Shifting Role of Leadership
Here’s a link to my recent interview on The Terri Levine ShowRead More
Branding is Everything
Branding used to be the process of creating top-of-mind … primarily through impressions (i.e advertising). Brands were built by projecting a certain image then reinforcing it through name recognition, saturation and institutional trust. Images were protected, messaging was strict and sameness in the form of consistency was encouraged. This process built brands in every aspect of life: food products, cars, fuel, finance, fashion, etc.Read More
Leadership
Amplifiers don’t make you a better guitar player. They make you a louder guitar player. So if you are not a good guitar player, an amp just helps you tell more people that you don’t know what you are doing. In this same metaphorical line of thinking, marketing is the amplification of a brand. It takes your brand and makes it louder. Here are 5 signs your brand isn’t ready to be amped via marketing:Read More
The Pressure of a Story
No brand. No story.
No story. No brand.
It is a common lament amongst brand’s marketers that their brand’s story isn’t getting out, is misunderstood, isn’t reaching the right people. Etc, etc. Excuse, Excuse. When brands like Tom’s Shoes, Dollar Shave Club and SnapChat burst on to the scene with compelling stories, it amps up the pressure even more on established brands. Read More
Bacon Coterie with Dr. Lawrence Miller
Watch the first installment of “Bacon Coterie” with Dr. Lawrence G. Miller
co·te·rie
ˈkōtərē,ˌkōtəˈrē/
noun: coterie; plural noun: coteries
1. a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, esp. one that is exclusive of other people.”a coterie of friends and advisers”Read More
Even Indie Brands Need Promotion
We’ve all found a coffee shop, a band, a clothing store etc and thought “Why aren’t these guys famous??” The answer: we have an over-saturation of talent. While we remain a culture and economy driven by mass production, the rise of “indie” brands has also led to an explosion of talent. It is happening in business too. There are a lot of talented designers, accountants, consultants et al.Read More
The 3 Trends That Are Permanently Changing Your Brand
These three trends are wide and deep; so putting them into one blog post is like explaining that a monsoon is a really big rain storm. But in the spirit of pithiness and simplicity, here they are:Read More
Return on Awesome
“Return on Awesome” is a new presentation I’ve put together that teaches organizations of all sizes how to make culture your #1 differentiator. Available as a keynote, workshop or executive retreat, “Return on Awesome” breaks down the seven elements that are intrinsic to all awesome cultures. Read More
10 Undeniable Branding Truths
Regardless of product, audience, market conditions or valuation, here are 10 Undeniable Branding Truths:Read More
5 Blind Spots that Get Entrepreneurs
You don’t really learn until you’ve studied both success and failure. I’ve had the privilege of being around a lot of winners in my career. But I might have learned more from the failures – including a few of my own.
Being part of a start-up that is doing things right has inspired me to reflect on the blind spots that nail entrepreneurs. Here are 5: Read More