The Brand Landscape

There was a time when I used to cook a lot and I loved it. Now I eat out a lot…and love it. For some reason this spring, I’ve been cooking a lot, and the more I cook, the more I realize why I love restaurants.

It’s April, and the spring party season is here. Last weekend, I had a party for my nephew and his wife, who were in town on spring break, and what started as a quiet dinner grew into quite a party that included his high school buddies, old neighbors, friends and family. Along the way, I…

Yes, we are still in a deal-driven environment, but more and more, the deals I see are increasingly strategic. Think about Denny’s free Grand Slam or Chick-fil-A’s March Mania Friday where customers save their receipts and get their exact order for free before the end of March. These are what I call “strategic freebies”…very different offers…

Since it’s Lent, the Catholic schoolgirl in me couldn’t resist a trip to McDonald’s today for a fish sandwich. (It brought back a flood of school cafeteria memories for me.)

The list is long. From product quality to adherence to core values, Chick-fil-A is replete with best practices. But the thing that most recently impressed me is this: When the going gets tough, the smart get strategic.

I just read an article about Twitter that used the phrase “useful immediacy.” (Ironically, a new microwave–the granddaddy of useful immediacy–is being installed in my kitchen as I type.)

Am I the only one who’s getting sick of winter? Every time I see the TV commercial featuring Travelocity’s “Roaming Gnome” sitting in front of a television screen filled with palm trees and sandy beaches while a storm fills the window behind him, I almost chant along with him…

I just saw an interview with Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White, whose snowboarding stunts are almost mind-boggling. When interviewed, he explained, “I can see what I want to do before I do it.”

OK, I admit, burgers have been on my mind lately. But the other night, Bob Costas even broached the topic while he was doing Jay Leno’s final “10 at 10 List.” He admitted, “If I have $10 in my pocket, no offense to In-N-Out, I’m going for a Carl’s Super Star with Cheese.”Clearly, people love…

In a presentation at a culinary conference years ago, my menu maven friend announced that we are all motivated by “our culinary heritage.”