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(1790, 4, '2012-12-13 15:50:09', '2012-12-13 15:50:09', 'December 6, 2012, CBX COO Rick Barrack talks branding, how he got his start in the business and the history of CBX, on LA Talk Live! radio show \"What Catches Fire\". Syndicated through itunes, UStream, Facebook and Live 360.\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/0Y883Hu3xgY\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"630\" height=\"380\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nLA Talk Live! Radio: <a href=\"http://latalklive.com/new/what-catches-fire\" target=\"_blank\">http://latalklive.com/new/what-catches-fire</a>\r\n\r\nYou Tube:<a href=\"http://youtu.be/0Y883Hu3xgY\" target=\"_blank\"> http://youtu.be/0Y883Hu3xgY</a>', 'Rick Barrack on LA Talk Live Radio', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'rick-barrack-on-la-talk-live-radio', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/rick-barrack-on-la-talk-live-radio', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1791, 4, '2012-12-14 17:25:22', '2012-12-14 17:25:22', 'I’m 10 minutes early for my interview with Rick Barrack as my cab pulls up to the East 21st Street office of CBX in Manhattan. He is standing outside, about a building or so away from the entrance; we haven’t met prior, and he looks to be enjoying his moment in the sun, so I leave him to it and go inside.CBX is one of my clients through my day job at Inwork, so I know the drill. The elevator opens into a second floor hallway, where I buzz through an enormous glass door leading to their lobby.\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5574 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_1\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"412\" />\r\n\r\nI’ve been here before, but I’ve never had opportunity to meet Rick, the agency co-founder —and mention-worthy— one of Fast Company\'s “100 Most Creative People in Business.” I’m curious to hear more about what makes CBX tick, Rick’s business philosophy, and how his teams support it.\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5575 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_2\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"409\" />\r\n<em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Wildly impressive and understated all at once, the CBX “Big Red Curtain\".</span></em>\r\n</br>\r\nI am welcomed by the receptionist, who is sitting behind a crescent antique desk of dubious yet stately origin. She is sitting before a red velvet curtain worthy of a 1930s Zeigfield stage production, above which is a glittering crystal chandelier.\r\nIt’s a stunning first impression, dramatic still upon repeat visits. I am offered a seat, but prefer to take a few minutes to poke around the lobby. It is littered with rustic relics, a Persian rug, a frat-house “dream chair” constructed from as-yet-untapped Bud Light 12-Packs, a giant, weathered garage door, and a 1920s shopping cart—which is super cool, but looks far too tiny to be very useful to my 2012 consumer eye.\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\" wp-image-5576 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_3\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"619\" height=\"412\" />\r\n<em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">The Garage.</span></em>\r\n</br>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The space is nothing short of eclectic theatre—a sophisticated carnival vibe, a calculated amalgam of “high and low” put on by CBX aesthetes who knew exactly what they were doing.</p>\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5577\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_4\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"619\" height=\"913\" />\r\nAs Rick enters the room, I’m taken by his ease. He has the inviting air of someone comfortable in his own skin, without a hint of pretense. His greeting mimics the sentiments artfully rendered in chalk on the west-facing wall, which serve as CBX’s cultural touchstones: “Straight Talk,” “Dirty Hands,” “Hello There,” “Come Right In,” “Have a Seat!” “Welcome One &amp; All”.\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5578 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_5\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"1050\" />\r\n<em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Joe Violante: Executive Creative Director, Rick Barrack: CCO, Allison Koller: Creative Director.</span></em>\r\n</br>\r\nThere are no fake smiles here and certainly no finger guns (except in jest).\r\nWhile many of the questions posed are admittedly self-indulgent, I come away with some golden nuggets about what sets the tone at CBX.\r\nThe first thing I noticed stepping behind the “big red curtain” and walking into the belly of the whale are workstations with obligatory “dividers.” However, they are significantly lower than those in most offices, and surrounded by walls of image galleries, which are visible everywhere in the room.\r\n</br>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img class=\"wp-image-5579 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_6\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"412\" /></p>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5580 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_7\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"410\" />\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5581 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_8\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"411\" />\r\n\r\nProjects in progress are not just living on computer screens or tucked away in folders. Design iterations, their alternatives and various components are on display for all employees to see. For larger and more complicated initiatives, formalized ”Immersion Rooms” are dedicated to discovering a given brand’s past, present, and potential future, in depth.\r\n</br>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img class=\"wp-image-5582 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_9\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"411\" /></p>\r\nThe overriding theme here is transparency—right down to the clear corrugated plastic walls of the door-less immersion rooms. Intelligence is a shared, and readily exchanged commodity across different brand teams and open to interdisciplinary exchanges that could not take place otherwise.\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5583 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_10\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"765\" />\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5584 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_11\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"621\" height=\"414\" />\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5585 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_12\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"619\" height=\"409\" />\r\n\r\n<em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Info sharing is second nature. Pinboards extend well into CBX’s kitchen.</span></em>\r\n</br>\r\n<strong>You’ve heard the old cliché “There is no “I” in team.” Well, CBX uses this language and they really, REALLY mean it.</strong>\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5586 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_13\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_13.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"417\" />\r\n\r\nCBX teams are like pro-racing pit crews and its no surprise, given Rick himself, is a dedicated auto enthusiast and Indy 500 aficionado.\r\n</br>\r\nThe teams have a “crew chief” who is instrumental in assigning specialists from their multidisciplinary talent pool. Great care is taken to match the right CBX resource to the proper client. Think “the right tool for the right job.”\r\n</br>\r\nTeam communication is centralized; they’re all “on the radio” listening to the race progress, keeping in constant contact, so when a driver pulls into the pit and it’s time to get to work, nothing goes unconsidered or unresolved.\r\nYou see plenty of “dirty hands” here, and you’ll never find them idle. Even though it’s not stated explicitly, it seems very clearly ingrained in the culture that failure is not an option on CBX’s watch.\r\n</br>\r\nBut it’s not just about “winning” with this crew, it’s as much about performance. That is to say, if your brand were Humpty Dumpty, and he were to fall off a wall, CBX’s brand zealots would rally around and put you back together again--only, you’d emerge having a shell more akin to Titanium-Kevlar, than calcium composite, and CBXers would have likely souped it up with an aftermarket anti-gravity device just to be 100% sure you never fell off that bloomin’ wall again.\r\n</br>\r\nThat’s just what CBX does.\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5587 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_14\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" />\r\n<strong>An exemplary outcome at the hands of this CBX teamwork, in collaboration with Joe Jackman, can be easily seen in their brand renovation of Duane Reade.</strong>\r\n</br>\r\nThe Duane Reade initiative, “New York Living Made Easy” was a multi-faceted brief requiring a complete reinvention of the Duane Reade drugstore concept. Under the brief’s umbrella lay a mission to rebrand four Duane Reade private label brands, and fundamentally elevate the in-store experience to one that was nothing less than channel-changing.\r\nCBX nailed it.\r\nAfter all, how many drugstores offer you unexpected touches like a frozen yogurt bar, a sushi bar, or a growler bar, all of which are targeted to the needs and demands of any given store location’s specific neighborhood clientele.\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5588 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_15\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_15.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"436\" />\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5589 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_16\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_16.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"410\" />\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5590 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_17\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_17.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"619\" height=\"366\" />\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5591 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_18\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_18.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"415\" />\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5592 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_19\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_19.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"369\" />\r\n\r\n<strong>I asked Rick to share a little about Duane Reade as he sees it -- an interesting case study in immersion.</strong>\r\n</br>\r\n<strong>RB:</strong> “They (DR) came to us because of our NY chops--a small agency that could be nimble while also having the capability to address the massiveness of the initiative.\r\nBut most importantly what was really interesting is, from a cultural perspective, we’re often asked to put our “New Yorkness” in our back pocket in order to appeal to Omaha and Ohio and Florida, and so on so forth…\r\nIn this case they (DR) actually asked us to step out of that, and get back to NY, and celebrate our New Yorkness. So we were really able to let it fly, completely let it fly—I mean, they gave us full liberty to partner with them on their vision of what Duane Reade could be.\r\nThey were great. Great partners and great clients who allowed us the liberty to do what we do best and trusted us in helping them navigate down the garden path.”\r\n</br>\r\n<strong>LM: So, what do you do in cases where you don’t have as much control over a brand?</strong>\r\n</br>\r\n<strong>RB:</strong> We’re a very humble company in the way we approach our clients, and I think that humility allows us to understand what the client needs. While we are the stewards of brands and we should and do help guide, and aim, and shoot, occasionally, we are required to “play nice in the sand box” with good manners.\r\n</br>\r\n<strong> LM: OK, but what if you have a project that you think is going to reflect poorly on your own brand, what do you do about that?</strong>\r\n</br>\r\n<strong>RB:</strong> Our first criteria is not “How this going to look in a portfolio?” or “What awards s are we going to win?” It’s just not in our nature; nobody here thinks that way.\r\nThe first order of business is, has the client gotten what they needed? Are we addressing the objective, are they happy with the result and will they come back and work with us again?\r\nAt the end of the day, we are in the service business and we don’t forget that!\r\n</br>\r\n<strong>“Arrogance is an enemy to most initiatives—we just don’t approach things that way.”</strong>\r\n</br>\r\nWe like to “get our hands dirty” and there’s a reason we use this language. It manifests itself into a philosophy. We live and breathe it. It’s not just words that we shove down the throats of people who work here.\r\nIt’s the nature of the way we think, our teams know these brands are living and breathing, entities and this is not art school.\r\nWe’re not in the business of making pretty pictures just because we like them. Our work has got to be grounded in some rationalization of why we did what we did. The most important thing is— the people buying these brands and these products will not have us standing up in front of them spinning it and selling it. It has to sell itself.\r\nWe look at the role of branding through that lens—knowing what is responsible and what is irresponsible—and I think when you have that ingrained in a culture like we do, it becomes second nature into everything we touch.”\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5593 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_20\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_20.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"411\" />\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>CBX Offers Staffers “A wall of their own” called “The Family tree” where they can showcase artwork or an artifact that embodies their own personal brand.</em></span>\r\n</br>\r\n</br>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-5594 alignleft\" title=\"1212 MP InsideTheStudio_21\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1212-MP-InsideTheStudio_21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"411\" />\r\n<em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">At the end of the day, CBX is all about connection.</span></em>\r\n</br>\r\n<strong>So, what’s behind the big red curtain at CBX?</strong>\r\n</br>\r\nIn my opinion, it isn’t theatre at all, nor is it a circus, a carnival, or the great and powerful Oz. It’s a collective, orchestrated exercise in strategy, brand immersion, and design, executed by talented, hard-working people buzzing with hive mentality but without all the Borg-like assimilation nonsense.\r\nAnd with that I will bid you adieu, and “Be Awesome! “\r\nClick Here for more information about CBX and Rick Barrack.\r\nMany thanks to Rick Barrack, Christine Coppinger, Tina Rosenbaum, and all the other fine folks at CBX who made this article possible.\r\n</br>\r\n-LM\r\n<a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2012/12/12/inside-the-studio-behind-the-big-red-curtain-at-cbx-nyc-with.html\" target=\"_blank\">\r\nhttp://www.thedieline.com/blog/2012/12/12/inside-the-studio-behind-the-big-red-curtain-at-cbx-nyc-with.html</a>', 'Behind the big red curtain at CBX', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'inside-the-studio-behind-the-big-red-curtain-at-cbx-nyc-with-rick-barrack', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/inside-the-studio-behind-the-big-red-curtain-at-cbx-nyc-with-rick-barrack', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1792, 4, '2013-01-04 18:44:03', '2013-01-04 18:44:03', 'Gregg S. Lipman:\r\nFor years, I always thought my friends up in Canada were exaggerating when they\'d talk about how fiercely protective the province of Quebec -- through its official language watchdog The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) -- was of its French language. There were stories filled with references to eating chiens chauds (literally \'hot... dogs\'), watching their favorite quart-arrière (quarterback) and having to stop for signs that read \"Arrêt,\" despite the fact that they say \"Stop\" in every other French-speaking country in the world.\r\n\r\nI always found these anecdotes simply funny, until I heard about the office\'s recent attempt to force major American retailers like Walmart, Costco, The Gap, Guess, Old Navy and Best Buy, to amend their brand names to include a French phrase/slogan that would clearly articulate what the company is selling. Not only would these brands have to change their signage -- they\'d also have to spend millions of bucks to update all their marketing materials, packaging, labels, price tags, and so on. All for what? To dilute their trademarks?\r\n\r\nAnd that was when the brand guy in me got a little -- how do you say -- \"PO\'ed\" (pardon my French). I mean, if I moved to Quebec, would I have to change my name to Gregoire?\r\n\r\nThe OQLF claimed they were just ensuring their Francization laws were now simply being respected, even though it had not uttered a peep when those companies first started operating in the province. But their attempt was made very adversarial by threats of fines, denial of government subsidies/contracts or even suspension of the certificates of compliance necessary to operate a business in Québec.\r\n\r\nNot surprisingly, the American companies targeted responded with a stinging lawsuit, questioning the entirety of the premise and timing of the OQLF\'s nefarious undertaking. And why wouldn\'t they?\r\n\r\n- We know full well it often takes years and many millions of marketing dollars, to create a distinctive and memorable brand\r\nname. It is a huge investment that cannot be toyed with on what appears to be a whim.\r\n- The strength of a trademark -- especially an international one -- correlates most strongly with its consistent, if not uniform,\r\npresentation and application throughout its markets.\r\n- Brand equity, brand recognition and brand valuation are now readily acknowledged as vitally important elements of a brand\'s\r\noverall worth.\r\n\r\nThe OQLF outlined four ways for brands to alter their names. Unfortunately, each and every one of them poses serious threats to their brand trademarks and global credibility. Here\'s how:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Attaching a French word that would describe what the American company sells/does</strong>\r\n\r\nHolds great potential to be visually awkward on signage. How would French descriptors even help in the first place? Would Habits The Gap (literally \'Clothes The Gap\') or Le Magasin Walmart somehow get a potential Quebec shopper any closer to understanding what either company sells (assuming they\'ve never heard of them)?\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Creating a French version of the American Trademark</strong>\r\n\r\n- Doable and not altogether uncommon (see Green Giant/Géant Vert in France or KFC/Poulet Frit Kentucky in Quebec).\r\n- But this option would not work for a Walmart or J. Crew or Starbucks or any proper name brand.\r\n- You risk creating a name that has no visual or etymological connection to its original brands at all (see Staples/Bureau en Gros. Can Whole Foods/Nourritures Entières be far behind?).\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Creating a multiple word slogan, all in French that would describe what the American Company sells</strong>\r\n\r\nIf a single French word could potentially be awkward, imagine what multiple descriptive words will look like! With modern retailers increasingly broadening their product mixes (Urban Outfitters -- to pick just one example -- sells everything from clothing to books to jewelry to cameras and vinyl records) to include complementary and lifestyle products, how could this strategy effectively communicate the totality of a retailer\'s offerings?\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Keeping the original American brand name but reducing its size dramatically and slotting it under its far larger,</strong><strong> translated-into-French name</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is clearly the worst option of the bunch. Imagine a sign with two brands on it, one saying Vieille Marine and directly below it, in much smaller letters, the words Old Navy. It would be chaos on signage, nor would that in any way clarify to a potential consumer what it is the brand sells or does.\r\n\r\nSo nice of you to offer these suggestions, Quebec. But do you really think that Walmart is going to become Le Magasin Walmart just for your shoppers? Even the \"real\" French are less stringent about their language laws -- and that\'s saying a lot. Don\'t get me wrong: I find it admirable of you to want to preserve your French heritage. But as a brand professional I also find it wholly naïve. I mean, when a brand invests millions and millions of dollars in establishing a name, why would they risk devaluing its international recognition by changing it for one small region of the world?\r\n\r\nFurthermore, while there was certainly a time in our civilization\'s history where a language only applied to a specific, corresponding culture, in this day an age, the high degree of exposure, interaction and connectivity afforded us (in large part thanks to technology) has allowed language to mutate to such a high degree that it has effectively decoupled from culture. That is to say: a culture that spawned a language, no longer necessarily defines it.\r\n\r\nLanguage adapts very quickly to changing environments and imports heavily from other languages it comes in contact with. And we know that centuries of close proximity to America has enabled many English words to migrate over into French. To assume that they would need English retail signage translated into French is thus, well, silly. After all, over here in America, we\'re not translating Le Pain Quotidien into \"The Daily Bread\" or \"Le Chateau\" to \"The Castle.\" Trying to legislate language is not only virtually impossible, it shows a willful disregard for the power of language and its free exchange between societies, as a continuing catalyst for cultural and creative growth.\r\n\r\nAnd for the record, I think that Gregg is a helluva nicer name than Gregoire. Just saying.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/pardon-my-french-quebec_b_2396822.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/pardon-my-french-quebec_b_2396822.html</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'Pardon My French...', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'pardon-my-french-quebec-but-your-language-laws-are-ridiculous', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/pardon-my-french-quebec-but-your-language-laws-are-ridiculous', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1793, 4, '2013-01-04 19:10:45', '2013-01-04 19:10:45', 'By Nancy Brown:\r\nThe consumer trend toward locally grown fresh food has infiltrated the mass market. Learn how to utilize your packaging to convey premium, farm-fresh authenticity.\r\n\r\n\"Farm-to-fork\": It’s the foodie buzz term of recent years, the hip culinary expression on everyone’s lips. New restaurants boasting farm-fresh ingredients are popping up in neighborhoods all over the country, greenmarkets are hotter than ever, and farm-to-fork ambassadors like chefs Dan Barber of Blue Hill, British sensation Jamie Oliver, and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse have become bona fide celebrities.\r\n\r\nAnd now, this movement is starting to infiltrate the mass market.\r\n\r\nIt’s no surprise. With E. coli outbreaks happening every few months (it seems) and books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma making people fearful of what they put in their bodies, today’s consumers want to know exactly where their food comes from. Farm-to-fork delivers on that need. It is defined as “food that has come to your table from a specific farm,” and more often than not, these are greenmarket-bought fruits, vegetables, and meats that come from farms within a certain distance from one’s home.\r\n\r\nSure, it seems that consumer packaged goods would be the antithesis of farm-to-fork, but the truth is that certain CPG brands—such as Land O’Lakes and Ocean Spray—have been offering farm-fresh products for years. Now other brands, many with the word “farm” in their names, are pinpointing a need in the market to not only use the highest-quality, farm-fresh ingredients, but also to provide consumers with information about the origins of those ingredients.\r\n\r\nThere are a few different ways that companies are interpreting farm-to-fork for the mass audience. Some brands, like Green Giant, focus on the farm-fresh aspect, while others, like Cabot Creamery dairy products from Vermont, focus on local. Kashi—whose tagline is “seven whole grains on a mission”—is all about sourcing authentic ingredients from around the world. Häagen-Daz’ Five ice cream brands and Yoplait’s Simplait yogurt are stripping down the ingredients to the bare essentials.\r\n\r\n<strong>Conveying farm-fresh through packaging</strong>\r\n\r\nA lot of brands have been conveying the “farm-to-fork/local/sourced/simple ingredients” aspects of their offerings through advertising, but how are they communicating the fresh, farm-to-fork aspect of their offerings through their packaging? For starters, they’re making it more premium. Consumers seem to be willing to pay a bit more for the quality aspect of farm-to-fork offerings, and the upscale design of these products reflects this. Quite simply, the products cost more because people are willing to pay more. But there are many more ways that brands can capitalize on this trend to try and seize some of the $860 million worth of unmet demand for farm-fresh products (according to <a href=\"http://farm2tablecopackers.com\" target=\"_blank\">Farm2Table Co-Packers</a>, a company in upstate New York).\r\n\r\nHere are five lessons the “big boys” can learn from some of today’s smaller, but well-established, farm-to-fork brands.\r\n\r\n1. <strong>It’s all in a name</strong>. For many CPG products, you can just envision the dozens of meetings and focus groups that it took to come up with a snazzy name for some new beverage or cleaning product. But farm-to-fork is all about origins, first and foremost. Farm-to-fork product names just say it like it is: Ronnybrook Farm milk, from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy in the Hudson Valley; Dorset Cereals, named for the county of Dorset in England, where it is made; The Immaculate Baking Company, made with only all-natural ingredients. With names like these, the products speak for themselves, because they are that fresh, that good, that worthy of your dollars.\r\n\r\n2. <strong>Tell your story</strong>. Farm-to-fork products don’t have the most creative stories in the books—they just have honest stories that make us trust their brands. And since the products are so proud of where they’ve come from, these stories tend to be featured front-and-center on their packaging. Why, Green Giant has been telling their “picked at the peak of perfection” story—about how farmers who grow vegetables for the company receive a knock on their doors from company representatives who tell them, “It’s time to pick the peas!”—for several decades now. And why not? It’s a terrific story to tell.\r\nSiggi’s Icelandic-style yogurt features its story—about a guy who missed the thickness of skyr, the yogurt from his native country, and now makes it here in America with milk from family farms in New York State—on the back of its label, which consumers are encouraged to tear off and read via a little paper tab.\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Talk up your strengths</strong>. Farm-to-fork products tend to be superior to other products due to their fresh, often organic natures, and brands have every right to talk up these benefits. Bellwether Farms, an “artisan creamery” out of Sonoma, CA, promotes the fact that those who are intolerant to cow’s milk can enjoy their sheep-milk products, which are made from the milk of “healthy, pastured animals” and are “an excellent source of B vitamins.”\r\nHäagen-Daz’ Five ice cream line lists all five of its ingredients on its container, complemented by a photograph of one key ingredient (e.g., a mound of brown sugar). On its Web site and promotional materials, Frito-Lay boasts that many of its products consist of only three ingredients, but this claim has yet to turn up on its packaging…yet.\r\n\r\n4. <strong>Hype the goods</strong>. Since farm-to-fork products are all about authenticity, it makes perfect sense for brands to showcase their farm-fresh products and sources of origin on their packaging. Siggi’s yogurt features a lovely illustration of a key ingredient, such as blueberries. Red Jacket Juices, made at the Red Jacket Orchard, feature a large apple that reflects the all-natural flavor of the juice. Ronnybrook Farm features cows on its packaging, while Old Chatham Sheepherding Company and Bellwether Farms feature sheep. Packaging for Kate’s Homemade Butter boasts a photo of a little girl, presumably Kate herself, who the consumer is led to believe may have churned the butter inside.\r\n\r\n5. <strong>Don’t skimp on the details</strong>. Details like package structure and printing methods signal the quality, upscale nature of farm-to-fork products to consumers. Rick’s Picks pickles and Ronnybrook Farm’s milk products are both housed in ball jar-type glass bottles that reference the farm-fresh aspect of the offerings, let consumers see their freshness, and harken back to their greenmarket origins. Siggi’s yogurt has a matte-paper wrapper that is both incredibly spare and undeniably upscale. Dorset Cereals come in uncoated paper boxes with peak-a-boo windows that let you see the product and mirror the natural nature of the oats, grains, and dried fruits inside.\r\n\r\nOf course, not all CPG companies will be able to bring their products to consumers straight from the farm. But by following the lead of some of the successful farm-to-fork companies out there right now and by utilizing at least a few of the five steps mentioned, they can definitely capitalize on the movement and take measures to make their products seem as local, simple, and authentic as possible.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/graphic/farm-fork-drives-consumer-packaging\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.packworld.com/package-design/graphic/farm-fork-drives-consumer-packaging</a>', '\'Farm-to-fork\' drives consumer packaging', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'farm-to-fork-drives-consumer-packaging', '', '', '2018-09-27 20:48:05', '2018-09-27 20:48:05', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/farm-to-fork-drives-consumer-packaging', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1794, 4, '2013-01-10 15:41:06', '2013-01-10 15:41:06', 'The seventh of the Pennsylvania-based fuel and convenience store operator’s locations in the sunshine state, opened on Monday (7 January 2013), with 25 more scheduled to open in the Orlando/Tampa area in 2013.\r\nLike the six sunshine state locations that opened last year, Wawa’s latest store in Apopka features a design intended to reflect the language and style associated with Floridian vernacular architecture. Exterior characteristics include pastel colors, clapboard siding, pitched roofs and front porches that reference historic south and central Florida building types. The design also pays careful attention to landscaping, allowing the fuel islands and store to blend with its verdant surroundings.\r\n\r\nOnce inside, customers will immediately notice the vibrant red-tiled wall placed front and centre highlighting the new centre island kitchen where fresh hoagie rolls will be baked-off daily. The food preparation area also incorporates a full-service specialty beverage section where customers can order more than 20 custom-made varieties of hot drinks, espressos, Chai teas and lattes, as well as more than 20 varieties of smoothies and frozen beverages. Guests can order any specialty drink or sandwich exactly the way they want using Wawa’s touch screen system, with a series of screens prominently positioned at the kitchen/specialty beverage area’s counters.\r\n\r\nThe counter area is immediately adjoined by coffee and fountain beverage sections with a backdrop of a warmer taupe wall tile. Red drum shades are used over the coffee area and at the beverage coolers (positioned on the opposite side of the foodservice/specialty drink counter) to create a sense of place. Overall, Wawa’s new prototype is characterised by a spacious open layout, with high ceilings and abundant natural lighting contributing to the comfortable and inviting space.\r\n\r\nNew York City-based CBX worked with Wawa to create the fresh, new prototype store. CBX created a new colour and materials palette emphasising natural stone, several types of tile, hard rock maple laminate (a creamy white with a reddish tinge) for modular fixtures and shelving, and gleaming copper accents. Elements were selected for their ability to contribute to the store’s warm and welcoming aura while complementing the look and feel of the sunshine state.\r\n\r\n“We are thrilled to be doing business in Florida and look forward to setting a new standard of quality and appetising convenience for Floridians,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa President.\r\n\r\nWawa currently operates nearly 600 stores in five Mid-Atlantic states, 300+ of which offer fuel. The chain is revered equally for its wide variety of coffee and smoothies, fresh salads and built-to-order hoagies, as well as its fast and friendly service, available all day, every day.\r\n\r\nCBX: provided design expertise for Wawa\'s Florida market entrance.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.globalcstorefocus.com/cgi-bin/newsletter.pl?edition=201301&amp;this_page=8\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.globalcstorefocus.com/cgi-bin/newsletter.pl?edition=201301&amp;this_page=8</a>', 'WAWA opens latest prototype in Apoka, FL', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'wawa-opens-latest-prototype-in-apoka-florida-the-companys-seventh-location-in-the-sunshine-state', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/wawa-opens-latest-prototype-in-apoka-florida-the-companys-seventh-location-in-the-sunshine-state', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1795, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:45', '2018-09-27 16:51:45', '', 'froyo2', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'froyo2', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:45', '2018-09-27 16:51:45', '', 1581, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/froyo2.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1796, 4, '2013-01-18 17:14:42', '2013-01-18 17:14:42', 'By Nancy Brown:\r\nThe consumer trend toward locally grown fresh food has infiltrated the mass market. Learn how to utilize your packaging to convey premium, farm-fresh authenticity.\r\n\r\n\"Farm-to-fork\": It’s the foodie buzz term of recent years, the hip culinary expression on everyone’s lips. New restaurants boasting farm-fresh ingredients are popping up in neighborhoods all over the country, greenmarkets are hotter than ever, and farm-to-fork ambassadors like chefs Dan Barber of Blue Hill, British sensation Jamie Oliver, and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse have become bona fide celebrities.\r\n\r\nAnd now, this movement is starting to infiltrate the mass market.\r\n\r\nIt’s no surprise. With E. coli outbreaks happening every few months (it seems) and books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma making people fearful of what they put in their bodies, today’s consumers want to know exactly where their food comes from. Farm-to-fork delivers on that need. It is defined as “food that has come to your table from a specific farm,” and more often than not, these are greenmarket-bought fruits, vegetables, and meats that come from farms within a certain distance from one’s home.\r\n\r\nSure, it seems that consumer packaged goods would be the antithesis of farm-to-fork, but the truth is that certain CPG brands—such as Land O’Lakes and Ocean Spray—have been offering farm-fresh products for years. Now other brands, many with the word “farm” in their names, are pinpointing a need in the market to not only use the highest-quality, farm-fresh ingredients, but also to provide consumers with information about the origins of those ingredients.\r\n\r\nThere are a few different ways that companies are interpreting farm-to-fork for the mass audience. Some brands, like Green Giant, focus on the farm-fresh aspect, while others, like Cabot Creamery dairy products from Vermont, focus on local. Kashi—whose tagline is “seven whole grains on a mission”—is all about sourcing authentic ingredients from around the world. Häagen-Daz’ Five ice cream brands and Yoplait’s Simplait yogurt are stripping down the ingredients to the bare essentials.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignright  wp-image-5878\" title=\"01_14_12_NancyCBX1\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/01_14_12_NancyCBX1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"412\" />\r\n\r\n<strong>Conveying farm-fresh through packaging</strong>\r\n\r\nA lot of brands have been conveying the “farm-to-fork/local/sourced/simple ingredients” aspects of their offerings through advertising, but how are they communicating the fresh, farm-to-fork aspect of their offerings through their packaging? For starters, they’re making it more premium. Consumers seem to be willing to pay a bit more for the quality aspect of farm-to-fork offerings, and the upscale design of these products reflects this. Quite simply, the products cost more because people are willing to pay more. But there are many more ways that brands can capitalize on this trend to try and seize some of the $860 million worth of unmet demand for farm-fresh products (according to <a href=\"http://farm2tablecopackers.com\" target=\"_blank\">Farm2Table Co-Packers</a>, a company in upstate New York).\r\n\r\nHere are five lessons the “big boys” can learn from some of today’s smaller, but well-established, farm-to-fork brands.\r\n\r\n1. <strong>It’s all in a name</strong>. For many CPG products, you can just envision the dozens of meetings and focus groups that it took to come up with a snazzy name for some new beverage or cleaning product. But farm-to-fork is all about origins, first and foremost. Farm-to-fork product names just say it like it is: Ronnybrook Farm milk, from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy in the Hudson Valley; Dorset Cereals, named for the county of Dorset in England, where it is made; The Immaculate Baking Company, made with only all-natural ingredients. With names like these, the products speak for themselves, because they are that fresh, that good, that worthy of your dollars.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignright  wp-image-5874\" title=\"01_14_12_NancyCBX2\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/01_14_12_NancyCBX2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"530\" />\r\n\r\n2. <strong>Tell your story</strong>. Farm-to-fork products don’t have the most creative stories in the books—they just have honest stories that make us trust their brands. And since the products are so proud of where they’ve come from, these stories tend to be featured front-and-center on their packaging. Why, Green Giant has been telling their “picked at the peak of perfection” story—about how farmers who grow vegetables for the company receive a knock on their doors from company representatives who tell them, “It’s time to pick the peas!”—for several decades now. And why not? It’s a terrific story to tell.\r\nSiggi’s Icelandic-style yogurt features its story—about a guy who missed the thickness of skyr, the yogurt from his native country, and now makes it here in America with milk from family farms in New York State—on the back of its label, which consumers are encouraged to tear off and read via a little paper tab.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignright  wp-image-5875\" title=\"01_14_12_NancyCBX5\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/01_14_12_NancyCBX5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"540\" />\r\n\r\n3. <strong>Talk up your strengths</strong>. Farm-to-fork products tend to be superior to other products due to their fresh, often organic natures, and brands have every right to talk up these benefits. Bellwether Farms, an “artisan creamery” out of Sonoma, CA, promotes the fact that those who are intolerant to cow’s milk can enjoy their sheep-milk products, which are made from the milk of “healthy, pastured animals” and are “an excellent source of B vitamins.”\r\nHäagen-Daz’ Five ice cream line lists all five of its ingredients on its container, complemented by a photograph of one key ingredient (e.g., a mound of brown sugar). On its Web site and promotional materials, Frito-Lay boasts that many of its products consist of only three ingredients, but this claim has yet to turn up on its packaging…yet.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignright  wp-image-5876\" title=\"01_14_12_NancyCBX6\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/01_14_12_NancyCBX6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"620\" />\r\n\r\n4. <strong>Hype the goods</strong>. Since farm-to-fork products are all about authenticity, it makes perfect sense for brands to showcase their farm-fresh products and sources of origin on their packaging. Siggi’s yogurt features a lovely illustration of a key ingredient, such as blueberries. Red Jacket Juices, made at the Red Jacket Orchard, feature a large apple that reflects the all-natural flavor of the juice. Ronnybrook Farm features cows on its packaging, while Old Chatham Sheepherding Company and Bellwether Farms feature sheep. Packaging for Kate’s Homemade Butter boasts a photo of a little girl, presumably Kate herself, who the consumer is led to believe may have churned the butter inside.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignright  wp-image-5877\" title=\"01_14_12_NancyCBX4\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/01_14_12_NancyCBX4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"903\" />\r\n\r\n5. <strong>Don’t skimp on the details</strong>. Details like package structure and printing methods signal the quality, upscale nature of farm-to-fork products to consumers. Rick’s Picks pickles and Ronnybrook Farm’s milk products are both housed in ball jar-type glass bottles that reference the farm-fresh aspect of the offerings, let consumers see their freshness, and harken back to their greenmarket origins. Siggi’s yogurt has a matte-paper wrapper that is both incredibly spare and undeniably upscale. Dorset Cereals come in uncoated paper boxes with peak-a-boo windows that let you see the product and mirror the natural nature of the oats, grains, and dried fruits inside.\r\n\r\nOf course, not all CPG companies will be able to bring their products to consumers straight from the farm. But by following the lead of some of the successful farm-to-fork companies out there right now and by utilizing at least a few of the five steps mentioned, they can definitely capitalize on the movement and take measures to make their products seem as local, simple, and authentic as possible.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/1/14/farm-to-fork-drives-consumer-packaging.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/1/14/farm-to-fork-drives-consumer-packaging.html</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', '\'Farm-to-fork\' drives consumer packaging', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'farm-to-fork-drives-consumer-packaging-2', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/farm-to-fork-drives-consumer-packaging-2', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1797, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:46', '2018-09-27 16:51:46', '', 'JanKotex', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'jankotex', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:46', '2018-09-27 16:51:46', '', 1582, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/JanKotex.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1798, 4, '2013-02-01 18:36:11', '2013-02-01 18:36:11', 'Philabundance pursuing new model to serve people in need in Delaware Valley food deserts through attractive, convenient and friendly stores.\r\nCBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy based in New York, has been retained by hunger relief organization Philabundance to design a prototype for Fare &amp; Square, a not-for-profit grocery store slated to open this summer in Chester, Pa.\r\n\r\nFare &amp; Square will sell nutritious food staples with a focus on fresh produce, meats, dairy, seafood and frozen foods at everyday low prices. It will give residents of Chester--one of the 35 food deserts in the Delaware Valley according to the USDA--the access to “good food right around the corner” that has not been available since the town’s last full-scale grocer closed in 2001.\r\n\r\nPhilabundance recently purchased the town’s former grocery building at 3109 West 9th St., and gave CBX the assignment to create a colors and materials palette as well as signage and graphics for the 13,000-square-foot store. CBX will also design perimeter departments and the store’s center core. All creative work will be based on collaboration between CBX and Philadelphia-based LevLane Advertising, which designed the Fare &amp; Square logo with Philabundance. The colorful logo features a simple drawing of a purple carrot (with green tops attached) and the words “Fare &amp; Square” set in an outlined box with rounded edges, plus the tagline “good food right around the corner.”\r\n\r\n“We’ll be drawing heavily on both the Fare &amp; Square brand direction as envisioned by LevLane and the existing supermarket footprint of the Chester space,” said Joseph Bona, president of CBX branded environments. The design will incorporate functional merchandise fixtures, flooring, lighting and signage.\r\n\r\nUnder its not-for-profit grocery store model, Fare &amp; Square will offer a customer-focused shopping experience and will partner with local organizations and businesses to provide a range of services to the community in a meaningful and memorable way. One notable aspect of the overall design “is that it will reflect the hopeful and respectful nature of Philabundance’s goal to serve Chester residents through a store that could look at home in any community,” Bona explained. “Ultimately, we’re designing a neighborhood store that will have the look and feel of a traditional supermarket in that it\'s clean, well lit, convenient and friendly, but also a place that the community can call their own, instilling a sense of optimism, pride and connection.”\r\n\r\nPhilabundance hopes to replicate this model in other communities in the Delaware Valley. “Convenient access to nutritious food is a growing and complex problem across the country and in the Delaware Valley, and one that requires a complex solution,” said Bill Clark, president and executive director of the Philadelphia-based organization. “Philabundance has worked on this concept for five years, and we are thrilled to see it coming to fruition to help the residents of Chester.”\r\n\r\n<strong>About Philabundance:</strong>\r\n\r\nPhilabundance reduces hunger and food insecurity in the Delaware Valley by providing food access to people in need in partnership with organizations and individuals. Philabundance provides a full plate of services through neighborhood distribution programs and a network of close to 500 member agencies in 9 counties. Philabundance serves approximately 65,000 people per week at a cost of 50 cents per meal. There are more than 900,000 people in the Delaware Valley who are at risk for chronic hunger and malnutrition. In 2011, Philabundance distributed 21 million pounds of food. For more information about Philabundance, visit www.philabundance.org or call 215-339-0900. Visit us on Facebook, Facebook.com/Philabundance and follow us on Twitter, Twitter.com/Philabundance. If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, please call Philabundance’s Food Help Line, 800-319-Food (3663).', 'CBX Tapped to Design Prototype for Fare & Square', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-tapped-to-design-prototype-for-fare-square', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-tapped-to-design-prototype-for-fare-square', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(1799, 4, '2013-02-01 20:31:53', '2013-02-01 20:31:53', 'Assignment Focuses on Total Site Design and Brand Strategies for Terpel Operation in Colombia.\r\nCBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy based in New York, is working with Organizacion Terpel S.A., to completely update the company\'s Terpel gas and diesel fuel station sites in Colombia.\r\nLike many global petroleum companies, the Bogota-based Organizacion Terpel is hoping to expand its customer base by increasing its appeal to women, families and young consumers, explained Joseph Bona, president of branded environments at CBX. The firm\'s design and strategy teams worked with the company to take a fresh look at everything from updating the corporate identity and logo to creating new architecture for the forecourt and retail shops and how each can support Organizacion Terpel\'s corporate strategy for growth. A leading fuel supplier in Colombia, Terpel\'s network includes 1,460 service stations, 28 supply plants and operations in 20 Colombian airports. The company also sells fuels for automobiles, aircraft and motorboats in other Central and South American markets.\r\nWith a goal of creating a compelling design for the next 10 years, the entire forecourt for the company\'s retail fuel network has been completely reinvented, including canopy, pylon and fuel island design along with other customer touch-points, Bona noted. CBX also designed graphics and architecture for a newly revamped convenience store, branded car wash and service bays. The first complete site with a new c-store, canopy, lube bay and car wash is expected to open this year.\r\n\"Our role was to reinforce Terpel\'s ongoing commitment to providing quality products and services, but with a new view toward being one of Colombia\'s most innovative and forward thinking companies,\" Bona continued. \"We examined the entire customer journey experience from the curb to the pump and convenience store, to the car wash and lube bay. Equally important, while designing the new ground-up prototype, we also developed a \'retro-fittable\' design approach for adaptation to the existing portfolio of facilities.\"\r\nCBX worked closely on the project in association with The Murphy Group LLC, Ashburn, Va., which has independently served as a consultant to Organizacion Terpel S.A. on a wide range of strategic business activities.\r\n\r\n<strong>About Organizacion Terpel S.A.</strong>\r\nOrganizacion Terpel S.A. is a privately held Colombian oil and gas company founded in 1968. Formerly known as Terpel Bucaramanga, the company changed its name to Organizacion Terpel S.A. in 2001. Based in Bogota, Colombia, Organizacion Terpel S.A. distributes and sells fuel products for automobiles, aircraft and motorboats. It also produces and sells lubricants for marine and industrial use as well as for vehicles using diesel, gasoline and natural gas; and distributes natural gas for vehicles in Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile. The company also offers fuel and lubricants to sugar mills, oil and mining markets. The company operates service stations in Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and Panama. It also manages fuel supplies for two airports in the Dominican Republic. Organizacion Terpel S.A. is a subsidiary of Sociedad De Inversiones En Energia S.A., which is a subsidiary of Compania de Petroleos de Chile COPEC S.A.', 'CBX Assists Organizacion Terpel S.A.