Fundamental Forces of Business – Part 1
Walmart is the richest retailer on the planet. They use the gravitational pull better than anyone else. But gravity is the weakest force.
Empire Builders: Netflix – known for one thing; twice.
It is not the strongest or most intelligent of companies that become empires. It is the company that is most willing to adapt.
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”
Beer And Headaches And That Awful Cramping
Chuck Blore's study for CBS found that advertising makes beer taste better. I believe it makes pain manageable, too.
Demonstration Ads — Part Deux.
Demonstration ads are like testimonial ads. They demand more of the advertiser and the creative team, but they're persuasive magic.
Cowards, Cow-words and tails between your legs
Are you writing ads with your tail between your legs? If you’re not acting like the young bull with nothing to lose, someone else is.
Learning from the Legends: What Can’t be Questioned?
Immediately following the launch of the Mr. Whipple campaign Charmin displaced Scott as the #1 brand in America.
Gaggia Espresso Machines had a problem
This is a lesson of overcoming resistance to new innovations. What to do with unwanted oily film? The answer built an empire and even changed how fine espresso is judged.
The Custodian of Hospitality
Covid-19’s impact on business and the decisions needed for survival are Frostian. But don’t lose your way. Survival depends on Frostian decisions.
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.
The Biggest Waste in Advertising (a Case Study)
Advertising in the bigger community to draw customers to your smaller community is as futile as trying to make the water in a river defy gravity.
An interview with a small business that applied the Wrigley formula
He does not sell gum. He sells used RVs and he applied the lessons from Wrigley’s and is growing like crazy.
“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
They wanna lock up Big Don
Donny is so popular in his town folks set up a Facebook page in his honor. The old woman next door doesn’t like him. Actually, she hates him.
Should an Upwardly Mobile Zebra Shed Its Stripes?
Successful marketing, getting your company noticed, requires behavior that's not only risky, it runs counter to instinct.