07 2019 January
Why The Myth Of The “Sold Out Show” Is Finally Dying
There was a time when people used to think the waiting list for season tickets to Redskins games took decades to clear. Then the team finally...
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13 2018 December
The 2018 Non-Obvious Book Awards – Top 50 Business Books Of The Year
Every year my team and I read and review hundreds of books in the process of curating ideas to incorporate in our annual list of...
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01 2018 October
How To Separate Meaningful Data From Quantified Bullshit
Last year I got my test results from the 23andMe genetic testing and found it to be fascinatingly useless. The numbers told me I was...
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15 2018 September
Why No Branding May Be The Next Marketing Trend
Last summer comedian and actress Mindy Kaling did a series of ads for McDonald’s with a curious omission – she never mentioned the brand. Instead, they would...
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01 2018 September
Can Kellogg’s Reinvent Froot Loops As A Lifestyle Brand?
I remember last year I was walking past some trendy retail stores in NY and I saw a few handbags with the Pan Am logo....
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12 2018 August
Why Netflix Uses Taste Communities Instead of Demographics
Last week Netflix announced that they would be stopping their long standing policy of asking customers to vote on early pilots for programs to see...
Read Now10 2018 August
Victorinox and How To Use Powerfully Ordinary Videos For Marketing
One piece of advice I am fond of sharing from the stage is about the importance of showing your work – something we are told...
Read Now09 2018 July
Cadbury Is The First Brand To Get Banned From Advertising To Kids
Cadbury is the first symbolic advertiser to have ads banned, but the real target may be sugary processed foods that pretend to be healthy snacks.
Read Now07 2017 September
How Libraries Might Save Humanity’s Soul (Or At Least Preserve It)
We expect libraries to maintain an archive of humanity’s best thinking, but what if a library decided to put so-called “pulp fiction” on the shelves?...
Read Now06 2017 September
Why Leica Thinks Brand Transformation Is Overrated
I once heard a CEO describe the mentality of many new marketing executives as similar to a dog peeing on a fire hydrant: they are...
Read Now28 2017 August
Are Millennials Really Killing Harley Davidson?
Millennials are being blamed for the recent woes of casual dining restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings and Applebees and even more established brands like Harley Davidson –...
Read Now10 2017 August
IKEA Creates 72 Regional Versions Of Its Iconic Catalog … Here’s Why
This week IKEA will release its new 2018 catalog, and this timely piece looks at how a small internal army of hundreds of photographers, art...
Read Now01 2017 August
Food Transparency and When Storytelling Can Backfire
Storytelling can shape consumer perception, but it may also have an underappreciated downside. When journalist Amy Wu was invited by Iowa Select Farms to tour...
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