By John Matthews, founder and CEO of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. Gift cards continue to grow leaps and bounds allowing retailers that have implemented a gift card program for their stores to reap vast benefits. In fact, total spending on gift cards in 2012 nearly reached $30 billion with around two-thirds of all American consumers having…
Marketing To Kids
By John Matthews, founder and president of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. “Oh, what a tangled web do parents weave, when they think that their children are naive.” – Ogden Nash Children have been marketed to for years. Retail industry titans have recognized that targeting children and winning their loyalty can carry on throughout their entire…
Foodservice Brand Positioning: Focus on Clarity
Companies in growth mode are faced with an ongoing dilemma of keeping their expanding portfolio on plan with regard to their strategic branding direction. This is even more important when it comes to foodservice. By John Matthews, Contributing Editor Who are we?That is a question we hear all the time from companies that are trying…
Local Store Marketing: “Be” The News
By John Matthews, founder, Gray Cat Enterprises. What person knows the most about what is happening at your store? You! It is your responsibility to create news about your store — don’t wait for others to do this for you. Being proactive with the local newspapers to generate news coverage on your store is an…
Strategic Market Analysis
By John Matthews, founder and president of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. Last week, I sat through a meeting with one of my clients where we discussed the infamous question of ”who are we?” that faces every retailer. As retailers grow – both in store count and in product diversity – the ongoing challenge is to keep…
HELP! I Have To Deliver A Presentation!
By John Matthews, founder and president of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. “The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.” — George Jessel What is it about public speaking that drives people nuts? Many studies have shown that given the choice of what registers…
Brand Positioning – The Semantic Differential
By John Matthews, founder and president of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. One of the most interesting activities that I have been involved with regarding branding is called a Semantic Differential exercise. As discussed in an earlier blog called “Brand Positioning – A Focus On Clarity“, it is essential to provide clarity for the brand. What that…
Brand Positioning – A Focus On Clarity
By John Matthews, founder and president of Gray Cat Enterprises Inc. Who are we? That is a question I hear all the time from companies that are trying to better communicate to their customers. All too often, companies have grown in spite of the fact of not really knowing whom they are or what they…
Integrating Acquisitions
Growing your enterprise can usually be accomplished following two paths: a) organic growth—the process of building your overall portfolio of stores through the development of ground-up store build outs; or b) expanding your portfolio through acquiring other locations. In most cases, the strategy of a growing an organization is generally accomplished with a combination of…
Tear Down The Expense Wall!
Every small business owner faces the same issue—managing their expenses. While most small businesses keep a keen eye on growing the top line—revenues—many small businesses fail to address their expense line items on an ongoing basis. Granted, once the business started, all line item expenses were carefully reviewed. But, now that your company is established,…