I need to be very careful with this blog post. This is a “work” trip, not a “fun” trip. And according to my mom circa 1983, “work” is not spelled “f-u-n.” Except maybe now.

Today’s keynote was delivered by Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO of Toys R Us, whose company motto is “Playing to win.” Think his job is no fun? He dropped a stat on us that proves otherwise: Kids rank a trip to Toys R Us just a fraction below a trip to Disneyland. Not sure if the employees would fill the survey out the same way, but they surely might. That’s because Jerry and the folks at Toys R Us are deeply engaged in some of the most fun and most… read more.

What’s the difference between storytelling and StoryBranding? Listen as Jim Signorelli, Founder and CEO of ESW Partners and the author of StoryBranding, describes how he helps companies dig deep to discover their brand’s unique and authentic story. Every brand has one, and Signorelli has developed a process using a planning model rooted in story structure.

Learn how to be the story – how to leverage your brand as the main character, to overcome obstacles and achieve business goals.

Tune in to gain… read more.

Meet the New Online Retail (Same as the Old Online Retail).

With the advent of thousands of digital solutions and mobile apps, content still trumps channels in digital retail. While younger or more aggressive online retailers look for silver bullets in QR codes, Facebook commerce (fCommerce) and the alleged power of a “like,” more seasoned retailers are skeptical.

“The best way to predict the success of an email marketing campaign in 2001 was the subject line,” said Ryan Urban from Bounce Exchange. “And in 2011, the best way to predict the success of an email marketing campaign is…the subject line.”

In the same vein,… read more.

Thanks to the recent media blitz on distracted driving, most of us are well aware of the dangers of mobile multitasking behind the wheel. But have you stopped to consider what digital distraction may mean in other areas of life? As a retail strategist, my mind immediately goes to shopping and the challenge of sustained attention in a mobile world.

With all the excitement around mobile marketing and m-commerce, it’s easy to miss the deeper, behavioral implications of mobile ubiquity. Yes, mobile technology gives retailers new opportunities to connect with shoppers, but it also gives shoppers new reasons to disconnect from shopping experiences.… read more.

“One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong.” In the case of Whole Foods Market, none of their stores are like another. However, the brand does ensure to always belong… within their communities that is. Gabrielle Rosi, Senior Design Coordinator with Whole Foods shares with us how they ensure each store is uniquely designed around the people and attributes of the community they are joining. From attending town hall meetings, cycling with neighborhood groups and meeting… read more.

SPECIAL SERIES PART 3: TEACHING THE PET INDUSTRY NEW TRICKS

To access all interviews from the special series “Teaching the pet industry new tricks” visit twowest.com/specialseries.

With more than 1,000 stores across all 50 states, PETCO has steadily grown its offerings and consumer loyalty over the last 45 years. During this same time, the market for pet food, pet supplies, pet health care and pet services has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. Elisabeth… read more.

*This article was originally published by MarketingProfs.

Is Your Brand Ready for the Social Shopper?

If we’ve learned anything in the last few years, it’s that the old marketing model is broken. We’ve witnessed the collapse of our advertising industrial complex, and we’ve watched shoppers pull out of our stores and retreat to their financial fallout shelters.

But despite the havoc, there is hope for battle-scarred brands. In the aftermath of the “shop-ocalypse,”… read more.

Neuromarketing is the hot new thing. And while it has some some remarkable applications for it as a means of gathering insight, there are problems as well.

The process employs several technologies to get a more honest answer to how people react to color, language, package design, etc. and to be fair, the process does just that. As Phil McGee, Director of Insights and Category Management at Campbell’s discussed when he was a Brand Show guest, neuromarketing is great way of measuring patterns of brain activity and seeing what behavior centers of the brain light up when exposed to different stimuli.

But the methodology has three main… read more.