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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.