The Story

There’s a difference between “what you want” (specifically,”what you think you want”) and “what you want to accomplish.” Actually, there’s a big difference. Every now and again, the request comes in for a three-panel product brochure. To which we naturally ask, after the internal scoffing, “Why a brochure?”
Sure enough, what the bank marketing director really […]

This weekend I stopped into a tiny record shop on Hawthorne that I had driven by a hundred times but never really noticed. A sign on the door boasting “American Roots Music” is what drew me in. What I was looking for was so specific that even the clerk in the 200 square foot store […]

“Stop and Smell the Brand” is the second 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 Two of a 5-part Series on […]

Christmas is coming up and it reminded me of something. I was walking downtown last month when a poster in Nordstrom’s window made me stop for a moment. The department store was promoting the fact that they wouldn’t be dragging any Christmas decorations out of the attic until after Thanksgiving. “We just […]

“I See” is the first 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 One of a 5-part Series on Multi-Sensory Branding & […]

“Word-of-Mouth” has been a buzz phrase for many years in the marketing business, but rarely do financial institutions (or any industry sector) do it well . . . or know how to do it at all.
At CBC we specialize in, amongst other branding techniques, word-of-mouth marketing—not because it’s cool and it’s all the buzz in […]

An article in the November 15, 2007 New York Times alerts us to the fact that the Royal Mail, the British postal service, has launched a new initiative. The program is aimed at business’ that use direct mail to reach potential consumers. The Royal Mail wants marketers to use scent, taste or sound […]

I found out about a cool new website today, Dell Lounge, that’s working to create an online experience that translates into the real world.
Here’s what they say on their home page: “Welcome to the Dell Lounge. NOW GET OUT. Out into the world. We’ve got what you’re into online and we’re out and about at […]

When was the last time you were driving down the road, and became enthralled by a commercial for cough syrup? I may get excited about dorky stuff like bank marketing or credit union branding, but this was certainly a first for me, when I recently tuned in just in time to hear a creative […]

Recently I made a new friend. A new friendship is in many ways like a new relationship, a close study of all interactions can be a a shortcut to analyzing compatibility. The first time I emailed my new friend, I wrote a short 3 paragraph message. When my potential buddy wrote back, I found myself […]