{"id":1319,"date":"2025-12-27T14:37:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T19:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/?p=1319"},"modified":"2025-12-27T15:00:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T20:00:46","slug":"support-the-communitybuild-a-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/?p=1319","title":{"rendered":"SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY\u2026BUILD A BRAND"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-avONMmQtlI?si=onBB2vZyKFZxWynD\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/-avONMmQtlI?si=onBB2vZyKFZxWynD<\/a>KEN BANKS\u2019BLOG \u00a0DECEMBER 2025<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dHslVBJJuZE\" width=\"560\" height=\"314\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>PRESS PLAY&gt;&gt;TO VIEW THIS MONTH\u2019S WELCOME VIDEO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY\u2026BUILD A BRAND!<\/p>\n<p>It was great to get away to Michigan to celebrate the holidays with family and friends.\u00a0 One of nicest stops was a visit to the Michigan Central RR Station in Detroit.\u00a0 After standing vacant and in disrepair for over 30 years, the station has been restored to its magnificent condition when it was the busiest in US. Thanks to Ford Motor Co., the restoration renewed this showplace and is must visit to the Motor City.\u00a0 Our trip brought back many memories of the holidays and growing up in our first homes.\u00a0 Those memories include many significant places around the country that have been restored and revived thanks to the foresight of local corporations and foundations. Traditions like the Macy\u2019s Parade (and the former Hudson\u2019s Santa Paraded in Detroit), the Biltmore House in Asheville, South Beach in Miami, the new Hudson River area in NYC, and many historic buildings around the country are thriving thanks to the support and investment of successful companies who also have brands that have resonated with customers for years.\u00a0 This time of year always provides many reasons to remember the great family gatherings, celebrations with friends, and memorable shopping experiences at great retailers who not only branded themselves successfully but also supported the communities they served.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This time of year is also the time I make a trip to our local regional mall and the Macy\u2019s store to pick up a traditional gift for Sandi and wander among the shops.\u00a0 This year I was disappoint3ed in the number of vacant stores, the lack of the hustle and bustle of the crowds also doing their Christmas shopping.\u00a0 I thought of my department store years when the holidays brought throngs of locals and visitors to experience the atmosphere in those stores and resulted in families lining up to get on escalators, visiting with Santa, and just soaking in the holiday decorations that we retailers worked very hard to provide.\u00a0 I must admit that I have never missed working on the days after Thanksgiving (wasn\u2019t Black back then), Christmas, and the weekends between the two holidays.\u00a0 The rebirth of downtown areas and city centers in cities large and small over the past few years has recaptured the shopping and friendships that appear regularly in those predictable (yet heartwarming) Hallmark Christmas movies.\u00a0 So let\u2019s contunie to build our brands\u2014not with another sale or promotion\u2014but by building memories and happy times for our customers and fellow citizens.<\/p>\n<p>My Favorite Holiday TV spots that you may have missed this year<\/p>\n<p><strong>SUBARU.<\/strong> Share the love. This auto brand has developed a great reputation with quality vehicles and marketing built on love and commitment to their customers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/H_Pj5pO6X_M?si=_OKCmjIur2ylfQop\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/H_Pj5pO6X_M?si=_OKCmjIur2ylfQop<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Chevy <\/strong>going home. Every year America\u2019s most traditional auto brand creates an epic short story commercial that tugs at our hearts and build the Chevy brand at the same tim<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/NB-DXIGGoqc?si=f111E3dH_z4D1yQT\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/NB-DXIGGoqc?si=f111E3dH_z4D1yQT<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Google<\/strong> lamb photos.\u00a0 Google continues to grow it brand as part of today\u2019s way of life.\u00a0 With this spot, the company also reminds us of the the real meaning of the season.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/b9qPMHpyZ5Q?si=0HPDhl0ktuuo90Sc%0d\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/b9qPMHpyZ5Q?si=0HPDhl0ktuuo90Sc<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Apple<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0iPhone lost in woods animals singing.\u00a0 Crazy but fun and effective,<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-avONMmQtlI?si=onBB2vZyKFZxWynD\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/-avONMmQtlI?si=onBB2vZyKFZxWynD<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Amazon <\/strong>Christmas dinner .\u00a0 Ditto on above.\u00a0 Amazon has brought shopping convenience to a new height every year<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/2YcydTDSkLc?si=jx8HLOZGS2Uc6LX8\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/2YcydTDSkLc?si=jx8HLOZGS2Uc6LX8<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Meijer<\/strong> thanksgiving dinner shopping.\u00a0 This Midwest food chain has been a pioneer in making food shopping an memorable experience and remembering why family gatherings are always special.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/tr1vNbQK6iY?si=QdY0z7tfHV8FJAhT\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/tr1vNbQK6iY?si=QdY0z7tfHV8FJAhT<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Carhartt<\/strong> Christmas rink and trees.\u00a0\u00a0 Talk about memories.\u00a0 I worked at Carhartt while in college when they were based in Detroit and sold nothing but durable work clothes. This is a brand that has recreated itself worldwide by adjusting to today\u2019s lifestyles and trends. This really brings back memories of the holidays growing up in Detroit.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/cK5zYVdAaxE?si=-thpvEWJ63lszob0\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/cK5zYVdAaxE?si=-thpvEWJ63lszob0<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Hobby Lobby<\/strong>.\u00a0 Cocoa stand winter.\u00a0 The store replayed this spot again with a message that is memorable as all Hobby Lobby Christmas spots have been for year.\u00a0 They stay true to the company\u2019s brand strategy.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rSkXLgLmWYY?si=QAHJYHyLrO6LTlWv\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/rSkXLgLmWYY?si=QAHJYHyLrO6LTlWv<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walmart<\/strong>.\u00a0 I have been a big fan of Walmart marketing since its early years on the retail seen and its continual increases in market share.\u00a0 This year\u2019s campaign leaves me wondering however.\u00a0 Now, I\u2019ve never been a big fan of including Mr. Grinch in Christmas messages and decorations. Just seems anachronistic to me. \u00a0The \u201cWho knew\u201d campaign starring the green grouch just doesn\u2019t work for me and judging by the smaller crowds at a recent trip to Walmart, it doesn\u2019t work for others.(No link here for this campaign. Won\u2019t waste your time)<\/p>\n<p>Hope you all <strong>Have a Happy Holiday! <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thanks, Ken<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/-avONMmQtlI?si=onBB2vZyKFZxWynDKEN BANKS\u2019BLOG \u00a0DECEMBER 2025 PRESS PLAY&gt;&gt;TO VIEW THIS MONTH\u2019S WELCOME VIDEO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY\u2026BUILD A BRAND! It was great to get away to Michigan to celebrate the holidays with family and friends.\u00a0 One of nicest stops was a visit to the Michigan Central RR Station in Detroit.\u00a0 After standing vacant and in disrepair for over [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1319"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1324,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319\/revisions\/1324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenbanks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}