to us.”\n\n<a href=\"http://www.furninfo.com/Furniture%20Industry%20News/1866\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.furninfo.com/Furniture%20Industry%20News/1866</a>', 'Need For Socially Relevant Stores', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'need-for-socially-relevant-stores', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/need-for-socially-relevant-stores', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1828, 4, '2013-06-10 18:45:11', '2013-06-10 18:45:11', '<strong>A push for more efficient healthcare challenges designers to bring medical services to retail</strong>\r\nAny Lab Test Now is probably your doctor’s worst nightmare. The service, which allows patients to request their own lab tests without a physician’s order, has even trademarked the phrase “No insurance? No problem.” It’s like Googling your own symptoms on steroids: Instead of a rumpled printout (apology expected), you can hand your physician a crisp set of lab results to back up your self-diagnosis.\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/doctor\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/doctor</a>', 'The Doctor Is In', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-doctor-is-in', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-doctor-is-in', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1829, 4, '2013-06-26 16:46:56', '2013-06-26 16:46:56', 'New York-based CBX has designed a fresh, new prototype store for Wawa Inc.’s Florida-market entry. The seventh of the Wawa, Pa.-based fuel and convenience store operator’s locations in Florida opened in early January. Twenty-five more units are scheduled to debut in the Orlando/Tampa area in 2013.\nWawa’s Florida stores feature a design intended to reflect the language and style associated with Floridian vernacular architecture. Exterior characteristics include pastel colors, clapboard siding, pitched roofs and front porches that reference historic south and central-Florida building types.\n\nTravelers from the Mid-Atlantic will find Wawa\'s familiar “winged” gas canopy, a welcoming, centrally located entry portal, ample up-front parking and the chain’s familiar Canada Goose logo. The new Florida prototype also features expansive windows that provide a clear view to the new interior design.\n\nCBX created a new color and materials palette, emphasizing natural stone, several types of tile, hard rock maple laminate (a creamy white with a reddish tinge) for modular fixtures and shelving, and copper accents. Elements were selected to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.\n\nA vibrant red-tiled wall highlights the new center-island kitchen. Guests can order using Wawa’s touchscreen system, with screens prominently positioned at the food service/specialty beverage counters.\n\nThe coffee and fountain beverage sections feature a backdrop of a warm taupe wall tile. Red drum shades are used over the coffee area to create a “sense of place.”\n\nWawa’s new Florida prototype is characterized by a spacious, open layout, with high ceilings and abundant natural lighting contributing to the comfortable, inviting space. The store features made-to-order food and beverages, as well as pantry basics and convenience foods for travelers.\n\nAs in the coffee/fountain beverage section, red drum shades help create a “sense of place” in the cooler area, located on the opposite side of the store.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.ddionline.com/displayanddesignideas/galleries/Wawa-Apopka-Fla-9705.shtml#8\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.ddionline.com/displayanddesignideas/galleries/Wawa-Apopka-Fla-9705.shtml#8</a>', 'DDI Project Gallery: Wawa, Apopka, Fla.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ddi-project-gallery-wawa-apopka-fla', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:40', '2018-09-27 17:58:40', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/ddi-project-gallery-wawa-apopka-fla', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1830, 4, '2013-07-10 18:07:16', '2013-07-10 18:07:16', '<em>As the Marketplace Fairness Act, otherwise known as the online sales tax, moves to the House, brick-and-mortar retailers should understand how it could affect their operations if it passes.</em><em></em>\n\nThe new kid on the retail block is here to stay. As consumers’ shopping habits shift toward mobile and web purchases, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers continuously feel e-commerce’s tightening grip on consumer pocketbooks, and pet stores are no exception.\n\nThe pet industry has seen an uptick in online competition over the last few years as retailers like PetMed Express, Foster and Smith, and Wag.com gain market share. Online sales of pet food and supplies reached $2 billion in 2011, and are expected to rise to $2.5 billion by 2016, according to a December 2011 report from IBIS World, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based market research firm. PetMed Express and Foster and Smith were top earners online, earning an estimated $168.9 million and $162 million in sales in 2011, respectively.\n\nWith little overhead and smaller staffs, online retailers can offer pet owners lower prices. And, under a precedence set by a Supreme Court ruling in 1992, Internet sellers are exempt from collecting state sales tax; except in states where the business has a physical presence.\n\n“The Internet is a terrific marketplace for comparing prices,” says Joe Dowley, a partner who monitors tax law for clients at international firm McKenna Long &amp; Aldridge, based in Washington, D.C. “If you add that on top of the fact that you don’t have to pay the sales tax, then you’re really cooking.”\n\nThese online advantages make competition stiff for Main Street, which is why many traditional retailers are hoping new legislation will help level the playing field. In May, the U.S. Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA), a bill that would require states to collect sales tax from online retailers at the time of the transaction—no matter where the business is located. Only online businesses with less than $1 million in annual sales would be exempt from the law.\n\nFor pet specialty retailers with stores in states that have a high sales tax, passage of the MFA could offer a break from online competitors. Teresa Miller, owner of Treats Unleashed, a St. Louis-based pet retail store with seven locations, says the nearly 10-percent sales tax her customers pay in some locations makes it harder for her to compete with online retailers. “At 10 percent [sales tax], it’s almost a premium if you’re buying local, and it becomes a complete disadvantage when you’re trying to compete online,” she says.\n\nMiller—who lobbied for passage of the bill in Washington, D.C., in April—says the Marketplace Fairness Act is important because it sets a standard and provides consistency across all states. “If passed, it will level the playing field with some of those gigantic online companies, who right now are strategically putting themselves [in locations] where they don’t have to pay the sales tax,” she adds.\n\nOther provisions of the bill could help brick-and-mortar pet retailers, like Miller, looking to add or grow an online store of their own. Under the MFA, states would be required to simplify their sales tax laws in an effort to make multi-state collection easier, or can join the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA)—a governing board that harmonizes the administration and collection of sales and use taxes among member states, of which 24 are currently members.\n\n“The Streamlined Sales Tax and Use agreement would make [this collection] easier for online sellers. It makes it easier for states to calculate who gets what in a transaction, and it makes it easier for retailers to purchase a software, which gives them the opportunity to determine how to assess the tax in a particular state or jurisdiction,” Dowley says.\n\nThat simplification, says Miller, will help her develop a business plan for growth of Treats Unleashed’s online store. While her online sales are still under $1 million, the MFA’s requirements of states to simplify their tax laws or join SSUTA, would help Miller move forward with her plans to grow the online store.\n\n“If it doesn’t get passed, I’m scared the states will develop their own enforcement policies, and I’m going to have to keep track of 50 different states with 50 different polices,” Miller says. “[The Marketplace Fairness Act] would give us a consistent way to put this in place, with a standard software and practice so retailers can collect [the taxes] without 50 different rules.”\n\nWhile the MFA awaits its vote in the House of Representatives, Dowley says the bill is inevitable. “The [Supreme Court] left it open for Congress to change the law, and it has been brewing for several years, particularly since the Internet has grown by leaps and bounds,” he says.\n\nStill, Miller recognizes that customers will continue to make purchases online. “It’s not really about brick-and-mortar versus the Internet sellers,” she says. “It’s about fairness or at least a consistency across both mediums.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Another Piece to the Puzzle</strong>\nWhile passage of the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) could offer brick-and-mortar pet specialty retailers more equality with their online competitors, online sales will continue to grow at double-digit rates over the next 10 years—and in order to stay competitive, traditional retailers will need to offer pet owners what online retailers simply cannot.\n\n“Retailers should not be looking at the Marketplace Fairness Act as any kind of relief from Internet competition,” says Crosby Renwick, executive director of strategy at CBX, a New York City-based brand agency and retail design consultancy. “It will level the field on sales tax, but that’s a small piece of the puzzle.”\n\nIn order to break through the barrier and ease the competition, asserts Renwick, Main Street retailers need to reinvent what their purpose is on the retail landscape. Services like grooming and daycare are benefits online retailers cannot offer, however many retailers may not realize that the greatest asset they have over their competitors is their physical space.\n\n“Retailers can use their physical space to their advantage to make their store a social meeting place,” Renwick says. Bringing pet owners together through events—for example, hosting an event that exclusively gathers Boston Terrier lovers—gives customers a reason to make an extra trip to the local pet store. And while customers are basking in Boston Terrier glory, they will browse and most likely make a purchase, Renwick says.\n\n“Retailers have their ace in the hole being a physical place where people of like minds can get together,” he says. “What they have to sell is a social connection and a relationship. The goods will surround that, and it will engender the sales of those goods.”\n\n<a href=\"http://www.petbusiness.com/articles/2013-07-01/A-Move-Toward-Equality\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.petbusiness.com/articles/2013-07-01/A-Move-Toward-Equality</a>', 'A Move Toward Equality', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-move-toward-equality', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/a-move-toward-equality', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1831, 4, '2013-07-10 18:28:17', '2013-07-10 18:28:17', '<strong>THE PRODUCT</strong></br>Inspired by the colorful and dimensional illustrations in pop-up books, Savvi’s senior designer Rob Backues aimed to create tattoo packaging that was markedly different from its competitors. As he describes it, the tattoo section of the toy aisle falls flat with an overly simple packaging approach.</br>\nInstead, he wanted to bring depth to tattoo packaging in a very literal sense. This, he explains, gives Savvi’s packaging the “wow factor” that attracts both the end consumers, children aged three to 10, and the primary purchasers, their parents.</br>\nWorking with Savvi senior illustrator Pete Arriola, Backues designed a low-depth paperboard carton that comprises up to seven panels. Each panel contains part of an illustration, with the lowermost panels printed with background images and the top-panels cut and printed with an image that boldly depicts the tattoos’ theme.</br>\nThis  approach is time consuming and laborious, but Backues contends it is worth it. Savvi has expanded the design system to 18 Savvi products and approximately 10 licensed products.</br>\nBut what do Package Design readers think?</br>\n<strong>THE VERDICT</strong></br>\nI can’t believe I’m going to say this, but this is the rare instance where the brand takes a back seat to selling the product. The central thought? “Boy, my kids are going to have a field day with these! Where do I buy one?” The packaging is exciting and vibrant, and personally, I know my kids would not be able to get enough of these littering the house. The versioning is also wonderful. The experience and the fantastical feel are transportive and incredibly appealing. What kid doesn’t love butterflies, flowers and pink hearts—more is definitely better here.\n <em>Rick Barrack, chief creative officer and managing partner at CBX</em></br>\nThis packaging is unique and clever in its construction. The illustration style fits the category as being bright, detailed and layered with lots to see bringing the tattoos to life for the kids, by complimenting the contents nicely.</br>\nWhere the design falls flat for me is the front top panel and the type treatment. The fonts paired with each collection name, Star Brite, Pirates, Surf, etc., feel expected and dated. I would love to see all the typography revisited with the same level of consideration, uniqueness and creativity as they clearly did designing the package construction.</br>\nEverything supporting the product should have a pint-sized hip vibe that would raise the excitement of the product for everyone—especially moms. I would be much more willing to purchase this product for my kids or for party goody bags if the tattoos looked and felt current and cool.\n <em>Amy Graver, president and creative director at Elements</em></br>\nThese boxes are well marketed to their primary audience. The hanging feature increases visibility to the primary display panel combined with colorful graphics gives the graphic design on this product line a leg up on the competition.</br>\nBut I question if the increase in retail space allocated to these boxes will be validated with a comparable sales lift over the competitions’ flat pouch packaging formats in dollars per sq. ft.\n <em>Leon Hall, president and CEO of Terra Nova Business Solutions Inc.</em></br>\n<a href=\"http://www.packagedesignmag.com/content/pop-up-appeal\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.packagedesignmag.com/content/pop-up-appeal</a>', 'Pop-up Appeal', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'pop-up-appeal', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/pop-up-appeal', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1832, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:57', '2018-09-27 16:51:57', '', 'Pentawards2011', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'pentawards2011', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:57', '2018-09-27 16:51:57', '', 1590, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Pentawards2011.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1833, 4, '2013-07-23 14:32:39', '2013-07-23 14:32:39', 'A new generation of specialty carts and kiosks is generating big revenues in small spaces.\nBack when giant televisions and stereo systems were at the top of shoppers\' must-have lists, electronics chains shelled out millions of dollars for big-box stores manned by oodles of employees. But these days a kiosk staffed with just one person can rake in huge amounts of cash by selling tiny gizmos and accessories. After all, when powerful computers are small enough to put in a pair of eyeglasses - as with the much anticipated Google Glass, the head-mounted device set to go on sale in 2014-who needs all that shelf space? \"Size doesn\'t matter anymore,\" said Don Gregor, national vice president at Canada\'s Aurora Realty Consultants. \"lt\'s profitability.\"\n\nAnd according to the pros, the powerful punch of smaller spaces is just one of many factors contributing to the ongoing vibrancy of specialty leasing in today\'s technology-driven, post-recession economy. With their high traffic, low overhead and short-term leases, carts and kiosks are a perfect way for entrepreneurs to test new concepts and otherwise respond creatively to the ever-shifting marketplace, observers say. Thanks to technology, even mainstays of the business are managing\nto make more money, Gregor says. \"Look at the T-shirt kiosks - they\'ve been around at every mall for 20 or 30 years,\" he said. \"But they no longer print up the T-shirts in advance, except for the ones on display. Now they have a computer, so people can press a button and create their own shirts using hundred of customizable designs. Blank shirts are the only thing in the actual booth--no inventory and no wastage.\"\n\nAnd though kiosks hawking cellphone accessories have been around nearly as long, the continual release of new-model gizmos keeps stir ring demand for chargers, cases and more, particularly among status-conscious young people. \"Some of the cart people do incredible number,\"Gregor said. \"We have a client that does cellular-phone faces. You might think, \'Why would anyone be in the cellular-phone face business?\' But if you look at a little tiny piece of plastic that I molded, colored and with some bedazzled jewelry on it kids are buying these things for $25 or $30 bucks each. The profit margin is so incredible that effective sales per square foot of some of the cart operators would rival that of any of the major international brands.\"\n\nBut technology is not the only innovative force in the world of specialty leasing. Landlords’ leasing teams, for one, are scouring local markers to find new categories of colorful and compelling specialty leasing concepts. Carts and kiosks with a retro focus are a prime example. \"Sometimes it\'s actual vintage furniture where the operators will repurpose things,\" said Michael J. Anderson, assistant vice president of leasing development at Macerich. \"Other times it\'s things like vintage or reproduction clothing. The e types of stores are really popping up in urban shopping areas, and so now we\' re adding them to our centers.\"\n\nMacerich leveraged both the \"buy local\" trend and the strategic advantages of smaller spaces when it created The\nUnion, an alternative retail concept that opened last year at Biltmore Fashion Park, in Phoenix. The idea was to give shoppers a mix of 18 distinctive boutiques, some of which were as small as 200 square feet. The roster of kiosk like tenants now includes businesses that may be found along any city street in d1e world: newsstands, flower sellers, gift shops and clothiers among them. \"We basically took a 7,000-square-foot empty shell and created a group of individual stores,\" Anderson said. \"It\'s a great concept. Some of these tenants have other stores wid1in the city, but they\'re all local retailers and entrepreneurs.\"\n\nMeanwhile, many of the same trends that are making an impact elsewhere in the retail universe - such as the rise of medical and service-oriented tenants, or the growing popularity of the franchise model among entrepreneurs- are equally visible in specialty leasing, observers say. Health care spending will rise by about $600 billion over the next three years alone, according to CBRE. Little wonder that leasing teams, including those responsible for carts, kiosks and temporary in line spaces, are doing more deals with medical-related users. \"With key parts of Obamacare coming to fruition in 2014, we are seeing a lot of the health care companies want to have a presence in our centers,\" Anderson said. \"They want to explain the process to the consumer, face-to-face.\"\n\nBranding is also hugely important to health care companies and other non-traditional users these days- especially in those markers where they happen to be locked in battle for market share with one or two competitors. Leasing carts and kiosks gives these tenants the ability to accomplish two goals at once: making money by selling in high-traffic parts of the mall, and boosting their brands against those of their rivals, says Jeffrey L. Gregerson, vice president of specialty retail at CBL &amp; Associates Properties. He cites the trend of colleges and universities that hoist their banners at the mall. \"There are a lot more adults going back to school, especially after the recess ion, and we arc now finding that more colleges want to advertise to our shoppers,\" Gregerson said. \"They see this as a great way to go after prospective students.\" Doing kiosk deals with the likes of d1iropractors, masseurs, manicurists and gel-nail artists also holds the promise of driving traffic to the center, he says. After all, shoppers cannot enjoy much real-world services by touch screen.\n\nMalls are also benefiting from greater interest in kiosks on the part of entrepreneurs hard-pressed for startup funds, observers say. Amid the volatility in retail in recent years, many of these business people are keen on buying established franchises rather than creating their own concepts, Gregerson says. In Canada particularly, hardworking immigrants tend to see a lot of upside to operating mall kiosks. \"These are smart people who are looking to advance,\" Gregerson said. \"Instead of driving a cab or opening a restaurant, many of them might want to buy their way into a small franchise system, which often is a kiosk style of business.\" And while nicer kiosks can cost upwards of $40,000, entrepreneurs who work with the Canadian Franchise Association typically can obtain $150,000 small-business loans. \"This is another driving factor toward small-style retail operations here,\" Gregerson said.\n\nSpecialty leasing professionals also see plenty of room for future growth. Burlington Coat Factory, Harry &amp; David and Toys \'R\' Us, to name a few, have experimented with temporary spaces in the mall. But other national retailers could reap strategic advantages by ramping up the visibility of their products in mall common areas, Gregerson says. \"What better way to test something than to take it out of your inline store, or even a department store, and bring it out into the middle of the mall?\" he said. \"You can see how people respond to the product.\" And on this score, established chains enjoy clear advantages over kiosk startups. \"If shoppers are seeing you for the first time, then you really have to find a hook, because you need to give them a reason to say, \'I will rake a chance and buy your product,\' \" Gregerson said. \"A permanent, national tenant like Macy\'s already has the advantage of brand-name recognition; customers are comfortable with the brand and feel that it will be a high-quality product.\"\n\nIn other words, in today\'s era of omni-channel retail- the notion that products should be sold anywhere and everywhere shoppers want to buy them, not just in typical storefronts- carts and kiosk could be seen as an untapped channel for a host of products and companies.\n\nAnd when it comes to the future of mailer retail spaces, U.S. landlords may be able to learn a thing or two from what retailers and developers in China, the Philippines, South Korea and other places are already doing, says Peter Burgoyne, creative director at New York City-based ~ a global branding and retail consulting firm. One mall owner in the Philippines is working with CBX to create kiosk locations for well-known restaurants at a new mall, Burgoyne says. The goal is to help the mall bolster its brand with local shoppers and add to the overall atmosphere. Likewise, South Korean department store Shinsegae makes especially creative use of carts, kiosks and other small-scale retail spaces, he says. \"Shinsegae has lots of island spaces and kiosks throughout the building- areas for [product] launch, visual merchandising, events,\" he said. \"They call these \'spice\' locations. These kiosks in the store aren\'t static- it could be a large area for sunglasses and accessories one day, an ice-cream smoothie bar the next. The point is to have something exciting and new all the time. This creates energy. The architecture can be pretty adventurous, too.\"\n\nBy contrast, U.S. developers sometimes have relatively li near groupings of similar-looking kiosks. When they redevelop their properties or build new wings, U.S. mall owners might consider taking some alternative approaches to the placement and design of such small-scale retail spaces, Burgoyne says. \"Make these kiosks destinations in their own right, because they are almost as important as the [in-line retail] brands,\" he said. \"They can add to the total experience of going to the mall\"', 'Specialty Retail Revolution', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'specialty-retail-revolution', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/specialty-retail-revolution', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1834, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '', 'limited-edition-kotex-pic1-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'limited-edition-kotex-pic1-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '', 1591, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/limited-edition-kotex-pic1-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1835, 4, '2013-07-26 20:47:15', '2013-07-26 20:47:15', 'By Meg A.\nLast week, after taking the train to the \'burbs and then picking up my four-year-old son from preschool, I was lucky enough to witness a tender moment. A father and his kids were sitting on their stoop, barefoot, happily watching the world go by. The dad was dressed casually, the toddler was in shorts and the baby was hanging in his diapers. They clearly had been home all day -- you could tell that they had happiness and rhythm in their world, a successful hallmark of being a stay-at-home parent. The only thing \"unusual\" about this scene was that a man was in the nurturing role, traditionally embodied by a woman.\n\nThis scene got me thinking about how gender roles have shifted, even reversed -- and how as a result, advertising is challenged in authentically portraying these roles today.\n\nSo much of the dialogue today is around the rise of women: Look at them break through that glass ceiling! I remember my mom going to work. One day, she sat me up on the washing machine, showed me how to use it and said, \"I’m going to work now so you are going to have to learn how to take care of yourself.\" I was in third grade and welcomed the responsibility, I learned independence and self-reliance, says the former latchkey kid. Looking back, I see that my mom taught me that women can do, get and be whatever they want. But where do men fit in this equation? Especially now that women are being raised to be self-sufficient, heroes in their own right that don’t need a man to save the day? With every action comes a reaction. Where are men in this ongoing cultural shift?\n\nAs culture shifts, so do brands. Let’s look through the lens of traditional female roles to see how they are portrayed in brand messaging and advertising today. Female roles tend to fall into two camps: the madonna or the whore. Can men wear these shoes?\n\nLet\'s start with the whore. (I promise not to get too dirty.) We see this role portrayed by women all the time when products are marketed to men -- namely beer or HBA products that tempt men with the idea that they might “get some.” Let’s hire us a hottie to move some cases. Easy!\n\nBut can the same visual strategy apply to products traditionally marketed to women? Brands such as Liquid Plumbr and Velveeta are giving it a whirl. Clearly, it is quite entertaining to reverse the roles but does it work? With an air of self-deprecation about them, these ads seem forced and inauthentic. Perhaps taking it to humor instead of to sexy is more palatable for mainstream America, but it does feel a bit more Chippendales than <em>Magic Mike</em>. Perhaps this is still an unnatural role for men to play or even to be viewed in? Basically, unless the man wants to be an object of desire (we love you, Channing Tatum) this image won’t ring true to the viewer.\n\nLet\'s now look to the madonna role. Madonna (no, not that one) is the quintessential nurturer -- a caring persona whose goal is to care for or help others. In modern-day layman terms, the mom role. But today, with approximately 20% of men who are stay-at-home dads, these waters are getting rather muddied. Part of this is due to the “mancession” (yes, that’s a word) but part of it is choice. “There are a lot of guys out there that had remote relationships with their own fathers and they don’t want that with their kids,” according to Jeremy Adam Smith, author of The <em>Daddy Shift</em>.\n\nWhich brings us back to that guy on the stoop. What did I love so much about that moment? It was <strong>real</strong>. Men as nurturers might not have a historical precedent, but it is a role that is becoming more and more authentic today. Ask yourself, what is more attractive to a female eye? A man in a uniform or a man with a baby? The times they are a changin\'.\n\nWe see this in advertising more and more today, especially around Father\'s Day, with brands like Wells Fargo, Huggies and Oral-B, the latter of which showcased this trend in its Power of Dad spot.\nBy elevating the conversation to the concepts of nurturing and love, we find a universal story that speaks to anybody with a heart. Screw the stereotypes -- the heart wins every time. Who are these ads resonating with most, mom or dad? The answer is both, methinks. \n\n<a href=\"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/204771/the-great-role-reversal.html?print#ixzz2a9vpBNf4\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/204771/the-great-role-reversal.html?print#ixzz2a9vpBNf4</a>', 'The Great Role Reversal', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-great-role-reversal', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-great-role-reversal', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1836, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '', 'AG-K-N-8854_53_lg_1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'ag-k-n-8854_53_lg_1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '', 1593, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/AG-K-N-8854_53_lg_1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1837, 4, '2013-04-16 15:29:02', '2013-04-16 15:29:02', '<strong>Did the recession have a lasting impact on luxury?</strong>Peter Burgoyne\r\n\r\nNow that the U.S. economy is recovering (albeit slowly) from the economic crash, there’s been lots of buzz about the rebound in luxury retail. Certainly, the sector has been outperforming other retail categories, with analysts pointing to luxury as a safe harbor amid disruptive factors like rising oil prices and the chaos in Libya. One CNNMoney story, in fact, referred to investors hopping on a “luxury bandwagon” and noted that Louis Vuitton’s London boutique has limited shoppers to a maximum of three purchases for fear of running out of inventory. The report also cited China’s thriving economy as a key driver of global demand for luxury goods.\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/the-luxury-rebound\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/the-luxury-rebound</a>', 'The Luxury Rebound', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-luxury-rebound-2', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-luxury-rebound-2', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1838, 4, '2013-07-31 15:24:11', '2013-07-31 15:24:11', '<strong>Fine-tuning a luxe mall in Manila—with the help of a homegrown genius.</strong>\r\nBy Peter Burgoyne\r\n\r\nIf you’ve ever spent time in Manila, you know how its broiling streets can make you want to duck into a climate-controlled mall—and stay there. Little wonder the likes of Power Plant Mall at Rockwell Center draw such crowds. But this isn’t value shopping: At Manila’s malls, shoppers tend to be either privileged members of the local moneyed class or jet-setting tourists and businesspeople from around the globe; building a box and filling it with brands like Starbucks or North Face is simply not enough.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/virtuoso-rattan\" target=\"_blank\">\r\nhttp://vmsd.com/content/virtuoso-rattan</a>', 'The Virtuoso of Rattan', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-virtuoso-of-rattan', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-virtuoso-of-rattan', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1839, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '', 'pl-buyer-awards', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'pl-buyer-awards', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '', 1594, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/pl-buyer-awards.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1840, 4, '2013-08-01 15:23:00', '2013-08-01 15:23:00', '<strong>CSNews\' Don Longo and Sheetz EVP Joe Sheetz discussed the future of prepared food</strong>\nThe restaurant industry ranges from ultra casual fast-food joints to premium fine dining, and more than ever, convenience stores are earning a seat at the table. This was apparent at the 2013 National Restaurant Association Show (NRA Show), held May 18-21 at Chicago\'s McCormick Place.\n\nIn the first of two convenience store-specific panels that were part of the show\'s educational track, Convenience Store News Editor-in-Chief Don Longo teamed up with Sheetz Inc. Executive Vice President and soon-to-be CEO Joe Sheetz to discuss the future of convenience stores as it relates to fresh, prepared food.\n\nLongo presented select insights from CSNews\' 2013 Realities of the Aisle consumer study, showing that sandwiches, hot dogs and pizza are among the most popular prepared food items at c-stores, yet offering healthier options appears to be paying off with increased sales. Other opportunities for growth in prepared food can be found through connecting with the right shoppers, optimizing promotions to drive trips and reaching consumers in flexible ways.\n\nOf the total foodservice category, \"prepared food is the shining star\" at c-stores, Longo said.\n\nSheetz concluded the presentation with a retrospective on the beginnings of Sheetz Inc. as a business and its evolution into an extremely foodservice-focused chain that considers itself a \"convenience restaurant\" chain. \"Everything we do is through restaurant glasses,\" he commented.\n\nThe family-owned, Altoona, Pa.-based retailer has found success through its Made To Order (MTO) program, which offers customized menu items through touchscreen ordering, as well as its subsequent Made To Go premade food program. Its loyalty program has also done well.\n\nThe company keeps a close eye on the future, reinventing itself and always striving to become the Sheetz that will put the Sheetz of today out of business.\n\nThe notion of c-stores being competition in the foodservice market was expanded upon during another NRA Show panel entitled, \"The Convenience Store Competition: What You Can Learn From C-store Foodservice?\" This session was presented by Nancy Caldarola, education director for NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing; Bill Reilly, senior vice president of marketing at GPM Investments LLC, owner of Fas Mart and Shore Stop convenience stores; and Joseph Bona, president of branded environments for CBX.\n\nWhile convenience stores are facing a number of new challenges as the foodservice category grows, such as handling space and new equipment requirements, rising food costs and needing additional skilled labor beyond their comfort zone, c-stores are also seeing some exciting positive changes, including expanded menus and product offerings, technology to enhance the order process, and expanded fresh and healthy offerings, according to the panelists.\n\nThis year\'s NRA Show attracted more than 62,500 registrants from all 50 states and 100-plus countries.\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/article-c_store_foodservice_served_up_at_nra_show-5980.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.csnews.com/article-c_store_foodservice_served_up_at_nra_show-5980.html</a>', 'C-store Foodservice Served Up at NRA Show', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'c-store-foodservice-served-up-at-nra-show', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/c-store-foodservice-served-up-at-nra-show', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1841, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '', 'FreeVector-Kimberly-Clark', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'freevector-kimberly-clark', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '', 1595, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/FreeVector-Kimberly-Clark.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1842, 4, '2013-05-15 16:17:51', '2013-05-15 16:17:51', '<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgZv6mSIO6M&amp;feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgZv6mSIO6M&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-6820\" title=\"0515 JoeB at GRC2013 2\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/0515-JoeB-at-GRC2013-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"641\" height=\"360\" /></a>\n<strong>Joe Bona</strong>, President, Branded Environments, CBX - Speaking at the Global Retailing Conference 2013 about \"Format Reinvention in the Retail Space\"', 'Joe Bona at the Global Retailing Conference 2013', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'joe-bona-at-the-global-retailing-conference-2013', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/joe-bona-at-the-global-retailing-conference-2013', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1843, 4, '2013-08-06 20:15:52', '2013-08-06 20:15:52', 'By Christina Papale\nThe exhilarating rush of new love often feels like it will last forever. But anyone in a long-term relationship knows that love\'s initial flames often die down, replaced by a more stable bond that needs some juicing to stay healthy for the long haul.\nBrand relationships are no different. Keeping a fiery connection takes some work.\nTo unlock long-term love for our brands and set the stage for strong lasting connections, one simply has to look at and apply basic human relationship principles. Here are five ways you can keep the spark alive and forge a devoted, lasting connection to consumers.\n\n<strong>1. Spend quality time together</strong>\nCompanies work really hard and spend a lot of time marketing brands. But you can also spend one-on-one active time with your own brand to understand and experience its core behaviors, benefits, and experiences. As a result, you\'ll truly feel its value and make sure it hasn\'t lost its way. Whether your category is technology, CPG, or retail, sit with your products, experiences, and expressions and bring an open, objective eye.\nReality show Undercover Boss puts senior management in the trenches to understand the day-to-day realities of experiences they provide, and the people who manage those experiences.\n<img class=\" wp-image-6906 alignleft\" title=\"papale-undercover\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/papale-undercover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"639\" height=\"321\" />\nFast food giants are known for putting management boots on the ground. Domino\'s CEO and franchise leaders created major waves of change after eating a lot of pizza (and commercialized the transformation) while McDonald\'s regularly sends corporate staffers into the field to serve.\nIt\'s never a loss; the time you spend can reveal strengths and weaknesses you never new you had.\n\n<strong> 2. Delight with novelty</strong><img class=\"size-full wp-image-6907 alignright\" title=\"papale-Brillo\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/papale-Brillo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"131\" height=\"175\" />\nBrands tend to have the same routines. Changing things up a bit and adding a little variety to your world can really spice things up: a seasonal play, a promotional \"wow,\" an event that\'s out of the ordinary—what might seem like a gimmick is actually a good thing, as long as it\'s on brand—to make the bond even stronger.\nStarbucks consistently takes the holiday season to a whole new level by creating expectations around an extended theme; everything from product offerings to design gets a merry lift.\nBrillo recently went back in time and featured Warhol-inspired packaging to mark its 100th anniversary. The retro-cool design made a splash and reminded us that Brillo offers something beyond products for daily chores: post-modern art—and a connection to our own pasts.\n\n<strong>3. Know when to over-communicate and when to listen (genuinely)</strong>\n<img class=\"size-full wp-image-6908 alignleft\" title=\"papale-oreo\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/papale-oreo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"284\" height=\"319\" />Brands believe they have an ear to ground via Facebook and Twitter, but successful engagement requires open, two-way communication. Have a robust, transparent dialogue with your consumers to showcase how good you are at listening and at being emotionally honest.\nTropicana\'s famous packaging redo a few years ago not only brought the power of the consumer voice front and center but also solidified the new two-way street in brand relationships.\nOreo\'s \"Dunk in the dark\" real-time response to the Super Bowl blackout, using social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, showed that it not only listens to culture but also has finely tuned brand behavior reflexes to prove it is present in and part of, the customer\'s life.\n\nOn the flip side, the owners of Amy\'s Baking Company in Arizona missed an opportunity to use constructive criticism to their benefit—and possibly led to the demise of their own company—when they engaged in a social media war with critics of the brand on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.\nTuning in to your audience through modern marketing tools is more than a box to check in a media plan. It is a way to validate what consumers experience and to make a connection that much stronger.\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>4. Create surprise that\'s emotionally relevant</strong>\nWhen is the last time your brand did something surprising that reactivated a relationship or brought consumers back into the franchise through emotional depth? An unexpected move can be disruptive, but it can also lengthen an emotional bond to become lasting.\nDove\'s recent beauty social experiment was a wow that hit an emotional cord and sealed the deal that Dove owns empathetic female empowerment.\n<img class=\"wp-image-6909\" title=\"papale-dove\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/papale-dove.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"573\" height=\"355\" />\nHuggies has developed a sensor device called the Huggies Tweet Pee that attaches to baby\'s diaper to notify parents via text or Twitter that it\'s time for a change. It\'s an innovation that understands how 21st century parents relie on technology to connect them to parenting basics and creates all-too-real empathetic understanding of how busy parents are.\nLet your brand surprise with product innovation or commercial ingenuity that keeps communication fresh, relevant and empathetic.</p>\n<strong>5. Embrace companion love</strong>\nIn brand love, there\'s nothing like true loyalists. They get deeply and emotionally involved with your brand, and they spread the word; and, even if passion dies, the promise of companionship remains.\nDon\'t take loyalists for granted! Reward or harness that connection to further advance the bonds of love—and more deeply.\nMaker\'s Mark created its famous brand ambassador program not to reward long-term companions with custom batch bourbon (which it does) but to keep positive vibes going strong.\nRecently, Disney\'s Star Wars Weekends campaign used 3D printing so hardcore Star Wars fans can have their face on a life-size Stormtrooper figurine. It\'s a super-smart transfer of Star Wars loyalty to the Disney brand. These kinds of fans invest their time and energy and become deeply vested in the relationship. Focusing on those who love you deeply can grow more of those who love you deeply.\n\nNobody would possibly wish that their bond with consumers become fractured over time. But should your brand hit a bump in the road (as all good relationships do at some point), you can take a step back and look at it from a human perspective.\nMaking it work is work—but fun work. So crack open the bubbly, put on a little Marvin Gaye, and get ready to woo your consumers as if you were falling in love all over again.\n\n<a href=\"www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11352/brand-love-for-the-long-haul-five-tips-for-lasting-connections-with-customers?adref=nl080613\" target=\"_blank\">www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11352/brand-love-for-the-long-haul-five-tips-for-lasting-connections-with-customers?adref=nl080613</a>', 'Brand Love for the Long Haul', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'brand-love-for-the-long-haul', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/brand-love-for-the-long-haul', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1844, 4, '2013-08-07 17:32:54', '2013-08-07 17:32:54', '<strong>Manufacturers and retailers are partnering to create innovative ideas that have a big impact</strong>\nRetailers continue to refine their private label strategies, with packaging playing an essential role. The latest package designs put the \"brand\" in store brands, with smart looks that convey differentiated quality. And in some cases, the packaging also offers environmental benefits.\nChanges in the retail environment, supply chain and consumer preferences have paved the way for today\'s private label designs. \"From a packaging standpoint, consolidation on the manufacturing side, coupled with consolidation on the retail side, has given an opportunity to innovate more and be more strategic,\" says Todd Maute, partner at branding firm CBX, New York.</br>\nRather than mimicking the packaging of national brand owners, \"Retailers [are] partnering with manufacturers to innovate and create unique and differentiated items and trying to be first to market versus second or third,\" Maute adds. That \"has a significant impact on the strategic value of the package.\"</br>\nThe Simply Balanced brand from Minneapolis-based Target Corp. illustrates the shift. This new, healthier-for-you store brand launched in June 2013 and replaces the retailer\'s Archer Farms Simply Balanced and Archer Farms Organic private labels. The new brand includes beverages as well as grocery items.</br>\nTarget is \"strategically creating brands and unique package designs based off of what the consumer\'s expectation is in that marketplace. I call that a \'control brand\' strategy -- individual control brands that when created and designed and packaged are really there to support what they want that bull\'s-eye to mean in the customer\'s mind,\" Maute says, referring to the red bull\'s-eye logo that appears in Target\'s advertising and stores—but not on its private-label packaging.</br>\nChristopher Durham, president and chief strategist at My Private Brand, Omaha, Neb., notes the innovative graphics Target chose for its Simply Balanced packaging.</br>\n\"It\'s a very clean line, it\'s very simple,\" Durham says. \"The design certainly is a bit more whimsical or playful than we\'ve seen [with] a lot of the natural and organic designs … over the last few years, [which has] nothing fun about it.\" He explains that most natural and organic packaging, private label and otherwise, tends to \"lean on the ingredients and the seriousness of everything they\'re doing.\"</br>\nIn contrast, Durham says, the Simply Balanced package design is \"fun\" and seems designed to \"appeal to \'her,\' our shopper that\'s … trying to take better care of her family. To me, that comes to life in that packaging. Even the photography is not so serious. If you look at how that brand is positioned, Simply Balanced, it\'s very straightforward and direct and makes it easier for \'her.\'\"</br>\nMany Simply Balanced packages also incorporate a teaser of nutritional data on the front panel or label -- \"36g whole grains per serving\" or \"100 percent juice,\" for example -- to give consumers essential information without needing to turn the package over. The brevity of the data keeps the front panel from getting cluttered.</br>\n<strong>Signature store brands</strong>\nPrivate label-driven retailer Aldi, Batavia, Ill., also launched an organic store brand recently plus specialty product lines, each with its own brand identity. \"Today, retailers like Aldi are realizing the importance and impact of creating and building brands,\" says Richard Barkaway, creative director at Studio One Eleven, a division of Berlin Packaging, Chicago.