Helping good people build great brands.
Why is consumer trust of marketers at an all-time low?
Because, in part, of crap like this. Continue reading “More Dirty Marketing Tricks”
There’s a terrific scene in the movie “Big,” in which Paul, the rival of Tom Hanks’ Josh, shares his silver-bullet idea for the upcoming year.
In the spirit of toys that transform, it’s a robot that turns into a… building.
“I don’t get it,” Josh famously says. “There’s a million robots that turn into something. This is a building that turns into a robot. What’s fun about playing with a building? That’s not any fun!”
“This is a skyscraper!” Paul insists. Continue reading ““This Is a Skyscraper,” and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves”
Be selective.
This is not a suggestion or an empty mantra. It’s one of the very few brand-building imperatives I’ll propose to you.
As a leader of a challenger brand, you’re starting from behind, and with fewer resources than your competitors. And limited resources must be focused if they are to have maximum impact.
Here are five important ways you can be selective: Continue reading “Be Selective (To Do More With Less)”
If growing your brand is among your priorities, at some point you’ll face a choice:
Would you rather grow rapidly, even if it means sacrificing the quality of your experience?
Or would you rather grow more slowly, while maintaining or improving the quality of your experience?
In other words: If you had to choose, would you rather be bigger or better? Continue reading “Standing at the Crossroads: Will You Choose Bigger or Better?”
Your brand is not your logo.
Your brand is not your website.
Your brand is not your color scheme.
These are elements of your brand. But they’re not your brand.
Continue reading “Stop worrying about your branding.”
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)In this case, advertising imitates art.
AdWeek reports that Heinz has approved ads that were originally presented on the TV series Mad Men.
In season 6 of that show, set in 1968, Don Draper pitches a series of print ads to Heinz execs. The ads are novel in that they don’t show ketchup at all – only foods that are wanting it. As Don tells the Heinz execs, “The greatest thing you have working for you… is the imagination of the consumer.” Continue reading “Heinz Just Approved Ads From “Mad Men,” and That’s a Good Thing”
(Reading Time: 2 minutes)It’s easy to sit on the sidelines, lobbing grenades at those who have done the work and put something out there.
I’m guilty of this myself at times. I do my best to frame the mistakes of others as lessons for the rest of us, though sometimes I can’t resist making a dig at the truly awful stuff. It’s not like there’s a shortage of bad branding out there.
But focusing only on the negative won’t make you a better leader. And it doesn’t work as a philosophy of life. Continue reading “On the Practice of Active Positivity”
(Reading Time: 4 minutes)Here’s a statistic that I wouldn’t believe had I not measured it myself: 100% of my friends are excellent drivers.
I’m serious. You can ask them. Better yet, ask your friends for their assessments of their own driving skills. You’ll probably record a similar number.
I can find you a bunch of statistics like this.
In one survey of university faculty, over 90% rated themselves “above average” in terms of teaching ability. That’s right – 90% of these professors placed themselves in the top 50%. Continue reading “Your Brand Is Not as Great as You Think It Is (And What to Do About That)”
(Reading Time: < 1 minute)I’m now in my 26th year in branding, marketing and strategy.
I’ve yet to come across a single “silver bullet” – a tactic that works perfectly in all situations. Not one.
Of course, that doesn’t stop certain charlatans from peddling their magic potions. My spam folder is littered with them. Continue reading “There Are No Magic Potions”
(Reading Time: 3 minutes)We’ve all seen them: The pipe dreams that are presented as “strategic plans.” Plans that seem to have no tether to reality. Plans that nobody believes in (but that somehow get approved).
There are many reasons such unrealistic plans survive. The organization may encourage activity, not results. Leadership may not be grounded in the planning process, and are thus unable to guide it. Politics may replace objectivity. And so on.
No matter the roots of the issue, I’ve found that one question is particularly useful in making a huge leap toward strategy that truly works.
That question is four short words: Continue reading “The Most Important Strategic Question You Can Ask”