Empire Builders #002: HBO Magic
The method that HBO uses to create Emmy Award winning shows and how you can apply this to have the best advertisements on the planet. I can guarantee you Ridley Scott would agree.
Smelling Your Way to Good Vibrations
It is your job to have a strategy to incorporate the five senses for maximum effect on memory and feelings. Your job to build your story is entrusted to, as a 90’s kid would say, “the vibe.”
Empire Builders #001: The Story of the Drybar Blow Out
How Drybar turned this simple idea into a salon empire that grew from one single shop to a business that was recently acquired by Helen of Troy Ltd. for $225 million.
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.
Ira Glass on Great Advertising, Part 2
“The amount of time finding the decent story is more than the amount of time it takes to produce the story… I think that, like, not enough gets said about the importance of abandoning crap.”
Tipping Point of Retail and the S-Curve
A dozen years from now 50% to 60% of transactions will be occurring online. And a surprising advantage will go to stores who sell online but advertise locally.
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.
The Worth of a Dali
A picture is worth a thousand words. Confucius told us that. Or did he? Actually, Fred Barnard made up the saying to promote the use of images and called it “a Chinese proverb so that people would take it seriously.”
What Matters is What’s Remembered
When you advertise, you typically make bullet points of what you “want customers to know.” Giving a customer an education so he’ll have no choice but to pick you is as fanciful as it is arrogant.
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.
Ira Glass on Great Advertising, Part 1
The first video covers Ira’s two basic building blocks of storytelling: the Anecdote and the Moment of Reflection. And in advertising terms, these are roughly analogous to Relevance and Credibility.
The Subtle Persuasion of Groundhog Day
In many businesses, what most customers are really buying is transformation. Groundhog Day plays to three very powerful psychological dynamics you can use to captivate and convert.
The Tale of Ted the Radio Tortoise and Harry the Anxious Hare
I spent a day with two HVAC company owners. Harry the Anxious Hare is closing barely 10% of his online leads. Ted the Radio Tortoise’s telephone team is closing more than 60%.
That’ll Do
Who is the “McDonald’s” in your category? The business you believe is getting an unfair amount of customers… in spite of their quality and competence. A few things are happening that you should find illuminating.