A Case for Custom Photography

We’re pleased with the results of photographing our partner Blue Dog Bakery’s treats: our studio now smells amazing, we have human-grade treats to munch on if we get hungry, and the custom photography will help us better tell our client’s brand story. As much as—and often moreso than—any other element, […]

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The Ghostbusters Were Wrong: Why Print Isn’t Dead

We’ve all heard the news—PRINT ADVERTISING IS DEAD—and has been for a long time. Egon Spengler, media-astute Ghostbuster, even made the declaration on the big screen more than 30 years ago. We hate to pit the Ghostbusters against our B2B food and ingredient media partners—who are telling us that print […]

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Best Pet Marketing Agencies

Who are the best pet marketing agencies? Chances are good that you’re reading this because you searched for “best pet marketing agencies” or something close to it (“pet advertising,” e.g.). That would make perfect sense; though your situation is personal and specific, it’s much easier to start big and narrow […]

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Navigating the New Sugars Added Label Requirements

The FDA recently announced changes to the Nutrition Facts label, with more details about sugar. Starting in 2018[1], the FDA will require Nutrition Facts labels to distinguish between sugars found naturally in ingredients and sugars added, both in grams and a percentage of daily recommended value. The FDA is recommending […]

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Three Marketing Implications of the GMO Labeling Law

With a nationwide GMO labeling bill now signed into law, brands are attempting to sort out what the new requirements will mean for their products. Although the FDA has until summer 2019 to establish the full rules for the law—and even longer to enforce them—the length of supply chains means […]

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Brand Complements for Animal Supplements

Over the last few months, we’ve worked alongside a successful B2B brand with over 45 years of experience in trace mineral animal supplements to launch its first consumer brand: TruCare Trace Mineral Supplements. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed working through the brand development process with them, beginning with brand discovery and market research, […]

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The Pet Marketing Agency

 The Pet Marketing Agency The pet industry as recession-proof Dogs increasingly anthropomorphized within the family Nutraceuticals making (and will continue to make) serious inroads into the pet food industry Pets with social media accounts Pet food labels mirroring human food labels, typically six to 12 months behind Cat videos The above list […]

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Brandcrumbs: Why Brand Naming Fails

(This brand naming post is part of an ongoing series of posts we’re calling Brandcrumbs, which are bits and pieces of branding advice left over from our regular conversations about real-world brand positioning challenges.) Brand naming is one of my favorite things to do at MarketPlace. I love the process […]

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Environmental Branding: Carpets, Coasters, and Clouds

What does CVS stand for? If you answered “Consumer Value Stores” or “Convenience, Value and Service,” color me impressed. Someone recently asked if I knew what CVS stands for. I said “murky carpet, oppressive red, and rows of overpriced wine.” This is not about CVS. This could be about why […]

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The Preheated Oven of Food Industry Marketing

Since our beginning as food industry consultants 15 years ago, we’ve remained focused on the food industry. We’ve done so partly because the food industry is where we started and what we love. But we’ve also done so because we place great importance on the value of focus. Effective food […]

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