Hot or not: are customers feeing the brand love?
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- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
By now, many airline passengers have noticed the changes happening at Southwest Airlines. Assigned seats instead of a cattle call. No more “bags fly free” unless you’re a credit card holder. I’ve booked several flights with them in the past two months and have definitely noticed customer experience changes.
7 ways to get more from a trade show than just buying a booth
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- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
Most companies approach trade shows the same way. They reserve a booth, order the tchotchkes, pull a backdrop out of storage and ship the banners.
Then hope the right people stop by.
The right way (and wrong way) to fix a brand mess up, miss step or mistake
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- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
No brand is perfect. There will be times when an employee makes a mistake, your product falls short or forces beyond your control cause customer dissatisfaction.
But it’s never right to argue with a customer over an upset.
Transform conference inspiration into brand activation
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- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
You attended the conference. Now you’re bursting with enthusiasm and the new ideas. The problem is that most of those ideas never make it past the airport.
Stop sending these 5 red flags that damage your brand
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- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
I thought our local Best Buy was going out of business. The paint was faded, the building looked tired, and the parking lot was often half-empty.
Turns out, it wasn’t failing—it just looked like it was.
5 brand blunders that stack the deck against you
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- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
Some brand mistakes are loud. They come with public backlash, bad press and a scramble for damage control.
The more dangerous ones are quieter.
They’re the choices that make a customer hesitate, lose confidence and drift away without a complaint. No angry email. No dramatic exit. Just a silent fade out.
Read the room: 4 basic skills for stronger sales
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- Written by: Alexandra Reilly
I was shopping recently with my husband for a major purchase for our home. We went to several stores including a large local retailer. At one store, the salesman approached us to offer his help.
As he explained the options, the features and the price differences, the salesman was thorough. But he overlooked one thing: the decision maker.
Hang up and show up: 7 professional courtesies that build real connections
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- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
We’re all glued to our phones. We tap, swipe and schedule our way through the workday, convinced that efficiency equals professionalism. But somewhere between the calendar pings and the LinkedIn requests, we’ve forgotten something important: the small gestures that make people feel seen, respected and valued.
6 Employer brand lessons from an intern
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- Written by: Finnegan Reilly
In today’s workplace, a well-defined internal brand is essential. Studies show that a strong internal culture and well-developed employee brand are key to attracting and retaining top talent.
Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to experience three world-class brands as an intern-employee. Let’s fasten our seatbelts and take a look at the world of aviation as an employee with Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest (and most efficient) airport.
How to 8x your employer brand
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- Written by: Martha Bartlett Piland
You don’t need to be flashy to turn your company into a talent magnet. You do need to know your purpose and be real. Here are eight ways to amplify your employer brand.
