I recently ran across this graphic (below) from a marketing person who teaches marketing people how to market themselves more effectively. This simple graphic hierarchy represents one of the most common misconceptions in marketing. It’s a trap that many business owners and CEOs fall into. If this is how you visualize the marketing landscape, I […]
The most common misconceptions in marketing Read More »
Let’s talk about one of the most popular marketing metaphors of all time: The Marketing Funnel. Sales funnels, marketing funnels and conversion funnels are ubiquitous in the business world. It’s an idea that dates back a hundred years, and it goes like this… At the top of the marketing funnel you have
Flip the marketing funnel — make it a mountain. Read More »
It was the kind of day ski bums live for… 10 inches of new snow, calm winds, and the sky was clearing. It’s also the type of bluebird day that ski industry marketing revolves around. Queue the videographers! The experts with their GoPros were queued up before the first lift, chomping at the bit
Ski Industry Marketing — New product launch vs. the birth of a brand Read More »
In the world of sports marketing one event rises above the competition in terms of branding and worldwide audience appeal… the Olympics. If you’re thinking of sponsoring a sporting event, signing an athlete as as spokesperson, or marketing your own sporting event, you can learn a lot by studying what the International Olympic Committee
Branding the Olympics – leading by example in sports marketing Read More »
I’m a big fan of the Winter Olympics. I got hooked as a boy when Franz Klammer made his infamous, gold medal downhill run at the Innsbruck Games, and I’ve been watching ever since. I’ve even watched some of the curling and synchronized swimming. (yikes). The summer games are fun too, but they don’t have
Marketing lessons from the Olympics – Glory, thrills and honor Read More »
All great brands share three traits : Relevance, Credibility and Differentiation. It’s like a three-legged stool of branding success. Today we’re going to focus on brand credibility, or lack thereof. Many successful businesses are built around commodities or me-too products, with basically no differentiation. And you can build a trendy business on short-term relevance and
Brand credibility killers — 5 things guaranteed to set off my BS detector Read More »
At some point in time, every entrepreneur, every marketing director and every business owner will need a name — for something. Might be a new product. Maybe an entirely new business, or a side hustle. Maybe you need a name for a blog or a company podcast. Maybe you’ve written a book that needs a
How to choose a brand name you can bank on. Read More »
There seems to be a trend in website development these days… more and more cookie-cutter, template-driven websites that are wearily one dimensional.
The fact is, if you want the maximum return from your website investment, it needs to work on many different levels.
Strategic Website Design – How to make websites work on 5 different levels. Read More »
What do you really believe in? What motivates you — heart and soul — to do your work everyday? What are the brand values that guide your operation? If you don’t know, you’re missing a great opportunity to differentiate yourself from the competition. Most small business owners never think about the important underpinnings of their
Companies built on beliefs & brand values. (Not products) Read More »
So you want to hang up your own shingle? Or you have a great idea for a start-up, but you have no idea what to call it. This might be the closest thing you’re going to find to a DIY guide on how to name a new business. Eons ago, advertising pioneer Claude Hopkins said
Age-old advice on how to name a new business. Read More »