</br>\n\"A good example of this is Aldi\'s Asian-inspired line, called Fusia, or their all-natural Simply Nature healthy line of products. Aldi even developed a premium line called Specially Selected, which [is] an origin-inspired line of imported products,\" Barkaway says.\nIn each case, packaging graphics establish a distinctive look and feel for the brand. The Specially Selected packaging, for example, uses script in the logo, a \"Passion for Food\" stamp-like icon and banners of bold color on an elegant black background. Launched this April, the Specially Selected line features specialty and imported products such as gourmet salad dressing, coffee, pasta, cookies, meats and cheeses.</br>\nThe marketplace reality -- and not just for Aldi -- is that \"consumers have become far more sophisticated shoppers over the past decade and are no longer looking for just the convenient value brand,\" Barkaway says. Consequently, \"retailers are no longer interested in the [me-too] strategy and are now developing believable, authentic brands that consumers resonate with.\"</br>\n<strong>Waste not</strong>\nA brand attribute with resonance for consumers in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom is environmental consciousness. For that reason, and as a matter of corporate citizenship, more retailers are taking the environment into account as they design, or redesign, their private-label packaging.\nAs part of a larger environmental mission, U.K. grocery retailer Waitrose has in recent years focused on reducing the amount of packaging it uses for its private-label products. In an announcement earlier this year, the company pledged to reduce its packaging by half by 2016 (compared with 2005).\nRecent changes to the packaging for three of Waitrose\'s private label product lines will save almost 100 tonnes of packaging annually, according to the company.</br>\nThe retailer relaunched its Menu from Waitrose line of prepared meals, which includes 49 products, reducing the package\'s sleeve width. This change will eliminate 33 tonnes of packaging annually, which translates into a 20 percent weight reduction overall.\nThe redesigned Menu from Waitrose packaging uses a lacquered aluminum tray, which lets consumers cook the products in a conventional oven and serve them in the package -- no baking or serving dishes required. The tray is recyclable.</br>\nIn addition, for its Good to Go private label sandwiches and snacks, Waitrose redesigned the packaging to reduce materials use. For example, it increased the size of windows on sandwich packs and switched from labeled packaging to printed bags for fruit portions. Thanks to these kinds of changes, Good to Go packaging has been reduced by 25 tonnes per year.</br>\nThe third change is an extension of the flow-wrap package that Waitrose rolled out three years ago for private label minced and diced beef. The retailer now also packages lamb and pork in the pouch, eliminating the plastic trays typically used in meat packaging. By getting rid of the pork and lamb trays, Waitrose says it will reduce its meat packaging by 38 tonnes per year.</br>\nIn addition to helping at the macro level by keeping trash out of landfills, Waitrose\'s packaging changes make life easier for consumers. They have less trash to deal with, and the flow-wrap meat packs take up less space in the refrigerator than the old meat packs did. There\'s also the green glow that comes from buying a package that\'s more environmentally responsible.</br>\nThis consumer angle is essential, Barkaway says: \"Designing a successful package is all about shoppability and making the user experience enjoyable for the consumer.\"</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2013/private-label-packaging.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2013/private-label-packaging.html</a>', 'Private Label Packaging Playing an Essential Role in Retailer Brand Strategies', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'private-label-packaging-playing-an-essential-role-in-retailer-brand-strategies', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/private-label-packaging-playing-an-essential-role-in-retailer-brand-strategies', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1845, 4, '2013-08-15 15:40:52', '2013-08-15 15:40:52', 'By Rick Barrack\nAt the end of the day, we’re in the interpretation business. In many cases, good design is a sign of how well a client and agency work together. I can almost envision the behind-the-scenes interactions that went on to land at the end results. And I’m willing to bet my girls’ college tuitions that the most successful designs are the result of the agency and the client knowing exactly where each other stands.\nRick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of CBX, plays out a scenario for you on his personal life experience with clients and gives you five tips in how to avoid the \"WTF\" moments.\nOkay, here’s the scenario:\nWife wants to redecorate the bedroom, complete with hardwood floors, wallpaper and furniture. Thinking of summer camp tuition for my two girls (not to mention their eventual college tuitions), I quote the immortal Tom Waits: “Let’s put a new coat of paint on this lonesome old town.” Bickering ensues, we call a truce, and I ring the contractor. Explain the general vibe we’re going for. Ask him to bring us some paint samples.\nSo I’m all “WTF?” when he shows up a few days later with three samples in varying shades of blue: navy, cobalt and robin’s egg. And they are in an eggshell finish, not the flat we’d wanted.\n“Dude,” I say, motioning to the paints.\n“What?”\n“I hate blue.”\n“Oh. Sorry. You didn’t say that.”\nAnd that’s when it hit me: For a guy who spends his days trying to meet his client’s objectives, I completely forgot to provide my contractor with a clear creative brief, as we say in our business. Here I thought I was communicating my wants, when I’d obviously underestimated the details I’d provided during our conversation. The guy’s not a mind reader, so he did what he thought was right – anticipated my preferences – and told me what he thought would look best. Which was NOT what we were expecting – and actually pretty ballsy.\nHow many times have clients thought the very same way about design work presented to them by an agency? And how many brand managers, marketing VPs and CEOs have sat across from creative directors like myself and wondered, “Why couldn’t they make the package XX like we wanted, instead of YY?”\nSo there I was, having my second “WTF?” moment of the day. Because I’m definitely guilty of providing new ideas in a phase two presentation, even though the client never asked to see any. Or showing the client black along with the red they asked for. Probably because my personal philosophy is: Give them what they ask for, give them what they need. I’ll get an understanding of their creative brief so that I can then provide solutions they want as well as a few that maybe they haven’t thought of before. The riskiest proposition you can encounter is “change for change’s sake,” regardless of the clients’ personal preferences and business challenges. We need to listen to what’s been asked for and then deliver what we think is best.\nAt the end of the day, we’re in the interpretation business. In many cases, good design is a sign of how well a client and agency work together. I can almost envision the behind-the-scenes interactions that went on to land at the end results. And I’m willing to bet my girls’ college tuitions that the most successful designs are the result of the agency and the client knowing exactly where each other stands.\n \nHere are five fundamentals for clients and agencies to consider so they can avoid a “WTF” moment:\n<strong> \n1. Meet face-to-face.</strong>\nHad my contractor and I met in person to discuss what I wanted, there would have been little-to-no room for misinterpretation\n<strong> \n2. Play-it-back.</strong>\nAfter telling my contractor what I wanted, I should have made sure that he heard me, loud and clear, so that we were on the same page. After all, not everyone hears things the same way. It’s important to ask as many questions as you need to in order to reach a solution. (head nodding is the critical sign. . . Is everyone saying the same thing)\n<strong> \n3. Trust them.</strong>\nI hired my contractor for a reason – I should have trusted that any recommendation he made was considered and professional. Same goes for clients and agencies. Agencies may give you something different from what you asked for, but you can rest assured it is the result of thoughtful consideration.\n<strong> \n4. Think macro, not micro.</strong>\nI may not like the color blue provided to me by my but separating one’s own personal taste is critical to success.\n<strong> \n5. Don’t be too prescriptive.</strong>\nWhile we want a brief to be tight, you also want to have the freedom to be able to interpret that brief in creative ways. In retrospect, I should have left the door open a little so my contractor didn’t feel too confined, and had enough leeway to flex his muscle.\n \nFor your information, we ended up painting the bedroom grey, though I’m happy to say that a shade of blue was one of our Top Three choices. In the process, I learned two important lessons. #1: Always make your wife happy (while spending the least amount of money possible). And #2: Whenever you’re about to say “WTF?” to anyone – a contractor, a client, your kid – make sure you’ve been crystal clear in your expectations of them.\n<a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/8/7/a-client-is-a-client-is-a-client.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/8/7/a-client-is-a-client-is-a-client.html</a>\n', 'A Client is a Client is a Client', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-client-is-a-client-is-a-client', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/a-client-is-a-client-is-a-client', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1846, 4, '2013-08-15 20:33:43', '2013-08-15 20:33:43', 'Two key objectives are driving new packaging design strategy for own-label products at retail. Eye-catching, stand-out-from-the crowd identities are partnering with environmental-friendliness. Designers are tasked with establishing a distinctive look and feel, while materials are minimized and those used selected for their recyclability.\nThe consumer angle is essential, according to Food Processing. Richard Barkaway, creative director at Studio One Eleven, a division of Berlin Packaging, Chicago, believes, \"Designing a successful package is all about shoppability and making the user experience enjoyable for the consumer. ... Retailers are no longer interested in the [me-too] strategy and are now developing believable, authentic brands that consumers resonate with.\"\n\nPackaging Digest\'s editors, who judged some 200 American retailers\' submissions for the 2013 private label packaging awards, noted several trends: unique fonts, warm earth tones, stylized photography, high-quality printing for maximum shelf impact, whimsical designs targeted across age groups and limited editions which they said were \"previously the domain of national brands.\"\n\nAs Kate Bertrand Connolly wrote last year in Food Processing, \"Private label products are no longer the dowdy stepsisters of national brands.\" Using graphics to create identities easily spotted across the store gives an impression of both quality and consistency while emphasizing what she describes as the \"\'brand\' component of the store brand.\"\n\nTodd Maute, of New York branding firm CBX, emphasized that if customers are satisfied with one private label product and then see similar packaging on a different shelf, \"They\'ll get the same perception. ... The primary driver behind line looks is ... to build a common story for the brand.\"\n\nTarget\'s Simply Balanced brand, launched in June, was cited as an example of \"strategically creating brands and unique package designs based off of what the consumer\'s expectation is in that marketplace.\" Graphics were described as innovative by My Private Brand\'s president, Christopher Durham, adding that the package design is \"fun, straightforward and direct.\"\n\n<a href=\"http://www.retailwire.com/news-article/16961/whats-the-story-retailers-build-brand-identities-on-store-shelves\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.retailwire.com/news-article/16961/whats-the-story-retailers-build-brand-identities-on-store-shelves</a>', 'What\'s the Story? Retailers Build Brand Identities On Store Shelves', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'whats-the-story-retailers-build-brand-identities-on-store-shelves', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/whats-the-story-retailers-build-brand-identities-on-store-shelves', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1847, 4, '2013-08-23 18:09:26', '2013-08-23 18:09:26', 'By Todd Maute\n<strong>Go beyond national-brand ‘best practices’ to create a superior private-label brand by leveraging package design that is seen by consumers as having meaning and purpose.</strong>\n\nAre private-label brand development best practices beneficial or not? I say maybe not so much. Why? Well, let’s start by looking at the definition of “best practice”: a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means; and that are therefore used as a benchmark.\n\nIf you think about it, since their inception, retailers have been developing private-label product brands and packaging designs by following a “benchmark” that’s been set by national brands. Historically, they benchmark product spec, and follow packaging spec and color cues, and even the communication hierarchy on packaging.\n\nBut just what has this yielded for private label? I’ll tell you: on average, less than 20% to 25% of market share, depending on how you look at the numbers. Do you think that is a superior return on investment? I’d say probably not.\n\nThe issue is this: When it comes to brand development and package design, the process is really personal, emotional, and very specific to each individual brand. Of course there are some fundamental creative problem-solving processes that will help to develop great brands and great packaging—and if you insist on calling them “best practices,” then be my guest and go ahead.\n\nBut regarding private-label packaging, the term “best practices” really describes a situation where everyone ends up following the same processes and ends up developing the same end result. Let’s face it, brand and package designs that yield truly superior results are ones that have been developed “out of the box” instead of by following the leader.\n\nSo I’m saying that retailers need to take more risks by breaking the mold and doing things differently. This is the only way you will truly achieve brand status in the consumer’s mind—where brands have meaning and purpose, and where they stand for something. But a private-label brand will never reach that hallowed status by benchmarking itself against standards that other brands have already determined.\n\n<strong>\nPrivate-label brands blazing their own trail</strong>\n\nOne retailer that dared to look at branding, package design, and structure a bit differently, and has achieved brand status, is the Duane Reade/Walgreens’ Good n’ Delish brand. From a product perspective, the fundamentals of this brand were “benchmarked” against other successful premium private-label brands. Yet the company did push the envelope by developing unique and differentiated products that were sourced from local as well as international vendors.\n\nWhen it comes to premium brands, most all retailers develop unique and differentiated products, but the core difference with Duane Reade/Walgreens’ products is the way in which they were branded and packaged. Yes, some fundamental brand development “best practices” were used—including understanding who the consumer is; analyzing category and market data; a deep study of the competition; and evaluating other successful private-label programs—yet in the end, Duane Reade/Walgreens traveled down its own path to create brand meaning and purpose that would uniquely belong to its own brand and enhance its desired market positioning.\n\nThe design, for example, was a combination of gut feeling and market insights. To start, Good n’ Delish as a brand name just felt right for the unique New York City market. CBX knew that the design strategy for premium goods involves setting the product as a hero and developing a very high-quality product appeal. Yet in this case, the product depiction was more about what the brand stands for—Making NY Living Easy—and giving New Yorkers, who are notoriously demanding and expect the best, just what they wanted—a New York brand image they could relate to.\n\nThat kind of fast-forward personality is why you see a chessboard made of dark chocolate squares, salsa using street lights to depict heat levels, and cashews in cabs in New York City—the city’s residents can relate and emotionally connect with these images, bringing Duane Reade a step closer to brand status.\n\nWalgreens also made this brand connection with Ology, a nationally accessible and affordable private-label brand that’s free of harmful chemicals. The core essence is about good for you and good for the environment. It has an easy-to-remember name that means “the sciences” and a unique recyclable structure—all the elements of a successful brand, and one that stands for something that consumers can relate to and support.\n\nRetailers like Trader Joe’s also march to their own beat. Their brand stands for things like sustainability and natural living, and so does their private-label and package design strategy. Other retailers that “get” private label are Whole Foods, Target, and Safeway, all of which have created unique brands and great design that has their own image, is centered on the consumer, and supports their desired positioning in the marketplace.\n\n<strong>\nTips on leveraging package design\n</strong>\nSo what do you do after you’ve chucked the proverbial “best practices” out the window? Start by gathering good information about your customers so you know them deeply. Then find out all you can about your category. Then, as you build a private-label brand, leverage design as a powerful marketing tool that can tell your brand story and can also support your market position.\n\nIf you ignore this, and simply keep your private-label design functional and benchmark it against national brands, you might be able to get your brand to a “national average” position; but is that what you’re really looking to do? I doubt it.\n\nDon’t be afraid to look at analogous brands outside your category or area of business. You might just get inspired. Think about how truly powerful great design can be, and how far it can take your private-label brand. Think about the technology and fashion fields, and how forward-thinking design can help make people want to associate with and buy your brand.\n\nWe all know that the shopping behaviors by channel category (for example) vary. Shopping for headphones has different cues than the dynamics of shopping for a battery. Headphones are an emotional choice in which performance and style are important, while battery purchases are functional. So understanding the way design can be leveraged by category is extremely important in trying to make a solid connection with a customer. Using a single packaging design across all products, where consumer purchase intent varies, could potentially be a mistake. Instead, develop a brand and package design that communicates excitement for each product, in each category, and potentially, in each channel.\n\nYou can create that level of excitement for your products, too, if you’re willing to step outside of the box and go for it. So when you approach a private-label design initiative, I would challenge you to set a goal for the brand, understand your customer, dive into the category, and look at the world outside your business. And then push the design approach far past the functional strategy and think about how you can leverage that package to truly make an emotional connection with your customer. This will lead your program to achieve brand status and provide superior results.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/strategy/create-benchmark-busting-private-label-brand\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.packworld.com/package-design/strategy/create-benchmark-busting-private-label-brand</a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6927\" title=\"_K5L6891 Ology Group\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/K5L6891-Ology-Group-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"194\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6926\" title=\"_CBX0075 TJ Lineup\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CBX0075-TJ-Lineup-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"196\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6925\" title=\"_CBX0035 deLish Group\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CBX0035-deLish-Group-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"195\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6924\" title=\"_CBX0045 deLish Orange Choco\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CBX0045-deLish-Orange-Choco-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"195\" />\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'Create a benchmark-busting private-label brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'create-a-benchmark-busting-private-label-brand', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/create-a-benchmark-busting-private-label-brand', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1848, 4, '2013-09-06 16:56:39', '2013-09-06 16:56:39', 'By Rick Barrack<strong>\nWhy “something old is new again” works every time with design.</strong>\n\nWhenever I hear the word “nostalgia,” an image of grumpy old Archie Bunker and his dowdy wife Edith sitting on their musty old furniture in their Queens house singing “Those Were the Days,” pops into my head. But the truth is there’s nothing old-fashioned about nostalgia, which Webster’s calls “a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period.”\n\nNostalgia has been a staple marketing and branding tactic for decades, but lately it seems like every product in the supermarket aisle is borrowing something from years gone by. Why does nostalgia speak so strongly to us as consumers? Because it taps into the fundamental human need to feel safe and secure, in our lives and in our choices. It’s like that old pair of blue jeans you never want to take off — it just feels cozy, familiar and right. And it speaks to me the way it speaks to all of us: I’m wild about Stewart’s soda bottles; I keep my receipts in an Altoids tin on my nightstand, and I’ve always loved the look of Jack Daniel’s bottles. But while existing brands are using the retro-ssaince to bring back old, and often beautiful, designs, new brands are taking retro elements and creating something entirely new, often combining these elements with undeniably modern touches.\n\nTo the first point, General Mills kicked off the recent reissue trend when it re-released its original designs for brands including Lucky Charms, Trix, Wheaties and Kix. Featuring bold graphics on bright backgrounds, these boxes were originally designed to pop on TV sets — TV being a relatively new technology at the time — but they made as big a splash when the boxes were reintroduced nearly 40 years later. Brillo is currently riding on nostalgia’s coattails in honor of its 100th birthday; earlier this year, the brand released an awesome-looking limited-edition box featuring Andy Warhol’s iconic interpretation of the brand. In 2011, Coca-Cola marked its 125th birthday by reissuing the Hutchinson, its first ever glass bottle, released in 1899.\n\nSo why do people love nostalgic packaging, other than it looks fantastic? In my opinion, it boils down to three significant points:\n\n1. It speaks to a simpler time, before our daily lives became saturated by an abundance of overt marketing messages and promotional speak.\n\n2. It helps us trust the products, because they feel personal, as if someone took the time to create them just for us.\n\n3. It validates a brand or product by appearing as if it’s been (or actually has been) around for years, in turn conveying that it has stood the test of time.</br>\n\n<strong>\nREMINISCENT OF SIMPLER TIMES </strong>\n\nIt’s hard to imagine a time other than the one we’re currently living in, where young kids have iPhones and people take photos of themselves savoring their daily lives in order to post them on Instagram (not to actually savor their daily lives). I mean, I barely remember what it was like not to have email. That’s why there’s something so refreshing about packaging that is streamlined and simple. And not just packaging — food products are now marketed on the simplicity of their ingredients.\n\nRonnybrook Farm Dairy capitalizes on this trend perfectly. The brand sells its milk in classic glass bottles, which catapults us back to the days when a milkman dropped off your milk at your door. The logo is incredibly simple, featuring two cows and the product name, as well as the town where the farm is located. A simple line, “Bottled on the farm,” appears under the logo, which also speaks to the “personalized” aspect so prevalent in products that speak to nostalgia.\n\nAnother example of the simpler-times trend is the packaging that was introduced this past August for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops and Rice Krispies. Sold exclusively at Target to celebrate Froot Loops’ 50th anniversary, it marks the first time in Kellogg’s history that they have introduced retro-inspired packaging (I wonder if the General Mills’ boxes had anything to do with that?). The boxes were designed to allow each brand to stay true to its core equity while also reminding consumers of their beloved cereal as children (which has been with them for years), and of what life was like before they were bombarded by text messages and Facebook updates. I love how these boxes tap into their historical roots while also looking totally updated and modern, and the use of their famous taglines (“They’re Gr-r-reat!”) in a larger font than the actual logo is really novel and eye catching. They’re definitely worth a special trip to Target to collect them all. Similarly, Oscar Mayer put a fresh spin on retro-inspired packaging last year, when it released playfully illustrated boxes that contained vintage-style trinkets like a bike horn, a dart board and a yo-yo.</br>\n\n<strong>\nFEELS PERSONAL AND HOMEMADE </strong>\n\nThere’s a built-in trust level in products inspired by nostalgia, because they seem as if they were made especially for us. J.R. Watkins, a manufacturer of health remedies, baking products and other household items, has — according to its packaging — been around since 1868, but the public has only taken notice of the brand in the past few years. Why? Because it reintroduced its body-care line in 2008 with packaging that has an apothecary feel, as if each product — from body lotion to baby oil — was specially formulated for you by a pharmacist. In fact, the word “Apothecary” appears front-and-center on the packaging. The logo incorporates an old-style illustration of founder J.R. Watkins himself, yet feels totally modern thanks to its choice of fonts and decorative background graphics. Each product has its “variety” called out in English and French on the bottom of the bottle in a typewriter-style font, as well as its own product number, which makes it feel as if it has been made in a small batch just for you.\n\nSimilarly, Civilized Spirits, a maker of whiskey, rum and gin based in Michigan, has a small-batch feel that instantly forges trust between the product and the consumer. Its eye-catching logo is reminiscent of another era yet undeniably modern, as is its classically beautiful bottle. The Civilized Spirits’ brand story is told through minimal copy that salutes the distillery, Mission Microdistillery, where the product is made. In my opinion, this brand, and many other liquor brands, takes a page out of the Jack Daniel’s school of branding, in which its old-school look and brand story makes it seem almost like moonshine — crafted not only especially for you but also illegally in someone’s basement!</br>\n\n\n<strong>\nHAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME </strong>\n\nProducts use nostalgia to show that they’re a trusted source that has stood the test of time. In a market where new products pop up every day and try to claim their share of their respective category, having a rich heritage goes a long way.\n\nMilk-Bone has been a trusted dog food brand since 1908, and it puts that fact right on its packaging (admittedly designed by CBX). The original logo remains, but has been enhanced to reinforce its “right to own” in the pet aisle. By reminding us of Milk-Bone’s heritage of 100-plus years, it fortifies the brand in our minds as a trusted and honest source. And when juxtaposed against a fire-engine red box, that bone and the trust factor make an even bigger visual and literal statement and more indelible mark in the mind of consumers.\n\nHow many brands can say they’ve been around since the reign of King George III? (Not that I really know much about King George III … but it sounds like he’s been around for a while.) Altoids, one of my personal favorites, was introduced in 1780 — yes, 1780! It’s made very few changes to its original design over the years, namely moving from a cardboard box to a metal tin in 1920 and introducing its now-legendary tag line, “Curiously Strong Mints.” That line and the overall design — with its classically elegant logo, a simple illustration of a peppermint plant and a “Made in Great Britain” phrase — harken back to its quintessentially British lineage. By rooting its story and design in this history, Altoids has become one of the world’s most iconic brand identities.\n\nOf course, not all retro design is good design, especially in a time when so many brands are manufacturing nostalgia as a marketing tactic. In order to incorporate nostalgia in a way that looks distinctive, not copycat, you’ll need to keep the following pointers in mind:\n\n1. <strong>Use a little of this, a little of that.</strong>\nBrands like J.R. Watkins and Civilized Spirits take the best elements of the past and combine them with modern elements of today to create something own able and distinctive.</br>\n2. <strong>Practice restraint.</strong>\nWhether we’re talking about design or copy, less is always more. Altoids’ classic “Simply Curious” line and Ronnybrook’s “Bottled on the farm” message are memorable by brevity, choice in their executions and focused in their deliveries.</br>\n3. <strong>Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.</strong>\nOften, a company’s original design — à la Coke’s original glass bottles or Froot Loops’ Toucan Sam illustration — can retain its charm from generation to generation. Brands like Heinz ketchup and Campbell Soup Company, for example, have kept the same design for many decades. They are effective, and they look as modern today as when they were first introduced. I would urge brands to think twice before eliminating original elements in their designs, and that when introducing a new visual asset, they carefully assess its timelessness.</br>\n\nLet me apologize now if I’ve gone overboard waxing poetically about all these terrific examples of nostalgic design. Given that our agency is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, I can’t help but find myself a little bit nostalgic for my early days in the industry. Man, maybe I’m undergoing a little retro-ssaince of my own these days — though that’s certainly not a bad thing.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84549-nostalgic-packaging-those-were-the-days\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84549-nostalgic-packaging-those-were-the-days</a>', 'Nostalgic Packaging: Those Were the Days', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'nostalgic-packaging-those-were-the-days', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/nostalgic-packaging-those-were-the-days', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1849, 4, '2013-09-09 21:14:49', '2013-09-09 21:14:49', 'By Gregg S. Lipman\nIn the ten years since I co-founded a brand agency, I\'ve often been asked, \"Who or what is your greatest professional influence?\" And while I\'d love to say something intellectual or provocative like \"Steve Jobs,\" \"David Ogilvy\" or \"my father,\" the truth is, much of the wisdom I refer to on a daily basis comes from the comedic films of the 1980s.\n\nYup. Believe it.\n\nCall me what you want -- guy with a Peter Pan syndrome, John Hughes junkie, whatever -- but for me, these films spewed a kind of rare wisdom that no amount of \"T&amp;A\" could diminish. And I try to manage my company and my staff with that same respect for the fundamentals that these films all had -- because in order to create a forum where good ideas can flourish, you need to have a good foundation. Okay, so maybe Belushi didn\'t always represent that in <em>Animal House</em>, but a lot of the characters in my favorite 80s films -- movies like <em>Spring Break</em>, Revenge of <em>the Nerds</em> and the film Tim Robbins never acknowledges on his resume, <em>Fraternity Vacation</em> -- had a disarming sweetness about them that I think is incredibly effective in the branding world.\n\nSo, skinny ties and big hair aside, here are five quotes from 80s movies that I refer to on a weekly basis when making management decisions.\n\n<em>Caddyshack:</em> \"Let\'s pretend like we\'re real human beings.\"\nChevy Chase\'s Ty Webb in <em>Caddyshack</em> is one of my favorite characters ever; he utters this line while trying to bed Lacey Underall (don\'t get me started). And this quote has total relevance in my day-to-day, as I often try to remind my staff that at the end of the day, we\'re all just real people. If we can simply cut out the bullshit that stops us from connecting, we have an amazing opportunity to do great things. Whether or not that work is as important as bedding Lacey Underall...well, that\'s for you to decide.\n\n<em>Risky Business: </em>\"Sometimes you gotta say, \'What the f&amp;8ck.\'\"\nBefore cute, relatively unknown tom cruise was the scary Scientology mega-star Tom Cruise, he made what many consider the greatest coming-of-age movie since <em>The Graduate</em>. The naiveté of his Joel Goodsen character in <em>Risky Business</em> is precisely why he was a keen businessman, and ultimately a prime candidate for Princeton (he utters this line to the admissions officer, though it is his friend Miles -- who other 80s movie fans will remember as Booger in <em>Revenge of the Nerds</em> -- who initially imparts this wisdom to Joel). And in my day-to-day, I definitely encourage my team to say, \"What the f&amp;8ck,\" in order to take risks and produce work that\'s not only distinctive, but often game-changing. In fact, the longer version of that quote has this at the end: \"Saying \'What the Fuck\' brings freedom. Freedom brings opportunity, opportunity makes your future.\" Precisely.\n\n<em>Back to the Future Part</em> I: \"Roads? Where we\'re going, we don\'t need roads.\"\n\"Doc\" Brown, one of my favorite film characters ever, utters this legendary line at the very end of the first <em>Back to the Future</em> movie (I don\'t even acknowledge the sequel), right before he and Marty McFly jet off in their DeLorean time machine to 1988 -- \"the future.\" And the notion that you really can\'t predict what\'s coming down the line, no matter how hard you try, is so integral to the kind of work we do every day. We always need to focus on the task at hand, and not pretend like we know what\'s going to happen the day after tomorrow. At the same time, it\'s important to create work that stands the test of time, and which will still be around if and when you do go <em>Back to the Future</em>.\n\n<em>The Breakfast Club</em>: \"You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out, is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess and a criminal.\"\nThis quote comes from the letter that <em>The Breakfast Club</em> writes to Principal Vernon at the end of the detention day. Quite literally, it speaks to the fact that nobody -- including the misfits in the film -- is as they seem. And as far as organizational structure goes, it also speaks to the fact that everybody in our company has value, based on who they are and the experience they bring. While each has an area of expertise, the melting pot of perspectives and the open environment in which to express them provides a grounding to our work -- we are different, but we are the same.\n\n<em>Stripes:</em> Winger: C\'mon, it\'s Czechoslovakia. We zip in, we pick \'em up, we zip right out again. We\'re not going to Moscow. It\'s Czechoslovakia. It\'s like we\'re going into Wisconsin. Russell: Well, I got the shit kicked out of me in Wisconsin once.\nWhat can I say about a movie whose tagline was, \"The story of a man who wanted to keep the world safe for democracy...and meet girls\"? Well, a lot actually. This quote is so fitting to what we do every day, because having realistic expectations for any given project is key to getting the job done, and done well. You can never really predict how things will turn out, but going into a job knowing what could happen helps mentally prepare you for possible pitfalls along the way.\n\nOkay, so I know what you\'re thinking: This grown man (me) has based his whole management style on those dirty, ridiculous movies from a decade that most people mock? Well, I\'m here to tell you there\'s a helluva lot more than just silly banter in these films; if you look deeply enough, you can find the meaning of life. Or at least, enough wisdom to keep a company going for 10 years, keep employees feeling inspired about their day-to-day, and keep me laughing my butt off in good times and bad. \"Razzle, Dazzle...and that\'s the fact, Jack.\"\n\n<a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/risky-business-management_b_3868895.html?view=screen\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/risky-business-management_b_3868895.html?view=screen</a>', 'Risky Business: Management Wisdom Gleaned From 80s Movies', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'risky-business-management-wisdom-gleaned-from-80s-movies', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/risky-business-management-wisdom-gleaned-from-80s-movies', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1850, 4, '2013-09-10 14:17:30', '2013-09-10 14:17:30', 'By Joseph Bona\nConsumer product manufacturers have historically focused on just one type of “real estate” — namely, that relatively small amount of shelf space where their brands jockey for attention in the store. But over the past few years, a few manufacturers have been doing deals with landlords to launch spacious retail stores focused exclusively on brands like Chobani Greek Yogurt, McCormick seasonings or Spanx hosiery. Is the goal here to dive into commercial real estate and blanket the country with storefronts along the lines of a Dollar General or a Walgreens? Not likely. However, by opening retail stores focused exclusively on their brands, these companies do stand to accomplish something important: Deepening their connections with consumers.\n\nWhen Chobani launched its New York City yogurt store back in August 2012, it created a kind of church dedicated specifically to the conversion of legions into Chobani evangelists. At the bustling Prince Street store, Chobani fans — foodies, dieters, health nuts and everything in between — delight in sampling and buying all kinds of yogurt creations whipped up on site by highly trained associates. The store may or may not turn a profit, but it definitely tells a good story.\n\nThe most successful stories are often those that can be summed up in just a sentence (“It’s about this 10-year-old wizard who has to stop the world’s most evil villain”). Honing and clarifying the message in this way takes lots of practice. By opening retail stores, in other words, brands gain the opportunity to experiment with their storytelling. The store is, in a sense, a lab in which the company can tinker with product offerings, tweak marketing messages, and absorb data related to the behavior and preferences of loyal customers.\n\nIn Baltimore, McCormick World of Flavors gives McCormick &amp; Co. the opportunity to highlight all of its products in a colorful space filled with the sights, sounds and aromatic smells associated with cooking, baking and grilling. It’s one thing to see an ad for McCormick brands like Old Bay, Vahiné or Grill Mates; it’s quite another to taste expertly seasoned food spiced up on site in the McCormick store. The storefront, which opened in August 2012, even boasts its own line of flavored salsas, olive oils, vinegars and tapenades.\n\nThis is not to suggest that profit is never part of the picture for brand-focused retail stores. The products of the Atlanta-based hosiery company Spanx are famously popular, and so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the company’s stores in Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey and Atlanta actually make money. According to NPD Group, consumers spent $725 million on Spanx and Spanx-like hosiery in the 12-month period that ended on June 30.\n\nHigh-traffic sites such as McCormick’s store — which is located in Harborplace at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, one of the most photographed and visited places in the city —do create another interesting possibility. Because the experience is still fresh in their minds, the thousands of tourists and locals who visit places like McCormick World of Flavors might actually be more likely to shop this brand the next time they go back to their local supermarkets.\n\nBut even if such efforts fail to drive profits for the likes of Spanx, McCormick and Chobani, they can certainly help manufacturers learn valuable lessons about how to be as focused and brand-centric as possible. This is no small feat in an economy in which many brands struggle to connect with customers.\n\nOf course, question marks continue to loom over brick-and-mortar real estate. Critics point out that we now live in a world in which Amazon Prime subscribers can have anything and everything shipped to their homes — for free — with just a few swipes on their iPhones or iPads. But after talking with a few Chobani evangelists about their experiences with the New York store, it seems clear that something clicked for these consumers once they spent some time in that space. With its clarity of message and novel offerings, the store took the brand loyalty of these customers to a new level.\n\nTheoretically, a brick-and-mortar store is the last place you might expect to see buyers of the Apple iPad or Google Glass (the eyeglasses-mounted computer set to go on sale next year), because these are among the most tech-savvy shoppers around. But look at how profitable and jam-packed Apple’s stores happen to be. And consider all the rumors swirling about Google’s alleged plans to sell its Android products and Google Glass in branded retail stores. It all speaks to the advantages of brick-and-mortar real estate.\n\nThrough their experiments as commercial real estate leaseholders, manufacturers can export the most successful experiential elements from their stores — imagery, themes, displays, samples, demonstrations and more — back to the supermarkets or other outlets where their products are sold.\n\nToday, retailers are adopting channel-neutral approaches in which they do their best to reach consumers in whatever ways the consumers prefer. Likewise, manufacturers now appear to be taking something similar to an “omni-channel” approach to brand building. In other words,they see offshoot retail locations as just one of many points of consumer contact, along with the likes of YouTube videos, Facebook pages and, of course, the all-important shelf space in other companies’ stores.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.cpgmatters.com/In-StoreMarketing0913.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.cpgmatters.com/In-StoreMarketing0913.html</a>', 'From Shelf to Storefront: Brand-Building via Retail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'from-shelf-to-storefront-brand-building-via-retail', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/from-shelf-to-storefront-brand-building-via-retail', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1851, 4, '2013-08-14 15:18:25', '2013-08-14 15:18:25', 'By Peter Burgoyne\nCurating the in-store experience is about much more than aesthetics. This can be tough for some designers to swallow. Aesthetic experience, after all, is the reason many of us get out of bed in the morning. For better or for worse, the truth is that everything the customer experiences in the store must reflect the brand experience.\n\nFor example, a few years ago many retailers became obsessed with the idea of marrying nicer visual presentations with exacting approaches to \"SKU rationalization.\" For upscale chains in particular, this disciplined approach was often a good way to improve the look, feel and functionality of the store. But over time, value chains that tried this approach often ended up wanting an annulment. They loved the look of those wide aisles and the minimalist chic of those barebones merchandising strategies. But, the marriage of SKU rationalization and hipness tended to send consumers an unintended message-namely, that this was not a store for bargain-hunters. Value shoppers don\'t mind sasquatch-high shelves heaped with merchandise. If the presentation feels too precious, in fact, they\'ll sense that something is wrong.\n\nDesigners also need to think about how their work will affect those who work inside the store, because virtually every element of the in-store design graphics, lighting, architecture, you name it-will affect how employees feel about the brand.\n\nSo, it is little wonder brand consultants spend so much time encouraging clients to define exactly what they stand for. Once those brand attributes are honed to diamond-like clarity, they can be used to sharpen all other facets of the in-store experience. When a luxe department store chain asked us to DDI I August 2013 redevelop the men\'s collection at its Beverly Hills store, the company had a clear idea-it wanted to present the merchandise \"as a fusion of an and fashion.\" So, we created several unexpected sculptural elements. For example, we fused glowing, translucent, acrylic surfaces into the wood lattice structure of the fitting room. These and other architectural moments sent the message the chain wanted: \"You will find the very best fashion here.\"\n\nFor Duane Reade, our rebranding campaign emphasized the local connection, not only to New York, but also to specific neighborhoods within it. For the Wall Street store, (or instance, we brought in on-the-go elements, like a shoeshine stand, a sushi bar, a cafe, and a hair and nail salon. In hip Williamsburg, we created a growler bar with gritty urban graphics. When supported by a strong, foundational brand strategy, such amenities can bring real relevance.\n\nAnd, of course, the look and feel of any and all apps, mobile-optimized websites and the like must also be brand-resonant, because these days the customer experience tends to begin long before the shopper walks into the store. Hair Cuttery is working with us to develop a new app that allows customers to book appointments right from their phones. When you wait one or two minutes instead of 30, it is a very different in-store experience indeed.\n\nDesigners tend to derive a lot of joy from aesthetics. But, the good ones also tend to love storytelling every bit as much. This is precisely what makes curating the in-store experience so much fun. After all, it takes a lot of creativity to weave compelling narratives out of such disparate elements.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201308/#/74\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201308/#/74</a>', 'Curating the in-store experience', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'curating-the-in-store-experience-2', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/curating-the-in-store-experience-2', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1852, 4, '2013-08-19 19:59:25', '2013-08-19 19:59:25', 'By Todd Maute\nCompetition has always been heavy in retail. But, for a variety of reason, it has turned into a veritable slugfest over the past few years. Amid such trends as consolidation, Internet retailing and product commoditization, retailers have just a few ways in which to set themselves apart. Virtually all of these differentiators hinge on one thing: brand.\n\nThis is why pharmacies have been working so hard to make progress in brand development and private label branding in particular. The goal is twofold: First, drug chains aim to strengthen consumer impressions in ways that have more to do with emotions and psychology than mechanistic, tactical approaches along the lines of, \"Can we have the lowest price on the street?” Second, they want to capture incremental share from other trade classes, and even health services companies.