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advertising branding & corporate identity marketing small business small business marketing startup advice

In Search of the Perfect Daytime Storefront: I. Defining the Challenge

It is probably obvious to anyone following my blog that I am after a formula for the perfect daytime storefront. The challenge is how to make the window display standout against all the visual noise in the environment. Whenever, in my travels, I see a candidate for analysis I snap a photo. There is a thing or […]

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advertising branding & corporate identity marketing publicity / public relations sales small business small business marketing startup advice

Unbranding the Brand Part III

Above is a local “Old Town” shop, what would be called a “Mom & Pop” shop. The name of the shop is more about describing the product than creating a brand identity. The sign, though in a prominent location, is not graphically pronounced because there is little or no contrast between the letters and the […]

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advertising branding & corporate identity marketing sales small business small business marketing startup advice

Unbranding the Brand II

Unbranding, it appears from my research, is a term used to describe a fix, meaning one or more of the following:                 My idea of unbranding, in the context of this discussion, goes more to the question raised by John Freeman in the previous post when he said […]

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advertising branding & corporate identity marketing publicity / public relations sales small business small business marketing startup advice

Unbranding the Brand, Part I

At the AIA convention this past summer I attended an event entitled: Bathesda Row a Retrospective Look at a Retail Icon. For anyone not familiar with it, Bethesda Row it is a highly successful mixed use development project that took place over 17 or so years. It is a model of successful “main street” retail. […]

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advertising branding & corporate identity marketing small business startup advice

No question of differentiation here.

For my first SBDC blog post, I thought a nice introduction might be to revisit some notes taken this past summer during “Northern Virgina Retail Week.” I attended several presentations by Marc Wilson, retail expert and consultant to the  Virginia Small Business Development Center.  A page entitled, “Differentiate the Business” was important enough to have […]

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advertising branding & corporate identity marketing small business small business marketing startup advice

Can More Money Be Charged for the Merchandise Because the Ceiling Looks Expensive? Maybe!

If you have the budget a curved ceiling can add sophistication, and polish to a rectangular retail department or room. When used in a small space, perhaps 1000 square feet, the ceiling can be held back from the wall allowing for a cove and creating all manner of design possibilities. The cove frames the room […]