Posts by: James T. Berger

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Post-Recession Era Poses Different Kinds of Challenges for Marketers

By James T. Berger January 3, 2011

For those companies, advertising agencies and other marketing intermediaries that survived the recession, the post-recession, which begins immediately in January, 2011, poses a different set of challenges: Customers, Employees, and Suppliers.

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Story of the 2000-2010 Decade Told By Brand Values

By James T. Berger December 1, 2010

The turbulent decade that is about to end can best be seen in the values and ranking of brands through the 10 year period. While most brands continue to hold their rankings in the annual Business Week/Interbrand annual ratings, there have been some notable exceptions and these newcomers and departers tell the story of the decade.

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The Rewards of Trying to Be Different

By James T. Berger November 6, 2010

In my research, what I learned was that despite the fact that most companies are committed to the concept of differentiation, at any given moment they are also intensely aware of what their competitors are doing, and it is this competitive vigilance that ultimately pushed them down a path of conformity.” Youngme Moon, HBS Professor and author of “Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd”

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The Most Important Sales Call You Will Ever Make

By James T. Berger October 1, 2010

The current economic environment has turned the tables on many heretofore established executives. Many are being forced to do something that never thought they would ever do again – look for job.

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The Revolution in Knowledge Delivery Systems

By James T. Berger September 1, 2010

Are you ready for the new paradigms? Do you have a Kindle or iPad for reading books? Do you read your daily newspaper on-line? What kind of home entertainment system do you have connected to your High Definition TV that will allow you to see movies, previously available only at the video store or from a vending machine? What must a successful company do to survive and thrive in this environment?.

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The Undefeated, Undisputed King of Smartphones

By James T. Berger August 3, 2010

The saga of Steve Jobs and the Apple IPhone 4 gives warning to any strategic smartphone marketer who attempts to intrude on Apple’s turf.

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Lessons from a Legend
A Tribute to Ted Levitt

By James T. Berger July 8, 2010

The other day when I was looking trough the archived articles in Harvard Business School’s  Working Knowledge, I happened on a piece published  on December 17, 2008 entitled ‘Ted Levitt Changed My Life.’ The author was Julia Hanna, associate editor (at the time) of the HBS Alumni Bulletin.

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Toyota — Crisis Management at its Worst

By James T. Berger June 3, 2010

Toyota clearly belongs in the team picture of the worst of failures – and will probably pay dearly in the end. However, making the mistake is not the biggest problem , it is how the crisis is managed that transcends the crisis and transforms a mere crisis into a marketing disaster.

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Professorial Musings form the World of Marketing

By James T. Berger March 4, 2010

Recent issues of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have been particularly rich in their commentaries of heretofore magnificent corporations who have fallen on hard times. In particular: Toyota, Palm and Blockbuster. ?

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IPad Has All the Ingredients for a Classic Marketing Blunder

By James T. Berger February 11, 2010

Fresh from its fabulous success with the iPod and iPhone, Steve Jobs has unveiled the latest in Apple’s “iPortfolio,” the iPad. Amid all the hoopla of a major media unveiling, there are some obvious elements of a classic marketing mistake.

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About The Author

James T. Berger headshot
James T. Berger, Senior Marketing Writer of The Wiglaf Journal, through his Northbrook-based firm, James T. Berger/Market Strategies, offers a broad range of marketing communications, research and strategic planning consulting services. In addition, he provides expert services to intellectual property attorneys in the area of trademark infringement litigation. An adjunct professor of marketing at Roosevelt University, he previously has taught at Northwestern University, DePaul University, University of Illinois at Chicago and The Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan (BA), Northwestern University (MS) and the University of Chicago (MBA). Berger is an often-published free lance business writer who has developed more than 100 published articles in the last eight years. For more information, visit www.jamesberger.net or telephone him at (847) 328-9633.