\n\nAnd so, certain chains are now being far more precise about private label branding in the pharmacy context. Walmart, for one, uses its catchall Equate brand for generalized, over-the counter products such as medicine, vitamins and personal care items. But the discounter doesn’t just segment by category: Its ReliOn brand speaks to a specific customer segment -people with diabetes.\n\nOther chains have created multiple tiers of attractive, high-quality brands, from value all the way up to premium. In June, for example, CVS/ pharmacy announced that it had added a premium tier to its redesign Gold Emblem consumables brand. The company also offers more than 100 beauty products via Nuance Salma Hayek. Duane Reade\'s DeLish is another example of a private label brand carefully tiered to the preferences and needs of specific consumers.\n\nAll of this is taking place, of course, amid a revolution in private label that has evolved over the past 20 years or so. Thanks to this revolution, the product and packaging quality of private label brands has risen dramatically.\nLittle wonder the consumer perception of these products is so favorable. Studies have shown that most shoppers now believe private label brands are every bit as good as the nationals. Research also shows that companies with the strongest private label brands also tend to have the highest customer loyalty. And isn\'t that what everyone is shooting for?\n\nIn general, though, pharmacies still have a way to go on private label. Some chains are weak in certain categories and strong in others, but the improvements in private label image have to do with the bigger picture.\n\nAll too often, pharmacies rely on what might be described as product-led strategies. In a product-led approach, somebody else develops the product and it\'s the retailer\'s job to determine what brand it might fit in (often driven purely by the quality level of the product itself) and then roll out the line. In a brand-led strategy, by contrast, the pharmacy relies on market and customer research to develop a long-term branding initiative specifically matched to its core customers, the consumers it wants to woo moving forward, as well as the overall brand image it wants to promote.\n\nWhen Walgreens wanted to cultivate health and wellness as a platform, for example, it looked first at research demonstrating the big population of health conscious and environmentally aware people who shopped the store. Only after creating and developing Ology, its green-and healthy private brand, did Walgreens go looking for products.\n\nSuch brand-led strategies can yield a host of benefits. A few years ago, A&amp;P started a health-and-wellness program called Live Better! It was more a marketing platform than a true brand, but Live Better! proved a big hit with shoppers. This persuaded A&amp;P to transform it into a private label brand by bringing Live Better! to the 0-T-C drug arena. And so now, instead of generic aspirin, consumers shop for Live Better! Aspirin. They have grown accustomed to a lifestyle brand that speaks to their needs. A&amp;P has continued this initiative by expanding Live Better! to the perimeter fresh department and even perish able produce items. And why not? Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is part and parcel of a healthier lifestyle, and that makes it a natural extension of Live Better!\n\nAnother example is Duane Reade\'s Good &amp; DeLish. Created in partnership with CBX, this brand demonstrates how customer insights and desired positioning can drive brand development. Here, the New York City chain took a close look at its affluent customer base and saw an opportunity to sell more premium food. Duane Reade had a deep understanding of its customers and their preferences. DeLish as a brand name offers a touch of urban slang that you would hear in the city. For Duane Reade, this positioning is all about the tag line \"New York living made easy.\" By offering a premium brand of food that New Yorkers could relate to, Duane Reade saw a surefire way to connect with its core customers. With each product addition to this brand – premium cookies, candies, pastas - Duane Reade has been able to make this brand\'s story come to life in its customers\' minds.\n\nThis is an approach to private label in which brands are literally regarded as assets. A few short years ago Duane Reade was a different chain. Its New York City stores were located on some fantastic corners, but the experience inside them was anything but inspiring. Then its owners made a serious investment in customer-facing improvements geared toward reinvigorating the stores. A key part of this strategy was a brand-led approach to private label.\n\nIn creating DeLish, Duane Reade knew it had a target customer who would buy premium- type products. It then sourced products for the brand rather than going the other way around. When Walgreens acquired Duane Reade in 2010, CEO Greg Wasson lauded this brand-led strategy, citing Duane Reade\'s \"recent initiatives in urban retailing, customer loyalty and private brand products.\" The Duane Reade nameplate had been transformed into an asset, and private label had a lot to do with it.\n\nBy thinking about private label a bit differently - namely, as a marketing tool versus a margin enhancer- pharmacies can set themselves apart, bolster shopper loyalty, improve price perception and, at the same time, boost their bottom lines through the higher gross margins private label products deliver. But they can\'t do this alone. Operationally, it is critical to partner with the right set of manufacturers and to rely on best-in-class consumer metrics. The best pharmacies think of their private label vendors as partners, not as mere procurement sources. They work together to create a reason for customers to believe in a brand. They also merchandise with pride, and promote their brands as though they were national leaders - not lower-tier alternatives.\n\nIn reality, the statistics for private label are positive, but should retail pharmacies be satisfied with the considerable progress they have made thus far? Clearly there is more work to be done. By taking a step back and working with brand-led approaches, pharmacies can push private label to the next level.\n\nChain Drug Review, August 19th 2013', 'Time is now for pharmacies to ramp up private label', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'time-is-now-for-pharmacies-to-ramp-up-private-label', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/time-is-now-for-pharmacies-to-ramp-up-private-label', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1853, 4, '2013-09-17 16:32:40', '2013-09-17 16:32:40', '<strong>Chobani, Spanx and other brands are learning valuable lessons by launching their own brick-and-mortar stores, writes CBX executive in online column for CPGmatters.</strong>\nBy opening storefronts focused exclusively on their own brands, the likes of Chobani Greek Yogurt, McCormick seasonings and Spanx hosiery are showing other consumer product manufacturers how brick-and-mortar real estate can be used creatively to strengthen ties to consumers, writes Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in the early September issue of CPGmatters, a twice-monthly e-zine designed to help makers of consumer packaged goods build brands through retail.\n\n“By opening retail stores, brands gain the opportunity to experiment with their storytelling,” writes the veteran store designer. “The store is, in a sense, a lab in which the company can tinker with product offerings, tweak marketing messages, and absorb data related to the behavior and preferences of loyal customers.”\n\nIn the column, titled “From Shelf to Storefront: Brand-Building via Retail,” Bona notes that few consumer product manufacturers aim to blanket the country with retail stores along the lines of Dollar General or Walgreens. Rather, the focus is on sharpening the brand and learning as much as possible about the tastes and preferences of their loyal customers.\n\n“When Chobani launched its New York City yogurt store back in August 2012, it created a kind of church dedicated specifically to the conversion of legions into Chobani evangelists,” Bona writes. “At the bustling Prince Street store, Chobani fans—foodies, dieters, health nuts and everything in between—delight in sampling and buying all kinds of yogurt creations whipped up on site by highly trained associates. The store may or may not turn a profit, but it definitely tells a good story.”\n\nLikewise, Baltimore’s McCormick World of Flavors gives McCormick &amp; Co. the opportunity to highlight all of its products in a colorful space filled with the sights, sounds and aromatic smells associated with cooking, baking and grilling, Bona writes. “It’s one thing to see an ad for McCormick brands like Old Bay, Vahiné or Grill Mates; it’s quite another to taste expertly seasoned food spiced up on site in the McCormick store,” he notes.\n\nQuestion marks continue to loom over the ultimate fate of brick-and-mortar real estate, with critics pointing to the efficiency and tremendous growth of Amazon and the rise of mobile commerce via smartphones and tablets. “But after talking with a few Chobani evangelists about their experiences with the New York store, it seems clear that something clicked for these consumers once they spent some time in that space,” Bona writes. “With its clarity of message and novel offerings, the store took the brand loyalty of these customers to a new level.”\n\nEven tech giants like Apple and Google see the upside of brick-and-mortar, Bona writes. Rumors are swirling about the possibility of brick-and-mortar stores focused on selling Google’s Android products and Google Glass, the eyeglasses-mounted computer set to go on sale next year, he notes. “And look at how profitable and jam-packed Apple’s stores happen to be. It all speaks to the advantages of brick-and-mortar real estate.”\n\nThrough their experiments as commercial real estate leaseholders, manufacturers can export the most successful experiential elements from their stores—imagery, themes, displays, samples, demonstrations and more—back to the supermarkets or other outlets where their products are sold, Bona adds. Indeed, these companies appear to be embracing something similar to retailers’ increasingly popular “omni-channel” focus. “In other words,” Bona writes in the conclusion to the piece, “they see offshoot retail locations as just one of many points of consumer contact, along with the likes of YouTube videos, Facebook pages and, of course, the all-important shelf space in other companies’ stores.”', 'Consumer Brands Boots Loyalty by Opening Storefronts, Bona writes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'consumer-brands-boots-loyalty-by-opening-storefronts-bona-write', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/consumer-brands-boots-loyalty-by-opening-storefronts-bona-write', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1854, 4, '2013-09-18 16:23:26', '2013-09-18 16:23:26', '<strong>Headquarters:</strong>New York\n\n<strong>Key Projects:</strong>\nSaks Fifth Avenue, Beverly Hills, Calif. (shown); Duane Reade, multiple New York locations; Lord &amp; Taylor, Philadelphia; RadioShack, multiple U.S. locations; Terpel, Colombia\n\n<a href=\"http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201309/#/46\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201309/#/46</a>', 'CBX Design Firm of the Year', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-design-firm-of-the-year', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-design-firm-of-the-year', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1855, 4, '2013-09-09 17:28:22', '2013-09-09 17:28:22', 'A weekly roundup of small-business developments.What’s affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners today.\n\n<strong>Washington</strong>\nHere are <a href=\"http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2013/09/update-four-charts-to-track-timing-for.html?\" target=\"_blank\">four charts</a> that will help you track whether the Federal Reserve will taper its quantitative easing.\nIt seems the sequestration budget cuts are hurting small consulting firms: “The $85 billion in budget cuts officially began March 1, but owners like LaJuanna Russell started feeling the effect last summer. Government employees cut contracts in advance, anticipating they’d lose funding. Among those badly hurt were businesses that provide training and consulting services not considered essential. Like Russell, they’ve had to lay off workers as their revenue plunged.”\n\n<strong>Start-Ups</strong>\nMark Cuban’s <a href=\"http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222524\" target=\"_blank\">12 rules</a> for starting a company.\n\n<strong>Employees</strong>\nThis <a href=\"http://econintersect.com/b2evolution/blog1.php/2013/09/08/infographic-of-the-day-do-business-owners-and-employees-see-eye-to-eye\" target=\"_blank\">infographic</a> examines whether employees and business owners see eye-to-eye when it comes to how they view their companies.\nAn organization with 30 employees <a href=\"http://recruiterbox.com/blog/top-5-hr-time-savers/\" target=\"_blank\">wastes more than 150 hours</a> — or four weeks — every year tracking vacations.\n\n<strong>Management</strong>\nResearch reveals that more business travelers are <a href=\"http://www.tourism-review.com/business-travelers-mix-work-with-vacations-news3834\" target=\"_blank\">taking time for themselves</a> as well.\nGregg S. Lipman says there is much management wisdom that <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/risky-business-management_b_3868895.html\" target=\"_blank\">you can glean from ’80s movies</a> like “Stripes”: “What can I say about a movie whose tagline was, ‘The story of a man who wanted to keep the world safe for democracy … and meet girls’? Well, a lot actually. This quote is so fitting to what we do every day, because having realistic expectations for any given project is key to getting the job done, and done well.”\n\n<strong>Around the Country</strong>\nMore than a thousand people near Los Angeles stood in a line on Saturday to get a taste of the <a href=\"http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/food/la-dd-ramen-burger-la-first-taste-20130907,0,682944.story\" target=\"_blank\">Ramen Burger</a>.\n\n<strong>Social Media</strong>\nHere are <a href=\"http://mashable.com/2013/09/06/vine-brands/\" target=\"_blank\">15 brands</a> doing great on Vine.\nBelle Beth Cooper sums up <a href=\"http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2013/09/07/a-scientific-guide-to-posting-tweets-facebook-posts-emails-and-blog-posts-at-the-best-time/\" target=\"_blank\">the best times to tweet, post, blog and send your e-mails</a>. For example: “Seventy percent of users say they read blogs in the morning, and Mondays are the highest traffic days for an average blog.”\n\nTechnology\nApple’s new iPhone will <a href=\"http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/09/07/iphone-finger-print/2777849/\" target=\"_blank\">read your fingerprints</a>, but Amazon may be building a smartphone that will sell for … <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/amazon-smartphone-free_n_3882721.html\" target=\"_blank\">nothing</a>.\n\n<a href=\"http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/today-in-small-business-mark-cubans-rules/?_r=1\" target=\"_blank\">http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/today-in-small-business-mark-cubans-rules/?_r=1</a>', 'Today in Small Business: Mark Cuban’s Rules', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'today-in-small-business-mark-cubans-rules', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:13', '2018-09-27 17:42:13', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/today-in-small-business-mark-cubans-rules', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1856, 4, '2013-09-24 20:35:38', '2013-09-24 20:35:38', '<em>This year\'s Store Design Contest winners represent a whole new class of convenience</em>\nAs the convenience store industry continues to elevate its offerings, consumers are continuously raising their expectations. Some might say they\'re becoming \"convenience connoisseurs.\"\n\nC-store retailers, as a result, are churning out new stores that are larger than ever before, made with higher-quality materials than ever before, offer more products and services than ever before – and perhaps most importantly, tap into the spoken and unspoken desires of customers.\n\nThe winners of this year\'s Convenience Store News Store Design Contest reinvent the corner store and redefine what a c-store should be. From Bolla Market\'s marble bathrooms, wood-grain gondolas and black tile flooring, to Wawa\'s \"fresh and inviting\" point of view, to Jubitz Travel Center\'s ability to bring the natural outdoor beauty of Oregon inside, these award-winning designs are sure to please even the most discerning convenience connoisseur.\n\nThe CSNews design awards, now in their eighth year, honor convenience retailers who have created the most exciting, innovative and shopper-friendly looks for their stores. Entries are judged on innovation, creativity and the positive impact of the overall design on the business.\n\nHere, we highlight the winners and honorable mentions for Best Original Store Design (a new build), Best Interior Design (also a new build), Sky\'s the Limit Remodel (more than $250,000), Best Mid-Budget Remodel ($100,000 to $250,000) and Best Low-Cost Remodel (less than $100,000).\n\nThe winners in specialty categories, such as Best Exterior Design and Best Fountain Presentation, will be featured in the October issue of Convenience Store News.\n\n<strong>Best Original Store Design</strong>\nHonorable Mention: Wawa\nOrlando, Fla.\n\nAlready deeply entrenched in the Mid-Atlantic market, Pennsylvania-based Wawa Inc. approached design firm CBX in 2009 for help in writing the next chapter in the convenience store chain\'s story – expansion into a new market for the first time in its 200-year history.\n\nWawa\'s plans to enter Florida, specifically the Orlando and Tampa areas, served as a catalyst for it to reexamine its brand equity not only for the Sunshine State, but also in its core market.\n\nCBX was called upon to help the retailer figure out how to successfully evolve the \"fresh and inviting\" essence and personality of the Wawa brand to be relevant in the new market, while at the same time taking a synergistic approach in its core market to ensure brand consistency.\n\nWawa\'s new store design was developed by staying true to the overarching point-of-view of \"fresh and inviting.\" After exploring how far it could stretch the unique customer experience on both an emotional and functional spectrum, the concept of \"residential\" was chosen.\n\nThe residential design utilizes familiar architecture for the exterior, evoking the feeling of home by using a creamy, soft color palette and natural finishes. For the interior, natural light, high ceilings, architectural detailing and rich textures are used to harmoniously tie back to the exterior.\n\nThe new concept also positions Wawa as a food destination rather than just another c-store through the use of \"fresh cues.\" Natural materials, warm colors and ties to the kitchen bring a sense of freshness to the interior. In addition, the visible food preparation area, coffee section, fresh baked goods and walk-in refreshment cooler further speak to the concept of communal kitchen.\n\nWawa\'s first Florida store sporting this design debuted in Orlando on July 18, 2012.\n\n<strong>Best Low-Cost Remodel, Honorable Mention</strong>\nTerpel\nBogota, Columbia\nOwner: Organizacíon Terpel\nDesigner: CBX\n\nIt was a collaboration that transcended continents, with the common goal being to create a compelling design that Bogota, Colombia-based Organización Terpel could implement for the next 10 years. Working with New York-based design firm CBX, Terpel was able to create a fresh new look, from its corporate logo to the architecture of its retail locations.\n\n\"Our role was to reinforce Terpel\'s ongoing commitment to providing quality products and services, but with a new view toward being one of Colombia\'s most innovative and forward-thinking companies,\" said Joseph Bona, president of branded environments at CBX. \"We examined the entire customer journey experience, from the curb to the pump and convenience store, to the car wash and lube bay. Equally important while designing the new ground-up prototype, we also developed a ‘retrofittable\' design approach for adaptation to [its] existing portfolio of facilities.\"\n\nCBX\'s design and strategy teams worked closely with Asburn, Va.-based The Murphy Group LLC, which independently consulted Terpel on business strategies. The collaborative result is a modern and low-cost solution to remodel Terpel\'s retail network, which includes 1,460 service stations, 28 supply plants and operations in 20 Colombian airports.\n\nThe outdoor station upgrades include a reinvented canopy, LED lighting, a pylon and fuel island, as well as a high-tech car wash that can clean a car in 3.5 minutes.\n\nInside, Terpel is rolling out four convenience store formats – alto, toque, altoque and deuna – each with \"impeccable restrooms\" and their own amenities. Descriptions for altoque and deuna stores are not yet available, but according to Terpel\'s corporate website, alto stores currently offer customers \"the best traditional Colombian food, snacks, refreshing beverages and sweets,\" as well as Wi-Fi and ATMs. At toque stores, customers will be able to use Skype while touchscreen ordering beverages, snacks and coffee.\n\nTerpel\'s new design debuted in January. As of June, the company had remodeled 27 stations. Its first complete site with a new c-store, canopy, lube bay and car wash is expected to open this year.\n\n<strong>Best Original Store Design</strong>\nNOCO Express\nLancaster, N.Y.\nOwner: NOCO Inc.\nDesigner: Paragon Solutions Inc., TRM Architects\n\n<strong>Best Original Store Design, Honorable Mention</strong>\nWawa\nOrlando, Fla.\nOwner: Wawa Inc.\nDesigner: CBX\n\n<strong>Best Interior Design</strong>\nCorner Store\nHarris County, Texas\nOwner: CST Brands Inc.\nDesigner: Antista Fairclough\n\n<strong>Best Interior Design, Honorable Mention</strong>\nBolla Market\nBrooklyn, N.Y.\nOwner: Bolla Management Corp.\n\nSky\'s the Limit Remodel\nJubitz Travel Center\nPortland, Ore.\nOwner: Jubitz Corp.\nDesigner: Paragon Solutions Inc.\n\n<strong>Sky\'s the Limit Remodel, Honorable Mention</strong>\nCruizers\nRaleigh, N.C.\nOwner: Holmes Oil Co.\nDesigner: Paragon Solutions Inc.\n\n<strong>Best Mid-Budget Remodel</strong>\nHigh\'s\nEdgewater, Md.\nOwner: High\'s of Baltimore LLC\nDesigner: L2M Architects\n\n<strong>Best Mid-Budget Remodel, Honorable Mention</strong>\nIdaza\nRio do Sul and Curitiba, Brazil\nOwner: Idaza Distribuidora de Petróleo\nDesigner: Gabriela Cervi, Gge Design\n\n<strong>Best Low-Cost Remodel</strong>\nEarth Market\nFrankfort, Ill.\nOwner: Atlas Oil Co.\nDesigner: Xcel Construction, Paragon Solutions Inc., GSP Marketing\n\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/article-reinventing_the_corner_store-6196.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.csnews.com/article-reinventing_the_corner_store-6196.html</a>', 'Reinventing the Corner Store', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'reinventing-the-corner-store', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/reinventing-the-corner-store', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1857, 4, '2013-10-01 17:14:58', '2013-10-01 17:14:58', '<strong>Retailer Innovator of the Year Wawa recreates and enhances its brand in a new market</strong>\nTo say that Floridian consumers were desperately in need of a Wawa fix might be an overstatement. But then again, maybe not, according to posts on the Pennsylvania-based chain\'s heavily trafficked Facebook page.\n\n\"Desperately waiting for Sarasota FL Wawa\'s! Since moving from NJ having serious withdrawal!!!\" wrote one Florida convenience store customer.\n	\n\n\"Can\'t wait until the one opens on 301 and MLK and the one on Hillsborough across from the Hard Rock – that will be TWO Wawas within a mile of me – doin\' the happy Wawa dance,\" another giddy Floridian recently posted on Wawa\'s Facebook page, which has accumulated more than 1 million \"likes.\" The only convenience store retailer with more Facebook likes is 7-Eleven. The international retailer has more than 3 million likes, but 10 times as many stores as Wawa.\n\n\nWawa opened its first Florida store – and first store outside its traditional Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland-Virginia market area – on July 18, 2012, in Orlando. The chain opened its 25th Sunshine State store just last month, also in the central Florida area, and now operates more than 630 convenience stores.\n\n\nThe fact that Wawa\'s leap of almost 1,000 miles south of its traditional markets has met or exceeded all expectations is \"frankly humbling,\" Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens said in an exclusive interview with Convenience Store News.\n\n\n\"From the beginning, one of our mantras was that we had only one chance to make a great first impression,\" said Gheysens, who noted that the expansion has not been without its \"learning experiences\" for the company.\n\n\nTo make this great first impression, Wawa needed to do more than just transplant its Mid-Atlantic store model to the South. \"We felt we needed a fresh design, driven by the psychology of the Florida customer. The new store design has really informed the majority of people who didn\'t previously know Wawa and what the brand stands for: fresh, great-quality food and beverages, and convenience.\"\n\n\nAlways one of the leading innovators in the c-store industry, Wawa in the past year seems to be taking convenience retailing to a new level. With its successful entry into Florida, innovative use of social media, a mobile app initiative and continued focus on the consumer, Wawa has been selected by the editors of CSNews as the 2013 Retailer Innovator of the Year.\n\n\nTo introduce itself to customers in central Florida, Wawa worked with store design firm CBX to unveil the retailer\'s first major new store concept since the late 1990s. The new design uses \"fresh\" decorating cues such as natural materials, floor to ceiling glass windows, warm colors, an outdoor seating area and a redesigned, highly visible kitchen/sandwich-making area.\n\n\n\"When you walk into the store, you see people making food, as well as digital signs romancing the offer,\" said Gheysens. \"There\'s no mistaking that we are in the fresh food and fresh beverage business.\" (Editor\'s note: Wawa\'s new store concept won an Honorable Mention award in September in the 2013 CSNews Store Design Contest.)\n\n\nAnother new innovation at its Florida stores is the institution of \"ambassadors\" at the front door to introduce people to the Wawa experience as they walk in. These associates are armed with an iPad-type, touchscreen ordering device. \"They have been very successful at walking customers through our offer, our culture and helping show them how to shop at a Wawa. They help to demystify the Wawa experience,\" the chief executive explained.\n\n\nAs mentioned earlier, Wawa\'s expansion into Florida didn\'t happen without resulting in \"learning experiences\" for the c-store retailer. But it\'s a testament to the company\'s innovative thinking that it has turned potential pitfalls into opportunities.\n\n\n\"We\'ve learned quite a bit,\" Gheysens noted. \"We hold ourselves to high standards for customer service and we found we did not build the associate side of the store sufficiently to handle the high volume of business we did right out of the gate in Florida.\"\n	\n\nThe retailer found itself scrambling from the grand opening on July 18, 2012. To get customers in and out of the store within five minutes, Wawa quickly put in a speaker system for announcing to customers by order number when their food was ready for pickup at the counter.\n\n\nThe chain also needed to redesign the kitchen layout to make room for more sandwich-making equipment in order to handle orders more quickly. Subsequent Florida stores were built with more kitchen space to handle the high-velocity sandwich operation. Unexpectedly high initial sales also spurred the company to expand in other areas, such as its specialty espresso drinks and new milkshakes. Backroom storage space was also expanded at some stores.\n\n\nThe brand ambassador idea spurred more creative thinking as the retailer introduced expediters to work alongside the customer lines and take orders before they get to the counter.\n\nEven the outdoor seating concept has proven to be a happy \"learning experience\" for the retailer. Originally installed in the Florida stores to reinforce the food and beverage message, the seating areas are becoming very popular and heavily used by customers. So now, \"we are asking ourselves, how can we make it more functional?\" Gheysens told CSNews.\n\nAfter opening 25 stores in its first 13 months in Florida, Wawa expects to have 30 to 45 stores in the central Florida region by the end of this year. The company is currently pursuing more sites for ground-up units and its goal is to open between 20 and 25 stores per year in the area.\n</br>\n<strong>GETTING SOCIAL & GOING MOBILE</strong>\n\n\"People love to engage with our brand,\" Gheysens said.\n\nThe company sees the benefits of using social media from both a community and brand perspective. Wawa\'s 1 million-plus likes puts it among the top 1 percent of pages on Facebook. It also has more than 23,000 Twitter \"followers.\"\n\n\nThe secret to its success? \"We try to let our authentic voice come through and you can see that customers really love to have a personal engagement with us,\" the CEO said.\n\nWawa\'s call center monitors all its social media sites on a 24/7 basis and attempts to respond to all customer feedback in a voice consistent with the company\'s brand message.\n\nUnlike many other c-store retailers who struggle with measuring their return on investment from social and digital media, Wawa feels it has a good handle on its social media investments. \"We measure all our advertising media and we feel the return we get on social media is one of the highest of any media we utilize,\" said Gheysens.\n\nIn the future, he said Wawa will be more focused on doing product promotions online and through social media, but the ultimate aim of its social and digital media initiatives is to help the retailer \"simplify our customers\' daily life.\"\n\nToward that end, Wawa is currently in the process of developing its first mobile app, which is expected to debut next year. \"We\'re taking our time with this,\" cautioned Gheysens. \"We want to integrate our app completely with the experience at the store level.\"\n\nWithout getting into specifics, he ticked off some of the possible app components that would fulfill its mission:\n\n    Provide the ability to order and pay via the customer\'s mobile device. This could even be triggered automatically within a geographic perimeter of the store to which the customer is headed, or by a touch of the thumb.\n    Provide nutritional information for food offerings.\n    Find the lowest gas prices within a geographic range of the customer\'s mobile device.\n\n\"We know that 70 percent of our customers have a smartphone,\" noted Gheysens. \"And we know that a significant number of people at 4 p.m. don\'t know what they are having for dinner that evening. What Amazon.com has done to online retailing [in terms of speed of delivery and customizing offerings to customers] is going to happen to brick-and-mortar retailing. Mobile offers us the opportunity to do tailored marketing to customer-specific needs and to target offers to them that resonate better than anyone else\'s.\"\n\nGheysens described Wawa as more of a \"fast follower\" than a leader in innovation. Nevertheless, the c-store retailer\'s decentralized innovation process has made it \"very successful.\"\n\nMost of the focus of the past few years has been on product innovation, according to Gheysens. \"But now, we are thinking more about the process of innovation with the aim of getting ideas through the pipeline faster,\" he said. So, in addition to the product innovation being explored in the food area, the company is also looking at innovation in customer technology.\n\nGheysens expects product innovation will always be important, but customer technology and innovations in customer experience will be new areas that will extend and enhance the Wawa brand going forward.\n\nThe leap into Florida was certainly the high point of the past year for Wawa. Gheysens believes Wawa has not only made a great first impression, but it is continuing to build brand awareness and satisfaction with customers for the long term.\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/article-a_great_first_impression-6321.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.csnews.com/article-a_great_first_impression-6321.html</a>', 'A Great First Impression', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-great-first-impression', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/a-great-first-impression', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1858, 4, '2013-10-02 20:14:26', '2013-10-02 20:14:26', '<div></div><div></div>\nA new 16,000-square-foot grocery store in Chester, Pa., is the city’s first in a decade. And although it boasts a design reminiscent of what consumers would find in a for-profit supermarket, the store — which made its debut in late September — is claiming to be the first nonprofit grocery store of its kind.\n\nFare &amp; Square opened in a former grocery building purchased by hunger relief organization Philabundance. It gives residents of Chester — one of 35 food deserts in the Delaware Valley, according to the USDA — easy access to a full range of fresh and nutritious national brand and private label foods, said CBX, a New York-based brand agency and retail design consultancy involved with the store’s development. The store places a special focus on offering fresh produce and meats, deli, dairy, seafood, frozen foods and a full range of food staples at everyday low prices.\n\nPhilabundance hopes to replicate this model in other communities in the Delaware Valley region.\nWhen planning the prototype, the organization asked CBX to create an environment that would “reflect the hopeful and respectful nature of Philabundance’s goal to serve Chester residents through a store that could look at home in any community,” explained Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments. In the works for nearly a year, the resulting store features fixtures, lighting, flooring and other elements that would be at home in for-profit supermarkets. It also boasts a one-of-kind mural designed to showcase the spirit of Chester.\n\nThe colorful Fare &amp; Square logo — a simple drawing of a purple carrot with green tops attached and the words “Fare &amp; Square” set in a rounded-corner square — designed by Philabundance and LevLane Advertising, provided CBX inspiration for the overall palette of bright green and shades of saturated purple with splashes of yellow and orange. Modern elements such as light wood and stainless steel trim round out the palette, CBX stated.\n\n“The palette is designed to make Fare &amp; Square an energizing and inspiring, but comfortable, place to shop and congregate,” Bona said.\n\nCustomers entering the store will immediately see large displays of produce arrayed on tilt-style tables, while pendant lighting above the displays draws attention to its freshness and quality, CBX noted. A wide variety of additional fruits and vegetables can be found in fresh food fixtures lining the walls. Consistent with for-profit grocery stores, Fare &amp; Square perimeter departments also include dairy, deli, fresh meat and seafood.\n\nShoppers easily can navigate the store’s central core for canned and packaged staples, as well as frozen foods, thanks to hanging aisle-marker signage and enticing end-cap displays, CBX explained. Flooring throughout is vinyl, which is easy on both the backs and feet of employees and customers. Near the store’s exit, a centralized checkout with multiple lanes has been designed to quickly assist shoppers through the bagging process.\n\n“In the same spirit as we welcome customers through the front door, we also wanted that last image as they exited the store to leave a positive impression,” Bona noted.\n\nUnder its not-for-profit grocery store model, Fare &amp; Square strives to provide a customer-focused shopping experience and partners with local organizations and businesses to provide a range of services to the community in a meaningful and memorable way, CBX said.\n\n“We designed a neighborhood store that’s clean, well lit, functional, convenient and friendly, but it’s also a place that the community can call their own, instilling a sense of optimism, pride and connection,” Bona pointed out.\n\nBill Clark, president and executive of Philadelphia-based Philabundance, noted that the project has been in the works for a number of years, and he’s glad to see it fully built.\n\n“Convenient access to nutritious food is a growing and complex problem across the country and in the Delaware Valley, and one that requires a complex solution,” Clark said. “We have worked on this concept for seven years, and are thrilled to see it come to fruition to help the residents of Chester.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.plstorebrands.com/top-story-philadelphia_area_food_desert_welcomes_nonprofit_grocer-4357.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.plstorebrands.com/top-story-philadelphia_area_food_desert_welcomes_nonprofit_grocer-4357.html</a>', 'Philadelphia-area food desert welcomes nonprofit grocer', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'philadelphia-area-food-desert-welcomes-nonprofit-grocer', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/philadelphia-area-food-desert-welcomes-nonprofit-grocer', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1859, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:06', '2018-09-27 16:52:06', '', 'DUANEREADE9_brewyork1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'duanereade9_brewyork1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:06', '2018-09-27 16:52:06', '', 1597, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/DUANEREADE9_brewyork1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1860, 4, '2013-10-01 16:06:18', '2013-10-01 16:06:18', 'Philadelphia-based hunger relief organization Philabundance has opened a new grocery store called Fare &amp; Square in Chester, Pa. The 13,000-sq.-ft. store marks the country’s first-ever nonprofit grocery concept. The company brought in New York-based CBX to help design the new store, which features six departments: produce, deli, fresh meat, seafood, dairy, frozen and dry goods, featuring brand name and private labels. With a free annual membership, customers will have access to fresh produce, meats, dairy, seafood and frozen foods at low prices.<a href=\" http://www.ddionline.com/displayanddesignideas/industry-news/Philabundance-Opens--10259.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.ddionline.com/displayanddesignideas/industry-news/Philabundance-Opens--10259.shtml</a>', 'Philabundance Opens First U.S. Nonprofit Grocery Store', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'philabundance-opens-first-u-s-nonprofit-grocery-store', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/philabundance-opens-first-u-s-nonprofit-grocery-store', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1861, 4, '2013-10-03 16:03:06', '2013-10-03 16:03:06', '<strong>Celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, the New York City-based brand agency and retail design firm is among the winners of DDI’s prestigious Portfolio Awards 2013.</strong>\nCBX was named a “Design Firm of the Year” in Display &amp; Design Ideas magazine’s Portfolio Awards 2013. The New York-based brand agency and retail design consultancy, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, was also lauded for its contribution to one of the “Best Store Designs of the Year”—the redesign of Saks Fifth Avenue’s men’s store in Beverly Hills, Calif.\n\nDDI’s annual Portfolio Awards are the result of a reader-driven survey in which high-level retail and contract design professionals offer their picks for the best in design and branding over the past year. “The people, projects and companies highlighted in this annual awards program directly reflect what the readers of this magazine—your retail design peers—think to be the best and the brightest in the industry,” write DDI’s editors in the introduction to the awards feature, which appears in the magazine’s September issue.\n\nIn recognizing CBX as one of the five Design Firms of the Year, DDI’s editors pointed to CBX’s work on such diverse projects as Duane Reade’s New York City stores; Lord &amp; Taylor, metro Philadelphia; Saks Fifth Avenue’s Beverly Hills men’s store; Radio Shack locations across the United States; and the Terpel convenience stores and fuel centers in Columbia.\n\nIn the “Best Store Designs of the Year” category, the firm was recognized for its contribution to the transformation of Saks’ men’s store in Beverly Hills into The Fifth Man, a 54,000-square-foot, four-level lifestyle store. The project was led by Saks’ in-house design team with the assistance of CBX and Los Angeles-based Marmol Radziner.\n\n“The article quoted one of the slogans that guide us when we’re working on such projects: ‘Engage customers with the brand and every touch-point,’” noted CBX’s Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments. “We’re proud to have been able to achieve this goal for our clients. We’re also very grateful for receiving this recognition from our colleagues in the industry, who live and breathe design and branding and do not give kudos lightly.”\n\nCBX’s leadership team is celebrating the brand agency’s tenth anniversary this month, and reflecting back on a decade of growth in the areas of consumer branding, corporate branding and retail environments. The agency was founded in 2003 by four of the partners who continue in senior leadership roles today – Gregg Lipman, Managing Partner; Nancy Brown, Managing Director/Partner; Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer/Partner, and Richard Villante, Partner. A fifth partner, Todd Maute, Chief Retail Officer, joined the firm in 2007. Today, CBX is based in New York\'s Flatiron District, with another office in Minneapolis, and has more than 130 employees. Nearly a quarter of these professionals have been with the firm for more than seven years, Lipman noted.\n\n“By pushing the bounds of creativity to help our clients innovate and expand, we have grown tremendously over the past decade—personally, professionally and as a company,” he said. “But to a remarkable extent, our evolution has and continues to be client-driven. During an early-stage planning session years ago, we asked, ‘What does CBX want to be when it grows up?’ We continue to believe in our answer: ‘We will go where our clients allow us and trust us to go.’”', 'Retail Experts Name CBX A \"Design Firm of the Year\"', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'retail-experts-name-cbx-a-design-firm-of-the-year', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/retail-experts-name-cbx-a-design-firm-of-the-year', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1862, 4, '2013-10-01 15:07:47', '2013-10-01 15:07:47', '<strong>Using sights, sounds and smells to enliven a Manila mall.</strong>\r\nBy Peter Burgoyne\r\n\r\nIf the age of the category killers and cookie-cutter retail lineups flattened the customer experience, our job today is to make it three-dimensional again. As I detailed in an earlier post, this was our strategy in Oct. 2011 after the Philippine conglomerate Store Specialists Inc. (SSI) hired us to design the interior of a luxe mall in Manila.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/uncommon-areas\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/uncommon-areas</a>', 'Uncommon Areas', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'uncommon-areas', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/uncommon-areas', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1863, 4, '2013-10-03 16:59:44', '2013-10-03 16:59:44', 'Convenience store and retail designer CBX was named Design Firm of the Year in Display & Design Ideas magazine\'s Portfolio Awards 2013. The New York-based brand agency and retail design consultancy, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, was also lauded for its contribution to one of the Best Store Designs of the Year--the redesign of Saks Fifth Avenue\'s men\'s store in Beverly Hills, Calif.\nDDI\'s annual Portfolio Awards are the result of a reader-driven survey in which high-level retail and contract design professionals offer their picks for the best in design and branding over the past year.\n\nCBX was recognized for work on such diverse projects as Duane Reade\'s New York City stores; Lord & Taylor, metro Philadelphia; Saks Fifth Avenue\'s Beverly Hills men\'s store; Radio Shack locations across the United States; and the Terpel convenience stores and fuel centers in Columbia.\n\nIn the \"Best Store Designs of the Year\" category, the firm was recognized for its contribution to the transformation of Saks\' men\'s store in Beverly Hills into The Fifth Man, a 54,000-square-foot, four-level lifestyle store. The project was led by Saks\' in-house design team with the assistance of CBX and Los Angeles-based Marmol Radziner.\n\nCBX is celebrating the brand agency\'s 10th anniversary this month and reflecting back on a decade of growth in the areas of consumer branding, corporate branding and retail environments. The agency was founded in 2003 by four of the partners who continue in senior leadership roles today--Gregg Lipman, managing partner; Nancy Brown, managing director/partner; Rick Barrack, chief creative officer/partner, and Richard Villante, partner. A fifth partner, Todd Maute, chief retail officer, joined the firm in 2007.\n\nToday, CBX is based in New York\'s Flatiron District, with another office in Minneapolis, and has more than 130 employees. Nearly a quarter of these professionals have been with the firm for more than seven years, Lipman said.\n\n\"By pushing the bounds of creativity to help our clients innovate and expand, we have grown tremendously over the past decade--personally, professionally and as a company,\" he said. \"But to a remarkable extent, our evolution has and continues to be client-driven. During an early-stage planning session years ago, we asked, \'What does CBX want to be when it grows up?\' We continue to believe in our answer: \'We will go where our clients allow us and trust us to go.\'\"\n</br>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/cbx-wins-design-firm-year-honor?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20News%2010-04-2013%20%281%29&utm_content=&spMailingID=43153793&spUserID=MjU0MDQ1OTQxMTgS1&spJobID=206166616&spReportId=MjA2MTY2NjE2S0\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/cbx-wins-design-firm-year-honor?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20News%2010-04-2013%20%281%29&utm_content=&spMailingID=43153793&spUserID=MjU0MDQ1OTQxMTgS1&spJobID=206166616&spReportId=MjA2MTY2NjE2S0</a>', 'CBX Wins Design Firm of the Year Honor', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-wins-design-firm-of-the-year-honor', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-wins-design-firm-of-the-year-honor', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1864, 4, '2013-10-04 16:55:18', '2013-10-04 16:55:18', 'Philabundance, a nonprofit agency that seeks to reduce hunger in the Delaware Valley region near Philadelphia, has opened what has been described as the nation’s first not-for-profit supermarket here.\nThe 16,000-square-foot Fare & Square outlet features an array of traditional offerings, including fresh meats and produce, frozen foods and dry grocery product. The store is the only supermarket in this town of 34,000 people that had been classified as a “food desert.” Chester had been without a grocery store for 12 years.\n\nFare & Square seeks to offer product at a discount compared with traditional supermarkets, and in addition, customers can also reduce their grocery bill by joining the store’s “Carrot Club.” Members are eligible to earn rewards through in-store promotions and other offers, and Carrot Club members whose households earn 200% of the poverty line or less can also receive Carrot Cash benefits, a 7% credit towards future purchases.\n\nThe store was funded through government, foundation, corporate and individual contributions.\n\nNew York-based retail design and branding firm CBX developed the prototype, which was modeled to be similar in appearance to traditional supermarkets. The Fare & Square logo — a simple drawing of a purple carrot with green tops attached and the words “Fare & Square” set in a rounded-corner square — was designed by Philabundance and LevLane Advertising, and provided the inspiration for the color palette of the store.