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Hmmm.
From the remaining gray matter of Jim Huebner

com

May 8, 2012
SODAS...TOYOTAS...CONTENT KING
BRAND OBSERVATIONS OF THE DAY From my random collection of info sources, here are some highlights related to the brands of our times... Just read an article on Business Insider about the Coke vs Pepsi war. BI reported that after a 9-month study on what made the two soda brands different from each other, Pepsi execs found that people perceived Coke to be timeless and Pepsi to be timely. And what did they do with the information? Pepsi developed a new tag line, Live For Now. And what should be Cokes responding tag line? Im thinking Live Forever. Bad PR didnt stop Toyota last year from topping Interbrands 2011 Most Valuable Brands in the automotive sector. The car maker squeaked by Mercedes-Benz with a brand value of $27.76B. According to a recent article in Forbes, only 32% of Americans now trust banks. In a separate report, Select Comfort mattress sales have been on the rise since last September. You dont suppose theres any connection to where people are now putting their money do you? THE KING OF CONTENT ClickZ.com recently announced their Top 50 Brands in Content Marketing, and American Express came out on top. The vast amounts of information they produce related to nances is quite impressive. Itd be interesting to see how it translates into increased sales and/or improved brand equity.

YOU ASKED FOR IT

Before you criticize a man, you should walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you do criticize him youre a mile away from him and you have his shoes. Unkown

This takes burping the baby to a whole new level!

Brought to you by popular demand of a client, my mom, and some folks I met at a church potluck

...and straight from the HuebnerPetersen blog...!

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Shifting from cost-cutting to value creation

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Denver for the semi-annual meeting of Amplify, a small association of ad agencies from around the country. HuebnerPetersen has been a member of this network since 1997, sharing best practices and working with partner rms to tackle business challenges and opportunities together. On the second day of our meeting, the discussion centered around value pricing. I couldnt help but think of our clients and how some of the concepts we discussed applied very specically to them as they are in a constant quest to increase margins in an increasingly competitive environment. The man leading the discussion was Ron Baker, a self-described recovering cost accountant and author of ve books on the subject of value. With a quick history lesson, Baker explained that Karl Marxs Labor Theory of Value (where value is simply determined by the input of actual costs) was thrown out and replaced by the Subjective Theory of Value (where value is subjective and determined by the perceptions of the consumer) near the turn of the 20th century. Baker noted that even though the Labor Theory had been disproven over a century prior, thousands of companies yet today are still driven by the dubious practice of focusing primarily on costcutting to improve protability. He described in great detailthrough videos, quotes, and real-life examples how the amount saved in aggressive cost-cutting measures pales in

comparison to the amounts that can be gained through the strategic creation of value. Baker noted, The default purpose of marketing is not to increase sales. Its to increase prots. And by increasing perceived value (through strategic marketing resulting in increased pricing) this is exactly what happens.
Jim Huebner is President of HuebnerPetersen Marketing Communications.The rm was established in 1989 and specializes in helping make manufacturers heroes to their dealer and distribution networks through strategic brand positioning, integrated marketing, and front lines marketing services. You can reach Jim at jimh@HuebnerPetersen.com or on LinkedIn. 2012 Hmmm by Jim Huebner

WORDS TO LIVE BY
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13