A little about the SBA Blog

Ed BurghardThe Strengthening Brand America blog category is to be a forum where economic development professionals and marketing professionals can share their experience with and thoughts on place branding so as a community we have a better appreciation for how to successfully apply the principles for job growth and economic prosperity.

The From the CEO category is to be a forum where I can share thoughts on successful reapplication of private sector product and corporate branding principles in place branding.

COVID-19 Time To Review Your Strategic Plan

July 10, 2020 at 5:14 pm, by Edward | Comments Off on COVID-19 Time To Review Your Strategic Plan | Tags: | Category: FDI

Sometimes the unexpected happens and it has a material impact on the strategic plan your Company is operating against. Failure to do so can be disastrous. When Netflix entered the market they upended the existing pricing model for watching movies. Netflix introduced the monthly price with unlimited access to their portfolio of titles. Blockbuster, the […]

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Leadership In A Post COVID-19 Period

May 8, 2020 at 5:07 pm, by Edward | Comments Off on Leadership In A Post COVID-19 Period | Tags: ,,,, | Category: FDI

As the Nation begins to reopen for business, many Organizations are discovering business as usual is simply not an option.  The threat of a COVID-19 epidemic restart is very real and the safety of both employees and customers is on the mind of every CEO/Owner.  In addition, there are a number of new local, state and federal […]

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Tips For Restarting Your Business Post The COVID-19 Crisis

April 20, 2020 at 1:29 pm, by Ed Burghard | 3 Comments | Tags: ,, | Category: FDI

Your business was on a successful trajectory.  You were hitting all your milestone targets.  You could see your staff becoming increasingly effective and efficient with every passing day.  The financial risk you took to get your business running was looking like a smart decision. One morning, your world was turned completely upside down by something […]

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Personal Branding – Image versus Identity

December 7, 2019 at 2:04 pm, by Ed Burghard | Comments Off on Personal Branding – Image versus Identity | Tags: | Category: FDI

Probably the hardest part of any personal branding is the step of completing a 360 degree assessment of your strengths and opportunities. Most people are intimidated by this step and fall not the trap of doing a superficial look in the mirror. In part, it is because they fear their self-perception far exceeds reality and […]

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Brand You – Personal Branding

November 14, 2019 at 12:09 pm, by Ed Burghard | Comments Off on Brand You – Personal Branding | Tags: , | Category: FDI

Tom Peters book “the brand you 50” is a great read. I often find myself revisiting the book for personal inspiration. The concept of the book is to provide guidance on how to transform from an employee to a brand that people want to engage with. Today, I decided to reread the section on values […]

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Personal Branding Is Very Personal

October 18, 2019 at 4:41 pm, by Ed Burghard | 2 Comments | Tags: ,,,, | Category: FDI

The latest rage in professional circles is the concept of personal branding.  It is touted as the way to maximize your career performance.   Wikipedia defines personal branding as “The practice of marketing people and their careers as brands.”   The Brand Yourself team describes it as “Establishing and promoting what you stand for.  Your personal brand is the unique combination […]

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What Is Brand Equity?

October 10, 2019 at 12:23 pm, by Ed Burghard | Comments Off on What Is Brand Equity? | Tags: ,,, | Category: FDI

A Quick Primer BOOK DEFINITION: BRAND EQUITY IS A SET OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES LINKED TO A BRAND, INCLUDING IT’S NAME AND SYMBOL, THAT ADD OR SUBTRACT FROM THE VALUE PROVIDED BY A PRODUCT OR SERVICE TO A FIRM AND/OR THAT FIRM’S CUSTOMERS. THE BURGHARD GROUP DEFINITION: MEANINGFUL POINTS OF PARITY AND DIFFERENCE (+/-) THAT […]

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The Relationship Between The American Dream And Opportunity

July 25, 2019 at 12:47 pm, by Ed Burghard | 1 Comment | Tags: | Category: Place Brand Building

The Atlantic published (August 2019) an article about the work of Raj Chetty, PhD.  Raj is studying the effect of place on generational social mobility.  The essence of his work is that place matters.  I would encourage every economic development professional to read this article.  It will give you cause for pause.  While Raj can identify where opportunity for […]

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Controversial Thoughts On Brand Equity

May 20, 2019 at 11:01 am, by Ed Burghard | 1 Comment | Tags: | Category: Place Brand Building

have you given any real thought to what brand equity really is? Or, have you simply accepted textbook descriptions of the concept? Are you focused on the right thing to make marketing choices that will build brand equity? If you have any doubt, or are even just curious, read my thoughts on what brand equity is and how it should drive marketing decisions.

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A Relook At Social Media

May 17, 2019 at 12:18 pm, by Ed Burghard | Comments Off on A Relook At Social Media | Tags: | Category: Social Media

Social media seems to be a “must” for today’s marketers when creating their communication strategy. How should social media be considered and where does it fit into an overall media plan? Do the basic rules of effective communication apply or do you need a new understanding of communication because social media is so unique? This post tackles those questions.

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