MoMA exploring branded moments in unexpected places
The Museum of Modern Art is an institution that makes me incredibly proud to be a New Yorker. It goes above and beyond the call of duty, bringing artful experiences to the public in increasingly new...
View ArticleWhich mad man got simple right?
Did you catch the recent episode of Mad Men, where Don and Peggy make separate pitches for the Heinz ketchup account? To recap, Don’s presentation boards consisted of close-ups of “ketchup-worthy”...
View ArticleK.I.S.S. and make up
I decided the other night that I wasn’t going to move much. So there I was, sitting on my couch, lazily flicking through 600 channels in my cable universe. But none of them were airing anything I...
View Article“What is your favorite kind of brand naming assignment?”
This is often the second or third question that I field when I tell someone that I name things for a living. The coolest projects I’ve worked on are often for niche companies, products or services....
View ArticleThe founder’s head
In what may have been the most unconventional field trip in Siegel+Gale’s 40-year history, about a dozen of us bussed down to Philadelphia to see the pouring of Alan Siegel’s bust.
View ArticleSimplifying the GoogaMooga experience
After last year’s debacle, most of my friends thought I was nuts for considering a second round of the Great GoogaMooga festival in Brooklyn this past weekend. Last year, despite a flood of warnings...
View ArticleThree tips for delivering loyalty-inspiring service
Moving across the country involves infinite details, from the major to the mundane. In my last blog, I recounted the unfortunate lesson learned while dealing with Time Warner Cable: friendly service...
View ArticleSimplifadigitization
My mother has an incredibly anachronistic Sunday ritual she’s been doing for years. First she plops on her bed and takes out all of her monthly bills. After writing checks and sealing them into the...
View ArticleHow to improve any service by simplifying it
It may seem counterintuitive, but in a business environment that usually hypes “more, more, more,” people increasingly are opting for less. They’re responding to products with simpler features, and...
View ArticleWhen simplicity meets buying pre-owned
After almost a decade of faithful service, my trusty iPod classic recently reached its 30GB limit. With regret, I recognized that I needed a replacement with a larger memory. However, the iPods that...
View ArticleWhy simplicity matters
Instinctively, people understand that simplicity is beneficial—that it is the essence of the golden rule. Everyone wants to understand what is offered to them or asked of them. It is also an indication...
View ArticleMayor Bloomberg’s New York: A brand retrospective
As we approach the end of Mayor Bloomberg’s last term, I thought it would be a good opportunity for this native New Yorker to take a step back and consider how our city’s brand has fared as a result of...
View ArticleCiti Bike: An experiential brand analysis
What does it do for a bank’s brand to associate itself with a public bike service?
View ArticleGetting closer to its customers: Harvard eliminates a step in the application...
Great brands always have to fight to stay close to their customers. And this is getting harder than ever.
View ArticleWhat I didn’t hear at Forrester’s Customer Experience Forum
The Forrester Customer Experience Forum is an event that we’ve showcased at numerous times in the past. It provides a great opportunity to meet key executives from a wide range of industries, including...
View ArticleOne simple step to becoming a rock star (or a rock star brand)
You’ve heard of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, but chances are you have no idea who Eddie Kramer is. He’s a classic rock legend, and he’s been blasting through your speakers for 50...
View ArticleThe power and simplicity of a single word
In a recent trip to Barnes & Noble (yes, the brick and mortar one), I saw a striking similarity over and over again: one-word titles. On just one paperback table alone, about half of the books read...
View ArticleA sign of the times: Uber and Waze making your journey simpler
It’s a simple truth—no one likes searching for parking. Finding an open space is next to impossible in high-traffic areas. If you do find a spot, you’re greeted by a sign with a list of rules and...
View ArticleBrewing soup: a logical brand extension?
Keurig (Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.) and Campbell’s recently announced a new partnership that will launch “freshly brewed soup.” When I shared this news with coworkers, the predominant...
View ArticleMe, myself and iMessage
UX geeks like me suddenly have something to talk about at cocktail parties! Ok, slight exaggeration, but one of the side-effects of the Great Apple iOS7 Launch of 2013 is that it has temporarily...
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