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-assists-organizacion-terpel-s-a', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-assists-organizacion-terpel-s-a', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1800, 4, '2013-02-01 21:32:25', '2013-02-01 21:32:25', 'Hunger relief organization Philabundance here has retained retail design consultancy CBX to design a prototype for Fare &amp; Square, a not-for-profit grocery store slated to open this summer in Chester, Pa.Fare &amp; Square, a 13,000-square-foot store, will sell nutritious food staples with a focus on fresh produce, meats, dairy, seafood and frozen foods at everyday low prices. It will give residents of Chester — one of the 35 food deserts in the Delaware Valley according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture — easy access to fresh foods for the first time since the town’s last full-scale grocer closed in 2001. Philabundance recently purchased the town’s former grocery building.\r\nUnder its not-for-profit grocery store model, Fare &amp; Square will offer a customer-focused shopping experience and will partner with local organizations and businesses to provide a range of services to the community.\r\nOne aspect of the overall design “is that it will reflect the hopeful and respectful nature of Philabundance’s goal to serve Chester residents through a store that could look at home in any community,” said Joseph Bona, president of CBX branded environments, in a statement. “Ultimately, we’re designing a neighborhood store that will have the look and feel of a traditional supermarket in that it\'s clean, well lit, convenient and friendly, but also a place that the community can call their own, instilling a sense of optimism, pride and connection.”\r\nPhilabundance hopes to replicate this model in other communities in the Delaware Valley. “Convenient access to nutritious food is a growing and complex problem across the country and in the Delaware Valley, and one that requires a complex solution,” said Bill Clark, president and executive director of Philabundance. “Philabundance has worked on this concept for five years, and we are thrilled to see it coming to fruition to help the residents of Chester.”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/non-profit-store-open-pa-food-desert#ixzz2JgWNt1KE\" target=\"_blank\">http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/non-profit-store-open-pa-food-desert#ixzz2JgWNt1KE</a>', 'Non-Profit Store to Open in Pa. Food Desert', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'non-profit-store-to-open-in-pa-food-desert', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/non-profit-store-to-open-in-pa-food-desert', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1801, 4, '2013-02-04 21:58:08', '2013-02-04 21:58:08', '<strong>ACCOUNT</strong>\r\n<strong>Nissan Motor Company</strong> expanded its relationship with TBWA Worldwide, part of the Omnicom Group, by naming TBWA as the global marketing agency for the reintroduction of the company’s Datsun brand. Spending has not been determined. Datsun was the original name for the Nissan brand; it is being brought back as a lower-price car line aimed at young, middle-class drivers in fast-growing markets like India, Indonesia and Russia. The worldwide creative and strategic work for Datsun will be led by TBWA Hakuhodo, Tokyo, and TBWA London. TBWA is also the creative agency for the Nissan and Infiniti brands sold by Nissan Motor.</br>\r\n<strong>Vonage Holdings</strong>, Holmdel, N.J., selected two agencies for assignments that had been handled by agencies owned by the Omnicom Group. Spending was estimated at $150 million. JWT New York, part of WPP, will handle the Vonage creative account, which had been handled by TBWA/Chiat/Day, part of the TBWA Worldwide division of Omnicom. And Horizon Media, New York, will handle the Vonage media account, which had been handled by PHD, part of the Omnicom Media Group division of Omnicom.</br>\r\n<strong>Chopin,</strong> the Polish vodka owned by Tadeusz J. Dorda, named Clarity Coverdale Fury, Minneapolis, as its worldwide agency of record. Spending has not been determined. Clarity Coverdale helped introduce Chopin in North America in 1997 and was the brand’s agency for eight years; recently, the account had been handled internally.\r\n\r\n<strong>PEOPLE</strong></br>\r\n<strong>Deanie Elsner</strong>, president for the beverages business at the Kraft Foods Group, Northfield, Ill., was named the company’s first chief marketing officer. The Kraft Foods Group was formed after Kraft Foods spun off its snack foods brands into a stand-alone company, Mondelez International. The Kraft Foods Group sells former Kraft Foods products like Kraft cheeses, Maxwell House coffee and Oscar Mayer meats.</br>\r\n<strong>Chris Tussing rejoined DDB Worldwide</strong>, New York, part of the Omnicom Group, as global business director, overseeing the agency’s new Reebok account. He had most recently been account managing director at the Chicago office of McGarryBowen, part of the Dentsu Network unit of Dentsu, and earlier in his career was group account director at the DDB West division of DDB, based in San Francisco.</br>\r\n<strong>Lori Erdos</strong>, business development director for digital at Smithsonian Media, based in the New York office, was named to a new post, publisher for media and business development. Smithsonian Media is part of the Smithsonian Enterprises unit of the Smithsonian Institution.</br>\r\n<strong>MISCELLANY</strong></br>\r\n<strong>Peter Arnell</strong>, who in 2011 left his agency, the Arnell Group, New York, in a dispute with its parent, the Omnicom Group, has returned to the industry, working on his own on a new campaign for a former Arnell Group client, GNC Holdings. The campaign, carrying the theme “Respect yourself,” is being created by Mr. Arnell and an internal marketing and communications team at GNC, the company said. A lawsuit between Mr. Arnell and Omnicom was settled last year. “We are pleased to once again be working directly with Peter,” Joseph Fortunato, chief executive of GNC, said in a statement.</br>\r\n<strong>Parry Branding Group</strong>, a brand identity agency for the health and wellness market, was opened in Brooklyn by Vince Parry.</br>\r\n<strong>Philabundance</strong>, Philadelphia, an organization that specializes in hunger relief, named CBX, New York, a brand agency and retail design consultancy, to design a prototype for Fare &amp; Square, a nonprofit grocery store that is scheduled to open this summer in Chester, Pa. The store will sell staples like produce, dairy and meats at everyday low prices to residents of Chester, which has been identified as a so-called food desert.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/business/media/news-from-the-advertising-industry.html?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/business/media/news-from-the-advertising-industry.html?_r=0</a>', 'News From the Advertising Industry', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'news-from-the-advertising-industry', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/news-from-the-advertising-industry', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1802, 4, '2013-02-05 15:28:57', '2013-02-05 15:28:57', 'Some of the best and brightest from Bloomingdale’s, Costco, Wal-Mart, Facebook and other companies will participate at The Global Retailing Conference of the University of Arizona’s Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing.   The conference — a forum bringing business leaders and academia together — will be held April 11 and 12 at Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Ariz.  “Retailing continues to evolve rapidly, with new techniques, processes and technologies emerging virtually every day — all being driven by our customer’s changing habits and preferences. We all must be diligent in understanding what our customers want today and what they will want tomorrow,” said Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Macy’s Inc., who will deliver opening remarks. Others will address retail innovation, digital advancement, marketing strategies and consumer behavior.   Set to speak: Tory Burch; retail presidents Bonnie Brooks of The Hudson’s Bay Co. and Tony Spring of Bloomingdale’s, as well as Jonathan Zrihen of the Clarins Groupe North America, Neil Cole of Iconix, Gary Talarico of Gordon Brothers, Scott Hardy of Polaroid, and Matthew Shay of the National Retail Federation, who all hold the titles of president and ceo.  Also on the speaker roster: Jim Sinegal, Costco’s cofounder; Ira Kalish, director of global economics, Deloitte Consulting; Doug Mack, ceo of One Kings Lane; Kevin Sterneckert, vice president of research, Gartner; Rob Garf, vice president, Demandware; Anita D. Bhappu, PetSmart Associate Professor of Retailing and Consumer Sciences, The University of Arizona; Joe Bona, president, Branded Environments, CBX; Wanda Young, Wal-Mart’s vice president of media and digital marketing; Kerry Lakin, senior account manager at Facebook; and Jack Tretton, ceo of Sony Playstation.  For information and registration, visit globalretailingconference.org or e-mail Martha Van Gelder, director of the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing, at mvangelder@email.arizona.edu.<a href=\"http://www.wwd.com/retail-news/retail-features/lundgren-conference-attracts-industrys-heavy-hitters-6683172?module=Retail-hero\" target=\"_blank\">\r\nhttp://www.wwd.com/retail-news/retail-features/lundgren-conference-attracts-industrys-heavy-hitters-6683172?module=Retail-hero</a>', 'Conference Attracts Industry\'s Heavy Hitters', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'lundgren-conference-attracts-industrys-heavy-hitters', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/lundgren-conference-attracts-industrys-heavy-hitters', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1803, 4, '2013-02-13 20:23:19', '2013-02-13 20:23:19', 'Limited access to healthy, affordable food choices, is an oft-cited reason for poor food habits among the nation\'s less fortunate. In order to address this issue, hunger relief organization Philabundance has teamed up with retail design consultancy CBX to create a prototype for a not-for-profit grocery store.</br>Slated to open this summer in Chester, Pa., Fair &amp; Square will sell nutritious food staples with a focus on fresh produce, meats, dairy, seafood and frozen foods at everyday low prices. It will give residents of Chester -- one of the 35 “food deserts” in the Delaware Valley according to the USDA -- the access to \"good food right around the corner\" that has not been available since the town\'s last full-scale grocer closed in 2001.</br>\r\nPhilabundance recently purchased a former grocery building in the town of Chester and gave CBX the assignment to create a colors and materials palette as well as signage and graphics for the 13,000-sq.-ft. store. The firm will also design perimeter departments and the store\'s center core.</br>\r\nAll creative work will be based on collaboration between CBX and Philadelphia-based LevLane Advertising, which designed the Fare &amp; Square logo with Philabundance.\r\n\"We\'ll be drawing heavily on both the Fare &amp; Square brand direction as envisioned by LevLane and the existing supermarket footprint of the Chester space,\" said Joseph Bona, president of CBX branded environments. The design will incorporate functional merchandise fixtures, flooring, lighting and signage.</br>\r\nUnder its not-for-profit grocery store model, Fare &amp; Square will offer a customer-focused shopping experience and will partner with local organizations and businesses to provide a range of services to the community in a meaningful and memorable way.</br>\r\n“Ultimately, we\'re designing a neighborhood store that will have the look and feel of a traditional supermarket in that it\'s clean, well lit, convenient and friendly, but also a place that the community can call their own, instilling a sense of optimism, pride and connection,” Bona said.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.retailingtoday.com/article/new-grocery-concept-offers-relief-pa-food-desert\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.retailingtoday.com/article/new-grocery-concept-offers-relief-pa-food-desert</a>', 'New grocery concept offers relief to PA', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'new-grocery-concept-offers-relief-to-pa-food-desert', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/new-grocery-concept-offers-relief-to-pa-food-desert', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1804, 4, '2013-02-14 20:43:50', '2013-02-14 20:43:50', 'By Gregg S. Lipman\r\nOn a brisk fall day in 1869, the Rutgers football club (the Scarlet Knights nom de plume would follow much later) defeated the Princeton club 6-4 in the first intercollegiate football game. Such glory has been rare at my alma mater. And while it\'s been a few years (please don\'t ask just how many) since I graduated from Rutgers, my fandom for my school\'s teams, and collegiate athletics in general, has remained steadfast. Even as the college football season has ended, I get myself psyched up for college hoops and March Madness -- I\'m in a bit of a tizzy, as they say. But what the heck is happening at the NCAA? The \"venerable\" National Collegiate Athletic Association, it appears, has a branding dilemma on their hands.</br>\r\nDespite having the enormous advantage of built-in \"brand\" loyalty (e.g., fans support teams for years, generations even, regardless of whether they win or lose), the NCAA and its sub-brands -- the conferences that lie under the NCAA banner -- are having a bit of an identity crisis. The organizational efficiency and rich regional rivalries steeped in tradition, once hallmarks of the NCAA brands, have eroded into something approaching, well, meaninglessness.</br>\r\nHistorically, the amazing thing about the NCAA has been its ability to take its student-athletes and leverage its competitive conferences. Today it represents the interests of over 400,000 such student-athletes grouped into 95 competitive, regional athletic leagues and conferences that comprise over a thousand colleges and universities. The organization has been like the Procter &amp; Gamble of aggregate athletic organizations -- full of trusted, colorful and evocative name brands like the Ivy League, the Patriot League and \"The Valley,\" and lots of Bigs, i.e., the Big Ten, the Big East, the Big South, the Big 12 and the Big Sky. Not to mention conferences that became such household names that we\'d only refer to them by their geographical acronyms: the SEC (Southeastern Conference), ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), MAC (Mid-American Conference), PAC-12 (Pacific-12) and C-USA (Conference USA), to name a few.</br>\r\nThose names initially made sense because they connected the schools in some way to the culture of the participants and/or geography. The Big East has long stood for tough, gritty, relentless play sprinkled with a dash of flash and pizzazz; think Tony Soprano meets Jay-Z. The SEC is all about that uniquely Southern, borderline pathological obsession with football and longstanding rivalries that would make the Hatfield-McCoy feud feel downright \"Downton Abbey\" polite (the 115-year-old Georgia vs. Georgia Tech game is now colloquially known as \"Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate\"). Pac-12 games are generally more freewheeling, with a certain creative elegance and laid-back West Coast flair (think Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Seattle). And the Big Ten is the perfect name for a Midwestern-based conference that regularly features serious power rushing and some of the largest young athletes in the country.\r\nThe strength of these NCAA conference brands was how personal, real and honest each felt. Even if you didn\'t have a personal stake in a particular school or game, as a college sports fan, you were still able to see yourself, your daily grind and your region\'s pulse reflected in your regional league or conference. And let\'s not forget that for the many states lacking a professional sports team, college sports are the highest profile games in town. This in turn ensured enormous brand loyalty.</br>\r\nThere was a time when all the schools in the Big East (originally, Providence, St. John\'s, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Connecticut, Boston College, and later, Villanova and Pittsburgh) were East Coast schools, or at the very least Eastern Standard Time-based, and when there were actually ten schools in the Big 10, all flagship schools in their respective states, all within a few hours drive from one another. If your school played in the Big Ten, you could easily rattle off all the other school names, their mascots and where their campuses were located. Fast forward to today, and you\'ll see that there are currently 12 schools in the Big Ten, and the Big Ten can\'t change its name to the Big 12 because there is already a conference called the Big 12. Not to mention, they will soon be 14: the University of Maryland and yes, my Scarlet Knights of Rutgers will join their ranks starting in 2014.\r\nWhy has this happened? Yep, folks... follow the money. The need to generate revenue and the dramatic influx of TV money (mostly from college football broadcasting rights) have made it particularly lucrative for schools to abandon their traditional conferences in order to align themselves with conferences that make no sense regionally or from a historical or cultural standpoint. And this is happening all over the country.</br>\r\nPersonally, I think the NCAA should call \"time-out!\" and figure out a way to preserve some of the principles its conferences were founded upon. Or, at minimum, set guidelines for a way forward -- competition, tradition, rivalry, discipline, hope and camaraderie -- before the organization turns into a corporate behemoth bent on maximizing its assets. The recent decision by the seven Catholic schools, which were part of the original Big East, to get out of the TV money-grab vortex, leave the conference and form a new one (the Psalm Pseven, perhaps?) is a direct response to that. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'m all for adapting to modern times and shifting business needs and/or consumers wants/habits. But I also believe the NCAA college sports brand represents something true and great and emotional and inspiring. As such, it is a brand worth preserving for every incoming class as well as us alumni, and should continue to strive to define the idea that \"winning isn\'t everything,\" even if that\'s not the case (marketing is in fact theater).</br>\r\nSo we decided to have a little fun and rename a few of the conferences:</br>\r\nFor example, the Mountain West Conference, which currently includes the Air Force Academy, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah State, Wyoming, Fresno State, Hawaii (football only), Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV, would be renamed The Wild Wild West Conference. We believe this accurately reflects the style of play in that conference, namely, very high scoring, trick plays and other surprises.</br>\r\nOr what about the Pugilist Conference, made up of schools across all divisions whose mascots won\'t back down from a fight? This would include the Campbell Fighting Camels (that is an amazing name: Fighting. Camels), Illinois Fighting Illini, North Dakota Fighting Sioux, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Lynn Fighting Knights, Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks, Muskingum Fighting Muskies, Carroll College Fighting Saints (a bit of an oxymoron perhaps?), Gordon College Fighting Scots, Edinboro Fighting Scots, Macalester Fighting Scots, McHenry County College Fighting Scots, Monmouth College Fighting Scots, Ohio Valley Fighting Scots and Wooster Fighting Scots.</br>\r\nReally, the point is, and as these examples illustrate, there\'s clearly a lot of room to improve upon the mess that\'s been created over the years with the various realignments. I would strongly urge the NCAA to take back some branding equity building control and start thinking about how these haphazard groupings of schools will affect their brands -- and its own organization -- in the long run. Oh, and if you\'re looking for someone to help with the renaming/reorganization, I\'m happy to throw my own hat in the ring... just as long as it\'s not during this year\'s Big East hoops championship at MSG -- the last year that my Scarlet Knights will have a chance to come up short in the tourney again.</br>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/conference-realignment_b_2671585.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/conference-realignment_b_2671585.html</a>', 'Is the NCAA Losing Its Identity?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'is-the-ncaa-losing-its-identity', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/is-the-ncaa-losing-its-identity', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1805, 4, '2013-02-21 16:54:26', '2013-02-21 16:54:26', 'By Christina P.\r\nJust because a brand may feel like your baby, doesn’t mean you should become an overbearing parent. Here’s how to let go of the reins, for long-term benefit.\r\n\r\nA famous piece of wisdom from child-rearing expert Dr. Benjamin Spock is making the rounds again: “Better to relax and make a few mistakes than to try too hard to be perfect … Children are driven from within themselves to grow, explore, experience, learn, and build relationships with other people. A lot of good parenting lies in simply allowing your child to go with these powerful drives.”\r\n\r\nIt’s refreshing to see the parental pendulum swinging to the point where mistakes are now considered a key aspect of growth. Let’s hope it doesn’t take too long for this trend to trickle into the world of brand innovation. Unfortunately, it seems that “helicopter branding” still continues to thrive in corporate America, as companies hover protectively over their successful brands, sometimes stifling growth in the process.\r\n\r\nLike helicopter parenting, helicopter branding actually comes from a positive space: The deep love for--and, therefore, drive to protect--a successful brand. Counterintuitive to any “brand parent” is a willingness to set their “brand child” up for potential innovation failure. Often we hear that it’s an overall low appetite for risk that’s to blame. But a brand’s crash can also stem from its company’s inability to give that brand the freedom to grow.\r\n\r\nHere are four Dr. Spock-esque ways to loosen the parenting reigns to raise healthy, growing brands and foster innovation:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Remember that every <del datetime=\"2013-02-21T16:41:47+00:00\">child</del> brand is driven to explore boundaries</strong>\r\n\r\nManufacturers who deliver one specific offering might not realize that there are plenty of in-between ways to stretch the brand and push the boundaries of that core product or service. Developing adjacent product ideas that align with brand and business models can breed creativity within existing capability and unlock ideas that not only are doable but also change the game for a brand.\r\n\r\nLook at Tide, for example. Expanding from laundry clean to fabric care through form and function innovation, the company stretched its one key offering--detergent--into several things: pods, sprays, stain sticks, and more. In doing so, Tide changed consumer perceptions of their own idea of what doing laundry means.</br>\r\n<strong>2. Let your <del datetime=\"2013-02-21T16:41:47+00:00\">child</del> brand negotiate the landscape</strong>\r\n\r\nAllow a toddler innovation to find its own road, while sticking around for course correcting. Sometimes brands surprise us by slipping into our behavior unannounced--and sometimes the brands surprise themselves (who knew we’d be running our homes with iPads?). Sometimes a parent notices an opportunity and gives the brand a little push in the right direction.\r\n\r\nWe can see this through the lens of Instagram. The photosharing sensation started out as a Foursquare-esque app called Burbn, until the business noticed that the photosharing capability was getting all the action. So the brand insta-evolved into what it is today, and hasn’t looked back since (certainly not after it was purchased by Facebook for a cool $1 billion).</br>\r\n<strong>3. Nurture your <del datetime=\"2013-02-21T16:41:47+00:00\">child</del> brand through all developmental stages</strong>\r\n\r\nParental guidance is invaluable as innovation passes through subsequent growth stages. Needs may change depending on the stage, but continuing to nurture breakthroughs through transitions, post-commercialization, is part of the process. Don’t let poor marketing strategy and execution errors or distribution challenges curtail development. Test, analyze, guide, and re-tack in real time.\r\n\r\nThat’s what happened with Dr. Scholl’s, which launched its Custom Fit Orthotic products in retail kiosks equipped with diagnostic foot-mapping technology that can “see” through stockinged feet. Unfortunately, in test markets, a merchandising flaw came to light: When people took off their shoes, there was nothing to stabilize them in the kiosk space. Dr. Scholl’s went back and overhauled the units to rectify the problem and make the kiosks more consumer-friendly. The company also raised the pricing by 30%, to reflect the premium nature of its offering, without losing volume--a literal return on nurturing investment.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Allow your <del datetime=\"2013-02-21T16:41:47+00:00\">child</del> brand to skip <del datetime=\"2013-02-21T16:41:47+00:00\">math</del> finance class occasionally</strong>\r\n\r\nKnow what the innovation goals are for your brand, apart from profit targets, and calibrate financial expectations against important metrics that will affect brand growth over the long haul. Maybe it’s a door-opener in a new category, maybe it’s sexy flypaper in a merchandising brand block, maybe it’s a way to slowly take over the universe. Whatever the tactic, it may very well lead to big money down the road, if not in the immediate future.\r\n\r\nRed Bull has been back on people’s lips again, thanks to its Red Bull Media House. This business model departure into content has a finger on the pulse of sports and culture. Red Bull Stratos dropped a guy from outer space and became the most buzzed-about brand in the social-networking stratosphere. Is Media House turning a profit? Not yet. But is it garnering attention for the brand? Absolutely.\r\n\r\nSure, these are the success stories, but we’ve all seen how helicopter parenting can get in the way of growth. The fear associated with loss of control keeps some brand folks up at night (much like a newborn would keep up first-time parents) and makes them hesitant to do anything at all. Unfortunately, this can lead to the creation of disastrous offspring. Whether supporting ideas for growth or supporting mistakes, letting go of the reins a little--and supporting the brand-child as it naturally evolves--is essential for long-term success.\r\n</br>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671881/helicopter-branding-why-it-s-bad-and-how-to-avoid-it\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671881/helicopter-branding-why-it-s-bad-and-how-to-avoid-it</a>\r\n', 'Helicopter Branding: Why It’s Bad...', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'helicopter-branding-why-its-bad-and-how-to-avoid-it', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/helicopter-branding-why-its-bad-and-how-to-avoid-it', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1806, 4, '2013-02-28 19:33:36', '2013-02-28 19:33:36', 'Marketers of ice cream, beer, soup and even shampoo are discovering what stylish women everywhere know: It\'s totally awkward when two guests show up at the party wearing the same little black dress.</br>Anheuser-Busch InBev recently introduced its first black beer bottle, complete with a black label, for Beck\'s Sapphire. Häagen-Dazs, owned by General Mills Inc., has just brought out a gelato line in black containers.</br>\r\nEven the once-cheery laundry detergent aisle, a veritable \'60s kaleidoscope of blues, greens and oranges, is going darker. So is soup.</br>\r\n\"The use of black has really exploded,\" says Mike Cecil, senior brand manager of Renuzit air freshener from Henkel AG\'s Dial Corp., which in August introduced a new line of cone fresheners packaged in black.</br>\r\nBut a Renuzit rival, Air Wick from Reckitt Benckiser, launched its own black packaging for a line of air fresheners named for the national parks last month. Black helps companies \"break through the clutter,\" says Domenick Tiziano, senior brand manager for Air Wick.</br>\r\nBig supermarket brands invest countless hours and dollars studying which colors and graphics will grab the eye of hurried shoppers maneuvering through crowded store aisles. So the more-or-less simultaneous adoption of black by a brand and its rival would seem like an unfortunate coincidence.</br>\r\nNot at all, Renuzit\'s Mr. Cecil says. His competitor Air Wick is using black for candles, scented oils and automatic sprayers—but not cones.</br>\r\nBecause most stores stock air fresheners according to form, not brand, the two brands say their black packages are unlikely to sit next to each other on shelves.</br>\r\nSome marketers say black\'s popularity is a reaction to the continued lackluster economy, which has consumers gravitating to lower-priced items. Black subtly conveys \"premium,\" they say.</br>\r\nPeople want premium products so long as they don\'t cost too much, says Pat McGauley, vice president of innovation at Anheuser-Busch. Consumers are saying, \"I can\'t drive a high-end car but I can drink a slightly more premium beer without breaking the bank.\"</br>\r\nBeck\'s Sapphire, which Anheuser-Busch says is brewed with \"German sapphire aroma hops,\" costs 20% to 25% more than regular beer.</br>\r\nShampoo rivals are also dressing alike for the packaging prom. In January, L\'Oréal SA launched Advanced Haircare shampoos and conditioners, a new line in sleek black bottles—the same month when Procter &amp; Gamble Co. brought Pantene\'s black-clad Expert Collection to stores.</br>\r\nThe use of black is especially striking for Pantene, which has relied on white for its packages for so long. People inside P&amp;G even sometimes use the phrase \"wall of white\" to refer to Pantene\'s territory in the shampoo section.</br>\r\nKevin Crociata, marketing director of P&amp;G\'s North American Hair Care business, wouldn\'t comment as to whether he is worried about Pantene\'s and L\'Oréal\'s dueling black packages. A spokeswoman for L\'Oréal declined to comment.</br>\r\nWith so many brands in black, there is always a danger consumers will be turned off, or worse, simply won\'t notice.\r\nRenuzit is already updating its black air-freshener packages, which hit store shelves in summer, adding brightness to the images and text to help them pop even more on store shelves.</br>\r\n\"Our launch packaging ended up a bit darker than we set out,\" says Dial\'s Mr. Cecil. \"Being lead to market with black in a category brings with it some learning curves.\"</br>\r\nBlack has been a packaging standard in consumer electronics for years but once was considered taboo for other products, including food, packaging experts say.</br>\r\n\"You wouldn\'t even have the conversation about the color because it had too much negative baggage,\" says Rick Barrack, chief creative officer at CBX, a packaging design firm in New York.</br>\r\nThat changed in the economic boom of the 1980s, when more companies adopted black packages to signal luxury, says David Turner, partner at the package-design firm Turner Duckworth.</br>\r\nBreyers ice cream from Uniliver was among the products in that wave, he said. The trend eventually lost steam.</br>\r\nAn early sign of black\'s comeback came in 2010, when Kimberly Clark Corp., working with CBX, introduced a black package for U by Kotex. In the feminine-protection aisle, the product was a contrast to the pastel hues typically used on products there.</br>\r\nU by Kotex has built up a 7% market share in the $2.6 billion U.S. business.</br>\r\nFor Beck\'s Sapphire, Anheuser-Busch did extensive testing, showing consumers computer simulation of store shelves and using eye-tracking technology to observe how well they saw the product compared with others.</br>\r\nAnheuser\'s Mr. McGauley says his company had \"some reservations\" when it was contemplating using a black bottle and black label because, he says, \"black can look heavy.\"</br>\r\nIt added an image of a glass of golden beer to the six-pack holder, reassuring consumers that the beer itself wasn\'t black.</br>\r\nPantene\'s Expert Collection products sell for about $8.99, compared with a base price of about $3.99 for regular Pantene. \"The technology inside is really breakthrough,\" says Mr. Crociata at P&amp;G. One of the formulas has a thickening agent that \"gives you the feeling of 6,500 more hair strands in your ponytail.\"</br>\r\nDial says the new Renuzit air fresheners have roughly 25% more premium fragrance oils and cost about 25 cents more than the company\'s existing cone fresheners.</br>\r\n\"It\'s about finding new ways to signal affordable luxury,\" says Mr. Cecil at Dial.</br>\r\nIn summer 2011, P&amp;G brought out Downy Unstopables, a line of black-packaged scent boosters that claims to give laundry \"up to 12 weeks of freshness.\"</br>\r\nThe product has exceeded expectations, generating $50 million in sales in the first year, a Downy brand spokeswoman said, and it\'s on track to double sales this year. It sells for about 32 cents an ounce, compared with 9 cents an ounce for regular Downy.</br>\r\nProduct makers are under unrelenting pressure to differentiate their products in the sea of cardboard and plastic in supermarkets.</br>\r\nThe number of new product introductions has exploded over the past decade. In 2012, 40,194 new products hit the market, up 52% from 2002, when 26,412 products were introduced, according to market research firm Mintel.</br>\r\n\"Packaging needs to work harder now,\" says Benjamin Punchard, Mintel\'s senior global packaging analyst.</br>\r\nFor Häagen-Dazs, it\'s critical to catch shoppers\' attention fast. \"A lot of people don\'t enjoy walking down the frozen-food aisle. It\'s cold and you are slightly uncomfortable,\" says Cady Behles, brand manager for Häagen-Dazs, which just launched a gelato line in black containers.</br>\r\nHäagen-Dazs conducted focus groups with 150 consumers last June, months ahead of the gelato launch.</br>\r\nParticipants in one group saw the new black packages nestled amid other ice creams in mock store shelves. A second group saw a gold-and-white container.</br>\r\nOverwhelmingly, Ms. Behles says, consumers found the black packages were more eye-catching and appealing.</br>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324662404578330162064184332.html?cb=logged0.12677355729725215#articleTabs%3Darticle\" target=\"_blank\">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324662404578330162064184332.html?cb=logged0.12677355729725215#articleTabs%3Darticle</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;', 'Packaging Noir', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'packaging-noir', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/packaging-noir', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1807, 4, '2013-04-16 15:21:44', '2013-04-16 15:21:44', '<strong>CBX OVERHAULS THE ORTHO® BRAND WHILE SIMPLIFYING THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE IN A COMPLICATED CATEGORY</strong> </br>CBX, a brand agency based in New York City, collaborated with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company to launch the packaging redesign of the Ortho® brand, the product line providing solutions for pest problems inside and outside your home.\n\nThe goal was to simplify the shopping experience for consumers. Consumer research showed that communication on shelf was overly complicated, leading to a 30% walk-away rate, and requiring a cleaner way of communicating product benefits while improving the shopability.\n\n“CBX developed a visual strategy to communicate the Ortho® repositioning by simplifying the architecture which improved the shopping experience,” says Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer, CBX. “By making the master and sub-brand of equal importance, it was easier to read and therefore shop on shelf.”\n\nThe CBX team redesigned the brand mark to reflect that of a home, communicating the benefits of this contemporary household brand. This subtle, yet innovative shift, reassures consumers that Ortho® is the singular, effective brand to have in and around their homes.\n\nCommunication on-pack was a key focus. The CBX team cleaned up the design by simplifying font treatments and implementing color changes. Meaningful visual equities such as photography were incorporated to communicate the problems consumers face and the end solution desired.\n\nStructure was an essential component in the redesign. A redesigned bottle structure, launched in 2012, has a unique shape differentiating it from category standards. This makes for a greater impact at shelf and separates Ortho® from its competitors. The arcs within the artwork were meant to mimic the shape of the bottles, providing a clean, simple feel in contrast to the complex shopping experience typically found in this category.\n\n“The redesigned packaging instantly communicates that we are taking the guesswork out of the controls aisle and inviting consumers to choose Ortho® for their insect, weed, and animal control needs,” says Clary Leffel, Director, Ortho Marketing, The Scotts Company. “Once again, we are offering the simplest, most effective, do-it-yourself solutions from a brand that consumers know they can trust.”', 'CBX Overhauls the Ortho® Brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-overhauls-the-ortho-brand-2', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-overhauls-the-ortho-brand-2', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1808, 4, '2013-04-17 14:29:59', '2013-04-17 14:29:59', 'Gregg S. Lipman, Managing Partner, CBX and Joe Bona, President of Branded Environments, CBX, spoke about how retail is changing.\nThe fundamentals of retail today are the same as they were 2,000 years ago. It\'s only the way brands go to market and communicate with consumers that have changed.\nIn today\'s \"always on\" market, it\'s more dynamic and every one is communicating at once. We\'ve moved to multi-channel, to hyper-channel to omni-channel. The brand needs to communicate on each channel without losing its essence.Everything is retail because of digital.\nProducts will exist in a cloud that will aggregate data, provide insights, customer service, etc, the internet of things is coming, if not already on its way.\nWhat will drive and motivate consumers to drive to a brick and mortar store in this age?\nCreate 3D experiences that 2D cannot achieve, stimulate all the physical senses.\nPeople still seek experiences. That entertain, inspire &amp; delight. Provide consumers with a \"special treat.\"\nGuest experience: community, product, service, shared values/experiences\n\n<strong>3 Case Studies were examined:</strong>\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Duane Reade:</span>\n\nReinvented themselves around Pharmacy, beauty needs, and daily living/convenience needs expressly for New Yorkers.\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Philabundance:</span>\n\nWanted to offer happy, fresh, approachable foods to food desert communities.\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Terpel/Copec:</span>\n\nWanted to make the motor oil pump experience very different, branding itself as the leader, future of fuel.\n\nExperience, design, and physical rich experience is what will lead vibrant retail in the future.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.thenextbigdesign.com/2013/04/live-from-fuse-2013-brand-xperience.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+NextBigDesign+%28Next+Big+Design%29\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.thenextbigdesign.com/2013/04/live-from-fuse-2013-brand-xperience.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+NextBigDesign+%28Next+Big+Design%29</a>', 'Live from FUSE: Changing the Face of Retail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'live-from-fuse-changing-the-face-of-retail', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/live-from-fuse-changing-the-face-of-retail', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1809, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:50', '2018-09-27 16:51:50', '', 'HistoryChannelLogo', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'historychannellogo', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:50', '2018-09-27 16:51:50', '', 1583, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/HistoryChannelLogo.gif', 0, 'attachment', 'image/gif', 0),
(1810, 4, '2013-04-17 17:33:41', '2013-04-17 17:33:41', 'Brand agency in New York City, CBX has joined forces with consumer products marketing company The Scotts Miracle-Gro to launch the packaging redesign of the household brand Ortho product line, which provides solutions for pest problems.\nCBX chief creative officer Rick Barrack said the agency developed a visual strategy to communicate the brand repositioning by simplifying the architecture.\n\"By making the master and sub-brand of equal importance, it was easier to read and therefore shop on shelf,\" Barrack said.\nThe CBX team redesigned the brand mark by communicating the benefits of the household brand and refreshed the design by simplifying font treatments and implementing color changes.\nThe agency also incorporated visual equities such as photography to communicate the problems faced by consumers and the desired end solution.\n\n<a href=\"http://http://householdelectronicsproducts.packaging-business-review.com/news/cbx-redesigns-packaging-for-household-brand-160413\" target=\"_blank\">http://householdelectronicsproducts.packaging-business-review.com/news/cbx-redesigns-packaging-for-household-brand-160413</a>', 'CBX redesigns packaging for household brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-redesigns-packaging-for-household-brand', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '2018-09-27 17:58:03', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-redesigns-packaging-for-household-brand', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1811, 4, '2013-04-17 17:12:40', '2013-04-17 17:12:40', '<strong>Q: How do you make sure new hires will mesh well with your other employees and with your company\'s culture?</strong></br><strong>A:</strong> Gregg S. Lipman\'s hiring motto has always been: \"Prima donnas need not apply.\" That should tell you all you need to know about the spirit of collaboration at CBX, the New York City-based brand agency where Lipman is managing partner.\nLike all good entrepreneurs, Lipman has learned from his mistakes. He once tried to hire what he calls \"disrupters and agitators\"--folks whose personalities, work habits and sundry intangible qualities would clash with the existing work force. He figured those disrupters would create new energy. He was right. Problem was, it was the wrong kind of energy.\n\"We actually taught ourselves how important culture was to the organization,\" Lipman says. \"Their inability to mesh with the culture actually provided a disservice to the organization. Rather than dealing with business issues, we found we were dealing, a lot of time, with personality conflicts.\"\nLesson learned, Lipman set about hiring only candidates he believed would fit comfortably within CBX, \"using culture as a guidepost.\" He looks for employees who communicate effectively, resolve conflict peaceably and--just as important--haven\'t forgotten their manners.\nTo do that, Lipman engages job applicants in what he calls a \"transparent conversation.\" He tries to go beyond the résumé--way beyond. He might ask about a candidate\'s preferred brand of candy bar, bottled water or toothpaste.\n\"I\'ll say, \'Let\'s talk like real human beings. Why are you here? Why do you do what you do?\'\" Lipman says.\n\"I\'m trying to get a sense of whether they\'re passionate for what they do or if it\'s just a job. Ultimately, what I try to do in my hiring practice is to get beyond the cliché.\"\nFor Lipman, the off-kilter line of questioning reveals a candidate\'s ability to clearly express his or her thoughts, and that ability inevitably contributes to the company\'s internal chemistry. \"You want to be in an environment where communication becomes second [nature],\" he says, \"where you have the ability to anticipate and read each other\'s minds.\"\nOf course, no hiring system can prevent an occasional clash of wills. Lipman might understand this fact of business life better than most, which is why he places such value on an employee\'s ability to deal with discord. \"We\'re looking for folks that understand that conflict and challenge happen but are capable of taking the high road and handling conflict professionally, in an adult manner,\" he says.\nLipman clearly knows this isn\'t going to be possible unless employees show respect--for their co-workers, supervisors and clients. But that doesn\'t mean he runs a shop full of pushovers. \"It really stems from an understanding that no matter what business you\'re in, you\'re really in the people business,\" he says. \"If you don\'t have mutual respect, it makes it difficult to traffic things from A to B to C.\"\nIn other words, just remember his motto.</br>\n\n<a href=\" http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225751\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225751</a>', 'Finding the Right Hire for Your Company', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'finding-the-right-hire-for-your-company', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/finding-the-right-hire-for-your-company', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(1812, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:51', '2018-09-27 16:51:51', '', 'limited-edition-kotex-pic1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'limited-edition-kotex-pic1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:51', '2018-09-27 16:51:51', '', 1585, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/limited-edition-kotex-pic1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1813, 4, '2013-04-24 16:46:35', '2013-04-24 16:46:35', '<strong>CBX EXECUTIVE HIGHLIGHTS ROLE OF SHOPPER ENGAGEMENT DURING SPEECH AT GLOBAL SHOP 2013</strong>\nFuturistic gizmos and fast-paced tech trends loom large in the strategic thinking of retail leaders today. But according to Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, key insights for competitive store design over the next few years might just come from some unexpected sources—including the traditional gathering spots of the past.\n\n“Even in this digital age, like-minded people still enjoy being together amid a sense of community in tried-and-true gathering places like football stadiums, churches, concert halls and cafes,” Bona said during an April 18 presentation at Global Shop, the annual retail design and shopper marketing show. “The real opportunity for retailers moving forward is to leverage their stores in ways that lead to meaningful social engagements in just the same way. The look and feel of the store should encourage shoppers to linger, interact with one another and, ultimately, form a strong identification with the brand.”\n\nIt is no accident that Lululemon’s highly profitable stores happen to call to mind the yoga lofts of New York or San Francisco, Bona told the audience at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center. “With its in-store yoga classes, Lululemon has done a really good job of making connections to its community of like-minded shoppers, and the company has skillfully enlisted both technology and store design to complement this effort,” the veteran store designer said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for other retailers to make the in-store experience richer by doing the same. After all, this is precisely what can motivate someone to get in the car and make that trip to the mall.”\n\nThe rise of free shipping, mobile retail, “show-rooming” and the like means that stores are now just one of many different purchase options, Bona added, but this does not mean technology should be considered a death knell for brick and mortar. “To be sure, the pressure is on for stores to be more meaningful and experiential,” he said. “But the digital sphere has actually enhanced brick-and-mortar operations, because it has allowed retailers to connect with consumers in ways they never could before. This translates into incremental purchases, long-term loyalty-building opportunities and other benefits.”\n\nIndeed, Macy’s and other chains are now using brick-and-mortar assets as shipping and distribution centers for online orders, in-store pickups and same-day delivery, he noted. “Such channel-neutral strategies, sometimes dubbed ‘omni-channel retail,’ are empowering retail companies to react more nimbly to the marketplace,” Bona said. “Technology is helping retailers to become dramatically more efficient.”\n\nThese developments mean that cohesive brands and uniform customer experiences are more important than ever—regardless of whether the channel is in cyberspace or a real-world mall, Bona said. “The imagery, colors and graphics associated with the brand—the whole sensory experience, with sights, sounds, fonts, lighting, you name it—should be an integral part of each channel,” he advised. “Today, everything is retail. A shopper could scan a QR code in a print ad and, literally, be a click away from buying that item with her phone. The emotional resonance always counts.”\n\nDuring the Global Shop presentation, Bona showed images of successful gathering places that evoke various emotional responses in consumers—from magnificent cathedrals, to inviting theaters, to historic sports stadiums, to sumptuous stores. “People still like emotion,” he noted. “They still want to connect in a social way. Branding and store design can and should reflect this reality.”\n\nBona gave a similar presentation earlier this month in Tucson, Ariz., during the Global Retailing Conference of the University of Arizona’s Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing. The annual conference brings together CEOs, retail technologists, brand strategists and other thought leaders for discussions on winning strategies, retail trends and the global outlook.', 'Hotspots Past Hint at Retail Design of the Future', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'hotspots-of-the-past-hint-at-the-future-of-retail-design', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/hotspots-of-the-past-hint-at-the-future-of-retail-design', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1814, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:51', '2018-09-27 16:51:51', '', '217_gdusa-logo-e1297702494434-1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', '217_gdusa-logo-e1297702494434-1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:51', '2018-09-27 16:51:51', '', 1587, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/217_gdusa-logo-e1297702494434-1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1815, 4, '2013-04-25 16:57:42', '2013-04-25 16:57:42', 'It’s not every weekend that Kerri Gristina, a schoolteacher living in the Bronx, manages to round up her three daughters and load them into the car for a Manhattan outing. When she does, she’ll take them to a Broadway play, to a museum or just to frolic around Central Park. But no matter what else they do that day, the busy mom always manages to carve out some time for one special stop along the way.\n“They have natural options, organic options,” Ms. Gristina, who writes a blog called Raising Three Savvy Ladies, told The New York Observer of her favorite place to buy beauty products in NYC. “It’s like a designer store. Maybe it costs more, but having more variety is worth it.”\n\nNo, it’s not the Laura Mercier or Bobbi Brown counter at Bergdorf’s. Ms. Gristina’s guilty primping pleasure is Duane Reade.\n\nSeriously.\n\n“I can’t always go to a Sephora with three kids,” she said, praising the chain store’s LOOK Boutiques, where quickie makeovers are provided for free by professionals. “At Duane Reade, I can still get a mom moment—a me-time moment.”\n\nAnd Ms. Gristina isn’t the only one singing hymns at the altar of the mega-chain. “I have been in NYC less than a month and they recognize me when I go there. It’s like Cheers. It’s awesome,” reads one recent Yelp review. “A girl I dated once called Duane Reade her secret lover for all that he provided for her,” another enthusiast wrote about the franchise’s 42nd Street location. “At first a joke, I started to get jealous after a while.”\n\n“They really are like a literal urban oasis,” said Mary Elizabeth Williams, a culture writer at Salon who has spent the past two years battling stage IV melanoma. “They have this neutral quality of an airport lounge,” she told The Observer. “When you’re in a real crisis moment of your life, the mundane becomes the most important.”