Ever thought about why you dive into a chocolate éclair (or mint chocolate chip ice cream, or a bag of jelly beans…name your guilty pleasure!) I mean, it offers so much, right? Maybe you’re hungry. Maybe you had a bad day. Maybe you’re celebrating a big client win. Maybe you’re having coffee with a friend and want to share a bit of decadence together. Maybe you just think it … [Read more...]
How Brand Benefits Define your Position
Choosing the right lead benefits for your brand messaging dictates which customers you will attract. And a pair of hospital system giants in the San Francisco Bay Area exactly prove this point. Why this is even more amazing: healthcare advertising is the WORST. Most of it talks about the exact same things and offers no real differentiated position for customers. In my advertising days, we used … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Give Your Marketing More Charisma
You know that killer accessory you have? The one you feel in love at first sight with at a random boutique years ago? You wear it with everything to give your outfit a pop. It makes a statement. People take notice. The great thing is, you can add this piece to simple sweater and jeans and like magic, you’ve added some pizazz to your look. Your marketing and messaging needs to be the … [Read more...]
The Myth of Authenticity
Be authentic. Have an authentic brand. I want to be seen as authentic. Everyone’s all about “authenticity” these days. Which really hasn’t changed all that much since I first blogged about this in 2011. And yet, marketers and entrepreneurs are still fretting out about it. It’s time to bust this myth of authentic branding, once and for all. Authentic is not something you can BE. It is a … [Read more...]
Trick or Treat?
Marketing does not have a very good reputation. People often perceive marketers as liars or con artists, saying anything and everything to get you to buy their stuff. When I see others in my chosen profession deceiving the public, my blood pressure goes up. I want to throttle soda companies that try to pretend their products are “healthy” somehow (this includes so-called “water drinks” … [Read more...]
Well, hello there, Rockstar!