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.
The 3 Most Important Advertising Charts You’ll Ever Lay Eyes On
Chart 3: Why small companies and large companies require opposite media strategies.
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.
Why WOM & Viral Marketing Can’t Drive Growth
This isn’t opinion, it’s the result of an internet study of “a billion diffusion events on Twitter."
Branded vs. Unbranded Keywords (A Case Study of a Real Company)
If we didn’t track them separately, we wouldn’t see unbranded keywords were losing us money.
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?
Marketing Predictions for 2023 (?)
Before I question my Ogilvy & Mather Tarot Cards and tell you exactly what will happen, let’s see if past predictions have held up.
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.
Advertising in Hard Times: 3 Quick, Easy, and Essential Lessons
If you continue to invest in long-term brand building through an economic downturn, you will overtake your competition.
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.
Do Your Ads Romanticize What Your Customers Actually Want to Buy?
“The customer rarely buys what the company thinks it's selling him.” — Business Management Legend, Peter Drucker
Sales Funnel Optimization: The Myths and Facts
How’s your sales funnel looking? Is it optimized for conversion? If not, what can you change to improve it?
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The Colonel was seen as old, outdated, and associated with the old south.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.
Strange Limiting Beliefs
The strangest belief I see nowadays is, "I love my digital person; can I keep using them" when they don't know what's under the hood.