Private airstrips, planeloads of money and Lamborghinis
Never would you guess the family’s leaders dine with Persian princes and European presidents all while driving their simple blue Fords. Remember, your customers and your employees are watching.
The media is NOT the message.
I remember a Marshall McLuhan quote of “The Media is the Message.” So I asked Roy, what about McLuhan? The skies darkened, the floors parted, and a fiery hell appeared as Roy screamed.
Lotteries, Investments, Patience and Inversion
Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger made money by using a strategy that passed the test of time. At 97 years old, Munger attributes two things to his success: patience and inversion.
If you can’t see, hire someone else to mow your lawn
For every IBM, there are 100 Blockbusters. For every General Motors, there are 100 Polaroids. You can bet the leaders in your category will one day be in trouble. You can catch and pass them.
Your Competitors Are Bastards
Business is like writing. You have to find your own style and stick to it. Stop worrying about what the competition is doing. They're all bastards. Get inspired by things they don't understand.
History rhymes with the ebbs and flows of time
Just like unions of the 1940s, there is a societal shift toward worker empowerment. If you’re first in your category to embrace this shift, you win. Resist, and you lose.
Serving “Fields of Dreams”.
Simon Sinek writes about this in “Leaders Eat Last.” Before you can get what you want, you must first give them what they want. “They” is everyone but you. Let's start with your employees.
Building a team that wins
There’s no doubt that great businesses have equally great employees. But they also have their share of Bubba’s, Jim-Bob’s, and Tina-Marie’s. We never talk about those guys. If you ever lost sleep over a dumbass thing an employee did, you probably have a Bubba on your team.
Fat Cats and Happy Cachorros
Too many Shivers leaves a stink in the hearts of the customers. They are inattentive, self-serving, what's-in-it-for-me type of people. Calypsos make things better – for you and the customer.
Serving, Kingdoms, and Something to Believe in
Marketing in 2021 cannot be like 2019. Too much has happened. Society suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. To think everything will return to normal is to believe the last 16 months never happened.
Unstoppable Talent, Greatness and Dynasties
Although Gretzky was undoubtedly the best player of his generation and arguably the best player of all time, he needed great players around him to win. Now look at your own business...
A lesson in advertising from Professional Wrestling
We remember the bold. We don’t remember them for what they said. We don’t remember them for what they did. We remember how they made us feel. Advertising is no different.
Baseball and Advertising
As General Manager of the Oakland A’s, Bill's payroll costs were one-third of the New York Yankees. He couldn’t compete with them. He hired Paul DePodesta, a Harvard grad in Economics. Together, they changed the game.
Exposure, Woo-ing Bucks and impenetrable castles.
“Bill, why did you buy a highway billboard”? “It gives my company great exposure for getting more clients” Here’s the reality. Exposure doesn’t pay the bills.
Three Wise Men Appeared on My Path
Karen Post gave me the first definition of a brand that did not include colours, style guides, and logos. Brain Tattoos said, “A brand is the STORY embedded in the mind of the market”.