Distinctiveness vs. Differentiation vs. Bonding
Branding aims at de-commodification: getting the customer to see you as the better, worthier option. And there are three ways of pursuing this goal.
Secrets of a genius storyteller
Learn from the great Ronnie Van Zant from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Appeal to your audience by speaking to them in their language.
“Emotional” Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means
“Emotional campaigns are 30% more likely than rational campaigns to show large profit effects" — Binet & Field, The Long and Short of It
Magical Thinking, Branding, and Chevy’s Christmas Ad
Your love for this small piece of commercial art, which you’ll likely share with others, can’t help but partially rub off onto Chevy.
Persuading Individuals vs. Persuading the Crowd — Why Not Both?
We are social creatures, and what others think and believe profoundly affects what we think and believe.
The Poet and the Engineer
I was an engineer for most of my life. Engineers think logically and rationally but they can't stir desire like a poet. Are your ads written by the poet, or the engineer?
Winning the War for Talent – An Advertising Strategy for Service Companies
This is why character and story-driven advertising not only accelerates branding success, but recruiting success as well.
Putting Funny Ads To Work For Your Boring-Ass Business – Ordinary to Extraordinary
None of these products were inherently interesting, yet their ads have been enjoyed hundreds of millions of times.
Eyeballs, hope and steaming piles of crap
I get asked a lot about the effectiveness of advertising and which ones are the most effective. The buzz for entrepreneurs these days is social media.
7 Modern Marketing Myths & Why They’re Dangerous Even When You’re Not Falling for Them
Following the zeitgeist is easy. Good branding is hard.
The Most Bizarre Brand Mascot (That Worked) In the Last Twenty Years — And Why You Should Care!
It permanently impressed itself on the tender psyches of millennials and they still whine about it decades later.
SEO-ing the Search Engine in the Customer’s Mind — Association Design for Fun & Profit
You must create and cultivate a rich network of mental associations linked to your brand. It starts with three elements...
Pat Weaver Changed the Face of Advertising Forever
You have not heard of him, but if you've ever run an ad on TV or Radio then you have him to thank. Learn the key to controlling eyeballs (and your own destiny).
Art is Not Subjective.
If you have the right artist, they make their decisions consciously and objectively for the purpose of drawing attention. And they do it using an invisible ally.
Iron Chef Branding — 2 Practical Steps that Work in the Real World
Whip up that gourmet message, not from scratch, and not by following a predetermined recipe, but by making use of whatever ingredients are already on hand.