The Five Elements of Fame
Experts on marketing effectiveness determined that Fame is the most important element for producing extraordinary ROI.
Knuckleheads are the test for success
On the path to happiness, knuckleheads shake owners like a paint can. They are a test. Are you really going to live up to your guarantee?
Embrace Your Wiener Dog: Identity, Purpose and Adventure
It’s never about the offer. Offers can be imitated. Identities matter more than offers.
Hathaway Shirts and the most interesting man in the world, coincidence?
The picture makes you read the headline, encouraging you to read the first line of body copy.
THE WIZARD (bi)WEEKLY
Twice a month we’ll send our best advice, no strings attached.
Let’s grow your business.
No spam. No nonsense.
Finding the Right Mix of Organic and Paid Traffic
A little birdie told us that companies are experiencing a decline in their web traffic. What they don’t know is actually quite simple…
What riding a motorcyle taught me about marketing
Many companies use loyalty programs, Facebook groups, and email spam to gather the troops. That’s not a tribe. It’s list building.
The Biggest Risk of Bonding Campaigns
Normally, when a business falls short, customers are merely disappointed or frustrated. Not so with relational customers and businesses to which they’ve bonded.
Partner Book of the Month
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Wiener Dogs on the Wrong Track: Having the Qualities of Success Without Being a Success
Dwayne Johnson did this after he realized that his football career was a bust.
What Constitutes Memorable Ads? [+Examples]
It’s time to stop wasting your time and effort on lackluster ads that no one remembers.
Ford Model T – I can’t get the pig slaughter house out of my mind.
The worker stays in place putting the pieces in. Henry Ford didn’t invent that. It was an employee of Ford’s.
Small Business Social Media Limits
Facebook and other platforms can flip the switch and force small business owners into the world of being unknown.
Do You Trust Me?
You’ll earn respect if you give it. But what if you can’t trust a colleague or employee to perform in the best interests of the team?
6 Degrees of Benjamin Franklin
Doing business with — making yourself vulnerable to — a complete stranger feels bad. Nobody wants to put themselves in that situation.
All About Brand’s Visual Identity
The most well-known brands in the world. Coca-Cola. McDonald’s. Nike. They all have strong visual identities that are immediately recognizable.
Wiener Dog Focus: Helping the Customer vs. Helping Yourself
Because his commitment was to the customer, and because he never blinked, people said, “Oh, I like that guy. He’s on my side.”
The smells of your product
Asking you silly questions like the tastes and smells of products opens the real question. How does your product make customers FEEL?
Springfree Trampoline – I’m a bad dad; I never got my kids a trampoline.
The best thing that ever happened to them was Costco stopped buying from Springfree.
Are You Telling $1 Million Stories?
How do you develop the kinds of quality stories that influence people to surrender their hard-earned cash for your product, service, or cause?
3 Stages Of The Buyer’s Journey
Understand your customer’s purchasing processes so you can create content and marketing campaigns that speak to them directly.
Top Gun & The Tale of 2 Super Bowl Ads
While Tony Scott’s Top Gun was the highest-grossing film of the year, his 1985 Super Bowl spot is regarded as Apple’s worst ad ever.
The Wiener Dog Question: What Can You Count On Not Changing?
Jeff Bezos said it’s really very simple. Will people ever say, “I wish I’d paid a higher price for this?”
The hand of God
Time stopped at 9:22. I was in the middle of a presentation to a group of entrepreneurs. CLICK, the clock stopped.
Chiclets – Candy-coated gum or tree sap?
One partner runs away. The other makes millions. How not to be blinded by the pursuit of the wrong objective.
Do Your Ads Obey the Law?
The first law of advertising is quite simple: Thou Shalt Not Be Boring! And there are really only two ways to avoid breaking that law.
Google Business Profile (GBP): Frequently Asked Questions
Many small businesses are missing out on one of the most effective marketing opportunities available today.
Body of a Sausage: The Way Things Are vs. The Way Things Ought to Be
Their beliefs, values and desires are locked and loaded. Either get in step with that, or shut up and die.
