Pioneers and Settlers
We’ve conflated “pioneer” with “achiever” and forget that the original pioneers were pursuing a simply insane notion.
The Right SEQUENCE for Brand Building Success
What Aristotle and lawyers both know about persuasive sequencing that you don’t.
Unique Has To Start With “You”
If it looks and sounds like advertising, it’ll be tuned out faster than you can say, “Helpful, friendly staff members.”
What’s Your Ad Campaign’s Meta-Narrative?
Is the story of Rocky really about boxing? Or is it about an underdog’s epic journey? Great ads are like that too.
What Kids Can Teach You About Story Persuasion
There’s a REASON why for every conflict we always want to know “who started it?”
The Smile Above the Toilet
We have a couple of meaningful plaques in our chapel telling the story of our bells - but where else? Where does almost everyone go at least once?
Origin Story: How Your Story Should’ve Successfully Been Told
Most ads don’t work. Why? They’re missing the key ingredient.
Shared Stories and Advertising Magic
Why do so few stories end up being about vulnerability, setbacks, or scars? Because it takes an uncommon level of guts and skill.
6 Degrees of Benjamin Franklin
Doing business with — making yourself vulnerable to — a complete stranger feels bad. Nobody wants to put themselves in that situation.
How to Tell Your Company Story (Like a Fox)
8 steps to effectively build a tribe of emotionally invested customers who will become your biggest advocates.
Wiener Dog Marketing: For the Love of Wiener Dogs
What idea have you thought of doing, but haven’t had the courage to do, for fear that you might not do it well enough?
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.
Learning from the Legends: Yes, Virginia, It Really Is That Simple!
Marlboro was a failed filtered cigarette brand, marketed to women with the slogan “Mild as May”
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.
Are Your Ads Gossip Worthy?
You probably read this and thought: that’s an unrealistic expectation. Kind of like expecting an ad to “go viral.” Who gossips about ads, of all things? And why would anyone want people gossiping about their brand?