DW's Blog

Thank You

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!...

by DW Green — February 20, 2013

“They’re beginning to get on my nerves. Who are those guys?” Butch Cassidy asked the Sundance Kid.Dunkin Donuts, Wendy’s and Walgreens recently transformed their brands. Wendy’s has passed Burger King and is number two in market share. And Walgreens is now re-inventing the drugstore experience. Why not your company? I wholeheartedly believe that every food retailer has a unique opportunity to reimagine and transform its brand and own a distinct market position. If we have learned anything from alternative formats, it’s been lost sales and the fact that retailers must be different enough from their competitors to gain an advantage. In the long run, investing resources to develop a meaningful brand is much more powerful than promotional games and gimmicks that might boost short-term sales. The Fresh Market is a great example. Once a regional niche player they are now expanding nationwide. The Fresh Market is a purpose driven brand that connects emotionally with consumers with its own blend of customer service and great food experience.There is a great book, The Primes, by Chris McGoff, that distinguishes change from transformation. (www.theprimes.com/) According to McGoff, change is about fixing or improving the past while transformation creates the future. “In change mode, the desire to improve the past directs what we do. Change is about making the system better. In transformation mode the future directs our actions. Transformation is about caus...

by DW Green — August 30, 2012

Since professional football teams are kicking off a new season perhaps another sports to business analogy is in order. Or perhaps not, but here’s one just the same. Winning teams exemplify qualities like preparation, teamwork, execution, heart, wholeheartedness, determination, courage, purpose, tenacity, talent, passion and self-confidence. From a brand perspective, the ultimate value of a professional sports team is in the emotional connection it creates with its fans. Enduring franchises, like the Packers, Cowboys and Steelers, consistently provide their fans with a reason to believe in their team. Whether it’s a championship season or a mediocre one, the fans remain faithful to their team. This team loyalty isn’t based on superficial marketing or slick advertising. It’s rooted in the hearts of the fans, in their love, in their passion for the team, and in their community.Our brand foundation work has similar roots. On the surface many retailers tell us they are about quality products, value pricing and exceptional service. Some retailers insist they’re only about offering low prices. Our brand foundation process is an exploration into the deeper meaning and purpose of an organization and how it can connect with all its stakeholders. The process requires hard work, collaboration, open mindedness, and creative thinking.We believe that all independent retailers who are good at what they do, have the mettle to prosper and grow and to build an enduring emotional b...

by DW Green — August 14, 2012

We have to first identify and articulate the purpose of a company to have a meaningful starting point to build the brand. What does your company have that consumer’s want that the competition can’t deliver? What is the difference your company is trying to make in the world? Lets figure out what really matters to people and develop marketing solutions accordingly. Sometimes the best way to improve perceptions might be to update the retail experience, enhance in-store signage, redesign the web site or whatever shows up. A purpose driven process transforms integration from an exercise in consistency to an exercise in creation—it’s about looking at everything as an opportunity to deliver another dimension of your purpose! How much more powerful would your brand be if everything you were putting out in the world was attempting to fulfill the promise of your purpose in some new and exciting way? Purpose is the great uniter. If your marketing efforts aren’t being developed with the overall purpose of your company in mind, you’re likely to have a whole lot of messages resulting in a whole lot of nothing in the market. We want to co-create ideas that are so intriguing, so entertaining, so persuasive and relevant to consumers that you are invited into their lives with open arms. And when you connect with consumer...

by DW Green — March 12, 2012

In the world of similes and metaphors, a mixed metaphor is a combination of images that do not work well together. “The fullback was a locomotive, running up and down the field like a ninja.” Only Ali could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee; this football locomotive can’t move like a ninja! In today’s rich world of marketing channels, mixing traditional advertising mediums inside new digital ones is like the metaphor above, it doesn’t work very well.The weekly print ad has an important role to play in the overall marketing and communications plan. But its effectiveness and influence has decreased with the advent of new digital marketing channels. In the last three quarters of 2009 mobile and internet advertising grew by 18.1% and 9.2% respectively, and older media advertising saw declines: −10.1% (TV), −11.7% (radio), −14.8% (magazines) and −18.7% (newspapers). And most certainly these trends will continue.Newspaper print ads do not translate well in websites or mobile devices. Desktop websites do not translate well in mobile devices. Print pdf’s are not user friendly on websites nor are desktop websites user friendly with the mobile experience. So why then do so many supermarkets present their weekly ad offerings in new media channels with non-digital material? Or why do they expect their desktop website to satisfy the mobile user experience?The beauty of new technology is its ability to connect to changing demographics and generational pr...

