Content marketers are usually more concerned with the words they create than the appearance of those words. Content is important. Absolutely. But the way the content is presented matters too. It’s a mistake to ignore the design elements for content entirely — and it’s one a lot of content marketers make. You have to be concerned about how Continue Reading...

Fish, rice, seaweed, vinegar, soy sauce, wasabi. These are the components of edomae-style sushi, the type served at world-famous Sukiyabashi Jiro, the first sushi restaurant in the world to earn three Michelin stars and the subject of the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Sushi isn’t a complex dish. In fact, it’s one of the simplest. There is Continue Reading...

The cowboy’s cigarette droops loosely from his mouth. His hat is white, clean, untouched by dust. He’s the Marlboro Man, an image that’s lasted since iconic advertiser Leo Burnett started the campaign in 1955. Think of the iconic campaigns you’ve seen and how many channels you’ve seen them on. Chick-Fil-A’s Holstein cows. The “PC vs. Mac” Continue Reading...

Priceline was a dotcom darling. It shot to prominence with campaigns featuring athletes and celebrities like William Shatner and Kaley Cuoco. It went public for $16 a share and rocketed to $88 on the first day of trading. Then it died. Priceline sold airline tickets that fell through the cracks, filling in the gaps where the airlines didn’t Continue Reading...

Toyota just passed Volkswagen AG as the best selling carmaker on earth. “Steady” is the best word to describe Toyota. It doesn’t have a reputation for huge leaps in innovation. It usually keeps large cash reserves. It prioritizes personnel and doesn’t pay high dividends. It doesn’t have a reputation for bold, groundbreaking marketing or Continue Reading...

Your business has access to a platform with 500 million daily users. And they’re highly engaged. These users spend an average of 28 minutes on this platform each time they open it. They don’t leave. They look at post after post, often catching up completely with their feed before leaving. That platform is Instagram Stories. And if you’re Continue Reading...

Google is the unrivaled king of search engines. Every smart business optimizes for Google. What about the runner-up? Focusing on the second most popular search engine on the web gives you access to 2.3 billion users, over 3 billion searches per month and almost 80% of all Internet users. What’s number two? YouTube. And, like Google SEO, Continue Reading...

Online privacy is becoming a battleground. Top tech CEOs have been brought before Congress to participate in hearings about user data and privacy. Tracking and targeting capabilities that flew under the radar for years are now being openly debated. Tracking technology has revolved around third-party cookies for years, but times are changing. Continue Reading...

You’ve probably seen this meme. It’s usually a reply to some inauthentic attempt by a company to appear “in touch” or appeal to a group they’re not a part of. Authenticity has been an issue since the very dawn of commercial communication. Some inauthenticity comes from deception or misrepresentation. The famous “4 out of 5 dentists” or “80% Continue Reading...

Social media is essential for your branding, like putting up a sign outside your brick-and-mortar business. The message amplification you get from social media can be rocket fuel for your business. Sponsored posts or earned media — it doesn’t matter. It works either way. Before you jump in, there is one big question you need to answer: Which Continue Reading...