To me, the most amazing thing about The Sopranos – which is arguably the best TV show ever — (except for the way it ended) is that most of us hardcore fans had no idea how it would end. Despite the fact that millions of fans were waiting with baited breath for the final scene, probably 80% of the…
Continue reading "The Sopranos: A Poignant Message for Marketers"Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’
Monday, June 11, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
(Un)Proven Strategies
I just received an email touting a download of some research that purported to give me proven strategies for success. Here’s an interesting question: Can any strategy be proven to be successful?
Sure, you can set up a strategy and see if it succeeds or not. But could you gather data from hundreds …
Continue reading "(Un)Proven Strategies"Wednesday, June 6, 2007
What’s Your Marketing Mindset?
Over the weekend I listened (once again) to a podcast that Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba did with Maker’s Mark CEO Bill Samuels, Jr. In the episode, Samuels gives the fascinating account of what the distillery’s marketing mindset was, which they dubbed “marketing without fingerprints.”
This philos…
Continue reading "What’s Your Marketing Mindset?"Friday, June 1, 2007
Harnessing Nostalgia
A few times recently I’ve felt that brief wave of sadness and longing in the pit of my stomach that signals a nostalgic episode. Something will trip a bunch of connected neurons and suddenly I’ll be transported back in time, feeling for a split second like my then-self.
Nostalgia can be triggered …
Continue reading "Harnessing Nostalgia"Thursday, May 31, 2007
Feature Creep
This week’s New Yorker (yes, the New Yorker) has a story by James Surowiecki that’s worth reading.
Surowiecki says, in part, “Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, allowing us to do things more quickly and efficiently. But too often it seems to make things harder. This spiral of complex…
Continue reading "Feature Creep"Wednesday, May 30, 2007
How Big Is Your Global Sphere?
Last week I gave a talk on Surviving in the Global Economy and one of my keynote slides really resonated with the audience. It was a question I posed to the audience: What does your global sphere look like?
And what I mean by that — which I explained at great length to the attendees — was if som…
Continue reading "How Big Is Your Global Sphere?"Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Art of Blog Marketing
This is a story about building relationships online through blogging and how connecting and sharing is about the art of marketing. For this post, we will leave science aside, except for the technology required to blog.
Over Memorial Day weekend, a group of us met in NYC to honor CK and her recentl…
Continue reading "The Art of Blog Marketing"Apple Exemplifies ‘Connection’ With Retail Customers
I know. You are all sick of hearing how wonderful Apple is, but bear with me. Randall Stross wrote a great piece in yesterday’s New York Times and I want to emphasize a few of his points, especially from the marketing perspective.
First – Just read the title of the article for a big clue: “Apple’s…
Continue reading "Apple Exemplifies ‘Connection’ With Retail Customers"Media Hype Without the Goods
Issuing media releases without Web site back-up is like a eunuch advertising his sexual prowess. There ain’t nothing there to back up the marketing hype.
In the weekend edition of my local daily, I read a half-page article on a theater’s new 2007-08 lineup. (The paper happens to be the theater’s s…
Continue reading "Media Hype Without the Goods"Friday, May 25, 2007
We’re Not What You Think: Today’s Single Population
Quick. If you had to come up with the way quote unquote singles were depicted in ad campaigns, would you say: singles are in their early 20s, city-livers, hip dressers, thin, concerned with their hair style/color and wearing the latest clothing styles, all the while working serious careers – but…
Continue reading "We’re Not What You Think: Today’s Single Population"