Mistake #71: Your marketing efforts are timed all wrong

Follow these 8 guidelines to make sure every (limited) dollar you spend on marketing is having the greatest possible impact.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerDecember 9, 2014Marketing, Retailer Interaction, Ignorance, Strategy & Planning, Time, Concept Refinement, Conversion Optimization

MISTAKE #70: You pick a bad brand name

Beyond doing a great job developing your product, don't overlook the power of developing an equally-strong brand name.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerDecember 4, 2014Branding, Marketing, Omni-presence Strategy, Content Creation, Concept Creation, Concept Refinement

MISTAKE #60: You think purchase decisions are made in discrete category silos

Make sure you're not operating with tunnel vision, incorrectly thinking your product is an isolated purchase decision not influenced by external factors.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerOctober 28, 2014Shopper Experience, Ignorance, Barriers, Competition, Competitive Evaluation, Concept Refinement, Assortment Optimizer

MISTAKE #52: There are no design principles guiding the look of your label

Make sure your package has been designed with the principles of stopping, holding, and closing power in mind.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerSeptember 30, 2014Branding, Packaging, Shopper Experience, Principle-Based Design Guidelines, Concept Creation, Concept Refinement, Package Qualification

MISTAKE #51: Your packaging is completely unremarkable and maybe even repulsive

The few square inches of printing on the package needs to work as hard as it can to close the sale.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerSeptember 25, 2014Packaging, Shopper Experience, Competition, Excellence, Branding, Expectations, Principle-Based Design Guidelines, Concept Creation, Concept Refinement, Package Qualification

MISTAKE #50: You don’t follow these 13 guidelines to design packaging to survive on the shelf

Designing magnetic packaging is only beneficial if it can survive getting to, and living on, a store shelf or in a delivery box.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerSeptember 23, 2014Packaging, Retailer Interaction, Barriers, Shopper Experience, Principle-Based Design Guidelines, Concept Refinement, Concept Creation, Package Qualification

MISTAKE #48: You think imitation is the greatest form of flattery

It takes more than mimicking an existing product to be successful. While it is smart to copy what others have proven works, it is not enough.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerSeptember 16, 2014Competition, Shopper Experience, Barriers, Mediocrity, Strategy & Planning, Competitive Evaluation, Principle-Based Design Guidelines, Concept Creation, Concept Refinement, Package Qualification, Omni-presence Strategy

MISTAKE #28: You’re not comfortable in your own skin

You are better off accepting (and enjoying) who you are today than prematurely projecting who you are pursuing to become tomorrow.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 10, 2014Competition, Excellence, Concept Refinement, Concept Creation