Insight Unpacked

Introducing Insight Unpacked, Season 2: American Healthcare and Its Web of Misaligned Incentives If you lived in the nineteenth century, and you got sick, it was bad news. Simple urinary tract infections were deadly. Appendicitis killed you. And Syphilis might leave you without a nose. Thanks to modern medicine, this is pretty unimaginable today. And if you live in the United States, you know that we pay handsomely for the privilege. But why do we pay more than any other country?  Welcome to Insight Unpacked—the series where our faculty break down a complex business topic. And boy do we have one for you this season: American healthcare and its web of misaligned incentives. And we're gonna get really familiar with the things that motivate this system's biggest players. Those players? Hospital systems, doctors, health-insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, and patients. So subscribe to Insight Unpacked, or check your feed at The Insightful Leader. Episodes drop on Mondays starting June 24.   

Luxury is dominated by older brands. So what happens when newer entrants try to break through? In the second of two bonus episodes, we show what can go right—and wrong.

So opulent! So exclusive! In the first of two bonus episodes, we explore everything that helps brands like Ferrari and Manolo Blahnik scream luxury.

In the fifth and final episode of our series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we look at how to measure your brand's health–and what you should do if you don't like what you learn. Kellogg professors Julie Hennessy, Jennifer Cutler, Jim Lecinski, and Tim Calkins will explain how to use tools like Twitter to understand how customers feel about your brand, and what happened when Old Spice and Lego started to target surprising new audiences. Finally, we'll learn how Kellogg professors feel about Insight's new brand.

In episode 4 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” professor Mohan Sawhney discusses the importance of transmedia brand storytelling–and how to do it right. Every brand has a story to tell. But consumers only have so much time, energy, and attention. You will need to find a story that cuts through our collective “story fatigue” and find creative ways to deploy it.

In episode 3 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we discuss the associations you want customers to make with your brand, and how to use design to make it happen. On this episode, Kellogg professor Bobby Calder looks at how great brands define themselves, how stale brands revitalize themselves, and why you should use all your senses when creating a brand image. Channel your inner artist, because it's design time! We discuss clever multimedia campaigns and explore how soundmarks and audio branding can open the door to new brand associations.

In episode 2 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we dig into the importance of finding the right name for your brand. With apologies to Shakespeare, a rose by any other name wouldn't smell as sweet. On this episode, Kellogg professors Paul Earle and Tim Calkins offer advice on where you might look for naming inspiration, what great names convey, and when you should go with something fun and funky versus simple and straightforward. Plus: an NFL franchise with a bad name, a podcast with a great name, and the single naming rule that trumps them all.

In episode 1 of our 5-episode series, “Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them,” we reveal the key questions you should answer before you start to craft your brand. Because if you can't articulate your brand's value to yourself, you won't stand a chance of convincing customers. On this episode, Kellogg professors Tim Calkins and Alice Tybout discuss brand purpose, point of difference, and the McDonald's McLean burger.

Introducing Insight Unpacked Season 1: Extraordinary Brands and How to Build Them. These days, it's easy to build a brand. But if you want your brand to stand out, you will need to build an extraordinary brand.  Whether you need to build that special brand from scratch, or you're hoping to reinvigorate an existing brand… on Insight Unpacked our faculty will help you figure out how to stand out from the crowd...  You'll hear how to make sure your brand is hitting the right mark...  And you'll learn how to use storytelling to bring your brand to life in the digital world.   We'll also take you behind the scenes as we build a brand of our own. So subscribe to Insight Unpacked, or check your feed at The Insightful Leader. Episodes drop on Mondays starting August 15.