In a climate of instant access, it’s getting harder to determine where and what should get our attention. With more responsibilities in our lives, we all feel an ever-increasing pressure to do more. We feel the stress of garnering new clients and full-scale customers as quickly as possible. With the constant pull of yet another...
Brands obsess about attention, and for good reason. A fractured media landscape makes it harder to get noticed, especially with attention spans getting shorter. Yet too many ads are trying too hard, and nothing pushes someone away more than desperation. Why are we still subjected to digital ad units that pop up and make it...
As many of you are aware, I bought the advertising agency I had been President of for ten years in 2014 and changed the name to 78Madison. Early on, while there were changes to how we conducted business philosophically, there was not a major shift in approach for our staff or clients. But now, eight...
Strange question when it comes to the subject of marketing and creativity. But in short, the answer is yes! Unfortunately, most advertising agencies are not willing to endure the pain that it takes to end up in the right place on behalf of their clients. So, what is good pain? Good pain is not accepting...
Was chatting with a friend of mine recently who was telling me how hard he was working to improve on his weaknesses. He said the task was difficult, but hopefully rewarding. I asked him why he was wasting time on weaknesses versus accentuating his strengths. He looked at me dumbfounded. Listen, like many, I worked...
An old advertising cohort and I used to go to lunch at Steak and Shake every Friday—back in the late 1980’s (ok, so I’m old) when in my humble opinion the franchise was under-managed, and the buildings were stuck in the 1950s. I remember thinking dozens of times; this is such a great product. What...
Recently we’ve been asked what Brand immersion is. In a sentence, Brand Immersion is the act of integrating your brand into your customer’s lifestyle – sort of what we are doing here with blogs. Over the past few years, it has become evident that consumers show preference for brands that engage them on an emotional...
Have you ever been asked “what do you do here? It’s an intriguing question, isn’t it? This is actually a line taken from a movie that I once saw while traveling across the country called “Office Space”. It’s actually not a bad movie; if you have some idle time, it is worth watching – in...
I recently had lunch with my roommate from Florida State University – we attended in the mid-70’s – and it was good to reminisce about all that has happened in our careers and life. The business world has certainly changed since I embarked on an Advertising Agency career on Madison Avenue in New York City,...
The pandemic has been a wake-up call, wouldn’t you agree? While businesses have always been aware of the “unexpected” and the “unlikely”, today those terms should be part of your plan and forecast. For many businesses, it has been a season of pain, increased costs, and too many issues unresolved. For a few lucky others,...