http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com you sleep when you die...and other unpopular thoughts from retail marketing leader, Jordan Zimmerman Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:29:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2012/03/02/rethinking-the-department-store/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2012/03/02/rethinking-the-department-store/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:37:11 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=3066 Has JC Penney started a new, forward-looking chapter in its history? One problem for me, though, is that the chain's initial national TV ad campaign was way off the mark. It was discombobulated, and it didn’t connect. I wasn’t sure what customers were suppose to take away from the ads, what value they were articulating, or what action they were meant to inspire. And there’s a deeper problem to look at. Unfortunately, when you walk into the JC Penney store environment now, any interest or excitement they might have created doesn’t work. The stores are still the same old stores.]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2012/03/02/rethinking-the-department-store/feed/ 2 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2012/02/28/ben-jerrys-lin-competent/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2012/02/28/ben-jerrys-lin-competent/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:55:44 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=3045 Any creative process has to give you the freedom to come up with a wide range of ideas, some of which are going to suck. And no, it's not a crime to come up with a bad idea. In fact, you usually need bad ideas if you're going to get to the one great idea you need. But in an era when negative consumer and media feedback happens not in days or hours, but in minutes, you've got an obligation to test any idea well enough to protect your brand before you launch something embarrassing on consumers. Ben & Jerry's didn't do that.]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2012/02/28/ben-jerrys-lin-competent/feed/ 3 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2011/10/10/just-win-baby/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2011/10/10/just-win-baby/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:53:48 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=2549 I always admired Al Davis a great deal, and saw him as a special kind of role model. He embraced the "maverick" label, and he successfully walked the thin line between being feared and being loved. Perhaps most importantly, he had a long-term commitment to excellence in the art of branding. The iconic silver-and-black Raiders logo is one of the most enduring brands in all of sports.]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2011/10/10/just-win-baby/feed/ 4 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2011/06/24/you-dont-have-to-have-your-name-on-the-door-to-be-a-brand/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2011/06/24/you-dont-have-to-have-your-name-on-the-door-to-be-a-brand/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:05:23 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=2264 Technically, Clemons may not have been the E Street band's front man, but he was a brand unto himself every time he picked up his horn. Springsteen recognized, and celebrated, the emotional power of Clemons's brand early on.]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2011/06/24/you-dont-have-to-have-your-name-on-the-door-to-be-a-brand/feed/ 3 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2011/06/23/rory-mcilroy-and-the-art-of-smart-risk-taking/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2011/06/23/rory-mcilroy-and-the-art-of-smart-risk-taking/#comments Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:29:49 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=2256 Thanks to Jumeirah and Oakley's willingness to take a chance on a rising star, these two firms are now enjoying a global windfall of exposure for their brands. The lesson: Taking smart risks on emerging opportunities can pay off big. ]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2011/06/23/rory-mcilroy-and-the-art-of-smart-risk-taking/feed/ 0 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2010/10/20/zimmerman-for-office-not/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2010/10/20/zimmerman-for-office-not/#comments Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:57:13 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=1571 November 2 is right around the corner, which means the 2010 midterm elections are almost here. There’s no way you can miss them with all of the political advertising that’s running right now. The problem is that almost every candidate out there is doing almost everything WRONG!!]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2010/10/20/zimmerman-for-office-not/feed/ 8 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2010/03/23/the-branding-failure-of-%e2%80%98successful%e2%80%99-healthcare-reform-legislation/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2010/03/23/the-branding-failure-of-%e2%80%98successful%e2%80%99-healthcare-reform-legislation/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:22:36 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=905 The U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform legislation has been called a success by Democratic supporters and a parliamentary sham by Republicans. As an advertising executive, I call it a failure.]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2010/03/23/the-branding-failure-of-%e2%80%98successful%e2%80%99-healthcare-reform-legislation/feed/ 7 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2010/01/29/let-the-good-times-roll/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2010/01/29/let-the-good-times-roll/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:18:27 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=503 A recent Ad Age article announced an effort to re-brand New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebration as “clean and wholesome.” The goal is to position Mardi Gras as offering more than drunkenness and debauchery. Those involved with the effort say that in addition to the more well known aspects of the celebration, Mardi Gras actually offers family-friendly activities such as parades and great food. Of course New Orleans is a great city. It’s got history, architecture, culture, sports, cuisine, events and more. But aren’t those the same things that make Mardi Gras so FANTASTIC in the first place?!]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2010/01/29/let-the-good-times-roll/feed/ 0 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2009/07/23/whos-the-a-hole/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2009/07/23/whos-the-a-hole/#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:48:49 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=261 Almost every agency out there says it has the best interests of its clients at heart. Well, actions speak louder than words. And based on their actions, it’s clear that most agencies don’t have the best interests of their clients at heart; in fact, far from it. Many agencies are more concerned with creating work that makes the agency itself look good than creating work that actually advances its client’s business. ]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2009/07/23/whos-the-a-hole/feed/ 1 http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2009/04/07/celebrity-endorsements-%e2%80%93-more-money-than-they%e2%80%99re-worth/ http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2009/04/07/celebrity-endorsements-%e2%80%93-more-money-than-they%e2%80%99re-worth/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:21:00 +0000 Jordan Zimmerman http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/?p=97 A well-known brand recently announced the launch of its new spring campaign – featuring none other than Britney Spears. Given all of the negative publicity recent celebrity endorsements have generated – Michael Phelps, Alex Rodriguez and Chris Brown come to mind – I only have one question: What were they thinking??]]> http://www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com/2009/04/07/celebrity-endorsements-%e2%80%93-more-money-than-they%e2%80%99re-worth/feed/ 0