When brands make big changes, it is important to pick strategic messages to communicate them.

In January, J.C. Penney’s CEO Ron Johnson announced that the retailer would withdraw from non-stop low price promotions and instead switch to a “Fair and Square” everyday pricing strategy. Products will now only have one price-tag, prices will end in 0 instead of 99, and price categories will be separated into three standards: every day, monthly value (e.g. back to school sales), and clearance.

The new Ellen DeGeneres ads in support of the new JC Penney’s pricing strategy are engaging…

You would think that with the bad economy just getting over the hump, the job market is close to inaccessible in all fields. However, as we work with clients in the engineering and manufacturing fields, we constantly hear the same tune from them: We wish we had more skilled labor, and we would hire someone qualified as early as this week if we could.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, many firms seek to fill well-paying, secure jobs that often do not even require a college degree. What they do require are specialized skills like welding. According to the authors, AAR Corp., a Chicago-based aviation-parts manufacturer,…