Marketing in a crisis
Everything you know about business will be challenged. The time for having fun and farting around is over. You will be a Phoenix or a pile of ashes.
How to Tell Your Company Story (Like a Fox)
8 steps to effectively build a tribe of emotionally invested customers who will become your biggest advocates.
Warren Buffett – His investing strategy needed a new business model
Just because that’s how things are done doesn’t mean it will work for you or your customers.
The Grass Is Always Greener on the Side That’s Fertilized…
Of course, you can’t fertilize weeds and get lush, green grass. In advertising terms, you have to start with the truth.
Wiener Dog Marketing: For the Love of Wiener Dogs
What idea have you thought of doing, but haven’t had the courage to do, for fear that you might not do it well enough?
Lead Generation vs. Digital Presence
A pure lead gen focus leaves you a slave to natural demand cycles, and Google advertising auction prices, which is neither consistent nor affordable.
It’s the economy, stupid.
In 2004 my boss excused our poor sales performance on the Iraq war. Before that, it was a hurricane. And before that, it was the dot com bubble.
Today’s New Branding
New branding is about having a point of view, sticking to it, and having the courage to stand up for what you believe in.
You’re not one of “those” dealerships
We’ve been conditioned – when they stick out their hand out and say “trust me,” we grab our wallets and run the other way!
Not Just What, But When
When it comes time to buy, the customer’s priorities change. She might well buy from whichever store offers same-day delivery and installation.
Intel – What would a new CEO do?
Transforming a business is never easy, but when is the right time to do it? Learn a valuable question to ask yourself.
An Introduction to Wiener Dog Marketing
Roy: You can’t get attention with precision lawn chairs. You can’t get attention racing riding lawnmowers. But wiener dogs will win.
Disruptive Marketing: How Can You Use it to Your Advantage?
Some might say it’s unethical, or even dangerous. But for many businesses it’s the only way to truly stand out.
Are we about to see a New Netflix?
Netflix better take care not to fall for the same mistakes Mr. Goizueta made with the launch of New Coke.
The 6 Objections In Sales
When we understand that objections come from 1 of 6 things that are missing, we are better equipped to fill the appropriate void. The trick is to read between the lines.
Donald Trump, Colonel Zeller & the Strange Power of Hatred
Newton’s law in action. Intense passion from your anti-customers provokes an equally intense reaction from your happy-yet-silent customers.
Adding Story-Doing to Your Story Telling
Imagine somebody wants to document your (presumably) unique company culture. You invite her to one of your morning meetings. Now, does her observation confirm or contradict your ads?
De Beers – Shiny rocks, engagement rings, world wide dominance.
How to take over the world the same way DeBeers did it, any business can follow this simple rinse and repeat formula.
What time is it?
Some of you are trying to achieve a goal. That goal has an aspect of time. To double the sales volume by 2025… To buy our biggest competitor by the end of year…
The Missing Link to Getting Greatness From Your Designer
You finally receive the design, but it just really didn’t hit the mark. That’s because of a poor (or nonexistent) Creative Brief.
Brand Recognition Is Much More than Name Recognition
Name recognition is important, but without the image and feeling that comes with it, your brand will struggle to stand out.
The Slow Season Fallacy of PPC Advertising
When almost no one is in the market for what you sell — i.e., when it’s slow season — then almost no one is searching on relevant keywords.
David and Goliath – Don’t play Goliath’s Game
Don’t try and beat your competitor at their game. Change the rules.
Curiosity did not kill the cat
Why do some customers not buy from you? Be like that two-year-old and constantly ask why. Discover answers no one has before, and you’ll find profound truths to your whys.
13 Ways to Give Your Online Presence Some Spark
Establishing an online presence can seem like a daunting task. But there are several ways to spruce up your digital presence, and some hacks are easier than you think.
Why Your Word-of-Mouth Ain’t As Good As You Think — And What to Do About It
When marketers and business owners talk about Word-of-Mouth, they only think they’re talking about the same thing.
