Category Archives: Strategy
Why Louis C.K. Is One of My Favorite Marketers
As I sit here tapping out this post, it’s a commercial break during Saturday Night Live. I’m watching this because tonight’s host Louis C.K. emailed me earlier asking me to do so. OK. So it wasn’t just me. It was … 
The Mutant Startup
We talk a lot about ‘start-ups’ but what about legacy businesses that have rich history, people, and systems but need to strike out in a new direction? This is very similar and yet very different to start-up culture. In today’s …
SXSW Expert Advice: The One Thing You Need to Remember
Each year, SXSW Interactive draws nearly 20,000 attendees from as many as 63 countries throughout the world to Austin to consume over 900 conference sessions. Given these mind-blowing statistics, it’s no surprise that SXSW is a major event in the …
How to Build a Brand Blueprint
If you think about it, we’re all in the business of building brands. Whether you’re a scrappy start-up, a non-profit, or a massive corporation. Whether you’re a PR firm, an ad agency, or a digital boutique, the desired result is …
MLK, The Gap, & the Downside of Social Media
If there’s a downside to the rise of social media it’s our increased ability to ‘pile on’ creative work. We all talk about the increase in connections and conversations but we forget to caution against the risk of increased negativity …
8 Innovation Lessons from Walt Disney
Vacations allow you to recharge your batteries — both personally and professionally. On a vacation to Disney World it’s hard not to be struck by the vision and innovation of the park’s founder. If Walt Disney were alive today he’d …
BrandDecision 2012: Lessons from the Obama Re-Election Launch
To be clear, this is not a political blog. This is a brand-driven blog. Political campaigns in America have been brand-driven since the days when advertising pioneer Albert Lasker advised Warren G. Harding to the modern era where Donny Deutsch …
Interview – Target Remodels the Customer Experience
Kurt Griebel is the team leader at the Target store in Coralville, Iowa. His store has just had its grand reopening after a massive refit and renovation that will bring Coralville’s Target in line with the Minneapolis-based corporation’s latest vision …
Tips for Developing a Brand Name
Recently our firm has been charged with naming several products, services, and companies for our clients. This has given us the opportunity to standardize and streamline the frameworks and tools that we use when creating a brand name. As this …
Interview – Setting the Brand Standard for HTML5
Last week the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) rolled out a new logo, identity system, and website for HTML5, the next major revision of the HTML standard. Here’s an interview I did with Michael Nieling and Jeff Hamlett of Ocupop, …