\n\nBut Duane Reade has done more than just master the mundane. This is a drugstore whose flagships offer everything from sushi and fro-yo stations to juice bars and in-store nail and hair salons. If you need assistance, you can ask a hologram floor greeter. Or you can help yourself at the digital makeup counter, where, via a computerized snapshot of your face, you can see what new products would look like without ever having to use a tester.\n\nThe 40 Wall Street location in particular, which opened in 2011, resembles a futuristic shopping mall or an underground Japanese city more than a place to pick up prescriptions. The reaction to a chain store opening in a landmark location could have gone either way, but this ribbon-cutting proved an unmitigated success: customers loved it, the store won a prestigious design award, and the critics were raving. The New Yorker and Women’s Wear Daily both gave the store high marks, but really, the litmus test was the fact that such publications wrote about the opening of a franchise drug store in the first place.\n\nThe party thrown for the opening of the 40 Wall Street flagship—attended by bloggers, journalists (The Observer included), design students and busy attorneys alike—wasn’t just a game-changer. It was a mood-changer.\n\nIf ever there was a store in need of a makeover, it was Duane Reade. The problems the franchise faced—both before and after it was acquired by Walgreens in 2010 from Oak Hill Capital Partners—have been well documented. Former CEO Anthony Cuti and CFO William Tenant were sentenced to three years in prison for fraudulently misrepresenting the companies finances. The pharmacies were ranked dead last in customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power and Associates, and the stores frequently received low health grades. (Duane Reade was once forced to pay $200,000 out in civil court for peddling drugs and products past their expiration date.)\n\nThe blog I Hate Duane Reade, founded in 2007, served as a mouthpiece for customers and employees who had complaints about the mega-chain—and they had many. The combination of photos of the understocked, overcrowded stores and relatable tales of misery made the site a viral hit, garnering mentions in The New York Times, Gawker, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. It was the quintessence of what was wrong under the old regime.\n\nThe most damning bit of criticism came from Martha Plimpton in a 2007 New York magazine interview. Asked what she hated most about the city, she replied: “The dead-eyed pharmacy people at Duane Reade … It’s always a journey into the heart of darkness.”\n\nThe founder of IHDR (who wished to remain anonymous) told The Observer that the idea came while sitting with friends and comparing horror stories about the drugstore. “[We] realized that we all had the same issues. We wondered if everyone else felt the same way. Turns out they did.”\n\nThe Walgreens buyout had an immediate effect, curbing the criticism. IHDR published its penultimate post in February 2010. And four months after the purchase, Walgreens boasted in a quarterly meeting that sales were up, with Duane Reade contributing 2.8 percent to the total increase.\n\nStill, altering the essence-du-Duane took more than a quick-fix change of ownership. It’s been a long road back to Gotham’s good graces for the store that boasts the most sales per square foot in the industry.\nWhile still under the aegis of Oak Hill Capital Partners, Duane Reade began its facelift, courtesy of the strategic branding firm CBX. The mission: redesign its stores and rehabilitate its personal brand. No easy task.\n\nJoe Bona, president of the retail division at CBX, worked closely on the in-store redesigns and in-house brands. “People need to still walk in and recognize that it’s a Duane Reade,” he said of the new and improved stores. In other words, it was all about atmosphere. Or as the franchise’s revamped slogan put it, “New York Living Made Easy.”\n\n“One of things we know through research,” Mr. Bona said, “is that when you create a wider aisle, [customers] feel less pressured and they tend to linger a bit longer.”\n\nAnd relaxation is a key theme at the new Duane Reade: a luxury that hints at the store’s new upscale aspirations. After all, as any New Yorker knows, time equals money. So if you have time to meander and browse instead of rushing to the express lane, you must have minutes—and therefore cash—to burn.\n\nWhen Ms. Williams ducks into her favorite Duane Reade location, right next to Sloan-Kettering, where she receives cancer treatment, for example, she is always amazed to see how many customers just seem to be loitering. “At least 50 percent of the people are just hanging out,” she marveled.\n\n“I guess that’s what’s in it for me too,” she added. “I need to regroup.”\nMs. Williams’s reaction to Duane Reade is no accident: through wider aisles and warmer fluorescent lighting, landscape windows and perfumeries, Duane Reade represents the latest triumph of psychographics, a research field specifically tailored to the psychological states of customers in retail environments.\nDr. Archana Kumar, an assistant professor in the department of marketing at Montclair State University, might be described as a psychographicist. In a phone call with The Observer, she broke down this almost-subliminal messaging.\n“Blue, green and violet are calming colors,” she said, explaining that to create a “calming effect,” a store like Duane Reade would have to change its color palette from “agitating” colors, like red, to warmer ones that are “associated with feelings of peacefulness and happiness.”\nIs it any coincidence that Dr. Kumar’s calming colors are the exact three that Duane Reade happened to choose for its redesign? Probably not.\nOther subtle changes have been effective as well. By designing and promoting the Duane Reade food-and-beverage brand DR Delish as a more expensive alternative to its other off-label brand, Cityscape, for example, CBX was able to convince customers that the store’s self-made tiers correspond to product quality. It sacrificed one label to the hordes of coupon-clippers so that DR Delish might fare better against the big-name brands.\nBut here’s the weird thing: sales of both DR Delish and Cityscape doubled between 2009 and 2011. People, it seemed, were ready to pledge allegiance not only to Duane Reade as a store, but to its products as well—and across all price points.\nSome of Duane Reade’s newfound fans may also be attributed to the store’s vastly improved social media presence. On Ms. Gristina’s blog, she’s penned such lyrical posts about the Walgreens-owned chain that you might believe she was being paid by the company.\n\nIn fact, she attempted to become one of the store’s 10 “VIP NYC Bloggers”—a contest whose winners would receive $200 a month in store credit in exchange for blogging, tweeting and Facebooking their love for the store.\nWhile some might read this contest as part of a cynical branding attempt by a faceless corporate entity, Duane Reade seems to be investing a huge amount of time and considerable effort to draw in digital consumers, most of whom are happy to receive the love and give it back.\nLast year, the Duane Reade Twitter feed—which often promotes local events like readings at Housing Works—surpassed even its parent company’s by skyrocketing from 15,000 to 390,000-plus followers in seven months, making it the most popular drugstore on Twitter. (Pretty impressive when you consider that Duane Reade only has stores in the New York City area.)\n\nThere have been celebrity endorsements too, like when Glee actor Cory Monteith, who is based in L.A., tweeted “Yeah, I actually started following @DuaneReade. so what? what if I need a heads up on everyday products I need.” That comment has been retweeted more than 350 times.\n\nAs silly as this all might sound, these efforts have translated into revenue: when the store put forth another Internet-based contest last year as part of its “Show Us Some Leg” campaign, sales of Duane Reade-brand hosiery jumped 40 percent.\n\nStill, none of this Web 2.0 magic would work if people had a negative impression of the stores themselves. But the rehabilitation is working, and once again Duane Reade feels like an integral part of the city. What’s more, individual store locations have taken to embracing the character of different NYC neighborhoods.\n\nAt the Soho location (on Spring Street, another repurposed former bank), for instance, you can find obscure art and fashion magazines. The Times Square location sells a ton of “I Love New York” memorabilia. Wall Street has its shoe-shine parlor and nail salon. And in Brooklyn, as much as they fought it, hipsters have found the growler bar and walk-in beer fridge in Williamsburg a highly persuasive reason to shop at a chain.\n\nAs Ms. Williams put it, “Duane Reade provides a safeness: If you’re picking up your cancer medication while someone else is picking up tampons and there’s a guy picking up a six pack, it’s like this great big circle of life.”\n\nAnd that’s something you can’t put a price on.</br>\n<a href=\" http://observer.com/2013/04/the-re-education-of-duane-reade-a-drugstore-as-retail-therapy/?show=all\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://observer.com/2013/04/the-re-education-of-duane-reade-a-drugstore-as-retail-therapy/?show=all</a>', 'Duane Reade: A Drugstore as Retail, Therapy', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-re-education-of-duane-reade-a-drugstore-as-retail-therapy', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-re-education-of-duane-reade-a-drugstore-as-retail-therapy', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1816, 4, '2013-05-10 16:38:56', '2013-05-10 16:38:56', 'By Gregg S. Lipman\n<em>Manhattan, you\'re losing your edge.</em>\n\nOnce upon a time, you were the place to be, home of cool restaurants, stylish stores, landmark brownstones, enviable lofts, beautiful people and driver-driven Escalades.\n\nActually, that place still exists - but now it\'s called Brooklyn.\n\nYup, Brooklyn has become so synonymous with all things cool -- and also \"artisanal,\" \"DIY,\" \"indie,\" \"handcrafted,\" and \"foodie\" - that the New York Times recently deemed it its own brand. The Brooklyn Flea, which has been written about in so many publications, is thinking about branching out into other non-New York markets. The Brooklyn Nets won\'t be celebrating a championship this year at the brand-spanking new Barclays Center, but the team definitely has cool cache (helped in part by Jay-Z and Beyonce). And the 25-year-old Brooklyn Brewery is going to open its first outpost in Stockholm this year. Brooklyn is also a verb, as in \"Brooklynizing,\" and an adjective, as in \"Brooklynish.\" Los Feliz has been called the \"Brooklyn\" of Los Angeles, Kreuzberg is the Brooklyn of Berlin, Jersey City is the Brooklyn of...well, maybe not, but you get the picture.\n\nFor someone who always considered Manhattan the holy grail, all this hype around Brooklyn leaves me feeling twisted. Full disclosure: My formative first half-dozen years of life were in Brooklyn, before I was banished to the foreign land called New Jersey. Maybe this dates me, but when I first moved back into the city (aka, \"The City\"), Brooklyn was where people went simply because they couldn\'t afford Manhattan. Manhattan had the glamour, the edge, the energy, the style. It was Tiffany\'s, it was Bloomies, it was CBGB and The Bottom Line. It\'s where Dylan got his start and where Warhol incubated The Velvet Underground. But now, 7-Elevens have taken over, exorbitant apartment prices have ensured that only bankers can live there, Elmos have replaced the hookers in Times Square (and not necessarily for the better!) and celebrities are hopping on the F train to their brownstones in Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill. Manhattan looks like a sad little wannabe.\n\nSo how can the Bronx (which has Arthur Avenue and the Cloisters, c\'mon), Queens (home of the potentially hip Astoria and Long Island City) and Staten Island (which is ripe for a remodel after Hurricane Sandy) take a page out of Brooklyn\'s book? And how can Manhattan get back on top? Here are some tips from the reigning New York borough:\n\n<strong>1. Forge alliances.</strong>\nBrooklyn businesses and business owners tend to stick together, and these relationships have helped the borough project an image of unity and pride. Brooklyn Flea founder Eric Demby used to work for Borough President Marty Markowitz. Andrew Tarlow, of Williamsburg\'s Diner and Marlow &amp; Sons restaurants, partnered with Dumbo\'s real estate heir, Jed Walentas, to open the Wythe Hotel. Barclays Center has joined forces with hot Brooklyn food retailers like Calexico and Blue Marble to sell their offerings at the new stadium. Partner and you shall prosper.\n\n<strong>2. Keep it real.</strong>\nRather than forcing out old populations to make room for new ones, Brooklyn has stayed true to its old-school roots and promoted the cultural diversity of its neighborhoods. Hassidim still live alongside hipsters in Williamsburg, Poles still live alongside, well, more hipsters in Greenpoint, and yuppie families live alongside old Italian butchers in Carroll Gardens. There\'s an overall down-to-Earthness in Brooklyn that might not be found on the Upper East Side; there, sneakers and jeans are the norm, not Chanel suits.\n\n<strong>3. Enlist ambassadors.</strong>\nWhether they are celebs, restaurant owners or 80-year-old men sitting on their Carroll Gardens brownstone stoops, the residents of Brooklyn are a proud bunch. And they are quite vocal about their love for where they live. Ingenues Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway are often photographed at the Brooklyn Flea. Ethan Hawke, who came to symbolize Chelsea in the \'90s (so much so that he made a movie, \"Chelsea Walls\"), recently bought a brownstone in Boerum Hill. And hey, stylish Brits David and Victoria Beckham thought Brooklyn so cool that they named their firstborn for the borough. Celebs like Barbara Streisand and Larry David may have gotten out of Brooklyn, but they often talk about their Brooklyn roots in interviews.\n\n<strong>4. Think local.</strong>\nWhen it comes to retail, Brooklyn is the Etsy of neighborhoods. The main drags of Carroll Gardens, Park Slope and Williamsburg don\'t tout the chain retailers like Manhattan, but instead boast smaller boutiques peddling wares that are made right there in Brooklyn. (Smith Street\'s By Brooklyn calls itself \"the only store dedicated to the sale of fine goods made across the great Borough of Brooklyn.\") At Brooklyn Larder, a specialty food shop opened by Franny\'s owners Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg, many of the offerings come from Brooklyn-based brands. And restaurants like iCi in Ft. Greene and Frankie\'s 457 in Carroll Gardens use produce from Red Hook\'s Added Value farm on their menus.\n\n<strong>5. Tout your lineage.</strong>\nHave you noticed just how many brands there are out there right now with the name \"Brooklyn\" in the title? Beer company Brooklyn Lager is one of the oldest and most visible, but there is also Brooklyn Industries, Brooklyn Bowl, the Brooklyn Flea, the Brooklyn Home Company, to name a few. And nearly every brand based in Brooklyn -- from Mast Brothers Chocolate to McLure\'s Pickles -- proudly boasts its \"Made in Brooklyn\"-ness on its packaging.</br>\nBut Brooklyn shouldn\'t get too comfy with its current cool status; it\'s just a matter of time before the borough suffers a backlash as well, and the cool hunters go in search of the next big thing. So get moving, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island and, yes, Manhattan....this is your time. In the immortal words of Queens\' residents Run DMC, \"\'I\'m going back to Brooklyn, to Brooklyn, I\'m going back to Brooklyn (I don\'t think so...).\'\" Okay, I took a little creative license with that one.\n<a href=\" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/can-manhattan-get-its-gro_b_3246495.html?view=print&comm_ref=false\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/can-manhattan-get-its-gro_b_3246495.html?view=print&comm_ref=false</a>', 'Can Manhattan Get Its Groove Back?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'can-manhattan-get-its-groove-back', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/can-manhattan-get-its-groove-back', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1817, 4, '2013-05-16 15:20:29', '2013-05-16 15:20:29', 'By Rick Barrack\nYou can learn about branding and brand loyalty from the unlikeliest places.\n\nTake “The Newlywed Game.” (Bet you didn’t see that one coming – but I did say \'unlikeliEST\'!) Specifically the original version that premiered in 1966, with the eternally young Bob Eubanks as host.\n\nI happened to catch a re-run of it on the Game Show Network recently, and for those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, the premise is as simple as it is effective: recently married couples are split apart in two rooms and asked questions to determine how well they know their spouse. They are then each put in front of a live studio audience and asked to guess their spouse’s answers.\n \nHilarity, as well as full-on yelling matches and actual divorces, ensues.\nIt’s not only terrific entertainment, but a show that contains some fascinating things that the astute observer can pick up on and still relate to today. Namely, how HARD it is to remember little details about your spouse! Especially in the hyper-branded world we live in.\n \nFor example, my wife is working out five days a week now—she’s an absolute machine, and the results are simply phenomenal, Olympian even. If she were to come home one day and say, “Rick, I think I can do a little better than this,” I would absolutely pack my bags and go. She looks that good.\n \nBut do I even know what model sneakers she wears to the gym?\nWhat her favorite soap is?\nWhat her preferred choice of deodorant is?\nWhich fragrance she’s currently wearing?\nWhat her favorite Snapple flavor is?\nWhich brand of toothbrush she uses?\nWhat her favorite clothing brand is?\n \nAnd how long has she been using those specific brands and products? Has she always used them? I don’t really know. And yes, we’ve been married twelve years.\n \nCome to think of it, I have no idea what my kids’ top brands are right now. And I buy most of them! \n \nAs designers, we have access to acres upon acres of macro-information, quantitative and qualitative research, trends reports, competitive analyses and psychographics, but do we even know which brands the people closest to us are loyal to and why?\n\nNot to say that I know NOTHING about the brands my wife uses. Indeed, I DID notice recently that she had started using a new health and beauty brand.  Now, truth be told, I only knew this because I oversaw the redesign of the package. But I still thought, with a smile: “Cool, sleek, breakthrough modern packaging wrapped around high performance and efficacy. Nicely done, Rick. Nicely done, indeed.” However, she soon went to another brand. (Was it the one she’d been using all along?) Should I have been a little offended? Why, yes!\n \nOr actually, no, as I’m not exactly the target market for the product. But it goes to show that even though her husband, her partner in life and love and laughter, oversaw the redesign of the package, for whatever reason it didn’t fit her needs. In other words, she made the leap of faith, landed, gave it a shot and turned right back around.\n \nThat package design can play a crucial role in influencing consumer purchasing decisions is undeniable, but as my own anecdote shows, refreshing or reinventing a brand’s visual language is no guarantee of loyalty. Certainly it’ll get someone to try a product, but there are myriad other factors (price, performance, culture, availability, etc.) involved in making that relationship work. Not unlike a marriage, if you think about it. \n \nWhich got me thinking. . . if brand loyalty can be compared to marriage. . . wouldn’t it be great to see a spin-off of that 60s TV show called “The Brand Newlywed Game”? A show where designers are paired up with consumers and asked to guess each other’s answers to brand questions? I’m not sure what would ensue, but it would be riveting TV.\n<a href=\" http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/5/16/i-brand-take-thee.html?utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer545b5\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/5/16/i-brand-take-thee.html?utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer545b5</a>\n', 'I Brand, Take Thee...', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'i-brand-take-thee', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/i-brand-take-thee', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1818, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:52', '2018-09-27 16:51:52', '', 'MILOS1_single', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'milos1_single', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:52', '2018-09-27 16:51:52', '', 1588, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/MILOS1_single.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1819, 4, '2013-05-21 18:27:58', '2013-05-21 18:27:58', 'CHICAGO -- The restaurant industry ranges from ultra casual fast-food joints to premium fine dining, and more than ever, convenience stores are earning a seat at the table. This is apparent at the 2013 National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, which began Saturday and runs through tomorrow, May 21, at Chicago\'s McCormick Place.\nIn the first of two convenience store-specific panels that are part of the show\'s educational track, Convenience Store News Editor-in-Chief Don Longo teamed up with Sheetz Inc. Executive Vice President and soon-to-be CEO Joe Sheetz to discuss the future of convenience stores as it relates to fresh, prepared food. Foodservice is more important than ever and has remained the most profitable category at c-stores for the past five years, according to CSNews research.\n\nLongo presented select insights from CSNews’ 2013 Realities of the Aisle consumer study, showing that sandwiches, hot dogs and pizza are among the most popular prepared food items at c-stores, yet offering healthier options appears to be paying off with increased sales. Other opportunities for growth in prepared food can be found through connecting with the right shoppers, optimizing promotions to drive trips, and reaching consumers in flexible ways.\n\nOf the total foodservice category, \"prepared food is the shining star\" at convenience stores, Longo said.\n\nSheetz concluded the presentation with a retrospective on the beginnings of Sheetz Inc. as a business and its evolution into an extremely foodservice-focused chain that considers itself a \"convenience restaurant\" chain. \"Everything we do is through restaurant glasses,\" he commented.\n\nThe family-owned, Altoona, Pa.-based retailer has found success through its Made To Order (MTO) program, which offers customized menu items through touchscreen ordering, as well as its subsequent Made To Go premade food program. Its loyalty program has also done well.\n\nThe company keeps a close eye on the future, reinventing itself and always striving to become the Sheetz that will put the Sheetz of today out of business.\n\nThe notion of c-stores being competition in the foodservice market was expanded upon during a panel entitled, \"The Convenience Store Competition: What You Can Learn From C-store Foodservice?”, presented by Nancy Caldarola, education director for NACS, the Association for Convenience &amp; Fuel Retailing; Bill Reilly, senior vice president of marketing, GPM Investments LLC, owner of Fasmart/Shore Stop Convenience Stores; and Joseph Bona, president, branded environments, CBX.\n\nWhile convenience stores are facing a number of new challenges as the foodservice category grows, such as handling space and new equipment requirements, rising food costs and needing additional skilled labor beyond their comfort zone, c-stores are also seeing some exciting positive changes, including expanded menus and product offerings, technology to enhance the order process and expanded fresh and healthy offerings, according to the panelists.\n\nTo create a positive impression and combat the fact that gas pumps often turn customers off of c-stores as a foodservice destination, they said operators must use the retail environment to set the stage for the promise of freshness and use the layout to create a strong first impression. Bundled offerings and establishing a sense of place through localized products can also be effective. Most importantly, c-store operators must remember to refine, refresh and revitalize — and don\'t stop.\n\nHeld annually, the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals and is held in conjunction with the International Wine, Spirits &amp; Beer Event (IWSB). Together, they attract more than 61,000 attendees from over 100 countries.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/top-story-foodservice-the_future_of_convenience_stores__food_destination-63687.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.csnews.com/top-story-foodservice-the_future_of_convenience_stores__food_destination-63687.html</a>', 'Future of Convenience Stores', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-future-of-convenience-stores-food-destination', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-future-of-convenience-stores-food-destination', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1820, 4, '2013-05-22 17:08:54', '2013-05-22 17:08:54', 'CHICAGO – With convenience stores adding more prepared food, the comparison to restaurants is inevitable. Foodservice at c-stores now accounts for 15.18% of annual sales, with beverages garnering 14.65%. Those numbers are only predicted to go up, which means the competition between restaurants and convenience stores will increase, too, Nation’s Restaurant News reports. </br>During a workshop at the National Restaurant Association Show, which ended yesterday in Chicago, industry experts gathered to discuss what restaurants and c-stores could learn from each other. “We are the place you go to refuel, refresh and reward yourself,” said Dr. Nancy Caldarola, education director at the NACS Center for Achieving Foodservice Excellence (NACS CAFÉ). Convenience stores offer prepared food as one more way of meeting customer needs through convenience.</br>\nOne lesson convenience stores are learning is how to neutralize the “gasoline penalty,” said Joseph Bona, president of branded environments at CBX. “You can have the best turkey sub in the world, but if I can’t get people to understand that we’re a legitimate destination for that, I can’t get them in the front door,” he said.</br>\nRestaurant innovations have pushed convenience stores to expand their offerings and include fresher ingredients, said Caldarola. Having a clean, welcoming store with food ready fast is also important, said Bona. “Consumers eat with their eyes,” he said. “They buy with their eyes.”\nMost convenience stores have recognized that having prepared food is a huge advantage, said Bill Reilly, senior vice president of marketing GPM Investments. “Female shoppers are a big [on their] wish list as far as reaching new customers,” he said.</br>\nTechnology, such as electronic ordering stations, gives convenience stores an advantage over restaurants while controlling labor expenses. “Who am I to tell you how to make your turkey sandwich?” said Reilly. “We gave the power to the consumer.”</br>\n<a href=\" http://www.nacsonline.com/News/Daily/Pages/ND0522133.aspx?utm_content=newsarticle2&amp;utm_source=NACS%20Daily&amp;utm_campaign=NACS%20Daily%20052213&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=455699&amp;src=newsarticle2#.UZzxgoU2ptR\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.nacsonline.com/News/Daily/Pages/ND0522133.aspx?utm_content=newsarticle2&amp;utm_source=NACS%20Daily&amp;utm_campaign=NACS%20Daily%20052213&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=455699&amp;src=newsarticle2#.UZzxgoU2ptR</a>', 'What Convenience Stores Can Teach Restaurants', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-convenience-stores-can-teach-restaurants-and-vice-versa', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/what-convenience-stores-can-teach-restaurants-and-vice-versa', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1821, 4, '2013-03-07 14:32:31', '2013-03-07 14:32:31', 'Four-floor Wilshire Boulevard location is being called The Fifth Man.\r\nSaks Fifth Avenue (New York) has completed renovation of its men’s store on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, Calif. It’s calling the 54,000-square-foot, four-level store The Fifth Man.\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/saks-renovates-its-beverly-hills-men-s-store\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/saks-renovates-its-beverly-hills-men-s-store</a>', 'Saks Renovates its Beverly Hills Men’s Store', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'saks-renovates-its-beverly-hills-mens-store', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/saks-renovates-its-beverly-hills-mens-store', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1822, 4, '2013-05-30 19:38:47', '2013-05-30 19:38:47', 'By Crosby Renwick,\nThe pundits say retail, as we’ve known it since the ancient Egyptians, is coming to an end. Ouch. That’s big. You have to admit the logic is not bad: When retail is literally everywhere, when we can buy virtually anything off our phones and have it delivered, why go to a store?\n\nThis recalls when Pablo Picasso was asked if painting human figures was still possible after the technologies of photography and cinema were depicting them much more truly. His response was, “Now at least we know everything that painting isn\'t.” Technology had killed painting’s previous purpose: depiction. But, on the other hand, technology freed painting to become something else.\n\nRetail has always been about bringing mostly other people’s goods together at a location convenient for your customers. Throughout history, retailers added value by giving consumers easy access to a variety of goods. Whether it was a town marketplace, a store, or a mall, consumers had to go to the purveyors of physical goods. Now, retailers come to us through our digital devices.\n\nSo, is retail really dead? No, but its role is changing. Many stores will close in the decades to come. But like painting in the time of Picasso, retail real estate has greater freedom to become something new. Sure, demand will persist for restaurants, haircutters, masseurs and healthcare providers — all of which provide things that cannot be obtained in the digital world — but the likes of pharmacies, banks, apparel stores and electronics outlets will close by the thousands because they can’t boost their margins to pay for the space and staff. Once their leases are up, retailers will downsize physical stores to upsize their digital presences. Why pay rent and salaries when consumers are ordering from their phones?\n\nWhat to do with the empty storefronts? The success of social media provides the clue because it highlights the deep desire for human connection. People get lonely. They’ll pay for the chance to enjoy real-world social experiences with others who have similar interests.\n\nWhat do I mean by social experiences?\n\nThink of sporting events. You can see most New York Giants games on high-definition TV at no additional cost — and you’re so close to the action you can see the bead of sweat on the quarterback’s forehead. Actually going to a Giants game will run you at least $100 with parking, and you’re unlikely to even be able to make out the numbers on the jerseys. But even with hi-def TV, most of the tickets to the actual experience are sold months in advance. Why? Because of the energy, excitement, vibe and buzz of the like-minded people around you. Memories are made at experiences like these, not in front of the TV. The ceremony of putting your hand on your heart and singing “The Star Spangled Banner” along with the players is a time of reflection, connection and patriotism. And for many of us, the bragging rights of being able to talk about the game in the office the next day is worth the money alone.\n\nAnd think of some of your fondest college memories — the parties, the autumn leaves in the quad, spring break, football games, not to mention lifelong friends. Today, online education allows millions of people to go to college at a fraction of the cost, and in the comfort of their own homes. However, getting an online degree forces the student to miss out on all of the social and sensory elements of actually going to school. Much like online retail, you can get the “product” in the comfort of your living room, but you miss out on the actual experience of getting a four-year degree on an actual college campus.\n\nIf you’re religious you could get all the sermons you want online or on TV. And yet we still like to go. Again, it feels good to be around people who affirm what you believe, and a religious service offers some of the best people-watching in town, along with soaring architecture, stained-glass windows and a pitch-perfect choir — pretty emotional stuff. And let’s not forget the post-service coffee gathering, where there’s always good gossip, new business contacts and donuts.\n\nFinally, a few years ago I paid $75 to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert where I was so far from the stage I couldn’t make out the Boss’s face even with binoculars. I loved it. Hanging out with 70,000 others who think the same thing visibly and powerfully is completely validating to your belief system and your allegiances. You can’t buy that on your phone for all the money in the world.\n\nThese are the kinds of social experiences people pay money for. Am I suggesting a chain of stores that hosts rock concerts? No. But lessons drawn from these social experiences can and should be applied to retail. Lululemon has already done so with its in-store yoga classes. Likewise, I’d love a store where I could buy clothes that speak to the sensibilities of the classic rock fan. Where the staff would “get” me. Where I could hook up with other classic rock fans to take a road trip to some cool concert. Where I could make friends with people who appreciate what I appreciate. I’ll pay much more for jeans from there than from anywhere else.\n\nAt the very least, shopping in a physical store has to be as much about social experiences, unique environments and customer validation as it is about the merchandise. After all, today’s shoppers can have nearly any merchandise brought right to their doors with little more than the swipe of a finger. But if we can bring them the kinds of experiences that forge memories, friendships and lifelong brand loyalties, they will keep getting in their cars and coming to us — just as they have since the days of the pharaohs.\n\n<a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/%E2%80%98social-retail%E2%80%99-rescue\" target=\"_blank\">http://chainstoreage.com/article/%E2%80%98social-retail%E2%80%99-rescue</a>', '‘Social Retail’ to the Rescue', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'social-retail-to-the-rescue', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:10', '2018-09-27 17:42:10', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/social-retail-to-the-rescue', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1823, 4, '2013-06-04 19:43:30', '2013-06-04 19:43:30', 'By Nancy Brown\nCPGs forge emotional connections with consumers through products that contain minimal ingredients and streamlined packaging.\n\nBack in the 1960s, the acronym “KISS”—”Keep it simple, stupid”—began showing up on bumper stickers, billboards, and t-shirts across the country. A design principle first used by the U.S. Navy, “Keep it simple, stupid” is defined by the belief that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complex.</br>\nThroughout history, this sentiment has been championed by many esteemed artists and thinkers, among them Leonardo da Vinci (“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”) and Mies Van Der Rohe (“Less is more”). And in the decades since it became a cultural touchstone, everyone from software designers to animators has hopped on the KISS bandwagon.</br>\nToday, simple is still better, and now consumers have caught the KISS fever as well. After all, everyone today wants their lives to be simple—especially busy moms and dads who want to give their families simple, healthy, wholesome meals without all the fuss. Simple is now mainstream, not alternative, and it has become synonymous with imperfect and raw, not perfect and quiet. So it’s no surprise that consumer packaged goods companies have taken notice of this fact and are forging emotional connections with consumers through products that contain minimal ingredients and streamlined packaging.</br>\nMost significantly, “simple” brands are showcasing their simplicity on pack, putting their single most important idea front-and-center through photography and copy. Brands such as Simply juice, Simplait yogurt, Simple Skincare, Wellness Simple dog food, and Lay’s Simply Natural Potato Chips wear their simple pride on their chests with packaging that is minimal, elegant, and free of all the fuss.</br>\nHere are five “ingredients” that brands can use to communicate the simple ethos on-pack:</br>\n<strong> 1. Put your simplicity front-and-center.\n</strong>\n\n“Simple” and “simply” are being used both in product names and in their subheads. Pillsbury Simply touts its simple status right there in the title, while Dorset Cereals modifies its brand name by calling itself “simply delicious muesli.” Simple is becoming mainstream consumer language now, and can be found on more products than you may realize.</br>\n<strong>2. List your ingredients.</strong>\n\nSimple products usually contain just a handful of ingredients, which they put front-and-center on their packaging. For example, Simplait from Yoplait has “just 6 simple ingredients,” as indicated in copy sandwiched between the brand name and a large product illustration. Lay’s Simply Natural Potato Chips lists just three ingredients—potatoes, expeller-pressed sunflower oil, and sea salt—on its bag…although that still doesn’t exactly make them good for you!</br>\n<strong> 3. Show your product.\n</strong>\n\nTo cue appetite appeal, simple brands are literally and figuratively showing their products on their packaging. Simply Juice from Simply Orange Juice Co. uses fruit photography on its labels to convey that there’s not much more inside their bottles than the purest form of the product. Dorset Farms cereal boxes feature peek-a-boo windows that let you see the all-natural granola inside…and not much else.</br>\n<strong>4. Go heavy on the white space.</strong>\n\nNothing conveys simple like a whole lot of white space. Many brands try to pack a lot of claims and visuals on their products, but simple brands make it clear that they are really just about offering the good stuff—no misleading claims or unnecessary graphics to bog them down. Ceres All-Natural Juices takes this approach, and as a result, really makes the product the star.</br>\n<strong>5. Stress your single most-important message.\n</strong>\n\nSimple products focus their brands on one concise message and then drive that message home. Simple Skincare products from Unilever put the copy, “No perfume, no colour” on its packaging, telling you what’s not inside, as opposed to what is. Wellness Simple Dog Food puts its “SIMPLE” moniker in large, capital letters, and also adds “Limited Ingredient Diet” directly underneath, to make it known that Fido is getting only the very best, curated ingredients in his food.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/strategy/when-it-comes-package-design-keep-it-simple-stupid\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.packworld.com/package-design/strategy/when-it-comes-package-design-keep-it-simple-stupid</a>', 'When it comes to package design, \'Keep it simple\'', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'when-it-comes-to-package-design-keep-it-simple-stupid', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/when-it-comes-to-package-design-keep-it-simple-stupid', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(1824, 4, '2013-06-04 20:40:09', '2013-06-04 20:40:09', 'By Nancy Brown\nClaims are popping up everywhere on packaging, and brands are using them for education, not just attention.\n\nMichael Pollan is at it again. His new book, “Cooked,” is guaranteed to be a runaway hit, largely because Pollan has become the high priest of ethical eating ever since he published “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” in 2006. So, I guess we have him to thank for the fact that we now spend $2 more per gallon on organic milk, suddenly believe the world should be gluten-free and think twice before reaching for that hot dog at summer barbecues.\n\nWe have him to thank for one other thing: The fact that pretty much everything we eat now touts its lineage right front and center on its packaging. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, food claims were mainly about how products would make you look, e.g., they were low calorie and fat free. Today, claims are all about where your food actually came from — in other words, how your food was grown or what your food ate before it landed on your plate (in the case of meat and eggs). Have you ever seen the “Portlandia” sketch with the couple at a restaurant asking about the lineage of its farm-raised chicken? I highly recommend you Google it for a good laugh.\n\nConsumers are now way more educated and care much more than ever about where their food is coming from and how it’s raised. As a result, there has been a surge of better-for-you claims on food packaging, everything from “gluten-free,” “cage-free” and “no GMOs (genetically modified organisms)” to “organic,” “100 percent real” and “grass-fed.” Whereas packaging of the past simply put a burst on the box and called it a day, packaging is now being used to educate consumers about the importance of knowing where their food came from and why that makes it better. Consumers are not just embracing it — they are actively looking for it. According to a recent\nExaminer.com article, more than 90 percent of Americans support the labeling of genetically modified foods.\n\nPeople are not only buying these foods, but they are also making them an entire way of life — e.g., joining “claim clubs.” Last week, a woman in line with me at Trader Joe’s talked about how thrilled she was with all the gluten-free offerings at that store, not because she suffered from celiac disease, but because she voluntarily opted to stop eating gluten to feel better. Michael Pollan and his protégés are vehemently “no GMO,” and this movement has spawned many organizations and websites. Twenty first century moms wouldn’t dream of serving their children anything but grass-fed milk, cheese and meat.\n\nSo what exactly do all these things mean? Here’s a guide to some of the new terminology popping up in the supermarket aisle.\n\n<strong>GRASS-FED</strong>\nWondering why you’re seeing blades of grass on so much packaging lately? It’s because companies want to show off just what they’re feeding the animals who made your food.\nAccording to the American Grass-fed Association, grass-fed products are better for people, animals, the planet and communities. It defines grass-fed animals as those that have eaten nothing but grass and forage from weaning to harvest, have not been raised in confinement and have never been fed antibiotics or growth hormones. Grass visuals are prominently featured on packaging for Organic Valley milk, Pat LaFrieda meat, Big Gorilla beef jerky and Vital Farms’ eggs, which put a creative spin on the grass-fed message by saying, “Our hens live outdoors.” They also use the term “ethical eggs,” which is as catchy as all get-out. Not coincidentally, Vital Farms was “Est. 2007,” the year after “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” was published. Just call this the pasture that Michael Pollan built.\n\n<strong>GLUTEN-FREE</strong>\nYou’d have to be living under a loaf of bread to not know that the anti-gluten movement has been raging for a while now. Sufferers of celiac disease have been avoiding gluten — a substance present in cereal grains, especially wheat, that is responsible for the elastic texture of dough — for years, but in the past decade, it seems that gluten has been shouldering the blame for a whole plethora of other illnesses, and many Americans are voluntarily cutting it out of their diets. In fact, TIME magazine labeled the gluten-free movement second on its top 10 list of food trends for 2012. It’s questionable (and often controversial) that gluten-free’s popularity is here to stay, but many brands, from Applegate to Newman’s Own to Annie’s Homegrown, are counting on it, offering gluten-free variations on their most popular offerings. Grain loving company General Mills offers more than 200 gluten-free products. But perhaps the best-named gluten-free product is Goodbye Gluten bread. How’s that for telling it like it is?\n\n<strong>NO GMO</strong>\nA few weeks ago, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and Congressman Peter DeFazio introduced the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act, a bipartisan legislation that would require the Food and Drug Administration to label clearly GMOs in food so that consumers can make informed choices about what they eat. For the past few decades, the FDA has allowed genetically modified foods to be marketed without labeling, saying they were not materially different from other foods because the genetic differences could not be recognized by taste, smell or other senses. But today’s research shows that\nGMOs are harmful to both people and the environment, and the public is demanding to know which products contain them. Brands like Silk, Earth Balance, Nature’s Path and Amy’s Kitchen are not only proudly GMO-free, but they also feature sections on their websites explaining what this claim means. Even if they don’t say “no GMOs” on their packaging, nearly all organic brands — like Cascadian Farm and Applegate — are GMO-free, and my guess is they’ll soon be wearing that badge very proudly.\n\nBut this new claims terminology is not just being used by in-the-know, farm-to-table foodies. People’s Most Beautiful Person Alive, Gwyneth Paltrow, just published “It’s All Good,” a cookbook that shares the gluten-free recipes she makes for her own children. The book just topped the New York Times bestseller list, further proof that the general public is developing a greater interest in high-quality, well-grown, well-fed food. Michael Pollan, eat your heart out.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84488-getting-to-the-root-of-2013-claim-trends\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84488-getting-to-the-root-of-2013-claim-trends</a>', 'Getting to the Root: 2013 Claim Trends', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'getting-to-the-root-2013-claim-trends', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/getting-to-the-root-2013-claim-trends', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1825, 4, '2013-06-05 16:05:21', '2013-06-05 16:05:21', 'By Gregg S. Lipman\nChallenger soda brands, take note: there seems to be a tremor in the force of the beverage world. I\'m talking, of course, about the war being waged on \"big sugar\" -- sugary beverages like Coke and Pepsi, namely -- by one Mr. Michael Bloomberg (that\'s \"Mayor\" to you). Sugar is the devil these days, thanks in large part to widespread campaigns against childhood obesity, the trendy farm-to-table movement and an uptick in healthy eating in general. Soda sales dropped 1.2 percent in 2012, compared with declines of 1 percent in 2011 and .5 percent in 2010. New York has been embroiled in a battle over \"to tax or not to tax\" for the past year, and 33 other states are giving the thumbs down to soda and its sugary counterparts. And it\'s not just America that\'s giving these beverages the boot. Since 2012, France has imposed a \"fat tax\" on sugary beverages as well.\n\nNot that we should really feel that bad for Coke and Pepsi, who\'ve done a great job of expanding their portfolios to include water (now the #1 beverage in the world), juices and energy drinks. Apparently they knew the day would come when the tide would turn against soda, and it\'s paying off. They seem more focused on just maintaining the audience they have for their soda brands rather than necessarily growing that audience.\n\nThis means there\'s an opportunity for you, challenger brand, to take advantage of the backlash and create a little niche for yourself. Innovate around where the audience is, from Gen Y- and Z-ers to helicopter parents who couldn\'t imagine anything as toxic as soda touching their children\'s lips. Here are some tips we\'ve gleaned from the \"little guys\" -- many of whom seem to be doing this beverage thing right.\n<strong>\nShow you love the planet.</strong>\nEco-friendly packaging may have backfired for a snack brand like Sun Chips, but it presents a huge opportunity for beverage makers. SodaStream, a product that forces carbon dioxide gas into water, has become a worldwide sensation with messaging that is morally and economically attractive to younger generations. Owners of SodaStream makers can eliminate dollars spent and bottles wasted while enjoying the hand-crafted experience of making their own sodas. Coke and Pepsi might consider making their bottles refillable, a la growlers, with retailers allowing customers to bring their empty bottles to the store to be refilled at taps.\n\n<strong>Stay trendy.</strong>\nIf you think that fashion is temperamental, try the beverage industry. What\'s cool one season is suddenly passé the next, so it\'s important to keep abreast of what consumers want in the here and now. Remember when Snapple Ice Tea first came out? And VitaminWater? And Zico coconut water? At the moment, fizzy drinks are all the rage...even IF it was recently proven that one fizzy drink a day can raise the diabetes risk by a fifth.\n\n<strong>Offer your product in small batches.</strong>\nSmall-batch beer brewing is huge; why not small-batch soda-making? Jones Soda offers 12-packs of quirky flavors like Berry Lemonade and Fufu Berry (what the what?) on its Internet site, and also allows you to design your own label for your bottles. Boylan Sodas calls itself \"a full line of hand-crafted small batch sodas and mixers to please any palate.\" Everything about Stewart\'s Fountain Classics, from its name to its bottles to its logo, harkens back to a more personal time. In this age of artisanal everything, a Starbucks-style soda shop - like the old-fashioned soda fountains - seems like a brilliant idea.\n\n<strong>Produce products the way nature intended.</strong>\nSince everyone assumes that soda is the unhealthiest product known to man, it would behoove companies making more natural beverages to say how their products are made. Virgil\'s Root Beer brews its combination of herbs and spices naturally, rather than concocting a chemistry experiment of artificial flavorings, dyes, and additives. Hot Lips Soda\'s lineup changes with the seasons, based on what\'s locally available; to make the soda, the company takes fruit, cooks it, adds water and cane sugar then bottles it, with much of the fiber-rich pulp intact, and carbonates it.\n\n<strong>Pack them full of good things (or, without any bad things).</strong>\nThese days, people want to know not only where their food came from but just what their food ATE before it arrived on their plates. So it\'s no surprise that people want the best, most natural ingredients packed into their beverages. Oogave, a soda that incorporates agave nectar as a sweetener, was started by a natural foods restaurant owner in Denver, and dubs itself \"the purest, best-for-you soda without chemicals or GMO products.\" Steaz is a family of \"all-natural, organic and fair tea-based beverages.\" Hot Lips sodas contain organic lemon juice as a preservative, rather than ascorbic or citric acid, both of which can be derived from genetically modified corn and soy.\n\nThese small guys may not be trying to be the next Coke or Pepsi, but they are doing a great job of making names for themselves in a crowded market. Utilizing one or several of these tips could help you snag a few customers from those beverage giants, and feel better about your brand in the process. Because let\'s face it...it\'s unlikely that people will ever STOP drinking soda, but they certainly are clamoring for more alternatives. The beverage options mentioned here are options that even sugar hater Mike Bloomberg can live with.Who knows - they may distract him long enough to stop hating on soda and seek out a new target - butter, perhaps?