The Tribal Marketplace

Ever wondered why some brands seem to have a frustratingly loyal following even when other products with better features at lower prices are available? In today’s marketplace there is a new influencing factor on purchasing decisions. These days features, price and even quality may not be the final determining factor in a buying decision. Often it […]

Customer Bait Balls

Watching the ballet of the bait balls I can’t help but think of the parallels to marketing. No, I don’t mean viewing customers as prey! There’s something else. Hundreds of fish swirl in a cluster shifting directions, turning on a dime, joining with other groups and splitting into small groups again and are a perfect metaphor […]

Have you ever taken a moment to appreciate the high art of a well crafted Tweet?

Twitter Haiku

Have you ever taken a moment to appreciate the high art of a well crafted Tweet? Twitter? High art?  Yes, well designed tweets are elegant little poems that also are both beautiful and functional. Modern Day Haiku There is an art and science to crafting an effective tweet. There is a certain joy that comes from […]

Coffee Cup Fail

With every sip of my coffee this morning all I could think was “fail”.  See that nifty looking round handle? It failed on function. The placement and shape of the handle combined with the weight of the cup required me to stabilize the cup by pressing two fingers against the hot ceramic, or lift the […]

The Fiscal Importance of Your Brand

Similar to the S&P, there is a ranking system of companies by the valuation of their brands Marty Neumeier explains, “Despite the difficulty in recording brand value on the balance sheet companies are using brand value to obtain financing, price licensing, evaluate mergers & acquisitions, assess damages in litigation and justify the price of their stock.” […]

Why Your Brand Isn’t What You Think It Is

My 7th grade English teacher sent me to the principal’s office for insubordination. I had a different interpretation of the poem we were reading  than she put forth. She told me my interpretation was wrong. I told her it wasn’t, that there is no such thing a “right” interpretation of any work of art or literature. […]

Facebook Likes — It’s Not About The Body Count

Facebook is suppressing the organic reach of business pages more and more. Here’s why that’s a good thing. Many people think success of a Facebook business page is measured in the number of likes. On the surface the number of “Likes” seems like a good measure. It is simple and easy to understand. It appeals to that […]

Accountability

Trying to hold someone else accountable is like trying to eat their lunch for them. No person can hold another accountable. They can impose consequences which is something entirely different from accountability. Accountability is an accounting of the decisions that lead to a certain result and the insight of other options that 20/20 hindsight reveals. That […]