Ally Bank is not a new enterprise. It looks new, it sounds new, but it's the relaunch of GMAC in the aftermath of GM's bailout/bankruptcy.

It's an online-only bank (think ING Direct) with a very clean website and a very human tone in the language. Why didn't GMAC do this?

I guess that's the benefit of starting over. You get to think fresh and start from scratch -- hopefully starting with the customer in mind, not convention.

A large, multi-center medical group is breaking up here in Indiana due to some financial mistakes. (Intentional or unintentional is a subject of great debate.) If I get the opportunity to relaunch one of the smaller groups, we will not be simply recreating the business model of the previous organization.

We will rethink every aspect of the way this group practices medicine and service -- from naming that's not quite so dry and predictable, to customer interactions that are human and personal.

In times of economic tumult, there will be plenty of failures and break-ups. Which means plenty of people and enterprises starting over.

If this applies to you, here's your chance to not just start over, but start fresh.

Labels: branding, customer centered, customer service, differentiation, management, marketing