\n\n<a href=\" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/whats-the-future-of-soda_b_3384797.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/whats-the-future-of-soda_b_3384797.html</a>', 'What\'s the Future of Soda?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'whats-the-future-of-soda', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/whats-the-future-of-soda', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1826, 4, '2013-06-05 20:09:53', '2013-06-05 20:09:53', '<strong>THE ‘DEATH OF RETAIL’ HAS BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED, RENWICK WRITES</strong><em>--But CBX strategist cites need for socially relevant stores in new column for Chain Store Age Online.</em>\n\nPessimistic pundits claim that “show-rooming” and the explosive growth of ecommerce will be the death of brick-and-mortar retail. But by drawing inspiration from the kinds of social experiences Americans crave—live-action football games, rousing concerts, moving religious services and the like—retailers stand to reap big profits even as they prove the pundits wrong, writes Crosby Renwick, executive director of strategy at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in a May 30 column published at Chain Store Age Online.\n\n“Is retail really dead?” Renwick asks in the piece. “No, but its role is changing.” The veteran CBX strategist begins the column—titled “ ‘Social Retail’ to the Rescue”—by outlining the basic problem as just about everyone sees it: “When retail is literally everywhere, when we can buy virtually anything off our phones and have it delivered, why go to a store?” he writes.\n\nBut while Renwick concedes that many stores will close in the decades to come—particularly those focused on commoditized goods that shoppers can easily buy online—he describes the rise of ecommerce as an opportunity for retail to refocus. “When Pablo Picasso was asked if painting human figures was still possible after the technologies of photography and cinema were depicting them much more truly, his response was, ‘Now at least we know everything that painting isn\'t,’” Renwick writes. “Technology had killed painting’s previous purpose: depiction. But, on the other hand, technology freed painting to become something else.”\n\nLikewise, the proper role of retail in the 21st century is not to sell humdrum commodities in cavernous, uninspiring big-box stores, Renwick writes. “What to do with the empty storefronts?” he asks in the piece. “The success of social media provides the clue because it highlights the deep desire for human connection. People get lonely. They’ll pay for the chance to enjoy real-world social experiences with others who have similar interests.”\n\nRenwick describes several popular—and in some case, expensive—social experiences that continue to inspire consumers. But the point is not to try replicate, say, a Bruce Springsteen concert, but to tap into the brand-, traffic- and loyalty-building potential that is inherent to such an experience. “These are the kinds of social experiences people pay money for,” he writes. “Am I suggesting a chain of stores that hosts rock concerts? No. But lessons drawn from these social experiences can and should be applied to retail. Lululemon has already done so with its in-store yoga classes. Likewise, I’d love a store where I could buy clothes that speak to the sensibilities of the classic rock fan. Where the staff would ‘get’ me.”\n\nShopping in a physical store has to be as much about social experiences, unique environments and customer validation as it is about the merchandise, Renwick notes in the conclusion to the piece. “Today’s shoppers can have nearly any merchandise brought right to their doors with little more than the swipe of a finger,” he writes. “But if we can bring them the kinds of experiences that forge memories, friendships and lifelong brand loyalties, they will keep getting in their cars and coming to us.”\n', 'The Death of Retail Has Been Greatly Exaggerated', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-death-of-retail-has-been-greatly-exaggerated', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-death-of-retail-has-been-greatly-exaggerated', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1827, 4, '2013-06-14 14:19:26', '2013-06-14 14:19:26', '<strong>WHEN RETAIL IS LITERALLY EVERYWHERE, WHEN WE CAN BUY VIRTUALLY ANYTHING OFF OUR PHONES AND HAVE IT DELIVERED, WHY GO TO A STORE?</strong></br>Pessimistic pundits claim that “show-rooming” and the explosive growth of ecommerce will be the death of brick-and-mortar retail. But by drawing inspiration from the kinds of social experiences Americans crave—live-action football games, rousing concerts, moving religious services and the like—retailers stand to reap big profits even as they prove the pundits wrong, writes Crosby Renwick, executive director of strategy at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in a May 30 column published at Chain Store Age Online.\n\n“Is retail really dead?” Renwick asks in the piece. “No, but its role is changing.” The veteran CBX strategist begins the column—titled “‘Social Retail’ to the Rescue”—by outlining the basic problem as just about everyone sees it: “When retail is literally everywhere, when we can buy virtually anything off our phones and have it delivered, why go to a store?” he writes.\n\nBut while Renwick concedes that many stores will close in the decades to come—particularly those focused on commoditized goods that shoppers can easily buy online—he describes the rise of ecommerce as an opportunity for retail to refocus. “When Pablo Picasso was asked if painting human figures was still possible after the technologies of photography and cinema were depicting them much more truly, his response was, ‘Now at least we know everything that painting isn\'t,’” Renwick writes. “Technology had killed painting’s previous purpose: depiction. But, on the other hand, technology freed painting to become something else.”\n\nLikewise, the proper role of retail in the 21st century is not to sell humdrum commodities in cavernous, uninspiring big-box stores, Renwick writes. “What to do with the empty storefronts?” he asks in the piece. “The success of social media provides the clue because it highlights the deep desire for human connection. People get lonely. They’ll pay for the chance to enjoy real-world social experiences with others who have similar interests.”\n\nRenwick describes several popular—and in some case, expensive—social experiences that continue to inspire consumers. But the point is not to try replicate, say, a Bruce Springsteen concert, but to tap into the brand-, traffic- and loyalty-building potential that is inherent to such an experience. “These are the kinds of social experiences people pay money for,” he writes. “Am I suggesting a chain of stores that hosts rock concerts? No. But lessons drawn from these social experiences can and should be applied to retail. Lululemon has already done so with its in-store yoga classes. Likewise, I’d love a store where I could buy clothes that speak to the sensibilities of the classic rock fan. Where the staff would ‘get’ me.”\n\nShopping in a physical store has to be as much about social experiences, unique environments and customer validation as it is about the merchandise, Renwick notes in the conclusion to the piece. “Today’s shoppers can have nearly any merchandise brought right to their doors with little more than the swipe of a finger,” he writes. “But if we can bring them the kinds of experiences that forge memories, friendships and lifelong brand loyalties, they will keep getting in their cars and coming to us.”\n\n<a href=\"http://www.furninfo.com/Furniture%20Industry%20News/1866\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.furninfo.com/Furniture%20Industry%20News/1866</a>', 'Need For Socially Relevant Stores', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'need-for-socially-relevant-stores', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/need-for-socially-relevant-stores', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1828, 4, '2013-06-10 18:45:11', '2013-06-10 18:45:11', '<strong>A push for more efficient healthcare challenges designers to bring medical services to retail</strong>\r\nAny Lab Test Now is probably your doctor’s worst nightmare. The service, which allows patients to request their own lab tests without a physician’s order, has even trademarked the phrase “No insurance? No problem.” It’s like Googling your own symptoms on steroids: Instead of a rumpled printout (apology expected), you can hand your physician a crisp set of lab results to back up your self-diagnosis.\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/doctor\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/doctor</a>', 'The Doctor Is In', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-doctor-is-in', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-doctor-is-in', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1829, 4, '2013-06-26 16:46:56', '2013-06-26 16:46:56', 'New York-based CBX has designed a fresh, new prototype store for Wawa Inc.’s Florida-market entry. The seventh of the Wawa, Pa.-based fuel and convenience store operator’s locations in Florida opened in early January. Twenty-five more units are scheduled to debut in the Orlando/Tampa area in 2013.\nWawa’s Florida stores feature a design intended to reflect the language and style associated with Floridian vernacular architecture. Exterior characteristics include pastel colors, clapboard siding, pitched roofs and front porches that reference historic south and central-Florida building types.\n\nTravelers from the Mid-Atlantic will find Wawa\'s familiar “winged” gas canopy, a welcoming, centrally located entry portal, ample up-front parking and the chain’s familiar Canada Goose logo. The new Florida prototype also features expansive windows that provide a clear view to the new interior design.\n\nCBX created a new color and materials palette, emphasizing natural stone, several types of tile, hard rock maple laminate (a creamy white with a reddish tinge) for modular fixtures and shelving, and copper accents. Elements were selected to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.\n\nA vibrant red-tiled wall highlights the new center-island kitchen. Guests can order using Wawa’s touchscreen system, with screens prominently positioned at the food service/specialty beverage counters.\n\nThe coffee and fountain beverage sections feature a backdrop of a warm taupe wall tile. Red drum shades are used over the coffee area to create a “sense of place.”\n\nWawa’s new Florida prototype is characterized by a spacious, open layout, with high ceilings and abundant natural lighting contributing to the comfortable, inviting space. The store features made-to-order food and beverages, as well as pantry basics and convenience foods for travelers.\n\nAs in the coffee/fountain beverage section, red drum shades help create a “sense of place” in the cooler area, located on the opposite side of the store.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.ddionline.com/displayanddesignideas/galleries/Wawa-Apopka-Fla-9705.shtml#8\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.ddionline.com/displayanddesignideas/galleries/Wawa-Apopka-Fla-9705.shtml#8</a>', 'DDI Project Gallery: Wawa, Apopka, Fla.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ddi-project-gallery-wawa-apopka-fla', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:40', '2018-09-27 17:58:40', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/ddi-project-gallery-wawa-apopka-fla', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1830, 4, '2013-07-10 18:07:16', '2013-07-10 18:07:16', '<em>As the Marketplace Fairness Act, otherwise known as the online sales tax, moves to the House, brick-and-mortar retailers should understand how it could affect their operations if it passes.</em><em></em>\n\nThe new kid on the retail block is here to stay. As consumers’ shopping habits shift toward mobile and web purchases, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers continuously feel e-commerce’s tightening grip on consumer pocketbooks, and pet stores are no exception.\n\nThe pet industry has seen an uptick in online competition over the last few years as retailers like PetMed Express, Foster and Smith, and Wag.com gain market share. Online sales of pet food and supplies reached $2 billion in 2011, and are expected to rise to $2.5 billion by 2016, according to a December 2011 report from IBIS World, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based market research firm. PetMed Express and Foster and Smith were top earners online, earning an estimated $168.9 million and $162 million in sales in 2011, respectively.\n\nWith little overhead and smaller staffs, online retailers can offer pet owners lower prices. And, under a precedence set by a Supreme Court ruling in 1992, Internet sellers are exempt from collecting state sales tax; except in states where the business has a physical presence.\n\n“The Internet is a terrific marketplace for comparing prices,” says Joe Dowley, a partner who monitors tax law for clients at international firm McKenna Long &amp; Aldridge, based in Washington, D.C. “If you add that on top of the fact that you don’t have to pay the sales tax, then you’re really cooking.”\n\nThese online advantages make competition stiff for Main Street, which is why many traditional retailers are hoping new legislation will help level the playing field. In May, the U.S. Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA), a bill that would require states to collect sales tax from online retailers at the time of the transaction—no matter where the business is located. Only online businesses with less than $1 million in annual sales would be exempt from the law.\n\nFor pet specialty retailers with stores in states that have a high sales tax, passage of the MFA could offer a break from online competitors. Teresa Miller, owner of Treats Unleashed, a St. Louis-based pet retail store with seven locations, says the nearly 10-percent sales tax her customers pay in some locations makes it harder for her to compete with online retailers. “At 10 percent [sales tax], it’s almost a premium if you’re buying local, and it becomes a complete disadvantage when you’re trying to compete online,” she says.\n\nMiller—who lobbied for passage of the bill in Washington, D.C., in April—says the Marketplace Fairness Act is important because it sets a standard and provides consistency across all states. “If passed, it will level the playing field with some of those gigantic online companies, who right now are strategically putting themselves [in locations] where they don’t have to pay the sales tax,” she adds.\n\nOther provisions of the bill could help brick-and-mortar pet retailers, like Miller, looking to add or grow an online store of their own. Under the MFA, states would be required to simplify their sales tax laws in an effort to make multi-state collection easier, or can join the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA)—a governing board that harmonizes the administration and collection of sales and use taxes among member states, of which 24 are currently members.\n\n“The Streamlined Sales Tax and Use agreement would make [this collection] easier for online sellers. It makes it easier for states to calculate who gets what in a transaction, and it makes it easier for retailers to purchase a software, which gives them the opportunity to determine how to assess the tax in a particular state or jurisdiction,” Dowley says.\n\nThat simplification, says Miller, will help her develop a business plan for growth of Treats Unleashed’s online store. While her online sales are still under $1 million, the MFA’s requirements of states to simplify their tax laws or join SSUTA, would help Miller move forward with her plans to grow the online store.\n\n“If it doesn’t get passed, I’m scared the states will develop their own enforcement policies, and I’m going to have to keep track of 50 different states with 50 different polices,” Miller says. “[The Marketplace Fairness Act] would give us a consistent way to put this in place, with a standard software and practice so retailers can collect [the taxes] without 50 different rules.”\n\nWhile the MFA awaits its vote in the House of Representatives, Dowley says the bill is inevitable. “The [Supreme Court] left it open for Congress to change the law, and it has been brewing for several years, particularly since the Internet has grown by leaps and bounds,” he says.\n\nStill, Miller recognizes that customers will continue to make purchases online. “It’s not really about brick-and-mortar versus the Internet sellers,” she says. “It’s about fairness or at least a consistency across both mediums.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Another Piece to the Puzzle</strong>\nWhile passage of the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) could offer brick-and-mortar pet specialty retailers more equality with their online competitors, online sales will continue to grow at double-digit rates over the next 10 years—and in order to stay competitive, traditional retailers will need to offer pet owners what online retailers simply cannot.\n\n“Retailers should not be looking at the Marketplace Fairness Act as any kind of relief from Internet competition,” says Crosby Renwick, executive director of strategy at CBX, a New York City-based brand agency and retail design consultancy. “It will level the field on sales tax, but that’s a small piece of the puzzle.”\n\nIn order to break through the barrier and ease the competition, asserts Renwick, Main Street retailers need to reinvent what their purpose is on the retail landscape. Services like grooming and daycare are benefits online retailers cannot offer, however many retailers may not realize that the greatest asset they have over their competitors is their physical space.\n\n“Retailers can use their physical space to their advantage to make their store a social meeting place,” Renwick says. Bringing pet owners together through events—for example, hosting an event that exclusively gathers Boston Terrier lovers—gives customers a reason to make an extra trip to the local pet store. And while customers are basking in Boston Terrier glory, they will browse and most likely make a purchase, Renwick says.\n\n“Retailers have their ace in the hole being a physical place where people of like minds can get together,” he says. “What they have to sell is a social connection and a relationship. The goods will surround that, and it will engender the sales of those goods.”\n\n<a href=\"http://www.petbusiness.com/articles/2013-07-01/A-Move-Toward-Equality\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.petbusiness.com/articles/2013-07-01/A-Move-Toward-Equality</a>', 'A Move Toward Equality', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-move-toward-equality', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/a-move-toward-equality', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1831, 4, '2013-07-10 18:28:17', '2013-07-10 18:28:17', '<strong>THE PRODUCT</strong></br>Inspired by the colorful and dimensional illustrations in pop-up books, Savvi’s senior designer Rob Backues aimed to create tattoo packaging that was markedly different from its competitors. As he describes it, the tattoo section of the toy aisle falls flat with an overly simple packaging approach.</br>\nInstead, he wanted to bring depth to tattoo packaging in a very literal sense. This, he explains, gives Savvi’s packaging the “wow factor” that attracts both the end consumers, children aged three to 10, and the primary purchasers, their parents.</br>\nWorking with Savvi senior illustrator Pete Arriola, Backues designed a low-depth paperboard carton that comprises up to seven panels. Each panel contains part of an illustration, with the lowermost panels printed with background images and the top-panels cut and printed with an image that boldly depicts the tattoos’ theme.</br>\nThis  approach is time consuming and laborious, but Backues contends it is worth it. Savvi has expanded the design system to 18 Savvi products and approximately 10 licensed products.</br>\nBut what do Package Design readers think?</br>\n<strong>THE VERDICT</strong></br>\nI can’t believe I’m going to say this, but this is the rare instance where the brand takes a back seat to selling the product. The central thought? “Boy, my kids are going to have a field day with these! Where do I buy one?” The packaging is exciting and vibrant, and personally, I know my kids would not be able to get enough of these littering the house. The versioning is also wonderful. The experience and the fantastical feel are transportive and incredibly appealing. What kid doesn’t love butterflies, flowers and pink hearts—more is definitely better here.\n <em>Rick Barrack, chief creative officer and managing partner at CBX</em></br>\nThis packaging is unique and clever in its construction. The illustration style fits the category as being bright, detailed and layered with lots to see bringing the tattoos to life for the kids, by complimenting the contents nicely.</br>\nWhere the design falls flat for me is the front top panel and the type treatment. The fonts paired with each collection name, Star Brite, Pirates, Surf, etc., feel expected and dated. I would love to see all the typography revisited with the same level of consideration, uniqueness and creativity as they clearly did designing the package construction.</br>\nEverything supporting the product should have a pint-sized hip vibe that would raise the excitement of the product for everyone—especially moms. I would be much more willing to purchase this product for my kids or for party goody bags if the tattoos looked and felt current and cool.\n <em>Amy Graver, president and creative director at Elements</em></br>\nThese boxes are well marketed to their primary audience. The hanging feature increases visibility to the primary display panel combined with colorful graphics gives the graphic design on this product line a leg up on the competition.</br>\nBut I question if the increase in retail space allocated to these boxes will be validated with a comparable sales lift over the competitions’ flat pouch packaging formats in dollars per sq. ft.\n <em>Leon Hall, president and CEO of Terra Nova Business Solutions Inc.</em></br>\n<a href=\"http://www.packagedesignmag.com/content/pop-up-appeal\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.packagedesignmag.com/content/pop-up-appeal</a>', 'Pop-up Appeal', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'pop-up-appeal', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/pop-up-appeal', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1832, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:57', '2018-09-27 16:51:57', '', 'Pentawards2011', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'pentawards2011', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:57', '2018-09-27 16:51:57', '', 1590, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Pentawards2011.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1833, 4, '2013-07-23 14:32:39', '2013-07-23 14:32:39', 'A new generation of specialty carts and kiosks is generating big revenues in small spaces.\nBack when giant televisions and stereo systems were at the top of shoppers\' must-have lists, electronics chains shelled out millions of dollars for big-box stores manned by oodles of employees. But these days a kiosk staffed with just one person can rake in huge amounts of cash by selling tiny gizmos and accessories. After all, when powerful computers are small enough to put in a pair of eyeglasses - as with the much anticipated Google Glass, the head-mounted device set to go on sale in 2014-who needs all that shelf space? \"Size doesn\'t matter anymore,\" said Don Gregor, national vice president at Canada\'s Aurora Realty Consultants. \"lt\'s profitability.\"\n\nAnd according to the pros, the powerful punch of smaller spaces is just one of many factors contributing to the ongoing vibrancy of specialty leasing in today\'s technology-driven, post-recession economy. With their high traffic, low overhead and short-term leases, carts and kiosks are a perfect way for entrepreneurs to test new concepts and otherwise respond creatively to the ever-shifting marketplace, observers say. Thanks to technology, even mainstays of the business are managing\nto make more money, Gregor says. \"Look at the T-shirt kiosks - they\'ve been around at every mall for 20 or 30 years,\" he said. \"But they no longer print up the T-shirts in advance, except for the ones on display. Now they have a computer, so people can press a button and create their own shirts using hundred of customizable designs. Blank shirts are the only thing in the actual booth--no inventory and no wastage.\"\n\nAnd though kiosks hawking cellphone accessories have been around nearly as long, the continual release of new-model gizmos keeps stir ring demand for chargers, cases and more, particularly among status-conscious young people. \"Some of the cart people do incredible number,\"Gregor said. \"We have a client that does cellular-phone faces. You might think, \'Why would anyone be in the cellular-phone face business?\' But if you look at a little tiny piece of plastic that I molded, colored and with some bedazzled jewelry on it kids are buying these things for $25 or $30 bucks each. The profit margin is so incredible that effective sales per square foot of some of the cart operators would rival that of any of the major international brands.\"\n\nBut technology is not the only innovative force in the world of specialty leasing. Landlords’ leasing teams, for one, are scouring local markers to find new categories of colorful and compelling specialty leasing concepts. Carts and kiosks with a retro focus are a prime example. \"Sometimes it\'s actual vintage furniture where the operators will repurpose things,\" said Michael J. Anderson, assistant vice president of leasing development at Macerich. \"Other times it\'s things like vintage or reproduction clothing. The e types of stores are really popping up in urban shopping areas, and so now we\' re adding them to our centers.\"\n\nMacerich leveraged both the \"buy local\" trend and the strategic advantages of smaller spaces when it created The\nUnion, an alternative retail concept that opened last year at Biltmore Fashion Park, in Phoenix. The idea was to give shoppers a mix of 18 distinctive boutiques, some of which were as small as 200 square feet. The roster of kiosk like tenants now includes businesses that may be found along any city street in d1e world: newsstands, flower sellers, gift shops and clothiers among them. \"We basically took a 7,000-square-foot empty shell and created a group of individual stores,\" Anderson said. \"It\'s a great concept. Some of these tenants have other stores wid1in the city, but they\'re all local retailers and entrepreneurs.\"\n\nMeanwhile, many of the same trends that are making an impact elsewhere in the retail universe - such as the rise of medical and service-oriented tenants, or the growing popularity of the franchise model among entrepreneurs- are equally visible in specialty leasing, observers say. Health care spending will rise by about $600 billion over the next three years alone, according to CBRE. Little wonder that leasing teams, including those responsible for carts, kiosks and temporary in line spaces, are doing more deals with medical-related users. \"With key parts of Obamacare coming to fruition in 2014, we are seeing a lot of the health care companies want to have a presence in our centers,\" Anderson said. \"They want to explain the process to the consumer, face-to-face.\"\n\nBranding is also hugely important to health care companies and other non-traditional users these days- especially in those markers where they happen to be locked in battle for market share with one or two competitors. Leasing carts and kiosks gives these tenants the ability to accomplish two goals at once: making money by selling in high-traffic parts of the mall, and boosting their brands against those of their rivals, says Jeffrey L. Gregerson, vice president of specialty retail at CBL &amp; Associates Properties. He cites the trend of colleges and universities that hoist their banners at the mall. \"There are a lot more adults going back to school, especially after the recess ion, and we arc now finding that more colleges want to advertise to our shoppers,\" Gregerson said. \"They see this as a great way to go after prospective students.\" Doing kiosk deals with the likes of d1iropractors, masseurs, manicurists and gel-nail artists also holds the promise of driving traffic to the center, he says. After all, shoppers cannot enjoy much real-world services by touch screen.\n\nMalls are also benefiting from greater interest in kiosks on the part of entrepreneurs hard-pressed for startup funds, observers say. Amid the volatility in retail in recent years, many of these business people are keen on buying established franchises rather than creating their own concepts, Gregerson says. In Canada particularly, hardworking immigrants tend to see a lot of upside to operating mall kiosks. \"These are smart people who are looking to advance,\" Gregerson said. \"Instead of driving a cab or opening a restaurant, many of them might want to buy their way into a small franchise system, which often is a kiosk style of business.\" And while nicer kiosks can cost upwards of $40,000, entrepreneurs who work with the Canadian Franchise Association typically can obtain $150,000 small-business loans. \"This is another driving factor toward small-style retail operations here,\" Gregerson said.\n\nSpecialty leasing professionals also see plenty of room for future growth. Burlington Coat Factory, Harry &amp; David and Toys \'R\' Us, to name a few, have experimented with temporary spaces in the mall. But other national retailers could reap strategic advantages by ramping up the visibility of their products in mall common areas, Gregerson says. \"What better way to test something than to take it out of your inline store, or even a department store, and bring it out into the middle of the mall?\" he said. \"You can see how people respond to the product.\" And on this score, established chains enjoy clear advantages over kiosk startups. \"If shoppers are seeing you for the first time, then you really have to find a hook, because you need to give them a reason to say, \'I will rake a chance and buy your product,\' \" Gregerson said. \"A permanent, national tenant like Macy\'s already has the advantage of brand-name recognition; customers are comfortable with the brand and feel that it will be a high-quality product.\"\n\nIn other words, in today\'s era of omni-channel retail- the notion that products should be sold anywhere and everywhere shoppers want to buy them, not just in typical storefronts- carts and kiosk could be seen as an untapped channel for a host of products and companies.\n\nAnd when it comes to the future of mailer retail spaces, U.S. landlords may be able to learn a thing or two from what retailers and developers in China, the Philippines, South Korea and other places are already doing, says Peter Burgoyne, creative director at New York City-based ~ a global branding and retail consulting firm. One mall owner in the Philippines is working with CBX to create kiosk locations for well-known restaurants at a new mall, Burgoyne says. The goal is to help the mall bolster its brand with local shoppers and add to the overall atmosphere. Likewise, South Korean department store Shinsegae makes especially creative use of carts, kiosks and other small-scale retail spaces, he says. \"Shinsegae has lots of island spaces and kiosks throughout the building- areas for [product] launch, visual merchandising, events,\" he said. \"They call these \'spice\' locations. These kiosks in the store aren\'t static- it could be a large area for sunglasses and accessories one day, an ice-cream smoothie bar the next. The point is to have something exciting and new all the time. This creates energy. The architecture can be pretty adventurous, too.\"\n\nBy contrast, U.S. developers sometimes have relatively li near groupings of similar-looking kiosks. When they redevelop their properties or build new wings, U.S. mall owners might consider taking some alternative approaches to the placement and design of such small-scale retail spaces, Burgoyne says. \"Make these kiosks destinations in their own right, because they are almost as important as the [in-line retail] brands,\" he said. \"They can add to the total experience of going to the mall\"', 'Specialty Retail Revolution', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'specialty-retail-revolution', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/specialty-retail-revolution', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
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(1835, 4, '2013-07-26 20:47:15', '2013-07-26 20:47:15', 'By Meg A.\nLast week, after taking the train to the \'burbs and then picking up my four-year-old son from preschool, I was lucky enough to witness a tender moment. A father and his kids were sitting on their stoop, barefoot, happily watching the world go by. The dad was dressed casually, the toddler was in shorts and the baby was hanging in his diapers. They clearly had been home all day -- you could tell that they had happiness and rhythm in their world, a successful hallmark of being a stay-at-home parent. The only thing \"unusual\" about this scene was that a man was in the nurturing role, traditionally embodied by a woman.\n\nThis scene got me thinking about how gender roles have shifted, even reversed -- and how as a result, advertising is challenged in authentically portraying these roles today.\n\nSo much of the dialogue today is around the rise of women: Look at them break through that glass ceiling! I remember my mom going to work. One day, she sat me up on the washing machine, showed me how to use it and said, \"I’m going to work now so you are going to have to learn how to take care of yourself.\" I was in third grade and welcomed the responsibility, I learned independence and self-reliance, says the former latchkey kid. Looking back, I see that my mom taught me that women can do, get and be whatever they want. But where do men fit in this equation? Especially now that women are being raised to be self-sufficient, heroes in their own right that don’t need a man to save the day? With every action comes a reaction. Where are men in this ongoing cultural shift?\n\nAs culture shifts, so do brands. Let’s look through the lens of traditional female roles to see how they are portrayed in brand messaging and advertising today. Female roles tend to fall into two camps: the madonna or the whore. Can men wear these shoes?\n\nLet\'s start with the whore. (I promise not to get too dirty.) We see this role portrayed by women all the time when products are marketed to men -- namely beer or HBA products that tempt men with the idea that they might “get some.” Let’s hire us a hottie to move some cases. Easy!\n\nBut can the same visual strategy apply to products traditionally marketed to women? Brands such as Liquid Plumbr and Velveeta are giving it a whirl. Clearly, it is quite entertaining to reverse the roles but does it work? With an air of self-deprecation about them, these ads seem forced and inauthentic. Perhaps taking it to humor instead of to sexy is more palatable for mainstream America, but it does feel a bit more Chippendales than <em>Magic Mike</em>. Perhaps this is still an unnatural role for men to play or even to be viewed in? Basically, unless the man wants to be an object of desire (we love you, Channing Tatum) this image won’t ring true to the viewer.\n\nLet\'s now look to the madonna role. Madonna (no, not that one) is the quintessential nurturer -- a caring persona whose goal is to care for or help others. In modern-day layman terms, the mom role. But today, with approximately 20% of men who are stay-at-home dads, these waters are getting rather muddied. Part of this is due to the “mancession” (yes, that’s a word) but part of it is choice. “There are a lot of guys out there that had remote relationships with their own fathers and they don’t want that with their kids,” according to Jeremy Adam Smith, author of The <em>Daddy Shift</em>.\n\nWhich brings us back to that guy on the stoop. What did I love so much about that moment? It was <strong>real</strong>. Men as nurturers might not have a historical precedent, but it is a role that is becoming more and more authentic today. Ask yourself, what is more attractive to a female eye? A man in a uniform or a man with a baby? The times they are a changin\'.\n\nWe see this in advertising more and more today, especially around Father\'s Day, with brands like Wells Fargo, Huggies and Oral-B, the latter of which showcased this trend in its Power of Dad spot.\nBy elevating the conversation to the concepts of nurturing and love, we find a universal story that speaks to anybody with a heart. Screw the stereotypes -- the heart wins every time. Who are these ads resonating with most, mom or dad? The answer is both, methinks. \n\n<a href=\"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/204771/the-great-role-reversal.html?print#ixzz2a9vpBNf4\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/204771/the-great-role-reversal.html?print#ixzz2a9vpBNf4</a>', 'The Great Role Reversal', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-great-role-reversal', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-great-role-reversal', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1836, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '', 'AG-K-N-8854_53_lg_1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'ag-k-n-8854_53_lg_1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '2018-09-27 16:51:58', '', 1593, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/AG-K-N-8854_53_lg_1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1837, 4, '2013-04-16 15:29:02', '2013-04-16 15:29:02', '<strong>Did the recession have a lasting impact on luxury?</strong>Peter Burgoyne\r\n\r\nNow that the U.S. economy is recovering (albeit slowly) from the economic crash, there’s been lots of buzz about the rebound in luxury retail. Certainly, the sector has been outperforming other retail categories, with analysts pointing to luxury as a safe harbor amid disruptive factors like rising oil prices and the chaos in Libya. One CNNMoney story, in fact, referred to investors hopping on a “luxury bandwagon” and noted that Louis Vuitton’s London boutique has limited shoppers to a maximum of three purchases for fear of running out of inventory. The report also cited China’s thriving economy as a key driver of global demand for luxury goods.\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/the-luxury-rebound\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/the-luxury-rebound</a>', 'The Luxury Rebound', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-luxury-rebound-2', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-luxury-rebound-2', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1838, 4, '2013-07-31 15:24:11', '2013-07-31 15:24:11', '<strong>Fine-tuning a luxe mall in Manila—with the help of a homegrown genius.</strong>\r\nBy Peter Burgoyne\r\n\r\nIf you’ve ever spent time in Manila, you know how its broiling streets can make you want to duck into a climate-controlled mall—and stay there. Little wonder the likes of Power Plant Mall at Rockwell Center draw such crowds. But this isn’t value shopping: At Manila’s malls, shoppers tend to be either privileged members of the local moneyed class or jet-setting tourists and businesspeople from around the globe; building a box and filling it with brands like Starbucks or North Face is simply not enough.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/virtuoso-rattan\" target=\"_blank\">\r\nhttp://vmsd.com/content/virtuoso-rattan</a>', 'The Virtuoso of Rattan', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-virtuoso-of-rattan', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-virtuoso-of-rattan', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1839, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '', 'pl-buyer-awards', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'pl-buyer-awards', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '', 1594, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/pl-buyer-awards.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1840, 4, '2013-08-01 15:23:00', '2013-08-01 15:23:00', '<strong>CSNews\' Don Longo and Sheetz EVP Joe Sheetz discussed the future of prepared food</strong>\nThe restaurant industry ranges from ultra casual fast-food joints to premium fine dining, and more than ever, convenience stores are earning a seat at the table. This was apparent at the 2013 National Restaurant Association Show (NRA Show), held May 18-21 at Chicago\'s McCormick Place.\n\nIn the first of two convenience store-specific panels that were part of the show\'s educational track, Convenience Store News Editor-in-Chief Don Longo teamed up with Sheetz Inc. Executive Vice President and soon-to-be CEO Joe Sheetz to discuss the future of convenience stores as it relates to fresh, prepared food.\n\nLongo presented select insights from CSNews\' 2013 Realities of the Aisle consumer study, showing that sandwiches, hot dogs and pizza are among the most popular prepared food items at c-stores, yet offering healthier options appears to be paying off with increased sales. Other opportunities for growth in prepared food can be found through connecting with the right shoppers, optimizing promotions to drive trips and reaching consumers in flexible ways.\n\nOf the total foodservice category, \"prepared food is the shining star\" at c-stores, Longo said.\n\nSheetz concluded the presentation with a retrospective on the beginnings of Sheetz Inc. as a business and its evolution into an extremely foodservice-focused chain that considers itself a \"convenience restaurant\" chain. \"Everything we do is through restaurant glasses,\" he commented.\n\nThe family-owned, Altoona, Pa.-based retailer has found success through its Made To Order (MTO) program, which offers customized menu items through touchscreen ordering, as well as its subsequent Made To Go premade food program. Its loyalty program has also done well.\n\nThe company keeps a close eye on the future, reinventing itself and always striving to become the Sheetz that will put the Sheetz of today out of business.\n\nThe notion of c-stores being competition in the foodservice market was expanded upon during another NRA Show panel entitled, \"The Convenience Store Competition: What You Can Learn From C-store Foodservice?\" This session was presented by Nancy Caldarola, education director for NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing; Bill Reilly, senior vice president of marketing at GPM Investments LLC, owner of Fas Mart and Shore Stop convenience stores; and Joseph Bona, president of branded environments for CBX.\n\nWhile convenience stores are facing a number of new challenges as the foodservice category grows, such as handling space and new equipment requirements, rising food costs and needing additional skilled labor beyond their comfort zone, c-stores are also seeing some exciting positive changes, including expanded menus and product offerings, technology to enhance the order process, and expanded fresh and healthy offerings, according to the panelists.\n\nThis year\'s NRA Show attracted more than 62,500 registrants from all 50 states and 100-plus countries.\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/article-c_store_foodservice_served_up_at_nra_show-5980.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.csnews.com/article-c_store_foodservice_served_up_at_nra_show-5980.html</a>', 'C-store Foodservice Served Up at NRA Show', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'c-store-foodservice-served-up-at-nra-show', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/c-store-foodservice-served-up-at-nra-show', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1841, 0, '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '', 'FreeVector-Kimberly-Clark', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'freevector-kimberly-clark', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '2018-09-27 16:51:59', '', 1595, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/FreeVector-Kimberly-Clark.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1842, 4, '2013-05-15 16:17:51', '2013-05-15 16:17:51', '<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgZv6mSIO6M&amp;feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgZv6mSIO6M&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-6820\" title=\"0515 JoeB at GRC2013 2\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/0515-JoeB-at-GRC2013-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"641\" height=\"360\" /></a>\n<strong>Joe Bona</strong>, President, Branded Environments, CBX - Speaking at the Global Retailing Conference 2013 about \"Format Reinvention in the Retail Space\"', 'Joe Bona at the Global Retailing Conference 2013', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'joe-bona-at-the-global-retailing-conference-2013', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '2018-09-27 17:58:44', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/joe-bona-at-the-global-retailing-conference-2013', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1843, 4, '2013-08-06 20:15:52', '2013-08-06 20:15:52', 'By Christina Papale\nThe exhilarating rush of new love often feels like it will last forever. But anyone in a long-term relationship knows that love\'s initial flames often die down, replaced by a more stable bond that needs some juicing to stay healthy for the long haul.\nBrand relationships are no different. Keeping a fiery connection takes some work.\nTo unlock long-term love for our brands and set the stage for strong lasting connections, one simply has to look at and apply basic human relationship principles. Here are five ways you can keep the spark alive and forge a devoted, lasting connection to consumers.\n\n<strong>1. Spend quality time together</strong>\nCompanies work really hard and spend a lot of time marketing brands. But you can also spend one-on-one active time with your own brand to understand and experience its core behaviors, benefits, and experiences. As a result, you\'ll truly feel its value and make sure it hasn\'t lost its way. Whether your category is technology, CPG, or retail, sit with your products, experiences, and expressions and bring an open, objective eye.\nReality show Undercover Boss puts senior management in the trenches to understand the day-to-day realities of experiences they provide, and the people who manage those experiences.\n<img class=\" wp-image-6906 alignleft\" title=\"papale-undercover\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/papale-undercover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"639\" height=\"321\" />\nFast food giants are known for putting management boots on the ground. Domino\'s CEO and franchise leaders created major waves of change after eating a lot of pizza (and commercialized the transformation) while McDonald\'s regularly sends corporate staffers into the field to serve.\nIt\'s never a loss; the time you spend can reveal strengths and weaknesses you never new you had.\n\n<strong> 2. Delight with novelty</strong><img class=\"size-full wp-image-6907 alignright\" title=\"papale-Brillo\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/papale-Brillo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"131\" height=\"175\" />\nBrands tend to have the same routines. Changing things up a bit and adding a little variety to your world can really spice things up: a seasonal play, a promotional \"wow,\" an event that\'s out of the ordinary—what might seem like a gimmick is actually a good thing, as long as it\'s on brand—to make the bond even stronger.\nStarbucks consistently takes the holiday season to a whole new level by creating expectations around an extended theme; everything from product offerings to design gets a merry lift.\nBrillo recently went back in time and featured Warhol-inspired packaging to mark its 100th anniversary. The retro-cool design made a splash and reminded us that Brillo offers something beyond products for daily chores: post-modern art—and a connection to our own pasts.\n\n<strong>3. Know when to over-communicate and when to listen (genuinely)</strong>\n<img class=\"size-full wp-image-6908 alignleft\" title=\"papale-oreo\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/papale-oreo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"284\" height=\"319\" />Brands believe they have an ear to ground via Facebook and Twitter, but successful engagement requires open, two-way communication. Have a robust, transparent dialogue with your consumers to showcase how good you are at listening and at being emotionally honest.\nTropicana\'s famous packaging redo a few years ago not only brought the power of the consumer voice front and center but also solidified the new two-way street in brand relationships.\nOreo\'s \"Dunk in the dark\" real-time response to the Super Bowl blackout, using social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, showed that it not only listens to culture but also has finely tuned brand behavior reflexes to prove it is present in and part of, the customer\'s life.\n\nOn the flip side, the owners of Amy\'s Baking Company in Arizona missed an opportunity to use constructive criticism to their benefit—and possibly led to the demise of their own company—when they engaged in a social media war with critics of the brand on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.\nTuning in to your audience through modern marketing tools is more than a box to check in a media plan. It is a way to validate what consumers experience and to make a connection that much stronger.\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>4. Create surprise that\'s emotionally relevant</strong>\nWhen is the last time your brand did something surprising that reactivated a relationship or brought consumers back into the franchise through emotional depth? An unexpected move can be disruptive, but it can also lengthen an emotional bond to become lasting.\nDove\'s recent beauty social experiment was a wow that hit an emotional cord and sealed the deal that Dove owns empathetic female empowerment.\n<img class=\"wp-image-6909\" title=\"papale-dove\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/papale-dove.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"573\" height=\"355\" />\nHuggies has developed a sensor device called the Huggies Tweet Pee that attaches to baby\'s diaper to notify parents via text or Twitter that it\'s time for a change. It\'s an innovation that understands how 21st century parents relie on technology to connect them to parenting basics and creates all-too-real empathetic understanding of how busy parents are.\nLet your brand surprise with product innovation or commercial ingenuity that keeps communication fresh, relevant and empathetic.</p>\n<strong>5. Embrace companion love</strong>\nIn brand love, there\'s nothing like true loyalists. They get deeply and emotionally involved with your brand, and they spread the word; and, even if passion dies, the promise of companionship remains.\nDon\'t take loyalists for granted! Reward or harness that connection to further advance the bonds of love—and more deeply.\nMaker\'s Mark created its famous brand ambassador program not to reward long-term companions with custom batch bourbon (which it does) but to keep positive vibes going strong.\nRecently, Disney\'s Star Wars Weekends campaign used 3D printing so hardcore Star Wars fans can have their face on a life-size Stormtrooper figurine. It\'s a super-smart transfer of Star Wars loyalty to the Disney brand. These kinds of fans invest their time and energy and become deeply vested in the relationship. Focusing on those who love you deeply can grow more of those who love you deeply.\n\nNobody would possibly wish that their bond with consumers become fractured over time. But should your brand hit a bump in the road (as all good relationships do at some point), you can take a step back and look at it from a human perspective.\nMaking it work is work—but fun work. So crack open the bubbly, put on a little Marvin Gaye, and get ready to woo your consumers as if you were falling in love all over again.