\n\n<a href=\"http://supermarketnews.com/photo-gallery/gallery-nonprofit-supermarket-debuts-pa#slide-1-field_images-444422\" target=\"_blank\">http://supermarketnews.com/photo-gallery/gallery-nonprofit-supermarket-debuts-pa#slide-1-field_images-444422</a>', 'Nonprofit Supermarket Debuts in Pa.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'nonprofit-supermarket-debuts-in-pa', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/nonprofit-supermarket-debuts-in-pa', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1865, 4, '2013-10-08 13:35:42', '2013-10-08 13:35:42', 'To differentiate in the pet food aisle, brands are taking cues from successful design trends of food packages for people.</br>Once upon a time, if you were shopping for pet food, you\'d immediately be overwhelmed by a case of \"cute overload.\" It seemed every bag (with the exception of the always clinical Science Diet brand) featured a photo of a ridiculously adorable pooch or pussycat, looking out at you with soft, adoring eyes and fur you wanted to reach out and stroke. Even the most cold-hearted of individuals would find themselves crooning \"Awww!\" when walking down the pet food aisle.</br>\nThe problem with those packages was that there was no differentiation-and more importantly, no real information-on the bags. But over the years, pet food marketers have come to recognize that people are trained to shop a certain way for their own food and they apply these same behaviors when shopping for their pets. That means that the same visual and verbal cues are turning up on Casey the Calico\'s and Dexter the Doberman\'s dinners.</br>\nA deep dive into the current state of pet food packaging shows that there\'s really not much difference between marketing pet food and human food today. Among some of the most significant cues-which also turn up on the food humans purchase-are these five nutritional tables or food pyramids; photography and food styling that conveys appetite appeal and freshness of ingredients; brand stories; on-pack language that tells you not only what\'s inside, but what\'s not inside a bag; and imagery that speaks to animals\' true natures.\n</br>\n<strong>1. Nutritional tables/food pyramids</strong></br>\nPet food consumers are now more educated than they were in the past, about their own food and about their pets\' food. They harbor the same concerns for their pets as they do for themselves, and with good reason: Issues like obesity and allergies, so prevalent among today\'s children, are now also major concerns for dogs and cats. In 2012, the majority of adult dogs and cats-53 percent of dogs and 55 percent of cats-were classified as overweight or obese by their veterinarians.</br>\nTo educate consumers, companies are featuring nutritional tables and food pyramids prominently on pack, letting consumers know what allowances of vitamins and nutrients they will find inside. Nutro Ultra\'s food pyramid on the front of pack breaks down the product into three categories: \"Powerful Antioxidants,\" \"Whole Grains & Natural Oils\" and \"3 Lean Proteins.\" On the back, the bag features illustrations for 12 ingredients found inside the product, including whole flaxseed, pure sunflower oil and rolled oats.\n</br>\n<strong>2. Better photography/food styling </strong></br>\nPhotography and photo styling have moved away from the pet-centric or pet-plus-owner-centric photography of recent years and are now more focused on the actual food. Photography styling is less propped and more real, with food appearing the way you\'d see it in real life-scattered across a table, as opposed to perfectly (and fakely) sitting in a bowl. The goal: for consumers to think, \"That looks good, that looks tasty, that looks healthy\" in the same way they do when they see something appetizing for themselves. Nature\'s Variety Homestyle by Prairie is one of several brands that showcase food the way it really looks: fresh, raw and being prepared by a human on a kitchen table.\n</br>\n<strong>3. Brand story </strong></br>\nThe artisanal, small-batch trend is huge in human food and, not surprisingly, it\'s also beginning to carry over to pet food. Consumers are more apt to buy something that feels like it\'s been made by the \"little guy,\" and to attach themselves to brand\'s with compelling brand stories. Consumers are asking \"Where does it come from?\" \"How is it made?\"</br>\n\"What\'s it going to do for me?\" and companies are answering by putting their stories on pack and on their web sites, making their brand purpose undeniably clear.</br>\nMerrick Grain Free dog food feels more artisanal and local, with its use of a family name, a smaller bag (for small batch feel), call out of ingredients like \"Real Texas Beef,\" and touchy-feely copy such as \"From our kitchen to yours.\" And speaking of copy, companies are now adding more modifiers before ingredients, so that what was once just \"chicken\" and \"beef\" is now \"Chicken Dinner Recipe\" and \"Country Beef Grill.\" Once again, they are making things more like human food and tapping into verbal cues consumers have been grown accustomed to hearing for their own food. Of course, your dog doesn\'t care where it came from-but you do.\n</br>\n<strong>4. \"No\" language </strong></br>\nConsumers are avoiding the same things for their pets that they do in their own meals, so at the same time they want to know what\'s in pet food, they also want to know what\'s not inside. Many brands are calling out things like \"no meat by-products,\" \"no wheat,\" \"no gluten\" and \"no artificial preservatives.\" In fact, some packages simply feature an oversized \"NO\" on bag.</br>\nIams Sensitive Naturals\' bag, for example, features an image of a fish-its primary ingredient-alongside four circles with slashes through their simple graphics, to convey \"No chicken,\" \"No corn,\" \"No wheat\" and \"No soy.\" Copy correlates to these visuals: \"Specially formulated with fish to limit ingredients that may cause itching and scratching.\"\n</br>\n<strong>5. Animal nature </strong></br>\nThere is a recent movement in the pet food world to give animals the foods they were meant to eat in the wild. By recognizing the physiology of pets as animals, we can treat dogs as dogs and cats as cats, which means giving them high-protein diets with limited ingredients. This trend toward the \"limited ingredient diet\" (LID) and giving animals what they instinctually want is promoted on packaging and illustrations that show animals in the wild, sometimes hunting the food they consume, such as fish.</br>\nNatural Balance dog food features a huge \"LID\" on several of its bags. Purina ONE SmartBlend\'s newest line, True Instinct, combines an illustration of an elk and photography of a turkey in the wild and raw chicken and beef chunks in a bowl to convey that this is the food of a dog\'s natural instinct.</br>\nAnd pet food isn\'t the only packaging that\'s changed. Pet treats, which used to be considered like Doritos or Twinkies for dogs, are now being made from better ingredients and linked to a specific benefit. For example, Dogswell\'s chicken and duck jerky treats promote things like Happy Hips and Vitality. This moment of emotional connection for pet owner and pet, which used to be all about indulgence, is now also about health: \"I want the enjoyment of treating my dog, but I also want it to be good for him.\"</br>\nAll of these changes point to one almost certain fact: If there is a trend blowing through the food and beverage aisle, chances are pretty strong that you\'re going to see them turning up in the pet food aisle. If the design of today\'s packaging is any indication, this is a good thing-though I must confess I\'ll miss all those cute little dog and cat faces. Guess that\'s why the website Cute Overload still exists. \n</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/print/523780-Pet_food_packaging_gets_real.php\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.packagingdigest.com/article/print/523780-Pet_food_packaging_gets_real.php</a>', 'Pet food packaging gets real', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'pet-food-packaging-gets-real', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/pet-food-packaging-gets-real', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1866, 4, '2013-10-15 13:40:27', '2013-10-15 13:40:27', 'Ever talk to someone who shops at Lululemon? It’s simply not normal how emphatically the brand’s customers -- my wife included -- talk about their leggings (even if they are sheer in all the right places). The Lululemon brand connection is forged on something more than yoga clothing and gear -- it is forged on a lifestyle of health and well-being that makes shoppers feel that they are part of the “tribe.” In fact, Lululemon employs “ambassadors” -- really just adoring fans -- to spread the word about the brand in cities around the U.S. and Canada.\nLululemon knows one important fact about branding today: In order to resonate with consumers, you cannot simply offer products and services. You need to offer a way of life -- an emotional bond that connects one shopper to the next and makes them want to return, again and again. Here are some pointers for brands looking to create a tribe through a total experience.\n</br>\n<strong>Let your tribe connect with each other</strong>\nSeveral fairly recent online communities, including Etsy, Pinterest and Airbnb, are giving their users online spaces where they can connect with like-minded individuals. Etsy calls itself “more than a marketplace: we\'re a community of artists, creators, collectors, thinkers and doers.” Airbnb calls itself “a community marketplace for unique spaces,” while Pinterest puts all the power in users’ hands: “Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing things you love.” Users of these sites go to them knowing they will find people with similar tastes to their own, which perhaps grants them permission to spend time there -- and spend time they do, making Pinterest one of the fastest-growing social networks out there right now.\n</br>\n<strong>Elevate your tribe’s purpose</strong>\n\nCertain brands approach customers so that their experiences leave them feeling like a better person. At MAC Cosmetics, the attention showered upon you and the personal service allows you to feel comfortable, confident and free to express your desires without judgment. Celebrity endorsers like RuPaul, Lady Gaga and Elton John preach inclusivity and are atypical “beauties” -- a fresh departure from beauty brands that feature flawless, airbrushed models. MAC’s social media efforts, “Back to MAC” social responsibility program and friendly makeup artists create a tribe that is totally inclusive.\n</br>\n<strong>Create a community in your brandspace</strong>\n\nSoulCycle has turned legions of New Yorkers and Los Angelenos into spin worshippers by offering an experience that elevates exercise to a whole new level. Instead of pushing “celebrity,” SoulCycle markets “real.” People bond on favorite instructors and playlists, and popular classes sell out in minutes. Walls, t-shirts and products are covered with inspiring words, and it would be easy for a new visitor to forget that SoulCycle is actually about spinning. There are celebrity endorsers up the wazoo, like Kelly Ripa and Lena Dunham, but they endorse at their own volition. Once you are inside their studios, there’s no attitude whatsoever…just a group of like-minded people looking to clear their minds and have a bad-ass workout.\n</br>\n<strong>Offer unforgettably unique experiences</strong>\n\nTo create its tribe, American Girl taps into the imaginations of little girls and offers experiences at its stores that doll owners can’t find anywhere else (sorry, Barbie). In the brand’s own words, it is “more than just a store -- it’s a place where her imagination can soar.” Doll owners can take a cooking class with their dolls, or eat next to their dolls at the restaurant, or wait months for a highly coveted appointment at the Doll Hair Salon. American Doll owners spend thousands of dollars to make pilgrimages across the country to the flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Members of the American Girl tribe can bond with one another at historical scavenger hunts and events that revolve around specific dolls, like Julie and Saige.\n\nBut here’s the thing about tribes: They need to stand for something. They need to have a common spirit that pervades a group and the physical trappings that unify, and they need to evolve over time. Brands that don’t do so start to lose their relevancy, and in turn their followers. Don’t believe me? Just ask the Catholic Church.\n</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209592/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life.html?print#ixzz2hKzQbaKu\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209592/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life.html?print#ixzz2hKzQbaKu</a>', 'Immersive Brand Experience As A Way Of Life', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1867, 4, '2013-10-16 19:39:53', '2013-10-16 19:39:53', '<em><strong>PE firms can maximize returns by focusing on the customer experience of retail chains</strong></em>\nBy Todd Maute\n\nSome observers apparently think that brick-and-mortar retail businesses are a bad bet for private equity.\n\nBut by paying close attention to the customer-facing side of the chains they invest in, private equity firms stand a much greater chance of maximizing returns - even in the face of the admittedly daunting challenges arising from e-commerce. After all, high-definition broadcasts haven\'t killed live sporting events, and TV evangelists haven\'t stopped people from going to church.\n\nWhen retailers emphasize the point of differentiation their brand offers, and enhance the customer experience and relationship, they give people a reason to come to their stores in precisely the same way. Brand loyalty is a huge factor in the value of any retailer, and Forrester Research has found that the customer experience is the driving factor in determining brand loyalty. \"This means companies can\'t expect to outperform competition on price while ignoring their customers\' experience,\" wrote senior analyst Maxie Schmidt-Subramanian in a May 2013 report.\n\nA report from earlier this year highlighted the particular struggles of specialty retail \"category killers\" like Toys \"R\" Us, Sports Authority, Petco, Burlington Coat Factory and Guitar Center, arguing that the private equity heavy hitters that had invested in these chains had, to date, come up short. With the likes of Amazon on a veritable tear, it is certainly valid to question investments in certain specialty retail formats. But because the $10 trillion U.S. economy is consumer-driven to a remarkable extent, retail is too huge a sector for private equity firms to ignore altogether.\n\nClearly, these firms will continue to sink billions of dollars into retail investments of various kinds. So asking whether retail amounts to a bad bet might be the wrong question. It is more productive to ask if private equity firms are playing their hand correctly in this arena, and if they are doing all they can to maximize retail returns. Many private equity firms have yet to focus on the creative, customer-facing side of retail. Are some brick-and-mortar chains too vulnerable to Amazon and its ilk? Certainly. But this hardly means all of retail amounts to a bad bet. Risk can never be eliminated, but by taking a holistic approach that includes the brand and its customers, private equity firms can boost their odds of walking away from the table as big winners.\n\nConsider another, very different, analysis: \"Vindicated,\" runs the headline of Mergers &amp; Acquisitions magazine\'s March 2011 cover story. \"Oak Hill Capital\'s sale of Duane Reade - the 2010 \'Deal of the Year\'- highlights the perseverance of the PE model.\" Here the reporter focuses on Walgreen Co.\'s 2010 acquisition of New York\'s largest drugstore chain, which gave Oak Hill a return of about 1.5 times its approximately $400 million investment in Duane Reade. In the context of the challenges Duane Reade had faced prior to Oak Hill\'s stewardship, this was an impressive result. CBX worked with Duane Reade on its private label, store design and other branding initiatives.\n\nIt was a move that took some courage. Oak Hill had initially invested $239.5 million in Duane Reade, followed by an additional $39.5 million. But it was in the late summer of 2009 when, heartened by a new strategy, Oak Hill risked another $125 million.\n\nWhat was so different about this new approach? It was customer-facing.\n\nTo back up for a moment, when most private equity firms invest in retailers, they typically focus on ramping up efficiencies and reaping the benefits of scale. These back-end changes, which are mostly invisible to the customer, hinge on taking a hard look at headcount, systems, real estate, warehouses, the supply chain - just about any process improvements that could make the company more profitable. This is part of the standard playbook because it mostly works.\n\nBut, as mentioned, the customer does not usually see or feel these changes directly. Realizing this, Oak Hill decided to go further. A critical part of its approach was to invest in the customer-facing side of the business to drive top-line growth. The chain\'s New York City stores were located on some fantastic corners, but the experience inside them was anything but inspiring, with excessively high gondolas, inaccessible pharmacy counters and dirty floors. Oak Hill\'s 2009 investment was geared toward reinvigorating the stores, as well as the Duane Reade brand.\n\nIn the company\'s press release announcing the acquisition, Walgreens CEO Greg Wasson lauded Duane Reade\'s recent initiatives in urban retailing, customer loyalty and private brand products. He noted that, in the prior fiscal year, Duane Reade had posted \"the highest sales per square foot in the retail drugstore industry nationwide.\"\n\nOak Hill had used consumer and market insights to make dramatic, customer-facing improvements at Duane Reade. As Walgreens noted in the announcement, these included new store designs with wide aisles and contemporary décor, a much improved pharmacy featuring lower service counters for more personalized patient interaction, introduction of \"Doctor on Premises\" walk-in health care and a store-within-a-store prestige beauty concept called \"Look Boutique.\" Walgreens also lauded the launch of a family of exciting new private brands, including food and beverage brand DR Delish and a much expanded customer loyalty program called FlexRewards.\n\nThe Duane Reade nameplate had been transformed into an asset, and so had its private label line - a novel change for a retailer. Now, Walgreens is leveraging many of these brighter, more relevant brands across its portfolio.\n\nDollar General is another example of a private equity firm using customer-facing changes with a powerful effect. When Kohlberg Kravis Roberts &amp; Co. (NYSE: KKR) acquired Dollar General in 2007 for $7.3 billion, the chain was hardly a dog. But KKR was not content to focus on back-end efficiencies alone.\n\nInstead, the firm took an aggressive approach to the customer-facing side of Dollar General\'s business. It elevated the look and feel of the stores, seeking to make them fresh, bright and clean, and launched a rebranding initiative with shiny yellow carts and baskets. It updated signage with messaging trumpeting \"the new Dollar General,\" and launched customer-centric store formats with smarter merchandise adjacencies, wider aisles and more convenient checkout.\n\nDollar General also expanded its consumables presentation, ramping up its emphasis on packaged foods, snacks, beverages, beauty aids and more. In its 2009 annual report, the chain noted that its new crop of private-label brands in particular had gone a long way toward boosting gross profits.\n\nBuoyed by these changes, Dollar General went public in November 2009 - the largest retail IPO in nearly 14 years. Today, Dollar General continues to build sales per square foot and generate solid same-store sales on top of one prior-year gain after another. And of course, the chain continues to show enviable earnings growth and profit margins: In fiscal 2012, net income climbed 24.3 percent to $973.1 million on an 8.2 percent increase in sales to $16.02 billion. With that, net margin expanded to 6 percent of sales from 5.2 percent in fiscal 2011 and 4.8 percent in 2010. This attests to Dollar General\'s ability to engage customers with the right product mix and pricing.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.themiddlemarket.com/maj/2011_61/the-secret-to-success-in-retail-pe-backed-retail-243989-1.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.themiddlemarket.com/maj/2011_61/the-secret-to-success-in-retail-pe-backed-retail-243989-1.html\n</a>', 'The Secret to Success in Retail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-secret-to-success-in-retail', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-secret-to-success-in-retail', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1868, 4, '2013-10-18 21:03:37', '2013-10-18 21:03:37', '<strong>Convenience Store News cites CBX’s foodie-friendly design for Wawa’s new Florida stores, along with chain’s social media strategy, mobile app and strong focus on customers.</strong></br>\n\nThanks in part to a new store prototype created by New York-based brand agency and retail design firm CBX, Wawa was named Convenience Store News magazine’s “Innovator of the Year.”\n\n“Always one of the leading innovators in the c-store industry, Wawa in the past year seems to be taking convenience retailing to a new level,” the magazine wrote in its October cover story. “With its successful entry into Florida, innovative use of social media, a mobile app initiative and continued focus on the consumer, Wawa has been selected by the editors of CSNews as the 2013 Retailer Innovator of the Year.”\n\nIn describing the Pennsylvania-based chain’s rapid rollout in the Florida market, the magazine noted: “To make this great first impression, Wawa needed to do more than just transplant its Mid-Atlantic store model to the South…To introduce itself to customers in central Florida, Wawa worked with store design firm CBX to unveil the retailer\'s first major new store concept since the late 1990s. The new design uses ‘fresh’ decorating cues such as natural materials, floor to ceiling glass windows, warm colors, an outdoor seating area and a redesigned, highly visible kitchen/sandwich-making area.”\n\nThe article goes on to quote Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens on the integral role the design played in capturing the imagination of Sunshine State shoppers. (This work also previously earned CBX an Honorable Mention in the magazine’s 2013 Retail Design Awards.)  “We felt we needed a fresh design, driven by the psychology of the Florida customer,” explained Gheysens.  “The new store design has really informed the majority of people who didn’t previously know Wawa and what the brand stands for: fresh, great-quality food and beverages, and convenience…When you walk into the store, you see people making food, as well as digital signs romancing the offer. There’s no mistaking that we are in the fresh food and fresh beverage business.”\n\nVeteran c-store designer Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments at CBX, added: “With its signature coffee bar, open kitchen, fresh-baked goods and other distinguishing characteristics, Wawa needed to makes sure Floridians understood this new entry was a cut above other convenience stores. People tend to think of any building with gas pumps as a run-of-the-mill convenience store, but we were intent on making sure Wawa’s brand did not fall victim to this ‘gas penalty.’ We’re delighted that customers and peers are giving Wawa’s design rave reviews.”\n\nWith more than 600 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, Wawa has rolled out 25 stores in Florida since entering the state in July 2012. Demand at many of these locations was so great that staff had to be beefed up and kitchen and stockroom areas expanded, the magazine notes.\n\nAs noted, among other things, Convenience Store News also lauded the chain for its innovative use of social media, a mobile app initiative and continued focus on the consumer. Those endeavors have helped Wawa’s Facebook page accumulate more than 1 million “likes.”\n\n&nbsp;', 'Store Design by CBX Helps Wawa Take \"Retail Innovator of the Year\"', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'store-design-by-cbx-helps-wawa-take-retail-innovator-of-the-year', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/store-design-by-cbx-helps-wawa-take-retail-innovator-of-the-year', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1869, 4, '2013-10-17 15:27:06', '2013-10-17 15:27:06', '<strong>NACS Show: It\'s more than a logo or a look, experts say </strong>\n\nA once-bitten fruit. A red bull\'s eye. A green mermaid.\n\nThey are not just an apple or a dart\'s destination or a mythical creature of beauty and mystery. They are the iconic signatures that require neither words nor clues to know their owners.\n\nAre these images what made Apple, Target and Starbucks the irresistible brands they are today, or are they the embroidery woven into a culture--the cues of brands we trust?\n\nThis critical question was the subject in a provocative session called CEO\'s Own Your Brand. The 50-minute session, which many executives later hailed as the best among a rich schedule of education at the NACS Show, featured Quinn Ricker , president and CEO at Anderson, Ind.-based Ricker Oil Co.; Joe Bona, retail division president at New York City-based designers CBX; and Scott Willy, co-owner of Indianapolis-based creative specialists Three Sixty Group.\n\nTo many, brand is synonymous with logo. Wrong, said Bona.\n\nLogos are the signposts, the winks of a brand with which you want to do business. \"Apple has changed the meaning of an apple,\" he said. \"Sometimes, [logos] are the symbol without the word. They\'re the personality and sign that I immediately know it\'s Target.\"\n\nSimply put, the brand is your promise. And if the promise is kept, the logo is that evocative emotional connection.\n<strong>\nActing Big</strong>\n\nRicker speaks eloquently from the point of view of a multi-generational, family-run business that has long successfully competed against chains more than four or five times its size. But such measures of assurance were disrupted when Quinn\'s share group visited his family\'s Ricker\'s stores in Indiana.\n\n\"They blistered us,\" he said of his group\'s members. The stores were not cohesive, the brand was not cohesive, they told him.\n\nAdding to the challenge was that the operator had acquired a fleet of ampm stores in 2008 as BP divested its company-owned units. Suddenly, Ricker\'s possessed multiple formats with a wide range of architectural and design motifs.\n\nRicker contracted the Three Sixty Group and the team undertook a detailed introspection. What kind of stores do we want to be? How does the appearance convey a promise and what is that promise?\n\nRicker\'s invested significantly in upgrading the exterior and interior of its stores, adding an elegant brick accent to the exterior, a palate of warm colors that not only would be employed inside, but would become the color scheme to all marketing and communication materials.\n\nIndeed, when the company opened a store in Feb. 2012, Ricker at the time heralded it as a the new flagship store, one substantially larger than the legacy network that ranged up to 2,400 square feet. The new unit, topping 4,000 square feet, ushered in a more relaxing atmosphere anchored in a dynamic foodservice program, higher-scale flooring and granite countertops.\n\nAugmenting the expanded store is Ricker\'s Rewards, one of the industry\'s most promising loyalty programs bolstered by a 10-cent-per-gallon savings in exchange for users\' banking information. The program is backed by an aggressive media campaign and, in a bold move for the upcoming NBA season, Ricker\'s is paying the Indiana Pacers to promote its Ricker\'s Rewards Get Pumped loyalty program as the commercial between third and fourth quarters of all home games.\n\n\"I have to look bigger than I am,\" Ricker said, later adding, \"I compete against Speedway and some other pretty good companies. I can\'t afford to look small. The customers need to think of me as one of the big boys.\"\n\nAnd that point is key. Your brand is not restricted by size--you don\'t have to be big to act big, said Willy.\n\n\"We live in a time when we are highly visual,\" Willy said. \"Design is the new currency we are all living in.\"\n<a href=\" http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/defining-your-br\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/defining-your-brand</a>', 'Defining Your Brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'defining-your-brand', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:40', '2018-09-27 17:58:40', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/defining-your-brand', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1870, 4, '2013-10-21 15:43:14', '2013-10-21 15:43:14', 'By Satoru Wakeshima\nSo, you go through the long, arduous task of an agency selection process. “We’re not looking for just a great agency,” you say. “We’re looking for someone that will truly partner with us.”\nThe agencies go through a rigorous request-for-information (RFI) and request-for-proposal (RFP) process that involves lots of important people who have little time for this kind of thing, but “this will affect the future of our organization and our brands!” Then each agency is brought in to demonstrate how it is different, answer questions with all the right answers, and put on a show. Finally, you’ve found them—the agency you’ve been searching for. Great people, incredible talent, the right experience, and, thanks to procurement, a great price! You’re excited and they’re excited, too. “We love these guys! GREAT! (pause) Now, we can’t stand them.”\n\nUnfortunately, those quickly changing feelings are common. Why?\n\nLet’s look at how a partnership between an agency and a client compares to other partnerships in our lives.\n</br>\n<strong>1. Money Matters</strong>\n\nMost people don’t have to pay someone to be their friend, mate, or partner. Money makes a relationship awkward. But here’s the truth: The creative folks aren’t in it for the money. The money is a necessary means for people to be creative for a living. Creative people are motivated by the opportunity to do great work. We want the work to be great, not for our clients, but for us. Why is this important? Because to get the best work out of a creative agency, you have to get past any misconception that they’re out to get you. They’re not. A creative agency’s work is its calling card. The more successful the work, the better we look. The better we look, the better we feel.\n</br>\n<strong>2. Expertise and Experience Means Something</strong>\n\nThink about other relationships where your expectation is that the person you’re paying has specific expertise or experience—doctors, lawyers, mechanics, accountants, etc. These people “work for you,” but you’re likely to want to work with them because they’re trying to help you. You don’t usually tell a doctor or lawyer how to do their job because they’re experts. Are the folks in your agency experts in what they do? They should be. And didn’t you just go through a very rigorous process in hiring them?\n</br>\n<strong>3. Your Partner Wants to Help You</strong>\n\nHow is your relationship with your doctor different than your relationship with your gardener? You have a much more respectful relationship with someone who’s trying to help you solve bigger problems. There’s a lot more on the line when you’re dealing with your health or legal matters, than if your grass is cut too short. Your agency is trying to help you solve brand problems—that’s pretty important.\n</br>\n<strong>4. Respect One Another</strong>\n\nThere are also relationships where you’re paying someone to do something that you know how to do, but don’t really want to do, like cutting your lawn. Unfortunately, you’re not likely to show these people the same respect you would your doctor. (Truth.) But these people are likely to want to do a better job for you. Whether you’re asking your agency to help you with highly strategic, creative work, or maintenance work, you want them to feel like everyone’s on the same side. Because ultimately, you’re all working towards the same objective: great work.\n\nWe agency people are like puppy dogs; we want you to love us and we want to please you more than anything. Tell us you love us, treat us with love and respect, and we’ll bend over backwards for you. Hell, we’ll even give you extra work for free! Treat us like we’re on opposing sides and… well, we’re less likely to want to please you.\n\nYou don’t need to show your agency “who’s boss.” Trust me, we already know. Because without our clients, we have no business.\n</br>\n<strong>5. Good Partnerships Are Fair</strong>\n\nIn any partnership, there’s give and take. Each partner needs to feel like they’re getting something in return for what they’re giving. Like in any business partnership, there’s a value associated with time. If something requires a lot of time or needs to be done in a really short amount of time, it generally costs more. But being fair isn’t just about money. One of the most important factors in making either scenario work is the amount of your time you invest in setting your agency up to succeed. Your time in planning, preparing, organizing, gathering, and explaining will directly impact their performance.\n\nBeing fair also means being loyal. When you’re loyal in a relationship, it can prosper. Play the field, and the relationships become less meaningful. It’s common for clients to require their agencies to sign contracts that prohibit them from working with their direct competitors. But is that a commitment from both partners? Just like a person who dates too many people at the same time, gets a reputation, so can business partners. Just like in a good personal relationship, with commitment comes trust.\n</br>\n<strong>6. Trust Is Everything</strong>\n\nThe best partnerships are founded on trust. Trust is earned over time and demonstrated by actions. We typically enter a partnership cautiously—that’s natural. But just as agency needs to earn a client’s trust, clients can do things to earn an agency’s trust, whether by helping them communicate their perspective to senior leadership, working with them to secure more time for the project, or just truly listening to what they’re saying. Trust is what makes each partner feel like they’re on the same side.\n</br>\n<strong>7. Don’t Forget to Appreciate Your Partner</strong>\n\nI really appreciate great clients who exemplify the word “partnership,” and I let them know how much we appreciate their support. I tell them and I show them by treating their business like our business. Saying thanks, dropping a little love note, and showing your partner how much you appreciate them goes a long way. Don’t worry—you don’t need to remember birthdays or buy flowers. But like a good marriage, a good business partnership does take effort.\n\nSo in the end, the client and agency partnership is actually quite a lot like the other relationships in one’s life. There will be bumps in the road, walks in the park, celebrations, and sometimes tears along the way. But with the right partner, the work is worth it.\n</br>\nRead more: <a href=\"http://www.mpdailyfix.com/seven-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-agency-partnerships/\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mpdailyfix.com/seven-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-agency-partnerships/</a>\n', 'Seven Things Marketers Need to Know About Agency Partnerships', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'seven-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-agency-partnerships', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/seven-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-agency-partnerships', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1871, 4, '2013-10-25 16:38:24', '2013-10-25 16:38:24', '<strong>In blog post for MarketingDaily, veteran CBX brand consultant offers advice on using immersive brand experiences to create a ‘way of life’ for consumers.</strong>\nAs they seek to capture the imaginations of consumers, today’s brands cannot simply offer products and services. Instead, writes CBX Managing Partner Gregg S. Lipman in an Oct. 9 blog post published by MediaPost’s MarketingDaily, the onus is on brands to offer a way of life—an emotional bond that connects one shopper to the next and makes people want to return to the store, again and again. \n\n“Ever talk to someone who shops at Lululemon?” writes Lipman, the veteran brand consultant and co-founder of the New York-based brand agency. “The Lululemon brand connection is forged on something more than yoga clothing and gear—it is forged on a lifestyle of health and well-being that makes shoppers feel they are part of the ‘tribe.’ ”\n\nIn the post (“Immersive Brand Experience as A Way of Life”), Lipman offers pointers for brands that aim to create a Lululemon-like tribe of their own. The first is “Let your tribe connect with each other.” Citing online communities such as Etsy, Pinterest and Airbnb, Lipman emphasizes the importance of creating online spaces that enable shoppers to connect with like-minded individuals. “Users of these sites go to them knowing they will find people with similar tastes, which perhaps grants them permission to spend time there,” he writes, “and spend time they do.”\n\nThe next is “Elevate your tribe’s purpose.” Here, Lipman describes how certain brands craft uplifting customer experiences in ways that leave people feeling better about themselves. “At MAC Cosmetics, the attention showered upon you and the personal service allows you to feel comfortable, confident and free to express your desires without judgment,” he writes. “Celebrity endorsers like RuPaul, Lady Gaga and Elton John preach inclusivity and are atypical ‘beauties’—a fresh departure from beauty brands that feature flawless, airbrushed models.” \n\nAnother pointer is “Create a community in your brand space.” Lipman cites the highly popular spinning classes of SoulCycle, which have turned legions of New Yorkers and Los Angelenos into spin worshippers. “People bond on favorite instructors and playlists, and popular classes sell out in minutes,” Lipman explains. “Walls, t-shirts and products are covered with inspiring words, and it would be easy for a new visitor to forget that SoulCycle is actually about spinning.”\n\nLastly, Lipman encourages brands to “Offer unforgettably unique experiences.” For example, American Girl offers experiences at its stores that doll owners cannot find anywhere else. “Doll owners can take a cooking class with their dolls, or eat next to their dolls at the restaurant, or wait months for a highly coveted appointment at the Doll Hair Salon,” he notes. \n\nIn the conclusion to the piece, Lipman cautions that brands will fail at creating tribes if the effort is inauthentic. “Here’s the thing about tribes: They need to stand for something,” he writes. “They need to have a common spirit that pervades a group and the physical trappings that unify, and they need to evolve over time. Brands that don’t do so start to lose their relevancy, and in turn their followers.”\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209592/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life.html#axzz2i072nrGG\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209592/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life.html#axzz2i072nrGG</a>\n', 'Brands Should Be In The \"Tribe-Building\" Business, Lipman Writes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'brands-should-be-in-the-tribe-building-business-lipman-writes', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/brands-should-be-in-the-tribe-building-business-lipman-writes', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1872, 4, '2013-10-25 17:20:49', '2013-10-25 17:20:49', 'By Crosby Renwick\nSure, the Internet plays an aggressive game. It’s looking like the Internet business is trouncing the retail business. However vast an assortment or low the prices a retailer offers, the Internet does it better and cheaper. The prognosticators all say the same thing: What little growth there will be in consumer spending over the next five years is mostly going to happen online.\n\nBut, the bricks-and-mortar model can start winning again by leveraging its natural talent with the changing conditions.\n\nChanging conditions? Well, that would be the aging of the marketplace. It’s a fact: Got to go with it. On the face of it, this changing condition looks threatening versus assistive because older people don’t spend as much on goods — they’ve pretty much already bought everything they really need. But they buy services. In fact, for several decades households have been increasing their expenditures on services while expenditures on goods as a percent of all spending have been going down.\n\nNatural talent of retail? That would be service. Yes, service. Haven’t bricks-and-mortar retailers been in the service business all along? Especially mom-and-pop stores, who buy, edit, arrange, display and demonstrate an array of products while bringing them close to the customers. That’s service, I think. It’s a natural talent missing from the Internet; you can’t click and order services. Services most likely require in-person experiences within bricks-and-mortar.\n\nServices for the aging population already happening at retail\nWe’re already seeing a lot of healthcare coming to retail — from walk-in clinics and urgent care centers to large insurance companies opening storefronts to counsel on health policies. Even laboratory testing has gone this route: AnyTestNow, a national chain of walk-in labs offering any blood or urine tests without a doctor’s prescription, already has over 100 retail sites.\n\nBut the explosive growth of the senior population brings with it opportunities that go well beyond storefront medical and insurance services. Here’s just a few of the concepts that could help fill some of those vacancies on Main Street, in malls or in strip centers:\n<strong>\nSenior Social Clubs</strong>\nOne of the biggest services retail can provide is bringing like-minded people together. Just like those yoga fans who flock to Lululemon for classes — and, of course, the store’s yoga wear — lots of seniors are going to be looking for company. Here’s the idea: group senior care packaged as “Senior School” or “Senior Social Club” — complete with a gym, reading class, art programs, a woodshop, talent shows. Where do I sign up?\n\nBut why locate in retail space? Couldn’t this be done in a church basement or on any other location besides Main Street? Yes, but by being front-and-center, by being at the core of a community rather than hidden away, you increase awareness and acceptance. By being in the center of it all with retail locations, the Senior Social Club doesn’t get forgotten — it’s right in front of you everyday. Drive by, walk by and you’re reminded it’s there. And when Mom or Dad have left the stove on again, the solution is right there.\n<strong>\nIntegrative Pharmacy</strong>\nSimple idea: Look at what Whole Foods Market has done to the supermarket industry by specializing in pure, natural and/or organic. The boomer generation fell for it hard and fueled their growth. In comparison, “conventional” supermarkets now look a little un-natural.\n\nThe same opportunity exists in the drugstore business. All the big drug chains turned themselves into convenience stores in the past 20 years. Pharmacy is still a major part of their business, but nobody specializes in it anymore. And, what a giant, dependable business it is. Indeed, the elderly average six prescriptions per person, to be taken every day for the rest of their lives.  \n\nThe people who shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and the like are believers in “integrative medicine” — the best of both the eastern and western worlds of healing — naturopathic (plant-based) remedies combined with western pharmaceuticals. The problem is those folks won’t find any national or regional chains that could be deemed ‘The Whole Foods of drug stores.’ To those shoppers, a drug store featuring a ‘natural’ front end amply stocked with herbal remedies, teas, vitamins, supplements, and organic beauty/personal care items, the clinical pharmacy department would appear safer, better, smarter. Staffed with knowledgeable people, an “Integrative Pharmacy” could be a national hit.\n<strong>\nSenior Living Superstore</strong>\nIf you’re over 50, you or one of your friends is likely thinking about moving to a house that is more “senior-friendly” — more accessible, no stairs, higher toilets, showers instead of tubs, etc. A Home Depot-type store that could help you modify your existing house could potentially save you thousands of dollars. This one-stop emporium would be a place where you can get a stair lift, grab bars, motion-sensitive lighting or even arrange to have an elevator installed. While we’re at it, let’s surround these home-modification products and services with the thousands of items that have been specifically designed for an aging population — from large-type books to invisible hearing aids. Today, the only retail place where you can access even a modest assortment of these products is a hospital supply store. It’s probably located on the wrong side of town, it’s grey, badly lighted and there’s a wheelchair and toilet seat in the window — and probably a dirty window, to boot. Instant downer.\n\nThe opportunity is to bring it all together under one roof, clean it up and make it a pleasant place to shop.\n\nWhen you think about it, the only place where the Internet beats bricks-and-mortar is on low prices for commodity goods. Who wants to be in that business anyway? Let ‘em have it and let’s get on to targeting growing markets with high-margin services.\n\nLet’s apply what retail really already does better — servicing its clientele — and focus those services on the exploding aging population.\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/advantage-retail\" target=\"_blank\">http://chainstoreage.com/article/advantage-retail</a>', 'Advantage: Retail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'advantage-retail', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/advantage-retail', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1873, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:12', '2018-09-27 16:52:12', '', 'Logo_OxxoGAS', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'logo_oxxogas', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:12', '2018-09-27 16:52:12', '', 1599, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Logo_OxxoGAS.png', 0, 'attachment', 'image/png', 0),
