Posted by Elena del Valle on November 15, 2017
By Jay Gronlund,
President, The Pathfinder Group
Jay Gronlund, president, The Pathfinder Group
The scary decline of trust in all facets of our society has created a new challenge for brands: how can brands overcome the growing skepticism and lack of credibility caused by this distrust to authentically relate to their customers. These trends have led to a rise of cynicism, where most Americans trust news or feedback more from “people like themselves” (especially pertinent for Hispanic consumers) rather than the government, media or big business and brands. Appealing to these distrustful customers who lack confidence and motivation has become a top priority. The answer will involve a new type of marketing, values-based branding, which will be focused more on identifying, relating to and engaging these customers’ values and ethics.
Click to read the entire article The Resurgence of Values-Based Branding For Restoring Trust and Credibility
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 8, 2017
By Jay Gronlund,
President, The Pathfinder Group
Jay Gronlund, president, The Pathfinder Group
Photo: The Pathfinder Group
Technology has transformed our world into a data obsessive circus where information is unbelievably accessible, connectivity is constant, and unpredictable events always surprise and engulf us. Call this extreme clutter and volatility. With so much information and multi-tasking surrounding us, it has become a challenge to restore simplicity, clarity and focus in our communications. These excessive conditions provide the main impetus for the re-emergence of storytelling for inspiring, engaging and connecting to others.
Read the entire The Power of Storytelling for Brand Marketing and Communications
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 3, 2017
What We Can Learn
By Jay Gronlund,
President, The Pathfinder Group
Jay Gronlund, president, The Pathfinder Group
Photo: The Pathfinder Group
Without doubt, Donald Trump’s election victory was a shock to most people, especially pollsters, the news media and those living in urban centers across the country. In some ways, it was a contest of character between the two most unfavorably perceived presidential candidates in history. However, from a branding perspective, the compelling reasons behind each vote was more about what each candidate stood for. And this is what branding is all about – making promises that resonate with people’s intense emotional desires, to connect with them.
Click to read the entire article Positioning the Trump Brand for Victory – What We Can Learn
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 9, 2016
By Jay Gronlund,
President, The Pathfinder Group
Jay Gronlund, president, The Pathfinder Group
Inequality of pay in business has become a crisis, fueled mainly by the excessive compensation of CEOs, according to a Hudson Institute article by Irwin Stelzer published July 30,2016. In 1965, the average ratio comparing CEO pay to the median worker’s was 20:1. Today CEOs earn more than 300 times, or 300:1. This alarming disparity has stimulated a widespread negative reaction, as the passionate response by Millennials for Bernie Sanders has demonstrated, and is even becoming a clear source of frustration for Hispanics who aspire to get ahead in the U.S. Even more disconcerting is evidence from studies showing that the highest-paid CEOs are often the worst performers. In short, the growing problem of inequality and extreme pay checks for CEOs has undermined the brand trust of many corporations.
Click to read the entire Pay Inequality Jeopardizing Trust In CEOs and Corporate Brands
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 2, 2016
By Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi*
President, respectabilityusa.org
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president, respectabilityusa.org
For the first time in history, a TV show staring people with disabilities has been nominated for an Emmy Award– and one of the stars, Cristina, is Hispanic! The glass ceiling-breaking show is Born This Way, A&E Network’s critically acclaimed and award-winning original docuseries which airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST. Born This Way was nominated for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program. In addition, two episodes were nominated for Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program.
The show documents real life as Cristina and her fiancée Angel continue to look forward to their wedding, but have a lot of life skills to master before they are ready to live on their own. Produced by Bunim/Murray Productions, the series follows a group of seven young adults with Down syndrome along with their family and friends in Southern California. Recently, the series was chosen as one of six honorees for the 2016 Television Academy Honors, an award that recognizes television programming that inspires, informs and motivates. That was a wonderful award. However, the Emmys also really matter. Until now, no series starring people with disabilities of any background has ever been nominated for an Emmy Award — and Born This Way includes positive images of Hispanic Americans. We know that actress Michelle Rodriguez has ADD (attention deficit disorder) and superstar Selma Hayek has dyslexia. It is really important when people with disabilities can be seen by the abilities they have.
