gdp's Comments

Hard Knox Life : How Online to Offline affects commerce and buying behavior

Tue, 3 May 2011 11:30:35 +0000

Michael - Looking forward to seeing that Brandery application. Sooner the better!

Hard Knox Life : Why is Fred Wilson hating on marketers?

Tue, 8 Mar 2011 14:27:55 +0000

Darren - Great point on startup founders having some marketing blood in them. All of those companies made very strategic marketing decisions as they were building their business model and product...whether intentionally or not.

Hard Knox Life : A presentation is nothing more than a Hail Mary pass

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:20:17 +0000

Scott - I'm going to think about some of those tips and follow-up with a sequel. Thanks for the encouragement!

Hard Knox Life : Be Like the Internet - 8 steps to success in a post 2.0 world

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 12:24:10 +0000

Julia - Glad Steve made the connection. Looking forward to being in touch

Hard Knox Life : Gareth Kay: The brief in the post digital age

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:56:01 +0000

Brad - Great points. New technology and innovation need to be simple and elegant. It is why design matters so much. It cant just be cool...it has to be cool to use. And with Brand Managers, I think that is going to be the toughest job going forward. The marketing industry has been built on disruptive advertising with TV, Print, etc. If this same disruption is applied to mobile devices, we are at risk of a major backlash from people.

Hard Knox Life : David Armano's call for common sense in social media

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:27:04 +0000

All new marketing requires a learning curve and Social Media is no different. Brands (which is what I assume you mean by clients) are on the path to figure this out. You have great examples like Best Buy, Dell and Comcast who really get it and are leading the way for the rest of us. We still have to reinforce the fact that social media is not just a bunch of tactics however. But that is no different that when people had to be told that digital was more than just a fancy web site.

Paul D. Watson : What RSS Feeds Do I Include in My Google Reader?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:43:43 +0000

Paul - Thank you for including me in your list. It is an amazing group of people and some of my favorites as well. Thanks for being a reader on my little spot on the web!

Hard Knox Life : Why the iPod Touch is the best way to reach teens & tweens

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:01:49 +0000

I would assume it is for US only since it comes from AdMob

Hard Knox Life : Start-ups need to invest in building brands, not just products

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:42:06 +0000

Brennan - I think you are taking my point the wrong way. especially when you claim on Twitter that "marketers" don't get it. What I am calling for is for start-ups to take a page from the world of CPG and leverage some of the classical principles of Brand Building as early as possible. I'm not talking marketing, I am talking brand building which involves a whole lot more. When you look at the list of the world's most valuable brands (http://www.interbrand.com/best_global_brands.aspx... only one company makes the list that was started in the past decade (Google). And if you go back two decades, only 3 companies make the list (Google, eBay and Amazon). There is a reason that 97 of the worlds most valuable brands were started decades and the have staying power to remain relevant. The same opportunity exists for many start-ups if they have the approach of building a brand that will last. It might not be right for everyone, but it will be right for many companies

Hard Knox Life : Is it wrong to "aim out of the ball park?"

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 14:22:41 +0000

Great point on the pre-Moneyball & pre-Steroid era. I have a feeling that the greats of the era - Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, etc - would tell you that they believed in aiming out of the ball park

Hard Knox Life : Don't make the mistake of giving up the Voice of the Brand

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:49:15 +0000

Hillang - I agree completely where the CEO only oversees one brand....such as Apple, Zappos, Target, etc. But at my CPG companies, there are hundred of brands. For instance at P&G, you have Tide, Pantene, Pampers, Olay, etc. The CEO cannot be the voice of all of these. The Brand Manager is the role in the company where they only work on that brand. That is why I push for the Brand Manage to be the voice

Hard Knox Life : How a Brand Manager can make a big difference

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:45:49 +0000

Raku - I am not sure exactly what you are asking for with "inspiring tips" for the future brand manager. The purpose of this entire blog is to share my thoughts on branding for current and future Brand Managers. Is there a specific question you are looking for?

Hard Knox Life : Barrier to success...or key to success?

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:15:13 +0000

Phin - Lets be clear. You have guided my thinking just as much in the 7 years since we first met so the thank you is mutual. Hell, you even inspired this post so it's a double thanks

Hard Knox Life : Weekly Round Up: What caught my eye in recent weeks

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:01:05 +0000

The lack of respect for Cincinnati from the Foursquare guys is my favorite rant of the moment.� Are you trying to get me riled up on a Monday morning? :)

Hard Knox Life : Etsy shows the power of consumer co-creation

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:07:16 +0000

All great points. My belief is that crowdsourcing / co-creation is a way to let your most passionate fans be heard. That's why this works so well for Etsy and also explains the success companies like Bud Light have seen through programs on XLNT Ads. In my opinion, crowdsourcing should never be a shortcut to great branding and it doesnt replace your agency partners. But if you have a great brand with a mass of equally great fans, then this is a way to tap into their passion.

Hard Knox Life : Can Cincinnati be the Silicon Valley of consumer marketing?

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:45:09 +0000

Robby - Yes you should.� In fact, I think I once tried to sell my Mt Adams condo to Caruso with the intent of it becoming the UEG Cincinnati office

Hard Knox Life : Is there a "must-have" checklist for great content sites?

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:01:12 +0000

Great points for both of you. Chas - I agree completely with you on the over eagerness of some publishers. I've loved the change that "Share This" made to scale down & customize the number of options. I can see the temptation to list every button on a post but I think fewer becomes more powerful.

Hard Knox Life : The V Curve of Risk Taking in Brand Management

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:29:07 +0000

Joe - glad you enjoyed. Always nice when people dig up older posts! Thanks for commenting

Dave Knox
Cell - 513.658.0868

Hard Knox Life : Exciting changes in my life...

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 20:38:12 +0000

Tom / Rebecca - Thank you both for the kind words. Lots of exciting things for sure

Hard Knox Life : Brand Managers Need To Practice "Everywhere Shopper Marketing"

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:48:04 +0000

I read everyone closely. But often the best conversation is between the readers

Dave Knox - 513.658.0868