We spend our money on the people and the things that we love the most. Or said another way, our passions power our purchases. Basic needs must first be met. Food, shelter, clothing. But once met, dollars get directed towards purchases that bring us the greatest joy or emotional gratification.
Recognize that passion unchanneled drives [...]
1. A brand is a reputation, a defined set of expectations.
McDonald’s hamburgers aren’t the best hamburgers in the world. But when I order a Big Mac, I know exactly what I am getting. That experience, driven first by product and then by marketing imagery, establishes the brand reputation.
2. Sustainable brands are built upon a set [...]
The visceral thrill of the blue light going off at K-Mart illuminating the store with the message “hot deal here” was one of my first lessons learned in marketing. The second was a bit less intentional. While walking through a Piggly Wiggly with my mom, I mistakenly knocked a jar down from a shelf, which [...]
One of my favorite visual metaphors served up in the public consciousness is the notion of Americans as “1,000 points of light.” I love the notion that each of us are powerful stars independent yet interconnected. Together we have the ability to illuminate a night sky. Independent we have the ability to impact the lives [...]
The 5C’s of marketing are relatively self-explanatory: Curiosity, Connection, Confidence, Conversation and Community. While the process is non-linear, certainly the foundation of the process is the twin pillars of Curiosity and Confidence. And it would be easy to stop there and simply say an interested, trusting customer is one who will stay in the fold.
Which [...]
One of the many reasons I have loved working in marketing is that doing it well requires successful relationship-building skills. On one of my many job interviews I was asked to “prove that you are as good of a marketer as you claim.” My pithy response was “I’ve been married 18 years.” Some people have [...]
Imagine yourself single, independent, casually hanging out at a club. Into the room strides a person you find attractive. Is the person single? Unattached? Approachable? Interested in meeting someone new? Right now? What might the person find interesting? Memorable? Likable?
Interest arouses your curiosity, and that curiosity drives your thought process. The single most critical task [...]
January 19, 2009 – 4:30 pm
Jeff Fisher, the coach of the Tennessee Titans, and I are contemporaries. We are nearly the same age. We are both members of the all-powerful and attractive club. We even share a similar passion: Tennessee Titan football. Which is why both Jeff and I spent the past several weeks considering fate, mortality and the importance [...]
January 6, 2009 – 2:21 pm
The 2 a.m. internal alarm clock jangled for me again last night. I could suggest that it’s become an old friend, but, in truth, friends don’t bang on my door at 2 a.m. unannounced, requiring immediate attention.
It’s the unresolved issue of the day that deprives me of sleep: “What will work to grow our client’s [...]
