Did the headline get your attention? I hope so, because that was the goal. When Italian fashion company Benetton showed a picture of President Obama laying one on Hugo Chavez, it got people’s attention.
My question to you is: Are you getting the attention you want, or is your approach just like the others?
Benetton didn't shy away from controversy with its "Unhate" campaign.
I read that, as consumers, we are exposed to anywhere from 1,500-3,000 media impressions a day. If that’s true, how important is it to break through clutter so you are not wasting time and money? Yes, this applies to advertising. But, breaking through also applies to your e-mail subject lines, a tweet, something you say in a meeting, or a slide in your presentation. The question you need to ask is, “What kind of IMPACT do I want to make?” (more…)
Here’s a challenge for you: Use your marketing skills to go to market with a sandwich made of meat products such as tripe, heart and stomach. These ingredients will be blended with salt and water to extract salt-soluble proteins, which act as a “glue” that helps bind the reshaped meat together into a meat log.
Yes, a meat log.
Based on what I’ve shared, do you feel good about your chances for marketing success? The definition alone might make some people queasy, yet millions of people salivate at the site of this very sandwich plastered on a billboard. It’s the McRib. (more…)
These birds can teach us all something about hard work.
Has the economy been tough on your business and income? Do you feel like you are working more hours for less money? Well, you are not alone. Never fear; I may have just the thing to pick you up. If you are like me, I start looking for inspiration to push me forward when things get tough. Here is a dose from the Show-Me State.
The St. Louis Cardinals had a wild and improbable season in which they ended up WINNING the 2011 World Series. Consider the rough road they had to travel: (more…)
When I was growing up, I attended Catholic schools. As you might imagine, I had my fair share of guilt, and many times found myself on the wrong end of a wooden paddle. But I digress. During my tenure at Catholic school, Sister Audry taught me a simple poem that I keep with me to this day: “I used to sing the blues, ‘cause I had no shoes, until I met the man on the street, who didn’t have any feet.” Have you ever caught yourself complaining about something to later realize that it could be worse? Take a minute to think about something bad that has happened to you and apply the logic of Sister Audry. It works pretty much every time. (more…)
Are you feeling dumb over a mistake you recently made? I know what that’s like, but not to the degree Reed Hastings, the current CEO of Netflix, does. WOW, what a mess!
The changes to these red envelopes had a lot of people seeing red.
Netflix started in 1999 and, in many ways, pioneered the modern method for renting movies. Much as Napster did with music, these guys started to disrupt an entire distribution system where the traditional path was to go to your local Blockbuster and pick out a few flicks for the weekend. (That is a whole other story that you can read about here.) By 2011, Netflix grew to 23.6 million subscribers and had a lot of those raving fans I keep talking about. If they had such a large, loyal following why did a million customers cancel their accounts? (more…)
