“Marketing maverick Robyn Waters, former vice president of trend, design and product development at Target, breezed into Nashville last week on a nine-city tour promoting innovation in corporate America and keeping the faith even as consumers slash their spending. Her message was that companies shouldn’t stop striving to make an emotional connection with shoppers even amid tumbling stock prices, an uneasy job market and uncertain economic forecasts. ‘When we’re in tough economic times, there’s even more reason for innovation. Think of a brand as a love mark. If someone falls in love with a brand or a product even when times are tough, more than likely they’ll build a relationship with it,’ she said.” (10/12/08)