\n\n<a href=\"www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11352/brand-love-for-the-long-haul-five-tips-for-lasting-connections-with-customers?adref=nl080613\" target=\"_blank\">www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11352/brand-love-for-the-long-haul-five-tips-for-lasting-connections-with-customers?adref=nl080613</a>', 'Brand Love for the Long Haul', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'brand-love-for-the-long-haul', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/brand-love-for-the-long-haul', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1844, 4, '2013-08-07 17:32:54', '2013-08-07 17:32:54', '<strong>Manufacturers and retailers are partnering to create innovative ideas that have a big impact</strong>\nRetailers continue to refine their private label strategies, with packaging playing an essential role. The latest package designs put the \"brand\" in store brands, with smart looks that convey differentiated quality. And in some cases, the packaging also offers environmental benefits.\nChanges in the retail environment, supply chain and consumer preferences have paved the way for today\'s private label designs. \"From a packaging standpoint, consolidation on the manufacturing side, coupled with consolidation on the retail side, has given an opportunity to innovate more and be more strategic,\" says Todd Maute, partner at branding firm CBX, New York.</br>\nRather than mimicking the packaging of national brand owners, \"Retailers [are] partnering with manufacturers to innovate and create unique and differentiated items and trying to be first to market versus second or third,\" Maute adds. That \"has a significant impact on the strategic value of the package.\"</br>\nThe Simply Balanced brand from Minneapolis-based Target Corp. illustrates the shift. This new, healthier-for-you store brand launched in June 2013 and replaces the retailer\'s Archer Farms Simply Balanced and Archer Farms Organic private labels. The new brand includes beverages as well as grocery items.</br>\nTarget is \"strategically creating brands and unique package designs based off of what the consumer\'s expectation is in that marketplace. I call that a \'control brand\' strategy -- individual control brands that when created and designed and packaged are really there to support what they want that bull\'s-eye to mean in the customer\'s mind,\" Maute says, referring to the red bull\'s-eye logo that appears in Target\'s advertising and stores—but not on its private-label packaging.</br>\nChristopher Durham, president and chief strategist at My Private Brand, Omaha, Neb., notes the innovative graphics Target chose for its Simply Balanced packaging.</br>\n\"It\'s a very clean line, it\'s very simple,\" Durham says. \"The design certainly is a bit more whimsical or playful than we\'ve seen [with] a lot of the natural and organic designs … over the last few years, [which has] nothing fun about it.\" He explains that most natural and organic packaging, private label and otherwise, tends to \"lean on the ingredients and the seriousness of everything they\'re doing.\"</br>\nIn contrast, Durham says, the Simply Balanced package design is \"fun\" and seems designed to \"appeal to \'her,\' our shopper that\'s … trying to take better care of her family. To me, that comes to life in that packaging. Even the photography is not so serious. If you look at how that brand is positioned, Simply Balanced, it\'s very straightforward and direct and makes it easier for \'her.\'\"</br>\nMany Simply Balanced packages also incorporate a teaser of nutritional data on the front panel or label -- \"36g whole grains per serving\" or \"100 percent juice,\" for example -- to give consumers essential information without needing to turn the package over. The brevity of the data keeps the front panel from getting cluttered.</br>\n<strong>Signature store brands</strong>\nPrivate label-driven retailer Aldi, Batavia, Ill., also launched an organic store brand recently plus specialty product lines, each with its own brand identity. \"Today, retailers like Aldi are realizing the importance and impact of creating and building brands,\" says Richard Barkaway, creative director at Studio One Eleven, a division of Berlin Packaging, Chicago.</br>\n\"A good example of this is Aldi\'s Asian-inspired line, called Fusia, or their all-natural Simply Nature healthy line of products. Aldi even developed a premium line called Specially Selected, which [is] an origin-inspired line of imported products,\" Barkaway says.\nIn each case, packaging graphics establish a distinctive look and feel for the brand. The Specially Selected packaging, for example, uses script in the logo, a \"Passion for Food\" stamp-like icon and banners of bold color on an elegant black background. Launched this April, the Specially Selected line features specialty and imported products such as gourmet salad dressing, coffee, pasta, cookies, meats and cheeses.</br>\nThe marketplace reality -- and not just for Aldi -- is that \"consumers have become far more sophisticated shoppers over the past decade and are no longer looking for just the convenient value brand,\" Barkaway says. Consequently, \"retailers are no longer interested in the [me-too] strategy and are now developing believable, authentic brands that consumers resonate with.\"</br>\n<strong>Waste not</strong>\nA brand attribute with resonance for consumers in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom is environmental consciousness. For that reason, and as a matter of corporate citizenship, more retailers are taking the environment into account as they design, or redesign, their private-label packaging.\nAs part of a larger environmental mission, U.K. grocery retailer Waitrose has in recent years focused on reducing the amount of packaging it uses for its private-label products. In an announcement earlier this year, the company pledged to reduce its packaging by half by 2016 (compared with 2005).\nRecent changes to the packaging for three of Waitrose\'s private label product lines will save almost 100 tonnes of packaging annually, according to the company.</br>\nThe retailer relaunched its Menu from Waitrose line of prepared meals, which includes 49 products, reducing the package\'s sleeve width. This change will eliminate 33 tonnes of packaging annually, which translates into a 20 percent weight reduction overall.\nThe redesigned Menu from Waitrose packaging uses a lacquered aluminum tray, which lets consumers cook the products in a conventional oven and serve them in the package -- no baking or serving dishes required. The tray is recyclable.</br>\nIn addition, for its Good to Go private label sandwiches and snacks, Waitrose redesigned the packaging to reduce materials use. For example, it increased the size of windows on sandwich packs and switched from labeled packaging to printed bags for fruit portions. Thanks to these kinds of changes, Good to Go packaging has been reduced by 25 tonnes per year.</br>\nThe third change is an extension of the flow-wrap package that Waitrose rolled out three years ago for private label minced and diced beef. The retailer now also packages lamb and pork in the pouch, eliminating the plastic trays typically used in meat packaging. By getting rid of the pork and lamb trays, Waitrose says it will reduce its meat packaging by 38 tonnes per year.</br>\nIn addition to helping at the macro level by keeping trash out of landfills, Waitrose\'s packaging changes make life easier for consumers. They have less trash to deal with, and the flow-wrap meat packs take up less space in the refrigerator than the old meat packs did. There\'s also the green glow that comes from buying a package that\'s more environmentally responsible.</br>\nThis consumer angle is essential, Barkaway says: \"Designing a successful package is all about shoppability and making the user experience enjoyable for the consumer.\"</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2013/private-label-packaging.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2013/private-label-packaging.html</a>', 'Private Label Packaging Playing an Essential Role in Retailer Brand Strategies', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'private-label-packaging-playing-an-essential-role-in-retailer-brand-strategies', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/private-label-packaging-playing-an-essential-role-in-retailer-brand-strategies', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1845, 4, '2013-08-15 15:40:52', '2013-08-15 15:40:52', 'By Rick Barrack\nAt the end of the day, we’re in the interpretation business. In many cases, good design is a sign of how well a client and agency work together. I can almost envision the behind-the-scenes interactions that went on to land at the end results. And I’m willing to bet my girls’ college tuitions that the most successful designs are the result of the agency and the client knowing exactly where each other stands.\nRick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of CBX, plays out a scenario for you on his personal life experience with clients and gives you five tips in how to avoid the \"WTF\" moments.\nOkay, here’s the scenario:\nWife wants to redecorate the bedroom, complete with hardwood floors, wallpaper and furniture. Thinking of summer camp tuition for my two girls (not to mention their eventual college tuitions), I quote the immortal Tom Waits: “Let’s put a new coat of paint on this lonesome old town.” Bickering ensues, we call a truce, and I ring the contractor. Explain the general vibe we’re going for. Ask him to bring us some paint samples.\nSo I’m all “WTF?” when he shows up a few days later with three samples in varying shades of blue: navy, cobalt and robin’s egg. And they are in an eggshell finish, not the flat we’d wanted.\n“Dude,” I say, motioning to the paints.\n“What?”\n“I hate blue.”\n“Oh. Sorry. You didn’t say that.”\nAnd that’s when it hit me: For a guy who spends his days trying to meet his client’s objectives, I completely forgot to provide my contractor with a clear creative brief, as we say in our business. Here I thought I was communicating my wants, when I’d obviously underestimated the details I’d provided during our conversation. The guy’s not a mind reader, so he did what he thought was right – anticipated my preferences – and told me what he thought would look best. Which was NOT what we were expecting – and actually pretty ballsy.\nHow many times have clients thought the very same way about design work presented to them by an agency? And how many brand managers, marketing VPs and CEOs have sat across from creative directors like myself and wondered, “Why couldn’t they make the package XX like we wanted, instead of YY?”\nSo there I was, having my second “WTF?” moment of the day. Because I’m definitely guilty of providing new ideas in a phase two presentation, even though the client never asked to see any. Or showing the client black along with the red they asked for. Probably because my personal philosophy is: Give them what they ask for, give them what they need. I’ll get an understanding of their creative brief so that I can then provide solutions they want as well as a few that maybe they haven’t thought of before. The riskiest proposition you can encounter is “change for change’s sake,” regardless of the clients’ personal preferences and business challenges. We need to listen to what’s been asked for and then deliver what we think is best.\nAt the end of the day, we’re in the interpretation business. In many cases, good design is a sign of how well a client and agency work together. I can almost envision the behind-the-scenes interactions that went on to land at the end results. And I’m willing to bet my girls’ college tuitions that the most successful designs are the result of the agency and the client knowing exactly where each other stands.\n \nHere are five fundamentals for clients and agencies to consider so they can avoid a “WTF” moment:\n<strong> \n1. Meet face-to-face.</strong>\nHad my contractor and I met in person to discuss what I wanted, there would have been little-to-no room for misinterpretation\n<strong> \n2. Play-it-back.</strong>\nAfter telling my contractor what I wanted, I should have made sure that he heard me, loud and clear, so that we were on the same page. After all, not everyone hears things the same way. It’s important to ask as many questions as you need to in order to reach a solution. (head nodding is the critical sign. . . Is everyone saying the same thing)\n<strong> \n3. Trust them.</strong>\nI hired my contractor for a reason – I should have trusted that any recommendation he made was considered and professional. Same goes for clients and agencies. Agencies may give you something different from what you asked for, but you can rest assured it is the result of thoughtful consideration.\n<strong> \n4. Think macro, not micro.</strong>\nI may not like the color blue provided to me by my but separating one’s own personal taste is critical to success.\n<strong> \n5. Don’t be too prescriptive.</strong>\nWhile we want a brief to be tight, you also want to have the freedom to be able to interpret that brief in creative ways. In retrospect, I should have left the door open a little so my contractor didn’t feel too confined, and had enough leeway to flex his muscle.\n \nFor your information, we ended up painting the bedroom grey, though I’m happy to say that a shade of blue was one of our Top Three choices. In the process, I learned two important lessons. #1: Always make your wife happy (while spending the least amount of money possible). And #2: Whenever you’re about to say “WTF?” to anyone – a contractor, a client, your kid – make sure you’ve been crystal clear in your expectations of them.\n<a href=\"http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/8/7/a-client-is-a-client-is-a-client.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/8/7/a-client-is-a-client-is-a-client.html</a>\n', 'A Client is a Client is a Client', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-client-is-a-client-is-a-client', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/a-client-is-a-client-is-a-client', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1846, 4, '2013-08-15 20:33:43', '2013-08-15 20:33:43', 'Two key objectives are driving new packaging design strategy for own-label products at retail. Eye-catching, stand-out-from-the crowd identities are partnering with environmental-friendliness. Designers are tasked with establishing a distinctive look and feel, while materials are minimized and those used selected for their recyclability.\nThe consumer angle is essential, according to Food Processing. Richard Barkaway, creative director at Studio One Eleven, a division of Berlin Packaging, Chicago, believes, \"Designing a successful package is all about shoppability and making the user experience enjoyable for the consumer. ... Retailers are no longer interested in the [me-too] strategy and are now developing believable, authentic brands that consumers resonate with.\"\n\nPackaging Digest\'s editors, who judged some 200 American retailers\' submissions for the 2013 private label packaging awards, noted several trends: unique fonts, warm earth tones, stylized photography, high-quality printing for maximum shelf impact, whimsical designs targeted across age groups and limited editions which they said were \"previously the domain of national brands.\"\n\nAs Kate Bertrand Connolly wrote last year in Food Processing, \"Private label products are no longer the dowdy stepsisters of national brands.\" Using graphics to create identities easily spotted across the store gives an impression of both quality and consistency while emphasizing what she describes as the \"\'brand\' component of the store brand.\"\n\nTodd Maute, of New York branding firm CBX, emphasized that if customers are satisfied with one private label product and then see similar packaging on a different shelf, \"They\'ll get the same perception. ... The primary driver behind line looks is ... to build a common story for the brand.\"\n\nTarget\'s Simply Balanced brand, launched in June, was cited as an example of \"strategically creating brands and unique package designs based off of what the consumer\'s expectation is in that marketplace.\" Graphics were described as innovative by My Private Brand\'s president, Christopher Durham, adding that the package design is \"fun, straightforward and direct.\"\n\n<a href=\"http://www.retailwire.com/news-article/16961/whats-the-story-retailers-build-brand-identities-on-store-shelves\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.retailwire.com/news-article/16961/whats-the-story-retailers-build-brand-identities-on-store-shelves</a>', 'What\'s the Story? Retailers Build Brand Identities On Store Shelves', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'whats-the-story-retailers-build-brand-identities-on-store-shelves', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/whats-the-story-retailers-build-brand-identities-on-store-shelves', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1847, 4, '2013-08-23 18:09:26', '2013-08-23 18:09:26', 'By Todd Maute\n<strong>Go beyond national-brand ‘best practices’ to create a superior private-label brand by leveraging package design that is seen by consumers as having meaning and purpose.</strong>\n\nAre private-label brand development best practices beneficial or not? I say maybe not so much. Why? Well, let’s start by looking at the definition of “best practice”: a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means; and that are therefore used as a benchmark.\n\nIf you think about it, since their inception, retailers have been developing private-label product brands and packaging designs by following a “benchmark” that’s been set by national brands. Historically, they benchmark product spec, and follow packaging spec and color cues, and even the communication hierarchy on packaging.\n\nBut just what has this yielded for private label? I’ll tell you: on average, less than 20% to 25% of market share, depending on how you look at the numbers. Do you think that is a superior return on investment? I’d say probably not.\n\nThe issue is this: When it comes to brand development and package design, the process is really personal, emotional, and very specific to each individual brand. Of course there are some fundamental creative problem-solving processes that will help to develop great brands and great packaging—and if you insist on calling them “best practices,” then be my guest and go ahead.\n\nBut regarding private-label packaging, the term “best practices” really describes a situation where everyone ends up following the same processes and ends up developing the same end result. Let’s face it, brand and package designs that yield truly superior results are ones that have been developed “out of the box” instead of by following the leader.\n\nSo I’m saying that retailers need to take more risks by breaking the mold and doing things differently. This is the only way you will truly achieve brand status in the consumer’s mind—where brands have meaning and purpose, and where they stand for something. But a private-label brand will never reach that hallowed status by benchmarking itself against standards that other brands have already determined.\n\n<strong>\nPrivate-label brands blazing their own trail</strong>\n\nOne retailer that dared to look at branding, package design, and structure a bit differently, and has achieved brand status, is the Duane Reade/Walgreens’ Good n’ Delish brand. From a product perspective, the fundamentals of this brand were “benchmarked” against other successful premium private-label brands. Yet the company did push the envelope by developing unique and differentiated products that were sourced from local as well as international vendors.\n\nWhen it comes to premium brands, most all retailers develop unique and differentiated products, but the core difference with Duane Reade/Walgreens’ products is the way in which they were branded and packaged. Yes, some fundamental brand development “best practices” were used—including understanding who the consumer is; analyzing category and market data; a deep study of the competition; and evaluating other successful private-label programs—yet in the end, Duane Reade/Walgreens traveled down its own path to create brand meaning and purpose that would uniquely belong to its own brand and enhance its desired market positioning.\n\nThe design, for example, was a combination of gut feeling and market insights. To start, Good n’ Delish as a brand name just felt right for the unique New York City market. CBX knew that the design strategy for premium goods involves setting the product as a hero and developing a very high-quality product appeal. Yet in this case, the product depiction was more about what the brand stands for—Making NY Living Easy—and giving New Yorkers, who are notoriously demanding and expect the best, just what they wanted—a New York brand image they could relate to.\n\nThat kind of fast-forward personality is why you see a chessboard made of dark chocolate squares, salsa using street lights to depict heat levels, and cashews in cabs in New York City—the city’s residents can relate and emotionally connect with these images, bringing Duane Reade a step closer to brand status.\n\nWalgreens also made this brand connection with Ology, a nationally accessible and affordable private-label brand that’s free of harmful chemicals. The core essence is about good for you and good for the environment. It has an easy-to-remember name that means “the sciences” and a unique recyclable structure—all the elements of a successful brand, and one that stands for something that consumers can relate to and support.\n\nRetailers like Trader Joe’s also march to their own beat. Their brand stands for things like sustainability and natural living, and so does their private-label and package design strategy. Other retailers that “get” private label are Whole Foods, Target, and Safeway, all of which have created unique brands and great design that has their own image, is centered on the consumer, and supports their desired positioning in the marketplace.\n\n<strong>\nTips on leveraging package design\n</strong>\nSo what do you do after you’ve chucked the proverbial “best practices” out the window? Start by gathering good information about your customers so you know them deeply. Then find out all you can about your category. Then, as you build a private-label brand, leverage design as a powerful marketing tool that can tell your brand story and can also support your market position.\n\nIf you ignore this, and simply keep your private-label design functional and benchmark it against national brands, you might be able to get your brand to a “national average” position; but is that what you’re really looking to do? I doubt it.\n\nDon’t be afraid to look at analogous brands outside your category or area of business. You might just get inspired. Think about how truly powerful great design can be, and how far it can take your private-label brand. Think about the technology and fashion fields, and how forward-thinking design can help make people want to associate with and buy your brand.\n\nWe all know that the shopping behaviors by channel category (for example) vary. Shopping for headphones has different cues than the dynamics of shopping for a battery. Headphones are an emotional choice in which performance and style are important, while battery purchases are functional. So understanding the way design can be leveraged by category is extremely important in trying to make a solid connection with a customer. Using a single packaging design across all products, where consumer purchase intent varies, could potentially be a mistake. Instead, develop a brand and package design that communicates excitement for each product, in each category, and potentially, in each channel.\n\nYou can create that level of excitement for your products, too, if you’re willing to step outside of the box and go for it. So when you approach a private-label design initiative, I would challenge you to set a goal for the brand, understand your customer, dive into the category, and look at the world outside your business. And then push the design approach far past the functional strategy and think about how you can leverage that package to truly make an emotional connection with your customer. This will lead your program to achieve brand status and provide superior results.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/strategy/create-benchmark-busting-private-label-brand\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.packworld.com/package-design/strategy/create-benchmark-busting-private-label-brand</a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6927\" title=\"_K5L6891 Ology Group\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/K5L6891-Ology-Group-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"194\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6926\" title=\"_CBX0075 TJ Lineup\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CBX0075-TJ-Lineup-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"196\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6925\" title=\"_CBX0035 deLish Group\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CBX0035-deLish-Group-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"195\" />\n\n<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-6924\" title=\"_CBX0045 deLish Orange Choco\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CBX0045-deLish-Orange-Choco-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"195\" />\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'Create a benchmark-busting private-label brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'create-a-benchmark-busting-private-label-brand', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/create-a-benchmark-busting-private-label-brand', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(1848, 4, '2013-09-06 16:56:39', '2013-09-06 16:56:39', 'By Rick Barrack<strong>\nWhy “something old is new again” works every time with design.</strong>\n\nWhenever I hear the word “nostalgia,” an image of grumpy old Archie Bunker and his dowdy wife Edith sitting on their musty old furniture in their Queens house singing “Those Were the Days,” pops into my head. But the truth is there’s nothing old-fashioned about nostalgia, which Webster’s calls “a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period.”\n\nNostalgia has been a staple marketing and branding tactic for decades, but lately it seems like every product in the supermarket aisle is borrowing something from years gone by. Why does nostalgia speak so strongly to us as consumers? Because it taps into the fundamental human need to feel safe and secure, in our lives and in our choices. It’s like that old pair of blue jeans you never want to take off — it just feels cozy, familiar and right. And it speaks to me the way it speaks to all of us: I’m wild about Stewart’s soda bottles; I keep my receipts in an Altoids tin on my nightstand, and I’ve always loved the look of Jack Daniel’s bottles. But while existing brands are using the retro-ssaince to bring back old, and often beautiful, designs, new brands are taking retro elements and creating something entirely new, often combining these elements with undeniably modern touches.\n\nTo the first point, General Mills kicked off the recent reissue trend when it re-released its original designs for brands including Lucky Charms, Trix, Wheaties and Kix. Featuring bold graphics on bright backgrounds, these boxes were originally designed to pop on TV sets — TV being a relatively new technology at the time — but they made as big a splash when the boxes were reintroduced nearly 40 years later. Brillo is currently riding on nostalgia’s coattails in honor of its 100th birthday; earlier this year, the brand released an awesome-looking limited-edition box featuring Andy Warhol’s iconic interpretation of the brand. In 2011, Coca-Cola marked its 125th birthday by reissuing the Hutchinson, its first ever glass bottle, released in 1899.\n\nSo why do people love nostalgic packaging, other than it looks fantastic? In my opinion, it boils down to three significant points:\n\n1. It speaks to a simpler time, before our daily lives became saturated by an abundance of overt marketing messages and promotional speak.\n\n2. It helps us trust the products, because they feel personal, as if someone took the time to create them just for us.\n\n3. It validates a brand or product by appearing as if it’s been (or actually has been) around for years, in turn conveying that it has stood the test of time.</br>\n\n<strong>\nREMINISCENT OF SIMPLER TIMES </strong>\n\nIt’s hard to imagine a time other than the one we’re currently living in, where young kids have iPhones and people take photos of themselves savoring their daily lives in order to post them on Instagram (not to actually savor their daily lives). I mean, I barely remember what it was like not to have email. That’s why there’s something so refreshing about packaging that is streamlined and simple. And not just packaging — food products are now marketed on the simplicity of their ingredients.\n\nRonnybrook Farm Dairy capitalizes on this trend perfectly. The brand sells its milk in classic glass bottles, which catapults us back to the days when a milkman dropped off your milk at your door. The logo is incredibly simple, featuring two cows and the product name, as well as the town where the farm is located. A simple line, “Bottled on the farm,” appears under the logo, which also speaks to the “personalized” aspect so prevalent in products that speak to nostalgia.\n\nAnother example of the simpler-times trend is the packaging that was introduced this past August for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops and Rice Krispies. Sold exclusively at Target to celebrate Froot Loops’ 50th anniversary, it marks the first time in Kellogg’s history that they have introduced retro-inspired packaging (I wonder if the General Mills’ boxes had anything to do with that?). The boxes were designed to allow each brand to stay true to its core equity while also reminding consumers of their beloved cereal as children (which has been with them for years), and of what life was like before they were bombarded by text messages and Facebook updates. I love how these boxes tap into their historical roots while also looking totally updated and modern, and the use of their famous taglines (“They’re Gr-r-reat!”) in a larger font than the actual logo is really novel and eye catching. They’re definitely worth a special trip to Target to collect them all. Similarly, Oscar Mayer put a fresh spin on retro-inspired packaging last year, when it released playfully illustrated boxes that contained vintage-style trinkets like a bike horn, a dart board and a yo-yo.</br>\n\n<strong>\nFEELS PERSONAL AND HOMEMADE </strong>\n\nThere’s a built-in trust level in products inspired by nostalgia, because they seem as if they were made especially for us. J.R. Watkins, a manufacturer of health remedies, baking products and other household items, has — according to its packaging — been around since 1868, but the public has only taken notice of the brand in the past few years. Why? Because it reintroduced its body-care line in 2008 with packaging that has an apothecary feel, as if each product — from body lotion to baby oil — was specially formulated for you by a pharmacist. In fact, the word “Apothecary” appears front-and-center on the packaging. The logo incorporates an old-style illustration of founder J.R. Watkins himself, yet feels totally modern thanks to its choice of fonts and decorative background graphics. Each product has its “variety” called out in English and French on the bottom of the bottle in a typewriter-style font, as well as its own product number, which makes it feel as if it has been made in a small batch just for you.\n\nSimilarly, Civilized Spirits, a maker of whiskey, rum and gin based in Michigan, has a small-batch feel that instantly forges trust between the product and the consumer. Its eye-catching logo is reminiscent of another era yet undeniably modern, as is its classically beautiful bottle. The Civilized Spirits’ brand story is told through minimal copy that salutes the distillery, Mission Microdistillery, where the product is made. In my opinion, this brand, and many other liquor brands, takes a page out of the Jack Daniel’s school of branding, in which its old-school look and brand story makes it seem almost like moonshine — crafted not only especially for you but also illegally in someone’s basement!</br>\n\n\n<strong>\nHAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME </strong>\n\nProducts use nostalgia to show that they’re a trusted source that has stood the test of time. In a market where new products pop up every day and try to claim their share of their respective category, having a rich heritage goes a long way.\n\nMilk-Bone has been a trusted dog food brand since 1908, and it puts that fact right on its packaging (admittedly designed by CBX). The original logo remains, but has been enhanced to reinforce its “right to own” in the pet aisle. By reminding us of Milk-Bone’s heritage of 100-plus years, it fortifies the brand in our minds as a trusted and honest source. And when juxtaposed against a fire-engine red box, that bone and the trust factor make an even bigger visual and literal statement and more indelible mark in the mind of consumers.\n\nHow many brands can say they’ve been around since the reign of King George III? (Not that I really know much about King George III … but it sounds like he’s been around for a while.) Altoids, one of my personal favorites, was introduced in 1780 — yes, 1780! It’s made very few changes to its original design over the years, namely moving from a cardboard box to a metal tin in 1920 and introducing its now-legendary tag line, “Curiously Strong Mints.” That line and the overall design — with its classically elegant logo, a simple illustration of a peppermint plant and a “Made in Great Britain” phrase — harken back to its quintessentially British lineage. By rooting its story and design in this history, Altoids has become one of the world’s most iconic brand identities.\n\nOf course, not all retro design is good design, especially in a time when so many brands are manufacturing nostalgia as a marketing tactic. In order to incorporate nostalgia in a way that looks distinctive, not copycat, you’ll need to keep the following pointers in mind:\n\n1. <strong>Use a little of this, a little of that.</strong>\nBrands like J.R. Watkins and Civilized Spirits take the best elements of the past and combine them with modern elements of today to create something own able and distinctive.</br>\n2. <strong>Practice restraint.</strong>\nWhether we’re talking about design or copy, less is always more. Altoids’ classic “Simply Curious” line and Ronnybrook’s “Bottled on the farm” message are memorable by brevity, choice in their executions and focused in their deliveries.</br>\n3. <strong>Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.</strong>\nOften, a company’s original design — à la Coke’s original glass bottles or Froot Loops’ Toucan Sam illustration — can retain its charm from generation to generation. Brands like Heinz ketchup and Campbell Soup Company, for example, have kept the same design for many decades. They are effective, and they look as modern today as when they were first introduced. I would urge brands to think twice before eliminating original elements in their designs, and that when introducing a new visual asset, they carefully assess its timelessness.</br>\n\nLet me apologize now if I’ve gone overboard waxing poetically about all these terrific examples of nostalgic design. Given that our agency is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, I can’t help but find myself a little bit nostalgic for my early days in the industry. Man, maybe I’m undergoing a little retro-ssaince of my own these days — though that’s certainly not a bad thing.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84549-nostalgic-packaging-those-were-the-days\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84549-nostalgic-packaging-those-were-the-days</a>', 'Nostalgic Packaging: Those Were the Days', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'nostalgic-packaging-those-were-the-days', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/nostalgic-packaging-those-were-the-days', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1849, 4, '2013-09-09 21:14:49', '2013-09-09 21:14:49', 'By Gregg S. Lipman\nIn the ten years since I co-founded a brand agency, I\'ve often been asked, \"Who or what is your greatest professional influence?\" And while I\'d love to say something intellectual or provocative like \"Steve Jobs,\" \"David Ogilvy\" or \"my father,\" the truth is, much of the wisdom I refer to on a daily basis comes from the comedic films of the 1980s.\n\nYup. Believe it.\n\nCall me what you want -- guy with a Peter Pan syndrome, John Hughes junkie, whatever -- but for me, these films spewed a kind of rare wisdom that no amount of \"T&amp;A\" could diminish. And I try to manage my company and my staff with that same respect for the fundamentals that these films all had -- because in order to create a forum where good ideas can flourish, you need to have a good foundation. Okay, so maybe Belushi didn\'t always represent that in <em>Animal House</em>, but a lot of the characters in my favorite 80s films -- movies like <em>Spring Break</em>, Revenge of <em>the Nerds</em> and the film Tim Robbins never acknowledges on his resume, <em>Fraternity Vacation</em> -- had a disarming sweetness about them that I think is incredibly effective in the branding world.\n\nSo, skinny ties and big hair aside, here are five quotes from 80s movies that I refer to on a weekly basis when making management decisions.\n\n<em>Caddyshack:</em> \"Let\'s pretend like we\'re real human beings.\"\nChevy Chase\'s Ty Webb in <em>Caddyshack</em> is one of my favorite characters ever; he utters this line while trying to bed Lacey Underall (don\'t get me started). And this quote has total relevance in my day-to-day, as I often try to remind my staff that at the end of the day, we\'re all just real people. If we can simply cut out the bullshit that stops us from connecting, we have an amazing opportunity to do great things. Whether or not that work is as important as bedding Lacey Underall...well, that\'s for you to decide.\n\n<em>Risky Business: </em>\"Sometimes you gotta say, \'What the f&amp;8ck.\'\"\nBefore cute, relatively unknown tom cruise was the scary Scientology mega-star Tom Cruise, he made what many consider the greatest coming-of-age movie since <em>The Graduate</em>. The naiveté of his Joel Goodsen character in <em>Risky Business</em> is precisely why he was a keen businessman, and ultimately a prime candidate for Princeton (he utters this line to the admissions officer, though it is his friend Miles -- who other 80s movie fans will remember as Booger in <em>Revenge of the Nerds</em> -- who initially imparts this wisdom to Joel). And in my day-to-day, I definitely encourage my team to say, \"What the f&amp;8ck,\" in order to take risks and produce work that\'s not only distinctive, but often game-changing. In fact, the longer version of that quote has this at the end: \"Saying \'What the Fuck\' brings freedom. Freedom brings opportunity, opportunity makes your future.\" Precisely.\n\n<em>Back to the Future Part</em> I: \"Roads? Where we\'re going, we don\'t need roads.\"\n\"Doc\" Brown, one of my favorite film characters ever, utters this legendary line at the very end of the first <em>Back to the Future</em> movie (I don\'t even acknowledge the sequel), right before he and Marty McFly jet off in their DeLorean time machine to 1988 -- \"the future.\" And the notion that you really can\'t predict what\'s coming down the line, no matter how hard you try, is so integral to the kind of work we do every day. We always need to focus on the task at hand, and not pretend like we know what\'s going to happen the day after tomorrow. At the same time, it\'s important to create work that stands the test of time, and which will still be around if and when you do go <em>Back to the Future</em>.\n\n<em>The Breakfast Club</em>: \"You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out, is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess and a criminal.\"\nThis quote comes from the letter that <em>The Breakfast Club</em> writes to Principal Vernon at the end of the detention day. Quite literally, it speaks to the fact that nobody -- including the misfits in the film -- is as they seem. And as far as organizational structure goes, it also speaks to the fact that everybody in our company has value, based on who they are and the experience they bring. While each has an area of expertise, the melting pot of perspectives and the open environment in which to express them provides a grounding to our work -- we are different, but we are the same.\n\n<em>Stripes:</em> Winger: C\'mon, it\'s Czechoslovakia. We zip in, we pick \'em up, we zip right out again. We\'re not going to Moscow. It\'s Czechoslovakia. It\'s like we\'re going into Wisconsin. Russell: Well, I got the shit kicked out of me in Wisconsin once.\nWhat can I say about a movie whose tagline was, \"The story of a man who wanted to keep the world safe for democracy...and meet girls\"? Well, a lot actually. This quote is so fitting to what we do every day, because having realistic expectations for any given project is key to getting the job done, and done well. You can never really predict how things will turn out, but going into a job knowing what could happen helps mentally prepare you for possible pitfalls along the way.\n\nOkay, so I know what you\'re thinking: This grown man (me) has based his whole management style on those dirty, ridiculous movies from a decade that most people mock? Well, I\'m here to tell you there\'s a helluva lot more than just silly banter in these films; if you look deeply enough, you can find the meaning of life. Or at least, enough wisdom to keep a company going for 10 years, keep employees feeling inspired about their day-to-day, and keep me laughing my butt off in good times and bad. \"Razzle, Dazzle...and that\'s the fact, Jack.\"\n\n<a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/risky-business-management_b_3868895.html?view=screen\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/risky-business-management_b_3868895.html?view=screen</a>', 'Risky Business: Management Wisdom Gleaned From 80s Movies', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'risky-business-management-wisdom-gleaned-from-80s-movies', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '2018-09-27 17:58:47', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/risky-business-management-wisdom-gleaned-from-80s-movies', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1850, 4, '2013-09-10 14:17:30', '2013-09-10 14:17:30', 'By Joseph Bona\nConsumer product manufacturers have historically focused on just one type of “real estate” — namely, that relatively small amount of shelf space where their brands jockey for attention in the store. But over the past few years, a few manufacturers have been doing deals with landlords to launch spacious retail stores focused exclusively on brands like Chobani Greek Yogurt, McCormick seasonings or Spanx hosiery. Is the goal here to dive into commercial real estate and blanket the country with storefronts along the lines of a Dollar General or a Walgreens? Not likely. However, by opening retail stores focused exclusively on their brands, these companies do stand to accomplish something important: Deepening their connections with consumers.\n\nWhen Chobani launched its New York City yogurt store back in August 2012, it created a kind of church dedicated specifically to the conversion of legions into Chobani evangelists. At the bustling Prince Street store, Chobani fans — foodies, dieters, health nuts and everything in between — delight in sampling and buying all kinds of yogurt creations whipped up on site by highly trained associates. The store may or may not turn a profit, but it definitely tells a good story.\n\nThe most successful stories are often those that can be summed up in just a sentence (“It’s about this 10-year-old wizard who has to stop the world’s most evil villain”). Honing and clarifying the message in this way takes lots of practice. By opening retail stores, in other words, brands gain the opportunity to experiment with their storytelling. The store is, in a sense, a lab in which the company can tinker with product offerings, tweak marketing messages, and absorb data related to the behavior and preferences of loyal customers.\n\nIn Baltimore, McCormick World of Flavors gives McCormick &amp; Co. the opportunity to highlight all of its products in a colorful space filled with the sights, sounds and aromatic smells associated with cooking, baking and grilling. It’s one thing to see an ad for McCormick brands like Old Bay, Vahiné or Grill Mates; it’s quite another to taste expertly seasoned food spiced up on site in the McCormick store. The storefront, which opened in August 2012, even boasts its own line of flavored salsas, olive oils, vinegars and tapenades.\n\nThis is not to suggest that profit is never part of the picture for brand-focused retail stores. The products of the Atlanta-based hosiery company Spanx are famously popular, and so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the company’s stores in Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey and Atlanta actually make money. According to NPD Group, consumers spent $725 million on Spanx and Spanx-like hosiery in the 12-month period that ended on June 30.\n\nHigh-traffic sites such as McCormick’s store — which is located in Harborplace at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, one of the most photographed and visited places in the city —do create another interesting possibility. Because the experience is still fresh in their minds, the thousands of tourists and locals who visit places like McCormick World of Flavors might actually be more likely to shop this brand the next time they go back to their local supermarkets.\n\nBut even if such efforts fail to drive profits for the likes of Spanx, McCormick and Chobani, they can certainly help manufacturers learn valuable lessons about how to be as focused and brand-centric as possible. This is no small feat in an economy in which many brands struggle to connect with customers.\n\nOf course, question marks continue to loom over brick-and-mortar real estate. Critics point out that we now live in a world in which Amazon Prime subscribers can have anything and everything shipped to their homes — for free — with just a few swipes on their iPhones or iPads. But after talking with a few Chobani evangelists about their experiences with the New York store, it seems clear that something clicked for these consumers once they spent some time in that space. With its clarity of message and novel offerings, the store took the brand loyalty of these customers to a new level.\n\nTheoretically, a brick-and-mortar store is the last place you might expect to see buyers of the Apple iPad or Google Glass (the eyeglasses-mounted computer set to go on sale next year), because these are among the most tech-savvy shoppers around. But look at how profitable and jam-packed Apple’s stores happen to be. And consider all the rumors swirling about Google’s alleged plans to sell its Android products and Google Glass in branded retail stores. It all speaks to the advantages of brick-and-mortar real estate.\n\nThrough their experiments as commercial real estate leaseholders, manufacturers can export the most successful experiential elements from their stores — imagery, themes, displays, samples, demonstrations and more — back to the supermarkets or other outlets where their products are sold.\n\nToday, retailers are adopting channel-neutral approaches in which they do their best to reach consumers in whatever ways the consumers prefer. Likewise, manufacturers now appear to be taking something similar to an “omni-channel” approach to brand building. In other words,they see offshoot retail locations as just one of many points of consumer contact, along with the likes of YouTube videos, Facebook pages and, of course, the all-important shelf space in other companies’ stores.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.cpgmatters.com/In-StoreMarketing0913.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.cpgmatters.com/In-StoreMarketing0913.html</a>', 'From Shelf to Storefront: Brand-Building via Retail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'from-shelf-to-storefront-brand-building-via-retail', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/from-shelf-to-storefront-brand-building-via-retail', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1851, 4, '2013-08-14 15:18:25', '2013-08-14 15:18:25', 'By Peter Burgoyne\nCurating the in-store experience is about much more than aesthetics. This can be tough for some designers to swallow. Aesthetic experience, after all, is the reason many of us get out of bed in the morning. For better or for worse, the truth is that everything the customer experiences in the store must reflect the brand experience.\n\nFor example, a few years ago many retailers became obsessed with the idea of marrying nicer visual presentations with exacting approaches to \"SKU rationalization.\" For upscale chains in particular, this disciplined approach was often a good way to improve the look, feel and functionality of the store. But over time, value chains that tried this approach often ended up wanting an annulment. They loved the look of those wide aisles and the minimalist chic of those barebones merchandising strategies. But, the marriage of SKU rationalization and hipness tended to send consumers an unintended message-namely, that this was not a store for bargain-hunters. Value shoppers don\'t mind sasquatch-high shelves heaped with merchandise. If the presentation feels too precious, in fact, they\'ll sense that something is wrong.\n\nDesigners also need to think about how their work will affect those who work inside the store, because virtually every element of the in-store design graphics, lighting, architecture, you name it-will affect how employees feel about the brand.\n\nSo, it is little wonder brand consultants spend so much time encouraging clients to define exactly what they stand for. Once those brand attributes are honed to diamond-like clarity, they can be used to sharpen all other facets of the in-store experience. When a luxe department store chain asked us to DDI I August 2013 redevelop the men\'s collection at its Beverly Hills store, the company had a clear idea-it wanted to present the merchandise \"as a fusion of an and fashion.\" So, we created several unexpected sculptural elements. For example, we fused glowing, translucent, acrylic surfaces into the wood lattice structure of the fitting room. These and other architectural moments sent the message the chain wanted: \"You will find the very best fashion here.\"\n\nFor Duane Reade, our rebranding campaign emphasized the local connection, not only to New York, but also to specific neighborhoods within it. For the Wall Street store, (or instance, we brought in on-the-go elements, like a shoeshine stand, a sushi bar, a cafe, and a hair and nail salon. In hip Williamsburg, we created a growler bar with gritty urban graphics. When supported by a strong, foundational brand strategy, such amenities can bring real relevance.\n\nAnd, of course, the look and feel of any and all apps, mobile-optimized websites and the like must also be brand-resonant, because these days the customer experience tends to begin long before the shopper walks into the store. Hair Cuttery is working with us to develop a new app that allows customers to book appointments right from their phones. When you wait one or two minutes instead of 30, it is a very different in-store experience indeed.\n\nDesigners tend to derive a lot of joy from aesthetics. But, the good ones also tend to love storytelling every bit as much. This is precisely what makes curating the in-store experience so much fun. After all, it takes a lot of creativity to weave compelling narratives out of such disparate elements.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201308/#/74\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201308/#/74</a>', 'Curating the in-store experience', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'curating-the-in-store-experience-2', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/curating-the-in-store-experience-2', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1852, 4, '2013-08-19 19:59:25', '2013-08-19 19:59:25', 'By Todd Maute\nCompetition has always been heavy in retail. But, for a variety of reason, it has turned into a veritable slugfest over the past few years. Amid such trends as consolidation, Internet retailing and product commoditization, retailers have just a few ways in which to set themselves apart. Virtually all of these differentiators hinge on one thing: brand.