Warren Douglas website

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For Premium Exposure, Consider Going “In thru the Outdoor.”

Sure, it’s been hot outdoors just about everywhere this summer.  Here’s something that’s hot for many  brands: outdoor, also known as out-of-home, or billboards.
Outdoor has always been a favorite media of mine, due to it’s challenging creative canvas: you basically have room for 7 words or less to make an impression that lasts mere seconds [...]

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Becoming a “Fan” of Premium Thinking.

Does the name James Dyson ring a bell?  It should.
As the inventor and marketer of revolutionary Dyson Vacuums, Mr. Dyson has cornered the market on unconventional thinking for a very conventional task–vacuuming carpets and rugs. Mr. Dyson’s fresh, new approach to the technical aspect of dust removal and collection proved that if you can invent [...]

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A QuikTrip to a Premium Brand

There are a variety of premium brands I’m fiercely loyal to. Mobil 1 Oil. Mirado Black Warrior Pencils. KTM motorcycles. All of them share premium traits like impeccable performance, superb fit and finish and long-lasting quality.
But few brands impress or excite me more than my favorite place for gasoline and sundries—QuikTrip. Do you [...]

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Does Anyone Know Panera Has Premium Meat?

I was recently looking for some more healthy food options when eating out. My friend, Lauren, immediately pointed me toward Panera. I really like Panera, but had never heard that their chicken was all-natural. I went to their website to see what else they offered, and no where on their website could I find any [...]

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The Premium Nature of the “Real McCoy”

I’m what you call a gear head. A car and bike nut, if you will. I’ve been crazy for fast cars and motorcycles since I was a kid. So when the Internet came along, and with it sites like eBay, I was as happy as a pig on ice. Why? Because [...]

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Emotional vs. rational benefits: getting the mix just right

When it comes to marketing premium brands, there’s usually no shortage of RTBs (Reasons To Believe) to choose from. Although brands in commodity categories are sometimes challenged to differentiate themselves, the premium brand(s) in any “vertical” should carefully choose which RTBs make it to the front lines of consumer messaging. Whether or not emotional or [...]

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Old School Promotions Still Deliver Premium Benefits

These days, every brand and their pet logo is leveraging the new world of social media for some type of promotion . From Facebook pages to Twitter Feeds and iPhone apps, countless brands big and small are leaping into the social fray with creative offers designed to engage their constantly connected audiences.
But, what about the [...]

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Small Things Show Insight in the Office and With Clients

Tom Peters’s new book, The Little Big Things, communicates the message that sometimes the very smallest gestures reap the best rewards, not only in the office arena but also with your clients. There really are some great tidbits of useful business tactics that he communicates in his book. MY favorite, since I am the office [...]

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Can I earn my subscription by viewing ads?

It could be just around the corner. Like maybe next month or so. My subscription to Fortune Magazine could be delivered electronically. (I’d link to it, but it’s a subscription-only site!) And no, I’m not just talking about their website, but a bona fide magazine with ads and all, right on Steve Jobs’ latest stroke [...]

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Dude, Where’s the Love?

I’m tired. Of life?
No … I’m tired of marketers’ and researchers’ ploys to convince me and my clients that Social Media only applies to white female moms with HHI of $75K+. This may sound like a ridiculous thing to be fed up with, but hear me out.

While the fact that here 300 million users on [...]