Recently, I was asked how we think about brand at Synergy. It's a great question, since we believe our market differentiator is being at the intersection of science and passion for great brands. We define brand holistically – we believe it is the PROMISE to customers, employees and stakeholders that every company makes (for good or for ill). In our research, we have found four critical success factors of brands which have leveraged the Currency of Passion (or COP).

A great post by Jeannie Walters and our friends at 360Connext, a a Chicago-based consulting firm specializing in the cornerstones of customer experience: customer engagement, employee engagement and connections like social media.Jeannie has it exactly right - enlightened leadership ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION is key to amazing Customer Experience.

Could I help companies truly earn the trust and loyalty of their consumers? Of their employees? Of shareholders and stakeholders? I believed then, and I believe now that I could – so I founded Synergy Marketing Strategy & Research, Inc.

Chief marketing officers at top companies are using customer insights and passion to build brand equity and increase the strategic value of marketing within their companies, according to new research by Dr. Rachel Talton, an award-winning marketing and branding consultant, researcher, and author in Cleveland.

A company’s human resource - its people - is the most important asset it has. Customers and employees are the backbone of every organization. So why is it that so many businesses struggle to create a quality experience for their customers? Maz Iqbal suggests that it is not a lack of understanding of how to create good customer service, but a loss of humanity and empathy in the workplace.