Posts Tagged ‘business strategy’

Kmart’s Blue Light Special, no longer special.

Friday, February 7th, 2003
Originally published in the Houston Business Journal, February 2003

The penalty that businesses pay when they ignore the power and value of strategic branding is usually fatal, especially when facing savvy competitors. This is true even if they are the category leader.

Attention Kmart Shoppers! The bankrupt discounter is ending its 40-year presence in Houston, closing all 17 area stores and eliminating hundreds of jobs as the nationwide chain sheds low-performing stores. The giant retailer, formerly one of the best known in the U.S., announced this past week it would shutter another 326 stores and lay off 37,000 workers nationwide. It is a classic example of a company failing to comprehend the critical need for competitive positioning in a highly competitive economic environment.

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Design: One of the few remaining competitive advantages.

Friday, September 11th, 1998
Originally published in the Houston Business Journal, September 11, 1998

Companies striving to thrive—not just survive—in the new millenium are beginning to recognize a neglected asset that, left undeveloped and unmanaged, is a liability to acheiving their goals. And the more competitive their market, the more of a liability this neglected asset is. Companies are discovering the bottom-line value of (more…)

Graphic Design is a Mickey Mouse concern.

Friday, September 15th, 1995
Originally published in the Houston Business Journal, September 1995

On a cold, dark day in the middle of the Depression, surprisingly, Americans plopped down what little money they had to watch a feature-length animated film called “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The rest is history.

From his first big success, a graphic designer with good business sense named Walt Disney (more…)