GETTING AND STAYING IN THE GAME

During a holiday in Barcelona, we took to the roads and headed into the mountains. My son-in-law drove us in the family Peugeot SUV. As anticipated, we weren’t the only non-USA brand of automobile trafficking the highways, cities, or towns. However, I had not expected to encounter so few American brands. There were Renaults, Citroens, […]

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THE END OF A LOVE AFFAIR

You just slip out the back, Jack Make a new plan, Stan You don’t need to be coy, Roy Just get yourself free Hop on the bus, Gus You don’t need to discuss much Just drop off the key, Lee And get yourself free Paul Simon – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover We’d been […]

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BARRIERS TO INNOVATION TOO

Last week I shared two musings: Get Crazy to Innovate and Barriers to Innovation. My friend, Bill Weintraub, Professor at the University of Colorado, previously Chief Marketing Officer at Kellogg Company, Tropicana, and Coors Brewing Company, shared the most recent article with members of his network. Specifically, he was interested in learning if there were other barriers, other than […]

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BARRIERS TO INNOVATION

Bill Weintraub, Professor at the University of Colorado, previously Chief Marketing Officer at Kellogg Company, Tropicana, and Coors Brewing Company, whom I hold as a and friend and advisor, emailed me regarding the previous issue of Marketing Matters: Get Crazy to Innovate. He asked, “Why do you believe some people are reluctant to innovate or take risks with new […]

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GET CRAZY TO INNOVATE

Many politicians and media pundits are characterizing a current nominee to a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors as “crazy.” Her sin is challenging the conventional wisdom about productivity and how to increase it. I do not weigh in on whether she is correct in her theory or not but bringing into focus […]

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DO THE IMPOSSIBLE FIRST

I’m currently reading THE IMPOSSIBLE FIRST: From Fire to Ice—Crossing Antarctica Alone by Colin O’Brady. I learned about Mr. O’Brady from a podcast in which he appeared and told his story. He is a professional endurance athlete and adventurer. Mr. O’Brady is a four-time world record holder for things I would never consider tackling, such […]

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WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME A PERENNIAL WINNER

It’s in the record books. The Kansas City Chiefs are the LIV Super Bowl champions. They defeated the San Francisco Forty-Niners 31 – 20 in their inimitable come-from-behind way. KC scored 21-points in the final quarter to overcome a 10-point deficit. Kansas City, which had gone 50-years since their last Super Bowl win (IV), erupted […]

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WINNING MAKES A DIFFERENCE ON EVERYTHING

At the time of your reading my musing, the winner of Super Bowl LIV has been decided. The outcome has been determined. There’s first place, and there’s, well, I’ll let you fill in the blank. I refuse to use the word “loser,” because each team is a champion of its conference—one for the National and […]

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DON’T PURSUE EARLY ADOPTERS

It is perplexing that marketers launching new brands select “early adopters” as their target customers. This practice may be traced back to B-School, where we were taught that early adopters and new brands fit hand in glove. The conventional wisdom of eminence-based marketing organizations reinforces this notion. However, I’m not a proponent of pursuing early […]

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BEWARE OF EXPERTS AND BECOMING ONE

I believe I’ve always been somewhat skeptical of “so-called” experts. My placing the words “so-called” in quotes reflects my questioning their status of eminence. Think about it: when experts are called to proffer their conclusions in a court case, those for the prosecution and defense differ widely. In fact, they’re typically 180-degrees apart. It’s rather […]

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