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 […]
This might sound strange coming from a guy who has been preaching the importance of being BOLD and taking risks to creative teams, clients and brands for three decades. It’s always been important for brands to grab people’s attention—to stand out—by doing unorthodox things. Sometimes, the crazier the better. But today, we need a new […]
Is anyone reading this? No, seriously, is anyone reading this? That’s what you should be asking yourself when you’re allocating space for copy in your catalog or other marketing materials. Because we know this: People don’t read. They scan. They skim. They flip. They browse. As a writer, it can be quite an ego blow […]
