Author: Lauren Kolbe

Brand Engagement: Is Your Brand Binge-Worthy?

Just one more episode ….. We’ve all been there. You know you should be going to bed, doing laundry, hitting the gym, or engaging in something more constructive that gluing your eyeballs to a screen. But we can’t help ourselves. We’re in the age of binging on some new television series everyone is buzzing about,…
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Brand Management vs. Brand Experience: What’s in Your Control?

If you’re a child of the 1980’s, you probably remember this iconic shampoo commercial: Admit it. You repeated the mantra of “I told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on …” in many settings. Heather loved her shampoo, and there was probably something you loved just as much (or…
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Discover Your Brand Mojo

There’s a swath of land in the northeastern parts of our county marked by endless flatness, rows of corn as far as the eye can see, and few landmarks to help you get your bearings. Though I’ve driven these roads thousands of times for most of my life, I sometimes find myself lost. The corn…
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A Recipe for Dealing with the Unexpected – in Life and in Business

Much to the surprise of my mother, I’ve turned out to be a pretty darned good cook. Her idea of cooking is visiting the Dierberg’s deli, putting her finds in a big bowl, and sprinkling paprika or parsley over the top of her dish. Voila. She’s got “homemade” fare to add to the family holiday…
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It’s not about who goes the fastest. It’s about who slows down the least.

We sat on a grassy knoll on a chilly Sunday morning in Boulder, Colorado, strategically positioned to take advantage of our next opportunity to see Scott run by on his quest to complete 140.6 miles in his first full Ironman race. My brother-in-law had mapped out the course and was manning the Go-Pro to capture…
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Ten Things I Hate About You, Facebook

It’s the social media platform we love to hate, and I’d venture to guess that we all have a bi-polar relationship with the almighty Facebook. We love seeing photos of our best friend’s children at the pumpkin patch. We can’t wait to hear about family members getting engaged, having babies, or moving into a new…
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Three Simple Steps for Managing a Negative PR Situation

A highly publicized rescue of a freezing animal. A bite, and subsequent euthanization of said animal. Outrage from legions of passionate rescue fans. Defense from passionate veterinarian fans. Justification from the governmental body carrying out the euthanization. A social media and TV news firestorm. Apologies. More outrage … If you live in St. Louis, chances…
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Six Top Tips for Building Good Partnerships with the Media

The feeling never gets old. You’ve done the homework, crafted the pitches, and identified the right outlets and contacts for your story. You reach out … and then you wait. Then something magical happens. You’ve landed the story! There’s an adrenalin rush and you strive to get that producer, reporter or editor everything she needs.…
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I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record…

“I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record …” -The Violent Femmes, 1983 During my grade school and high school days, there was no statement that instilled so much fear as that of a mark on your “permanent record.” As an adult, I can say that I honestly have no…
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Stand Out, or Step Aside

“If they ask about my biggest weakness, would nachos be an appropriate answer?” This was the beginning of a conversation on Facebook a few weeks ago, with the question posed by a friend who is interviewing for a new position. As someone who has interviewed hundreds of people over the course of my career, this…
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