The best marketing delivers the right message to the right customer at the right time. This principle has never been more important. Sell to our collective fear and panic, and you’ll be perceived as exploiting misery. Ignore the microscopic elephant in the room and you...
Do you know the difference between a strategy and a tactic? Turns out, most executives don't. In his Strategic Thinking Manifesto, Rich Horwarth describes the difference, summarized in the framework below. Example is mine.
I love the riot of color and abundance in Maximalist design, a joyful reaction to minimalism and Apple-esque design. You'll see it on everything from tea packaging to a new finance magazine. But is it too "extra" for mainstream markets? Take a look at the stunning imag...
In a recent survey of 10,000 executives, 97 percent of them reported that being strategic was most important to their organization’s success. Yet, in another study, 96 percent said that they lack the time for strategic thinking. How do you find time to be strategic? He...
Nine marketing books worth reading -- or giving. Consider one for the marketer in your life. Order most today from Amazon for arrival by Christmas. Have you read them before? Consider reading them again for a fresh look at your business in the new year. (I earn NO affi...
First launched on Kickstarter, these gorgeous maple notebooks inspire creativity. They feature hand-oiled, 3-ply, real maple covers, a brass, double coil binding that enables the book to lay flat, and dot, grid, or plain recycled paper....
What makes a great modern brand? Gone are the David Ogilvy days when marketing was about selling an emotional benefit. Next was the Trout and Ries era when it was the position you occupied in the minds of the customer. Then it was Apple, who taught us that the way to i...
Customer segmentation is the cornerstone to any marketing plan. You segment your customers and define your personas, and deliver content, products, services based on those personas. It’s a way to increase the efficiency of your media spend and simplify your marketing e...
Your marketing team is excellent. But your team is focused on the tactics of the business -- building awareness, managing the scrums, kicking off the spring campaign. They lack the broader, strategic perspective required to activate prospects and accelerate sales. A F...
Instagram, called at times, the new homepage, the millennial search engine, or the hipper QVC, can no longer be the afterthought that it has been. Not only are engagement levels 58x higher than Facebook, but a rapidly increasing number of internet users -- 28% -- cons...
