All in Marketing
This month's podcasts draw lessons from popular culture.
In today's episode, I discuss a quote from Thom Yorke of Radiohead about this idea of exposure and vulnerability and the role it plays not only in art (which we tend to accept) but also in business (which we often don't).
If you were to ask me what the most valuable part of my education was from a decade in Management Consulting, I’d tell you it was the ability to craft a story. That is, putting together a slide deck or telling a message that was logical, coherent and that clearly communicated its central message.
As I learned when I left Consulting, that’s not a widely available skill. It’s a bit of a rarity, actually, but it’s critical to the success of any initiative.
How do you choose a headliner?
If James Taylor and Jackson Browne go on tour together (which they’re doing) and it’s billed as a “co-headlined” show, is it really a co-headline?
Or if Sting and Peter Gabriel toured together (which they did), and that was billed a co-headlined show, is that really a co-headline, or is it really tilted towards one of those artists?
This month's podcasts focus on the art of communication - a critical skill no matter what we do for a living.
In today's episode, I discuss how no amount of clever language and word smithing can make up for a poor message or offering. That sometimes, the problem isn't in the message but with us.
Recently, Unilever, the global consumer goods giant, announced that it will be removing the word “normal” from its beauty and personal care products and related advertising.
The idea behind this is to move away from descriptions that might suggest who (the type of person) the product is for, and towards those that describe what the product does. A step towards inclusivity and body positivity.
Those who’ve worked with me for any length of time will inevitably have heard me say some variant of the following words: “If the customer has to work to understand what we’re offering, we’ve already lost.” I try to live by those words.
There’s enough going on with any client or customer that any of us are dealing with. Just like us, they’re constantly bombarded by emails, news, requests for, and demands of, their time - and, oh yes, their actual work.
The recent hype around Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) has been interesting. A piece of ‘art’ by the artist Beeple sold for almost $60 Million. I put the word ‘art’ in quotation marks because it isn’t art in the conventional sense that most of us might think of. It’s digital and anyone can see and download it (there’s nothing physical at play here). But the NFT provides one person with indisputable proof of ownership, and that person estimated the value of that proof at $69.5 Million.
This month's podcasts focus on war stories, recounting situations and experiences that were unique, intriguing and (always) educational.
In today's episode, I talk about going to see Liam Gallagher perform (or not), but more precisely about what we get when we pay for something, and how we need to set our expectations accordingly.
There’s a quote attributed to the Portuguese writer, Saramego, that says, “old age starts where curiosity ends”.
When we’re young, we’re ‘naturally’ curious. We’re willing to try new things, take new paths and push ourselves (often to the point of discomfort). When we’re old, according to conventional wisdom, we seek comfort and contentment. We seek safety, and are willing to trade excitement - indeed, believe we’re required to trade it - in return.
The point of a brand is, in one way or another, to tug on our heartstrings.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a consumer brand, or a B2B brand, the goal is entirely the same: to establish a preference that has, as its basis, criteria well beyond the rational.
"We're a technology company that happens to be in Home Loans."
I heard a CEO say this on TV recently and I have to say, it irked me. Is that what his company did? They delivered ‘technology’? What the hell does that mean? Isn’t tech a means to an end, and not the end in and of itself? Does his company exist to knit together bits and bytes and provide hardware or software?
I’m not a big fan of the TV show, Shark Tank. It has too much of a contrived, over-the-top vibe to it with an extra helping of meanness served up by a couple of the “sharks”. I also don’t like it when entrepreneurs with good ideas give away too much of their company in return for, at least what I perceive as, too little in return. (You can chalk this off as the grumblings of a fellow, aging entrepreneur…)
In 1969, Led Zeppelin released their sophomore album titled Led Zeppelin 2, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. A year later, they followed up that album with Led Zeppelin 3, which diverged from the path that their first two albums took. Where as the first two albums were driving rock albums, this one, while it didn’t lack for driving rock songs, dove pretty heavily into the acoustic realm. The album was panned at first but is now regarded among their best.
This month's podcasts draw lessons from the world around us, specifically the sports and entertainment arenas. I focus on specific games or movies or entertainers and the lessons we can draw from what they've done or experienced or said.
In today's podcast, I dive into a quote from the movie, Ghost In The Shell, which speaks to the importance of letting go of the past - whether we feel as if we've failed in our past endeavors but even if we've succeeded…
We tend to give more thought to the competition than we really should - and I say that with the full (and practical) understanding that our competitors can influence a lot of what goes on in the markets we play in and the customers we serve.
We worry about their pricing and their product features. We worry about their sales activities and their breadth of client access. We worry about their last move, and their next move.
It’s the one question that everyone wants answered.
When are we getting back to normal? When will Business As Usual return? Or, if you're really trying to be thoughtful: When do we get to the New Normal?
Aside from the fact that no one has the answers to those questions, there are two realities that are more relevant, at least to me:
You are not the hero.
That’s right, you’re not. And the sooner you get used to that idea, the better.
You’re not the one who’s going to move the customer’s business across the line. You’re not the one who’s going to help them gain extra market share. And you’re certainly not the one who’s going to achieve their vision for them.
Today’s podcast is about what we do when we’re trying to get ourselves back on our feet, when we’re going through hard times and we need to re-center - as an individual or as a business.
It’s about the value of First Principles and the kinds of things we need to consider, understand and adopt when we're navigating a crisis.
Episode 22 is now available and this episode wraps up our discussion about Marketing and Sales - specifically, how we casually use terms such as "marketing bullshit" and why that points to a deeper, underlying problem within the company.
Episode 21 of the podcast is out now and continues this month’s focus on Sales and Marketing.
Today, we discuss the need to engage and entertain your customers, who have a plethora of options and access, and are forcing marketers to rethink how they attract customers.