(1874, 4, '2013-10-25 19:00:31', '2013-10-25 19:00:31', 'East Coast-based convenience store operator WaWa is expanding through the state of Florida with a new prototype designed to reflect the language and style associated with Floridian vernacular architecture.     \nOn the exterior, pastel colors, clapboard siding, pitched roofs and front porches reference historic south and central Florida building types. At the same time, travelers from the Mid-Atlantic states will find the chain’s familiar “winged” gas canopy, the welcoming centrally located entry portal and familiar Canada Goose logo\n   \nA spacious open layout, with high ceilings and abundant natural lighting, gives the interior an inviting, modern feel. Digital signage is used to highlight the store’s food and beverage offerings in a fun, appetizing way\n \nA vibrant red-tiled wall placed front and center highlights the new center island kitchen. Guests can order any specialty drink or sandwich exactly the way they want using Wawa’s touch-screen system, with a series of screens prominently positioned at the kitchen/specialty beverage area’s counters.\n\nThe counter area is immediately adjoined by coffee and fountain beverage sections with a backdrop of a warmer taupe wall tile. Red drum shades are used over the coffee area and at the beverage coolers to create a sense of place.\n\nWith more than 600 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, Wawa has rolled out 25 stores in Florida since entering the state in July 2012.\n\nDesign: CBX, New York City\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/wawa-various-locations-florida\" target=\"_blank\">http://chainstoreage.com/article/wawa-various-locations-florida</a>', 'WaWa, various locations in Florida', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'wawa-various-locations-in-florida', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/wawa-various-locations-in-florida', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1875, 4, '2013-10-30 20:26:46', '2013-10-30 20:26:46', 'After seven years in concept and nearly a year in construction, it’s finally here!\r\nThe new Fare &amp; Square grocery store in Chester, Pa., has opened to serve the residents of this city without a supermarket for nearly 12 years. Once a center of shipbuilding, Chester lost industry and half its population after World War II. Today, Chester’s population numbers around 33,000 people, but it was nearly impossible to buy a head of lettuce or anything else fresh until Fare &amp; Square opened for business. Chester had become a food desert—one of the 35 food deserts in the Delaware Valley, according to the USDA.\r\n\r\nAbout 200 people gathered for the ribbon cutting held Sept. 28, followed by lines of customers waiting to shop the new 13,000-sq.-ft. store. Once inside, they immediately could see generous displays of produce arrayed on tilt-style tables, while pendant lighting called attention to freshness and quality. But there was more: a wide variety of additional fruits and vegetables lining the walls was both inspiring and appetizing—as well as staples and additional specialty departments.\r\n\r\nThe new store represents Chester’s first grocery store in more than a decade and gives residents of Chester easy access to a full range of fresh and national brand foods that have not been available since its last full-scale grocer closed in 2001.\r\n\r\nPhilabundance, a hunger-relief organization located in the Delaware Valley behind the non-profit store, commissioned New York based branding and design firm CBX to handle the design.\r\n\r\nNow, what’s interesting about that is not just the fact that CBX has years of experience in the supermarket and c-store industry, but that Philabundance wanted to create an environment that would reflect the hopeful and respectful nature of its goal to create a store that could look at home in any community. Translated that means no cut cartons or obvious cutting corners on the look and feel. And, while it’s no Dean &amp; Deluca, the store’s fixtures, lighting, flooring and décor package would be at home in for-profit supermarkets. Consistent with for-profit grocery stores, Fare &amp; Square specialty departments include not only produce but also dairy, deli, meat and seafood.\r\n\r\nf&amp;s 2.JPGThe colorful Fare &amp; Square logo—a simple drawing of a purple carrot with green tops attached and the words “Fare &amp; Square” set in a rounded-corner square—designed by Philabundance and LevLane Advertising—provided CBX inspiration for the overall palette of bright green and shades of saturated purple, with splashes of yellow and orange. Modern elements, such as light-colored woods and stainless steel trim, round out the colors and materials. Lending a local connection is the one-of-kind murals designed and executed by area artists.\r\n\r\nIn the end, CBX was asked to make Fare &amp; Square an energizing and inspiring, but comfortable, place to shop and congregate. Philabundance hopes to replicate this model in other communities in the Delaware Valley region.\r\n\r\nHere’s a big salute to the new Chester store and its residents. While your juices are flowing, we’d love to read your thoughts. Leave any taste in the comments section.\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://retaildesigndiva.ddionline.com/2013/10/dignity-by-design-at-fare-square.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://retaildesigndiva.ddionline.com/2013/10/dignity-by-design-at-fare-square.html</a>', 'Dignity by Design at Fare & Square', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'dignity-by-design-at-fare-square', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/dignity-by-design-at-fare-square', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1876, 4, '2013-10-31 20:42:26', '2013-10-31 20:42:26', 'By Todd Maute\nWith upwards of 12 million viewers, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” certainly gives advertisers access to hordes of American consumers. But of course, it all depends on the target demographic you’re trying to reach. If the agency is peddling the likes of Ax Body Spray, the new “Assassin’s Creed” videogame or the Hollywood remake of Stephen King’s “Carrie,” then buying time on a show filled with brain-eating zombies is … well, a no-brainer. After all, “The Walking Dead” is a massive hit with the 18-to-49 rating. But of course, if you’re pitching products such as Celebrex or subscriptions to Readers Digest, you might want to steer clear of horrific gore fests and go with the kind of traditional sitcoms and dramas proffered by CBS.\n\nReach plus the target demographic. It’s advertising 101. And yet even as they spend vast sums on both traditional and digital media buys, many American retailers could reap powerful benefits by using private brands to deliver targeted messages right to their most valued customers. The key is to start thinking differently about the role of those private brands. Yes, these are products. But private brands also represents a medium of mass communication unto itself—with a targeted reach that can be as impressive as any traditional media buy.\n\nAd campaigns are all about consumer impressions. But think about the multiple impressions created, day in and day out, by the Private Brand lineup in retail environments. To be specific, every private brand purchase carries with it three distinct impressions:\n\nWhen the consumer sees the product on the shelf (presentation);\nwhen the shopper buys the product (purchase);\nand, finally, when the consumer actually consumes or uses the item (product experience).\n\nLet’s say a major national grocery chain happens to sell 50 million units annually across a broad spectrum of private brands. Not only will this translate into a whopping 150 million impressions annually, it will also give the company the ability to precisely target those impressions: For example, a grocer aiming to woo more affluent shoppers and compete with the likes of Whole Foods could ramp up its organic, non-GMO, premium line, all the while smartly branding it to send a clear message to these consumers about the chain’s commitment to quality and sustainability.\n\nIn this way, presentation, purchase and product experience can powerfully shape customer loyalty and bolster the company’s brand. This is a big departure from the traditional, product-led approach to private brand: “How do we source product at a good price, get it on the shelf as quickly as possible and sell as much of it as we can?” Where is the brand building in such an approach? Where is the appreciation for the sales and marketing value of well-executed private brands?\n\nA brand-led strategy is one in which you consciously tell a story. Every part of the process—the packaging, merchandising, product type (organic, natural, premium, etc.)—is seen as an opportunity to create a favorable impression.\n\nChains such as Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Kroger understand these dynamics. They have been using private brand to build stronger loyalty. The benefits here are twofold: It allows them to enjoy the profits generated by higher private brand sales, but it also helps them save money on traditional (and often extremely expensive) media spends. Indeed, private brand stalwart Trader Joe’s doesn’t even bother with traditional media. Its newsletter, The Fearless Flyer, isn’t the company’s primary ad vehicle—that role is played by the private brands in Trader Joe’s stores.\n\nFor years now, brands have used traditional media to tell a single story. For Volvo, that story hinges on safety. For Geico, it’s all about saving money. Likewise, you can use a diverse array of private brands to weave a thematically coherent narrative, so long as consistent elements of that story—i.e. particular brand attributes—echo throughout the respective private brands. For example, Walgreens brands—names like Nice, Good &amp; Delish, Ology, Pet Shoppe and more—combine to form a go-to-market strategy that supports a happy and healthy lifestyle. Walgreens has developed a private brand portfolio based on its target consumer, not just on category-related considerations.\n\nA Super Bowl ad makes lots of impressions, but only lasts 30 seconds. A brand-led private brand strategy will deliver results over the long term. This is simply a more powerful approach than the traditional focus on securing low cost product and putting it on the shelf without leveraging its sales, marketing and branding potential. Amid tenacious competition as well as trends such as consolidation, Internet retailing and product commoditization, can today’s retailers really afford to take such old-school strategies into the 21st century? Well, it’s important to play nice, so we’ll avoid calling them “The Walking Dead.”\n\nRead More: <a href=\"http://mypbrand.com/2013/10/30/private-brand-as-media-using-your-brands-to-build-customer-loyalty/\" target=\"_blank\">http://mypbrand.com/2013/10/30/private-brand-as-media-using-your-brands-to-build-customer-loyalty/</a>', 'Private Brand as Media: Using Your Brands to Build Customer Loyalty', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'private-brand-as-media-using-your-brands-to-build-customer-loyalty', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/private-brand-as-media-using-your-brands-to-build-customer-loyalty', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1877, 4, '2013-11-04 17:08:48', '2013-11-04 17:08:48', '<strong>Even seemingly commonplace products feel premium with the right narrative.</strong></br>By Nancy Brown\n\nHave you ever found yourself telling an elaborate story at a dinner party, all eyes on you, when you realize … you have no idea where the story is going? That’s precisely what it’s like when your brand doesn’t have a good story to tell: It falls flat with its audience. And if your brand doesn’t have a good story, chances are your packaging doesn’t, either.\n\nMost brands and many of our clients have been working on focusing their stories and delivering them on pack. Even if they don’t have a riveting backstory, they strive to forge an emotional connection with consumers through narrative. In fact, “narrative” and “storytelling” are two of the biggest buzzwords in the branding world right now.\n\nLuxury brands know that in order to get people to shell out the big bucks, they have to create a world that makes people aspire to live a certain lifestyle. A recent Louis Vuitton ad showcased Angelina Jolie on a boat in Cambodia, and Tiffany ads have always evoked a romantic, fairytale mood, long before the store was immortalized by Audrey Hepburn. But it’s interesting to see masstige brands now using storytelling on pack to attract and keep consumers. Mars’ American Heritage Chocolate, Walgreens’ Ology, Harney Teas and The Art of Shaving brands all use unique narratives to elevate their brands and connect with audiences.</br>\nAMERICAN HERITAGE CHOCOLATE\n\nThere have always been premium chocolate brands. Godiva set the original gold standard, and with the advent of the artisanal, small-batch food movement, a whole new generation of chocolate brands, such as Vosges, Mast Brothers and MarieBelle, have taken these confections to a new prestige level. These products feature well-crafted stories and beautiful packaging that elevate the chocolates to art. It seems that masstige brands are following suit. The recently redesigned American Heritage Chocolate — a gifting chocolate from Mars, for which my company did the redesign — puts its heritage story front-and-center. Only colors, typefaces and imagery found during the 1800s were used for the new design, yet they seem totally modern. “From the historic division of Mars” is prominently highlighted on pack. Actual writing — in a cursive reminiscent of the Declaration of Independence — appears behind a brightly colored illustration that speaks to the era and pops against an otherwise neutral palette. This historic, yet modern, look is a differentiator in the category and a more upscale direction for the brand.</br>\nWALGREENS’ OLOGY\n\nA few years ago, people would have laughed if you told them that in 2013, a private-label brand would be considered upscale, let alone have a strong narrative to its brand. And yet, Walgreens’ Ology line of products has completely elevated the categories of baby, personal care and household cleaners to new levels, with a narrative that communicates the importance of a healthier, happier world through great design. Ology products are all about “well. being.” and as such, the messaging on pack plays into the origin of the product (e.g., toilet paper made from sugarcane husk and bamboo), what’s not inside (“100% Tree Free”) and just why it is good for environment (“Traditional paper is made from trees that take up to 35 years to replace.”). The packaging is meant to appear handmade, and the design CBX crafted has a hand-drawn feel that is playful, approachable and above all, really conveys the brand’s story.</br>\nHARNEY &amp; SONS FINE TEAS\n\nHarney &amp; Sons Fine Teas recently entered the bottled iced tea and juice market with organic tea and juice flavors. The company, which previously just sold tea bags and loose tea, went for a more premium direction for its bottled beverages by giving the product labels the look of a Far East tea company, a direct reference to the tea’s Indian origins. This plays into the company’s brand mission to “educate the world of tea history and taste.” Clear bottles are distinctly upscale, as is Harney’s softer color palette and minimal text that lets the product speak for itself. In truth, Harney &amp; Sons is a family-owned and operated company based in upstate New York, but it is telling a different, larger scale story — about the exotic world of teas in general — with these products.</br>\nTHE ART OF SHAVING\n\nHow’s this for a story? “A loving wife with a background in the spa industry makes her husband, with sensitive skin, a special oil to use before shaving. Husband realizes this oil is something special; the couple sells their car to fund the business, and they open a boutique that becomes a New York sensation. Eventually, company gets bought by P&amp;G, and the couple lives happily ever after.” Sound like a fairytale? Well, it’s the true story of The Art of Shaving. Fortunately, the packaging’s clean, classic, barbershop feel has not been lost in the translation from boutique to mass brand. Neither has the “Art” in The Art of Shaving’s name, which refers to the brand’s heritage, and the line has a small-batch feel that references its origin in the owners’ kitchen. Through the premium cosmetic story it tells on the packaging, The Art of Shaving has been able to break out of a commodity category and position itself as an essential part of men’s everyday routines.\n\nDon’t get me wrong: I’m not claiming that the design of these brands is on par with those of Gucci and Prada. But there is something to their packaging that feels undoubtedly premium, draws me in and makes me want to know more about their stories. These days, it’s all about the world you craft, the story you tell and how you use your packaging to tell it. It may not be Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” but chances are, if you have a good narrative, consumers will keep coming back for more.\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84651-elevating-everyday-products-to-extraordinary-indulgences\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84651-elevating-everyday-products-to-extraordinary-indulgences</a>', 'Elevating Everyday Products to Extraordinary Indulgences', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'elevating-everyday-products-to-extraordinary-indulgences', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/elevating-everyday-products-to-extraordinary-indulgences', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1878, 4, '2013-11-05 15:53:36', '2013-11-05 15:53:36', '<em><strong>Innovation is key in retail — so long as it is rooted in realism</strong></em>\nBy Joseph Bona,\n\nIn media interviews of late, Beth Newlands Campbell, the new CEO of Food Lion, has been offering reporters a frank assessment of the supermarket chain’s ho-hum, middle-of-the-road situation: “Staying the same,” she explains, “is not an option.”\n\nSlogans such as these can only go so far. But in the topsy-turvy world of 21st-century retailing, you could do a lot worse than Campbell’s mantra. Retailing, after all, continues to be rife with homogeneity, commoditization and redundancy. Imagine a team of researchers conducting a blindfold test. They strip the logos from inside a wide range of drugstores, supermarkets and big boxes. Then they bring in some blindfolded consumers. Would these shoppers, once their blindfolds were lifted, actually know where they were? Arguably, many would not have the foggiest idea whether they were in chain X, Y or Z.\n\nSuch is the sameness of the shopper experience today. While there are leaders in various retailing categories — among supermarkets, for example, chains like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Fairway have carved out distinct identities — many other operators would likely flunk the blindfold test. Their stores are neither good nor bad. They utilize similar layouts, offer basically the same type and level of customer service, sell the same products at the same or similar price and their store environments are generic at best.\n\nTo be stuck in the middle in this way is to be on a clear path to irrelevance. For the likes of Food Lion, the trick is to figure out how to give consumers a clear reason to drive past the competition and stroll into your store. Retailers are in control of their own destinies, but to be competitive they need to exercise that control in creative and strategic ways.\n\nGone are the days when a lagging chain can take a “me, too” approach and try to eke out an existence by copying successful innovators. Nor can you save a bad retail proposition by making incremental improvements alone — things like cleaner floors, brighter lighting or a new customer-service manual geared toward plastering smiles on the faces of your employees. Basic tweaks such as these might have worked 10 or 15 years ago. Today these kinds of changes are table stakes.\n\nRetailing today is hyper-competitive. The bar is higher than in the past. But if staying the same is not an option, how should retailers tackle the challenge of change?\n\nStart with another timeworn slogan: “Know thyself.” Once you identify an opportunity in the marketplace — something like the brand-building and cost-saving potential of private-label products, or the trend toward prepared food — the next step is to take an honest look at whether this opportunity matches your capability. Do you have the corporate culture, backend systems, financial strength, human capital and other resources needed to pull off the reinvention? If not, is the opportunity you have identified so great that it would be worth the herculean effort required to raise those capabilities?\n\nBrand attributes are an important consideration here. Let’s say a chain is widely regarded for its fast, hands-on service. In focus groups, consumers say things along the lines of, “I go to you because you get me in and out of there in a snap.” It would be a disaster to adopt a new program designed to, say, slow the entire experience down under the pretext that longer dwell times translate into greater spending.\n\nConsider the road taken by William Ackman, manager of the $11 billion hedge fund Pershing Square Capital. At the end of August, Ackman announced that he had finally sold his entire stake in J.C. Penney Co. — about 18 percent of the company — amid internal squabbling over strategy. Ackman, of course, had brought in Apple’s Ron Johnson in a failed bid to remake Penney, which saw its sales and stock-price take a nosedive. As CEO of Penney, Johnson had sought to enrich the customer experience, redesign the stores, beef up the roster of brands and otherwise reinvigorate the chain. Unfortunately, though, there was a mismatch between the perceived opportunity and Penney’s capability to execute on it. Johnson’s vision had merit, but it was an expensive and ambitious about-face that required securing the buy-in of shoppers, employees, shareholders and the media. With a clearer message and greater reserves of time and money, the strategy might have worked. Unfortunately, this was not to be.\n\nThe Penney saga also highlights the pitfall of launching a reinvention after the company’s market position has deteriorated. A weak position translates into a reduced capability for serious change. And so, even when times are good, true leaders tend to think hard about where they will be, not just a year or two from now, but also 10 or 15 years down the road. They understand that, regardless of how swimmingly things might seem today, a fierce competitor could rear its head tomorrow. As a result, leaders see innovation as a necessity. They constantly look for ways to improve design, product delivery, customer service and more.\n\nThis involves risk. A product line might fizzle. A test-store rollout might go nowhere. A ballyhooed mobile app or in-store technology program might fail to live up to its promise. But this is just part of the cost of admission in retailing today. Ultimately, what matters most is the willingness to keep looking forward so that you can move the needle in the direction of the next big idea. This does not have to mean chasing one tech trend du jour after another. If your business is not particular visual in nature, forget about the Pinterest page. The focus should be on how individual technologies and services can bolster and fit into the overall mission. Where does the company need to be in the marketplace? Who does it most want to serve? What do these customers want, and how can you meet or exceed their expectations?\n\nStaying the same is easy. Innovating is hard. But by being honest and realistic about the limits of the brand and the actual capabilities of the company, it is possible to stay on the leading edge. Otherwise you fall prey to inertia, which is no option at all.\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/staying-same-not-option\" target=\"_blank\">http://chainstoreage.com/article/staying-same-not-option</a>', 'Staying the Same is not an Option', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'staying-the-same-is-not-an-option', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/staying-the-same-is-not-an-option', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1879, 4, '2013-11-07 14:27:24', '2013-11-07 14:27:24', 'The key is a sharp focus that extends to often-ignored customer-facing side of the business, writes veteran CBX brand consultant in the October issue of M&amp;A magazine.\nPrivate equity’s disappointing investments in several specialty retailers have led some pundits to question whether retail “category killers” are simply a bad bet for PE investors. But in a column published in the October issue of Mergers &amp; Acquisitions magazine, CBX’s Todd Maute reframes the question to focus on whether investors pay enough attention to the customer-facing side of the retail business.\n\n“When most private equity firms invest in retailers, they typically focus on ramping up efficiencies and reaping the benefits of scale,” Maute writes. “These backend changes hinge on taking a hard look at headcount, systems, real estate, warehouses, the supply chain—just about any process improvements that could make the company more profitable. But the customer does not usually see or feel these changes directly.”\n\nIn the piece (“The Secret to Success in Retail”), the veteran brand consultant points to the central importance of brand strength and customer loyalty in today’s marketplace. Retail acquisitions that build a sterling reputation for both, he notes, tend to yield a higher return.\n\nTo illustrate this point, Maute cites Oak Hill Capital’s sale of Duane Reade, which gave the PE firm a return of about 1.5 times its approximate $400 million investment in the New York City drugstore chain. Prior to the overhaul, Duane Reade had floundered, Maute notes. “In the context of the challenges Duane Reade had faced prior to Oak Hill’s stewardship, this was an impressive result,” he writes. “What was so different about this new approach? It was customer-facing.”\n\nAs Maute outlines in the piece, the customer-facing changes at Duane Reade included: reinvigorating store interiors with a host of shopper-friendly design changes, launching a suite of successful private-label brands, and introducing new services such as “Doctor on Premises” walk-in healthcare, along with stores-within-stores such as the “Look Boutique” beauty concept.\n\nWhen Walgreen’s acquired Duane Reade from Oak Hill, Maute notes, its CEO made specific reference to the way these changes had boosted the attractiveness of the New York drugstore chain. “The Duane Reade nameplate had been transformed into an asset, and so had its private label line—a novel change for a retailer,” writes Maute, whose firm continues to work with Duane Reade on private label and store design initiatives.\n\nLikewise, Dollar General, which was acquired by KKR for $7.3 billion in 2007, became even more of a powerhouse by elevating the look and feel of its stores, launching a rebranding initiative, adopting customer-centric store formats, and more. “Dollar General went public in November 2009—the largest retail IPO in nearly 14 years,” writes Maute, whose firm did not work with that chain.\n\nIn the conclusion to the piece, he points to the considerable room for similar improvements at other, PE-operated retail chains.\n\n“By paying close attention to the customer-facing side of the chains they invest in, PE firms stand a much greater chance of maximizing return—even in the face of the admittedly daunting challenges arising from e-commerce,” Maute writes. “After all, high-def broadcasts haven’t killed live sporting events and TV evangelists haven’t stopped people from going to church. When retailers emphasize the point of differentiation their brands offer, and enhance the customer experience and relationship, they give people a reason to come to their stores in precisely the same way.”', 'Private Equity Could Supercharge its Retail Returns, Maute writes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'private-equity-could-supercharge-its-retail-returns-maute-writes', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/private-equity-could-supercharge-its-retail-returns-maute-writes', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1880, 4, '2013-11-06 22:19:12', '2013-11-06 22:19:12', '<strong>3 simple rules to help brand marketers apply psychology principles to create the most successful gift sets.</strong>\r\nBy Sandra Creamer\r\n\r\nWhy do bad gifts happen to good people? It’s amazing how some of us are so bad at picking out gifts for others, and beauty products are no exception (soap on a rope, anyone?)\r\n\r\nUntil recently in the beauty category, fragrances were the top gifts. By expanding the role of gifting in the portfolio beyond seasonal, it can become a solid brand builder.\r\n\r\nBeauty brands have been expanding the breadth of products that they promote as gift sets across skin, body care and men’s beauty -- and consumers are responding, to the tune of $871MM in prestige – up +16% in 2012 from the same period in 2011.\r\n\r\nIn a move to diminish the practice of White Elephant Gift exchanges throughout the land, beauty brands (and frankly all categories) can help solve the problem of bad gifting by applying the principles of psychology to the practice of good branding through three simple rules.\r\n<strong>\r\nRule #1 - Breathe life into the right benefits.</strong><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-7236\" title=\"OE_Gift_OlayGoftSet\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/OE_Gift_OlayGoftSet1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"179\" />\r\n\r\nPsychology studies have proven that more often than not, givers and receivers have a hard time understanding each other’s mindsets, meaning the giver usually doesn’t choose something the receiver will enjoy.\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, the NPD reports that more than 50% of consumers who use mass body care products once a week often give them as gifts, so beauty brands are smart to target their current consumer. The trick is to make it easy for current consumers to find a broadly appealing gift; that way the giver won’t have to guess (and mistake) what the receiver might want.\r\n\r\nBrands can help by leveraging universal benefit visual language and on-pack selling copy more effectively. For example, recent Olay body care gift sets had design themes exemplified by the headlines “smoothing delights,” “simply beautiful” and “soothing moments,” launched in an aggressive gift set rollout during 2011 that spanned 24 sets across men’s and women’s beauty.\r\n\r\nWhile some may argue these themes aren’t exciting, they work because they are on-brand and also address universally desired emotional and functional benefits through communication, which is key to succeeding with both parties. Not to mention that the snowflakes and magenta silk bow secondary pack also make it look more special.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-full wp-image-7237 alignright\" title=\"OE_Gift_StTropez\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/OE_Gift_StTropez.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"210\" /><strong>Rule #2 - Don’t shy away from highlighting less expensive brands as part of gift sets.</strong>\r\n\r\nThere is now scientific proof that most people don’t care how much someone spends on their gift, they simply prefer to get something they would actually enjoy using.\r\n\r\nAffordable beauty brands take note! Any mass skin care brand aimed at women can leverage the fact that glowing skin is the #1 benefit women desire.\r\n\r\nCase in point: I just had a big birthday, and one of my dearest friends, who is neither cheap nor one who skimps out on things, gave me a St. Tropez “Party Perfect Glow Kit” that retails for $35 online (yes, I checked). Ultimately, I was grateful to have a way to get a sun-kissed glow safely from a gradual tan lotion, and have since bought the products on my own. The brand just gained a new consumer by offering an easy way for a current user to delight someone else with an affordable gift. Speaking of delight…\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Rule #3 - Invest in the “delight transfer factor” through packaging.</strong><img class=\"wp-image-7238 alignright\" title=\"OE_Gift_LaPrairie\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/OE_Gift_LaPrairie.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" />\r\n\r\nThe Journal of Experimental Psychology General found that the act of finding the perfect present gives the giver a greater sense of delight – more so than the emotional benefit the receiver gets.\r\n\r\nI call this the “delight transfer factor” – the initial dopamine shot the giver has about the possible gift followed by the tail of positive emotion, and the subsequent desire to transfer this feeling to the receiver. A brand can hone in on this neurological trigger point by through visual and verbal brand assets. The key consideration is how to enhance the look and feel from every day to special occasion -- and brands have permission to go to great lengths to achieve this and charge richly for it.\r\n\r\nCase in point – prestige skin care brand La Prairie offers the Skin Caviar Luxe Cream, normally priced at $410, as a gift set in a special box described as a “stunning and fiery crystal” sparkling blue and white mosaic case. La Prairie has more than doubled the price to $950.\r\n\r\nIt worked: this was a top-selling combination according to NPD. The decision on the design direction could easily be attributed to a dramatization of the benefit of luxurious experience and it complements the product positioning perfectly.\r\n\r\nIn conclusion, brand managers looking to grow gift set sales should know that conveying universally desired emotional and functional beauty benefits on packaging is much more important than getting someone to spend a lot on a gift set - though of course, the right glitzy present can work!\r\n\r\nToo often, gift set development is an afterthought within an organization’s marketing department, demonstrated when CPG companies relegate the responsibility to non-core teams whose strengths lie more in execution that in strategy. Don’t fall into this trap!\r\n\r\nThe best way forward is to combine strategic thinking across both human behavior and leverage key brand visual and verbal elements to communicate your message. This all but mandates that gifting product design should be in the hands of capable marketers or anyone with the right training to be the brand steward.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOriginally printed in Beauty Packaging.', 'Better Gifting Through Smart Branding', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'better-gifting-through-smart-branding', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/better-gifting-through-smart-branding', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1881, 4, '2013-11-08 20:57:40', '2013-11-08 20:57:40', 'By Dustin Longstreth\r\nAs the son of a basketball coach, many of life’s lessons were taught to me on the court. One of the biggest lessons the game of basketball has to offer brands is this: Agility is the single most sustainable competitive advantage.\r\n\r\nIn basketball, agility is honed not in the controlled environments of practice or even league play, but on playgrounds in pickup games. This same scrappy mentality holds true for branding. The world brands must live in is more reflective of pickup ball at the playground than ever before. Here are five fundamentals that can help brands thrive \"on the court.\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Adopt a tribal mentality</strong>\r\n\r\nLike pickup ball, building brand agility is a team effort. It starts with a mindset of living for your people, not off them. You have to be one with your pack in order to build the trust, empathy and intuition needed to quickly act and react in ways that add value and build loyalty.\r\n\r\nBurton Snowboards gets this. For Burton, there is no “them” that they market to -- only a “we” that they live to serve. They’re able to maintain relevance and loyalty among pros, novices, young, old, male, female (even those who don’t snowboard!).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Stay tuned in to culture</strong>\r\n\r\nPaying attention to shifts in the game is what allows you to pivot and adjust without losing sight of the ultimate goal. Brands that understand this are able to maintain their relevance even as cultural tastes evolve. Brands that don’t will die.\r\n\r\nWeight Watchers has successfully evolved with culture. The brand has remained focused on our intrinsic motivations to be in control and be part of a community. However, as science, access to foods, and attitudes around weight management itself continue to shift, so has the brand. As a result, Weight Watchers continues to grow new generations of loyalists.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Know your purpose</strong>\r\n\r\nWhy do you play the game? Seems like a simple question, but it’s amazing how many brands don\'t have an answer. For brands, getting to a level of inspired play starts with knowing your purpose.\r\n\r\nNo brand understands this more than Nike. It has long since given up trying to differentiate through positioning and benefits. It believes that if you have a body, you’re an athlete, and its purpose is “to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” This purpose-driven leadership has allowed Nike to grow its brand by not only increasing share, but by growing the pie.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Act on your best behavior</strong>\r\n\r\nIf purpose is the articulation of your brand’s ultimate goal, then behaviors are the fundamentals that your brand should practice day-in, day-out.\r\n\r\nJetBlue is “dedicated to bringing humanity back to air travel.” Its personality could be described as genuine, fun, and passionate. In order to be described as “genuine,” it practices the behavior of “keeping it human” -- namely by admitting mistakes, like when it left passengers on the tarmac for hours without food or water back in 2007. To be fun, JetBlue has its pilots and staff engage passengers with their overhead announcements at takeoff. And to be “passionate,” it takes care with every detail, from distributing Terra Blue Chips to crediting passengers if the DirecTVs are not working properly.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Hustle</strong>\r\n\r\nWhether we’re talking pickup ball or the world of brands, the undeniable truth is that the game is fast and highly situational. Every shift in events, every new moment is a new opportunity.\r\n\r\nOreo has been doing a masterful job of hustling. Its focus had it “in the zone” when the lights went out at the Super Bowl. Oreo immediately knew how to seize the opportunity in a way that was on brand and relevant to the context. Its “You can still dunk in the dark” tweet was retweeted more than 16,000 times and even more important, became an authentic moment of the Super Bowl experience.\r\n\r\nTaken together, these pointers can help brands get both the home and away court advantage in an always-on world that is getting faster and more dynamic each day. The brands that can thrive in this new environment -- the brands with agility -- will continue to win.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/211827/brand-agility-how-good-is-your-brand-at-pickup-ba.html?print\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/211827/brand-agility-how-good-is-your-brand-at-pickup-ba.html?print</a>', 'Brand Agility: How Good Is Your Brand At Pickup Ball?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'brand-agility-how-good-is-your-brand-at-pickup-ball', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/brand-agility-how-good-is-your-brand-at-pickup-ball', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1882, 4, '2013-11-12 14:25:54', '2013-11-12 14:25:54', 'The key is a sharp focus that extends to often-ignored customer-facing side of the business, writes veteran CBX brand consultant in the October issue of M&amp;A magazine.\nPrivate equity’s disappointing investments in several specialty retailers have led some pundits to question whether retail “category killers” are simply a bad bet for Private Equity investors. But in a column published in the October issue of Mergers &amp; Acquisitions magazine, branding agency CBX’s Todd Maute reframes the question to focus on whether investors pay enough attention to the customer-facing side of the retail business.\n\n“When most private equity firms invest in retailers, they typically focus on ramping up efficiencies and reaping the benefits of scale,” Maute writes. “These backend changes hinge on taking a hard look at headcount, systems, real estate, warehouses, the supply chain—just about any process improvements that could make the company more profitable. But the customer does not usually see or feel these changes directly.”\n\nIn the piece “The Secret to Success in Retail”, the consultant points to the central importance of brand strength and customer loyalty in today’s marketplace. Retail acquisitions that build a sterling reputation for both, he notes, tend to yield a higher return.\n\nTo illustrate this point, Maute cites Oak Hill Capital’s sale of Duane Reade, which gave the PE firm a return of about 1.5 times its approximate $400 million investment in the New York City drugstore chain. Prior to the overhaul, Duane Reade had floundered, Maute notes. “In the context of the challenges Duane Reade had faced prior to Oak Hill’s stewardship, this was an impressive result,” he writes. “What was so different about this new approach? It was customer-facing.”\n\nAs Maute outlines in the piece, the customer-facing changes at Duane Reade included: reinvigorating store interiors with a host of shopper-friendly design changes, launching a suite of successful private brands, and introducing new services such as “Doctor on Premises” walk-in healthcare, along with stores-within-stores such as the “Look Boutique” beauty concept.\n\nWhen Walgreen’s acquired Duane Reade from Oak Hill, Maute notes, its CEO made specific reference to the way these changes had boosted the attractiveness of the New York drugstore chain. “The Duane Reade nameplate had been transformed into an asset, and so had its private label line—a novel change for a retailer,” writes Maute, whose firm continues to work with Duane Reade on private label and store design initiatives.\n\nLikewise, Dollar General, which was acquired by KKR for $7.3 billion in 2007, became even more of a powerhouse by elevating the look and feel of its stores, launching a rebranding initiative, adopting customer-centric store formats, and more. “Dollar General went public in November 2009—the largest retail IPO in nearly 14 years,” writes Maute, whose firm did not work with that chain.\n\nIn the conclusion to the piece, he points to the considerable room for similar improvements at other, PE-operated retail chains.\n\n“By paying close attention to the customer-facing side of the chains they invest in, PE firms stand a much greater chance of maximizing return—even in the face of the admittedly daunting challenges arising from e-commerce,” Maute writes. “After all, high-def broadcasts haven’t killed live sporting events and TV evangelists haven’t stopped people from going to church. When retailers emphasize the point of differentiation their brands offer, and enhance the customer experience and relationship, they give people a reason to come to their stores in precisely the same way.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://mypbrand.com/2013/11/11/private-brand-could-supercharge-private-equity-returns/\" target=\"_blank\">http://mypbrand.com/2013/11/11/private-brand-could-supercharge-private-equity-returns/</a>', 'Private Brand Could Supercharge Private Equity Returns', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'private-brand-could-supercharge-private-equity-returns', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/private-brand-could-supercharge-private-equity-returns', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1883, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:16', '2018-09-27 16:52:16', '', 'SHINSEGAE_feature5', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'shinsegae_feature5', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:16', '2018-09-27 16:52:16', '', 1602, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/SHINSEGAE_feature5.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1884, 4, '2013-11-14 17:32:04', '2013-11-14 17:32:04', 'The Storenvy Online Market place is a virtual mall brimming with funky fashions and jewelry, nifty gizmos, artisan soaps and other eclectic merchandise from some 52,000 independent retailers. And now this San Francisco-based dot-com which enables shoppers to fine-tune the stuff they see by \"envying\" the products in the manner of a Facebook \"like\" - is bringing its user-driven model to the brick and-mortar world. Storenvy\'s 1,700-square-foot store opened at the beginning of the year in downtown San Francisco\'s Crocker Galleria. Initially, the idea was for a popup shop on a 30-day trial run, bur shoppers at the boutique-focused mall responded so enthusiastically that the plans were quickly changed, says founder and CEO Jon Crawford. \"Crocker Galleria came to us and said, \'Hey, we love you guys and want you to stay,\'\" he said.</br>\nAll the merchants in the physical store are popular sellers at Storenvy.com, which launched in 2009 and now has upwards of one million registered shoppers. These plugged-in users create detailed profiles and curate the products they peruse by envying their favorite items and merchants and following other shoppers whose tastes jibe with their own. These users spend some $2.5 million in total with Storenvy sellers in a given month, according to Crawford. At the Crocker Galleria store, meanwhile, Storenvy strives to maintain a similarly engaging mix by frequently varying the offering. \"Every 30 clays we roll in a new batch of five or six of our online merchants into the space,\" Crawford said. The company, named one of Forbes magazine\'s 10 Greatest Industry-Disrupting Startups of 2012, has thus far attracted some $6.5 million in venture capital from the likes of First Round Capital, Intel Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield &amp; Byers and Spark Capital. The company is open to launching additional stores, Crawford says.</br>\n\nWhile Storenvy specializes in what Crawford describes as \"unique, original and authentic stores and artists,\" a big reason for its success is the way it handles \"discovery\": the process whereby users learn about particular merchants and products. Whether browsing online or in the physical world, shoppers face the overwhelming conundrum of figuring out exactly what to buy amid nearly unlimited options. \"Discovery is the final frontier of retail shopping,\" Crawford said. \"If you know where the cool things are, and the right things are put in front of you more often, you\'ll actually spend more of your money.\" Sites like Amazon.com and Netflix try to tackle this challenge by monitoring the browsing and buying habits of the users and by tailoring the product pitches to match. Storenvy\' model is more like that of the blogging website Tumblr, which makes it easy for people to share their favorite finds with their social-media friends. \"We believe that crowd-curating through social [medial] is one of the most scalable forms of discovery,\" Crawford said. \"It is just a lot more interesting to pair you up with people who have similar styles, tastes and moral views as you do. Whatever they think is cool, you get to see.\"</br>\n\nNot all tech startup stay around for the long haul, but Storenvy\'s use of a social-media-like model to curate merchandise offerings is intriguing, says Joseph Bona, president of branded environments at CBX, a New York City-based branding and retail-design consulting firm. \"Given the homogenization and commoditization in conventional retailing today, many retailers are struggling to give people a reason to walk through the door,\" Bona said. \"Arguably, staying the same is no longer a viable option in retailing today. A model in which the fast-turning merchandise on the shelf is partly or wholly determined by shoppers\' \'likes\' - that is different and unusual.\" In today\'s world of omni-channel retailing, it makes sense for independent retailers to use tools like Storenvy to gain a foothold online, Bona say. Storenvy builds customized, e-commerce- enabled websites for its sellers for free, making money by charging for upgrades and, starting in January, by taking a cut of any sales that occur in Storenvy\'s separate online marketplace. \"You never know which of these tech tools will explode to become the next big thing,\" Bona said. \"But when these tools are affordable and showing signs of growth, smaller retailers have every reason to experiment and try to leverage interesting online channels, in addition to the brick-and-mortar side.\"</br>\n\nJust about any seller can join the site, and many of these independent retailers do lease space at shopping centers, Crawford says. He is a web designer and engineer who conceived of Storenvy while building online tares for small businesses. \"These were all really passionate people who just wanted to sell their stuff on the Internet and create a branded retail experience online,\" he said. \"They didn\'t want to be on eBay or Amazon, because they did not feel like it fit their brand experience.\" Crawford says he grew increasingly annoyed that there was no easy way for these smaller stores to launch attractive, ecommerce- enabled websites without first sorting thorough costly and time-consuming issues- multiple decisions related to such things as web-hosting and publishing, and payment-processing. Even today small businesses pay specialists huge sums to launch a website when there are simpler solutions available, Crawford says. \"You don\'t have to pay someone to build your online store from scratch,\" he said. We see people spending $5,000 or $10,000 to get a website built that they cannot even update themselves. That makes us very sad. These people could be empowered by using a platform like Storenvy.\"</br>\n\nThe Storenvy online marketplace aims to help smaller retailers solve another problem: attracting the attention of target customers. \"People end up making sales through Storenvy.com in addition to the sales that they are driving tl1rough the customized websites that we create for them,\" Crawford said.</br>\n\nStorenvy currently employs l8 people and has plans to add 15 or 20 more over the next year or so, Crawford says. \"We are in business to help people express their ideas and create amazing online businesses,\" he said. \"And we\'re just warming up. The product that is online right now is just the beginning. We\'re learning a lot about physical retail, discovery, storytelling and mobile. We invite people who want to create strong community and tell their stories to be part of what we\'re doing.