Click to read the entire article The Emmys: Seeing Hispanics in Hollywood
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 5, 2016
By Ismael El-Qudsi
CEO, SocialPubli.com
Ismael Elqudsi, CEO, SocialPubli.com
Photo: SocialPubli.com
Word of mouth has always been the best way to communicate a message and in the digital world in which we live, social networks provide a vast arena for communication, collaboration and interaction.
In this busy, crowded social media space, think of influencers as mini megaphones that help to amplify your brand’s key messages and online presence. Their endorsements connect your brand to your target market, delivering powerful results at scale.
A recent study (adweek.com/prnewser/study-influencer-marketing-pays-6-50-for-every-dollar-spent/111584 ) revealed that influencer marketing pays $6.50 for every dollar spent. Marketers have taken notice and according to this infographic (theshelf.com/the-blog/2015/3/17/influencer-marketing-is-the-new-king-of-content) by The Shelf, 65 percent of brands now run influencer campaigns.
The influencer marketing space will continue to grow and evolve as marketers perfect their skills and decipher the best practices for campaigns.
Here are five key ingredients to keep in mind for your next influencer marketing campaign.
Click to read the entire article Five key elements for a successful influencer marketing campaign
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 15, 2016
By Jay Gronlund,
President, The Pathfinder Group
Jay Gronlund, president, The Pathfinder Group
On May 19, 2016 I went to the “Latinas & Power” symposium in Hartford, CT, at the invitation of the main organizer, Marilyn Alverio. Although this event had been running for 13 years, it was my first time attending.
What a pleasant surprise! Over 500 Latina of all ages attended, and the enthusiasm was ubiquitous and profound. There were two main goals: to educate Latinas on the skills to become more proactive politically and in business and careers, and secondly to motivate and inspire, giving them the confidence that they can indeed accomplish more in life.
Click to read the entire article How Personal Branding Can Help Latinas Achieve More
Posted by Elena del Valle on May 11, 2016
By Jay Gronlund,
President, The Pathfinder Group
Jay Gronlund, president, The Pathfinder Group
The concept of brand equity (i.e. the perceived value of a brand) firmly arrived in the 1980’s when consumer goods companies reacted to a surge of cut throat discounting with a new search for a more sustainable way to boost sales and profits. The answer was to pour money into well-crafted brands, increase pricing, and highlight distinctive product features, all designed to create a more compelling brand image that would lead to greater loyalty. As David Aaker wrote in his book in 1991, “Managing Brand Equity”, aggressive marketing is needed to generate awareness, create a positive perception of relevant brand qualities, and grow loyalty, the three pillars of brand equity.
Click to read the entire Importance of Engaging Hispanic Millennials for Strong Brand Equity
Posted by Elena del Valle on March 30, 2016
By Jay Gronlund
President, The Pathfinder Group
Jay Gronlund, president, The Pathfinder Group
Photo: Jay Gronlund
Before the internet, marketers had a relatively free reign for making questionable competitive claims, creating a brand image of superiority and hence demanding a premium price. But the internet has changed the ground rules. Instant access to endless information and objective feedback from friends has enabled consumers to seek and find the truth behind such promises. This has also led to an atmosphere of extensive mistrust of companies, CEO’s and even many established brands, especially among Hispanic Millennials. Today consumers want authenticity.
We are living in an age of growing skepticism and ebbing loyalty for many established brands. A recent poll by Havas, a reputable marketing agency, showed that consumers in America trust only about one fifth of all brands (least trusted – snacks and household gadgets). A report from the research firm, Mintel, indicated that about half of American shoppers trust smaller companies to do the right thing, compared to only 36% for large ones. The impact of these changing attitudes is already being felt by major brands. Catalina, a big marketing consulting firm, reported that 90 of the top 100 consumer packaged goods brands lost market share in the first half of 2015.
Click to read the entire Why Band Authenticity Is Most Important for Hispanic Millennials
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 24, 2016
President, The Pathfinder Group
Jay Gronlund, president, The Pathfinder Group
The surge behind this exploding Bernie phenomenon is fascinating for many reasons. It is certainly an indication of how divergent our society and politics have become, and this could even intensify in the future. It also shows the political potential of finding and concentrating on the most pronounced issues that frustrate younger people from all ethnic backgrounds, especially Hispanics. Interestingly, from a branding perspective, there are some revealing lessons from this unexpected success of the Bernie Sanders brand.
Click here to read the entire article How Hispanic Millennials Are Driving the Bernie Sanders Brand
