Listen In
Listening to podcasts is one of the best ways to keep up with the fast pace of marketing, branding, and culture. They’re like a protein shake for the brain – building new muscles when the workout is washing the dishes or walking the dog. Here’s where I go to get my podcast fix
The Think Equation
The greatest value I believe I bring to my work as a marketer and strategist…. is probably how I think. But thinking is what I often feel I have the least time to do.
First the Worst, Second the Best
One of my favorite campaigns is Avis’s iconic ‘We Try Harder’.
What I love about it is not just how counterintuitive it is to acknowledge a supposed disadvantage. But it’s the brilliant reframing of this disadvantage as a point of strength and differentiation – that is the mark of genius insight.
H/T to Marketers
Marketers wear many hats. At times, it can feel overwhelming. What skills do you believe are essential for a marketer today? Here’s my (partial) roundup.
A Strategy Love Song
To be a great brand strategist, you have to fall in love with the brand you’re working with. How? Here’s an exercise: write the brand a love song. Try it. See what benefits bubble up. Here’s one I wrote.
Charge your Creativity
We left New York City over the summer.
As a creative strategist, I am deeply impacted by the aesthetics around me. And New York City is chock-full of creative inputs. You catch my I <3 NY drift. In NYC, my creative energy was always skyscraper high. We lived 4 inspired years in the city. And then the pandemic hit.
Tool Time
I’m on the hunt for new tools. This is not a drill. (ba, dum, tss)
Here are 16 tools every marketer should have in their toolbox (in no particular order)
Hole in Won
“Let’s build a custom-designed mini-golf course.” This was the idea I pitched to my creative team. All the other brand activations on the table were as exciting as a cold bowl of mashed potatoes.
One problem: my boss wasn’t buying it. It took me 3 hours to convince him that my idea deserved a shot.
Word
Just as he launches his fist through the air towards the arm of his twin brother, I swoop in like Batman with only seconds to spare and manage to save the day with a simple phrase that has the power of a vibranium shield: “Use. Your. Words!”
Laugh through it
Why did the brand strategist cross the road? To reposition! I’ve led a few creative teams over the years, and I’ve noticed a pattern that has produced