\n\nThis is why pharmacies have been working so hard to make progress in brand development and private label branding in particular. The goal is twofold: First, drug chains aim to strengthen consumer impressions in ways that have more to do with emotions and psychology than mechanistic, tactical approaches along the lines of, \"Can we have the lowest price on the street?” Second, they want to capture incremental share from other trade classes, and even health services companies.\n\nAnd so, certain chains are now being far more precise about private label branding in the pharmacy context. Walmart, for one, uses its catchall Equate brand for generalized, over-the counter products such as medicine, vitamins and personal care items. But the discounter doesn’t just segment by category: Its ReliOn brand speaks to a specific customer segment -people with diabetes.\n\nOther chains have created multiple tiers of attractive, high-quality brands, from value all the way up to premium. In June, for example, CVS/ pharmacy announced that it had added a premium tier to its redesign Gold Emblem consumables brand. The company also offers more than 100 beauty products via Nuance Salma Hayek. Duane Reade\'s DeLish is another example of a private label brand carefully tiered to the preferences and needs of specific consumers.\n\nAll of this is taking place, of course, amid a revolution in private label that has evolved over the past 20 years or so. Thanks to this revolution, the product and packaging quality of private label brands has risen dramatically.\nLittle wonder the consumer perception of these products is so favorable. Studies have shown that most shoppers now believe private label brands are every bit as good as the nationals. Research also shows that companies with the strongest private label brands also tend to have the highest customer loyalty. And isn\'t that what everyone is shooting for?\n\nIn general, though, pharmacies still have a way to go on private label. Some chains are weak in certain categories and strong in others, but the improvements in private label image have to do with the bigger picture.\n\nAll too often, pharmacies rely on what might be described as product-led strategies. In a product-led approach, somebody else develops the product and it\'s the retailer\'s job to determine what brand it might fit in (often driven purely by the quality level of the product itself) and then roll out the line. In a brand-led strategy, by contrast, the pharmacy relies on market and customer research to develop a long-term branding initiative specifically matched to its core customers, the consumers it wants to woo moving forward, as well as the overall brand image it wants to promote.\n\nWhen Walgreens wanted to cultivate health and wellness as a platform, for example, it looked first at research demonstrating the big population of health conscious and environmentally aware people who shopped the store. Only after creating and developing Ology, its green-and healthy private brand, did Walgreens go looking for products.\n\nSuch brand-led strategies can yield a host of benefits. A few years ago, A&amp;P started a health-and-wellness program called Live Better! It was more a marketing platform than a true brand, but Live Better! proved a big hit with shoppers. This persuaded A&amp;P to transform it into a private label brand by bringing Live Better! to the 0-T-C drug arena. And so now, instead of generic aspirin, consumers shop for Live Better! Aspirin. They have grown accustomed to a lifestyle brand that speaks to their needs. A&amp;P has continued this initiative by expanding Live Better! to the perimeter fresh department and even perish able produce items. And why not? Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is part and parcel of a healthier lifestyle, and that makes it a natural extension of Live Better!\n\nAnother example is Duane Reade\'s Good &amp; DeLish. Created in partnership with CBX, this brand demonstrates how customer insights and desired positioning can drive brand development. Here, the New York City chain took a close look at its affluent customer base and saw an opportunity to sell more premium food. Duane Reade had a deep understanding of its customers and their preferences. DeLish as a brand name offers a touch of urban slang that you would hear in the city. For Duane Reade, this positioning is all about the tag line \"New York living made easy.\" By offering a premium brand of food that New Yorkers could relate to, Duane Reade saw a surefire way to connect with its core customers. With each product addition to this brand – premium cookies, candies, pastas - Duane Reade has been able to make this brand\'s story come to life in its customers\' minds.\n\nThis is an approach to private label in which brands are literally regarded as assets. A few short years ago Duane Reade was a different chain. Its New York City stores were located on some fantastic corners, but the experience inside them was anything but inspiring. Then its owners made a serious investment in customer-facing improvements geared toward reinvigorating the stores. A key part of this strategy was a brand-led approach to private label.\n\nIn creating DeLish, Duane Reade knew it had a target customer who would buy premium- type products. It then sourced products for the brand rather than going the other way around. When Walgreens acquired Duane Reade in 2010, CEO Greg Wasson lauded this brand-led strategy, citing Duane Reade\'s \"recent initiatives in urban retailing, customer loyalty and private brand products.\" The Duane Reade nameplate had been transformed into an asset, and private label had a lot to do with it.\n\nBy thinking about private label a bit differently - namely, as a marketing tool versus a margin enhancer- pharmacies can set themselves apart, bolster shopper loyalty, improve price perception and, at the same time, boost their bottom lines through the higher gross margins private label products deliver. But they can\'t do this alone. Operationally, it is critical to partner with the right set of manufacturers and to rely on best-in-class consumer metrics. The best pharmacies think of their private label vendors as partners, not as mere procurement sources. They work together to create a reason for customers to believe in a brand. They also merchandise with pride, and promote their brands as though they were national leaders - not lower-tier alternatives.\n\nIn reality, the statistics for private label are positive, but should retail pharmacies be satisfied with the considerable progress they have made thus far? Clearly there is more work to be done. By taking a step back and working with brand-led approaches, pharmacies can push private label to the next level.\n\nChain Drug Review, August 19th 2013', 'Time is now for pharmacies to ramp up private label', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'time-is-now-for-pharmacies-to-ramp-up-private-label', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/time-is-now-for-pharmacies-to-ramp-up-private-label', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1853, 4, '2013-09-17 16:32:40', '2013-09-17 16:32:40', '<strong>Chobani, Spanx and other brands are learning valuable lessons by launching their own brick-and-mortar stores, writes CBX executive in online column for CPGmatters.</strong>\nBy opening storefronts focused exclusively on their own brands, the likes of Chobani Greek Yogurt, McCormick seasonings and Spanx hosiery are showing other consumer product manufacturers how brick-and-mortar real estate can be used creatively to strengthen ties to consumers, writes Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in the early September issue of CPGmatters, a twice-monthly e-zine designed to help makers of consumer packaged goods build brands through retail.\n\n“By opening retail stores, brands gain the opportunity to experiment with their storytelling,” writes the veteran store designer. “The store is, in a sense, a lab in which the company can tinker with product offerings, tweak marketing messages, and absorb data related to the behavior and preferences of loyal customers.”\n\nIn the column, titled “From Shelf to Storefront: Brand-Building via Retail,” Bona notes that few consumer product manufacturers aim to blanket the country with retail stores along the lines of Dollar General or Walgreens. Rather, the focus is on sharpening the brand and learning as much as possible about the tastes and preferences of their loyal customers.\n\n“When Chobani launched its New York City yogurt store back in August 2012, it created a kind of church dedicated specifically to the conversion of legions into Chobani evangelists,” Bona writes. “At the bustling Prince Street store, Chobani fans—foodies, dieters, health nuts and everything in between—delight in sampling and buying all kinds of yogurt creations whipped up on site by highly trained associates. The store may or may not turn a profit, but it definitely tells a good story.”\n\nLikewise, Baltimore’s McCormick World of Flavors gives McCormick &amp; Co. the opportunity to highlight all of its products in a colorful space filled with the sights, sounds and aromatic smells associated with cooking, baking and grilling, Bona writes. “It’s one thing to see an ad for McCormick brands like Old Bay, Vahiné or Grill Mates; it’s quite another to taste expertly seasoned food spiced up on site in the McCormick store,” he notes.\n\nQuestion marks continue to loom over the ultimate fate of brick-and-mortar real estate, with critics pointing to the efficiency and tremendous growth of Amazon and the rise of mobile commerce via smartphones and tablets. “But after talking with a few Chobani evangelists about their experiences with the New York store, it seems clear that something clicked for these consumers once they spent some time in that space,” Bona writes. “With its clarity of message and novel offerings, the store took the brand loyalty of these customers to a new level.”\n\nEven tech giants like Apple and Google see the upside of brick-and-mortar, Bona writes. Rumors are swirling about the possibility of brick-and-mortar stores focused on selling Google’s Android products and Google Glass, the eyeglasses-mounted computer set to go on sale next year, he notes. “And look at how profitable and jam-packed Apple’s stores happen to be. It all speaks to the advantages of brick-and-mortar real estate.”\n\nThrough their experiments as commercial real estate leaseholders, manufacturers can export the most successful experiential elements from their stores—imagery, themes, displays, samples, demonstrations and more—back to the supermarkets or other outlets where their products are sold, Bona adds. Indeed, these companies appear to be embracing something similar to retailers’ increasingly popular “omni-channel” focus. “In other words,” Bona writes in the conclusion to the piece, “they see offshoot retail locations as just one of many points of consumer contact, along with the likes of YouTube videos, Facebook pages and, of course, the all-important shelf space in other companies’ stores.”', 'Consumer Brands Boots Loyalty by Opening Storefronts, Bona writes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'consumer-brands-boots-loyalty-by-opening-storefronts-bona-write', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '2018-09-27 17:56:36', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/consumer-brands-boots-loyalty-by-opening-storefronts-bona-write', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1854, 4, '2013-09-18 16:23:26', '2013-09-18 16:23:26', '<strong>Headquarters:</strong>New York\n\n<strong>Key Projects:</strong>\nSaks Fifth Avenue, Beverly Hills, Calif. (shown); Duane Reade, multiple New York locations; Lord &amp; Taylor, Philadelphia; RadioShack, multiple U.S. locations; Terpel, Colombia\n\n<a href=\"http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201309/#/46\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201309/#/46</a>', 'CBX Design Firm of the Year', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-design-firm-of-the-year', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '2018-09-27 17:56:35', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-design-firm-of-the-year', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1855, 4, '2013-09-09 17:28:22', '2013-09-09 17:28:22', 'A weekly roundup of small-business developments.What’s affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners today.\n\n<strong>Washington</strong>\nHere are <a href=\"http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2013/09/update-four-charts-to-track-timing-for.html?\" target=\"_blank\">four charts</a> that will help you track whether the Federal Reserve will taper its quantitative easing.\nIt seems the sequestration budget cuts are hurting small consulting firms: “The $85 billion in budget cuts officially began March 1, but owners like LaJuanna Russell started feeling the effect last summer. Government employees cut contracts in advance, anticipating they’d lose funding. Among those badly hurt were businesses that provide training and consulting services not considered essential. Like Russell, they’ve had to lay off workers as their revenue plunged.”\n\n<strong>Start-Ups</strong>\nMark Cuban’s <a href=\"http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222524\" target=\"_blank\">12 rules</a> for starting a company.\n\n<strong>Employees</strong>\nThis <a href=\"http://econintersect.com/b2evolution/blog1.php/2013/09/08/infographic-of-the-day-do-business-owners-and-employees-see-eye-to-eye\" target=\"_blank\">infographic</a> examines whether employees and business owners see eye-to-eye when it comes to how they view their companies.\nAn organization with 30 employees <a href=\"http://recruiterbox.com/blog/top-5-hr-time-savers/\" target=\"_blank\">wastes more than 150 hours</a> — or four weeks — every year tracking vacations.\n\n<strong>Management</strong>\nResearch reveals that more business travelers are <a href=\"http://www.tourism-review.com/business-travelers-mix-work-with-vacations-news3834\" target=\"_blank\">taking time for themselves</a> as well.\nGregg S. Lipman says there is much management wisdom that <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/risky-business-management_b_3868895.html\" target=\"_blank\">you can glean from ’80s movies</a> like “Stripes”: “What can I say about a movie whose tagline was, ‘The story of a man who wanted to keep the world safe for democracy … and meet girls’? Well, a lot actually. This quote is so fitting to what we do every day, because having realistic expectations for any given project is key to getting the job done, and done well.”\n\n<strong>Around the Country</strong>\nMore than a thousand people near Los Angeles stood in a line on Saturday to get a taste of the <a href=\"http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/food/la-dd-ramen-burger-la-first-taste-20130907,0,682944.story\" target=\"_blank\">Ramen Burger</a>.\n\n<strong>Social Media</strong>\nHere are <a href=\"http://mashable.com/2013/09/06/vine-brands/\" target=\"_blank\">15 brands</a> doing great on Vine.\nBelle Beth Cooper sums up <a href=\"http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2013/09/07/a-scientific-guide-to-posting-tweets-facebook-posts-emails-and-blog-posts-at-the-best-time/\" target=\"_blank\">the best times to tweet, post, blog and send your e-mails</a>. For example: “Seventy percent of users say they read blogs in the morning, and Mondays are the highest traffic days for an average blog.”\n\nTechnology\nApple’s new iPhone will <a href=\"http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/09/07/iphone-finger-print/2777849/\" target=\"_blank\">read your fingerprints</a>, but Amazon may be building a smartphone that will sell for … <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/amazon-smartphone-free_n_3882721.html\" target=\"_blank\">nothing</a>.\n\n<a href=\"http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/today-in-small-business-mark-cubans-rules/?_r=1\" target=\"_blank\">http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/today-in-small-business-mark-cubans-rules/?_r=1</a>', 'Today in Small Business: Mark Cuban’s Rules', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'today-in-small-business-mark-cubans-rules', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:13', '2018-09-27 17:42:13', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/today-in-small-business-mark-cubans-rules', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(1856, 4, '2013-09-24 20:35:38', '2013-09-24 20:35:38', '<em>This year\'s Store Design Contest winners represent a whole new class of convenience</em>\nAs the convenience store industry continues to elevate its offerings, consumers are continuously raising their expectations. Some might say they\'re becoming \"convenience connoisseurs.\"\n\nC-store retailers, as a result, are churning out new stores that are larger than ever before, made with higher-quality materials than ever before, offer more products and services than ever before – and perhaps most importantly, tap into the spoken and unspoken desires of customers.\n\nThe winners of this year\'s Convenience Store News Store Design Contest reinvent the corner store and redefine what a c-store should be. From Bolla Market\'s marble bathrooms, wood-grain gondolas and black tile flooring, to Wawa\'s \"fresh and inviting\" point of view, to Jubitz Travel Center\'s ability to bring the natural outdoor beauty of Oregon inside, these award-winning designs are sure to please even the most discerning convenience connoisseur.\n\nThe CSNews design awards, now in their eighth year, honor convenience retailers who have created the most exciting, innovative and shopper-friendly looks for their stores. Entries are judged on innovation, creativity and the positive impact of the overall design on the business.\n\nHere, we highlight the winners and honorable mentions for Best Original Store Design (a new build), Best Interior Design (also a new build), Sky\'s the Limit Remodel (more than $250,000), Best Mid-Budget Remodel ($100,000 to $250,000) and Best Low-Cost Remodel (less than $100,000).\n\nThe winners in specialty categories, such as Best Exterior Design and Best Fountain Presentation, will be featured in the October issue of Convenience Store News.\n\n<strong>Best Original Store Design</strong>\nHonorable Mention: Wawa\nOrlando, Fla.\n\nAlready deeply entrenched in the Mid-Atlantic market, Pennsylvania-based Wawa Inc. approached design firm CBX in 2009 for help in writing the next chapter in the convenience store chain\'s story – expansion into a new market for the first time in its 200-year history.\n\nWawa\'s plans to enter Florida, specifically the Orlando and Tampa areas, served as a catalyst for it to reexamine its brand equity not only for the Sunshine State, but also in its core market.\n\nCBX was called upon to help the retailer figure out how to successfully evolve the \"fresh and inviting\" essence and personality of the Wawa brand to be relevant in the new market, while at the same time taking a synergistic approach in its core market to ensure brand consistency.\n\nWawa\'s new store design was developed by staying true to the overarching point-of-view of \"fresh and inviting.\" After exploring how far it could stretch the unique customer experience on both an emotional and functional spectrum, the concept of \"residential\" was chosen.\n\nThe residential design utilizes familiar architecture for the exterior, evoking the feeling of home by using a creamy, soft color palette and natural finishes. For the interior, natural light, high ceilings, architectural detailing and rich textures are used to harmoniously tie back to the exterior.\n\nThe new concept also positions Wawa as a food destination rather than just another c-store through the use of \"fresh cues.\" Natural materials, warm colors and ties to the kitchen bring a sense of freshness to the interior. In addition, the visible food preparation area, coffee section, fresh baked goods and walk-in refreshment cooler further speak to the concept of communal kitchen.\n\nWawa\'s first Florida store sporting this design debuted in Orlando on July 18, 2012.\n\n<strong>Best Low-Cost Remodel, Honorable Mention</strong>\nTerpel\nBogota, Columbia\nOwner: Organizacíon Terpel\nDesigner: CBX\n\nIt was a collaboration that transcended continents, with the common goal being to create a compelling design that Bogota, Colombia-based Organización Terpel could implement for the next 10 years. Working with New York-based design firm CBX, Terpel was able to create a fresh new look, from its corporate logo to the architecture of its retail locations.\n\n\"Our role was to reinforce Terpel\'s ongoing commitment to providing quality products and services, but with a new view toward being one of Colombia\'s most innovative and forward-thinking companies,\" said Joseph Bona, president of branded environments at CBX. \"We examined the entire customer journey experience, from the curb to the pump and convenience store, to the car wash and lube bay. Equally important while designing the new ground-up prototype, we also developed a ‘retrofittable\' design approach for adaptation to [its] existing portfolio of facilities.\"\n\nCBX\'s design and strategy teams worked closely with Asburn, Va.-based The Murphy Group LLC, which independently consulted Terpel on business strategies. The collaborative result is a modern and low-cost solution to remodel Terpel\'s retail network, which includes 1,460 service stations, 28 supply plants and operations in 20 Colombian airports.\n\nThe outdoor station upgrades include a reinvented canopy, LED lighting, a pylon and fuel island, as well as a high-tech car wash that can clean a car in 3.5 minutes.\n\nInside, Terpel is rolling out four convenience store formats – alto, toque, altoque and deuna – each with \"impeccable restrooms\" and their own amenities. Descriptions for altoque and deuna stores are not yet available, but according to Terpel\'s corporate website, alto stores currently offer customers \"the best traditional Colombian food, snacks, refreshing beverages and sweets,\" as well as Wi-Fi and ATMs. At toque stores, customers will be able to use Skype while touchscreen ordering beverages, snacks and coffee.\n\nTerpel\'s new design debuted in January. As of June, the company had remodeled 27 stations. Its first complete site with a new c-store, canopy, lube bay and car wash is expected to open this year.\n\n<strong>Best Original Store Design</strong>\nNOCO Express\nLancaster, N.Y.\nOwner: NOCO Inc.\nDesigner: Paragon Solutions Inc., TRM Architects\n\n<strong>Best Original Store Design, Honorable Mention</strong>\nWawa\nOrlando, Fla.\nOwner: Wawa Inc.\nDesigner: CBX\n\n<strong>Best Interior Design</strong>\nCorner Store\nHarris County, Texas\nOwner: CST Brands Inc.\nDesigner: Antista Fairclough\n\n<strong>Best Interior Design, Honorable Mention</strong>\nBolla Market\nBrooklyn, N.Y.\nOwner: Bolla Management Corp.\n\nSky\'s the Limit Remodel\nJubitz Travel Center\nPortland, Ore.\nOwner: Jubitz Corp.\nDesigner: Paragon Solutions Inc.\n\n<strong>Sky\'s the Limit Remodel, Honorable Mention</strong>\nCruizers\nRaleigh, N.C.\nOwner: Holmes Oil Co.\nDesigner: Paragon Solutions Inc.\n\n<strong>Best Mid-Budget Remodel</strong>\nHigh\'s\nEdgewater, Md.\nOwner: High\'s of Baltimore LLC\nDesigner: L2M Architects\n\n<strong>Best Mid-Budget Remodel, Honorable Mention</strong>\nIdaza\nRio do Sul and Curitiba, Brazil\nOwner: Idaza Distribuidora de Petróleo\nDesigner: Gabriela Cervi, Gge Design\n\n<strong>Best Low-Cost Remodel</strong>\nEarth Market\nFrankfort, Ill.\nOwner: Atlas Oil Co.\nDesigner: Xcel Construction, Paragon Solutions Inc., GSP Marketing\n\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/article-reinventing_the_corner_store-6196.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.csnews.com/article-reinventing_the_corner_store-6196.html</a>', 'Reinventing the Corner Store', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'reinventing-the-corner-store', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/reinventing-the-corner-store', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1857, 4, '2013-10-01 17:14:58', '2013-10-01 17:14:58', '<strong>Retailer Innovator of the Year Wawa recreates and enhances its brand in a new market</strong>\nTo say that Floridian consumers were desperately in need of a Wawa fix might be an overstatement. But then again, maybe not, according to posts on the Pennsylvania-based chain\'s heavily trafficked Facebook page.\n\n\"Desperately waiting for Sarasota FL Wawa\'s! Since moving from NJ having serious withdrawal!!!\" wrote one Florida convenience store customer.\n	\n\n\"Can\'t wait until the one opens on 301 and MLK and the one on Hillsborough across from the Hard Rock – that will be TWO Wawas within a mile of me – doin\' the happy Wawa dance,\" another giddy Floridian recently posted on Wawa\'s Facebook page, which has accumulated more than 1 million \"likes.\" The only convenience store retailer with more Facebook likes is 7-Eleven. The international retailer has more than 3 million likes, but 10 times as many stores as Wawa.\n\n\nWawa opened its first Florida store – and first store outside its traditional Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland-Virginia market area – on July 18, 2012, in Orlando. The chain opened its 25th Sunshine State store just last month, also in the central Florida area, and now operates more than 630 convenience stores.\n\n\nThe fact that Wawa\'s leap of almost 1,000 miles south of its traditional markets has met or exceeded all expectations is \"frankly humbling,\" Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens said in an exclusive interview with Convenience Store News.\n\n\n\"From the beginning, one of our mantras was that we had only one chance to make a great first impression,\" said Gheysens, who noted that the expansion has not been without its \"learning experiences\" for the company.\n\n\nTo make this great first impression, Wawa needed to do more than just transplant its Mid-Atlantic store model to the South. \"We felt we needed a fresh design, driven by the psychology of the Florida customer. The new store design has really informed the majority of people who didn\'t previously know Wawa and what the brand stands for: fresh, great-quality food and beverages, and convenience.\"\n\n\nAlways one of the leading innovators in the c-store industry, Wawa in the past year seems to be taking convenience retailing to a new level. With its successful entry into Florida, innovative use of social media, a mobile app initiative and continued focus on the consumer, Wawa has been selected by the editors of CSNews as the 2013 Retailer Innovator of the Year.\n\n\nTo introduce itself to customers in central Florida, Wawa worked with store design firm CBX to unveil the retailer\'s first major new store concept since the late 1990s. The new design uses \"fresh\" decorating cues such as natural materials, floor to ceiling glass windows, warm colors, an outdoor seating area and a redesigned, highly visible kitchen/sandwich-making area.\n\n\n\"When you walk into the store, you see people making food, as well as digital signs romancing the offer,\" said Gheysens. \"There\'s no mistaking that we are in the fresh food and fresh beverage business.\" (Editor\'s note: Wawa\'s new store concept won an Honorable Mention award in September in the 2013 CSNews Store Design Contest.)\n\n\nAnother new innovation at its Florida stores is the institution of \"ambassadors\" at the front door to introduce people to the Wawa experience as they walk in. These associates are armed with an iPad-type, touchscreen ordering device. \"They have been very successful at walking customers through our offer, our culture and helping show them how to shop at a Wawa. They help to demystify the Wawa experience,\" the chief executive explained.\n\n\nAs mentioned earlier, Wawa\'s expansion into Florida didn\'t happen without resulting in \"learning experiences\" for the c-store retailer. But it\'s a testament to the company\'s innovative thinking that it has turned potential pitfalls into opportunities.\n\n\n\"We\'ve learned quite a bit,\" Gheysens noted. \"We hold ourselves to high standards for customer service and we found we did not build the associate side of the store sufficiently to handle the high volume of business we did right out of the gate in Florida.\"\n	\n\nThe retailer found itself scrambling from the grand opening on July 18, 2012. To get customers in and out of the store within five minutes, Wawa quickly put in a speaker system for announcing to customers by order number when their food was ready for pickup at the counter.\n\n\nThe chain also needed to redesign the kitchen layout to make room for more sandwich-making equipment in order to handle orders more quickly. Subsequent Florida stores were built with more kitchen space to handle the high-velocity sandwich operation. Unexpectedly high initial sales also spurred the company to expand in other areas, such as its specialty espresso drinks and new milkshakes. Backroom storage space was also expanded at some stores.\n\n\nThe brand ambassador idea spurred more creative thinking as the retailer introduced expediters to work alongside the customer lines and take orders before they get to the counter.\n\nEven the outdoor seating concept has proven to be a happy \"learning experience\" for the retailer. Originally installed in the Florida stores to reinforce the food and beverage message, the seating areas are becoming very popular and heavily used by customers. So now, \"we are asking ourselves, how can we make it more functional?\" Gheysens told CSNews.\n\nAfter opening 25 stores in its first 13 months in Florida, Wawa expects to have 30 to 45 stores in the central Florida region by the end of this year. The company is currently pursuing more sites for ground-up units and its goal is to open between 20 and 25 stores per year in the area.\n</br>\n<strong>GETTING SOCIAL & GOING MOBILE</strong>\n\n\"People love to engage with our brand,\" Gheysens said.\n\nThe company sees the benefits of using social media from both a community and brand perspective. Wawa\'s 1 million-plus likes puts it among the top 1 percent of pages on Facebook. It also has more than 23,000 Twitter \"followers.\"\n\n\nThe secret to its success? \"We try to let our authentic voice come through and you can see that customers really love to have a personal engagement with us,\" the CEO said.\n\nWawa\'s call center monitors all its social media sites on a 24/7 basis and attempts to respond to all customer feedback in a voice consistent with the company\'s brand message.\n\nUnlike many other c-store retailers who struggle with measuring their return on investment from social and digital media, Wawa feels it has a good handle on its social media investments. \"We measure all our advertising media and we feel the return we get on social media is one of the highest of any media we utilize,\" said Gheysens.\n\nIn the future, he said Wawa will be more focused on doing product promotions online and through social media, but the ultimate aim of its social and digital media initiatives is to help the retailer \"simplify our customers\' daily life.\"\n\nToward that end, Wawa is currently in the process of developing its first mobile app, which is expected to debut next year. \"We\'re taking our time with this,\" cautioned Gheysens. \"We want to integrate our app completely with the experience at the store level.\"\n\nWithout getting into specifics, he ticked off some of the possible app components that would fulfill its mission:\n\n    Provide the ability to order and pay via the customer\'s mobile device. This could even be triggered automatically within a geographic perimeter of the store to which the customer is headed, or by a touch of the thumb.\n    Provide nutritional information for food offerings.\n    Find the lowest gas prices within a geographic range of the customer\'s mobile device.\n\n\"We know that 70 percent of our customers have a smartphone,\" noted Gheysens. \"And we know that a significant number of people at 4 p.m. don\'t know what they are having for dinner that evening. What Amazon.com has done to online retailing [in terms of speed of delivery and customizing offerings to customers] is going to happen to brick-and-mortar retailing. Mobile offers us the opportunity to do tailored marketing to customer-specific needs and to target offers to them that resonate better than anyone else\'s.\"\n\nGheysens described Wawa as more of a \"fast follower\" than a leader in innovation. Nevertheless, the c-store retailer\'s decentralized innovation process has made it \"very successful.\"\n\nMost of the focus of the past few years has been on product innovation, according to Gheysens. \"But now, we are thinking more about the process of innovation with the aim of getting ideas through the pipeline faster,\" he said. So, in addition to the product innovation being explored in the food area, the company is also looking at innovation in customer technology.\n\nGheysens expects product innovation will always be important, but customer technology and innovations in customer experience will be new areas that will extend and enhance the Wawa brand going forward.\n\nThe leap into Florida was certainly the high point of the past year for Wawa. Gheysens believes Wawa has not only made a great first impression, but it is continuing to build brand awareness and satisfaction with customers for the long term.\n<a href=\"http://www.csnews.com/article-a_great_first_impression-6321.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.csnews.com/article-a_great_first_impression-6321.html</a>', 'A Great First Impression', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-great-first-impression', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '2018-09-27 17:56:33', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/a-great-first-impression', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1858, 4, '2013-10-02 20:14:26', '2013-10-02 20:14:26', '<div></div><div></div>\nA new 16,000-square-foot grocery store in Chester, Pa., is the city’s first in a decade. And although it boasts a design reminiscent of what consumers would find in a for-profit supermarket, the store — which made its debut in late September — is claiming to be the first nonprofit grocery store of its kind.\n\nFare &amp; Square opened in a former grocery building purchased by hunger relief organization Philabundance. It gives residents of Chester — one of 35 food deserts in the Delaware Valley, according to the USDA — easy access to a full range of fresh and nutritious national brand and private label foods, said CBX, a New York-based brand agency and retail design consultancy involved with the store’s development. The store places a special focus on offering fresh produce and meats, deli, dairy, seafood, frozen foods and a full range of food staples at everyday low prices.\n\nPhilabundance hopes to replicate this model in other communities in the Delaware Valley region.\nWhen planning the prototype, the organization asked CBX to create an environment that would “reflect the hopeful and respectful nature of Philabundance’s goal to serve Chester residents through a store that could look at home in any community,” explained Joseph Bona, CBX president of branded environments. In the works for nearly a year, the resulting store features fixtures, lighting, flooring and other elements that would be at home in for-profit supermarkets. It also boasts a one-of-kind mural designed to showcase the spirit of Chester.\n\nThe colorful Fare &amp; Square logo — a simple drawing of a purple carrot with green tops attached and the words “Fare &amp; Square” set in a rounded-corner square — designed by Philabundance and LevLane Advertising, provided CBX inspiration for the overall palette of bright green and shades of saturated purple with splashes of yellow and orange. Modern elements such as light wood and stainless steel trim round out the palette, CBX stated.\n\n“The palette is designed to make Fare &amp; Square an energizing and inspiring, but comfortable, place to shop and congregate,” Bona said.\n\nCustomers entering the store will immediately see large displays of produce arrayed on tilt-style tables, while pendant lighting above the displays draws attention to its freshness and quality, CBX noted. A wide variety of additional fruits and vegetables can be found in fresh food fixtures lining the walls. Consistent with for-profit grocery stores, Fare &amp; Square perimeter departments also include dairy, deli, fresh meat and seafood.\n\nShoppers easily can navigate the store’s central core for canned and packaged staples, as well as frozen foods, thanks to hanging aisle-marker signage and enticing end-cap displays, CBX explained. Flooring throughout is vinyl, which is easy on both the backs and feet of employees and customers. Near the store’s exit, a centralized checkout with multiple lanes has been designed to quickly assist shoppers through the bagging process.\n\n“In the same spirit as we welcome customers through the front door, we also wanted that last image as they exited the store to leave a positive impression,” Bona noted.\n\nUnder its not-for-profit grocery store model, Fare &amp; Square strives to provide a customer-focused shopping experience and partners with local organizations and businesses to provide a range of services to the community in a meaningful and memorable way, CBX said.\n\n“We designed a neighborhood store that’s clean, well lit, functional, convenient and friendly, but it’s also a place that the community can call their own, instilling a sense of optimism, pride and connection,” Bona pointed out.\n\nBill Clark, president and executive of Philadelphia-based Philabundance, noted that the project has been in the works for a number of years, and he’s glad to see it fully built.\n\n“Convenient access to nutritious food is a growing and complex problem across the country and in the Delaware Valley, and one that requires a complex solution,” Clark said. “We have worked on this concept for seven years, and are thrilled to see it come to fruition to help the residents of Chester.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.plstorebrands.com/top-story-philadelphia_area_food_desert_welcomes_nonprofit_grocer-4357.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.plstorebrands.com/top-story-philadelphia_area_food_desert_welcomes_nonprofit_grocer-4357.html</a>', 'Philadelphia-area food desert welcomes nonprofit grocer', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'philadelphia-area-food-desert-welcomes-nonprofit-grocer', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/philadelphia-area-food-desert-welcomes-nonprofit-grocer', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1859, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:06', '2018-09-27 16:52:06', '', 'DUANEREADE9_brewyork1', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'duanereade9_brewyork1', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:06', '2018-09-27 16:52:06', '', 1597, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/DUANEREADE9_brewyork1.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1860, 4, '2013-10-01 16:06:18', '2013-10-01 16:06:18', 'Philadelphia-based hunger relief organization Philabundance has opened a new grocery store called Fare &amp; Square in Chester, Pa. The 13,000-sq.-ft. store marks the country’s first-ever nonprofit grocery concept. The company brought in New York-based CBX to help design the new store, which features six departments: produce, deli, fresh meat, seafood, dairy, frozen and dry goods, featuring brand name and private labels. With a free annual membership, customers will have access to fresh produce, meats, dairy, seafood and frozen foods at low prices.<a href=\" http://www.ddionline.com/displayanddesignideas/industry-news/Philabundance-Opens--10259.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.ddionline.com/displayanddesignideas/industry-news/Philabundance-Opens--10259.shtml</a>', 'Philabundance Opens First U.S. Nonprofit Grocery Store', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'philabundance-opens-first-u-s-nonprofit-grocery-store', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/philabundance-opens-first-u-s-nonprofit-grocery-store', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1861, 4, '2013-10-03 16:03:06', '2013-10-03 16:03:06', '<strong>Celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, the New York City-based brand agency and retail design firm is among the winners of DDI’s prestigious Portfolio Awards 2013.</strong>\nCBX was named a “Design Firm of the Year” in Display &amp; Design Ideas magazine’s Portfolio Awards 2013. The New York-based brand agency and retail design consultancy, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, was also lauded for its contribution to one of the “Best Store Designs of the Year”—the redesign of Saks Fifth Avenue’s men’s store in Beverly Hills, Calif.\n\nDDI’s annual Portfolio Awards are the result of a reader-driven survey in which high-level retail and contract design professionals offer their picks for the best in design and branding over the past year. “The people, projects and companies highlighted in this annual awards program directly reflect what the readers of this magazine—your retail design peers—think to be the best and the brightest in the industry,” write DDI’s editors in the introduction to the awards feature, which appears in the magazine’s September issue.\n\nIn recognizing CBX as one of the five Design Firms of the Year, DDI’s editors pointed to CBX’s work on such diverse projects as Duane Reade’s New York City stores; Lord &amp; Taylor, metro Philadelphia; Saks Fifth Avenue’s Beverly Hills men’s store; Radio Shack locations across the United States; and the Terpel convenience stores and fuel centers in Columbia.\n\nIn the “Best Store Designs of the Year” category, the firm was recognized for its contribution to the transformation of Saks’ men’s store in Beverly Hills into The Fifth Man, a 54,000-square-foot, four-level lifestyle store. The project was led by Saks’ in-house design team with the assistance of CBX and Los Angeles-based Marmol Radziner.\n\n“The article quoted one of the slogans that guide us when we’re working on such projects: ‘Engage customers with the brand and every touch-point,’” noted CBX’s Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments. “We’re proud to have been able to achieve this goal for our clients. We’re also very grateful for receiving this recognition from our colleagues in the industry, who live and breathe design and branding and do not give kudos lightly.”\n\nCBX’s leadership team is celebrating the brand agency’s tenth anniversary this month, and reflecting back on a decade of growth in the areas of consumer branding, corporate branding and retail environments. The agency was founded in 2003 by four of the partners who continue in senior leadership roles today – Gregg Lipman, Managing Partner; Nancy Brown, Managing Director/Partner; Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer/Partner, and Richard Villante, Partner. A fifth partner, Todd Maute, Chief Retail Officer, joined the firm in 2007. Today, CBX is based in New York\'s Flatiron District, with another office in Minneapolis, and has more than 130 employees. Nearly a quarter of these professionals have been with the firm for more than seven years, Lipman noted.\n\n“By pushing the bounds of creativity to help our clients innovate and expand, we have grown tremendously over the past decade—personally, professionally and as a company,” he said. “But to a remarkable extent, our evolution has and continues to be client-driven. During an early-stage planning session years ago, we asked, ‘What does CBX want to be when it grows up?’ We continue to believe in our answer: ‘We will go where our clients allow us and trust us to go.’”', 'Retail Experts Name CBX A \"Design Firm of the Year\"', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'retail-experts-name-cbx-a-design-firm-of-the-year', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '2018-09-27 17:42:12', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/retail-experts-name-cbx-a-design-firm-of-the-year', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1862, 4, '2013-10-01 15:07:47', '2013-10-01 15:07:47', '<strong>Using sights, sounds and smells to enliven a Manila mall.</strong>\r\nBy Peter Burgoyne\r\n\r\nIf the age of the category killers and cookie-cutter retail lineups flattened the customer experience, our job today is to make it three-dimensional again. As I detailed in an earlier post, this was our strategy in Oct. 2011 after the Philippine conglomerate Store Specialists Inc. (SSI) hired us to design the interior of a luxe mall in Manila.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/uncommon-areas\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/uncommon-areas</a>', 'Uncommon Areas', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'uncommon-areas', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/uncommon-areas', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1863, 4, '2013-10-03 16:59:44', '2013-10-03 16:59:44', 'Convenience store and retail designer CBX was named Design Firm of the Year in Display & Design Ideas magazine\'s Portfolio Awards 2013. The New York-based brand agency and retail design consultancy, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, was also lauded for its contribution to one of the Best Store Designs of the Year--the redesign of Saks Fifth Avenue\'s men\'s store in Beverly Hills, Calif.\nDDI\'s annual Portfolio Awards are the result of a reader-driven survey in which high-level retail and contract design professionals offer their picks for the best in design and branding over the past year.\n\nCBX was recognized for work on such diverse projects as Duane Reade\'s New York City stores; Lord & Taylor, metro Philadelphia; Saks Fifth Avenue\'s Beverly Hills men\'s store; Radio Shack locations across the United States; and the Terpel convenience stores and fuel centers in Columbia.\n\nIn the \"Best Store Designs of the Year\" category, the firm was recognized for its contribution to the transformation of Saks\' men\'s store in Beverly Hills into The Fifth Man, a 54,000-square-foot, four-level lifestyle store. The project was led by Saks\' in-house design team with the assistance of CBX and Los Angeles-based Marmol Radziner.\n\nCBX is celebrating the brand agency\'s 10th anniversary this month and reflecting back on a decade of growth in the areas of consumer branding, corporate branding and retail environments. The agency was founded in 2003 by four of the partners who continue in senior leadership roles today--Gregg Lipman, managing partner; Nancy Brown, managing director/partner; Rick Barrack, chief creative officer/partner, and Richard Villante, partner. A fifth partner, Todd Maute, chief retail officer, joined the firm in 2007.\n\nToday, CBX is based in New York\'s Flatiron District, with another office in Minneapolis, and has more than 130 employees. Nearly a quarter of these professionals have been with the firm for more than seven years, Lipman said.\n\n\"By pushing the bounds of creativity to help our clients innovate and expand, we have grown tremendously over the past decade--personally, professionally and as a company,\" he said. \"But to a remarkable extent, our evolution has and continues to be client-driven. During an early-stage planning session years ago, we asked, \'What does CBX want to be when it grows up?\' We continue to believe in our answer: \'We will go where our clients allow us and trust us to go.\'\"\n</br>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/cbx-wins-design-firm-year-honor?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20News%2010-04-2013%20%281%29&utm_content=&spMailingID=43153793&spUserID=MjU0MDQ1OTQxMTgS1&spJobID=206166616&spReportId=MjA2MTY2NjE2S0\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/cbx-wins-design-firm-year-honor?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20News%2010-04-2013%20%281%29&utm_content=&spMailingID=43153793&spUserID=MjU0MDQ1OTQxMTgS1&spJobID=206166616&spReportId=MjA2MTY2NjE2S0</a>', 'CBX Wins Design Firm of the Year Honor', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cbx-wins-design-firm-of-the-year-honor', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '2018-09-27 17:58:04', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/cbx-wins-design-firm-of-the-year-honor', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1864, 4, '2013-10-04 16:55:18', '2013-10-04 16:55:18', 'Philabundance, a nonprofit agency that seeks to reduce hunger in the Delaware Valley region near Philadelphia, has opened what has been described as the nation’s first not-for-profit supermarket here.\nThe 16,000-square-foot Fare & Square outlet features an array of traditional offerings, including fresh meats and produce, frozen foods and dry grocery product. The store is the only supermarket in this town of 34,000 people that had been classified as a “food desert.” Chester had been without a grocery store for 12 years.\n\nFare & Square seeks to offer product at a discount compared with traditional supermarkets, and in addition, customers can also reduce their grocery bill by joining the store’s “Carrot Club.” Members are eligible to earn rewards through in-store promotions and other offers, and Carrot Club members whose households earn 200% of the poverty line or less can also receive Carrot Cash benefits, a 7% credit towards future purchases.\n\nThe store was funded through government, foundation, corporate and individual contributions.\n\nNew York-based retail design and branding firm CBX developed the prototype, which was modeled to be similar in appearance to traditional supermarkets. The Fare & Square logo — a simple drawing of a purple carrot with green tops attached and the words “Fare & Square” set in a rounded-corner square — was designed by Philabundance and LevLane Advertising, and provided the inspiration for the color palette of the store.\n\n<a href=\"http://supermarketnews.com/photo-gallery/gallery-nonprofit-supermarket-debuts-pa#slide-1-field_images-444422\" target=\"_blank\">http://supermarketnews.com/photo-gallery/gallery-nonprofit-supermarket-debuts-pa#slide-1-field_images-444422</a>', 'Nonprofit Supermarket Debuts in Pa.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'nonprofit-supermarket-debuts-in-pa', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '2018-09-27 17:58:45', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/nonprofit-supermarket-debuts-in-pa', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1865, 4, '2013-10-08 13:35:42', '2013-10-08 13:35:42', 'To differentiate in the pet food aisle, brands are taking cues from successful design trends of food packages for people.</br>Once upon a time, if you were shopping for pet food, you\'d immediately be overwhelmed by a case of \"cute overload.\" It seemed every bag (with the exception of the always clinical Science Diet brand) featured a photo of a ridiculously adorable pooch or pussycat, looking out at you with soft, adoring eyes and fur you wanted to reach out and stroke. Even the most cold-hearted of individuals would find themselves crooning \"Awww!\" when walking down the pet food aisle.</br>\nThe problem with those packages was that there was no differentiation-and more importantly, no real information-on the bags. But over the years, pet food marketers have come to recognize that people are trained to shop a certain way for their own food and they apply these same behaviors when shopping for their pets. That means that the same visual and verbal cues are turning up on Casey the Calico\'s and Dexter the Doberman\'s dinners.</br>\nA deep dive into the current state of pet food packaging shows that there\'s really not much difference between marketing pet food and human food today. Among some of the most significant cues-which also turn up on the food humans purchase-are these five nutritional tables or food pyramids; photography and food styling that conveys appetite appeal and freshness of ingredients; brand stories; on-pack language that tells you not only what\'s inside, but what\'s not inside a bag; and imagery that speaks to animals\' true natures.\n</br>\n<strong>1. Nutritional tables/food pyramids</strong></br>\nPet food consumers are now more educated than they were in the past, about their own food and about their pets\' food. They harbor the same concerns for their pets as they do for themselves, and with good reason: Issues like obesity and allergies, so prevalent among today\'s children, are now also major concerns for dogs and cats. In 2012, the majority of adult dogs and cats-53 percent of dogs and 55 percent of cats-were classified as overweight or obese by their veterinarians.