Category Archives: Unconventional Marketing

On Being Patronizing

I rented and watched the movie The Soloist the other day. I want to buy it now. My wife asked me if I really thought we would watch the film enough to justify buying it. I don’t. I just want to support a good film and have it as a reminder of its message. This

A Way-Worthy Tribe

johnmoore of Brand Autopsy often cites whether a book is a Way-Worthy read or not. Seth Godin suggests good bloggers create tribes. I think that is why I haven’t been satisfied with this blog the last 2-3 years.  It has not consistently been a way-worthy read and has not created a tribe. Realizing this, I

Good In A Room

Sometimes it’s harder to blog once a week than everyday. So, I’m going to start blogging as much as possible to get out of the funk I’ve been in. Should make things a bit more organic and not so planned. Just read a Tom Peters “Cool Friends” interview from a few weeks ago with Stephanie

SnapThought 5/15/08

Just a couple of quickies today (gotta work hard to impress the new boss). I had some Internet issues this week.  This page came up as I tried to access Yahoo! Based on a search by Yahoo!, it no longer exists??  For a minute, I wondered if Microsoft had bought them out. About a 1/2

’07: Out with a Bang!

You probably noticed I’m trying out a new WordPress template.  Please be patient as I work out the bugs. Wrapping up the year, Here are some great reads from other blogs: Being Peter Kim: Wunderman on direct marketing. Or was it social media? A Nostradamesque marketing prediction from 40 years ago. As they say, a

A Free Exchange of Ideas

I know two people who can’t share ideas with each other. They don’t trust one another, so every comment is met with skepticism, which breeds indignation and ultimately… anger. I know others who have been trained, like one of Pavlov’s dogs, to not speak up when they disagree with an idea. It’s too risky because

Hollerin’

Here are a few tidbits from my presentation yesterday. I spent most of my blog time (and more) preparing to speak at Entrepreneur’s Day, so this might be my only post this week. The Marketing Proverb If this is a marketing proverb, what is the moral? or, some ad agencies prefer to …simply entertain. Do

In Sheep’s Clothing

We’re on the lookout for wolves. You know… back-stabbers, saboteurs, spies and just plain evil-doers. We suspect they’re among us. The wolf in sheep’s clothing. But there’s something much more dangerous in our midst, also masquerading as sheep. This “silent killer” of companies is much harder to find than the wolf. He wears the disguise

Neck-Worthy Ideas

In this land of opportunity, how do you decide which ideas are the best to pursue?  Most good ideas require hard work and/or significant money in order to execute with excellence.  This means someone has to stick their neck out (that’s you or me). When your neck is on the line, risk assessment becomes a

The Old Old is the New New

I’ve grown quite fond of my old-style hats. I have a fedora and a willis hat. When I wear theses hats I get comments from people (and sometimes stares). Yet, these were the hats everyone used to wear. Now, it seems like a very new thing to do. Of course trends come and go and

Making Your Own Measuring Stick

Earlier this week I mentioned this was possibly Seth’s most important post. Why do I say that?  Because as a society, we allow others to define success.  So we end up striving hard and sacrificing much in order to acheive someone else’s definition of success.  Living for too little a goal. My take on life

A Defining Success

Seth has written what I think is his most important post ever. How do we define success? Usually by others’ expectations. More to come on Friday. (More from me at least. My expectations don’t set Seth’s schedule.)

Here It Goes Again…

Nearly 2.5 million views in two weeks. I can’t stop playing this video. I think the beauty of it is how a big, polished production doesn’t get in the way of the even bigger idea. The music’s pretty good too. Send a link to your friends. Bloglines viewers click here: Hat tip: Bill Kinnon

Bloggers Who Have Influenced Me – Seth Godin

Illustration based on this Flickr photo by Mark Hurst. Without a doubt, no other blogger has influenced my perceptions of marketing more than Seth Godin. Before I started reading Seth’s blog and books, I had a pretty narrow perception of marketing. I also had a narrow perception of career and business success. Here’s what I’ve

Watercoolers Dampen Postcards (Monday Bonus)

Flickr photo by feefee. I advised a political candidate recently to follow up with a blogger who had contacted him. “The blog probably doesn’t reach as many people as TV, radio, or direct mail.” I acknowledged. Then I explained, “But the people who read it are influencers. By engaging them with your message, you can