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Jumping from a GOOD Idea to a BETTER Idea

Barbers Jump From A Good Idea To A Better Idea Luigi and Francisco were entrepreneurs living in a small village in Europe during the Middle Ages. One day in the spring of 1163 AD, they were sitting in the castle courtyard trying to come up with a small business idea. …

How Halloween Became a Marketing Monster

Ok marketers, try this little one-question survey on your friends and their children: What kind of person traveled from town-to-town, usually riding in railroad box cars, working for short periods of time, but always moving on, because he loves adventure and the journey? (Correct Answer: “A hobo.”) For bonus points, …

Get Past Your Middle with a Marketing Mindset

With the notable exception of Double Stuf Oreos, the middle is the worst part of most things. Consider the middle of your body — your waist — which acts like a billboard advertising “This person has not done a sit-up since high school.” How about the middle seat on an …

Perception of Your Brand Changes as Your Story Unfolds

They say a story has no real beginning or end — only points at which you start and stop watching. If you began watching on March 30, 1981 at 3:34 pm, you’d see President Ronald Reagan being wheeled into an operating room at George Washington University Hospital. The 40th president …

Create a Niche to Get Rich, Happy — or Both

I drank my first six cans of Red Bull over the course of one very long night in Las Vegas in 2001. The Red Bull slogan was “It gives you wings.” In retrospect, “It gives you horns” might be more apropos. Prior to trying Red Bull, I had never heard …

Two Must-Read Marketing Books

George Farris, CEO and Senior Brand Coach of Farris Marketing, reads at least one marketing or business book a week. He’ll be the first to tell you there are a lot of duds out there, and a lot of books that have very little useful or practical advice or insights …

Marketing and The One-Man Band

It’s 8:30 p.m. and many of the tourists in this southwest Florida resort town are just starting their evening. But Andres Colin, singer, songwriter and one-man band, is already two and a half hours into his gig on the open-air patio of The Hub Baja Grille. Even though the sun …

Big and Little Lies in Life and Advertising

I’m a Liar That’s right. I admit it. I lie all the time. I lie so much, they wrote “Liar, liar, pants on fire” about me. As a matter of fact, my pants are smoking right now — and it’s not because I had chili for lunch. Well, maybe the …