In the mid-1940s, the diamond cartel De Beers had a challenge probably no other company ever had. They controlled almost all the diamond mines in the world. And they had an excessive supply after the discoveries of huge mines a few decades earlier. But they had a dilemma. If they reduced the price and made… The post Anchoring Beyond Pricing: How To Increase Your Brand’s Perceived Value appeared first on Frontera ..read more

In 2001, all business and tech publications were saying Steve Jobs made a big mistake. Jobs had decided to change Apple’s retail strategy. Up to that point, Apple had partnered with electronic retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City. But it never worked out as Apple expected. Apple products were displayed next to other brands… The post Cross-Industry Innovation: How to Differentiate Your Brand By Ignoring Best Practices appeared first on Frontera ..read more

You’ll remember the scene if you’ve watched Mad Men. In the 1960s, the FTC bans tobacco companies from making any health claims in their ads. Before that, it was normal to see ads with the “health benefits” of cigarettes. But public opinion was starting to change on tobacco. So Lucky Strike executives ask for help from Don Draper’s… The post The Framing Effect: How To Give Customers a Good Reason to Choose You appeared first on Frontera ..read more

In the 80s, the Swiss watch industry was in an existential crisis. Japanese brands had flooded the market after quartz technology became accessible. Seiko, Casio, Citizen… It was like a revolution. Suddenly, Japanese brands could produce less expensive and more accurate watches. Put yourself in the shoes of the Swiss. You see mechanical watchmaking as… The post Repositioning: How to Turn Your Strengths Into Profitable Growth (Without Spending More) appeared first on Frontera ..read more

On a winter day in 1971, McCann’s young copywriter Ilon Specht was frustrated. She was chosen to write the ad for an expensive hair color brand called L’Oréal. And her colleagues (mostly men) were after the same old ideas. Show a woman changing to a new hair color to be more attractive to a man.… The post Cognitive Dissonance In Marketing: How To Make Sales Easy appeared first on Frontera ..read more

In 2000, Marc Benioff decided to declare war. He founded Salesforce a year earlier and entered the competitive CRM market. And Siebel Systems was the market leader with a 45% market share. So Salesforce desperately needed to get known. Benioff worked with an agency to come up with a bold campaign. You know what was… The post Bowling Alley Strategy: How New Players Dominate Big Markets appeared first on Frontera ..read more

Think about it. You are an accountant in 1926. And you see many inefficiencies in the businesses you work with. So you decide to leave your job and start a consultancy in an era when nobody knows what “consultant” means. Fast forward 30 years. The firm you started has so much influence, it’s the consultant… The post How Brand Values Actually Build a Winning Brand appeared first on Frontera ..read more

In 1957, copywriter Donald Gilles got a challenge. “How can we position this chocolate brand called KitKat?” The UK economy was finally booming after World War II. So KitKat’s owner Rowntree’s knocked on advertising agency JWT’s door for a new campaign. And JWT assigned Gilles to the task. Now, the positioning challenge for a bar… The post Buying Triggers: How to Create Growth From Non-Obvious Demand appeared first on Frontera ..read more

In 1983, Horst Schulze took on a big challenge. He became a founding member and the president of The Ritz-Carlton Company. The co-founders’ goal was clear. Take the legacy of Ritz and Carlton names in the hotel industry. And turn it into a successful luxury hotel chain. But the hotel industry is one of those… The post Halo Effect: Why Great Brands Are Built in Details (And How To Nail It) appeared first on Frontera ..read more

In 2010, T-Mobile US executives had one question in mind: “How can we salvage the assets before things get even worse?” T-Mobile was the fourth telecom company in the US. AT&T and Verizon were crushing them. So T-Mobile executive team decided to look for buyers and sell the company. AT&T jumped at the opportunity like… The post Framestorming: How A Simple Focus Shift Saved T-Mobile (And How To Do The Same): appeared first on Frontera ..read more