Stop touting features and start talking about benefits
If you’ve been in business for more than five minutes you’ve probably heard marketing…
Ai in marketing — The amazing potential and real limitations
There’s so much buzz about AI in marketing I need a bee keeper’s suit just…
The lingering effects of your brand identity design – good or bad
Never underestimate the power of brand identity design. For good or bad. Decades after you’ve…
Ecommerce niches – the best thing ever for MANkind
Ten years ago I couldn’t imagine getting all my Christmas shopping done from the comfort…
Strategic listening and consumer insight – Small business market research
I’m a big proponent of small business market research. For me it’s insight first, THEN…
The difference between marketing strategy and tactics.
A successful marketing guy asked me a question recently — a real no-brainer — which…
Sage advice for small businesses — Just say no
Saying no is one of the most difficult yet liberating things you can do when…
Back to Basics (A working definition of Branding and Brand)
You say tomato, I say tahmahto. He says branding, she says marketing. No doubt, the…
Absolutely better branding for craft spirits
Chocolate vodka? Dill pickle vodka? Bacon flavored vodka? Cinnamon Roll Vodka? Smoked Salmon Vodka. I…
The most common misconceptions in marketing
I recently ran across this graphic (below) from a marketing person who teaches marketing people…
Words matter! Why your brand identity needs a tagline.
Cadillac stole my tagline. Back in 2004 I wrote “Be Iconic” to support my name…
What to think if you’re thinking of hiring a brand strategist.
This past year I landed a new client who had been thinking of hiring…
Restaurant Branding — Recipes for success and failure
At what point does a trendy new restaurant become an iconic brand? And when do…
Gratitude in business – 5 things every marketer should be thankful for
Once a year we all sit down at the dinner table and express our gratitude…
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…
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…
