The Story

I recently had the chance to stay at the Nordic Hotel Forum in Tallin, Estonia - a new, hip, modern hotel. I was really impressed by the way the hotel stayed true to its brand through their interior design choices. They had a clear nature theme, which contrasted (pleasantly) with the […]

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Starbucks is undergoing a lot of changes in an effort to get back to their core. (Check out this article about Howard Schultz’s return in TIME magazine.) One of the changes includes getting rid of the popular breakfast sandwiches - a truly sad moment for several […]

We seem to be on a roll with posts associating food and evolving brand identity. If you’re a loyal fan of this here CBC blog, then you’re familiar with our rants and raves of Les Schwab’s free steak. Yes, the tire store’s gift is random. But it’s oh so memorable. Alas, that’s not […]

I don’t know about you, but I love receiving mail. I love coming home and flipping through the mailbox to see what kind of cool things I got. Last night, I felt like I hit the jackpot - there were 3 envelopes, all addressed to me!
They didn’t look like bills, so that was […]

I went to Caprial’s Bistro for dinner recently - a well known Portland restaurant - and had a very interesting experience when ordering wine. There was no wine list…instead, the entire back wall of the restaurant was covered in shelves with bottles of wine. When you are ready to order your wine, you […]

“The Finishing Touch” is the fifth article in a five-part series about using multi-sensory marketing and experiential branding in the banking industry. The articles were authored by CBC’s Jeff Stephens for ABA’s Bank Marketing magazine, which is running the series during this fall/winter.
Branding With All Five Senses
Part five of a 5-part Series on Multi-Sensory Branding […]

On a recent trip to Southern California, I got my first taste of Pinkberry, the fast-growing frozen yogurt chain taking over LA and NY. Each one had the store concept I had heard so much about - the hanging lamps, pebble floors, ghost chairs, etc. The stores are cool, and the frozen yogurt […]

“What Flavor is Your Bank?” is the fourth article in a five-part series about using multi-sensory marketing and experiential branding in the banking industry. The articles were authored by CBC’s Jeff Stephens for ABA’s Bank Marketing magazine, which is running the series during this fall/winter.
Branding With All Five Senses
Part four of a 5-part Series on […]

Have you been to Anthropologie? If not, visit one, at least to experience the store. This brand knows how to create the quintessential multi-sensory experience – one which gets women to pay an extraordinary mark-up for not-so-extraordinary clothing. Let’s take a look at how they accomplish this:
When you step into an Anthropologie, […]

I recently had an experience with a business who’s sign was a bit ambiguous - I couldn’t tell what the name was because of an unclear font. I think it was a design choice - the first letter and the last letter are the same, just inverted - so it’s cool from a design […]