Messaging Archives - Argentum Strategy

AI Agents Are Changing How People Shop

During a job interview with a well-known over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical company in the 1990s, the brand team shared something that stuck with me: If a consumer tried the generic version of their flagship over-the-counter pain reliever, they considered that customer lost to the brand forever. The reason? In the US, generics and name-brand...

Beers With Peers: Identifying the Unmet Need

In the 18 years since Argentum’s founding, I’ve been invited to judge dozens of pitch competitions. When listening to founders pitch their ideas, nothing makes my heart go pitter pat more than hearing a passionate, visionary founder talk about the real unmet need that they have identified and then figured out how to solve better, faster,...

Tools: ChatGPT for Marketing

Since the fateful day in early December when I first learned about ChatGPT (CGPT) from a cutting-edge colleague, the topic has exploded. It feels like every day, everywhere we turn, there’s a new article or interview or discussion about the technology. There’s even a new South Park episode about it! When my colleague initially confessed to me...

Food Pantry Rebrand

Every so often, we get the opportunity to work on a passion project. As a longtime board member, co-leading the rebranding efforts for Nourishing Hope (formerly Lakeview Pantry) definitely qualifies. Even prior to the pandemic, Lakeview Pantry, Chicago’s largest food pantry, was outgrowing its name from a geography served and services standpoint....

Backing Off Buzzwords – Case Studies

Every company has internal jargon that has evolved to speed conversations, including those about the benefits of its products and services. At its extreme, this might mean using inscrutable acronyms like those Kraft Foods used to use (anyone out there remember CIS, STOC, DRF). In fact, in the early 90’s, every new brand management employee was...

Reasons to Believe – Not Just Blowing Smoke

In a positioning statement, the Reasons to Believe (RTB) provide the evidence to support the Point of Difference. They’re what stand between your message being a puff piece and being authentic. However, as with so many other things in marketing, people are often tempted to throw the kitchen sink into their RTB’s rather than remaining strategic...