Posts

The Abercrombie & Fitch imbroglio

May 23, 2013  |  by Kent Stones

Being an exclusive brand is not bad. But positioning your brand as exclusive without being aspirational turns it into something else: a divisive brand.

Do we encourage the behavior we want from customers?

April 25, 2013  |  by John Kuefler

Turning category enthusiasts into advocates for your brand requires more than just monitoring social media and being responsive. You need to encourage behavior that leads to a positive experience with your brand.

Is this craft beer desperation?

April 18, 2013  |  by Chris Marshall

Samuel Adams seems to be ashamed of their success. They shouldn't be.

Content: The once and future king

January 24, 2013  |  by Tug McTighe

Is the content you are creating for your clients on social media stuff you can't wait to show your family and friends? If the answer is no, then you're doing it wrong.

2013: Trends established and emerging

January 10, 2013  |  by John Kuefler

It’s that time of year when we look back…and we look forward. We contemplate the implications of things that happened last year, and we make resolutions and predictions about the year ahead.

Three ways to deliver impressive pharma advertising

January 3, 2013  |  by Shelly Deveney

Creating an advertising campaign for a pharmaceutical product is a daunting task. Follow these three tips and you'll see the payoff.

Social media and specialty brands are a natural fit

December 14, 2012  |  by David Unekis

Most specialty brands have a natural advantage over mass-market brands in social media. But it can be easily squandered.

Unleashing the power of Brand Advocates

November 8, 2012  |  by Cindy Maude

If you've ever found yourself excitedly telling a friend or co-worker about a product you use and love, then you know a little something about the power a Brand Advocate can wield for a specialty brand.

Social media plus brand enthusiasts means word-of-mouth power on a huge scale

November 1, 2012  |  by Jackie Bunnell

The same principles that give word-of-mouth recommendations their power are amplified by category enthusiasts and social media

Addressable TV ads harbinger for future of specialty brand marketing

October 25, 2012  |  by John Kuefler

Addressable TV advertising, a concept that has been talked about for years but has seen very little application – until now...

Customer Preference Centers are a great foundation for your CRM

September 6, 2012  |  by Kelly Bishop

For a specialty brand, collecting information about your customers should seem like a no-brainer and all part of a robust CRM system. But what’s the best way to go about it?

10 Questions about the iPad® app for specialty brand SmartWool

August 23, 2012  |  by Chris Marshall

We are excited to bring you the SmartWool story. Garett Mariano, Global Marketing Creative Manager at SmartWool answers questions posed by Chris Marshall on their recent success developing an iPad app for their brand. 

Gaining incremental space on-shelf with your independent retailer

June 28, 2012  |  by Emily Peterson

How the heck do you stand out in a category that introduces over 1,000 new products a year? And once you do stand out, how do you protect your real estate?

We’ve brewed up a whole new website for Free State.

May 17, 2012  |  by Tug McTighe

When your ad agency’s located right down the street from one of the best brewpubs in the area, you drink their beer a lot. Then, when you get that brewpub as a client and start helping them with packaging and promo materials for their burgeoning distribution business, you drink their beer even more. You know – for, um, “research.” 

A breath of fresh air indeed

February 7, 2012  |  by Kent Stones

Half the battle in strategy is diagnosing the real problem...

How a logo can inspire a brand

December 29, 2011  |  by Chris Ralston

Most creatives would rather make a difference than make a mark, but sometimes a mark can make a difference. And that’s the ultimate reward.

PPC and SEO are no-brainers for specialty brand marketing

October 18, 2011  |  by John Kuefler

Specialty brands – those that appeal to niche audiences – have the opportunity to use search engine marketing to their advantage much more effectively than do mass brands.

Co-op advertising success is all about cooperation

September 14, 2011  |  by Cecilia Riegel

Why is it so difficult to execute co-op media programs? Six simple steps to follow to ensure success for your specialty brand. 

How will smartphones, tablets and Facebook apps influence website UX design?

August 26, 2011  |  by John Kuefler

The evolution of web design is starting to happen, right on cue. For specialty brands, staying ahead of mass brands in the eyes of your most important consumers (category enthusiasts) is a big part of what will differentiate you in your niche.

Ad relevance can be the magic bullet. As long as we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot with it.

July 15, 2011  |  by John Kuefler

At a recent client meeting we were engaged in a lively debate about various media tactics—television, outdoor, online banners, PPC, etc.—and their relative effectiveness. Everyone had an opinion based on his or her own personal experience—the proverbial “focus group of one.” A couple of anecdotes from the discussion brings a critical media planning issue into focus: relevance.

Specialty brand in-store displays go digital

July 7, 2011  |  by Tug McTighe

We’ve been in the specialty brand business for nearly 30 years, and in that time we’ve seen an explosion in the number of choices available in the way these products are marketed to shoppers. This article will discuss the way it was (delicious cardboard displays), the way it is (kind of a hodgepodge of everything) and the way it will be (digital, digital, digital).

Details—more than important for specialty brands

July 6, 2011  |  by Kent Stones

I hope to sear into your brain the importance for specialty brands to pay attention to the details, no matter how small or inconsequential they may seem. It’s these little things, when taken together, that have a huge impact on the psychic income people get from buying products or services. If specialty brands don’t do these things well, they’re really no different than their mass competitors.

Have you hugged your specialty store lately?

June 2, 2011  |  by Chris Marshall

Why do people love to shop specialty retail stores?

Is Apple like a religion to its customers? Perhaps not.

