Fearless Starts Today
There is no easier day to do something brave with your brand than today. It gets harder tomorrow, and even harder next year. If you just moved jobs, it’s easier now. If you’re in last place, it’s easier now. If you’re young, there is no greater opportunity to bet big on a breakthrough idea than […]
10 reasons a numbered list is a cop-out in thought leadership
Thought Leadership is a declining art, slowly losing the battle against casual blogging and internet minimalism. Desperate for likes and retweets and a higher Klout score, mediocre writers artificially wave shiny objects above the fold, rather than meaningfully advance the intellect of our industry. Until a couple of years ago, our best minds seemed capable […]
Sustaining The Challenge
To be a Challenger Brand takes fearlessness – the audacity to dream, the confidence to begin and the dedication to continue. Throwing down the gauntlet, however, is not where the battle ends. At least as important is the sustained effort that follows, gradually chipping away at the dominance of the market leader, defining a space […]
The Challenger Mindset
For Challenger Brands, the way they behave internally can be as important to their success as the steps they take with their external-facing efforts. In the classic David and Goliath story, our hero’s prowess with a slingshot was crucial to his success. But more important was a realistic appraisal of the situation he faced, fearless […]
The Challenger Begins
Just as genetic mutation is the driver of evolution, so do Challenger Brands create the consumer demand that drives our markets. Without Challenger Brands, categories stagnate. Market leaders stick with what got them there, and shy away from change or innovation. Consumers suffer. Where would the auto industry be without Challenger Brands sparking consumer desire? […]
The Challenger Stance
It’s a tale as old as time. David & Goliath. St. George & The Dragon. Smokey & The Bandit. The Challenger Brand & The Market Leader. To succeed as a Challenger Brand means having to do more with less. You need to be smarter, more creative, more agile and more ambitious. For an agency as […]
Making Sense of Analytics
Ever tried to build a jigsaw puzzle without knowing what the picture is? It’s even harder than you think. There are so many pieces to choose from, it is difficult and overwhelming. Most attempts to start will prove to be wrong, sending you down the wrong path, and forcing you to start over. You get […]
Social Media: Not so frivolous after all
The phone rang at 4:30 am Saturday. It was a close friend in Seattle who had seen news reports of an earthquake in Chile on Yahoo News. She knew our daughter, Sarah, was studying in Santiago. My wife screamed at me, “Big earthquake in Chile and Sarah’s on a bus right near the epicentre!” We […]
Fear of Everything
When Erica Jong wrote her best-selling novel, Fear of Flying over 30 years ago who would have thought we were about to become the Fear of Everything generation. In a more resilient time, there were real fears like the 1930s economic depression that put 34 million people out of work around the world. Or the […]
