Getting to the point for better PowerPoint presentations
Every year at the Mac Expo, Steve Jobs used to unveil some fantastic new, game-changing…
Brand design with a bang – Visual cues and consistency across platforms
A lot of people ask me about our brand design and the graphics that accompany…
What business owners can learn from political advertising
Every election year there’s a deluge of dumb, annoying political ads from both sides of…
Working together for more effective advertising. (13 helpful tips)
Planning, creating, producing and managing an effective advertising campaign is not easy. There are details…
Managing a small-business through thick and thin
You probably heard this cliche a thousand times back in 2020…. “In these unprecedented times……
Where branding begins — A holistic approach to branding and business.
A lot of business owners seem to think Branding begins with graphic design. As if…
A new approach to website design – What’s the big idea?
I grew up on the creative side of the advertising industry where big ideas are…
The Allure of Ecommerce (4 reasons why small retail brands often fail at online sales)
These days, everyone wants a piece of the Ecommerce action. I understand the temptation… There…
Why startups fail — getting to the bottom of it
A lot of companies fail. We know that for a fact. What we don’t know…
6 good questions about branding agencies and their owners
I get a lot of questions when people I tell people I have a branding…
From underdog to big dog: Take-aways from the Nike brand narrative.
There’s nothing like a good origin story to remind everyone what your brand’s really all…
How to sell your great new solution — pile on the problem!
Let me tell you a story about the problem with most sales pitches. There’s not…
The semantics of branding & rebranding: Get the words right, or else.
Here’s a worst-case branding & rebranding scenario that every business owner fears: You’re forced to…
Old-school Mad Men advice : Use a USP in your advertising
Life in a 1960’s advertising agency makes for a great costume drama. Sometimes the powerful…
Brand Simplicity – Whittling success down to its core.
In business I think it’s human nature to add unnecessary complexity to all sorts of…
How to manage your marketing efforts like a Hollywood Producer
Are you burdened by all the tactical marketing options? Ever wonder how to manage your…
Does advertising really work? If so, how?
Every business owner on earth has asked this question at some point or another… They…
Truth, Lies, and Advertising Honesty
I don’t comment on politics. However, the constant flood of blatant falsehoods from political races…
Need to improve your marketing? Start with your P.O.V.
How you see things — your unique point-of-view — skews everything you do. You can’t…
Building a brand personality that’s genuine, authentic, AND effective.
Building a brand personality for your company that actually resonates with people is not easy….
How to differentiate your company — Disruption as a branding discipline
The word for the day is Disruption, with a capital D. That’s the easiest way…
The 4 Ps of Marketing – Plus one for Ecommerce
Every year, thousands of E-commerce startups are launched with nothing more than a whim and…
Logo contests: A bad idea for any good brand
Sometimes the most powerful branding case studies fall into the “what NOT to do” category….
How to make your copywriting more compelling – Introduce incongruity
Putting your best foot forward – How to make your products look great online.
Ever since the COVID pandemic every category in the e-commerce industry has been growing like…
What to watch for when you’re rebranding
Let’s face it… Rebranding can be a costly pain in the ass. It’s probably the…
Marketing Magic From The Ice Cream Man
One of the earliest examples of marketing magic that I can remember was from the…
Predicting consumer behavior in 2023: Or the whacky, random ways people buy.
Corporations spend billions every year trying to predict consumer behavior. Market research firms have sophisticated…
5 Things all iconic brands have in common.
Simon Edwards, former Brand Manager at 3M, started a lively online discussion around this question:…
Naming your company – Why is it so dang hard to do well?
If you conducted a poll of 100 people like myself who develop brands for a…