May 23, 2011  |  by Kent Stones

Did science just prove that Apple is like a religion to its customers, or is it an example of journalistic hyperbole and faulty logic?

What is a category enthusiast?

May 20, 2011  |  by Tug McTighe

Category enthusiasts are critical to specialty brands, and we have been studying them and why they’re so important for quite a while. Years in fact. This article will first explain what the category enthusiast is and then let you know why they are so important to specialty brands and specialty retailers.

Self-serve beer stores? O Canada!

May 2, 2011  |  by Tug McTighe

With our focus on craft beer here at CC – check out our Boulevard and Free State work if you please – we always have our eyeball on interesting stuff happening in the world of delicious beer. Here is something certainly interesting from the Beer Store in Toronto.

Goose is just the first to fly off the island

April 13, 2011  |  by Chris Marshall

Many people were surprised (and angry) to hear the news that Anheuser-Busch had purchased Chicago’s Goose Island Beer Company. We at Callahan Creek were not. Working with great microbreweries and regional brewers like Free State and Boulevard, we understand how successful the craft beer market is and how attractive companies in it are becoming to the bigger players.

Category Enthusiasts—what in the world does that mean?

April 5, 2011  |  by Tug McTighe

While just a small slice of the overall target, Category Enthusiasts are the key people who discover what your specialty brand is all about. They figure out what about you is charming or interesting or amazing and, best of all, they tell everybody else.

If they believe, shoppers will come: The power of the staff endorsement in specialty retail

March 24, 2011  |  by Emily Peterson

We’ve been doing shopper marketing for brands in the pet category for 27 years, and it’s no secret that in specialty retail, an endorsement by a member of the store’s staff is a very powerful thing.

What specialty brands can learn from art

February 25, 2011  |  by Kent Stones

I had the privilege recently of helping a local non-profit art center think about their brand and develop a strategy for increasing the support and use of their facility. They were facing a significant problem: despite their 35 years of service to the community, funding sources and participation were not...

Old stores vs. new stores

February 10, 2011  |  by Chris Marshall

While all retailers aim to provide a consistent shopping experience, maintaining consistency between old stores and new stores can be a challenge and can have an impact on shopper marketing programs. On our most recent visits, we toured two stores from the same chain that were relatively close in proximity, but the differences in their shopping experiences couldn’t have been greater.

Is "Made in the USA" an advantage for your specialty brand?

January 3, 2011  |  by Kent Stones

I made two recent specialty brand purchases that were completely unrelated except in one key respect: a major driver in both the sales strategy and in my purchase decision was the fact that the items were made in the USA.

The end of the cash register in specialty retail?

December 10, 2010  |  by John Kuefler

If you have shopped at an Apple store recently you have had a unique (but not for long) check-out experienced - find any store associate and they swipe your credit card with a card reader attached to their iPhone. "Need a receipt? We'll email it to you."

How great service started with a "no"

November 3, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

As a fan of specialty brands, I generally focus on buying products at retail locations that specialize in the category in which I am interested. I love that employees at specialty stores know more about what I'm interested in and can provide invaluable help in figuring out what to buy because they have experience with the product.

What specialty brands can learn from finance

October 13, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

Each of us has a personal “balance sheet” and “income statement,” but they go far beyond our financial lives. Specialty brands can learn to influence a shopper’s personal “income statement” to improve the probability they will choose your brand over others.

Is it always best to be a first mover? Maybe not.

September 10, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

Here at Callahan Creek, we’re always learning. One of the most enjoyable parts of my job as a strategic/account planner are the days when we take a few hours and debate, discuss and challenge each other on the issues our clients are facing. No pressure, no expectations - just a good old-fashioned intellectual exchange. I want to share a recent talk given by fellow Creeker Jennifer Blandi...

People hate brands (but they really don't have to)

September 9, 2010  |  by Tug McTighe

As technology and mobile devices march ever forward, brands out there – the big and the small – are coming under increasing fire. After all, within moments of hearing about something a company or retail brand has done or not done, or experiencing the actions of a brand for yourself...

Using 2D bar codes

August 31, 2010  |  by John Kuefler

When marketing specialty brands to category enthusiasts, it is critical to satisfy consumers' appetite for product information to make informed purchase decisions. This short video explains what a 2D bar code is...

The importance of knowing your stuff

July 12, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

Recently, I experienced something that is fundamentally important to a specialty brand’s success: the importance of the person selling that brand being really smart about the product, competitive options and use of the product.

Postcards from the edge

June 16, 2010  |  by Jackie Bunnell

We want you back! That’s what was emblazoned across an oversized postcard sitting on my kitchen counter, along with the rest of the day’s mail.

Dinner at 4:30 and a 10% discount

June 11, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

Yesterday when I arrived home, I spied something on the counter that I have to admit I had been anxiously awaiting. A large, thick envelope with four glorious words on it: "Welcome to the AARP."

Just because you can doesn't mean you should

April 14, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

I heard two stories today that were at opposite ends of the spectrum, and it got me thinking about the importance of constantly assessing how your specialty retail brand is fitting into current culture.

Are you missing opportunities with your customers

April 13, 2010  |  by Connie Williams

Was this a lost opportunity for the sporting goods store? I only got about 10 feet into the store, where I had a 5 minute interaction with a store employee, albeit a good one, then I left the store empty handed.

Is specialty still special?

January 19, 2010  |  by Chris Marshall

For the past couple of years, all we’ve heard about is an economic Armageddon. Research companies started using terms such as “value-conscious,” “staycation” and “conscientious cost cutters” to help segment changed shopping behavior and rationalize declining sales. Reports began...