No assholes allowed
Remove the poison quickly and surgically. Although they’re high performers bringing in new money, they’re rotting it one asshole move at a time.
What Real Estate Will Your Residential Home Service Business Occupy When The Market Crashes?
When the population begins to anticipate raising prices, they change their behavior.
Empire Builders: Lego – 6 billion pieces stepped on
From a homebuilder to the largest toy manufacturer in the world, Lego is a family business that has a history of innovating.
Strategy Vs. Culture
Anyone can copy your STRATEGY, but no one can copy your CULTURE. It is unique to your business and your business alone.
Middle Truth
The hero’s truth is glory, conquest, and protection. The villain’s truth (competitor) is glory, conquest, and protection. Your villain does not see himself as a villain. In his story, you are the villain.
Perhaps you’re asking the wrong question
Instead of simply asking what drives the most traffic, ask how you can earn the trust of customers before they need you and inspire loyalty with relational marketing.
Michelin – A tale of content marketing circa 1900, how fine dining sells more tires
Way before Google reviews, Michelin created their stars system for restaurants.
A Dozen Uncommon Ways To Advertise Your Business at Little or No Cost!
It means utilizing platforms and materials that aren’t oversaturated with advertising noise.
Leadership and the Little Voices
According to recent research, most of us are focused on our own performance anxiety: monitoring how we’re doing during a meeting instead of listening.
Why Telling The Truth Ain’t Enough — And What Honest Businesses Should Add to It
Think of “the way” as both a future hope and a path to get there.
It’s natural
Natural ain’t gonna cut it. There are too many businesses waving that stick in the air. You need a strong competitive advantage that is uncopiable.
Marketing Lessons From a 4 Year Old
She would say her ABCs aloud in order to get to the next letter and write it down. Without repeated exposure, sleep will erase her short-term memory.
Doordash – Ding, dong, your food is here; how food delivery became an app
How well do you know your customer? What would you do to get to know them better?
Selling like Herb Tarlic
“We will match the price of our competitors on any similar product.” With one sentence, he converted us from relational buyers to transactional ones.
Don’t Worry We’ve Got This
As I knelt in front of my players, I was at a loss for words. Which never happens. You can never tell if I won the lottery or if my dog ran away.
David Ogilvy’s Secrets of Good Ads
“When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.”
Goals are for hockey players
Instead of Goals, I had to make Promises. Your promises are the only things that separate you from your competitors.
3 Reasons Why Everyone’s STILL Talking About “The Slap” — and How to Harness That Power For Your Advertising
I don’t even have to tell you what slap I’m talking about, do I?
Supercuts – Find out what Big Macs and haircuts have in common.
How 2 hairstylists make over $20,000,000.00, five bucks at a time. Now that’s supersizing!!!
Tips for Businesses to Deal with Inflation
Inflation has spiked, supply chain issues persist… and your customers are likely being protective with their dollars.
Harnessing The Pure Power of Friendly Familiarity For Owner-Operators
Of course you’ll grab Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes over the (significantly) cheaper, generic and off-brand alternatives.
My Idiot Friends
Stories are memorable, cherished, and shareable because of imperfection. A good ad writer creates attraction to imperfection.
Empire Builders: Spider-Man – Saved by a real Super Hero
A new kind of hero and a tricky way to get his idea past the editor.
Lessons From Branding Women’s Pro Soccer
The challenge behind funding didn’t stop our marketing team from finding unique ways to reach our potential customers.
Rosie the Robot is happy serving other customers
Since March 2020, some businesses are hiding behind an excuse. We don’t have anyone to work. Blah, blah, blah.
How Google PPC Inflation Has Made It No Longer Affordable To Do Lead Gen
It is serious, and it is having a huge impact on your bottom line.
Branding in 75 Words or Less
When the main benefits your brand delivers are self affirmation, status, and hope, you can charge almost anything you want.
