DW's Blog

For The Love Of Love

by DW Green — February 2, 2015

With love we are heartfelt, generous, nurturing, affectionate, steadfast, and forgiving. Love is protective, collaborative, uplifting, holistic, and gracious. Love is characterized by warmth, gratitude, appreciation, humility, completion, vision, and purity of motive. Love is a way of being.Everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the beauty and harmony of the world by showing kindness to all living things and, thereby, supporting the human spirit. That which we freely give to life flows back to us because we are equally part of that life. Like ripples on the water, every gift returns to the giver. What we affirm in others, we actually affirm in ourselves.Love is a core value of DW Green Co. We try....

by DW Green — January 19, 2015

Responsive design takes into consideration the multitude of various devices that people use to access the Web. It’s no longer good enough to design a website solely for a desktop or laptop monitor. With millions of people accessing the Web through smart phones, tablets, and TV’s, websites need to be designed in a way they can easily be viewed on multiple devices. Experts project that by this year, mobile search will surpass desktop searching. Because of this, it’s vital that your website design lends itself to increasing the user experience on these portals.Furthermore, it’s important that your website content is shareable. The rapid rise of social media shows no sign of slowing down. Businesses that use social media platforms as a way for potential customers to not only identify their business, but identify, learn from and eventually buy from will reap the rewards....

by DW Green — June 19, 2014

We have a new client in Utah. After three weeks of new ad layouts I asked the client how the new designs were working out. He said “I think they look good…hoping they don’t look too good. They are sharp ads and the printed copies come out great.”*There seems to be an unfounded notion that well designed and store/product benefit driven ads communicate high prices. Wal Mart and Publix are two price leaders who maintain high advertising standards without sacrificing price image.Good ad design, like good merchandising, sells more product. And good design is essential to expressing a brand’s position and store benefits.Check out the Publix ad. >*Since this blog post almost one year ago, the Utah client sales continue to grow even after a new Wal Mart opened across the street....

by DW Green — March 27, 2014

I received an email from a client yesterday. It’s a great story and a wonderful example of customer service. The value of impeccable attention and commitment to customer service is immeasurable. Marketing is truly a company-wide activity. If you can make consumers desire a partnership with your brand, you have created an emotional connection that spells long-term success.The following story is courtesy of Think Patented, a marketing execution company in Miamisburg Ohio. It was printed in their March e-noodle newsletter.Do Things Worth Talking About“Scott Stratten, author of “Unmarketing” and “QR Codes Kill Kittens,” recently spoke about what real marketing really looks like. His message included a wonderful story about a stuffed giraffe named Joshie and his stay at the Ritz-Carlton.When we think of the Ritz, a certain persona emerges. A high-end hotel with a sophisticated appeal probably comes to mind. However, the following story tells us so much more.A father calls the Ritz that he and his family recently visited to let them know that he had an issue. His young daughter had left her cherished stuffed giraffe, Joshie, at the hotel. He asks them to do their best to find it but assumes it was gone forever. Meanwhile, he tells his little girl that Joshie has gone on a vacation and that he simply needed a little R&R.While most hotels wo...

by DW Green — March 11, 2014

There’s an outstanding independent retailer in the Midwest. They are superb operators. They opened two new stores and a new retail support center in 2012 and acquired three additional locations last year. They’ve added a store loyalty program, hired dieticians to their staff, developed gasoline partnerships and continue to expand their private label product portfolio. Their commitment of time, management and resources is remarkable. And their growth is impressive. So what is missing from this success story? Often times as companies grow, add stores and new product and service offerings they neglect to integrate those offerings in a cohesive, holistic manner that enhance and embrace the overall store brand. It’s like adding a freestanding GPS unit to the dashboard of your car. The standalone unit gets the job done, but it pales in comparison to a system tailored to your car. A well-designed system is a pleasure to use and often disappears from notice entirely, as it seamlessly integrates with the car’s driving experience.It can be a worthwhile project to get an outside perspective on the interconnectedness of your brand activities. A brand is more powerful and more difficult to compete against when the activities are tightly linked and carefully integrated.Contact DW Green Company for a free brand assessment today.

