Someone’s Head Has Got to Roll
Since Marketing Heads are evaluated on a short-term basis, they don’t have enough runway to see returns from investing in brand-building.
Doritos, Brand Codes, and that Super Bowl Ad
Why would Doritos pay $12 million to waste, like, 55 seconds NOT showing the product? The answer is Brand Codes.
The Best Blog Post Ever Written
I drove past a place called “Best China Restaurant” hundreds of times and instinctively knew that this was not, in fact, the best out there.
The secret sauce of persuasion: storyselling
Stories live between what is real and what the consumer wishes were real.
Faster, Bigger Ad Results Through Social Engineering
Check out this recent McDonald’s ad directed by the legendary Edgar Wright to understand how it works.
Creating authentic conversational radio ads step-by-step
Conversation is, unfortunately, incredibly difficult to write — especially when you write by the rules of good grammar.
A Powerful Secret to Great Ads
Powerful ads are the few that stand out in your mind because they made an impression. Here's how that happens.
Brand Codes in a World of Continuous Partial Attention
We are all, as T.S. Eliot wrote, “distracted from distraction by distraction.” So how can you craft ads capable of working?
Value Proposition: Stand Out From The Competition
The only way you can have a clear message is if you speak the same language as your customers.
Fables are Better than Facts
If all you do is list facts, you've created a documentary... not an advertisement. Advertisements are made to persuade.
Be Who You Are — A KFC Case Study
The Colonel was seen as old, outdated, and associated with the old south. Tragically unhip for a newer, younger audience.
Metaphor Proves Crucial for Harnessing Emotions for Increasing Ad Effectiveness
When participants returned for recall testing a week later, there was a significant difference.
Branding “Cheat Codes” for Explosive Growth
It’s much faster for me to convince you that other people already believe X about brand Y than to change your personal perceptions.
Every Day Is Election Day For Your Brand
Are you guilty of voter suppression? I’m not referring to second Tuesday in November voters.
Pizza is not like its Italian cousins
Price is the easiest to match. Competitors will drive you out of business using this strategy when they have more money than you.