American cheese Bars of soap Applebee’s Top sheets Mayonnaise Straws CDs Shopping malls Network TV Gillette razors Phone conversations Hooters Diamonds Napkins What do all of these things have in common? According to various media reports over the past few years, they’re all being killed by Millennials. The audacity! The gall! How could this generation […]
I recently read an article about America’s most hated companies. Every year, 24/7 Wall Street publishes a list that invariably includes companies from the pharma, communications, travel, banking and retail sectors. Companies know a good reputation is vital to a company’s health and success. And yet they often overlook one of the simplest tools to […]
You might not realize this, but I have a lot in common with Elon Musk. Yes, the billionaire Tesla mogul and I share several things that might surprise you, including: 1. Fascination with space, and Mars in particular. Like Musk, I want to die on the red planet. Unlike Musk, I’d be fine if it […]
What’s worth more than topline sales? Ask J.Crew, who just killed two of its fashion brands and accepted the resignation of a CEO who was successfully turning around a sales slump. What the heck? Why let someone who was successfully driving the biggest sales increase in 5 years go? To understand, first you need to […]
People don’t like to be sold to. Too many brands only sell; they only try to convince people to buy, buy, buy. But that’s not what customers want to hear. If you want to connect to people on a more emotional level, tell them your story. Tell them what you stand for, where you came […]
Lee Clow is a titan of the advertising industry, an undisputed creative heavyweight. As the global director of media arts at TBWA/Chiat/Day, he channels one of the most inventive minds the industry has ever seen. Steve Jobs brought him in to revolutionize the creative for Apple … twice. Oh, and Clow just happens to be […]
There’s an old saying in marketing: never mix branding and politics. It’s good advice, as mixing the two is usually a zero sum game. No matter what position you take, it’s likely that just as many people will agree as disagree. And yet, every day, more companies are wading into the political and social waters. […]
Last week Toys R Us closed their remaining stores, bringing a sad end to a 70-year old brand. In the final days of the store closings, for a brief time the top link on Reddit was a strangely poignant image of Geoffrey the Giraffe standing next to empty store shelves, waving goodbye. In the comments […]
Millennial Schmillennial! Why is everyone rushing to grab this elusive customer group when we are about to experience the largest wave of spending power to ever hit the market? I’m talking about the aging Baby Boomers who have become empty nesters, are retiring and are more mobile than ever. Consider the silver lining: There are […]