\nBut we try to stay away from sellers who just want to be on 50 different websites to make money as fast as they can. This is for businesses with soul.\"\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://sct.icsc.org/sct/\" target=\"_blank\">http://sct.icsc.org/sct/</a>', 'Turning Clicks to Bricks', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'turning-clicks-to-bricks', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/turning-clicks-to-bricks', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1885, 4, '2013-11-14 16:36:30', '2013-11-14 16:36:30', '<strong>Retailers need to create an emotive connection, in store and out.</strong>By Peter Burgoyne\r\n\r\nUnlike design professionals, the left-brained coders who create today’s omni-channel tools have not spent their lives learning how to use the five senses to manipulate mood in three dimensions. And yet the pixelated experiences that emerge from all those ones and zeros can affect how people feel about brands. So even when the design team crafts an in-store environment that perfectly reflects the brand’s attributes, this could easily be undermined by unfortunate experiences with other channels outside of the store.\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/omni-channel-challenge\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/omni-channel-challenge</a>', 'The Omni-Channel Challenge', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-omni-channel-challenge', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-omni-channel-challenge', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1886, 4, '2013-11-15 21:54:15', '2013-11-15 21:54:15', '<strong>Leveraging Their Talent for Providing Customer Service and Developing Innovative New Concepts Can Help Brick-and-Mortar Merchants Cultivate the Older Populations, CBX Executive Writes.</strong>\r\nWhile lower prices and broader assortments of merchandise will continue to give Internet retailers a leg up on their brick-and-mortar counterparts, the latter can thrive by using customer service and innovative new concepts to cater to the growing senior citizen market, writes Crosby Renwick, Executive Director of Strategy at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in a guest commentary that appeared in late October on www.chainstoreage.com, a retail management publication.\r\n\r\n\"The prognosticators all say the same thing: What little growth there will be in consumer spending over the next five years is mostly going to happen online,\" writes the veteran marketing executive. \"But the bricks and mortar model can start winning again by leveraging its natural talent with the changing conditions\" -- the graying of the American marketplace.\r\n\r\nIn the column, titled, \"Advantage: Retail,\" Renwick notes that retailers may perceive the increasing number of older Americans as a disadvantage to their business because these consumers do not spend as much money on goods as their younger counterparts. However, senior citizens do buy services. Brick-and-mortar retailers are in an ideal position to leverage their natural talent to provide these services, in turn distinguishing themselves from merchants that only conduct business online.\r\n\r\n\"Haven\'t bricks and mortar retailers been in the service business all along?\" Renwick asks. \"Especially mom-and-pop stores, who buy, edit, arrange, display and demonstrate an array of products while bringing them close to the customers. That\'s service. It\'s a natural talent missing from the Internet; you can\'t click and order services. Services most likely require in-person experiences within bricks and mortar.\"\r\n\r\n\"The explosive growth of the senior population brings with it opportunities that go well beyond storefront medical and insurance services,\" he notes, outlining several concepts that can be employed to fill vacancies in malls, strip centers and business districts. These include storefront \"Senior Social Clubs\" complete with gyms, reading and art programs, wood shops, talent shows, and other features intended to bring together like-minded individuals. Although services of this type could be placed in church basements and other locations off Main Street, being in the center of everything, with retail locations, ensures maximum visibility, Renwick contends.\r\n\r\nAnother option are service-driven integrative pharmacies that stock naturopathic (plant-based) remedies as well as Western pharmaceuticals, and concentrate on the pharmaceutical side of the business, \"All the big drug chains turned themselves into convenience stores in the past 20 years,\" Renwick writes. \"Pharmacy is still a major part of their business, but nobody specializes in it anymore. And, what a giant, dependable business it is. Indeed, the elderly average six prescriptions per person, to be taken every day for the rest of their lives.\"\r\n\r\nRenwick also advocates the launch of \"senior living superstores\" targeted towards individuals over 50 years of age. He describes these stores as \"one-stop emporiums\" whose merchandise mix would include all the items necessary for modifying a home to accommodate older residents (e.g., grab bars, motion-sensitive lighting and chair lifts). Shoppers could also arrange for home-modification services, like elevator installation. Related products, such as large-print books and invisible hearing aids, would be available as well. \"Today, the only retail place where you can access even a modest assortment of these products is a hospital supply store,\" Renwick writes. \"It\'s probably located on the wrong side of town, it\'s grey, badly lighted and there\'s a wheelchair and toilet seat in the window -- and probably a dirty window, to boot.\"\r\n\r\nRenwick notes that touting low prices on commodities is the only arena in which Internet retailers triumph over brick-and-mortar retailers. \"Who wants to be in that business anyway?\" he writes in the conclusion to the piece. \"Let\'s apply what retail really already does better -- servicing its clientele -- and focus those services on the exploding aging population.\"\r\n\r\nThe full article is available at: <a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/advantage-retail?ad=exclusives-analysis. \" target=\"_blank\">http://chainstoreage.com/article/advantage-retail?ad=exclusives-analysis. </a>', 'Smart Retailers Target Seniors With Service', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'smart-retailers-target-seniors-with-service-advises-renwick', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/smart-retailers-target-seniors-with-service-advises-renwick', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1887, 4, '2013-11-18 16:59:42', '2013-11-18 16:59:42', '<strong>Dr Pepper Snapple Group aims to engage a fresh young generation with the redesigned graphics for the number one orange soda brand</strong>.\r\nCBX, a brand agency based in New York City, recently collaborated with Dr Pepper Snapple Group to refresh the packaging graphics for Sunkist® Soda, the number-one orange soda brand. Introduced in 1978, Sunkist Soda was once known for its California style.\r\n\r\nPrior to engaging CBX, Dr Pepper Snapple Group recognized an opportunity to reposition the Sunkist Soda brand, going back to its “fun in the sun” roots and targeting teens with a bull’s-eye age of 16 years, in order to better differentiate from competitors within the orange segment. There was then the opportunity to better align the packaging graphics with the revised brand positioning – “Sunkist Soda lets you shine.” CBX was engaged for this challenge.\r\n“Since 2008, our packaging has been missing the original sun graphic, an equity that has been present for much of the brand’s history. Without it, we lost a connection to our California beach story and lacked differentiation within the orange segment,” said Eric Blackwood, Director of Brand Marketing, Core Flavored Soft Drinks at Dr Pepper Snapple Group.\r\nWith this in mind, the CBX team worked with Dr Pepper Snapple Group to determine the visual opportunity areas for Sunkist Soda. “The sun graphic provided us with a great platform for expressing the brand. Our opportunity was to visually express the idea of ’liquid sunshine’ – it was all about harnessing the positivity and vitality we associate with the sun and using that energy to gain relevancy with our target,” said Satoru Wakeshima, CBX General Manager.\r\nThe design solution – the playful script brandmark was refined to capture a California surf vibe, and fresh flavor colors were introduced to give the package a sun-like glow. The reintroduction of a vibrant sun and refreshing condensation convey summer beach energy. By reversing the blue and white brand colors, and staging the logo right on the sun, CBX helped Sunkist Soda embody \"liquid sunshine\" and stand out on the shelf.\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/graphic/liquid-sunshine-refresh-sunkist-soda\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.packworld.com/package-design/graphic/liquid-sunshine-refresh-sunkist-soda</a>', 'A \'Liquid Sunshine\' refresh for Sunkist Soda', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-liquid-sunshine-refresh-for-sunkist-soda', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/a-liquid-sunshine-refresh-for-sunkist-soda', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1888, 4, '2013-11-19 14:49:21', '2013-11-19 14:49:21', 'Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of CBX, has over ten years experience working in the creative industry. In this article, he describes the ten lessons he has learned over ten years in design.I have two young daughters, and every year at their birthday parties, as they lean in to blow out the candles on their cakes, I find myself reflecting back on every single year of their lives. So you might imagine that I’m also feeling sentimental about the tenth anniversary of CBX, the brand agency I helped found with some colleagues back in 2003.\nI’ve seen a lot of changes in the branding game over the course of a decade, and I’ve seen even more changes within our own company. My staff, my clients and my fellow partners have all taught me valuable lessons – at least one per year for the last ten years. And let me tell you: They’re not at all what you’d expect. Along the way, we’ve made Fem Care cool, drug stores chic and learned the hard way to “Keep it simple, stupid” (what I say to myself, not to my staff).\nSo here are some of the most significant things I’ve learned, in no particular order:</br>\n<strong>1. Black is the new black.</strong>\nIn 2009, CBX was asked to help position Kimberly-Clark’s U by Kotex* brand for Millennials, an audience who previously hadn’t given Kotex the time of day. After research proved that this audience wanted products that reflected who they really are (not just their mother’s daughters), we made a bold decision to use black packaging – the polar opposite of the whites and pastels used by other brands – in our packaging. The boxes popped off the shelf and had real attitude, and as a result, U by Kotex* shook up the category and created a new paradigm in feminine care.</br>\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7268\" title=\"11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_2\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"431\" /></br>\n</br>\n<strong>2. Design can feel good.</strong>\nWe all know that design can look good – but it can also feel good, which I learned when CBX create a strategy and retail presence for Fare &amp; Square, a supermarket in Chester, PA, for non-profit organization Philabundance. Located in a Delaware Valley “food dessert,” Fare &amp; Square helps the residents of Chester – which has been without a grocery store since 2001 – gain convenient access to “good food right around the corner,” including fresh produce, meats, dairy, seafood, and frozen foods. We helped establish a warm look and feel for this prototype store, and it felt damn good to be involved in such a kick-a&amp;* project.</br>\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7269\" title=\"11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_3\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" /></br>\n</br>\n<strong>3. You can improve upon a classic.</strong>\nIf you told me when I was 25 that I’d be working with M&amp;M/Mars one day, I would’ve said, “Come on.” Helping iconic brands stand the test of time and continue to attract new audiences is my passion. Our packaging for M&amp;Ms put a fresh spin on a beloved classic. By playing into the Pavlovian reaction that customers have when they hear the product being poured into a bowl, we’ve featured a bowl full of M&amp;Ms right on pack. Our seasonal designs also personified the candies in a way that had applications across various holidays, including Christmas, Halloween and Valentine’s Day.</br>\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7270\" title=\"11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_4\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"471\" /></br>\n</br>\n<strong>4. Pets are people, too.</strong>\nOne of the categories that’s seen the most growth since CBX’s inception is the pet food category. Our packaging design for Milo’s Kitchen, a new brand in the “real meat treat” category for dogs, was built around the idea that dog owners treat their pets as members of their family, and as such, want to give them the kind of food they themselves eat. The final brand name and packaging graphics highlight the connection between human beings and their dogs, one that I totally relate to now that we’ve added a dog into our family mix.</br>\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7271\" title=\"11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_5\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"478\" /></br>\n</br>\n<strong>5. Beverage tastes come and go, and go, and go.</strong>\nOur clients are always telling us that our people are what make CBX so special, and why they come back to us again and again. We’ve been lucky enough to work with Snapple continually since our inception, and have seen the brand go from beverage leader during the ice tea boom days to a brand moving into new territory such as bottled water. From redesigning a new Snapple iced tea to Snap2O, we’re happy to ride the kooky refreshment wave with Snapple, no matter what is going on in the industry.</br>\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7272\" title=\"11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_6\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"459\" /></br>\n</br>\n<strong>6. Drug stores can be chic.</strong>\nChic, you say? Yes, chic – and cool, too. We helped NYC’s biggest drug store chain stave off the competition and bring its new positioning, New York Living Made Easy, to life by rolling out new and innovative designs for more than 250 stores; creating five private label brands with a distinctly New York sensibility; and developing unique marketing collateral like The Duane Reader. Products ranging from coffee to nuts got a dose of New York iconography and branding on their package. We also created my personal favorite, Brew York City – a growler bar where customers can fill growlers with dozens of different beers.</br>\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7273\" title=\"11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_7\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" />\n</br>\n<strong>7. Private label design is the new luxury.</strong>\nIt takes a lot to surprise me – but perhaps the biggest surprise I’ve had in the last ten years is the way that the private label category has stepped up its branding and design, giving national brands a reason to shake in their boots. It’s been an honor and a privilege to create amazing work for Duane Reade, Walgreens, Giant Eagle, and KMart. By seizing the day and recognizing what it takes to stand out in the drug store aisle (smart strategy, kick ass design), these private label brands have reinvented the way we think about the category.</br>\n<strong>8. Less is more.</strong>\nThere is a saying, “Keep it simple, stupid,” that gained popularity in the 1960’s, and I must think about that saying on a daily basis. Brands like Apple and Target have always recognized that it’s better to create a clear, concise message and design with a lot of white space than the bog down packaging with text and overwrought design. Fortunately, in the past ten years since CBX was created, a lot of brands have jumped on the KISS bandwagon, and I believe this is for the better. We’ve incorporated “KISS” into our work for so many of our clients, namely Walgreens Nice!, Milo’s Kitchen, Pillsbury Simply and Miracle-Gro Culinary Herb Garden, all of which utilize considerable white space, bold photography and clear messaging to make the product the star.</br>\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7274\" title=\"11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_8\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"418\" /></br>\n</br>\n<strong>9. Condom packaging can be hot (outside the bedroom).</strong>\nI could make some lewd jokes about our work for LifeStyles condoms, but the truth is, it’s one of the projects that makes me feel incredibly proud. Like our work for U by Kotex*, Lifestyles presented an opportunity to speak to a new audience through a bold new look, naming convention and package design. By highlighting the “Y” in some of the sub-brand names – Kyng, Wyld, Thryll – (for Y chromosome), communicating the brand’s sensorial promise, and switching to all-vertical packaging that maximized shelf space, we were able to help alter the LifeStyles brand perception and its place in the market. And there’s nothing hotter than that.</br>\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7275\" title=\"11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_9\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"354\" /></br>\n</br>\n<strong>10. Politics are anything but boring.</strong>\nLook, I’m not really a political guy. But I AM a design guy, which is why I sit up and take notice during election years – of the party logos, that is. In 2010, after the Democratic and Republican parties unveiled boring new logos, my team and I took a stab at redesigning them, as well as one for the Tea Party (which still had credibility at the time). Posted on the FastCoDesign blog, our designs generated a good amount of debate, proving my belief that controversy is not just a stage for politicians. Design can create debate too.</br>\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7276\" title=\"11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_10\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/11_15_13_OpinionSeries_RickBarrack_10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"410\" /></br>\n</br>\nSo there you go – my top ten lessons from the past ten years. Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me in honor of CBX’s 10th anniversary. The truth is, there are dozens of invaluable lessons I’ve learned, and each one is more inspiring than the next. Now bring on the next ten!</br>\n</br>\nRead more: <a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/11/19/ten-years-ten-lessons-in-design.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/11/19/ten-years-ten-lessons-in-design.html</a>', 'Ten Years, Ten Lessons in Design', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ten-years-ten-lessons-in-design', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/ten-years-ten-lessons-in-design', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1889, 4, '2013-11-22 17:52:59', '2013-11-22 17:52:59', '<strong>Merchants Must Assess Whether There Is a Match Between Opportunities to Distinguish Themselves From the Competition as Well as Their Capability to Leverage These Opportunities, CBX Executive Writes</strong>\nWhile savvy merchants go out of their way to differentiate themselves from the pack, a strategic approach to change is essential to survival in today\'s increasingly competitive retail environment, writes Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in a guest commentary that appeared earlier this month on <a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/staying-same-not-option?ad=exclusives-analysis\" target=\"_blank\">www.chainstoreage.com</a>, a retail management publication.\n\nIn the column, titled, \"Staying the Same is Not an Option,\" Bona states that retailers can neither afford to operate stores whose appearance, merchandise mix, level of service and other attributes closely resemble or mirror those of their counterparts, nor rely on previously effective tactics to sharpen their competitive edge. \"Gone are the days when a lagging chain can take a \'me, too\' approach and try to eke out an existence by copying successful innovators,\" writes the veteran store designer. \"Nor can you save a bad retail proposition by making incremental improvements alone -- things like cleaner floors, brighter lighting or a new customer-service manual geared toward plastering smiles on the faces of your employees. Tweaks such as these might have worked 10 or 15 years ago. Today these kinds of changes are table stakes.\"\n\n\"But if staying the same is not an option, how should retailers tackle the challenge of change?\" he asks, noting that the first step for merchants entails assessing whether they possess the prerequisites for capitalizing on opportunities for transformation. \"Once you identify an opportunity in the marketplace -- something like the brand-building and cost-saving potential of private-label products or the trend toward prepared food -- the next step is to take an honest look at whether this opportunity matches your capability,\" he advises. Retailers must determine if they have the corporate culture, back-end systems, financial strength and human resources necessary to support the potential change and, if not, whether the opportunity merits the effort required to attain them, Bona contends.\n\nEnsuring that changes under consideration jibe with \"brand attributes\" is equally important, Bona observes. For example, he notes that a chain widely regarded for its fast, personalized service would be ill-advised to implement a new program designed to slow down the shopping experience, under the pretext that longer dwell times will lead to increased customer spending.\n\nBona also counsels retailers to accept that change entails risks, but does not necessitate embracing every trend. \"The focus should be on how individual technologies and services can bolster and fit into the overall mission,\" he writes. \"Where does the company need to be in the marketplace? Who does it most want to serve? What do these customers want, and how can you meet or exceed their expectations?\"\n\nThe executive concedes that although innovating in retail is hard work compared with staying the same, remaining on the leading edge is possible when retailers are honest and realistic about the limits of their brand and the actual capabilities of the company. \"Otherwise,\" he concludes, \"you fall prey to inertia, which is no option at all.\"\n', 'Careful Approach to Change Is Key for Retailers', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'careful-approach-to-change-is-key-for-retailers-bona-advises', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/careful-approach-to-change-is-key-for-retailers-bona-advises', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1890, 4, '2013-12-04 21:55:41', '2013-12-04 21:55:41', 'By Joe Bona\r\nPanera Bread recently announced plans to open hundreds of branded convenience stores in major markets across the United States. The Chicago-based chain, which posted sales of $3.7 billion in 2012, said the new stores will be hybrid versions of its popular fast-casual restaurants, but with fuel pumps, snacks and other c-store mainstays as part of the mix. The rollout could begin as early as 2014.\r\n\r\nBefore you react with alarm or bewilderment to the paragraph above, I should point out that nothing in it is true — except for the part about Panera generating $3.7 billion in 2012. But if the idea of going head-to-head with Panera made you uneasy, even for a moment, this is understandable.\r\n\r\nUse a Venn diagram to compare the attributes of c-store and fast-casual food strategies and the overlap is considerable. Both sectors target on-the-go shoppers who need to get in and out in a flash. Both aim to broaden their appeal by combining higher-quality food ingredients with sparse, easy-to-understand menus. And as they seek to innovate, both c-stores and fast-casual chains are paying much closer attention to brand-reinforcing graphics, store design and the total customer experience.\r\n\r\nFor its part, the fast-casual sector has honed this formula to near-perfection, with impressive results. According to research firm Technomic Inc., “Fast-casual makes up just 14 percent of the total $223 billion limited-service restaurant segment, but its sales continue to outpace other operators. Fast-casual sales increased 13 percent in 2012, and the largest chains did even better, growing by 16 percent.”\r\n\r\nBut despite all the overlap in the aforementioned Venn diagram, rarely if ever does the c-store sector look outside itself for new and innovative approaches. For years now, a few chains — the likes of RaceTrac, Wawa and QuikTrip, to name a few — have led the pack and spawned quite a bit of imitation, with some of their competitors repeatedly taking “best practice tours” in which they visit these innovators’ new stores in search of creative ideas.\r\n\r\nInnovation is different from imitation, however. Given all the channel blurring in food today — with dollar stores, drugstores, c-stores, quick-service restaurants and other businesses increasingly competing for the same customer — looking outside your own sector is arguably not just a best practice; it is a strategic imperative.\r\n\r\nIf c-stores want to build their brands around stronger food offerings, they would do well to branch out and study what is happening in sectors with which they share some commonalities. Panera and Pret A Manger sell sandwiches, which are precisely what so many of the better c-store retailers are focused on these days.\r\n\r\nWhy have consumers responded so enthusiastically to fast-casual chains? How do these chains approach preparation, distribution, traffic flow, presentation and signage? Like c-stores, today’s fast-casual chains contain a number of self-serve elements, such as fountain-drink stations, coffee services and beverage coolers. Pret A Manger, in particular, is all grab-and-go — a convenience store, minus the smokes and the gas.\r\n\r\nWhat successful elements from this could be adapted for a c-store context? Picture what Panera or Chipotle might actually look like as a hybrid convenience store/fast-casual restaurant. What would have to change? What could stay the same? Operationally, how large would a c-store company have to be before it could launch its own commissary and begin stocking its stores with prepared foods worthy of the best in fast-casual?\r\n\r\nIn all likelihood, asking such questions would not lead to a total remake of the decades-old c-store model. But it could very well spark some creative approaches that yielded real benefits for those brave enough to try.\r\n\r\nNaturally, risk-taking is a part of this. The typical evolution involves launching a test concept and spending a lot of money to work out the kinks. Tests fail, which is perhaps why so many c-store chains tend to favor low-risk, equipment-based solutions to their foodservice offers. But the upside of automated approaches, such as savings on labor and storage space, should be considered along with the potential downside: namely, a perpetuation of the consumer perception that c-store food is greasy, unhealthy and stale.\r\n\r\nStealing pages from Panera Bread or Pret A Manger, by contrast, would entail a high level of commitment, with different skill positions, a bigger investment in people and infrastructure, additional training and more storage space. And yet, you can bet the millions of Americans who regularly patronize fast-casual restaurants spend plenty of time visiting c-stores as well. These consumers have more choices today than ever. They are accustomed to switching from one brand to the next. And their frantic schedules actually favor more one-stop shopping at convenience stores.\r\n\r\nConsider Technomic’s 10 Trends for 2014 report. Published in November, it highlights the breakdown of traditional meal times as a trend to watch. “Consumers are less likely to eat according to a three-square-meals schedule; they nosh, skip meals, eat breakfast for dinner and vice versa,” the researchers explain. “More restaurants are introducing innovative breakfast items…often available all day. And while breakfast- and lunch-only concepts are building a niche, other operators are promoting late-night breakfast menus, often in conjunction with 24-hour drive-thru service.”\r\n\r\nThat sounds an awful lot like a national to-go order for more convenient approaches to food. Will the c-store sector rise to the challenge?\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/print-topstory-lessons_from_fast_casual-64892.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.csnews.com/print-topstory-lessons_from_fast_casual-64892.html</a>', 'Lessons from Fast-Casual', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'lessons-from-fast-casual', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/lessons-from-fast-casual', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1891, 4, '2013-12-15 20:36:41', '2013-12-15 20:36:41', 'By Sandra Creamer\r\n<em>Sandra Creamer looks at how elf cosmetics has reinvented its image for its flagship store.</em>\r\n\r\nConsumer products companies occasionally take brands from the shelf to a freestanding retail store to elevate their offerings in the eyes of consumers and establish a stronger connection.\r\n\r\nThe Chobani store in Soho, Spanx mall outposts and the McCormick World of Flavors store in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor are three terrific examples that have helped each brand boost its caché.\r\n\r\nIn the beauty category, we’ve seen prestige brands go from shelf to store, but for mass brands this is less common.There is one value brand in particular that is breaking this prestige shelf-to-store mold in a very big way: e.l.f. Makeup &amp; Cosmetics.\r\n\r\n<strong>e.l.f. cosmetics Opens Its Flagship\r\n</strong>\r\nDrugstore makeup brand e.l.f. (which stands for eyes, lips, face) opened a flagship called e.l.f. Studio this past spring in New York City.\r\n\r\ne.l.f. was once a small, independently owned brand, started by an NYU student and a veteran of the cosmetics brand Hard Candy, that first offered products online before getting mass distribution. The story goes that a major beauty magazine wanted to ensure, prior to providing national PR for the brand, that e.l.f. products – at that point only sold regionally – would be available nationally to their 2MM+ reader base.\r\n\r\nTo do so, e.l.f. quickly established an online outpost and was on its way. It was 2004, after all. Interest grew, and e.l.f. was able to gain distribution at mass retail. Then, quite a few years later – May of 2013 – e.l.f. officially opened its flagship doors.\r\n\r\n<strong>\r\nEnhancing the Brand\'s Image</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat makes this shelf-to-storefront tale so unusual is that e.l.f. had launched originally as an “extreme value” brand, with most products at $1 or $3.\r\n\r\nOpening a flagship would seem unusual for such a low-cost brand, except for this fact: Having real estate and a retail presence would enhance consumer perception of the brand, and allow e.l.f. to showcase new, more expensive product lines that might seem out of place/difficult to merchandise next to cheaper products at, say, a Target or a Walmart.\r\n\r\nMuch like the shelf-to-storefront objectives of other category brands, the e.l.f. Studio environment serves to up e.l.f.’s cool caché and enhance the perception of the brand.\r\n\r\nThe store vibe is clean and inviting, with shiny floors, white fixtures and a row of flat panel screens flanking the aisles reminiscent of the Saks or Bloomingdale\'s cosmetics floor.\r\n\r\nThe product packaging also paves the way to reach for the premium pricing tier: Sleek solid black packs are on par with the standard for premium products set by M*A*C, Chanel and popular European brand FACE Stockholm.\r\n\r\n<strong>\r\nThe Strategy</strong>\r\n\r\nFor a brand such as e.l.f., which is seeking to expand beyond its value play, opening a flagship store serves a very strategic purpose.\r\n\r\nIt not only connects with the consumer in an upscale, controlled environment, but it also allows the coexistence of low and more expensive lines to tackle the barrier of up-selling for a value brand, which is very challenging indeed.\r\n\r\nValue brands should take note!\r\n\r\nOriginally printed in Beauty Packaging.', 'From Mass to Class: A Beauty Brand that Breaks the Mold', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'from-mass-to-class-a-beauty-brand-that-breaks-the-mold', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/from-mass-to-class-a-beauty-brand-that-breaks-the-mold', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1892, 4, '2013-12-19 21:01:57', '2013-12-19 21:01:57', 'By Gregg S. Lipman\r\nI\'ve often equated growing a business to raising a kid (much to my staff\'s chagrin). At first, she needs your utmost attention -- feed her, nurture her, coddle her. Pookie can\'t survive without you. Your influence will help shape what she will become.\r\n\r\nAt every stage of development, the relationship you have with your child changes, your role changes and his/her needs change, too. I\'m happy to say that I\'ve got two relatively happy (hey, they\'re teenagers), healthy, productive kids. I also have a relatively happy healthy, productive company (it\'s also a teenager). Having given birth to CBX with my co-parents, uh, co-founders just over ten years ago, I feel qualified to share some of our parenting experiences.\r\n\r\nAll companies face significant challenges as they go from startup to grown-up. Most of them are not unique, but they are unique to you -- especially when you are a first-time parent (I still have nightmares about the period right after my daughter was born). Success is not without its pitfalls and roadblocks, but the companies that succeed are the ones that have the wherewithal to be open-minded, introspective, and have the resolve to push through the hard times and, importantly, learn from these experiences.\r\n\r\nFive things to consider in raising a company:\r\n\r\n<strong>Stay True to Your Culture</strong>\r\n\r\nYour child has innate traits and will also be influenced by her environment. I can\'t tell you how many times our clients have said to me, \"You know why we keep coming back to you guys? Yes, it\'s the work -- but it\'s also the people.\"\r\n\r\nAnd those people were all asked to join our team because they fit into a particular culture we try to cultivate here -- one built on the philosophy of \"dirty hands, creative minds, straight talk, and good manners.\" (I\'m quoting our web site, where we call out \"Culture\" as its own category).\r\n\r\nSure, it\'s important that they fit the job description, but it\'s almost more important that we understand how they conduct themselves as human beings. We are definitely not looking to create the Stepford Company at CBX -- we are the proverbial melting pot of approaches and experiences. But we\'ve definitely made the mistake in the past of hiring disruptors -- people who wowed us with their resumes and accomplishments, but not, once they actually worked here, with their personalities.\r\n\r\n<strong>Plan to Grow, and Shrink, and Grown Again</strong>\r\n\r\nEvery kid goes through growing pains. Some even discover beer. From physical space to managing people, it\'s always crucial to plan for growth, whether that means having enough space for the staff (real estate commitment is a Top 5 \"watch out\" for businesses) to providing training for staff (at some point osmosis doesn\'t quite cut it).\r\n\r\nInfrastructure changes by the numbers: five is different than 15, than 25, than 50 than 100, and so on. Putting the right structure in place for your business and modifying the rules of engagement in digestible doses makes all the difference. Businesses that evolve with purpose tend to adapt to a future state more comfortably and sustainably than those that wretch forward and use a lot of duct tape to keep things together.\r\n\r\nAnd while you\'re planning for the good, don\'t forget to plan for the bad. Clients and customers are fickle and the market changes. Yes, you could have a bad year. Think about what you\'ll do now, should that happen -- hopefully, you won\'t go down that road. But if and when you do, it won\'t be a shock and you\'ll better prepared to deal with it and move forward.\r\n\r\n<strong>Strike a Balance Between Fluid and Structured</strong>\r\n\r\nKids ride their scooters at breakneck speeds and snowboard down mountains with abandon. They\'re not scared to take risks, even if it means getting lots of bruises in the process. Of course, good parents make sure the kid has a helmet on and some pads.\r\n\r\nWith growth comes complexity. Fifteen people? You\'re in each other\'s business, so rules need not apply. Twenty-five or more? Process and protocols are in your future, but how do you maintain the entrepreneurial spirit while establishing the structure that allows things to run smoothly?\r\n\r\nHere\'s a clue: the truth is usually in the middle. I\'m usually interested in the results over the process, and to empower your staff, they need to be able to create their own navigation. That said, we try a codified approach with the caveat that it\'s a guideline more than a rule, and we want people to be able to get where they\'re going through their own style (as long as the expected results are there).\r\n\r\n<strong>Be Able to Let Go and Trust Your People</strong>\r\n\r\nYeah, I cried watching Finding Nemo, too. The whole idea of a parent trusting their child really got me choked up. It sort of reminds me of that classic corporate retreat game where you close your eyes, fall backwards and hope that your co-workers will catch you. I basically play that game every day because I have to trust the people we\'ve hired to be responsible for the business I helped found. It\'s one of the reasons why we lean so much on culture -- mutual respect over a period of time leads to trust, and with trust you can do great things.\r\n\r\nPresident Reagan had a phrase that we put to use at our agency as well: \"Trust, but verify.\"\r\n\r\nWhile we preach individual empowerment and responsibility, we also build in a system of checks and balances to protect each other.\r\n\r\n<strong>Keep Things Sexy (So to Speak)</strong>\r\n\r\nEnough with the kids already. Any marriage therapist will advise her patients to \"keep things sexy,\" and the same holds true for a business. The early days of a start-up, like a relationship, are energized, vibrant and unpredictable. It\'s all passion, all the time. Everybody\'s in it together.\r\n\r\nBut as time goes by, things become a little more -- let\'s face it -- ho-hum and expected. The excitement is gone, replaced by the day-to-day reality... or as some call it, the \"rude awakening.\" The real challenge is to shake things up every once in a while, keep things sexy, and your employees on their toes. Present a challenge to the staff. Throw a party. Change the seating arrangements (we\'re actually doing this right now). Whatever it takes to get people engaged and excited to come to work each day.\r\n\r\nSo now that CBX is ten years old, do I consider it a fully functioning \"grownup,\" as the title of this piece would imply? Well, no, not exactly. I suppose I would say we are entering into those awkward tween years, where we know in our heart what we do best, but are still pushing the boundaries to be as good as we can be. Personally, I\'m excited for the uncertainty that lies ahead, and plan to use the top five lessons above to guide me through the next ten years.\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/5-challenges-agencies-face-as-they-mature_b_4454516.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/5-challenges-agencies-face-as-they-mature_b_4454516.html</a>', 'From Startup to Grownup: 5 Challenges Agencies Face as They Mature', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'from-startup-to-grownup-5-challenges-agencies-face-as-they-mature', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/from-startup-to-grownup-5-challenges-agencies-face-as-they-mature', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1893, 4, '2013-12-06 21:40:31', '2013-12-06 21:40:31', 'By Nancy Brown<em>\r\nFind creative new ways to celebrate holidays, seasons, and special occasions through your product and packaging to keep your brand top-of-mind all year long.</em>\r\n\r\nBrands have long capitalized on those holidays for which their products are well suited, such as candy for Halloween, Easter, and Valentine’s Day, snacks and beverages for the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four, and stationery products for Back-To-School.\r\n\r\nBut with every brand in a category providing a seasonal offering, how can you avoid simply being just another “me too”? How can your brand leverage holidays and other relevant opportunities to break through at shelf and drive incremental sales?\r\n\r\nThere are several approaches brands can use to move beyond the obvious—and limited—seasonal merchandising strategies they’ve been using, and instead keep their brands fresh, relevant, and top-of-mind throughout the year.\r\n\r\n<strong>Capitalize on your season</strong>\r\n\r\nThanksgiving is a natural promotional fit for every food brand out there, which is why it’s exciting to see brands thinking out-of-the-box when it comes to this holiday. One of the best examples of this kind of creativity is the holiday-themed packs put out by Jones Soda a few years ago. Thanksgiving flavors included Tofurky &amp; Gravy Soda (a vegan-friendly, sugar-free flavor), Green Bean Casserole, and Mashed Potato &amp; Butter…and believe it or not, Tofurkey wasn’t that awful.\r\n\r\nThe offerings were so successful that Jones followed them up with a Christmas edition, including Christmas Tree, Egg Nog, and Sugar Plum sodas, and a Chanukah package with Latke, Apple Sauce, Chocolate Coins, and Jelly Doughnut sodas. Other special occasion series include Halloween flavors, a Valentine’s Pack, Easter flavors, and a Dessert Pack. The package designs all play into the look of the holiday, and are completely on brand with Jones’ typically fun spin.\r\n\r\n<strong>Make it your season too</strong>\r\nBrands have figured out that you don’t necessarily need to be an obvious fit with a holiday/season in order to “own it.” Certain unexpected partnerships use promotions as a way to capitalize on special occasions. For example, a Kraft string cheese/Crayola crayon promo for “back-to-school” that makes the string cheese look as if it were packaged in a Crayola crayon box, comes to mind, while others simply do this through packaging (see pwgo.to/316).\r\n\r\nOne of the best back to school promotions is the Bath &amp; Body Works “lunch box bundle” of hand sanitizers. In scents including Marshmallow Treat, PB&amp;J, Honey Pretzel, Juice Box, and Bag of Grapes, these sanitizers were a huge hit with young girls (and their moms) everywhere.\r\n\r\nAnother brand that has figured out ways to “own” certain holidays and seasons is Lego. For example, Lego has gotten in on the Easter action by creating a product and special packaging for a bunny with his Easter basket made out of Legos. Kleenex “slice” boxes—made to look like watermelon, lime, and orange wedges—were created exclusively for Target to sell during the summer months, and injected new life into the brand in the off-season, making them mouthwatering in more ways than one. Kleenex followed up the designs the next year with equally adorable boxes that featured scoops of ice cream.\r\n\r\n<strong>Create (and leverage) seasonal assets</strong>\r\nSome people bemoan the commercialization of the holidays—especially Christmas. But it’s interesting to note that one of the most cherished icons of that holiday, Santa Claus, was actually a marketing creation of the Coca-Cola Company in the 1930s. By promoting Santa—who up until that point had been visually portrayed in many different ways—as a big, jolly man in a red suit with a white beard, Coca-Cola not only created an emotional link with one of the world’s most recognized holidays and created brand associations in its “off-season,” but it also commercialized the gift-bearing folklore with an accessible personification. This visual was so strong that it could have become a brand character, but instead, it transcended that role to be much more universal. Years later, Coca-Cola did for polar bears what it had done for Santa:\r\nmade them synonymous with Christmas.\r\n\r\nIn the same vein, M&amp;Ms has leveraged its personified M&amp;Ms characters and placed them into holiday and seasonal situations (such as a yellow M&amp;M getting frisky with holiday lighting) to take ownership of these holidays in a way that seems honest and innovative.\r\n\r\n<strong>Create new holidays</strong>\r\nThese days, special events can be created, or novel ways of promoting less mainstream events established, to connect with consumers. For example, Solo cups posts ideas on Facebook for how to use its products to honor unexpected events like National Boss’ Day and National Hamburger Day.\r\n\r\nMany brands show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by creating some form of pink packaging in October, but Danish bread manufacturer Kohberg went one step further by packaging their Rye Bread Buns in a pink bag that made the buns look like breasts in a bra. While understandably controversial, it did get noticed and created attention for the cause as well as the company.\r\n\r\nNo matter what holiday, season, or occasion you choose for your brand, there are options for forging authentic connections on-pack. Here are five guidelines that will help you get noticed on shelf at all times of the year:\r\n\r\n1. <strong>Engage your audience:</strong> Create something that shoppers will not only notice, but will also talk about, laugh about, and best of all, care about enough to want to buy.\r\n\r\n2. <strong>Stay true to your brand:</strong> Build long-term equity, not just short-term sales boosts, by figuring out a connection that seems authentic, not hokey.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Be controversial</strong>: Whether it’s the holiday you select for your brand or what you do with that holiday tie-in, go for it and push the envelope. A little controversy can go a long way.\r\n\r\n4. <strong>Create an idea with longevity</strong>: Get consumers excited about your season, create buzz around your brand, and make them look forward to and anticipate next year’s offering.\r\n\r\n5. <strong>Spare no expense</strong>: Graphics and structure matter, so dream big with a unique structural package and proprietary graphics that take your package to the next level.\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/promotional-package/every-brand-there-season\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.packworld.com/package-design/promotional-package/every-brand-there-season</a>', 'To every brand, there is a season', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'to-every-brand-there-is-a-season', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/to-every-brand-there-is-a-season', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1894, 4, '2013-12-12 21:57:41', '2013-12-12 21:57:41', 'By Peter Burgoyne\r\nAs we approach the New Year, I’ve been taking a step back and take the proverbial “30,000 foot view” of where things stand in the world of retail design.\r\nI spent a lot of time over the past year flying around the world to visit stores and malls in France, Turkey, the Philippines, Morocco, Spain, Italy, the U.K., Canada and on both coasts of the United States. Again and again on these travels, I was struck by creative, high-quality retail design and architecture.\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/grand-tour\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/grand-tour</a>', 'Grand Tour, Why you should feel bullish about retail in 2014', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'grand-tour-why-you-should-feel-bullish-about-retail-in-2014', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/grand-tour-why-you-should-feel-bullish-about-retail-in-2014', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1895, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:21', '2018-09-27 16:52:21', '', 'DR_bag_logo', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'dr_bag_logo', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:21', '2018-09-27 16:52:21', '', 1603, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/DR_bag_logo.