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…
Truth and clarity about Guerrilla Marketing
It’s 1810. Napolean’s armies have conquered all of Europe and are enjoying the spoils. But…
Definition of digital marketing — 4 things you HAVE to know
Surely you’ve heard the online chatter about “digital marketing.” There are a million platforms, channels,…
Stock images & brand image photos – Beware of visual clichés.
Every business needs brand image photos… (Your brand image can’t be built on words alone.)…
Food Packaging 101 – from bland to a billion
Food Packaging 101 – Lessons From a Billion-Dollar Tortilla Brand Here’s a case study…
Paralysis by Analysis (How fear and big data can kill great marketing)
Everyone’s talking about “big data” and how data-driven marketing is the holy grail of marketing….
Effective Personal Branding — The corporate head shot is not the ticket.
Recently we had a client who didn’t like the photos we had taken for her…
Successful branding – 3 logical reasons why brands need more emotional thinking
Fake thrills and false advertising — Another automotive marketing misfire.
Automotive advertising, as a category, is notoriously bad. The big brands seldom produce memorable spots,…
How to do more effective advertising (Just the facts won’t do it)
Every client I work with wants to know how to do more effective advertising. They…
Fear of loss in advertising — Another effective angle of attack
I have an ongoing debate with a client who says we should never, ever take…
Strategic Thinking + Tactical Acting – For better marketing you need both
I’ve been writing the Brand Insight Blog regularly since 2008. The single most popular post…