In “A Dumb Branding Strategy,” Seth Godin warns about choosing your company name, which plays a big part of branding strategy. Companies like Party Land and Computer World are meaningless because they don’t add value and are too generic to really stand out. Plus, if you’re not careful what you name your company and you become successful, it’s hard to prevent competitors from copying you. Lesson learned, think smart when naming your company.

Lori A. Rochino - With over 7 years of marketing communications experience, Lori has worked in a variety of industries, including finance, publishing, and fashion. She is currently a marketing specialist at an e-commerce firm and manages web content for the AMA Boston Chapter. She resides in Natick with her husband.

In “Two Social Media Camps in the Enterprise,” the blogger Shel Israel supports social media over traditional media because it’s cheap, efficient, and allows companies to connect to consumers to find out what they “really” think. When companies connect to consumers through SM, they allow a real dialog to happen rather than just one way communication with the company selling a product to the consumers and not hearing the consumers’ concerns. For the other media camp, the traditional marketers who see social media as nothing more than another marketing channel, they’re missing the boat on learning about the very people they sell products to.

Lori A. Rochino - With over 7 years of marketing communications experience, Lori has worked in a variety of industries, including finance, publishing, and fashion. She is currently a marketing specialist at an e-commerce firm and manages web content for the AMA Boston Chapter. She resides in Natick with her husband.

BL Ochman - What’s Next Blog

In “Subway v Quiznos,” BL Ochman illustrates worst-case practices in which sandwich chain Quiznos sabotages top competitor Subway by promoting a YouTube video contest in which contestants portray Quiznos as superior to Subway. In this instance, Quiznos lost an opportunity to create a “best practice” - and got sued in the process - when the company chose not to focus on what they do best to create value for their customers. Would your company ever sabotage competition in order to stay on top to gain market share?

Lori A. Rochino - With over 7 years of marketing communications experience, Lori has worked in a variety of industries, including finance, publishing, and fashion. She is currently a marketing specialist at an e-commerce firm and manages web content for the AMA Boston Chapter. She resides in Natick with her husband.

Tom Peters - tompeters! Blog 

In the article “We Have Met the Enemy,” Tom Peters alludes to Starbucks as its own enemy since it stands in its own way towards excellence.  Getting unstuck from the analysis paralysis of metrics should prove challenging.  Furthermore, with a plummeting stock and shake up in top management, will Howard Schultz’s return as CEO reinvigorate the brand to what was once a “third home” that created value to customers?  Or has Starbucks long reached its tipping point and will continue to spiral downward?  How much longer will it be until consumers are so fed up with the experience of going to yet another over-crowded Starbucks when one can go to an over-crowded Dunkin Donuts where the good coffee is cheaper, or better yet head to McDonald’s where the coffee is cheap - and gourmet since they’re now adding new premium choices as well as baristas, and it’s even less crowded?

Lori A. Rochino - With over 7 years of marketing communications experience, Lori has worked in a variety of industries, including finance, publishing, and fashion. She is currently a marketing specialist at an e-commerce firm and manages web content for the AMA Boston Chapter.  She resides in Natick with her husband.