</br>\nTo educate consumers, companies are featuring nutritional tables and food pyramids prominently on pack, letting consumers know what allowances of vitamins and nutrients they will find inside. Nutro Ultra\'s food pyramid on the front of pack breaks down the product into three categories: \"Powerful Antioxidants,\" \"Whole Grains & Natural Oils\" and \"3 Lean Proteins.\" On the back, the bag features illustrations for 12 ingredients found inside the product, including whole flaxseed, pure sunflower oil and rolled oats.\n</br>\n<strong>2. Better photography/food styling </strong></br>\nPhotography and photo styling have moved away from the pet-centric or pet-plus-owner-centric photography of recent years and are now more focused on the actual food. Photography styling is less propped and more real, with food appearing the way you\'d see it in real life-scattered across a table, as opposed to perfectly (and fakely) sitting in a bowl. The goal: for consumers to think, \"That looks good, that looks tasty, that looks healthy\" in the same way they do when they see something appetizing for themselves. Nature\'s Variety Homestyle by Prairie is one of several brands that showcase food the way it really looks: fresh, raw and being prepared by a human on a kitchen table.\n</br>\n<strong>3. Brand story </strong></br>\nThe artisanal, small-batch trend is huge in human food and, not surprisingly, it\'s also beginning to carry over to pet food. Consumers are more apt to buy something that feels like it\'s been made by the \"little guy,\" and to attach themselves to brand\'s with compelling brand stories. Consumers are asking \"Where does it come from?\" \"How is it made?\"</br>\n\"What\'s it going to do for me?\" and companies are answering by putting their stories on pack and on their web sites, making their brand purpose undeniably clear.</br>\nMerrick Grain Free dog food feels more artisanal and local, with its use of a family name, a smaller bag (for small batch feel), call out of ingredients like \"Real Texas Beef,\" and touchy-feely copy such as \"From our kitchen to yours.\" And speaking of copy, companies are now adding more modifiers before ingredients, so that what was once just \"chicken\" and \"beef\" is now \"Chicken Dinner Recipe\" and \"Country Beef Grill.\" Once again, they are making things more like human food and tapping into verbal cues consumers have been grown accustomed to hearing for their own food. Of course, your dog doesn\'t care where it came from-but you do.\n</br>\n<strong>4. \"No\" language </strong></br>\nConsumers are avoiding the same things for their pets that they do in their own meals, so at the same time they want to know what\'s in pet food, they also want to know what\'s not inside. Many brands are calling out things like \"no meat by-products,\" \"no wheat,\" \"no gluten\" and \"no artificial preservatives.\" In fact, some packages simply feature an oversized \"NO\" on bag.</br>\nIams Sensitive Naturals\' bag, for example, features an image of a fish-its primary ingredient-alongside four circles with slashes through their simple graphics, to convey \"No chicken,\" \"No corn,\" \"No wheat\" and \"No soy.\" Copy correlates to these visuals: \"Specially formulated with fish to limit ingredients that may cause itching and scratching.\"\n</br>\n<strong>5. Animal nature </strong></br>\nThere is a recent movement in the pet food world to give animals the foods they were meant to eat in the wild. By recognizing the physiology of pets as animals, we can treat dogs as dogs and cats as cats, which means giving them high-protein diets with limited ingredients. This trend toward the \"limited ingredient diet\" (LID) and giving animals what they instinctually want is promoted on packaging and illustrations that show animals in the wild, sometimes hunting the food they consume, such as fish.</br>\nNatural Balance dog food features a huge \"LID\" on several of its bags. Purina ONE SmartBlend\'s newest line, True Instinct, combines an illustration of an elk and photography of a turkey in the wild and raw chicken and beef chunks in a bowl to convey that this is the food of a dog\'s natural instinct.</br>\nAnd pet food isn\'t the only packaging that\'s changed. Pet treats, which used to be considered like Doritos or Twinkies for dogs, are now being made from better ingredients and linked to a specific benefit. For example, Dogswell\'s chicken and duck jerky treats promote things like Happy Hips and Vitality. This moment of emotional connection for pet owner and pet, which used to be all about indulgence, is now also about health: \"I want the enjoyment of treating my dog, but I also want it to be good for him.\"</br>\nAll of these changes point to one almost certain fact: If there is a trend blowing through the food and beverage aisle, chances are pretty strong that you\'re going to see them turning up in the pet food aisle. If the design of today\'s packaging is any indication, this is a good thing-though I must confess I\'ll miss all those cute little dog and cat faces. Guess that\'s why the website Cute Overload still exists. \n</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/print/523780-Pet_food_packaging_gets_real.php\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.packagingdigest.com/article/print/523780-Pet_food_packaging_gets_real.php</a>', 'Pet food packaging gets real', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'pet-food-packaging-gets-real', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/pet-food-packaging-gets-real', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1866, 4, '2013-10-15 13:40:27', '2013-10-15 13:40:27', 'Ever talk to someone who shops at Lululemon? It’s simply not normal how emphatically the brand’s customers -- my wife included -- talk about their leggings (even if they are sheer in all the right places). The Lululemon brand connection is forged on something more than yoga clothing and gear -- it is forged on a lifestyle of health and well-being that makes shoppers feel that they are part of the “tribe.” In fact, Lululemon employs “ambassadors” -- really just adoring fans -- to spread the word about the brand in cities around the U.S. and Canada.\nLululemon knows one important fact about branding today: In order to resonate with consumers, you cannot simply offer products and services. You need to offer a way of life -- an emotional bond that connects one shopper to the next and makes them want to return, again and again. Here are some pointers for brands looking to create a tribe through a total experience.\n</br>\n<strong>Let your tribe connect with each other</strong>\nSeveral fairly recent online communities, including Etsy, Pinterest and Airbnb, are giving their users online spaces where they can connect with like-minded individuals. Etsy calls itself “more than a marketplace: we\'re a community of artists, creators, collectors, thinkers and doers.” Airbnb calls itself “a community marketplace for unique spaces,” while Pinterest puts all the power in users’ hands: “Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing things you love.” Users of these sites go to them knowing they will find people with similar tastes to their own, which perhaps grants them permission to spend time there -- and spend time they do, making Pinterest one of the fastest-growing social networks out there right now.\n</br>\n<strong>Elevate your tribe’s purpose</strong>\n\nCertain brands approach customers so that their experiences leave them feeling like a better person. At MAC Cosmetics, the attention showered upon you and the personal service allows you to feel comfortable, confident and free to express your desires without judgment. Celebrity endorsers like RuPaul, Lady Gaga and Elton John preach inclusivity and are atypical “beauties” -- a fresh departure from beauty brands that feature flawless, airbrushed models. MAC’s social media efforts, “Back to MAC” social responsibility program and friendly makeup artists create a tribe that is totally inclusive.\n</br>\n<strong>Create a community in your brandspace</strong>\n\nSoulCycle has turned legions of New Yorkers and Los Angelenos into spin worshippers by offering an experience that elevates exercise to a whole new level. Instead of pushing “celebrity,” SoulCycle markets “real.” People bond on favorite instructors and playlists, and popular classes sell out in minutes. Walls, t-shirts and products are covered with inspiring words, and it would be easy for a new visitor to forget that SoulCycle is actually about spinning. There are celebrity endorsers up the wazoo, like Kelly Ripa and Lena Dunham, but they endorse at their own volition. Once you are inside their studios, there’s no attitude whatsoever…just a group of like-minded people looking to clear their minds and have a bad-ass workout.\n</br>\n<strong>Offer unforgettably unique experiences</strong>\n\nTo create its tribe, American Girl taps into the imaginations of little girls and offers experiences at its stores that doll owners can’t find anywhere else (sorry, Barbie). In the brand’s own words, it is “more than just a store -- it’s a place where her imagination can soar.” Doll owners can take a cooking class with their dolls, or eat next to their dolls at the restaurant, or wait months for a highly coveted appointment at the Doll Hair Salon. American Doll owners spend thousands of dollars to make pilgrimages across the country to the flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Members of the American Girl tribe can bond with one another at historical scavenger hunts and events that revolve around specific dolls, like Julie and Saige.\n\nBut here’s the thing about tribes: They need to stand for something. They need to have a common spirit that pervades a group and the physical trappings that unify, and they need to evolve over time. Brands that don’t do so start to lose their relevancy, and in turn their followers. Don’t believe me? Just ask the Catholic Church.\n</br>\n<a href=\"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209592/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life.html?print#ixzz2hKzQbaKu\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209592/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life.html?print#ixzz2hKzQbaKu</a>', 'Immersive Brand Experience As A Way Of Life', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '2018-09-27 17:58:43', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(1867, 4, '2013-10-16 19:39:53', '2013-10-16 19:39:53', '<em><strong>PE firms can maximize returns by focusing on the customer experience of retail chains</strong></em>\nBy Todd Maute\n\nSome observers apparently think that brick-and-mortar retail businesses are a bad bet for private equity.\n\nBut by paying close attention to the customer-facing side of the chains they invest in, private equity firms stand a much greater chance of maximizing returns - even in the face of the admittedly daunting challenges arising from e-commerce. After all, high-definition broadcasts haven\'t killed live sporting events, and TV evangelists haven\'t stopped people from going to church.\n\nWhen retailers emphasize the point of differentiation their brand offers, and enhance the customer experience and relationship, they give people a reason to come to their stores in precisely the same way. Brand loyalty is a huge factor in the value of any retailer, and Forrester Research has found that the customer experience is the driving factor in determining brand loyalty. \"This means companies can\'t expect to outperform competition on price while ignoring their customers\' experience,\" wrote senior analyst Maxie Schmidt-Subramanian in a May 2013 report.\n\nA report from earlier this year highlighted the particular struggles of specialty retail \"category killers\" like Toys \"R\" Us, Sports Authority, Petco, Burlington Coat Factory and Guitar Center, arguing that the private equity heavy hitters that had invested in these chains had, to date, come up short. With the likes of Amazon on a veritable tear, it is certainly valid to question investments in certain specialty retail formats. But because the $10 trillion U.S. economy is consumer-driven to a remarkable extent, retail is too huge a sector for private equity firms to ignore altogether.\n\nClearly, these firms will continue to sink billions of dollars into retail investments of various kinds. So asking whether retail amounts to a bad bet might be the wrong question. It is more productive to ask if private equity firms are playing their hand correctly in this arena, and if they are doing all they can to maximize retail returns. Many private equity firms have yet to focus on the creative, customer-facing side of retail. Are some brick-and-mortar chains too vulnerable to Amazon and its ilk? Certainly. But this hardly means all of retail amounts to a bad bet. Risk can never be eliminated, but by taking a holistic approach that includes the brand and its customers, private equity firms can boost their odds of walking away from the table as big winners.\n\nConsider another, very different, analysis: \"Vindicated,\" runs the headline of Mergers &amp; Acquisitions magazine\'s March 2011 cover story. \"Oak Hill Capital\'s sale of Duane Reade - the 2010 \'Deal of the Year\'- highlights the perseverance of the PE model.\" Here the reporter focuses on Walgreen Co.\'s 2010 acquisition of New York\'s largest drugstore chain, which gave Oak Hill a return of about 1.5 times its approximately $400 million investment in Duane Reade. In the context of the challenges Duane Reade had faced prior to Oak Hill\'s stewardship, this was an impressive result. CBX worked with Duane Reade on its private label, store design and other branding initiatives.\n\nIt was a move that took some courage. Oak Hill had initially invested $239.5 million in Duane Reade, followed by an additional $39.5 million. But it was in the late summer of 2009 when, heartened by a new strategy, Oak Hill risked another $125 million.\n\nWhat was so different about this new approach? It was customer-facing.\n\nTo back up for a moment, when most private equity firms invest in retailers, they typically focus on ramping up efficiencies and reaping the benefits of scale. These back-end changes, which are mostly invisible to the customer, hinge on taking a hard look at headcount, systems, real estate, warehouses, the supply chain - just about any process improvements that could make the company more profitable. This is part of the standard playbook because it mostly works.\n\nBut, as mentioned, the customer does not usually see or feel these changes directly. Realizing this, Oak Hill decided to go further. A critical part of its approach was to invest in the customer-facing side of the business to drive top-line growth. The chain\'s New York City stores were located on some fantastic corners, but the experience inside them was anything but inspiring, with excessively high gondolas, inaccessible pharmacy counters and dirty floors. Oak Hill\'s 2009 investment was geared toward reinvigorating the stores, as well as the Duane Reade brand.\n\nIn the company\'s press release announcing the acquisition, Walgreens CEO Greg Wasson lauded Duane Reade\'s recent initiatives in urban retailing, customer loyalty and private brand products. He noted that, in the prior fiscal year, Duane Reade had posted \"the highest sales per square foot in the retail drugstore industry nationwide.\"\n\nOak Hill had used consumer and market insights to make dramatic, customer-facing improvements at Duane Reade. As Walgreens noted in the announcement, these included new store designs with wide aisles and contemporary décor, a much improved pharmacy featuring lower service counters for more personalized patient interaction, introduction of \"Doctor on Premises\" walk-in health care and a store-within-a-store prestige beauty concept called \"Look Boutique.\" Walgreens also lauded the launch of a family of exciting new private brands, including food and beverage brand DR Delish and a much expanded customer loyalty program called FlexRewards.\n\nThe Duane Reade nameplate had been transformed into an asset, and so had its private label line - a novel change for a retailer. Now, Walgreens is leveraging many of these brighter, more relevant brands across its portfolio.\n\nDollar General is another example of a private equity firm using customer-facing changes with a powerful effect. When Kohlberg Kravis Roberts &amp; Co. (NYSE: KKR) acquired Dollar General in 2007 for $7.3 billion, the chain was hardly a dog. But KKR was not content to focus on back-end efficiencies alone.\n\nInstead, the firm took an aggressive approach to the customer-facing side of Dollar General\'s business. It elevated the look and feel of the stores, seeking to make them fresh, bright and clean, and launched a rebranding initiative with shiny yellow carts and baskets. It updated signage with messaging trumpeting \"the new Dollar General,\" and launched customer-centric store formats with smarter merchandise adjacencies, wider aisles and more convenient checkout.\n\nDollar General also expanded its consumables presentation, ramping up its emphasis on packaged foods, snacks, beverages, beauty aids and more. In its 2009 annual report, the chain noted that its new crop of private-label brands in particular had gone a long way toward boosting gross profits.\n\nBuoyed by these changes, Dollar General went public in November 2009 - the largest retail IPO in nearly 14 years. Today, Dollar General continues to build sales per square foot and generate solid same-store sales on top of one prior-year gain after another. And of course, the chain continues to show enviable earnings growth and profit margins: In fiscal 2012, net income climbed 24.3 percent to $973.1 million on an 8.2 percent increase in sales to $16.02 billion. With that, net margin expanded to 6 percent of sales from 5.2 percent in fiscal 2011 and 4.8 percent in 2010. This attests to Dollar General\'s ability to engage customers with the right product mix and pricing.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.themiddlemarket.com/maj/2011_61/the-secret-to-success-in-retail-pe-backed-retail-243989-1.html\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.themiddlemarket.com/maj/2011_61/the-secret-to-success-in-retail-pe-backed-retail-243989-1.html\n</a>', 'The Secret to Success in Retail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-secret-to-success-in-retail', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-secret-to-success-in-retail', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1868, 4, '2013-10-18 21:03:37', '2013-10-18 21:03:37', '<strong>Convenience Store News cites CBX’s foodie-friendly design for Wawa’s new Florida stores, along with chain’s social media strategy, mobile app and strong focus on customers.</strong></br>\n\nThanks in part to a new store prototype created by New York-based brand agency and retail design firm CBX, Wawa was named Convenience Store News magazine’s “Innovator of the Year.”\n\n“Always one of the leading innovators in the c-store industry, Wawa in the past year seems to be taking convenience retailing to a new level,” the magazine wrote in its October cover story. “With its successful entry into Florida, innovative use of social media, a mobile app initiative and continued focus on the consumer, Wawa has been selected by the editors of CSNews as the 2013 Retailer Innovator of the Year.”\n\nIn describing the Pennsylvania-based chain’s rapid rollout in the Florida market, the magazine noted: “To make this great first impression, Wawa needed to do more than just transplant its Mid-Atlantic store model to the South…To introduce itself to customers in central Florida, Wawa worked with store design firm CBX to unveil the retailer\'s first major new store concept since the late 1990s. The new design uses ‘fresh’ decorating cues such as natural materials, floor to ceiling glass windows, warm colors, an outdoor seating area and a redesigned, highly visible kitchen/sandwich-making area.”\n\nThe article goes on to quote Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens on the integral role the design played in capturing the imagination of Sunshine State shoppers. (This work also previously earned CBX an Honorable Mention in the magazine’s 2013 Retail Design Awards.)  “We felt we needed a fresh design, driven by the psychology of the Florida customer,” explained Gheysens.  “The new store design has really informed the majority of people who didn’t previously know Wawa and what the brand stands for: fresh, great-quality food and beverages, and convenience…When you walk into the store, you see people making food, as well as digital signs romancing the offer. There’s no mistaking that we are in the fresh food and fresh beverage business.”\n\nVeteran c-store designer Joseph Bona, President of Branded Environments at CBX, added: “With its signature coffee bar, open kitchen, fresh-baked goods and other distinguishing characteristics, Wawa needed to makes sure Floridians understood this new entry was a cut above other convenience stores. People tend to think of any building with gas pumps as a run-of-the-mill convenience store, but we were intent on making sure Wawa’s brand did not fall victim to this ‘gas penalty.’ We’re delighted that customers and peers are giving Wawa’s design rave reviews.”\n\nWith more than 600 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, Wawa has rolled out 25 stores in Florida since entering the state in July 2012. Demand at many of these locations was so great that staff had to be beefed up and kitchen and stockroom areas expanded, the magazine notes.\n\nAs noted, among other things, Convenience Store News also lauded the chain for its innovative use of social media, a mobile app initiative and continued focus on the consumer. Those endeavors have helped Wawa’s Facebook page accumulate more than 1 million “likes.”\n\n&nbsp;', 'Store Design by CBX Helps Wawa Take \"Retail Innovator of the Year\"', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'store-design-by-cbx-helps-wawa-take-retail-innovator-of-the-year', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/store-design-by-cbx-helps-wawa-take-retail-innovator-of-the-year', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1869, 4, '2013-10-17 15:27:06', '2013-10-17 15:27:06', '<strong>NACS Show: It\'s more than a logo or a look, experts say </strong>\n\nA once-bitten fruit. A red bull\'s eye. A green mermaid.\n\nThey are not just an apple or a dart\'s destination or a mythical creature of beauty and mystery. They are the iconic signatures that require neither words nor clues to know their owners.\n\nAre these images what made Apple, Target and Starbucks the irresistible brands they are today, or are they the embroidery woven into a culture--the cues of brands we trust?\n\nThis critical question was the subject in a provocative session called CEO\'s Own Your Brand. The 50-minute session, which many executives later hailed as the best among a rich schedule of education at the NACS Show, featured Quinn Ricker , president and CEO at Anderson, Ind.-based Ricker Oil Co.; Joe Bona, retail division president at New York City-based designers CBX; and Scott Willy, co-owner of Indianapolis-based creative specialists Three Sixty Group.\n\nTo many, brand is synonymous with logo. Wrong, said Bona.\n\nLogos are the signposts, the winks of a brand with which you want to do business. \"Apple has changed the meaning of an apple,\" he said. \"Sometimes, [logos] are the symbol without the word. They\'re the personality and sign that I immediately know it\'s Target.\"\n\nSimply put, the brand is your promise. And if the promise is kept, the logo is that evocative emotional connection.\n<strong>\nActing Big</strong>\n\nRicker speaks eloquently from the point of view of a multi-generational, family-run business that has long successfully competed against chains more than four or five times its size. But such measures of assurance were disrupted when Quinn\'s share group visited his family\'s Ricker\'s stores in Indiana.\n\n\"They blistered us,\" he said of his group\'s members. The stores were not cohesive, the brand was not cohesive, they told him.\n\nAdding to the challenge was that the operator had acquired a fleet of ampm stores in 2008 as BP divested its company-owned units. Suddenly, Ricker\'s possessed multiple formats with a wide range of architectural and design motifs.\n\nRicker contracted the Three Sixty Group and the team undertook a detailed introspection. What kind of stores do we want to be? How does the appearance convey a promise and what is that promise?\n\nRicker\'s invested significantly in upgrading the exterior and interior of its stores, adding an elegant brick accent to the exterior, a palate of warm colors that not only would be employed inside, but would become the color scheme to all marketing and communication materials.\n\nIndeed, when the company opened a store in Feb. 2012, Ricker at the time heralded it as a the new flagship store, one substantially larger than the legacy network that ranged up to 2,400 square feet. The new unit, topping 4,000 square feet, ushered in a more relaxing atmosphere anchored in a dynamic foodservice program, higher-scale flooring and granite countertops.\n\nAugmenting the expanded store is Ricker\'s Rewards, one of the industry\'s most promising loyalty programs bolstered by a 10-cent-per-gallon savings in exchange for users\' banking information. The program is backed by an aggressive media campaign and, in a bold move for the upcoming NBA season, Ricker\'s is paying the Indiana Pacers to promote its Ricker\'s Rewards Get Pumped loyalty program as the commercial between third and fourth quarters of all home games.\n\n\"I have to look bigger than I am,\" Ricker said, later adding, \"I compete against Speedway and some other pretty good companies. I can\'t afford to look small. The customers need to think of me as one of the big boys.\"\n\nAnd that point is key. Your brand is not restricted by size--you don\'t have to be big to act big, said Willy.\n\n\"We live in a time when we are highly visual,\" Willy said. \"Design is the new currency we are all living in.\"\n<a href=\" http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/defining-your-br\" target=\"_blank\">\nhttp://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/marketing-strategies/articles/defining-your-brand</a>', 'Defining Your Brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'defining-your-brand', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:40', '2018-09-27 17:58:40', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/defining-your-brand', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1870, 4, '2013-10-21 15:43:14', '2013-10-21 15:43:14', 'By Satoru Wakeshima\nSo, you go through the long, arduous task of an agency selection process. “We’re not looking for just a great agency,” you say. “We’re looking for someone that will truly partner with us.”\nThe agencies go through a rigorous request-for-information (RFI) and request-for-proposal (RFP) process that involves lots of important people who have little time for this kind of thing, but “this will affect the future of our organization and our brands!” Then each agency is brought in to demonstrate how it is different, answer questions with all the right answers, and put on a show. Finally, you’ve found them—the agency you’ve been searching for. Great people, incredible talent, the right experience, and, thanks to procurement, a great price! You’re excited and they’re excited, too. “We love these guys! GREAT! (pause) Now, we can’t stand them.”\n\nUnfortunately, those quickly changing feelings are common. Why?\n\nLet’s look at how a partnership between an agency and a client compares to other partnerships in our lives.\n</br>\n<strong>1. Money Matters</strong>\n\nMost people don’t have to pay someone to be their friend, mate, or partner. Money makes a relationship awkward. But here’s the truth: The creative folks aren’t in it for the money. The money is a necessary means for people to be creative for a living. Creative people are motivated by the opportunity to do great work. We want the work to be great, not for our clients, but for us. Why is this important? Because to get the best work out of a creative agency, you have to get past any misconception that they’re out to get you. They’re not. A creative agency’s work is its calling card. The more successful the work, the better we look. The better we look, the better we feel.\n</br>\n<strong>2. Expertise and Experience Means Something</strong>\n\nThink about other relationships where your expectation is that the person you’re paying has specific expertise or experience—doctors, lawyers, mechanics, accountants, etc. These people “work for you,” but you’re likely to want to work with them because they’re trying to help you. You don’t usually tell a doctor or lawyer how to do their job because they’re experts. Are the folks in your agency experts in what they do? They should be. And didn’t you just go through a very rigorous process in hiring them?\n</br>\n<strong>3. Your Partner Wants to Help You</strong>\n\nHow is your relationship with your doctor different than your relationship with your gardener? You have a much more respectful relationship with someone who’s trying to help you solve bigger problems. There’s a lot more on the line when you’re dealing with your health or legal matters, than if your grass is cut too short. Your agency is trying to help you solve brand problems—that’s pretty important.\n</br>\n<strong>4. Respect One Another</strong>\n\nThere are also relationships where you’re paying someone to do something that you know how to do, but don’t really want to do, like cutting your lawn. Unfortunately, you’re not likely to show these people the same respect you would your doctor. (Truth.) But these people are likely to want to do a better job for you. Whether you’re asking your agency to help you with highly strategic, creative work, or maintenance work, you want them to feel like everyone’s on the same side. Because ultimately, you’re all working towards the same objective: great work.\n\nWe agency people are like puppy dogs; we want you to love us and we want to please you more than anything. Tell us you love us, treat us with love and respect, and we’ll bend over backwards for you. Hell, we’ll even give you extra work for free! Treat us like we’re on opposing sides and… well, we’re less likely to want to please you.\n\nYou don’t need to show your agency “who’s boss.” Trust me, we already know. Because without our clients, we have no business.\n</br>\n<strong>5. Good Partnerships Are Fair</strong>\n\nIn any partnership, there’s give and take. Each partner needs to feel like they’re getting something in return for what they’re giving. Like in any business partnership, there’s a value associated with time. If something requires a lot of time or needs to be done in a really short amount of time, it generally costs more. But being fair isn’t just about money. One of the most important factors in making either scenario work is the amount of your time you invest in setting your agency up to succeed. Your time in planning, preparing, organizing, gathering, and explaining will directly impact their performance.\n\nBeing fair also means being loyal. When you’re loyal in a relationship, it can prosper. Play the field, and the relationships become less meaningful. It’s common for clients to require their agencies to sign contracts that prohibit them from working with their direct competitors. But is that a commitment from both partners? Just like a person who dates too many people at the same time, gets a reputation, so can business partners. Just like in a good personal relationship, with commitment comes trust.\n</br>\n<strong>6. Trust Is Everything</strong>\n\nThe best partnerships are founded on trust. Trust is earned over time and demonstrated by actions. We typically enter a partnership cautiously—that’s natural. But just as agency needs to earn a client’s trust, clients can do things to earn an agency’s trust, whether by helping them communicate their perspective to senior leadership, working with them to secure more time for the project, or just truly listening to what they’re saying. Trust is what makes each partner feel like they’re on the same side.\n</br>\n<strong>7. Don’t Forget to Appreciate Your Partner</strong>\n\nI really appreciate great clients who exemplify the word “partnership,” and I let them know how much we appreciate their support. I tell them and I show them by treating their business like our business. Saying thanks, dropping a little love note, and showing your partner how much you appreciate them goes a long way. Don’t worry—you don’t need to remember birthdays or buy flowers. But like a good marriage, a good business partnership does take effort.\n\nSo in the end, the client and agency partnership is actually quite a lot like the other relationships in one’s life. There will be bumps in the road, walks in the park, celebrations, and sometimes tears along the way. But with the right partner, the work is worth it.\n</br>\nRead more: <a href=\"http://www.mpdailyfix.com/seven-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-agency-partnerships/\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mpdailyfix.com/seven-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-agency-partnerships/</a>\n', 'Seven Things Marketers Need to Know About Agency Partnerships', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'seven-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-agency-partnerships', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/seven-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-agency-partnerships', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1871, 4, '2013-10-25 16:38:24', '2013-10-25 16:38:24', '<strong>In blog post for MarketingDaily, veteran CBX brand consultant offers advice on using immersive brand experiences to create a ‘way of life’ for consumers.</strong>\nAs they seek to capture the imaginations of consumers, today’s brands cannot simply offer products and services. Instead, writes CBX Managing Partner Gregg S. Lipman in an Oct. 9 blog post published by MediaPost’s MarketingDaily, the onus is on brands to offer a way of life—an emotional bond that connects one shopper to the next and makes people want to return to the store, again and again. \n\n“Ever talk to someone who shops at Lululemon?” writes Lipman, the veteran brand consultant and co-founder of the New York-based brand agency. “The Lululemon brand connection is forged on something more than yoga clothing and gear—it is forged on a lifestyle of health and well-being that makes shoppers feel they are part of the ‘tribe.’ ”\n\nIn the post (“Immersive Brand Experience as A Way of Life”), Lipman offers pointers for brands that aim to create a Lululemon-like tribe of their own. The first is “Let your tribe connect with each other.” Citing online communities such as Etsy, Pinterest and Airbnb, Lipman emphasizes the importance of creating online spaces that enable shoppers to connect with like-minded individuals. “Users of these sites go to them knowing they will find people with similar tastes, which perhaps grants them permission to spend time there,” he writes, “and spend time they do.”\n\nThe next is “Elevate your tribe’s purpose.” Here, Lipman describes how certain brands craft uplifting customer experiences in ways that leave people feeling better about themselves. “At MAC Cosmetics, the attention showered upon you and the personal service allows you to feel comfortable, confident and free to express your desires without judgment,” he writes. “Celebrity endorsers like RuPaul, Lady Gaga and Elton John preach inclusivity and are atypical ‘beauties’—a fresh departure from beauty brands that feature flawless, airbrushed models.” \n\nAnother pointer is “Create a community in your brand space.” Lipman cites the highly popular spinning classes of SoulCycle, which have turned legions of New Yorkers and Los Angelenos into spin worshippers. “People bond on favorite instructors and playlists, and popular classes sell out in minutes,” Lipman explains. “Walls, t-shirts and products are covered with inspiring words, and it would be easy for a new visitor to forget that SoulCycle is actually about spinning.”\n\nLastly, Lipman encourages brands to “Offer unforgettably unique experiences.” For example, American Girl offers experiences at its stores that doll owners cannot find anywhere else. “Doll owners can take a cooking class with their dolls, or eat next to their dolls at the restaurant, or wait months for a highly coveted appointment at the Doll Hair Salon,” he notes. \n\nIn the conclusion to the piece, Lipman cautions that brands will fail at creating tribes if the effort is inauthentic. “Here’s the thing about tribes: They need to stand for something,” he writes. “They need to have a common spirit that pervades a group and the physical trappings that unify, and they need to evolve over time. Brands that don’t do so start to lose their relevancy, and in turn their followers.”\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209592/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life.html#axzz2i072nrGG\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209592/immersive-brand-experience-as-a-way-of-life.html#axzz2i072nrGG</a>\n', 'Brands Should Be In The \"Tribe-Building\" Business, Lipman Writes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'brands-should-be-in-the-tribe-building-business-lipman-writes', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/brands-should-be-in-the-tribe-building-business-lipman-writes', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1872, 4, '2013-10-25 17:20:49', '2013-10-25 17:20:49', 'By Crosby Renwick\nSure, the Internet plays an aggressive game. It’s looking like the Internet business is trouncing the retail business. However vast an assortment or low the prices a retailer offers, the Internet does it better and cheaper. The prognosticators all say the same thing: What little growth there will be in consumer spending over the next five years is mostly going to happen online.\n\nBut, the bricks-and-mortar model can start winning again by leveraging its natural talent with the changing conditions.\n\nChanging conditions? Well, that would be the aging of the marketplace. It’s a fact: Got to go with it. On the face of it, this changing condition looks threatening versus assistive because older people don’t spend as much on goods — they’ve pretty much already bought everything they really need. But they buy services. In fact, for several decades households have been increasing their expenditures on services while expenditures on goods as a percent of all spending have been going down.\n\nNatural talent of retail? That would be service. Yes, service. Haven’t bricks-and-mortar retailers been in the service business all along? Especially mom-and-pop stores, who buy, edit, arrange, display and demonstrate an array of products while bringing them close to the customers. That’s service, I think. It’s a natural talent missing from the Internet; you can’t click and order services. Services most likely require in-person experiences within bricks-and-mortar.\n\nServices for the aging population already happening at retail\nWe’re already seeing a lot of healthcare coming to retail — from walk-in clinics and urgent care centers to large insurance companies opening storefronts to counsel on health policies. Even laboratory testing has gone this route: AnyTestNow, a national chain of walk-in labs offering any blood or urine tests without a doctor’s prescription, already has over 100 retail sites.\n\nBut the explosive growth of the senior population brings with it opportunities that go well beyond storefront medical and insurance services. Here’s just a few of the concepts that could help fill some of those vacancies on Main Street, in malls or in strip centers:\n<strong>\nSenior Social Clubs</strong>\nOne of the biggest services retail can provide is bringing like-minded people together. Just like those yoga fans who flock to Lululemon for classes — and, of course, the store’s yoga wear — lots of seniors are going to be looking for company. Here’s the idea: group senior care packaged as “Senior School” or “Senior Social Club” — complete with a gym, reading class, art programs, a woodshop, talent shows. Where do I sign up?\n\nBut why locate in retail space? Couldn’t this be done in a church basement or on any other location besides Main Street? Yes, but by being front-and-center, by being at the core of a community rather than hidden away, you increase awareness and acceptance. By being in the center of it all with retail locations, the Senior Social Club doesn’t get forgotten — it’s right in front of you everyday. Drive by, walk by and you’re reminded it’s there. And when Mom or Dad have left the stove on again, the solution is right there.\n<strong>\nIntegrative Pharmacy</strong>\nSimple idea: Look at what Whole Foods Market has done to the supermarket industry by specializing in pure, natural and/or organic. The boomer generation fell for it hard and fueled their growth. In comparison, “conventional” supermarkets now look a little un-natural.\n\nThe same opportunity exists in the drugstore business. All the big drug chains turned themselves into convenience stores in the past 20 years. Pharmacy is still a major part of their business, but nobody specializes in it anymore. And, what a giant, dependable business it is. Indeed, the elderly average six prescriptions per person, to be taken every day for the rest of their lives.  \n\nThe people who shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and the like are believers in “integrative medicine” — the best of both the eastern and western worlds of healing — naturopathic (plant-based) remedies combined with western pharmaceuticals. The problem is those folks won’t find any national or regional chains that could be deemed ‘The Whole Foods of drug stores.’ To those shoppers, a drug store featuring a ‘natural’ front end amply stocked with herbal remedies, teas, vitamins, supplements, and organic beauty/personal care items, the clinical pharmacy department would appear safer, better, smarter. Staffed with knowledgeable people, an “Integrative Pharmacy” could be a national hit.\n<strong>\nSenior Living Superstore</strong>\nIf you’re over 50, you or one of your friends is likely thinking about moving to a house that is more “senior-friendly” — more accessible, no stairs, higher toilets, showers instead of tubs, etc. A Home Depot-type store that could help you modify your existing house could potentially save you thousands of dollars. This one-stop emporium would be a place where you can get a stair lift, grab bars, motion-sensitive lighting or even arrange to have an elevator installed. While we’re at it, let’s surround these home-modification products and services with the thousands of items that have been specifically designed for an aging population — from large-type books to invisible hearing aids. Today, the only retail place where you can access even a modest assortment of these products is a hospital supply store. It’s probably located on the wrong side of town, it’s grey, badly lighted and there’s a wheelchair and toilet seat in the window — and probably a dirty window, to boot. Instant downer.\n\nThe opportunity is to bring it all together under one roof, clean it up and make it a pleasant place to shop.\n\nWhen you think about it, the only place where the Internet beats bricks-and-mortar is on low prices for commodity goods. Who wants to be in that business anyway? Let ‘em have it and let’s get on to targeting growing markets with high-margin services.\n\nLet’s apply what retail really already does better — servicing its clientele — and focus those services on the exploding aging population.\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/advantage-retail\" target=\"_blank\">http://chainstoreage.com/article/advantage-retail</a>', 'Advantage: Retail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'advantage-retail', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '2018-09-27 17:42:11', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/advantage-retail', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1873, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:12', '2018-09-27 16:52:12', '', 'Logo_OxxoGAS', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'logo_oxxogas', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:12', '2018-09-27 16:52:12', '', 1599, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/Logo_OxxoGAS.png', 0, 'attachment', 'image/png', 0),
(1874, 4, '2013-10-25 19:00:31', '2013-10-25 19:00:31', 'East Coast-based convenience store operator WaWa is expanding through the state of Florida with a new prototype designed to reflect the language and style associated with Floridian vernacular architecture.     \nOn the exterior, pastel colors, clapboard siding, pitched roofs and front porches reference historic south and central Florida building types. At the same time, travelers from the Mid-Atlantic states will find the chain’s familiar “winged” gas canopy, the welcoming centrally located entry portal and familiar Canada Goose logo\n   \nA spacious open layout, with high ceilings and abundant natural lighting, gives the interior an inviting, modern feel. Digital signage is used to highlight the store’s food and beverage offerings in a fun, appetizing way\n \nA vibrant red-tiled wall placed front and center highlights the new center island kitchen. Guests can order any specialty drink or sandwich exactly the way they want using Wawa’s touch-screen system, with a series of screens prominently positioned at the kitchen/specialty beverage area’s counters.\n\nThe counter area is immediately adjoined by coffee and fountain beverage sections with a backdrop of a warmer taupe wall tile. Red drum shades are used over the coffee area and at the beverage coolers to create a sense of place.\n\nWith more than 600 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, Wawa has rolled out 25 stores in Florida since entering the state in July 2012.\n\nDesign: CBX, New York City\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/wawa-various-locations-florida\" target=\"_blank\">http://chainstoreage.com/article/wawa-various-locations-florida</a>', 'WaWa, various locations in Florida', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'wawa-various-locations-in-florida', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '2018-09-27 17:58:51', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/wawa-various-locations-in-florida', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1875, 4, '2013-10-30 20:26:46', '2013-10-30 20:26:46', 'After seven years in concept and nearly a year in construction, it’s finally here!\r\nThe new Fare &amp; Square grocery store in Chester, Pa., has opened to serve the residents of this city without a supermarket for nearly 12 years. Once a center of shipbuilding, Chester lost industry and half its population after World War II. Today, Chester’s population numbers around 33,000 people, but it was nearly impossible to buy a head of lettuce or anything else fresh until Fare &amp; Square opened for business. Chester had become a food desert—one of the 35 food deserts in the Delaware Valley, according to the USDA.\r\n\r\nAbout 200 people gathered for the ribbon cutting held Sept. 28, followed by lines of customers waiting to shop the new 13,000-sq.-ft. store. Once inside, they immediately could see generous displays of produce arrayed on tilt-style tables, while pendant lighting called attention to freshness and quality. But there was more: a wide variety of additional fruits and vegetables lining the walls was both inspiring and appetizing—as well as staples and additional specialty departments.\r\n\r\nThe new store represents Chester’s first grocery store in more than a decade and gives residents of Chester easy access to a full range of fresh and national brand foods that have not been available since its last full-scale grocer closed in 2001.\r\n\r\nPhilabundance, a hunger-relief organization located in the Delaware Valley behind the non-profit store, commissioned New York based branding and design firm CBX to handle the design.\r\n\r\nNow, what’s interesting about that is not just the fact that CBX has years of experience in the supermarket and c-store industry, but that Philabundance wanted to create an environment that would reflect the hopeful and respectful nature of its goal to create a store that could look at home in any community. Translated that means no cut cartons or obvious cutting corners on the look and feel. And, while it’s no Dean &amp; Deluca, the store’s fixtures, lighting, flooring and décor package would be at home in for-profit supermarkets. Consistent with for-profit grocery stores, Fare &amp; Square specialty departments include not only produce but also dairy, deli, meat and seafood.\r\n\r\nf&amp;s 2.JPGThe colorful Fare &amp; Square logo—a simple drawing of a purple carrot with green tops attached and the words “Fare &amp; Square” set in a rounded-corner square—designed by Philabundance and LevLane Advertising—provided CBX inspiration for the overall palette of bright green and shades of saturated purple, with splashes of yellow and orange. Modern elements, such as light-colored woods and stainless steel trim, round out the colors and materials. Lending a local connection is the one-of-kind murals designed and executed by area artists.\r\n\r\nIn the end, CBX was asked to make Fare &amp; Square an energizing and inspiring, but comfortable, place to shop and congregate. Philabundance hopes to replicate this model in other communities in the Delaware Valley region.\r\n\r\nHere’s a big salute to the new Chester store and its residents. While your juices are flowing, we’d love to read your thoughts. Leave any taste in the comments section.\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://retaildesigndiva.ddionline.com/2013/10/dignity-by-design-at-fare-square.html\" target=\"_blank\">http://retaildesigndiva.ddionline.com/2013/10/dignity-by-design-at-fare-square.html</a>', 'Dignity by Design at Fare & Square', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'dignity-by-design-at-fare-square', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '2018-09-27 17:58:41', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/dignity-by-design-at-fare-square', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1876, 4, '2013-10-31 20:42:26', '2013-10-31 20:42:26', 'By Todd Maute\nWith upwards of 12 million viewers, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” certainly gives advertisers access to hordes of American consumers. But of course, it all depends on the target demographic you’re trying to reach. If the agency is peddling the likes of Ax Body Spray, the new “Assassin’s Creed” videogame or the Hollywood remake of Stephen King’s “Carrie,” then buying time on a show filled with brain-eating zombies is … well, a no-brainer. After all, “The Walking Dead” is a massive hit with the 18-to-49 rating. But of course, if you’re pitching products such as Celebrex or subscriptions to Readers Digest, you might want to steer clear of horrific gore fests and go with the kind of traditional sitcoms and dramas proffered by CBS.\n\nReach plus the target demographic. It’s advertising 101. And yet even as they spend vast sums on both traditional and digital media buys, many American retailers could reap powerful benefits by using private brands to deliver targeted messages right to their most valued customers. The key is to start thinking differently about the role of those private brands. Yes, these are products. But private brands also represents a medium of mass communication unto itself—with a targeted reach that can be as impressive as any traditional media buy.\n\nAd campaigns are all about consumer impressions. But think about the multiple impressions created, day in and day out, by the Private Brand lineup in retail environments. To be specific, every private brand purchase carries with it three distinct impressions:\n\nWhen the consumer sees the product on the shelf (presentation);\nwhen the shopper buys the product (purchase);\nand, finally, when the consumer actually consumes or uses the item (product experience).\n\nLet’s say a major national grocery chain happens to sell 50 million units annually across a broad spectrum of private brands. Not only will this translate into a whopping 150 million impressions annually, it will also give the company the ability to precisely target those impressions: For example, a grocer aiming to woo more affluent shoppers and compete with the likes of Whole Foods could ramp up its organic, non-GMO, premium line, all the while smartly branding it to send a clear message to these consumers about the chain’s commitment to quality and sustainability.\n\nIn this way, presentation, purchase and product experience can powerfully shape customer loyalty and bolster the company’s brand. This is a big departure from the traditional, product-led approach to private brand: “How do we source product at a good price, get it on the shelf as quickly as possible and sell as much of it as we can?” Where is the brand building in such an approach? Where is the appreciation for the sales and marketing value of well-executed private brands?\n\nA brand-led strategy is one in which you consciously tell a story. Every part of the process—the packaging, merchandising, product type (organic, natural, premium, etc.)—is seen as an opportunity to create a favorable impression.\n\nChains such as Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Kroger understand these dynamics. They have been using private brand to build stronger loyalty. The benefits here are twofold: It allows them to enjoy the profits generated by higher private brand sales, but it also helps them save money on traditional (and often extremely expensive) media spends. Indeed, private brand stalwart Trader Joe’s doesn’t even bother with traditional media. Its newsletter, The Fearless Flyer, isn’t the company’s primary ad vehicle—that role is played by the private brands in Trader Joe’s stores.\n\nFor years now, brands have used traditional media to tell a single story. For Volvo, that story hinges on safety. For Geico, it’s all about saving money. Likewise, you can use a diverse array of private brands to weave a thematically coherent narrative, so long as consistent elements of that story—i.e. particular brand attributes—echo throughout the respective private brands. For example, Walgreens brands—names like Nice, Good &amp; Delish, Ology, Pet Shoppe and more—combine to form a go-to-market strategy that supports a happy and healthy lifestyle. Walgreens has developed a private brand portfolio based on its target consumer, not just on category-related considerations.\n\nA Super Bowl ad makes lots of impressions, but only lasts 30 seconds. A brand-led private brand strategy will deliver results over the long term. This is simply a more powerful approach than the traditional focus on securing low cost product and putting it on the shelf without leveraging its sales, marketing and branding potential. Amid tenacious competition as well as trends such as consolidation, Internet retailing and product commoditization, can today’s retailers really afford to take such old-school strategies into the 21st century? Well, it’s important to play nice, so we’ll avoid calling them “The Walking Dead.”\n\nRead More: <a href=\"http://mypbrand.com/2013/10/30/private-brand-as-media-using-your-brands-to-build-customer-loyalty/\" target=\"_blank\">http://mypbrand.com/2013/10/30/private-brand-as-media-using-your-brands-to-build-customer-loyalty/</a>', 'Private Brand as Media: Using Your Brands to Build Customer Loyalty', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'private-brand-as-media-using-your-brands-to-build-customer-loyalty', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/private-brand-as-media-using-your-brands-to-build-customer-loyalty', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
