New word, old idea — The definition of content marketing
“Content” is a sizzling buzzword in the marketing world these days. There are all sorts…
Flip the marketing funnel — make it a mountain.
Let’s talk about one of the most popular marketing metaphors of all time: The…
Wait, what??? The 5 worst words in marketing
I am not stupid. I can connect the dots pretty well when it comes to…
Ski Industry Marketing — New product launch vs. the birth of a brand
It was the kind of day ski bums live for… 10 inches of new…
Personal branding – Get to the heart of it
Personal branding and re-branding is a hot topic in professional circles these days. Seems a…
Packaging design — unwrapping a critical element of your brand
Management guru Tom Peters once said, “Too damn few of us take packaging design as…
Brand experience – How one ski area is trying its best to manage expectations.
Ski area operators live and die by the whims of Mother Nature. So the brand…
Lessons learned from 30 years in a professional services business
Professional services marketing is one of the toughest specialties in my line of work….
Golf industry marketing strategy – Parity vs “kickassery”
Let me tell you a story that illustrates the shortcomings of the typical golf industry…
Branding the Olympics – leading by example in sports marketing
In the world of sports marketing one event rises above the competition in terms…
Borrowed interest and other desperate attempts to attract customers
Ever notice how some companies are constantly scrambling to attract customers, while others enjoy some…
The new normal in e-commerce — How to sell more stuff online.
The COVID 19 pandemic has created a frenzy of activity in the e-commerce industry. One…
Advertising in a crisis: Shit happens, but brands endure.
Every entrepreneur experiences setbacks… Markets crash. Key team members leave with your biggest accounts. There…
The ancient, proven path to marketing success – Credible, Emotional, Rational
Humans love instant gratification. In fact, our brains are wired for it. But the path…
Naming, rebranding, and the role of your brand origin story.
Origin stories are big business in Hollywood. Millions of people pay top dollar at the…
The rise of “Digital Marketing” — The death of advertising?
Advertising is dead. No it’s not. Yes it is. No it’s not! The debate about…
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…
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…
The DIY mentality and small business marketing (2 clearly different paths)
Small-business owners are naturally self-reliant. We’re all in business for ourselves because we have that…
4 Ingredients of small-business branding – Learning from breakfast cereal and a 4-buck burrito
Branding is a popular topic in the business press and in business schools these days….
How to do great branding ads — Subaru scores with skier-focused print.
A lot of marketing people seem to think that branding ads are a waste of…
Need a new logo? (5 things to know before you hire professional help)
A lot of people think they need a new logo. Or they’ll talk about a “rebranding…
Class A office space, Class A brand — Brand alignment with your location
Brands that are built to last. (Jim Collins on brand values)
Built To Last, by Jim Collins, is commonly known as one of the most influential…
Secondary Reality (Alternative facts in natural foods marketing)
“Those marketing guys aren’t dealing in reality.” I’ve heard that one before from sales guys, engineers,…
Crowdsourcing logo design (Getting literal for little.)
Crowdsourcing logo design is a sore subject in the graphic design community. I could easily…
Marketing Management & Leadership – Who’s really running the show?
Marketing is full of colorful characters… Data nerds, creative prima donnas, wordsmith poets, actors, spreadsheet…
Writing better web copy — How long should that copy be? Really.
This is a common refrain these days… Doesn’t matter if the client is selling complex,…
Under Armour marketing — Sailing into a big, blue ocean of opportunity.
Kevin Plank, founder and former CEO of Under Armour, likes to tell the story of…
Automotive Advertising: Another ride down that twisting, mountain road of tired clichés.
I don’t know what it is about automotive advertising. No other category is so rich…