Your Super Bowl LX Cheat Sheet

The Big Game is Sunday. Super Bowl LX is serving up a quarterback showdown that feels like a Hollywood script: New England Patriots’ Drake Maye led the league in completion percentage and passer rating in just his second season. Seattle Seahawk’s Sam Darnold completed his second 14-3 season in a row, establishing himself as a bonafide starter and removing the ‘bust’ label from his name after six underwhelming seasons with four other NFL teams. That’s…

One thing AI can’t fix in your marketing

Investment doesn’t guarantee impact. If your new messaging, fresh creative, and shiny new website are not producing results, it may be because your brand just doesn’t sound like itself. I see this all the time. Smart organizations with solid strategies end up with creative that feels professional and polished – and could belong to almost anyone in their category. That’s why I like to play what I call the logo game. If you swapped your logo…

Your Year-end Marketing Checklist

This time of year always pulls me into reflection mode – what worked in 2025, what didn’t, and what surprised me. It’s a reminder of how grounding intentional planning can be, and how a little reflection now can help set the direction for the new year. Here’s a checklist for your 2026 marketing strategy. #1: PEOPLE. Your customers and your employees remain the heart of your marketing success. Know your customer. Understanding your customers’ wants,…

AI + Marketing: A Practical Guide

As a marketing strategy consultant, I get a front-row seat to the same struggle across companies – from scrappy startups to nonprofit organizations to legacy brands: Smart people buried in tactical work. I’ve been in plenty of strategy sessions where leadership teams dream big – market expansion, deeper personalization, faster content cycles. But those ambitions often peter out, because teams are too busy cranking out blog posts, updating decks, and pulling reports. That’s where AI…

Blue jeans, a mirror, and branding in 2025

After some serious people-watching in NYC, I found myself staring at my soft, worn, and slightly misshapen jeans—tight in some places, loose in others—and asking myself, “Are these out of style?” I’d worn them countless times without a second thought, but standing in front of the mirror, I finally realized they were outdated. The answer was clear: Yes. I hadn’t bothered to reassess how they fit or if they still worked. They had become a…

Marketing Lessons from Leah, a 2-year old!

Leah, my fearless little sidekick who is two, slept over Saturday night. She may be small, but she delivered big lessons. Who knew a toddler’s antics could serve as a crash course in marketing? Leah’s Lesson #1: Repetition + Consistency = Results  Leah doesn’t just tell her dog Sunny Bunny to “sit” once. She repeats it — with purpose, with persistence — until it sticks. That’s how behavior changes. Same goes for marketing. Effective calls-to-action…

Your Super Bowl Ad Cheat Sheet

The Big Game is almost here! Super Bowl LIX sets the stage for a star-studded rematch – with history on the line. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are headed to the big game again and are aiming to become the first team to capture three straight Super Bowl titles. Off the field, there will be plenty of entertaining plays for the 113 million viewers. With a price tag of $7M for a…

The golden brand. What the Olympics got right.

The 2024 Olympics won gold. Viewership numbers for TV and digital broke records. 30 million people tuned into NBC Universal’s platforms each day, which is a 74% increase over the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Marketers can learn a lot from the Olympics’ success. Lesson #1: Create a community. The Olympics bring people together. People feel a sense of social connectedness through a common goal. Being part of a community can make us feel as though we…

How to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency

Just last week a client asked if his manufacturing company engaged the right digital marketing agency. It’s a question I’m often asked. Your business has different goals, strengths, customers, and resources than every other company, even ones in your industry. Hiring the same agency your board member or friend did could be a mistake as your business’ needs are likely different. Digital marketing agencies offer a menu of services including digital advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, social…

Your 2024 Super Bowl Ad Cheat Sheet

This Sunday in Las Vegas, the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58. Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes returns for his fourth Super Bowl in five years. Nap before the game. You won’t want to miss a second. On the field, the battle between the Chiefs and the 49ers is predicted to be a fight until the end. Off the field, there may even more drama as celebrities descend Las Vegas. Will Taylor…

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