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by DW Green — February 12, 2014

Last May Supermarket News ran an excellent story about Wegmans. In the article entitled Wegmans 101, Robert Wegman was quoted from his “I Am a Merchant’ Speech.”“I am a merchant, and I have therefore my own philosophy about merchandising: That is, to do something that no one else is doing, and to be able to offer the customer a choice she doesn’t have at the moment. This is the only reason for being in business. To my own way of thinking, this is the only way it should be. “I think that uniqueness gives one an opportunity to profit. If you are doing the same thing that everyone else is doing, your opportunity for a substantial profit is materially reduced because of the price ceiling your competition will impose. Thus, good merchandising resolves itself into rendering a service in such a way as to be difficult for your competitors to emulate. This is the basic premise of the way we at Wegmans operate.”Mr. Wegman’s words represent a brilliant and well-expressed business creed. I believe there is a powerful distinction between being a merchant and being a retailer. A merchant mindset goes beyond selling products to consumers for a profit. The merchant mentality involves the totality of the consumer shopping experience. From product merchandising to signage, story telling, product assortment, service and services…all store activities presented within a cohesive brand style.Merchants merchandise to stimulate interest and entice c...

by DW Green — February 5, 2014

I took a field trip to Whole Foods last week. I was surprised at the excellent job they did promoting “local”. They presented the local theme in an authentic and believable way. It’s discouraging when a national chain expresses a local attribute so much better than their local counterpart.“I’m A Local” signs were used in varying sizes and shapes throughout the store to identify local products and growers. They printed the number of local items available in each aisle on individual aisle markers. They had a sign in the front of the store detailing the dollar amount of local purchases. Whole Foods “Made Right Here” labels, stickers and strip signs were used to identify products produced in the store. All in all the overall local theme was very well done.Local is a big deal and can be a competitive advantage. Generally most consumers prefer to shop local stores and purchase local products. What can you do to bring your local expertise and knowledge alive in your stores? We’d love the opportunity to assist your team in developing a meaningful and thoughtful approach to marketing local.To make the most of this local advantage, it’s crucial to have a tailored marketing strategy in place. That’s where we come in. We can help you develop a plan that highlights your local roots while enhancing your store’s presence online and offline. Incorporating services like ...

by DW Green — December 5, 2013

One of our clients jumped into the Cyber Monday fray with their store brand gift card email offer. Projections ranged from 500 to 1,000 gift card sales. Even with some website clichés, they sold over 5,000 cards (maximum 4 card purchase per customer order) totaling more than $500,000.00 in sales! $100 cards were discounted $25 and $50 cards cost consumers $40.00. Considering the generous markdown, a half million dollar in sales is not a bad sales day for a six-store chain in a 24-hour period. It’s important to note that this retailer is an exceptional operator where customer loyalty and satisfaction run deep.Digital marketing is a powerful and inexpensive platform to use to connect with consumers. It is wise to have an integrated promotional plan that encompasses all marketing platforms. A plan that takes advantage of the unique strengths of the array of distinct, marketing platforms. Many retailers are discovering that the cost of traditional print media can be greatly reduced, even eliminated, by employing more digital and social media marketing.Well, it’s time to finish up our ...

by DW Green — November 25, 2013

Today is a wonderful day to be grateful, to express all the gratitude that is in our heart. The more we practice gratitude, the more we see how much there is to be grateful for, and our life becomes an ongoing celebration of joy and happiness. When we master gratitude, we perceive God in everything, and our reaction is love and gratitude for the greatest gift, which is life.To live with gratitude is to enjoy every moment of this precious gift that comes from God. Gratitude is one of the greatest expressions of love. To express what is in our hearts is to be truly alive. Just saying thank you will open all the doors to an abundance of life’s blessings from all directions, but especially an abundance of love.Since Thanksgiving is the “official” day to express thankfulness for our blessings, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for clients and staff, past and present, who have provided me with so much joy, knowledge, wisdom and happiness.Thank you all very much and Happy Thanksgiving.DW...

by DW Green — November 21, 2013

I was looking at supermarket Thanksgiving ads in the newspaper today. Generally items and price points are similar from one week to the next, but particularly so on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the one week of the year where most of the items and price points are very much the same.So if it’s not a specific item(s) or lower price(s) what makes a consumer choose one retailer over another? I belive it’s the look and feel of the ad and the brand messaging. Design counts. Design is what connects the store brand to the consumer. When the design is clean and easy to read, and clearly communicates brand attributes and benefits, consumers are more likely to choose your store. Attracting a larger percentage of ad shoppers can be the difference between a good week and a great week of sales.Given the expense of advertising it’s a shame when ads, and websites and email promotions lack good design and fail to communicate the benefits of shopping a particular store. Design is a subjective area for sure, but it’s important to trust good designers!...