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1896, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:21', '2018-09-27 16:52:21', '', 'DR_bag_logo-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'dr_bag_logo-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:21', '2018-09-27 16:52:21', '', 1603, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/DR_bag_logo-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1897, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:22', '2018-09-27 16:52:22', '', 'LIFESTYLES3_mainline', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'lifestyles3_mainline', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:22', '2018-09-27 16:52:22', '', 1605, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/LIFESTYLES3_mainline.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1898, 4, '2014-01-07 20:42:59', '2014-01-07 20:42:59', 'To start off the New Year and lead up to the judging of the first annual Vertex Awards International Private Brand Design Competition I sat down with each of the judges and asked them five questions about Private Brands, package design and differentiation – their answers present a unique global perspective and depth of knowledge of the retail brand space.\r\nToday’s conversation is with Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer &amp; Managing Partner, CBX of the U.S.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. What do you look for in great Brand design?</strong>\r\nBreaking through the obvious.\r\nDesign that communicates a clear and concise message with a point of difference. Something that differentiates in the marketplace and from the competition. Don’t just push product with basic product shots, benefit statements and a cheaper price. Look to make a paradigm shift in a category, celebrate your brand’s unique difference in the marketplace.\r\n\r\n<strong>2.How can Design help retailers and their brands differentiate?</strong>\r\nRetailers all have some attributes that are unique to them — whether that be the way the arrange their goods, the way they make their goods, their service, etc. Design shows how to put those unique attributes on a pedestal — make those unique elements the hero and thus create a lasting image in consumers’ minds as to why they can get something from that retailer that they can’t get from anyone else — and that’s the most important piece of retail today because if they can get it someplace else, it’s a price game.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. How do you help retailers select great design instead of obvious or easy design?</strong>\r\nReminding our clients the value of good brand design is not just about being a national brand equivalent, but standing for something more than that and building brand equity and loyalty.\r\n\r\nDesign is about solving a particular puzzle (all the variables: physical, merchandising needs, space constraints, consumer desires, etc.) in an elegant way where the end solution makes a total impact greater than the sum of all the parts. Design is about creating more for less. Design puts together a puzzle of needs in a way that creates more impact with less resources. Great design has to solve for certain challenges within certain constraints. If it does that well, in a way where the investment is less than the net experience, then you have great design. However, great design doesn’t have to mean design that’s never been done before. Great design takes the core idea of “obvious” and makes it special, unique, nuanced and desired.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. What advice do you have for retailers working with design consultancies/branding agencies?</strong>\r\n\r\nTrust them. Partner with them. Trust in the process and recognize that the creative process is iterative.\r\n\r\nTake the time upfront to work with the team to understand what all the possible opportunities are. Only then will you be able to make decisions confidently along the way because you’ve explored the alternative paths and know why you did or didn’t pursue them. If you dive right into design, thinking you know what you want, in the short term you may have less confidence in all the decisions that must be made along the way, and in the long run you might regret not stretching your ideas further because retail design is a long term investment.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. How can retailers avoid the mistakes of the past and the missteps of national brands?</strong>\r\n\r\nThe biggest mistake national brands make is not “sticking with it”. Whether that be good values, advertising, their customer base, their long-term equities or any other unique-ness. Particularly in public companies where the pressure to grow is constant, too many brands and retailers will try anything new to light sales. But, creating consumer awareness of what you’re doing is quite expensive and is likely to wipe out the margin that might have been gained in increased sales. When brands “Stick with it,” they build on the momentum that has been banked over the long-term.\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://mypbrand.com/2014/01/07/5-questions-the-vertex-judges-rick-barrack/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mypbrand+%28Myprivatebrand%27s+Blog%29\" target=\"_blank\">http://mypbrand.com/2014/01/07/5-questions-the-vertex-judges-rick-barrack/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mypbrand+%28Myprivatebrand%27s+Blog%29</a>', 'The Vertex Judges: Rick Barrack', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-questions-the-vertex-judges-rick-barrack', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/5-questions-the-vertex-judges-rick-barrack', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1899, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:22', '2018-09-27 16:52:22', '', 'LIFESTYLES3_mainline', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'lifestyles3_mainline-2', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:22', '2018-09-27 16:52:22', '', 1605, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/LIFESTYLES3_mainline.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1900, 4, '2013-11-26 21:23:40', '2013-11-26 21:23:40', 'Interested in investing in beverage companies Coca-Cola , SodaStream , and Dr Pepper Snapple Group ? Exploring this week\'s news in the beverage industry may help you decide.\r\n<strong>Partnerships and innovation</strong>\r\nCoca-Cola\'s Honest Tea subsidiary recently took its zero-calories Unsweet Lemon Tea national. Feeling good about the success of its Just Green Tea drink, Honest Tea thinks it can capitalize on the robust tea market. On the innovation front, Drinks Business Review nominated Coca-Cola for the 2013 DBR Drink Innovation Award. Last month in Japan, Coca-Cola introduced a Canada Dry Hot Ginger Ale drink in a can designed to maintain the carbonation when the drink gets heated from a \"chemical concoction\" within the container.\r\n\r\nSodaStream increased the convenience of making soda at home in the United States by introducing SodaStream caps. You essentially take the pre-measured one-use capsule and pour it in the bottle to make a drink. This will certainly add to its appeal for the environmentally conscious consumer. Moreover, it may appeal to the convenience-oriented consumer who doesn\'t want to measure the amount of syrup to make a drink.\r\n\r\nIn an effort to expand their presence as well as combat waning sales in the perceived \"unhealthy drinks\" arena, beverage companies -- via partnerships or their own research team -- are bringing new products to market to entice consumers. Dr Pepper Snapple Group intends on using excess distribution capacity to expand the range of products it sells. Last month, the company partnered with Sunny Delight Beverages to sell the Sparkling Fruit2O flavored water. More recently, Dr Pepper Snapple teamed up with Bai Brands, makers of Bai 5-Calorie Antioxidant Infusions to bring its natural beverages to major markets.\r\n\r\n<strong>Packaging and advertising</strong>\r\nAccording to a Beverage World article, Dr Pepper Snapple has engaged brand agency CBX to revamp its Sunkist logo and bring back its iconic sun ball graphic. D. Pepper Snapple felt that its current packaging lacked differentiation and lost connection with its \"California beach story.\" The company wants the brand revitalized for the younger demographic. With that said, it can use all the help it can get, considering that its carbonated soda volume fell flat in its most recent quarter.\r\n\r\nCoca-Cola invested in its first dairy cooperative, Fair Life, which owns Core Power, a high-protein shake. With the resources of Coca-Cola, Core Power executives want to sell the public on the \"sex appeal of vitality\" that comes from drinking the protein shake, according to Beverage Daily. Core Power executives utilized Coca-Cola\'s distributions system to take its brand national.\r\n\r\n<strong>Trends</strong>\r\nIn a recent article, Beverage World cited statistics that offer reassurance to the long-term shareholders of eco-friendly companies such as SodaStream. According to the article, over 75% of the 4,000 people polled increasingly consider environmental factors such as recyclability and environmental friendliness of packaging in their purchasing decisions. In an interesting contrast, another Beverage World article talks about the falling rate of recycling during the 10-year period from 2000 to 2010. The article cited a \"national wasting rate for 2010 at 63 percent\" versus 59% in 2000. The article suggests that if recycling became more convenient via the increased availability of recycling bins, then the rate of recycling might follow. If more consumers can incorporate an eco-friendly mentality, then companies like SodaStream may thrive even more.\r\n\r\n<strong>Foolish takeaway</strong>\r\nThese headlines point to the understanding on the part of the beverage industry that consumers increasingly want healthier drinks and eco-friendly packaging. As a result, companies are stepping up with new products either internally generated or through partnerships and acquisitions.\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\" http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/11/26/the-latest-news-in-the-beverage-industry-coca-cola/\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/11/26/the-latest-news-in-the-beverage-industry-coca-cola/</a>', 'The Latest News in the Beverage Industry: Coca-Cola, SodaStream, and Dr Pepper Snapple', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-latest-news-in-the-beverage-industry-coca-cola-sodastream-and-dr-pepper-snapple', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-latest-news-in-the-beverage-industry-coca-cola-sodastream-and-dr-pepper-snapple', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1901, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:23', '2018-09-27 16:52:23', '', 'T1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 't1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:23', '2018-09-27 16:52:23', '', 1606, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/T1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1902, 4, '2014-01-16 17:17:52', '2014-01-16 17:17:52', 'By Joe Bona\r\n“City hardware store survives despite bigger retail options.” So ran the headline last November in the local newspaper for Pottsville, Pa. (population 14,229). The story focused on the seemingly unlikely survival of Pottsville’s Centre Street Hardware, which had managed to keep its doors open since 1992 despite the rise of price-busting big-box hardware stores.\r\n\r\nJason Brown, a crack mechanic who manages the family business, told the newspaper its success owes to diversification. “We sell multiple things, such as bagged coal and wood pellets, all along with the regular hardware retail,” he said. “The small engine repair and service work we do, that’s our biggest thing, really.”\r\n\r\nWalk into Roswell Hardware Co., in Roswell, Ga., and the story is much the same. It happens to be an exclusive dealer of a best-in-class barbecue grill called the Big Green Egg. It is a hot item, no pun intended, and about half the store is filled with BBQ-related stuff. By the way, good luck finding Big Green Egg in the big-box stores.\r\n\r\nThe notion of connecting with customers comes up so often in retail these days that it might seem like a meaningless cliché. But as the examples above illustrate, when a business can build strong relationships with local consumers, it can do what some consider nearly impossible—compete with the biggie chains. Indeed, the cavernous big-box stores might even be at a disadvantage in this regard. In a world of commoditized and homogenized retail, there is undeniable appeal to walking into your corner hardware store and chatting with people who know your name.\r\n\r\nBut you cannot just look the part. The key is to actually elevate service in ways that are immediately recognizable to your shoppers. When they ask for help finding an item, walk them to the exact spot. Once there, engage with them by asking about the project they are working on. Find out if they need other help—and make sure you know enough to actually help them. Aside from service, organize your store so that it works for shoppers, not against them. Remove clutter, set store shelves so that categories are easy to navigate, and give those who want to be left alone lots of easy-to-read, way-finding signage.\r\n\r\nBut having clean, bright and organized stores is just cost of entry. More important is to have a differentiating strategy along the lines of the examples above. Find your own Big Green Egg. Maybe it is a top-tier leaf-blower or weed-trimmer that is unavailable in the big boxes but the clear favorite of professional landscapers. Maybe you offer the quickest, best and most affordable equipment repair services in town. And don’t be afraid to steal a few pages from the big boys: Hold classes and other events that drive traffic and simultaneously educate people about your store. Such outreach helps forge even closer ties to the community, which is precisely your goal.\r\n\r\nFor local independents, find your unique story, history or special service and celebrate it. Let your store symbolize all that is good about one of America’s most cherished values: independence.\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://www.hardwareretailing.com/independents-day-smaller-stores-can-stand-up-to-their-behemoth-rivals/\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.hardwareretailing.com/independents-day-smaller-stores-can-stand-up-to-their-behemoth-rivals/</a>', 'Independents’ Day', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'independents-day-smaller-stores-can-stand-up-to-their-behemoth-rivals', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/independents-day-smaller-stores-can-stand-up-to-their-behemoth-rivals', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1903, 4, '2013-12-10 17:23:13', '2013-12-10 17:23:13', 'CBX, a brand agency based here, recently assisted start-up company LIQS™ with the design of innovative packaging and the formulation of other branding initiatives for its eponymous line of super-premium, ready-to-drink cocktail shots.\r\nThe CBX design team worked with LIQS Co-founders Michael Glickman and Harley Bauer on a variety of efforts, including strategic alignment and development of the LIQS’ brand mark and package design. “We took our design cues from LIQS’ target customer, a sophisticated millennial who loves spontaneous get-togethers with friends, whether poolside, at the beach or boating,” said Gregg S. Lipman, CBX managing partner.\r\n\r\nSunny and stylish Miami, where LIQS was launched and is based, offered CBX inspiration for the package designs. The firm reinterpreted a sunburst in a series of colorful graphic bursts to correspond with each LIQS flavor -- red-orange for Tequila Cinnamon Orange; yellow-green for Vodka Cucumber Lime; aqua-blue for Vodka Kamikaze; and red-pink for Vodka Lychee Grapefruit.\r\n\r\nProduced in the USA, each LIQS product comes in a 50ml recyclable, crystal polystyrene shot glass that’s sealed and tamper-resistant. The product is sold in a multi-unit package that offers three individually sealed shots of a single flavor. Each shot, as well as the outer packaging, carries the burst graphic.\r\n\r\n“After many years of witnessing the love that consumers have with shots, and the lack of being able enjoy them at home as if made by a bartender, we set out for a solution that would give people access to quality shots they can take anywhere,” explained Glickman. “LIQS is a convenient and attractive alternative to a bartender and bar setup and a far cry from ‘test-tube’ style shooters. With the new packaging, we’re delivering mixology with the mixologist.”\r\n\r\nLIQS is currently available at numerous liquor stores in Florida in advance of a strategic regional rollout.\r\n\r\nAbout LIQS™\r\nFounded in 2013 by Michael Glickman and Harley Bauer, LIQS developed and markets its eponymous line of super-premium, handcrafted cocktail shots. Innovation, quality and convenience are the core principles for which LIQS has been created. LIQS is the first of its kind, offering customers a handcrafted, portable shot made from only the highest quality ingredients and spirits. www.LIQSshot.com', 'CBX Designs Innovative Packaging for Liqs™ Super-Premium, Ready-to-Drink, Cocktail Shots', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-designs-innovative-packaging-for-liqs-super-premium-ready-to-drink-cocktail-shots', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-designs-innovative-packaging-for-liqs-super-premium-ready-to-drink-cocktail-shots', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1904, 4, '2013-10-02 17:34:26', '2013-10-02 17:34:26', 'With a design reminiscent of what consumers would find in a for-profit supermarket, Fare & Square debuted in this metro-Philadelphia area food desert last week.  The nation’s first nonprofit grocery store of its kind is housed in a former grocery building purchased by hunger relief organization Philabundance  and offers nutritious food with a focus on fresh produce, fresh meats, deli, dairy, seafood, frozen foods and a full range of food staples at everyday low prices. \nThe new 16,000-square-foot store represents Chester’s first grocery store in more than a decade.  Fare & Square gives residents of Chester — one of the 35 food deserts in the Delaware Valley according to the USDA — easy access to a full range of fresh and national and private brand foods that have not been available since its last full-scale grocer closed in 2001. Philabundance hopes to replicate this model in other communities in the Delaware Valley region. \n\nWhen planning the prototype, the organization asked New York City-based CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy, to create an environment that would “reflect the hopeful and respectful nature of Philabundance’s goal to serve Chester residents through a store that could look at home in any community,” explained Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments.  In the works for nearly a year, the resulting store features fixtures, lighting, flooring and other elements that would be at home in for-profit supermarkets, but includes a one-of-kind mural designed to showcase the spirit of the City of Chester.\n\nThe colorful Fare & Square logo—a simple drawing of a purple carrot with green tops attached and the words “Fare & Square” set in a rounded-corner square—designed by Philabundance and LevLane Advertising, provided CBX inspiration for the overall palette of bright green and shades of saturated purple with splashes of yellow and orange.  Modern elements such as light wood and stainless steel trim round out the palette. “The palette is designed to make Fare & Square an energizing and inspiring, but comfortable, place to shop and congregate,” said Bona. \n\nCustomers entering the store will immediately see large displays of produce arrayed on tilt-style tables, while pendant lighting above the displays draws attention to its freshness and quality. A wide variety of additional fruits and vegetables can be found in fresh food fixtures lining the walls.  Consistent with for-profit grocery stores, Fare & Square perimeter departments also include dairy, deli, fresh meat and seafood.  \n\nShoppers can easily navigate the store’s central core for canned and packaged staples as well as frozen foods, thanks to hanging aisle-marker signage and enticing end-cap displays. Flooring throughout is vinyl, which is easy on both the backs and feet of employees and customers. \n\nNear the store’s exit, a centralized checkout with multiple lanes has been designed to quickly assist shoppers through the bagging process. “In the same spirit as we welcome customers through the front door, we also wanted that last image as they exited the store to leave a positive impression,” Bona noted.\n\nUnder its not-for-profit grocery store model, Fare & Square strives to provide a customer-focused shopping experience and partners with local organizations and businesses to provide a range of services to the community in a meaningful and memorable way. “We designed a neighborhood store that’s clean, well lit, functional, convenient and friendly, but it’s also a place that the community can call their own, instilling a sense of optimism, pride and connection,” Bona summed up. \n\n“Convenient access to nutritious food is a growing and complex problem across the country and in the Delaware Valley, and one that requires a complex solution,” said Bill Clark, president and executive director of the Philadelphia-based Philabundance. “We have worked on this concept for seven years, and are thrilled to see it come to fruition to help the residents of Chester.”\n\nAbout Philabundance\nPhilabundance reduces hunger and food insecurity in the Delaware Valley by providing food access to people in need in partnership with organizations and individuals. Philabundance provides a full plate of services through neighborhood distribution programs and a network of close to 500 member agencies in 9 counties. Philabundance serves approximately 72,000 people per week at a cost of 50 cents per meal. There are more than 900,000 people in the Delaware Valley who are at risk for chronic hunger and malnutrition. In 2012, Philabundance distributed nearly 25 million pounds of food. For more information about Philabundance, visit www.philabundance.org or call 215-339-0900. Visit us on Facebook, Facebook.com/Philabundance and follow us on Twitter, Twitter.com/Philabundance. If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, please call Philabundance’s Food Help Line, 800-319-Food (3663).\n', 'New Prototype for Fare & Square, a Not-for-Profit Grocery Store Targeting Food Deserts, Opens in Chester, PA', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'new-prototype-for-fare-square-a-not-for-profit-grocery-store-targeting-food-deserts-opens-in-chester-pa', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/new-prototype-for-fare-square-a-not-for-profit-grocery-store-targeting-food-deserts-opens-in-chester-pa', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1905, 4, '2013-03-08 17:15:08', '2013-03-08 17:15:08', 'Saks Fifth Avenue has completed a major renovation of its Beverly Hills men’s store, creating what it calls a “stand-alone lifestyle store” under the name The Fifth Man.\nThe 54,000-square-foot, four-level unit on Wilshire Boulevard opened in 1995 in a landmark building that was designed by Timothy Pflueger and formerly housed an I. Magnin. The revamp includes several new designer shops, the largest men’s shoe presentation on the West Coast and a new underground home for denim and cocktails, called D-Bar.\n\n“The store has very beautiful bones,” said Tom Ott, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of men’s wear. When it opened, Saks “put in some shops and enhancements to make it more masculine. But the business has changed and we’re trying to create a wonderful store that caters to the Beverly Hills and California market and is not New York-centric.” Ott said the redesign was executed by Los Angeles-based designers to ensure it has “a local flair. Even though we’re a big national company, we pride ourselves on understanding and assorting for local markets.”\n\nArchitectural features include exposed ceilings, hand-distressed European white oak floors that lead customers through the selling floor, as well as sustainable composite flooring. It features furniture from Matter, Porro, Boffi NY and Julian Chichester, and custom fixtures designed with Amanueal, Van Stry and CBX.\n\nIn terms of merchandise, Ott said the first floor now offers “a big sportswear statement,” with new or renovated shops for Salvatore Ferragamo, Giorgio Armani and Brunello Cucinelli. “This sends a message of a more-casual lifestyle in Beverly Hills,” he said. “It’s still all about luxury, but it’s less serious.” He said a Zegna shop on the main floor will be renovated this spring.\n\n“And we’ve really enhanced our footwear presentation,” Ott continued. “We have 680 sku’s of shoes, which our intelligence tells us is the most pairs of men’s shoes on the West Coast. It flows from sneakers to fine dress shoes. There are sneakers for $100 to hand-made Kiton shoes in the high-$3,000s. And there’s a big statement in designer footwear. It’s very dramatic.”\n\nNewly added brands include Del Toro, Giuseppe Zanotti, Kiton, Louis Leeman, Martin Margiela, Pirelli and Riviera. Lanvin will be added to the mix in the future. The space is divided into three sections, one for classic brands such as Ferragamo, Rosetti and Pierre Corthay; one for designer brands including Gucci, Prada, Dior and Alexander McQueen, and one for contemporary brands such as Paul Smith, Vintage, Viktor &amp; Rolf and Marc Jacobs.\n\nThe shoe department opened last week, Ott said, and business is “off the charts. We’re trying to push the envelope so it’s not so predictable.”\n\nAlso on the main floor, the company is opening the first hard shop for the Saks Fifth Avenue Men’s Collection, a line that  has grown into the company’s largest men’s resource since its introduction in 2009. The 2,000-square-foot boutique has taken the space formerly devoted to shoes. Ott said the New York flagship will add a boutique for the collection over the summer.\n\nThe lower level is now home to the company’s assortment of denim collections and contemporary apparel. D-Bar was designed by California architecture and design firm Marmol Radziner and includes a lounge with an orange-felt-top pool table; a floor-to-ceiling, street-art-inspired mural by artist Karl Clay; boardwalk wood walls; a neon light installation; custom and found furniture in velvet and leather, as well as decorative lighting from Marmol Radziner, Organic Modernism, Pfeifer and Moooi. A John Allan’s Salon was added as well.\n\n“We really believe in the denim and contemporary business,” said Ott. “It’s been one of the fastest-growing categories for us over the last several years. This is our opportunity to take Beverly Hills to the next  level.”\n\nAmong the brands that are being offered are AG Adriano Goldschmied, Diesel, DL196, J Brand, Joe’s, Hudson, Nudie, Prps, Rag &amp; Bone, Seven For All Mankind and True Religion, as well as new offerings from up-and-coming Los Angeles-based designers such as Diana Keinejad. “There’s a lot of exclusive product,” he added. “The assortment will be different than the other stores, even New York.”\n\nOn the second floor, which is devoted to more-classic vendors, the store has introduced Charvet, redone the Armani clothing shop, is planning a renovation of the Zegna shop and will install a Kiton boutique. “This is the floor for the guy who is more suited up,” Ott said.\n\nThe third floor is now devoted exclusively to “pure designer” merchandise. “Without denim and contemporary there, the offering is more polished. We have a designer room like we do in New York and there’s a new Hugo Boss Red shop.” Other vendors on that floor include Burberry, Dsquared2 and Ralph Lauren Black Denim.\n\nIn its totality, the store is being called The Fifth Man, a tag line conceived by Terron Schaefer, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, that is short for The Saks Fifth Avenue Man. “It calls attention to us as a men’s store,” Ott said.\n\nAlthough the company declined to provide a volume figure for the store, Ott believes the renovation is “a great opportunity to showcase these brands.” He said the location in Beverly Hills is one of the “most competitive strips” in the country, with Neiman Marcus and Barneys New York flanking the unit. “We have to offer something new and unique,” he said. “So we’ll have the large brands we’re known for, but inject [the store] with some newness.”\n\nOtt declined to say if any of the concepts that are being unveiled in Los Angeles will be rolled out to other stores in the chain. Saks operates men’s-only stores in San Antonio, Boston, Chevy Chase, Md., Chicago and Palm Beach, Fla. He also declined to provide details on plans for the company’s men’s store on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, which sources said is the next unit slated for a change. “Chicago will be one notch up,” Ott said. \n\n“\n\nThere are a lot of things out there for men’s in the next 12 to 18 months,” he added. “Men’s has outpaced growth [at the company] and Steve [Sadove, chief executive officer] and Ron [Frasch, president and chief merchant] are putting capital into men’s. We have a lot of great stores, but they were built in the Nineties. They stood the test of time but we’re updating them to do something fresh and unpredictable.”\n\nHe said that while the other upscale retailers are strong competitors, “our biggest competition is online. So to drive traffic to our stores, we have to create theater and a certain service standard for our customer. That’s our great differentiator.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.wwd.com/menswear-news/retail-business/saks-revamps-beverly-hills-mens-store-6833449\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.wwd.com/menswear-news/retail-business/saks-revamps-beverly-hills-mens-store-6833449</a>', 'Saks Fifth Avenue Renovates Men\'s Store', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'saks-fifth-avenue-renovates-beverly-hills-mens-store', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/saks-fifth-avenue-renovates-beverly-hills-mens-store', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1906, 4, '2013-04-08 19:48:51', '2013-04-08 19:48:51', 'Food companies are launching campaigns for products they call crazy. Instead of grossing out consumers, it\'s creating a nation of \'loco-vores.\'\nAt a certain point, we mature past eating food on a dare. If someone describes something by using the phrase, \"That\'s crazy,\" you generally wouldn\'t put it in your mouth. But some food companies are making money hand over fist on products that they freely admit you have to be kind of nuts to eat. Why does this work?\n\nFirst, let\'s take a look at the masters. Yum Brands (YUM), which owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, has nailed this formula. On April 3 the company introduced its \"Crazy Cheesy Crust\" Pizza, which it deemed \"an explosion.\" In Pizza Hut\'s own language from the press release:\n\n\"The mere name of the pizza is quite fitting. It\'s Crazy -- featuring 16 dough pockets at its outer edge -- Cheesy -- each pocket is filled with a blend of five Italian cheeses -- and Crust(y) -- the element of a pizza that Pizza Hut has a rich tradition of revolutionizing all around the world.\"\n\nYum, it would seem, is bilingual in \"Crazy.\" During its fourth-quarter earnings call on February 5, President Richard Carucci trumpeted the success of its \"Doritos Locos Tacos,\" -- essentially a meat, cheese, and salt bomb wrapped in a taco shell made from a Doritos chip. Yuck, right? Wrong. Genius.\n\n\"During 2012, Taco Bell sold 325 million Doritos Locos Tacos,\" Carucci said. \"That\'s more tacos than there are people in the United States and makes it one of the most successful product launches in [quick service restaurant] history.\n\nCompanies besides Yum have gone the crazy route. Four Loko was wildly popular before the FDA deemed it dangerous, banning the caffeinated sugar booze in 2010. Kellogg\'s (K) Pop-Tarts breathed life into the brand with their \"Crazy Good\" campaign, which launched back in 2004 and is still  going today. Kellogg\'s maintains its marketing strategy -- in which \"crazy\" is a positive modifier -- by various means including sponsoring concerts by the likeable, saccharine Carly Rae Jepsen\n\nThe word \"crazy\" works particularly well for food because it hones in on the current zeitgeist. \"I think \'crazy\' is definitely skewing towards millennials and even younger,\" says Andrew Pierce, U.S. President of brand consultancy firm Prophet. \"If you do a Google Image search for the word \'crazy\' (please turn your safe search filter ON) all you see is Homer Simpson, cats, and cartoon characters.\" These are things young people like.\n\nThus, \"crazy\" food can mean fun, creative food, which lines up with our evolving national taste. \"What\'s happening is that the American palate has moved from boring to bold,\" says Nancy Brown, a partner at branding firm CBX.  About six years ago, she says, marketers went after teen males by calling products \"extreme.\"\n\n\"I think \'crazy\' is what \'extreme\' was because \'extreme\' has kind of run its course,\" Brown says. And trends do. Companies should beware, says Pierce, because just as \"OMG\" is now old news in the youth lexicon, \"crazy\" too, shall pass.\n\nThese promotions tend to take that factor into account. Doritos Locos and the new \"crazy\" crust pizza are billed as limited-time-only engagements. These are flash-in-the-pan hot items that companies can yank from the shelves before the branding strength of \"crazy\" runs out.\n\nWorst-case scenario, these promotions create buzz for the brand in the fiercely competitive quick-service restaurant category, which always runs the risk of becoming mundane. If, like Taco Bell, you hit gold, the sales boost is just Dorito-encrusted icing.\n\nSo \"crazy\" works on two kinds of consumers, suggests Pradeep Chintagunta, a marketing professor and consumer behavior expert from the University of Chicago\'s Booth School of Business. One is the heavy junk food consumer, generally young and male, who is looking for new ways to spice up his favorite foods. Convincing him a product is \"crazy\" can get him in the store or at least generate buzz.\n\nBut the second target group for \"crazy\" food marketing reflects an interesting trend in our national food psyche. That is, people tend to perceive their eating habits as a kind of balance, says Chintagunta. And many consumers are waking up to the country\'s issue with obesity-related heart disease and diabetes. They really are working hard to eat healthier. So when they want to splurge, they don\'t just want a Snickers bar, they want something so crazy that it balances out the rigidity of the rest of their diet.\n\n\"People like to balance virtue and vice,\" says Chintagunta.  \"They\'ll say, \'During the week, I was a good person. I ate my lettuce, I ate my salad. Now it\'s the weekend, and I want to cut loose a little bit. If I try something, I want to try something a little bit crazy.\'\"\n\nLucky for them, there\'s a cheese-pocket filled pizza with their name on it. Problem solved.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/04/08/crazy-cheesy-crust-pizza/\" target=\"_blank\">http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/04/08/crazy-cheesy-crust-pizza/</a>', 'Why pizza, tacos, and Pop-Tarts have gone \'crazy\'', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-pizza-tacos-and-pop-tarts-have-gone-crazy', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '2018-09-27 17:58:52', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/why-pizza-tacos-and-pop-tarts-have-gone-crazy', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1907, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:25', '2018-09-27 16:52:25', '', 'Brooks-External', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'brooks-external', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:25', '2018-09-27 16:52:25', '', 1607, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Brooks-External.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1908, 4, '2013-04-16 13:55:21', '2013-04-16 13:55:21', 'CBX, a brand agency based in New York City, collaborated with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company to launch the packaging redesign of the Ortho(R) brand, the product line providing solutions for pest problems inside and outside your home.The goal was to simplify the shopping experience for consumers. Consumer research showed that communication on shelf was overly complicated, leading to a 30% walk-away rate, and requiring a cleaner way of communicating product benefits while improving the shopability.\n\"CBX developed a visual strategy to communicate the Ortho(R) repositioning by simplifying the architecture which improved the shopping experience,\" says Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer, CBX. \"By making the master and sub-brand of equal importance, it was easier to read and therefore shop on shelf.\"\nThe CBX team redesigned the brand mark to reflect that of a home, communicating the benefits of this contemporary household brand. This subtle, yet innovative shift, reassures consumers that Ortho(R) is the singular, effective brand to have in and around their homes.\nCommunication on-pack was a key focus. The CBX team cleaned up the design by simplifying font treatments and implementing color changes. Meaningful visual equities such as photography were incorporated to communicate the problems consumers face and the end solution desired.\nStructure was an essential component in the redesign. A redesigned bottle structure, launched in 2012, has a unique shape differentiating it from category standards. This makes for a greater impact at shelf and separates Ortho(R) from its competitors. The arcs within the artwork were meant to mimic the shape of the bottles, providing a clean, simple feel in contrast to the complex shopping experience typically found in this category.\n\"The redesigned packaging instantly communicates that we are taking the guesswork out of the controls aisle and inviting consumers to choose Ortho(R) for their insect, weed, and animal control needs,\" says Clary Leffel, Director, Ortho Marketing, The Scotts Company. \"Once again, we are offering the simplest, most effective, do-it-yourself solutions from a brand that consumers know they can trust.\"\n\n<a href=\"http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130415-905872.html?mod=googlenews_wsj\" target=\"_blank\">http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130415-905872.html?mod=googlenews_wsj</a>', 'CBX Overhauls the Ortho Brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-overhauls-the-ortho-brand', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-overhauls-the-ortho-brand', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1909, 4, '2013-04-16 14:22:57', '2013-04-16 14:22:57', 'You’re not crazy. The words premium and snack really are popping up on chain-restaurant menus everywhere. Crazy is making some appearances too.Why are these the latest restaurant buzzwords? And why are they supposed to resonate with customers? Let’s take a look.</br>\n<strong>Crazy\n</strong>\n\nSensible food is boring. Fast-food fans — young ones especially — supposedly want something different, something a little, well, crazy. A Fortune post noted that crazy and similar terms have accordingly been showing up on chain-restaurant menus. Most obviously, there’s Pizza Hut’s new Crazy Cheesy Crust Pizza, which features 16 dough pockets stuffed with extra cheese around the pizza — a design that indeed seems pretty crazy.\nWhy has crazy become the menu term du jour? “What’s happening is that the American palate has moved from boring to bold,” Nancy Brown, a partner at branding firm CBX, told Fortune. “I think crazy is what extreme was because extreme has kind of run its course.”\n\nOne of the fast-food players known for being “extreme” a few years back was Pizza Hut’s sister at Yum Brands, Taco Bell. The chain began offering items like the Extreme Cheese and Beef Quesadilla in the late ’00s. It has since moved on to menu offerings that are “crazy,” or more precisely “loco,” with last year’s introduction of the highly successful Doritos Locos Taco.</br>\n<strong>Premium\n</strong>\n\nA 2011 Technomic report found that premium was the most persuasive menu term for getting customers to order an item with beef; 28% of surveyed consumers said they’d be more likely to order beef with the word premium, and they’d be willing to pay a 5% premium for their premium order. Well, surprise, surprise, a study conducted by Mintel for BurgerBusiness last year reported that usage of the word premium on restaurant-chain menus has soared. By its count, there were 138 “premium” offerings on chain menus last year, compared with just 69 in 2007.\nThe word premium “connotes high quality or high price without committing to being either,” BurgerBusiness noted. “Premium sounds upscale, special, with a sophistication that deluxe lacks.”\n\nToday’s fast-food “premium” selections go well beyond beef. In a recent count at the McDonald’s menu, there were 12 “premium” sandwiches and wraps, plus nine “premium” salads, as well as “premium” roast coffee and “premium” roast iced coffee. Burger King, meanwhile, boasts the Premium Alaskan Fish Sandwich, and Sonic Drive-In has a lineup of “premium beef” hotdogs.</br>\n<strong>Snack\n</strong>\n\nSnack has been proliferating at restaurants for several years now, with usage of the word tripling from 2007 to 2010 on fast-food menus. McDonald’s now has 10 varieties of “snack wraps” and snack-size orders of items like Fish McBites. For that matter, bites, a word that signifies food that’s easy for snacking, is also popular on menus — Pretzelmaker Bites, KFC Original Recipe Bites and so on.\nWhy the rise in menu items that aren’t quite meals? One reason is that restaurants are trying to attract customers during the normally dead moments of the day that aren’t quite mealtimes — the in-between hours when diners aren’t up for a full meal, but could go for a quick snack. Snacks can also serve as up-sell items that customers add on in addition to their meal order. And, most of all, snack is spreading because the word is appealing to consumers on two key levels: it’s easy on the waistline and wallet alike. It’s “just a snack,” after all.\n\nNation’s Restaurant News reported that Arby’s is now testing the possibility of launching a “snack ’n’ save” menu as a replacement for its value menu — value being another buzzword that fast-food customers are well acquainted with.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://business.time.com/2013/04/11/latest-unavoidable-fast-food-buzz-words-the-rise-of-crazy-premium-snacks/\" target=\"_blank\">http://business.time.com/2013/04/11/latest-unavoidable-fast-food-buzz-words-the-rise-of-crazy-premium-snacks/</a>', 'The Rise of Crazy, Premium, Snacks', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-rise-of-crazy-premium-snacks', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-rise-of-crazy-premium-snacks', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1910, 4, '2013-04-16 14:50:28', '2013-04-16 14:50:28', 'By Gregg S. Lipman\nRecently, I’ve noticed that charity, that noble concept of giving back to those less fortunate, has fallen to victim to—no surprise here—commercialism.</br>\nCharitable efforts continue to play a significant role in our culture, traditions, and identity, as they have since the beginnings of civilization. According to Giving USA’s Annual Report on Philanthropy, Americans donated nearly $300 billion dollars in 2012. (BILLION, folks. That’s more than the GDP of say Greece. Or Finland. Or the Kardashians.)</br>\nAs you’ve probably noticed, there’s been a veritable explosion of charitable initiatives in recent years. Not from your local church, Red Cross, or United Way, or even the Girl Scouts (Thin Mint or maybe the nouveau Dulce de Leche, anyone?) but from the vast galaxy of for-profit consumer brands. Why this explosion? Call me a cynic, but we marketers have the data to back up the fact that Americans across socio-economic strata want to get involved and make an impact, and will reward a company that they perceive as making charitable contributions on their behalf. Good for the consumer–good for the brand—good for those in need. A win-win-win.</br>\nOne noteworthy example is the venerable Newman’s Own, which started giving away all of its after-profits to charity way back in 1982.</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.newmansown.com/charity/\" target=\"_blank\">Paul Newman’s brainchild</a> paved the way for hundreds of other companies, and it inspired the one-for-one purchase-to-donation model practiced today by <a href=\"http://www.toms.com/\" target=\"_blank\">TOMS shoes</a> and trendy eyewear company <a href=\"http://www.warbyparker.com/do-good/#home\" target=\"_blank\">Warby-Parker</a>. Most recently, <a href=\"http://www.joinred.com/\" target=\"_blank\">the (RED) campaign</a> has partnered with companies including Nike, Gap, Bugaboo and Starbucks to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa, and the <a href=\"http://one.laptop.org/\" target=\"_blank\">One Laptop Per Child</a> and Charity. Water initiatives have both achieved a great deal of success and garnered enormous amount of media attention and goodwill. Each of those campaigns appear to provide seemingly altruistic programs for the common good, without an overly zealous attachment to its host.</br>\nBut has the whole idea of branded charity and its almost ubiquitous presence at retail, on packaging, in advertising, on television, via celebrity endorsements, on apparel, etc. become so widespread, so expected that consumers will become progressively numb to it? Are charitable campaigns perilously close to becoming counter-productive? Have they become white noise that actually begins to demotivate consumer behavior?</br>\nTake, for example…</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.skenergyshots.com/\" target=\"_blank\">StreetKing</a>, an energy drink that wears its gang-cred on its graffitied sleeve, is endorsed by 50-Cent and, by the way, also provides a meal to a hungry child through the United Nations’ World Food Programme, with every purchase made.\n<a href=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/sk1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6236\" title=\"sk\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/sk1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"621\" height=\"63\" /></a></br>\n<a href=\"http://www.sheetz.com/main/community/charities.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">Sheet<img class=\"size-full wp-image-6235 alignright\" title=\"ftk_logo\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ftk_logo.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"95\" />z</a>, the massive convenience store chain, sells two private label charity products: <em>Buy this Water. Help Kids. (water) and Buy this Energy Drink. Help Kids</em>. (Yup, this is an energy drink talking.) That reminds me of the original cover of National Lampoon: ‘Buy this magazine or I shoot this dog.’</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/images.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6238\" title=\"images\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/images.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"106\" height=\"137\" /></a><a href=\"http://oregonpublichouse.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Oregon Public House</a>, a pub in Portland, purports a lovely sentiment and/or subversive marketing ploy.\nHmmm. Drinking for charity? I’ll buy into that, however far-fetched it may be.</br>\nSo, I ask, what’s next? <em>Fly Business Class, Give Hope? File your Taxes, Prevent Malaria?</em></br>\nLook, I get it. Businesses are playing a relevant role in helping pull the loose change out of your pocket (which you might not have done on your own) and redistributing it to a worthy cause. But given this undeniable rise in branded charity, can marketers simply choose charity as a marketing strategy without the gimmicks, the spin, and the self-congratulatory back-patting?</br>\nTell me that your charity work is a pillar of your brand. Tell me you do it all the time instead of sometimes. To be effective, differentiated, and become a positive voice for change, branded charity–like “regular” charity—needs to be well intentioned and believable. Not accompanied by a shot of 50 Cent’s favorite energy drink.\n</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.mpdailyfix.com/corporate-charity-work-give-back-without-gimmicks-or-give-me-a-break/?adref=nlt041613\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mpdailyfix.com/corporate-charity-work-give-back-without-gimmicks-or-give-me-a-break/?adref=nlt041613</a>', 'Give Back Without Gimmicks', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'give-back-without-gimmicks-or-give-me-a-break', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/give-back-without-gimmicks-or-give-me-a-break', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1911, 4, '2013-04-16 16:06:43', '2013-04-16 16:06:43', 'By Joseph Bona\nSurvey the retail landscape in Europe or the United States and you might conclude that unprecedented shifts are under way that promise to change the basic dynamics of the business from now until the end of time.