Whether assembling in-house teams or hiring outside vendors, smart companies are pulling back from ego-driven Influencers in favor of true content from independent content creators. This tactic often is not only less expensive, but — posting authentic content on your own website can create better outcomes. Step back. When conventional…

A friend once told me that my book Primal Branding was successful despite the first black and white cover. On the other hand, I knew of people who bought the book specifically because of its impactful cover. “Primal Branding”’s original scary book cover, first published in 2006, has always been…

We are born into story. From the moment we dive headfirst into the world we are anointed with a name, then told that we are a son, daughter, sister, cousin, grandchild, here’s your bed, here’s your room, this your house. …

The enthusiasm around web3 is not misplaced. Daily life on the Internet these days has become a wind tunnel test on our collective soul. The convoluted mix of surveillance capitalism, weaponized identity theft and echo chamber of the vanities makes us feel overdue for some stretch goals and new territory. …

I once sat in an auditorium with a group of marketers to listen to Jack Trout and Al Ries talk about their new book, “Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind.” They handed out a narrow orange (orange!) pamphlet that highlighted their ideas — I still have it somewhere. In the…

I once sat in an auditorium with a group of marketers to hear Jack Trout and Al Ries talk about their new book, “Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind.” They handed out a narrow orange (orange!) pamphlet that highlighted their ideas — I still have it somewhere. In the 1970s…

Tchaikovsky. Chekhov. Dostoevsky. Rudolph Nureyev. These have been the cultural faces of Russia for decades. But since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the soft culture of Russia has been recast by the hard face of Putin. “If Russia is considered a brand or trademark, then Putin has done…

Several years ago we were in Paris somewhere where near the department stores, holding hands and angling off into neighborhoods unknown when we came upon a small square that dated back to before the Napoleons. The surrounding streets flowed decisively toward the square, recognizing that the town square was a…