The Beast Unchained
Addictions come in all colours. I believe all of us have a beast pacing back and forth, waiting for an opportunity to break the chain.
Dr. Brinkley – Way ahead of his time or complete quack?
He did it successfully in the 1920s. Only now they call it content marketing with lead magnets, tripwires and a funnel.
Blogs Are Not Dead: Why Your Business Needs One
Cultivating a consistent blog will increase your website’s performance with search engines and overall web traffic.
Screw You, I’m Going To Stand Out
How do you become the industry market leader if you say the same thing as every other business?
We don’t need no education
Faced with 2 similar candidates, the employer will differentiate them on education. Today’s problem is getting 2 people to show up for an interview.
A “Common Sense” Mistake That’s Killing Your Advertising Effectiveness
By the time you’ve been on the air for three months, your audience knows who you are.
Empire Builders: Listerine – How to get the girl, by Listerine. Oh, and Axe.
How Listerine created the problem of bad breath so they could solve it.
Milton Friedman should not like your advertising.
An opportunity to save money today overshadows an opportunity to make money tomorrow.
The Thing is Never the Thing
I would never criticize something I have no experience with… so I went ahead and bought an automated iHeart radio ad to advertise this article.
Fundamental Forces of Business – Part 4
Harley Davidson’s use of the Strong Atomic Force earned them $360 million last year — not on bikes — on branded merchandise.
A Powerful Branding Lesson From an Off-Color Joke My Mom Told Me
Two southern college coeds meet up for lunch during summer break after a year away…
5 Things I Learned From Video Games.
People who don’t play video games might see them as a waste of time; an anchor to the couch. I like to think of it as interactive art.
Marketing lessons I learned from Dad
His friends questioned where he was. Mom wouldn’t tell ‘em. They feared there weren’t enough eels for everyone.
Empire Builders: VW Beetle – Hippies Endorse THE German MAN
Designed by Porsche, commissioned by Hitler, marketed by a Jewish agency.
Fundamental Forces of Business – Part 3
Nike’s “Dream Crazy” ad is a great example of electromagnetism. While some people hated the ad and burned their Nike gear, others embraced it.
The Hybrid Persuasive Power of “Slice of Life” Campaigns
These are mini-dramas in which the efficacy of the product is semi-demonstrated, as testified by the main character.
The PROPER Way to Advertise a Sale
Brand building requires deliberate, diligent, dedication. And when it’s time for a sale… go big, or skip it entirely. No middle ground.
Empire Builders: Burt’s Bees – The accountant was only?!?
They hired a 14-year-old to manage the books. This was before Clorox bought them for $925 million dollars.
You have twins in your head
At the end of structured education, our brain is a bodybuilder who only does curls with his left arm.
Reason To Bond
You know my mother’s parents. Well, at least you know their type of people, because you can’t leave their house without being full.
Recipe for Success: Strategy First, Messaging Next, Creative Last
You’ll need to follow either Pizza Hut or Rolling Stone. It depends on whether customers are wrong about you, or they’re right.
Fundamental Forces of Business – Part 2
This technique is used by many who think they understand advertising. It can turn a person into a customer, but only a weak one.
Perkolatr. The Most Important Business App You’re Not Using
Perkolatr will change everything. Should you be on it?
Dollar General – What 75% of Americans won’t believe
75% of all Americans live within 5 miles of a Dollar General. Here’s how J.L. Turner created this empire.
SUPERbowl vs SuperBORE
Professional sports now revolve around storylines. Business is about stories too. They glue us to the game and keep us wanting more.
Putting Funny Ads To Work For Your Boring-Ass Business – Pattern Interrupt
When you shatter a pattern, their meat-computer snaps into focus.
Super Bowl Advertising vs. Your Advertising
Even guaranteed attention fizzles with a dud ad, while completely disinterested audiences can be won over with high-impact advertising.
Fundamental Forces of Business – Part 1
Walmart is the richest retailer on the planet. They use the gravitational pull better than anyone else. But gravity is the weakest force.