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Do Celebrity Endorsements Really Work?

If you watch a prime-time broadcast network show or NFL game, it’s almost impossible to avoid seeing multiple Capital One credit card commercials with Samuel Jackson doing his tough-guy act and asking sarcastically, “Now what’s in your wallet?” It seems like it’s on 30 times an hour. Jackson has now …

Risk of Loss = Greater Response

The most important marketing lessons are often taught in everyday life. I learned about the power of risk avoidance from my high school football coach. Halfway through my senior season, our team was undefeated. We were on course for a league championship and state honors. Yet even though we were …

Has the Retail Industry finally died?

It’s not fake news if you see it with your own eyes. And for the last couple years, you’ve seen many store closings in your hometown, local mall and shopping centers. And you’ve seen multiple news reports of major retailers closing doors in record numbers. High profile giants like Macy’s, …

JOE FRESH: the Brand, the Business and the Barber

The local barbershop used to be an oasis for men and boys. There was always a football or baseball game on TV, the bottles of pop in the coke machine were ice cold and you could look through two or three years-worth of Sports Illustrated magazines — including the famous …

Using AI in Your Marketing is Effective — But is it Ethical?

“Should advertising be abolished?” That’s the title of the final chapter of Confessions of an Advertising Man — a book by advertising genius David Ogilvy and published in 1963. At one time, Ogilvy wondered if consumers seeing advertising had almost no other choice but to “obey” and buy the product …

The Forgotten Key to Building Your Brand and Business

Have you ever played “branding baseball?” I sometimes initiate a game with attendees at my branding workshops to warm them up and get them involved. Volunteers get three swings at the correct answer to “What is your brand?” The first inning typically goes something like this… “Our company name is …

Should You Use Humor in Your Advertising?

Stop reading if you know this joke…. A man goes to the doctor with a carrot in his nose, cabbage in his ears and ham over his eyes. “What’s wrong with me doc?” He asks. The doctor replies “Well, it looks like you’re not eating right.” Did you stop reading? …

Innovation Helps Marketers Blast Off with Billions in Sales

What products come to mind when you hear the word “innovation?” Computers? Cell phones? Cars? How about non-dairy milk, fish, and bottled water? Done laughing? Good, because as the following stories illustrate, several stagnate brands in these categories made billions of dollars in new sales and with innovation in their …