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(1877, 4, '2013-11-04 17:08:48', '2013-11-04 17:08:48', '<strong>Even seemingly commonplace products feel premium with the right narrative.</strong></br>By Nancy Brown\n\nHave you ever found yourself telling an elaborate story at a dinner party, all eyes on you, when you realize … you have no idea where the story is going? That’s precisely what it’s like when your brand doesn’t have a good story to tell: It falls flat with its audience. And if your brand doesn’t have a good story, chances are your packaging doesn’t, either.\n\nMost brands and many of our clients have been working on focusing their stories and delivering them on pack. Even if they don’t have a riveting backstory, they strive to forge an emotional connection with consumers through narrative. In fact, “narrative” and “storytelling” are two of the biggest buzzwords in the branding world right now.\n\nLuxury brands know that in order to get people to shell out the big bucks, they have to create a world that makes people aspire to live a certain lifestyle. A recent Louis Vuitton ad showcased Angelina Jolie on a boat in Cambodia, and Tiffany ads have always evoked a romantic, fairytale mood, long before the store was immortalized by Audrey Hepburn. But it’s interesting to see masstige brands now using storytelling on pack to attract and keep consumers. Mars’ American Heritage Chocolate, Walgreens’ Ology, Harney Teas and The Art of Shaving brands all use unique narratives to elevate their brands and connect with audiences.</br>\nAMERICAN HERITAGE CHOCOLATE\n\nThere have always been premium chocolate brands. Godiva set the original gold standard, and with the advent of the artisanal, small-batch food movement, a whole new generation of chocolate brands, such as Vosges, Mast Brothers and MarieBelle, have taken these confections to a new prestige level. These products feature well-crafted stories and beautiful packaging that elevate the chocolates to art. It seems that masstige brands are following suit. The recently redesigned American Heritage Chocolate — a gifting chocolate from Mars, for which my company did the redesign — puts its heritage story front-and-center. Only colors, typefaces and imagery found during the 1800s were used for the new design, yet they seem totally modern. “From the historic division of Mars” is prominently highlighted on pack. Actual writing — in a cursive reminiscent of the Declaration of Independence — appears behind a brightly colored illustration that speaks to the era and pops against an otherwise neutral palette. This historic, yet modern, look is a differentiator in the category and a more upscale direction for the brand.</br>\nWALGREENS’ OLOGY\n\nA few years ago, people would have laughed if you told them that in 2013, a private-label brand would be considered upscale, let alone have a strong narrative to its brand. And yet, Walgreens’ Ology line of products has completely elevated the categories of baby, personal care and household cleaners to new levels, with a narrative that communicates the importance of a healthier, happier world through great design. Ology products are all about “well. being.” and as such, the messaging on pack plays into the origin of the product (e.g., toilet paper made from sugarcane husk and bamboo), what’s not inside (“100% Tree Free”) and just why it is good for environment (“Traditional paper is made from trees that take up to 35 years to replace.”). The packaging is meant to appear handmade, and the design CBX crafted has a hand-drawn feel that is playful, approachable and above all, really conveys the brand’s story.</br>\nHARNEY &amp; SONS FINE TEAS\n\nHarney &amp; Sons Fine Teas recently entered the bottled iced tea and juice market with organic tea and juice flavors. The company, which previously just sold tea bags and loose tea, went for a more premium direction for its bottled beverages by giving the product labels the look of a Far East tea company, a direct reference to the tea’s Indian origins. This plays into the company’s brand mission to “educate the world of tea history and taste.” Clear bottles are distinctly upscale, as is Harney’s softer color palette and minimal text that lets the product speak for itself. In truth, Harney &amp; Sons is a family-owned and operated company based in upstate New York, but it is telling a different, larger scale story — about the exotic world of teas in general — with these products.</br>\nTHE ART OF SHAVING\n\nHow’s this for a story? “A loving wife with a background in the spa industry makes her husband, with sensitive skin, a special oil to use before shaving. Husband realizes this oil is something special; the couple sells their car to fund the business, and they open a boutique that becomes a New York sensation. Eventually, company gets bought by P&amp;G, and the couple lives happily ever after.” Sound like a fairytale? Well, it’s the true story of The Art of Shaving. Fortunately, the packaging’s clean, classic, barbershop feel has not been lost in the translation from boutique to mass brand. Neither has the “Art” in The Art of Shaving’s name, which refers to the brand’s heritage, and the line has a small-batch feel that references its origin in the owners’ kitchen. Through the premium cosmetic story it tells on the packaging, The Art of Shaving has been able to break out of a commodity category and position itself as an essential part of men’s everyday routines.\n\nDon’t get me wrong: I’m not claiming that the design of these brands is on par with those of Gucci and Prada. But there is something to their packaging that feels undoubtedly premium, draws me in and makes me want to know more about their stories. These days, it’s all about the world you craft, the story you tell and how you use your packaging to tell it. It may not be Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” but chances are, if you have a good narrative, consumers will keep coming back for more.\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84651-elevating-everyday-products-to-extraordinary-indulgences\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.brandpackaging.com/articles/84651-elevating-everyday-products-to-extraordinary-indulgences</a>', 'Elevating Everyday Products to Extraordinary Indulgences', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'elevating-everyday-products-to-extraordinary-indulgences', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '2018-09-27 17:58:42', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/elevating-everyday-products-to-extraordinary-indulgences', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1878, 4, '2013-11-05 15:53:36', '2013-11-05 15:53:36', '<em><strong>Innovation is key in retail — so long as it is rooted in realism</strong></em>\nBy Joseph Bona,\n\nIn media interviews of late, Beth Newlands Campbell, the new CEO of Food Lion, has been offering reporters a frank assessment of the supermarket chain’s ho-hum, middle-of-the-road situation: “Staying the same,” she explains, “is not an option.”\n\nSlogans such as these can only go so far. But in the topsy-turvy world of 21st-century retailing, you could do a lot worse than Campbell’s mantra. Retailing, after all, continues to be rife with homogeneity, commoditization and redundancy. Imagine a team of researchers conducting a blindfold test. They strip the logos from inside a wide range of drugstores, supermarkets and big boxes. Then they bring in some blindfolded consumers. Would these shoppers, once their blindfolds were lifted, actually know where they were? Arguably, many would not have the foggiest idea whether they were in chain X, Y or Z.\n\nSuch is the sameness of the shopper experience today. While there are leaders in various retailing categories — among supermarkets, for example, chains like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Fairway have carved out distinct identities — many other operators would likely flunk the blindfold test. Their stores are neither good nor bad. They utilize similar layouts, offer basically the same type and level of customer service, sell the same products at the same or similar price and their store environments are generic at best.\n\nTo be stuck in the middle in this way is to be on a clear path to irrelevance. For the likes of Food Lion, the trick is to figure out how to give consumers a clear reason to drive past the competition and stroll into your store. Retailers are in control of their own destinies, but to be competitive they need to exercise that control in creative and strategic ways.\n\nGone are the days when a lagging chain can take a “me, too” approach and try to eke out an existence by copying successful innovators. Nor can you save a bad retail proposition by making incremental improvements alone — things like cleaner floors, brighter lighting or a new customer-service manual geared toward plastering smiles on the faces of your employees. Basic tweaks such as these might have worked 10 or 15 years ago. Today these kinds of changes are table stakes.\n\nRetailing today is hyper-competitive. The bar is higher than in the past. But if staying the same is not an option, how should retailers tackle the challenge of change?\n\nStart with another timeworn slogan: “Know thyself.” Once you identify an opportunity in the marketplace — something like the brand-building and cost-saving potential of private-label products, or the trend toward prepared food — the next step is to take an honest look at whether this opportunity matches your capability. Do you have the corporate culture, backend systems, financial strength, human capital and other resources needed to pull off the reinvention? If not, is the opportunity you have identified so great that it would be worth the herculean effort required to raise those capabilities?\n\nBrand attributes are an important consideration here. Let’s say a chain is widely regarded for its fast, hands-on service. In focus groups, consumers say things along the lines of, “I go to you because you get me in and out of there in a snap.” It would be a disaster to adopt a new program designed to, say, slow the entire experience down under the pretext that longer dwell times translate into greater spending.\n\nConsider the road taken by William Ackman, manager of the $11 billion hedge fund Pershing Square Capital. At the end of August, Ackman announced that he had finally sold his entire stake in J.C. Penney Co. — about 18 percent of the company — amid internal squabbling over strategy. Ackman, of course, had brought in Apple’s Ron Johnson in a failed bid to remake Penney, which saw its sales and stock-price take a nosedive. As CEO of Penney, Johnson had sought to enrich the customer experience, redesign the stores, beef up the roster of brands and otherwise reinvigorate the chain. Unfortunately, though, there was a mismatch between the perceived opportunity and Penney’s capability to execute on it. Johnson’s vision had merit, but it was an expensive and ambitious about-face that required securing the buy-in of shoppers, employees, shareholders and the media. With a clearer message and greater reserves of time and money, the strategy might have worked. Unfortunately, this was not to be.\n\nThe Penney saga also highlights the pitfall of launching a reinvention after the company’s market position has deteriorated. A weak position translates into a reduced capability for serious change. And so, even when times are good, true leaders tend to think hard about where they will be, not just a year or two from now, but also 10 or 15 years down the road. They understand that, regardless of how swimmingly things might seem today, a fierce competitor could rear its head tomorrow. As a result, leaders see innovation as a necessity. They constantly look for ways to improve design, product delivery, customer service and more.\n\nThis involves risk. A product line might fizzle. A test-store rollout might go nowhere. A ballyhooed mobile app or in-store technology program might fail to live up to its promise. But this is just part of the cost of admission in retailing today. Ultimately, what matters most is the willingness to keep looking forward so that you can move the needle in the direction of the next big idea. This does not have to mean chasing one tech trend du jour after another. If your business is not particular visual in nature, forget about the Pinterest page. The focus should be on how individual technologies and services can bolster and fit into the overall mission. Where does the company need to be in the marketplace? Who does it most want to serve? What do these customers want, and how can you meet or exceed their expectations?\n\nStaying the same is easy. Innovating is hard. But by being honest and realistic about the limits of the brand and the actual capabilities of the company, it is possible to stay on the leading edge. Otherwise you fall prey to inertia, which is no option at all.\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/staying-same-not-option\" target=\"_blank\">http://chainstoreage.com/article/staying-same-not-option</a>', 'Staying the Same is not an Option', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'staying-the-same-is-not-an-option', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/staying-the-same-is-not-an-option', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1879, 4, '2013-11-07 14:27:24', '2013-11-07 14:27:24', 'The key is a sharp focus that extends to often-ignored customer-facing side of the business, writes veteran CBX brand consultant in the October issue of M&amp;A magazine.\nPrivate equity’s disappointing investments in several specialty retailers have led some pundits to question whether retail “category killers” are simply a bad bet for PE investors. But in a column published in the October issue of Mergers &amp; Acquisitions magazine, CBX’s Todd Maute reframes the question to focus on whether investors pay enough attention to the customer-facing side of the retail business.\n\n“When most private equity firms invest in retailers, they typically focus on ramping up efficiencies and reaping the benefits of scale,” Maute writes. “These backend changes hinge on taking a hard look at headcount, systems, real estate, warehouses, the supply chain—just about any process improvements that could make the company more profitable. But the customer does not usually see or feel these changes directly.”\n\nIn the piece (“The Secret to Success in Retail”), the veteran brand consultant points to the central importance of brand strength and customer loyalty in today’s marketplace. Retail acquisitions that build a sterling reputation for both, he notes, tend to yield a higher return.\n\nTo illustrate this point, Maute cites Oak Hill Capital’s sale of Duane Reade, which gave the PE firm a return of about 1.5 times its approximate $400 million investment in the New York City drugstore chain. Prior to the overhaul, Duane Reade had floundered, Maute notes. “In the context of the challenges Duane Reade had faced prior to Oak Hill’s stewardship, this was an impressive result,” he writes. “What was so different about this new approach? It was customer-facing.”\n\nAs Maute outlines in the piece, the customer-facing changes at Duane Reade included: reinvigorating store interiors with a host of shopper-friendly design changes, launching a suite of successful private-label brands, and introducing new services such as “Doctor on Premises” walk-in healthcare, along with stores-within-stores such as the “Look Boutique” beauty concept.\n\nWhen Walgreen’s acquired Duane Reade from Oak Hill, Maute notes, its CEO made specific reference to the way these changes had boosted the attractiveness of the New York drugstore chain. “The Duane Reade nameplate had been transformed into an asset, and so had its private label line—a novel change for a retailer,” writes Maute, whose firm continues to work with Duane Reade on private label and store design initiatives.\n\nLikewise, Dollar General, which was acquired by KKR for $7.3 billion in 2007, became even more of a powerhouse by elevating the look and feel of its stores, launching a rebranding initiative, adopting customer-centric store formats, and more. “Dollar General went public in November 2009—the largest retail IPO in nearly 14 years,” writes Maute, whose firm did not work with that chain.\n\nIn the conclusion to the piece, he points to the considerable room for similar improvements at other, PE-operated retail chains.\n\n“By paying close attention to the customer-facing side of the chains they invest in, PE firms stand a much greater chance of maximizing return—even in the face of the admittedly daunting challenges arising from e-commerce,” Maute writes. “After all, high-def broadcasts haven’t killed live sporting events and TV evangelists haven’t stopped people from going to church. When retailers emphasize the point of differentiation their brands offer, and enhance the customer experience and relationship, they give people a reason to come to their stores in precisely the same way.”', 'Private Equity Could Supercharge its Retail Returns, Maute writes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'private-equity-could-supercharge-its-retail-returns-maute-writes', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/private-equity-could-supercharge-its-retail-returns-maute-writes', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1880, 4, '2013-11-06 22:19:12', '2013-11-06 22:19:12', '<strong>3 simple rules to help brand marketers apply psychology principles to create the most successful gift sets.</strong>\r\nBy Sandra Creamer\r\n\r\nWhy do bad gifts happen to good people? It’s amazing how some of us are so bad at picking out gifts for others, and beauty products are no exception (soap on a rope, anyone?)\r\n\r\nUntil recently in the beauty category, fragrances were the top gifts. By expanding the role of gifting in the portfolio beyond seasonal, it can become a solid brand builder.\r\n\r\nBeauty brands have been expanding the breadth of products that they promote as gift sets across skin, body care and men’s beauty -- and consumers are responding, to the tune of $871MM in prestige – up +16% in 2012 from the same period in 2011.\r\n\r\nIn a move to diminish the practice of White Elephant Gift exchanges throughout the land, beauty brands (and frankly all categories) can help solve the problem of bad gifting by applying the principles of psychology to the practice of good branding through three simple rules.\r\n<strong>\r\nRule #1 - Breathe life into the right benefits.</strong><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-7236\" title=\"OE_Gift_OlayGoftSet\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/OE_Gift_OlayGoftSet1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"179\" />\r\n\r\nPsychology studies have proven that more often than not, givers and receivers have a hard time understanding each other’s mindsets, meaning the giver usually doesn’t choose something the receiver will enjoy.\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, the NPD reports that more than 50% of consumers who use mass body care products once a week often give them as gifts, so beauty brands are smart to target their current consumer. The trick is to make it easy for current consumers to find a broadly appealing gift; that way the giver won’t have to guess (and mistake) what the receiver might want.\r\n\r\nBrands can help by leveraging universal benefit visual language and on-pack selling copy more effectively. For example, recent Olay body care gift sets had design themes exemplified by the headlines “smoothing delights,” “simply beautiful” and “soothing moments,” launched in an aggressive gift set rollout during 2011 that spanned 24 sets across men’s and women’s beauty.\r\n\r\nWhile some may argue these themes aren’t exciting, they work because they are on-brand and also address universally desired emotional and functional benefits through communication, which is key to succeeding with both parties. Not to mention that the snowflakes and magenta silk bow secondary pack also make it look more special.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-full wp-image-7237 alignright\" title=\"OE_Gift_StTropez\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/OE_Gift_StTropez.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"210\" /><strong>Rule #2 - Don’t shy away from highlighting less expensive brands as part of gift sets.</strong>\r\n\r\nThere is now scientific proof that most people don’t care how much someone spends on their gift, they simply prefer to get something they would actually enjoy using.\r\n\r\nAffordable beauty brands take note! Any mass skin care brand aimed at women can leverage the fact that glowing skin is the #1 benefit women desire.\r\n\r\nCase in point: I just had a big birthday, and one of my dearest friends, who is neither cheap nor one who skimps out on things, gave me a St. Tropez “Party Perfect Glow Kit” that retails for $35 online (yes, I checked). Ultimately, I was grateful to have a way to get a sun-kissed glow safely from a gradual tan lotion, and have since bought the products on my own. The brand just gained a new consumer by offering an easy way for a current user to delight someone else with an affordable gift. Speaking of delight…\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Rule #3 - Invest in the “delight transfer factor” through packaging.</strong><img class=\"wp-image-7238 alignright\" title=\"OE_Gift_LaPrairie\" src=\"http://www.cbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/OE_Gift_LaPrairie.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" />\r\n\r\nThe Journal of Experimental Psychology General found that the act of finding the perfect present gives the giver a greater sense of delight – more so than the emotional benefit the receiver gets.\r\n\r\nI call this the “delight transfer factor” – the initial dopamine shot the giver has about the possible gift followed by the tail of positive emotion, and the subsequent desire to transfer this feeling to the receiver. A brand can hone in on this neurological trigger point by through visual and verbal brand assets. The key consideration is how to enhance the look and feel from every day to special occasion -- and brands have permission to go to great lengths to achieve this and charge richly for it.\r\n\r\nCase in point – prestige skin care brand La Prairie offers the Skin Caviar Luxe Cream, normally priced at $410, as a gift set in a special box described as a “stunning and fiery crystal” sparkling blue and white mosaic case. La Prairie has more than doubled the price to $950.\r\n\r\nIt worked: this was a top-selling combination according to NPD. The decision on the design direction could easily be attributed to a dramatization of the benefit of luxurious experience and it complements the product positioning perfectly.\r\n\r\nIn conclusion, brand managers looking to grow gift set sales should know that conveying universally desired emotional and functional beauty benefits on packaging is much more important than getting someone to spend a lot on a gift set - though of course, the right glitzy present can work!\r\n\r\nToo often, gift set development is an afterthought within an organization’s marketing department, demonstrated when CPG companies relegate the responsibility to non-core teams whose strengths lie more in execution that in strategy. Don’t fall into this trap!\r\n\r\nThe best way forward is to combine strategic thinking across both human behavior and leverage key brand visual and verbal elements to communicate your message. This all but mandates that gifting product design should be in the hands of capable marketers or anyone with the right training to be the brand steward.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOriginally printed in Beauty Packaging.', 'Better Gifting Through Smart Branding', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'better-gifting-through-smart-branding', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/better-gifting-through-smart-branding', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1881, 4, '2013-11-08 20:57:40', '2013-11-08 20:57:40', 'By Dustin Longstreth\r\nAs the son of a basketball coach, many of life’s lessons were taught to me on the court. One of the biggest lessons the game of basketball has to offer brands is this: Agility is the single most sustainable competitive advantage.\r\n\r\nIn basketball, agility is honed not in the controlled environments of practice or even league play, but on playgrounds in pickup games. This same scrappy mentality holds true for branding. The world brands must live in is more reflective of pickup ball at the playground than ever before. Here are five fundamentals that can help brands thrive \"on the court.\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Adopt a tribal mentality</strong>\r\n\r\nLike pickup ball, building brand agility is a team effort. It starts with a mindset of living for your people, not off them. You have to be one with your pack in order to build the trust, empathy and intuition needed to quickly act and react in ways that add value and build loyalty.\r\n\r\nBurton Snowboards gets this. For Burton, there is no “them” that they market to -- only a “we” that they live to serve. They’re able to maintain relevance and loyalty among pros, novices, young, old, male, female (even those who don’t snowboard!).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Stay tuned in to culture</strong>\r\n\r\nPaying attention to shifts in the game is what allows you to pivot and adjust without losing sight of the ultimate goal. Brands that understand this are able to maintain their relevance even as cultural tastes evolve. Brands that don’t will die.\r\n\r\nWeight Watchers has successfully evolved with culture. The brand has remained focused on our intrinsic motivations to be in control and be part of a community. However, as science, access to foods, and attitudes around weight management itself continue to shift, so has the brand. As a result, Weight Watchers continues to grow new generations of loyalists.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Know your purpose</strong>\r\n\r\nWhy do you play the game? Seems like a simple question, but it’s amazing how many brands don\'t have an answer. For brands, getting to a level of inspired play starts with knowing your purpose.\r\n\r\nNo brand understands this more than Nike. It has long since given up trying to differentiate through positioning and benefits. It believes that if you have a body, you’re an athlete, and its purpose is “to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” This purpose-driven leadership has allowed Nike to grow its brand by not only increasing share, but by growing the pie.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Act on your best behavior</strong>\r\n\r\nIf purpose is the articulation of your brand’s ultimate goal, then behaviors are the fundamentals that your brand should practice day-in, day-out.\r\n\r\nJetBlue is “dedicated to bringing humanity back to air travel.” Its personality could be described as genuine, fun, and passionate. In order to be described as “genuine,” it practices the behavior of “keeping it human” -- namely by admitting mistakes, like when it left passengers on the tarmac for hours without food or water back in 2007. To be fun, JetBlue has its pilots and staff engage passengers with their overhead announcements at takeoff. And to be “passionate,” it takes care with every detail, from distributing Terra Blue Chips to crediting passengers if the DirecTVs are not working properly.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Hustle</strong>\r\n\r\nWhether we’re talking pickup ball or the world of brands, the undeniable truth is that the game is fast and highly situational. Every shift in events, every new moment is a new opportunity.\r\n\r\nOreo has been doing a masterful job of hustling. Its focus had it “in the zone” when the lights went out at the Super Bowl. Oreo immediately knew how to seize the opportunity in a way that was on brand and relevant to the context. Its “You can still dunk in the dark” tweet was retweeted more than 16,000 times and even more important, became an authentic moment of the Super Bowl experience.\r\n\r\nTaken together, these pointers can help brands get both the home and away court advantage in an always-on world that is getting faster and more dynamic each day. The brands that can thrive in this new environment -- the brands with agility -- will continue to win.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/211827/brand-agility-how-good-is-your-brand-at-pickup-ba.html?print\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/211827/brand-agility-how-good-is-your-brand-at-pickup-ba.html?print</a>', 'Brand Agility: How Good Is Your Brand At Pickup Ball?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'brand-agility-how-good-is-your-brand-at-pickup-ball', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '2018-09-27 17:56:34', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/brand-agility-how-good-is-your-brand-at-pickup-ball', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1882, 4, '2013-11-12 14:25:54', '2013-11-12 14:25:54', 'The key is a sharp focus that extends to often-ignored customer-facing side of the business, writes veteran CBX brand consultant in the October issue of M&amp;A magazine.\nPrivate equity’s disappointing investments in several specialty retailers have led some pundits to question whether retail “category killers” are simply a bad bet for Private Equity investors. But in a column published in the October issue of Mergers &amp; Acquisitions magazine, branding agency CBX’s Todd Maute reframes the question to focus on whether investors pay enough attention to the customer-facing side of the retail business.\n\n“When most private equity firms invest in retailers, they typically focus on ramping up efficiencies and reaping the benefits of scale,” Maute writes. “These backend changes hinge on taking a hard look at headcount, systems, real estate, warehouses, the supply chain—just about any process improvements that could make the company more profitable. But the customer does not usually see or feel these changes directly.”\n\nIn the piece “The Secret to Success in Retail”, the consultant points to the central importance of brand strength and customer loyalty in today’s marketplace. Retail acquisitions that build a sterling reputation for both, he notes, tend to yield a higher return.\n\nTo illustrate this point, Maute cites Oak Hill Capital’s sale of Duane Reade, which gave the PE firm a return of about 1.5 times its approximate $400 million investment in the New York City drugstore chain. Prior to the overhaul, Duane Reade had floundered, Maute notes. “In the context of the challenges Duane Reade had faced prior to Oak Hill’s stewardship, this was an impressive result,” he writes. “What was so different about this new approach? It was customer-facing.”\n\nAs Maute outlines in the piece, the customer-facing changes at Duane Reade included: reinvigorating store interiors with a host of shopper-friendly design changes, launching a suite of successful private brands, and introducing new services such as “Doctor on Premises” walk-in healthcare, along with stores-within-stores such as the “Look Boutique” beauty concept.\n\nWhen Walgreen’s acquired Duane Reade from Oak Hill, Maute notes, its CEO made specific reference to the way these changes had boosted the attractiveness of the New York drugstore chain. “The Duane Reade nameplate had been transformed into an asset, and so had its private label line—a novel change for a retailer,” writes Maute, whose firm continues to work with Duane Reade on private label and store design initiatives.\n\nLikewise, Dollar General, which was acquired by KKR for $7.3 billion in 2007, became even more of a powerhouse by elevating the look and feel of its stores, launching a rebranding initiative, adopting customer-centric store formats, and more. “Dollar General went public in November 2009—the largest retail IPO in nearly 14 years,” writes Maute, whose firm did not work with that chain.\n\nIn the conclusion to the piece, he points to the considerable room for similar improvements at other, PE-operated retail chains.\n\n“By paying close attention to the customer-facing side of the chains they invest in, PE firms stand a much greater chance of maximizing return—even in the face of the admittedly daunting challenges arising from e-commerce,” Maute writes. “After all, high-def broadcasts haven’t killed live sporting events and TV evangelists haven’t stopped people from going to church. When retailers emphasize the point of differentiation their brands offer, and enhance the customer experience and relationship, they give people a reason to come to their stores in precisely the same way.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://mypbrand.com/2013/11/11/private-brand-could-supercharge-private-equity-returns/\" target=\"_blank\">http://mypbrand.com/2013/11/11/private-brand-could-supercharge-private-equity-returns/</a>', 'Private Brand Could Supercharge Private Equity Returns', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'private-brand-could-supercharge-private-equity-returns', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '2018-09-27 17:58:46', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/private-brand-could-supercharge-private-equity-returns', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1883, 0, '2018-09-27 16:52:16', '2018-09-27 16:52:16', '', 'SHINSEGAE_feature5', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'shinsegae_feature5', '', '', '2018-09-27 16:52:16', '2018-09-27 16:52:16', '', 1602, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/app/uploads/2018/09/SHINSEGAE_feature5.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(1884, 4, '2013-11-14 17:32:04', '2013-11-14 17:32:04', 'The Storenvy Online Market place is a virtual mall brimming with funky fashions and jewelry, nifty gizmos, artisan soaps and other eclectic merchandise from some 52,000 independent retailers. And now this San Francisco-based dot-com which enables shoppers to fine-tune the stuff they see by \"envying\" the products in the manner of a Facebook \"like\" - is bringing its user-driven model to the brick and-mortar world. Storenvy\'s 1,700-square-foot store opened at the beginning of the year in downtown San Francisco\'s Crocker Galleria. Initially, the idea was for a popup shop on a 30-day trial run, bur shoppers at the boutique-focused mall responded so enthusiastically that the plans were quickly changed, says founder and CEO Jon Crawford. \"Crocker Galleria came to us and said, \'Hey, we love you guys and want you to stay,\'\" he said.</br>\nAll the merchants in the physical store are popular sellers at Storenvy.com, which launched in 2009 and now has upwards of one million registered shoppers. These plugged-in users create detailed profiles and curate the products they peruse by envying their favorite items and merchants and following other shoppers whose tastes jibe with their own. These users spend some $2.5 million in total with Storenvy sellers in a given month, according to Crawford. At the Crocker Galleria store, meanwhile, Storenvy strives to maintain a similarly engaging mix by frequently varying the offering. \"Every 30 clays we roll in a new batch of five or six of our online merchants into the space,\" Crawford said. The company, named one of Forbes magazine\'s 10 Greatest Industry-Disrupting Startups of 2012, has thus far attracted some $6.5 million in venture capital from the likes of First Round Capital, Intel Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield &amp; Byers and Spark Capital. The company is open to launching additional stores, Crawford says.</br>\n\nWhile Storenvy specializes in what Crawford describes as \"unique, original and authentic stores and artists,\" a big reason for its success is the way it handles \"discovery\": the process whereby users learn about particular merchants and products. Whether browsing online or in the physical world, shoppers face the overwhelming conundrum of figuring out exactly what to buy amid nearly unlimited options. \"Discovery is the final frontier of retail shopping,\" Crawford said. \"If you know where the cool things are, and the right things are put in front of you more often, you\'ll actually spend more of your money.\" Sites like Amazon.com and Netflix try to tackle this challenge by monitoring the browsing and buying habits of the users and by tailoring the product pitches to match. Storenvy\' model is more like that of the blogging website Tumblr, which makes it easy for people to share their favorite finds with their social-media friends. \"We believe that crowd-curating through social [medial] is one of the most scalable forms of discovery,\" Crawford said. \"It is just a lot more interesting to pair you up with people who have similar styles, tastes and moral views as you do. Whatever they think is cool, you get to see.\"</br>\n\nNot all tech startup stay around for the long haul, but Storenvy\'s use of a social-media-like model to curate merchandise offerings is intriguing, says Joseph Bona, president of branded environments at CBX, a New York City-based branding and retail-design consulting firm. \"Given the homogenization and commoditization in conventional retailing today, many retailers are struggling to give people a reason to walk through the door,\" Bona said. \"Arguably, staying the same is no longer a viable option in retailing today. A model in which the fast-turning merchandise on the shelf is partly or wholly determined by shoppers\' \'likes\' - that is different and unusual.\" In today\'s world of omni-channel retailing, it makes sense for independent retailers to use tools like Storenvy to gain a foothold online, Bona say. Storenvy builds customized, e-commerce- enabled websites for its sellers for free, making money by charging for upgrades and, starting in January, by taking a cut of any sales that occur in Storenvy\'s separate online marketplace. \"You never know which of these tech tools will explode to become the next big thing,\" Bona said. \"But when these tools are affordable and showing signs of growth, smaller retailers have every reason to experiment and try to leverage interesting online channels, in addition to the brick-and-mortar side.\"</br>\n\nJust about any seller can join the site, and many of these independent retailers do lease space at shopping centers, Crawford says. He is a web designer and engineer who conceived of Storenvy while building online tares for small businesses. \"These were all really passionate people who just wanted to sell their stuff on the Internet and create a branded retail experience online,\" he said. \"They didn\'t want to be on eBay or Amazon, because they did not feel like it fit their brand experience.\" Crawford says he grew increasingly annoyed that there was no easy way for these smaller stores to launch attractive, ecommerce- enabled websites without first sorting thorough costly and time-consuming issues- multiple decisions related to such things as web-hosting and publishing, and payment-processing. Even today small businesses pay specialists huge sums to launch a website when there are simpler solutions available, Crawford says. \"You don\'t have to pay someone to build your online store from scratch,\" he said. We see people spending $5,000 or $10,000 to get a website built that they cannot even update themselves. That makes us very sad. These people could be empowered by using a platform like Storenvy.\"</br>\n\nThe Storenvy online marketplace aims to help smaller retailers solve another problem: attracting the attention of target customers. \"People end up making sales through Storenvy.com in addition to the sales that they are driving tl1rough the customized websites that we create for them,\" Crawford said.</br>\n\nStorenvy currently employs l8 people and has plans to add 15 or 20 more over the next year or so, Crawford says. \"We are in business to help people express their ideas and create amazing online businesses,\" he said. \"And we\'re just warming up. The product that is online right now is just the beginning. We\'re learning a lot about physical retail, discovery, storytelling and mobile. We invite people who want to create strong community and tell their stories to be part of what we\'re doing.\nBut we try to stay away from sellers who just want to be on 50 different websites to make money as fast as they can. This is for businesses with soul.\"\n\nRead more: <a href=\"http://sct.icsc.org/sct/\" target=\"_blank\">http://sct.icsc.org/sct/</a>', 'Turning Clicks to Bricks', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'turning-clicks-to-bricks', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '2018-09-27 17:58:50', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/turning-clicks-to-bricks', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1885, 4, '2013-11-14 16:36:30', '2013-11-14 16:36:30', '<strong>Retailers need to create an emotive connection, in store and out.</strong>By Peter Burgoyne\r\n\r\nUnlike design professionals, the left-brained coders who create today’s omni-channel tools have not spent their lives learning how to use the five senses to manipulate mood in three dimensions. And yet the pixelated experiences that emerge from all those ones and zeros can affect how people feel about brands. So even when the design team crafts an in-store environment that perfectly reflects the brand’s attributes, this could easily be undermined by unfortunate experiences with other channels outside of the store.\r\n\r\nRead more: <a href=\"http://vmsd.com/content/omni-channel-challenge\" target=\"_blank\">http://vmsd.com/content/omni-channel-challenge</a>', 'The Omni-Channel Challenge', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-omni-channel-challenge', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '2018-09-27 17:58:49', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/the-omni-channel-challenge', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1886, 4, '2013-11-15 21:54:15', '2013-11-15 21:54:15', '<strong>Leveraging Their Talent for Providing Customer Service and Developing Innovative New Concepts Can Help Brick-and-Mortar Merchants Cultivate the Older Populations, CBX Executive Writes.</strong>\r\nWhile lower prices and broader assortments of merchandise will continue to give Internet retailers a leg up on their brick-and-mortar counterparts, the latter can thrive by using customer service and innovative new concepts to cater to the growing senior citizen market, writes Crosby Renwick, Executive Director of Strategy at brand agency and retail design consultancy CBX, in a guest commentary that appeared in late October on www.chainstoreage.com, a retail management publication.\r\n\r\n\"The prognosticators all say the same thing: What little growth there will be in consumer spending over the next five years is mostly going to happen online,\" writes the veteran marketing executive. \"But the bricks and mortar model can start winning again by leveraging its natural talent with the changing conditions\" -- the graying of the American marketplace.\r\n\r\nIn the column, titled, \"Advantage: Retail,\" Renwick notes that retailers may perceive the increasing number of older Americans as a disadvantage to their business because these consumers do not spend as much money on goods as their younger counterparts. However, senior citizens do buy services. Brick-and-mortar retailers are in an ideal position to leverage their natural talent to provide these services, in turn distinguishing themselves from merchants that only conduct business online.\r\n\r\n\"Haven\'t bricks and mortar retailers been in the service business all along?\" Renwick asks. \"Especially mom-and-pop stores, who buy, edit, arrange, display and demonstrate an array of products while bringing them close to the customers. That\'s service. It\'s a natural talent missing from the Internet; you can\'t click and order services. Services most likely require in-person experiences within bricks and mortar.\"\r\n\r\n\"The explosive growth of the senior population brings with it opportunities that go well beyond storefront medical and insurance services,\" he notes, outlining several concepts that can be employed to fill vacancies in malls, strip centers and business districts. These include storefront \"Senior Social Clubs\" complete with gyms, reading and art programs, wood shops, talent shows, and other features intended to bring together like-minded individuals. Although services of this type could be placed in church basements and other locations off Main Street, being in the center of everything, with retail locations, ensures maximum visibility, Renwick contends.\r\n\r\nAnother option are service-driven integrative pharmacies that stock naturopathic (plant-based) remedies as well as Western pharmaceuticals, and concentrate on the pharmaceutical side of the business, \"All the big drug chains turned themselves into convenience stores in the past 20 years,\" Renwick writes. \"Pharmacy is still a major part of their business, but nobody specializes in it anymore. And, what a giant, dependable business it is. Indeed, the elderly average six prescriptions per person, to be taken every day for the rest of their lives.\"\r\n\r\nRenwick also advocates the launch of \"senior living superstores\" targeted towards individuals over 50 years of age. He describes these stores as \"one-stop emporiums\" whose merchandise mix would include all the items necessary for modifying a home to accommodate older residents (e.g., grab bars, motion-sensitive lighting and chair lifts). Shoppers could also arrange for home-modification services, like elevator installation. Related products, such as large-print books and invisible hearing aids, would be available as well. \"Today, the only retail place where you can access even a modest assortment of these products is a hospital supply store,\" Renwick writes. \"It\'s probably located on the wrong side of town, it\'s grey, badly lighted and there\'s a wheelchair and toilet seat in the window -- and probably a dirty window, to boot.\"\r\n\r\nRenwick notes that touting low prices on commodities is the only arena in which Internet retailers triumph over brick-and-mortar retailers. \"Who wants to be in that business anyway?\" he writes in the conclusion to the piece. \"Let\'s apply what retail really already does better -- servicing its clientele -- and focus those services on the exploding aging population.\"\r\n\r\nThe full article is available at: <a href=\"http://chainstoreage.com/article/advantage-retail?ad=exclusives-analysis. \" target=\"_blank\">http://chainstoreage.com/article/advantage-retail?ad=exclusives-analysis. </a>', 'Smart Retailers Target Seniors With Service', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'smart-retailers-target-seniors-with-service-advises-renwick', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '2018-09-27 17:58:48', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/smart-retailers-target-seniors-with-service-advises-renwick', 0, 'thinking', '', 0),
(1887, 4, '2013-11-18 16:59:42', '2013-11-18 16:59:42', '<strong>Dr Pepper Snapple Group aims to engage a fresh young generation with the redesigned graphics for the number one orange soda brand</strong>.\r\nCBX, a brand agency based in New York City, recently collaborated with Dr Pepper Snapple Group to refresh the packaging graphics for Sunkist® Soda, the number-one orange soda brand. Introduced in 1978, Sunkist Soda was once known for its California style.\r\n\r\nPrior to engaging CBX, Dr Pepper Snapple Group recognized an opportunity to reposition the Sunkist Soda brand, going back to its “fun in the sun” roots and targeting teens with a bull’s-eye age of 16 years, in order to better differentiate from competitors within the orange segment. There was then the opportunity to better align the packaging graphics with the revised brand positioning – “Sunkist Soda lets you shine.” CBX was engaged for this challenge.\r\n“Since 2008, our packaging has been missing the original sun graphic, an equity that has been present for much of the brand’s history. Without it, we lost a connection to our California beach story and lacked differentiation within the orange segment,” said Eric Blackwood, Director of Brand Marketing, Core Flavored Soft Drinks at Dr Pepper Snapple Group.\r\nWith this in mind, the CBX team worked with Dr Pepper Snapple Group to determine the visual opportunity areas for Sunkist Soda. “The sun graphic provided us with a great platform for expressing the brand. Our opportunity was to visually express the idea of ’liquid sunshine’ – it was all about harnessing the positivity and vitality we associate with the sun and using that energy to gain relevancy with our target,” said Satoru Wakeshima, CBX General Manager.\r\nThe design solution – the playful script brandmark was refined to capture a California surf vibe, and fresh flavor colors were introduced to give the package a sun-like glow. The reintroduction of a vibrant sun and refreshing condensation convey summer beach energy. By reversing the blue and white brand colors, and staging the logo right on the sun, CBX helped Sunkist Soda embody \"liquid sunshine\" and stand out on the shelf.\r\n\r\nRead More: <a href=\"http://www.packworld.com/package-design/graphic/liquid-sunshine-refresh-sunkist-soda\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.packworld.com/package-design/graphic/liquid-sunshine-refresh-sunkist-soda</a>', 'A \'Liquid Sunshine\' refresh for Sunkist Soda', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-liquid-sunshine-refresh-for-sunkist-soda', '', '', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '2018-09-27 17:56:32', '', 0, 'http://cbx.cappendev.com/thinking/16/a-liquid-sunshine-refresh-for-sunkist-soda', 0, 'thinking', '', 0);
