If you’re a smart marketer, you should continue to use tactics that work. Now while that sounds ridiculously obvious, it’s actually harder to stick to than you might think. Why? Because we’re human. We like new, shiny, sexy things. We want to be hip, fashionable, and skating on the bleeding edge. And that applies to […]

Anything can have a brand nowadays—celebrities, television shows, sports teams and even political leaders. However, effective branding is more than just a recognizable face or logo; it requires discipline and insight. No matter what is being branded, it’s important to remember some foundational principles. one voice Behind every successful brand is a clear and consistent […]

You’ve been hearing it for years now—the last days of print advertising are here. Social media, online content, e-books, and other virtual platforms are the established channels of the marketing frontier going forward. Magazine and newspaper ads will soon be ink-stained memories quickly disappearing in our digital rearview mirrors, perhaps forever. Well…perhaps not. We can […]

In 1945, Southwestern College in Memphis, Tennessee changed its name to “Southwestern at Memphis College” to distinguish itself from other schools with the name “Southwestern.” Few people noticed or cared. In 1984, the school changed its name again—this time to “Rhodes College,” in hopes that the prestige of the renowned Rhodes Scholarship Award would rub […]

Years ago, I worked with a creative director who had stints at several agencies around the country. One day, as we were filling out creative award entry paperwork, he made an offhand remark about how refreshing it was to not get ulcers over awards. Because applying for industry honors is normally a stress-free proposition, I […]

Contrary to what some folks might believe, branding and marketing communications professionals don’t have magic wands. Account managers, designers and writers almost never have telepathic powers. And none of us can perform even a single Jedi mind trick. In other words, if an agency type sidles up to you and says, “My shop can create […]

Recently I sat in on a conference call presentation from a professional consultant who was discussing the topic of “value pricing” for creative services firms. The consultant was trying to make a distinction between selling creative services based on “time or hours” versus selling creative services based on “value” to clients. Further, when one adopts […]