Brand Strategy Framework for building brands that actually last
No business owner, CEO, or even CMO wakes up in the morning thinking about their…
Is it car sickness, or just nauseating radio ads?
Kids get car sick. Cleaning vomit from the back seat is part of every new…
Pretty Pictures – benefits of a good side hustle
I’ve been researching the benefits of a good side hustle, and toying with the idea…
How to avoid bad business advice — the online advice treadmill
I’ve been getting all sorts of questionable, contradictory business advice lately. It’s like listening to…
Befuddled by too many marketing options?
I hate to say it, but marketing often seems like a bottomless rabbit hole of…
How to hone-in on a better homepage design
These days there are a lot of nice brands that exist only on the internet….
Thumbstopping Storytelling in Marketing
You’ve probably heard about the importance of storytelling in marketing. I’ve written about it plenty…
Brand credibility killers — 5 things guaranteed to set off my BS detector
All great brands share three traits : Relevance, Credibility and Differentiation. It’s like a three-legged…
4 Ingredients of small-business branding – Learning from breakfast cereal and a 4-buck burrito
Branding is a hot topic in the business press and in business schools these days….
Marketing for financial advisors – beyond gift baskets
It was one hell of a gift basket, piled high with a delicious assortment of…
The DIY mentality and small-business marketing (2 clearly different paths)
Small-business owners are naturally self-reliant. Most are specialists in a particular field, and few are…
The Yin & Yang of Marketing – Are your efforts in balance?
In Eastern philosophy yin yang represents the concept of duality. Two halves working together toward…
How to work effectively with your creative marketing firm
I’ve never encountered a business owner who does not have some kind of gripe with…
Small brands, big attitudes. How to create an XXL brand personality
The basics of Branding… What signals are you sending?
In my never-ending quest to help clarify the basics of branding, I want to talk…
A new approach to website design – What’s the big idea?
In the advertising industry big ideas are the currency of success. Doesn’t matter if you’re…
How to choose a brand name you can bank on.
At some point in time, every entrepreneur, every marketing director and every business owner will…
Where marketing goes wrong
Surely, you’ve been let down. If you’ve been in business for any length of time…
Marketing Resolutions (3 easy paths to better branding)
2025 promises to be a better year for business owners and marketers. Especially if you’re…
How to judge your advertising
When you grow up on the creative side of the advertising industry you learn the…
Differentiation vs. Distinctiveness – What’s more important for marketing?
Marketing professors, gurus and know-it-all social media commentators love arguing over the latest marketing terms,…
Strategic Website Design – How to make websites work on 5 different levels.
Companies built on beliefs & brand values. (Not products)
What do you really believe in? What motivates you — heart and soul — to…
Does website design matter? Yes, as long as first impressions matter.
There was a group discussion on LinkedIn recently that started with this question: “Does website…
How to compete in the booming Kombucha Market
Insight on the booming kombucha market — An interview with Steven Lee of Kombucha Wonder…
Why most marketing videos fail. (Unscripted advice on the missing ingredient)
Marketing videos are popping up faster than you can yell “cut.” The YouTube stats are…
Age-old advice on how to name a new business.
So you want to hang up your own shingle? Or you have a great idea…
“Brand” Trumps Managerial Incompetence.
I need to stop being surprised by managerial incompetence. Honestly. I need to reframe my…
The new normal for Ecommerce — How to sell more stuff online.
Ecommerce is exploding. The COVID pandemic created a tidal wave of activity in that industry….
Marketing lessons from the not-so-surprising failure of Sears
The demise of Sears, once the country’s largest retailer, is replete with valuable marketing lessons…