I recall an instructive story told in the book ART & FEAR by David Bayles & Ted Orland, that I read many years ago, dealing with the creative process. It provides valuable insight into the creative process and what it takes to achieve success. The story is of a ceramics instructor who divides his class […]
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“Do you need to have a brand new idea or invent something radically different in order to create ‘difference?’ No, not necessarily. Starbucks didn’t invent coffee, and Apple didn’t invent the smartphone; these companies simply created new experiences of them, which in turn created a whole new set of meanings that we attached to what were […]
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I’m curious about how many calls it takes on average for a salesperson to make a sale to a prospective customer for a given brand or her/his company. The same goes for the number of impressions an ad must make to create a customer. What does it take? I came across the following: The Rule […]
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“So, remember that rising productivity means getting more output for less input.” (Anonymous) “It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” (Bruce Lee) “The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.” (Bruce Lee) There’s an old chestnut in some companies—especially popular among the company’s operations folks—that the term “marketing productivity” […]
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Innovation – going from idea to impact This morning I applied a fresh FreeStyle Libre 14-Day Sensor. It’s a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). You apply the sensor to the back of the upper arm. Load the FreeStyle app on your mobile phone. Click where indicated on the app, point the top of the phone over […]
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Contrary to what you may have learned in school, positioning is the most important “P” in marketing. It should not be treated as a subset of promotion. To create a competitive positioning strategy, it must reflect your aspirations for the brand and its relationship to target customers within the context of market competitors. The Brand […]
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This video is a continuation of my discussion with Bill Weintraub, former CMO of Kellogg’s, Tropicana, and Coors, regarding advertising. This is Part 2. It addresses our perceptions of “the current state of advertising” and some of the many factors contributing to it. See it here: “NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF ADVERTISING DOESN’T SELL MUCH OF ANYTHING.” David […]
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Unfortunately, many believe profit is evil. Profit is no more evil than pursuing advanced education or consuming more organic foods. These deal with promoting advancements—the enterprise, careers, and contribution to society, overall health, and well-being. We should and must strive for profit to build and maintain a business. Profit goes beyond rewarding investors. It provides […]
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Let’s reflect upon and talk about the king’s recent misstep. No, I’m not singling out any one monarch of a specific country. Au contraire, I’m referring to the self-proclaimed king of, all things, the hamburger. This article is about Burger King. I come not to condemn nor bury the Burger King. Many are leading this […]
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Conundrum, noun. A confusing and difficult problem or question. The general public tends to give Johnson & Johnson a lot of much-deserved credit—for well over a hundred years’ history of manufacturing superior-performing, totally safe, and (best of all) highly trusted products. And a good many blue-chip companies—including competitors—also give J&J high marks, even kudos, both for persistently […]
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