What Separates Ethical Persuasion From Manipulation
If you don't believe in it, for the love of God, don't try to sell it.
Don’t Take Shortcuts
Brands want to get buyers there faster, easier, and simpler. The problem is that marketing is relationships.
How Do We Lose to Companies With Worse Service?
You've been perfecting the last 10 feet of a mile-long race as your competitors own the first 5,270.
“We Care” Is Not a Marketing Strategy
Nobody gets bonus points for clearing the basic bar, but most ads are celebrating mere table stakes.
Why Am I Spending More on Marketing For Fewer Leads?
The real problem is almost never that you're spending too little.
Why Great Brands Are Unreasonable
Most people have no idea the Pirelli calendar exists. That may be part of why it works.
Don’t Let The Legal Department Kill Creativity!
They make you as bland as possible to snuff out any chance of going to court. But the edge is what made it funny.
How Being Specific Makes You More Persuasive
Naming details takes guts and makes you trustworthy.
Why Explanation Doesn’t Create Desire
People do not move through the world as neat little logic machines. They are running. Distracted. Hopeful. Insecure.
Repetition is the SECRET to Memorable Advertising!
Repetition is the hill we'll die on. Repetition is the hill we'll die on.
Why Your Ads Aren’t Working
You're talking about the wrong person. It's about listeners. It's about empathy.
Irresistible Marketing – Why Stories Sell & Facts Don’t
Gurganus was right. Stories only happen to people who can tell them.
The 7 Truths of Sales Activation – Calls to Action That Work
Customers are jaded, experienced, and hard to fool. So don't try.
When Sex Appeal doesn’t sell…
Charlie was the bestselling perfume on the planet until it traded 1970s empowerment for a more traditional appeal.
How to Write Headlines That Demand Attention
Have the courage to be different, evocative, surprising, and occasionally absurd.