by DW Green — February 22, 2012

We recently received the Dorothy Lane Market Vendor Honor Roll award. It is a tremendous honor to be acknowledged by one of America’s premier retailers. Since 1991 Dorothy Lane Market has presented the DLM Vendor Honor Roll award to recognize outstanding vendors for their excellent service. Dorothy Lane Market is a Firm of Endearment, a stakeholder brand who honors and serves all of its primary stakeholder groups. Stakeholder groups include customers, employees, vendors, partners, communities, the environment and shareholders. Stakeholder brands align the interest of all in such a way that no stakeholder group gains at the expense of other stakeholder groups.According to Firms of Endearment* authors, Raji Sisodia, Jag Sheth and David B. Wolfe, “In addition to aligning the interest of all stakeholders, stakeholder brands embrace a humanistic approach to business. A humanistic company is one that is run in such a way that its stakeholders develop an emotional connection with it. Humanistic companies are the ultimate value creators; they create promotional value, experiential value, social value, and of course financial value. There are many companies that are successful and admirable in many ways but lack a strong emotive dimension. We call this emotive dimension the soul of a company and we believe that companies without souls face a doubtful future.”For the first time in history, the majority of adults in developed countries are forty years old and...

by DW Green — February 3, 2012

Supermarkets have been losing center-store sales for more than a decade, and the trend is only accelerating. Aside from the usual suspects (big box stores, limited assortment and other uniquely differentiated retailers) center-store sales are going to just about every brick and mortar retailer and online powerhouse. Fact is consumers have a plethora of purchasing choices and shop multiple venues every week. This isn’t a news flash! Why then, do so many food retailers continue to lament about lost center-stores sales and their inability to get customers down the grocery aisles?I say, “Get over it. Accept it.” Because every dollar you invest in chasing phantom center-stores sales is one less dollar you can spend in areas where you can gain a competitive advantage. How much more produce, or meat, or seafood or bakery or deli business can you do? If you don’t have 40% market share in those departments you can do better. Or how can you improve your merchandising, your customer service or your customer experience? What more can you do to support your community? What are you doing with social media and other interactive technologies? What percent of resources do you allocate to those possibilities? What is the ROI on chasing center-store sales?I’m not suggesting that retailers give up on center-store sales, but only to accept the reality of why they are going away and allocate precious resources wisely. There are definitely things that can be done to enhance...

by DW Green — January 13, 2012

Effecting change within an organization is a difficult proposition. And effecting change from outside an organization is even more challenging. Consequently, our central management challenge is to assemble, integrate and retain talented people who can stay at the forefront of new paradigms and techniques that affect our clients’ business. Our most sought-after employee must have tremendous skill at effecting change within client organizations, because what is in short supply, is the ability to effect change, to get things implemented, to make things happen. That’s the value provided by our company. We know that the proof of our value is found in results. Deeply rooted in our culture is the sense that if the client does well, I’ve done well and we’ve all done well.We accept responsibility for achieving results. We will, if necessary, put our selves at risk to further our client’s success; because the worst failure for our company isn’t to loose money; it is to lose a client....

by DW Green — December 19, 2011

As 2011 draws to a close, I would like to thank our clients, business partners and vendors for your business and for your friendship. I’d like to thank each of you for the positive influence and impact you have had on my life and on my company. I am most grateful and appreciative of our relationships. I am honored to work with you.To acknowledge the end of the year, it seems both fitting and proper to share this leadership blessing with you. I am inspired by Mr. Donohue’s words and read them often.For A Leader
John O’DonohueMay you have the grace and wisdom
To act kindly, learning
To distinguish between what is
Personal and what is not.May you be hospitable to criticism.May you never put yourself at the
center of things.May you not act from arrogance but
out of service.May you work on yourself,
Building up and refining the ways of
your mind.May those who work for you know
You see and respect them.May you learn to cultivate the art of
presence
In order to engage with those who
meet you.When someone fails or disappoints
you,
May the graciousness with which
You engage
Be their stairway to renewal and
refinement.May you treasure the gifts of the
mind
Through reading and creative
thinking
So that you continue as a servant of
the frontierWhere the new will draw its
enrichment from the old,
And you never become
functionary.May you know the wisdom of deep
listening,
The healing of wholesome words,
The encourag...

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