Have you noticed the number of boarded-up malls? Have you driven down Main Street and seen how many of your old friends’ businesses are gone?  That’s a sign that brick-and-mortar marketplace survivors are becoming increasingly rare, while their virtual counterparts are on the rise. If you want your brand to survive, you have to think inside the box – that little ubiquitous box that’s on your desk – and evolve your online marketing plan so that it will survive the next generation.

Prior to the Great Recession, scoring placement at Henri Bendel would have guaranteed a bath-and-body product line a home run. But in our new economy, are retail sales enough? Gregg Schwartz of Priel asks that very question as he seeks to take his luxury Dead Sea beauty treatment products to the next level.

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Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: K9 Cuisine
Why It’s a Gem: Learning from competitors’ customer-service mistakes has helped this pet food supplier leave the others in the dust

When Anthony Holloway experienced lackluster customer service while buying specialty dog food, he didn’t gripe. Instead, he saw the experience for the opportunity it was.  Holloway used other companies’ mistakes as a blueprint for what not to do, a strategy that saw his company become top dog, with a 50-percent growth each month in its first year. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: Zipcar
Why It’s a Gem: Harnessing cutting-edge technology has allowed one green-minded company to overtake – and take over – its competition

As the national zeitgeist begins to embrace both environmentalism and thriftiness, Zipcar finds itself at quite a profitable intersection. The rent-as-you-go car company has developed a business model so successful that they’ve convinced some Americans to give up their most prized possession: their cars. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: UsedCardboardBoxes.com
Why It’s a Gem: If at first you don’t succeed, try a leaner, greener business model.

When Marty Metro’s first business model to sell used cardboard boxes failed, it didn’t get him down. His passion for his idea kept him retinkering until he got it right. Today, UsedCardboardBoxes.com is a financial – and environmental – success story. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: INK Inc.
Why It’s a Gem: By making a simple change to the traditional business model that public relations firms have used for decades, INK has attracted a spate of new business

Ruby Tuesday: INK Inc. (MP3)

“You get what you pay for.” In the old-school world of public relations, that chestnut didn’t always hold true. The system was based on high retainers, which clients paid whether or not they saw results. That’s like paying the lease on a Maserati and not getting to take it out of your driveway.

But a Kansas City, Missouri-based firm is changing the PR landscape. At a time when many businesses are cutting PR as the first step in tightening budgets, Dick Grove’s INK Inc. is finding its new-business pipeline flooded like a tsunami. How’d they do it? (more…)