What do Fleetwood Mac’s song Dreams, whipped coffee, sea shanty singalongs, and a feta-cheese pasta recipe have in common? They were all discovered (or rediscovered) by millions in the last few months—all thanks to TikTok, the […]
Joe Smith’s Brands to Watch 2021
After the year that was, we found ourselves among the many prognosticators who had to throw most of our 2020 predictions out the window. Crises emerged, discussions evolved, and markets shifted. While […]
5 Ways of Designing Better Customer Experiences
We all engage with brands in search of value. But for any brand, pinpointing and delivering on the value customers seek, and doing it consistently, can be daunting – customer needs […]
Managing Through the COVID-19 Disruption
COVID-19 is a social, cultural and business disruption that our generation has never faced. As humans, community members, citizens, and business leaders, we are re-orientating our lives, reshaping our businesses, and remaking our society at a […]
Focus Your Post-Pandemic Evolution with Familiar Strategy Tools
I’m at my kitchen table working on my laptop. I spend so much time on it now, my phone is getting jealous. My dog is barking, my son joined his […]
Bye-bye brand police: Governing brand in a decentralized workforce
The jobs of brand and creative professionals, regardless of company size, are growing in complexity. More than just developing and deploying a brand that can rise above competitive noise, they […]
4 Questions to Better Brand Storytelling
Over the past decade or so, we marketers have taken to calling ourselves “storytellers” and our work “storytelling.” We insist that, to survive in a competitive market, your brand must […]
From Divisiveness Comes Togetherness
Remember what it was like to read the day’s headlines without experiencing a surge of shock, shame or rage? Me neither. It must have been so … inspiring. That sense […]
What Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade” Can Teach Social Media Marketers About Gen Z
Bo Burnham’s new movie, Eighth Grade, opens with protagonist Kayla recording a painfully awkward YouTube video on how to be yourself. As the film continues, Kayla uploads videos to her […]
Three Things That Matter for Brand Marketers in 2018
As we head into the new year, many are using this moment to tout trends, tools, channels, tactics and predictions for engaging with consumers and driving growth. While important, the […]