\n\nIn the United States, for example, the term “showrooming” has become one of the biggest retail buzzwords. The basic idea is that smartphone-addicted shoppers are waltzing into big-box stores, scrutinizing various flat-screen TVs and other merchandise in person, and then buying these items on their phones for the cheapest possible prices.\n\nIn the wake of the Wall Street meltdown and the collapse of the housing market, meanwhile, American consumers are watching their suburban regional malls lose tenant after tenant.\nSome of these 20- or 30-year-old malls — primarily in secondary and tertiary markets — clearly are doomed and will have to be converted into outlets or nonretail uses. U.S. strip center landlords, too, are wringing their hands as big-box chains such as Walmart, Target and Best Buy shrink their store footprints, in part as a response to both the rise of online shopping and the implosion of consumer demand.\n\nSomething similar is happening in Europe and elsewhere with the slowdown of hypermarket expansion. Such factors as pricing pressures, the drive to maximize shareholder value, spiraling labor costs, economic uncertainty and the high barriers to entry have all conspired against the hypermarkets. Headlines about Carrefour’s Singapore pullout; Auchan’s struggles in Spain, Portugal and Italy; and Tesco’s slashed expansion plans in Britain have prompted some observers to ask, “Is this the beginning of the end of the hypermarket?”\n\nWith the high cost of gasoline and the growing concerns about climate change, fewer consumers are keen on driving miles from town to shop at cavernous hypermarkets. They would much rather stay at home and shop local alternatives.\n\nWhile such changes might seem seismic in their scope and scale, they should be kept in proper perspective. Retail has always been in flux and has always been a cyclical business. Change — along with the sense of newness and excitement that accompanies it — is, in fact, part of what keeps retail vibrant. And yet sometimes we forget about the positive side of change.\n\nTechnology is a good example of this. For far too long, online shopping and mobile commerce have been seen as threats to the vibrancy of brick-and-mortar retail. But what about the myriad ways in which the rapid evolution of technology has allowed retailers to reach new audiences and improve customer service? This is not to mention the dramatic improvements in back-office logistics, fulfillment and more.\n\nEarlier this month Bloomingdale’s 59th Street store in New York debuted something called FaceCake — a virtual fitting room that allows shoppers to “try on” clothes without taking off what they’re actually wearing. The device uses Microsoft’s Kinect sensor and camera along with a high-resolution, flatscreen display. As shoppers stand in front of the screen they can make various hand gestures to see what different outfits would look like on their bodies.\nThey can move around, change the angles and experiment with a wide variety of colors and styles. It is an engaging, fun experience that also happens to be a convenient time-saver. In other words, we are starting to see technology that makes a difference at the store level and is neither a threat nor a mere marketing tool. This technology, along with everything else, will evolve and improve over time, creating new possibilities for brick-andmortar stores.\n\nThe movement toward smaller-format stores is often cast as a negative (see business headlines trumpeting “The Death of Big-Box Retail”). But destruction and creativity are always intertwined in retail. By spending less on massive store rollouts and investing more time, money and energy in smaller-format, well-located stores, retailers can dramatically improve both the quality of the in-store experience and their level of customer service. Done right, this should translate into greater productivity. A 200,000-square-foot hypermarket has less appeal today than, say, a smaller format specialty food store along the lines of Trader Joe’s — the Aldi-owned U.S. chain known for its engaging signage, quirky products and gregarious clerks. Rather than wandering aimlessly through endless hypermarket aisles, the Trader Joe’s shopper can partake of the “thrill of the hunt” and come home with something new and novel.\n\nBut there is no reason why the large emporiums of today cannot reinvent themselves along these smaller-format lines, and this is precisely what we are now seeing in the United States from Target, Walmart and Best Buy. Back in April, Tesco announced plans to sink more than $1.6 billion into store improvements in a bid to revive its declining market share. The strategy has shown some early signs of success. Over the long term, however, hypermarket chains such as Tesco might consider shrinking their retail space to food and perishables. This would allow them to sublease more space to branded players in other categories — a great way to drive traffic and differentiate from the competition. One could even imagine a small-format Best Buy moving into a Tesco or a Carrefour.\n\nRetail purists in the United States sometimes fret about the fate of older brands such as J.C. Penney, Kmart or Sears. It is true that these decades-old nameplates do face challenges.\n\nIf Starbucks is about gourmet coffee and Apple is about cutting-edge computing devices, then the Penneys of the world have much more complicated brand identities. A retailer like Penney is essentially a house of brands. How can it set itself apart from its competition? As a Forbes magazine columnist recently put it, Penney chief Ron Johnson, the former Apple executive, has a vision for Penney’s stores that includes “wider aisles encircling a central location called The Square, a place where moms practice yoga and children receive haircuts. The individual modules that ring The Square will be grouped by brands or by theme, accompanied by spiffy technology — iPads, of course … and impressive Oracle gadgets.”\n\nDon’t be fooled — the iPads here are not the point. What Johnson is really trying to do is find meaningful connection points with Penney’s consumers. Ditto for Target, which is bringing in mini-shops that will sell exclusive merchandise as part of sublease agreements. As noted by Reuters, “The Shops at Target” concept features boutiques such as Boston’s Polka Dog Bakery, Miami’s The Webster and San Francisco’s The Candy Store.\n\nBy contrast, a retailer such as Kmart appears to be doing precious little to update and improve its stores, which increasingly seem tired and irrelevant. This helps illustrate the truth that change, far from being a threat, is actually a necessary part of running a successful retail business. In the case of Kmart, lack of change — which is another way of saying the absence of newness — is the cause of a relevance crisis.\n\nUltimately, those retailers that understand technology and know how to use it in service to the fundamentals of retail (having the right product at the right price in the right location with an engaging in-store experience and topnotch customer service) will win.\n\nThe iPad will eventually give way to something else, but these fundamentals go back millennia to the very beginnings of retail itself. Imagine walking up to the Roman Coliseum in, say, 80 AD. The place would have been teeming with shoppers (indeed, you could think of the Coliseum as a prototypical mall or supermarket) with market stands out front selling anything and everything. When a retailer like Target brings in a novel and new mini-shop, is it any different than adding, say, a new saffron vendor out in front of the Coliseum?\n\nSet and setting will inevitably change, but the retail fundamentals are as stable and constant as the law of supply and demand.', 'Change Helps Keep the Retailing Scene Vibrant', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'change-helps-keep-the-retailing-scene-vibrant', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/change-helps-keep-the-retailing-scene-vibrant', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1912, 1, '2014-01-17 16:55:04', '2014-01-17 16:55:04', 'Actually, scratch that. RadioShack\'s new top management pulled the plug on \"The Shack\" moniker when they green lighted a brand overhaul just shy of a year ago.\r\nAnd change was needed. The storied Fort Worth, Texas-based retailer that ushered in the personal computing era with its TRS-80 microcomputer in 1977-once dominating Apple, IBM, Commodore and Wang-had been struggling for years against vertically integrated brands, as well as big-box and mass merchants.\r\n\r\nBut industry veteran and current Radio Shack CEO Joe Magnacca is working to change that. With more than 20 years in retailing, Magnacca joined RadioShack from Walgreens, where he is credited for the turnaround of its Duane Reade stores. Magnacca in turn recruited Mike DeFazio, also a key player in the Duane Reade reinvention effort, as senior vice president, store concepts.\r\n\r\nLast year, Magnacca created a buzz with a fast track plan to reinvent the company. Founded in 1921, RadioShack is one of the country\'s oldest retail brands and one of the largest, not to mention ubiquitous. It operates some 4,300 stores stretching across the United States, as well as more than 1,200 international units. The retailer\'s merchandise includes 7,000 SKUs-from adapters and antennas to flashlights, batteries, radio-controlled toys and two-way radios-nearly 70 percent of which are private label.\r\n\r\nRationalizing Radio Shack\'s assortment was a big part of Magnacca\'s vision, although RadioShack will continue to sell mainline brands, such as Apple. \"We wanted to become a destination for our own brands, because that will keep customers coming back to just us,\" DeFazio says. For that reason, RadioShack merchants are working to source new and proprietary goods.\r\n\r\nMagnacca also wanted to pay homage to the brand\'s heritage as a place for fun and Innovative products, and a \"Let\'s Play\" platform became the foundation on which to build an advertising campaign, as well as in-store communication. However, both stores and merchandise needed to be embraced by existing mobility customers while wooing women and younger customers who were not Radio Shack loyalists. So, the CEO tamed to New York-based CBX for Its store design and packaging expertise.\r\n\r\nThe first remodeled RadioShack store opened at Sundance Square In Fort Worth last May, followed by a New York location at Broadway and 81st Street In June. Both concept stores, averaging 2,000 sq. ft., showcase a number of new features to be rolled out throughout the Un1ted States and internationally over time. At the end of 2013, the retailer had made Improvements to nearly every one of its stores, ranging from new paint and graphics in it’s \"Brand Statement\" stores, which represent its smallest footprints or revenue generators, to major resets that include custom fixturing in the higher-volume\r\nconcept stores.\r\n\r\nThe 2,357-sq.-ft. Fort Worth flagship sports a mid-century modem feel, and has been dubbed a \"retro\" store. It features an authentically styled \"radio shack\" inside-a nod to the structure that houses a ship\'s radio equipment, complete with retro knobs and dials, and the term that supplied the chain\'s name 92 years ago.\r\n\r\nInside, a variety of vintage photos, old radios and technology as door suggest the store is part museum. \"It\'s all about playing on our name and heritage, while telling a whole new consumer base who we are and what we stand for, \" DeFazio says.\r\n\r\nWhile the Fort Worth store clearly is a customized homage to its headquarters, all stores will eventually feature a refreshed color palette and logo. The former red, black and white palette Radio Shack signature colors-has given way to burnt orange, deep metallic brown and stainless steel. Inside, customers will find a well-lit, visually open store with plenty of room to move, as well as a reordered experience.\r\n\r\nThe new design is easier to navigate thanks to large, simplified departmental signage calling out \"Power It, \" \"Rock It, \" \"Create It\" and \"Discover It.\" From a product point of view, the store Is no longer overwhelming,\" says Joseph Bona, president of branded environment, CBX. \"We wanted customers to easily find what they\'re looking for, but we also wanted to encourage Interaction with the products, so the displays needed to be\r\nmore accessible. \"\r\n\r\nNewly configured custom fixtures highlight a wide range of products from mobile phones to flat screen TVs. A conveniently located touchscreen computer allows customers an opportunity to enter their choice of phone or other device, and have their technical questions answered, or learn product benefits. A new speaker wall with a control console allows customers to test any or all speakers 1nd1vidually by playing music from their own Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices. A 65-ln. television allows customers to control the size of what\'s displayed (all the way down to 19 in.) In order to give them a sense of how televisions of various sizes will look In their home. There\'s also a headphone display with working headphones ranging In style and price, as well as a presentation of several GoPro camera models.\r\n\r\nBut, it\'s not only high touch. Helpful \"Texperts\" can answer shoppers\' question about RadioShack services and products. There\'s also an in-store kiosk that makes it convenient and easy fur customers to order items not in stock. Given its prime real estate, Radio Shack customers can stop by stores to place orders by kiosk for home delivery. And because part of Magnacca\'s vision included omnichannel selling, product packaging, already part of the RadioShack reinvention plan took on additional importance. In the months following the launch of the first amped-up stores, DeFazio explains, \"We\'ve made some tweaks. We feel we\'ve done all the things necessary to make it a good interactive experience, a comfortable environment that\'s easy to navigate and get around.\r\n\r\nWill it be enough to regain a share of consumers\' wallets in the highly competitive electronics sector? Only time will tell, but DeFazio says customers already are showing the love by spending money and driving revenue up in these first remodeled stores. So, when the time comes, don\'t call it a comeback-RadioShack\'s been here for years.', '\"The Shack\" is back and on a roll', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-shack-is-back-and-on-a-roll', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-shack-is-back-and-on-a-roll', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1913, 1, '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'To start off the New Year and lead up to the judging of the first annual Vertex Awards International Private Brand Design Competition I sat down with each of the judges and asked them five questions about Private Brands, package design and differentiation – their answers present a unique global perspective and depth of knowledge of the retail brand space.\r\nToday’s conversation is with Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer &amp; Managing Partner, CBX of the U.S.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. What do you look for in great Brand design?</strong>\r\nBreaking through the obvious.\r\nDesign that communicates a clear and concise message with a point of difference. Something that differentiates in the marketplace and from the competition. Don’t just push product with basic product shots, benefit statements and a cheaper price. Look to make a paradigm shift in a category, celebrate your brand’s unique difference in the marketplace.\r\n\r\n<strong>2.How can Design help retailers and their brands differentiate?</strong>\r\nRetailers all have some attributes that are unique to them — whether that be the way the arrange their goods, the way they make their goods, their service, etc. Design shows how to put those unique attributes on a pedestal — make those unique elements the hero and thus create a lasting image in consumers’ minds as to why they can get something from that retailer that they can’t get from anyone else — and that’s the most important piece of retail today because if they can get it someplace else, it’s a price game.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. How do you help retailers select great design instead of obvious or easy design?</strong>\r\nReminding our clients the value of good brand design is not just about being a national brand equivalent, but standing for something more than that and building brand equity and loyalty.\r\n\r\nDesign is about solving a particular puzzle (all the variables: physical, merchandising needs, space constraints, consumer desires, etc.) in an elegant way where the end solution makes a total impact greater than the sum of all the parts. Design is about creating more for less. Design puts together a puzzle of needs in a way that creates more impact with less resources. Great design has to solve for certain challenges within certain constraints. If it does that well, in a way where the investment is less than the net experience, then you have great design. However, great design doesn’t have to mean design that’s never been done before. Great design takes the core idea of “obvious” and makes it special, unique, nuanced and desired.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. What advice do you have for retailers working with design consultancies/branding agencies?</strong>\r\n\r\nTrust them. Partner with them. Trust in the process and recognize that the creative process is iterative.\r\n\r\nTake the time upfront to work with the team to understand what all the possible opportunities are. Only then will you be able to make decisions confidently along the way because you’ve explored the alternative paths and know why you did or didn’t pursue them. If you dive right into design, thinking you know what you want, in the short term you may have less confidence in all the decisions that must be made along the way, and in the long run you might regret not stretching your ideas further because retail design is a long term investment.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. How can retailers avoid the mistakes of the past and the missteps of national brands?</strong>\r\n\r\nThe biggest mistake national brands make is not “sticking with it”. Whether that be good values, advertising, their customer base, their long-term equities or any other unique-ness. Particularly in public companies where the pressure to grow is constant, too many brands and retailers will try anything new to light sales. But, creating consumer awareness of what you’re doing is quite expensive and is likely to wipe out the margin that might have been gained in increased sales. When brands “Stick with it,” they build on the momentum that has been banked over the long-term.\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://mypbrand.com/2014/01/07/5-questions-the-vertex-judges-rick-barrack/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mypbrand+%28Myprivatebrand%27s+Blog%29\" target=\"_blank\">http://mypbrand.com/2014/01/07/5-questions-the-vertex-judges-rick-barrack/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mypbrand+%28Myprivatebrand%27s+Blog%29</a>', '5 Questions The vertex Judges: Rick Barrack', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', '', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/?post_type=thinking&#038;p=1913', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1914, 1, '2014-05-29 20:26:38', '2014-05-29 20:26:38', 'Every year, millions of people shop at Walmart -- but few of them are as inspired by what they find in the aisles as artist Brendan O\'Connell. O\'Connell, who has been the focus of several TV news segments and magazine articles, has been painting on canvas what he finds there: everyday household products like JIF peanut butter, Velveeta cheese and Wonder bread, as well as the people who go there to purchase them. O\'Connell\'s subject matter is not dissimilar from that of Andy Warhol, another artist who made a career out of portraying the designs that our agency, and others like it, spend days and late nights creating as art. But do we -- or even the brands that engage us -- get any benefit or credit (or even compensation) from Mr. O\'Connell for the subject matter that so inspired him?\r\nIn the age of Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, et al., there seems to be an ever-growing blur between art and commerce. Except for when it comes to the business (i.e., the money part) behind the creativity. There the lines become pretty black and white. While artists -- like illustrators, photographers and musicians -- who develop commercial materials continue to leverage business concepts around copyright usage and the like (Shutterstock founder Jon Oringer just made the billionaire\'s club), clients have put more and more demands on agencies in order to get the work they want for the price they want. Agencies generally perform under \'work for hire,\' relinquishing ownership over final creative product (online you can get it for $399). It\'s a competitive environment, but creativity, at least quality creativity, continues to be commoditized.\r\n\r\nCan anyone really divine how long it will take to develop a logo? More importantly, what will its worth be in market? One of my idols, the agency legend David Ogilvy, once advised prospective clients to \"insist on paying 16% to your agency [ed. note: 15% commission was once a standard in advertising]. The extra 1% won\'t kill you...and you will get better service.\" I couldn\'t agree more -- but then again, I\'m the agency.\r\n\r\nRead more: &lt;a href=\"www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/art-vs-commerce_b_5399195.html\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/art-vs-commerce_b_5399195.html&lt;/a&gt;\r\n\r\n&amp;nbsp;', 'Art vs. Commerce', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'art-vs-commerce-2', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/art-vs-commerce-2', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1915, 1, '2014-05-29 20:16:40', '2014-05-29 20:16:40', '<strong><em>Food and beverage packaging is providing product support, with designs that call out to targeted segments</em>.</strong>\r\nWith natural and organic brands continuing to inundate the marketplace, processors are turning to market segmentation to claim their niches. Packaging is providing essential support, with designs that call out to targeted segments.\r\n\r\nThe trend is occurring in both North America and Europe, within natural and organic categories ranging from peanut butter to sparkling water. In some instances, segmentation hinges on consumer values — like a desire for on-the-go convenience or locally sourced food. In other cases, demographic segmentation is the preferred strategy.\r\n\r\nIn the U.S., Hain Celestial Group Inc., Lake Success, N.Y., recently redesigned the distinctive black packaging for its Terra brand chips to emphasize the root vegetables from which the product is made. The new package graphics, which feature elegant photography of the chips and a fresh visual architecture, also reinforce the brand’s positioning as a premium, gourmet-quality natural snack.\r\n\r\nIn the redesign, “there were three key elements that we wanted to focus on,” says Sam Garfinkel, senior brand manager for the Terra brand. “The biggest thing we wanted to communicate was … our real vegetables. That gets to the heart of what separates us from all the other players in the snack category.”\r\n\r\nSecond, he says, “we wanted to modernize the brand. We had a brand that was so premium, but wasn’t as modern as some of the other players in the category.”\r\n\r\nRunning “a close third” was improved \"portfolio navigation.\" To help consumers navigate the Terra portfolio, which includes more than 20 varieties and some 50 stock-keeping units in various sizes, the package redesign changed how product varieties and seasonings are presented.\r\n\r\n“I think the clearest example of how we standardized and improved navigation was with our flavor banner,” Garfinkel says. On the old package, the location and size of the flavor banner varied by flavor. On the new bag, the product variety appears immediately below the Terra logo, and the seasoning cue is right under the variety: “Terra,” “Exotic Potato” and “Sea Salt,” for example.\r\n\r\n“We set up a clear architecture for communicating brand, flavor and seasoning, all in a very structured manner … across the brand, so that people would get to the shelf, quickly recognize it as Terra and then easily navigate to their flavor of choice,” Garfinkel explains.\r\n\r\nThe package’s glossy black surface and high-quality rotogravure printing position Terra as a premium brand, and artistic photography on the bags supports the modernization and real-vegetable communication.\r\n\r\n“Stylistically, it’s a very modern angle and look, but [the photography] also helps us highlight all those diverse vegetables that you see in the blend,” Garfinkel says. “It really helps tell that full story in just one image.”\r\n\r\nAugmenting the large product photo on the bag, a row of icons across the bottom of the package shows which vegetables are included in that particular flavor.\r\n\r\nBrand agency CBX, New York, worked with the brand team on the strategy for the redesign and also created the new package design.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-full wp-image-8059 alignright\" title=\"2_SkippySingle\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2_SkippySingle.jpg\" width=\"214\" height=\"178\" />Meanwhile, on-the-go consumers are the target market for a different type of natural snack — peanut butter. In May 2014, Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., launched Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter in single-serving multipacks. The company calls the format Skippy Singles.\r\n\r\nEach resealable canister of Skippy Singles holds six 1.5-oz. cups of peanut butter. The small, sealed, individual cups make it easy to transport the product for an away-from-home treat teamed with other foods, or as a snack unto itself.\r\n\r\nThe canister, with a transparent front panel that displays the cups, simplifies pantry storage and also provides a visual reminder to restock the product as the supply dwindles.\r\n\r\n<strong>Happy European cows and bees</strong>\r\n\r\nRørosmeieriet, Røros, Norway, that country’s largest organic dairy, is redesigning all its packaging to attract consumers interested in locally produced organic products.\r\n\r\nThe first of the dairy’s redesigns, for its one-liter cartons of milk, launched this March throughout Norway. The company worked with Stockholm-based brand development agency Grow to execute the redesign.\r\n\r\nAll of Rørosmeieriet’s products “are organic and based on milk from farms in the Røros region and surrounding counties,” says Kjersti Svang Olsen, account director/director brand development at Grow.\r\n\r\nThe brand’s identity is wrapped up in the “culinary traditions and professional craftsmanship that the area is famous for,” she adds. These include dairy techniques that have been used for many generations in the region.\r\n\r\nTo communicate these local and traditional attributes to its target market, Rørosmeieriet’s new milk cartons are decorated with a full-size image of an old-fashioned glass milk bottle.\r\n\r\n“Compared to the general packaging in the milk [section] in Norwegian grocery stores, it represents a distinctive expression through the use of different graphical means,” says Olsen.\r\n\r\nA combination of photography and hand-painted watercolors communicates the milk’s provenance, with an emphasis on Røros, cows and traditional dairy equipment. Inspiration for the new logo came from dairy tools and milk-pail lids.\r\n\r\nGoing forward, Rørosmeieriet will work with Grow to redesign packaging for the dairy’s sour cream, cottage cheese, skjørost cheese, yogurt and butter.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-8061 alignright\" title=\"3_Nectaflor-Honey\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/3_Nectaflor-Honey1.jpg\" width=\"213\" height=\"178\" />Also looking to capture local-minded aficionados is Nectaflor, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. This natural-food company chose a simple but upscale package design for the launch of its limited-quantity, regional honey varieties. Each of the three varieties is named for its region of origin: the Swiss Jura Mountains, the Ticino region or eastern Switzerland. The products launched in summer 2013.\r\n\r\nNectaflor’s local honey “is a modest luxury product … for people who appreciate good local products,” says Christoph Schlatter, creative director at creative agency Allink GmbH, Zurich, Switzerland, which designed the packaging.\r\n\r\nThe 225g honey package is a stock container, a glass flip-top jar decorated with an elegant letterpress-printed tag. This design emphasizes the product’s natural quality and the brand’s personality.\r\n\r\nThe tag, which is attached to the jar by hand, “conveys the personal attribute,” Schlatter says. “The product does not assert itself as [a] mass product but as a product from your local beekeeper. The ‘non-design’ puts emphasis on the honey.”\r\n\r\n<strong>Babies and children</strong>\r\n\r\nDemographic segmentation is another way processors are slicing and dicing the natural/organic market.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-8062 alignright\" title=\"4_Stonyfield_Pouches\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/4_Stonyfield_Pouches.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"178\" />Babies and kids — and their parents — are demographics of keen interest at Stonyfield Farm Inc., Londonderry, N.H. The company recently took a page from the baby food category’s packaging playbook, launching Stonyfield Organic YoToddler, YoBaby and YoKids refrigerated yogurts in spouted stand-up pouches. The company will continue to sell the products in multipacks of cups.\r\n\r\nStonyfield’s pouch products for babies and kids launched in the U.S. earlier this year. A co-branded version, created in partnership with organic food processor Happy Family, New York, will launch in July 2014. Both Stonyfield and Happy Family are owned by Danone, Paris.\r\n\r\nThe co-branded pouch products will be sold under the brand names YoTot, YoBaby and YoKids Squeeze! in pouches carrying both the Stonyfield and Happy Family logos. Fill size for the YoTot and YoKids pouches will be 3.7 oz., and for YoBaby, 3.4 oz. The reclosable stand-up pouches will be sold in four-packs and individually.\r\n\r\nAlthough the babies/kids market segment is not a new one for either of these brand owners, the products and packaging are pioneering new territory in their own way.\r\n\r\n“This is the first organic, refrigerated pouch yogurt, and what that allows us to do is have the real, live, active cultures” in the yogurt, says Seth Beamer, brand manager for the babies’ and kids’ products at Stonyfield. Other pouched organic yogurts on the market, including Happy Family’s, are shelf-stable.\r\n\r\nThe pouch format also provides parents with functional benefits vs. yogurt cups. “Convenience is certainly at the forefront,” says Beamer. “We know how busy moms are, and this gives them a convenient offering [for] yogurt on the go. It’s much easier for parents to feed their kids with these hand-held pouches.” In addition, the pouch products are “less-mess — almost mess-free.”\r\n\r\nFilm for Stonyfield’s form-fill-seal pouches is supplied by Clear Lam Packaging Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill.; the caps are from Georg Menshen GmbH &amp; Co., Finnentrop, Germany. The pouch material is a multilayer film made from linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and polyester, and the closures are polyethylene.\r\n\r\n<strong>Women with a thirst</strong>\r\n\r\nFor Something Natural brand sparkling water, a new focus on the female demographic led to a recent packaging redesign.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-full wp-image-8063 alignright\" title=\"5_SomethingNatural\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/5_SomethingNatural.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"178\" />Something Natural, Boston, launched the product in 2010 in a cobalt-blue glass bottle printed with the abstract image of a flock of birds. The product is now distributed throughout the U.S. in chains such as Safeway, Target and Stop &amp; Shop and also in local natural-foods stores.\r\n\r\n“Through being in the marketplace … they had identified a couple areas where we could strengthen the design,” says Pamela Long, director/client services at Little Big Brands, White Plains, N.Y. Little Big Brands created the original package design, and the redesign, for Something Natural.\r\n\r\nMaking the color coding for the five flavors more prominent was one focus of the redesign. “But more importantly, [Something Natural] decided to put a stake in the ground in terms of their target audience. Instead of being for everyone, they really felt like they had a bigger opportunity with the female market,” Long explains.\r\n\r\n“They were getting some sales data and some anecdotal data back from stores that … purchasing was 90 percent female,” she adds. “[They thought,] that’s who’s picking us up, so maybe we could skew a little more in that direction.”\r\n\r\nRather than throw out the original design and start over, Something Natural elected to evolve the brand’s look and feel. The result, graphically, was to keep the birds but make a more female-oriented statement with them.\r\n\r\n“Initially they had this blue bottle, and they had the name ‘Something Natural.’ The thing that came to mind to us was: What’s more natural than a flock of birds?” recalls John Nunziato, Little Big Brands’ founder and creative director.\r\n\r\nIn the redesign, the 11-oz. bottle remained the same, but the graphics changed from a flock of birds to five individual birds color-coded by flavor. And the new logo is more feminine than the old one, using a hand-drawn cursive font drawn out as a mono-weight line. The old logo was rendered in a rectilinear, businesslike sans serif font.\r\n\r\nNow “each logo is a piece of string that’s in the bird’s mouth, and each one ends differently on the ‘L’ in ‘Natural,’ so that piece of string runs a little bit differently to meet up with the bird,” Nunziato says. The concept plays to the female market in that “the bird is collecting string to build [a] nest.”\r\n\r\nThe bottles were decorated using applied ceramic labeling (ACL), a screen-printing technique. The designers leveraged the strengths and limitations of ACL to give the printed graphics a natural look while making the color coding more noticeable.\r\n\r\n“We switched to color coating a larger area of the bird to get a larger area of ink,” says Nunziato. “But we knew it was going to misregister. This type of printing has a tendency as it goes through the run to register an eighth of an inch left of center and an eighth of an inch right. So when we drew the [birds’] color coding, we drew it irregularly knowing that sometimes it would register and sometimes it wouldn’t.”\r\n\r\nHe adds that the variability of the printed design is “the beauty of it,” echoing the brand premise of “something natural.”\r\n\r\nLong characterizes the redesign as “a good example of a brand owner who listened to [its] retail partners and tried to capitalize on what was working for the brand and improve upon what they were hearing from the marketplace — how the brand could grow and become more powerful for consumers.\r\n\r\n“It’s a pretty simple package,” she says, with “just a couple main elements. They had a beautiful structure to begin with. It was really just about decorating it in a beautiful way.”\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2014/packaging-for-organic-and-natural-foods/\" target=\"_blank\">www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2014/packaging-for-organic-and-natural-foods/</a>', 'Packaging Provides A Segment-Specific Billboard For Organic And Natural Foods', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'packaging-provides-a-segment-specific-billboard-for-organic-and-natural-foods', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/packaging-provides-a-segment-specific-billboard-for-organic-and-natural-foods', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1916, 1, '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'Friendly Express is joining forces with global brand agency CBX to update the design and branding of its 42-store network of convenience stores in southeast Georgia.\r\nAccording to CBX, its assignment is to update the chain’s logo and redesign the interiors and exteriors of Friendly Express\' convenience stores, which range in size from 2,000 to 3,500 square feet. The stores, which offer gasoline, are located in several different southeast Georgia communities, including Waycross, Jesup, Folkston, Brunswick and St. Simons Island.\r\n\r\n“Friendly Express, which has been in business for more than 25 years, is known for its strong commitment to the communities it serves,” said Joseph Bona, president of branded environments at New York-based CBX, which has extensive experience in the energy and convenience store channel. “In keeping with that commitment, the company’s management team is eager to exceed customer expectations by working with CBX to adopt next-generation approaches to the c-store experience.”\r\n\r\nThe strategic goals of the project include bolstering design and branding elements of important categories and areas of the store, particularly the coffee and overall foodservice experience, noted Bona.\r\n\r\nThis is in keeping with broader trends across the U.S. convenience store sector, in which higher-quality foodservice is one of the biggest growth areas, he added. “Nowadays, consumers expect more from convenience stores, in part because so many players out there — names like Wawa, RaceTrac, Sheetz and Thorntons — continually seek to innovate and push the boundaries,” he explained.\r\n\r\nFriendly Express has already scored a hit with its loyal customers through its proprietary and locally produced DeDe’s doughnut brand. “There is an authenticity to DeDe’s and we might well incorporate elements of this story into the rebranding project,” Bona said. “Today’s c-stores really need to ‘own’ coffee and bakery and, among other improvements, we aim to help Friendly Express do precisely that.”\r\n\r\nAs befits its name, Friendly Express is known for its friendly customer service, as well as its strong commitment to local communities. From providing coats for children in need to supporting research to fight breast cancer, giving back is one of the retailer\'s top priorities.\r\n\r\n“Friendly Express is excited to team up with such a reputable company as CBX,” said Danny Smith, CEO of Friendly Express. “After checking their references and meeting with them personally, we realized they have a passion for what they do and a willingness to do whatever it takes to deliver on their service. They understand our business, our financial challenges and our desire to evolve without reinventing ourselves. Most importantly, they listen and they always, always ask questions to better understand what we want to be when we grow up.”\r\n\r\nFriendly Express traces its origins to Lewis Oil Co. (now Lewis and Raulerson Inc.).\r\n\r\nCBX specializes in corporate identity, consumer branding and retail. The company\'s client base includes Wawa, BP, Aloha Petroleum and PetroChina. In addition to its New York City headquarters, CBX has an office in Minneapolis and operates offices around the globe through the CBX Worldwide Partnership.\r\n\r\nRead more: &lt;a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/industry-news-and-trends/corporate-store-operations/friendly-express-enlists-cbx-chainwide-makeover?cc=3\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;www.csnews.com/industry-news-and-trends/corporate-store-operations/friendly-express-enlists-cbx-chainwide-makeover?cc=3&lt;/a&gt;', 'Friendly Express Enlists CBX for Chain wide Makeover', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', 'friendly-express-enlists-cbx-for-chain-wide-makeover', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/?post_type=thinking&#038;p=1916', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1917, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:30', '2018-09-27 16:52:30', '', 'T1-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 't1-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:30', '2018-09-27 16:52:30', '', 1606, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/T1-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1918, 1, '2014-05-29 07:19:50', '2014-05-29 07:19:50', '<strong>CBX to help with design and branding initiative focusing on next-generation approaches to the c-store experience.</strong>\r\nGlobal brand agency CBX will help Friendly Express update the design and branding of its 42-store network of community-focused convenience stores in southeast Georgia.\r\n\r\n“Friendly Express, which has been in business for more than 25 years, is known for its strong commitment to the communities it serves,” said Joseph Bona, president of Branded Environments at CBX, which has extensive experience in the energy and convenience store channel. “In keeping with that commitment, the company’s management team is eager to exceed customer expectations by working with CBX to adopt next-generation approaches to the c-store experience.”\r\n\r\nUnder the assignment, the firm will update the chain’s logo and redesign the interiors and exteriors of its convenience stores, which range in size from 2,000-3,500 square feet. Friendly Express stores, which also offer gasoline, are located in several different southeast Georgia communities, including Waycross, Jesup, Folkston, Brunswick, and St. Simons Island.\r\n\r\n“The strategic goals here include bolstering design and branding elements of important categories and areas of the store,” Bona noted. “In particular, we will be working with the company to improve and highlight the coffee and overall foodservice experience.” This is in keeping with broader trends across the U.S. c-store sector, in which higher-quality foodservice is one of the biggest growth areas, he added. “Nowadays, consumers expect more from convenience stores, in part because so many players out there—names like Wawa, RaceTrac, Sheetz and Thorntons—continually seek to innovate and push the boundaries,” Bona said.\r\n\r\nBut CBX will not need to create new brands from scratch: Friendly Express has already scored a hit with its loyal customers through its proprietary and locally produced DeDe’s doughnut brand. “There is an authenticity to DeDe’s, and we might well incorporate elements of this story into the rebranding project,” Bona said. “Today’s c-stores really need to ‘own’ coffee and bakery and, among other improvements, we aim to help Friendly Express do precisely that.”\r\n\r\nMany of Friendly Express’ rural stores already serve as community focal points where people congregate, eat and shop, noted David Weinberger, vice president, engagement director at CBX. “I visited one store that had a separate dining area, which is unusual even for many of today’s best-known c-store chains,” he said. “That speaks to the already strong commitment to food at Friendly Express.”\r\n\r\n“Friendly Express is excited to team up with such a reputable company as CBX,” said Danny Smith, CEO of Friendly Express. “After checking their references and meeting with them personally, we realized they have a passion for what they do and a willingness to do whatever it takes to deliver on their service. They understand our business, our financial challenges and our desire to evolve without reinventing ourselves. Most importantly, they listen and they always, always ask questions to better understand what we want to be when we grow up.”\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://www.csdecisions.com/2014/05/29/friendly-express-updating-georgia-c-stores/#_\" target=\"_blank\">www.csdecisions.com/2014/05/29/friendly-express-updating-georgia-c-stores/#_</a>', 'Friendly Express Updating Georgia C-stores', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'friendly-express-updating-georgia-c-stores', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/friendly-express-updating-georgia-c-stores', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1919, 1, '2014-05-28 21:35:07', '2014-05-28 21:35:07', '<strong>Design and Branding Initiative Focuses on Next-Generation Approaches to the C-Store Experience</strong>\r\nGlobal brand agency CBX will help Friendly Express update the design and branding of its 42-store network of community-focused convenience stores in southeast Georgia.\r\n\r\n\"Friendly Express, which has been in business for more than 25 years, is known for its strong commitment to the communities it serves,\" said Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments at CBX, which has extensive experience in the energy and convenience store channel. \"In keeping with that commitment, the company\'s management team is eager to exceed customer expectations by working with CBX to adopt next-generation approaches to the c-store experience.\"\r\n\r\nUnder the assignment, the firm will update the chain\'s logo and redesign the interiors and exteriors of its convenience stores, which range in size from 2,000 to 3,500 square feet. Friendly Express stores, which also offer gasoline, are located in several different southeast Georgia communities, including Waycross, Jesup, Folkston, Brunswick, and St. Simons Island.\r\n\r\n\"The strategic goals here include bolstering design and branding elements of important categories and areas of the store,\" Bona noted. \"In particular, we will be working with the company to improve and highlight the coffee and overall foodservice experience.\" This is in keeping with broader trends across the U.S. c-store sector, in which higher-quality foodservice is one of the biggest growth areas, he added. \"Nowadays, consumers expect more from convenience stores, in part because so many players out there -- names like Wawa, RaceTrac, Sheetz and Thorntons -- continually seek to innovate and push the boundaries,\" Bona said.\r\n\r\nBut CBX will not need to create new brands from scratch: Friendly Express has already scored a hit with its loyal customers through its proprietary and locally produced DeDe\'s doughnut brand. \"There is an authenticity to DeDe\'s, and we might well incorporate elements of this story into the rebranding project,\" Bona said. \"Today\'s c-stores really need to \'own\' coffee and bakery and, among other improvements, we aim to help Friendly Express do precisely that.\"\r\n\r\nMany of Friendly Express\' rural stores already serve as community focal points where people congregate, eat and shop, noted David Weinberger, VP, Engagement Director at CBX. \"I visited one store that had a separate dining area, which is unusual even for many of today\'s best-known c-store chains,\" he said. \"That speaks to the already strong commitment to food at Friendly Express.\"\r\n\r\n\"Friendly Express is excited to team up with such a reputable company as CBX,\" said Danny Smith, CEO of Friendly Express. \"After checking their references and meeting with them personally, we realized they have a passion for what they do and a willingness to do whatever it takes to deliver on their service. They understand our business, our financial challenges and our desire to evolve without reinventing ourselves. Most importantly, they listen and they always, always ask questions to better understand what we want to be when we grow up.\"\r\n\r\nAbout Friendly Express\r\nFriendly Express is a community-focused convenience store network with 42 locations across southeast Georgia. As befits its name, the company is known for its friendly customer service as well as its strong commitment to local communities: From providing coats for children in need, to supporting research to fight breast cancer, giving back to the southeast Georgia community is one of Friendly Express\' top priorities. The company, which traces its origins to Lewis Oil Company (now Lewis and Raulerson, Inc.), has operated in southeast Georgia for more than 25 years.\r\n\r\n<strong>As seen in:</strong>\r\n<a href=\"http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cbx-help-friendly-express-georgia-133000309.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Yahoo Finance</em></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.designretailonline.com/displayanddesignideas/industry-news/Friendly-Express-to--11596.shtml\" target=\"_blank\"><em>design:retail</em></a>', 'CBX to Help Friendly Express Update Its Georgia C-Store Network', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-to-help-friendly-express-update-its-georgia-c-store-network', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-to-help-friendly-express-update-its-georgia-c-store-network', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
