Category: Marketing
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Tea Bog Beet Knee [The Curse Of Knowledge]
In the process of learning Spanish, I’ve had a lot of thoughts regarding the nature of communication. When we are communicating, we know what we are trying to say and so whatever we say sounds completely unambiguous. The “Made To Stick” authors talk about this concept as “The Curse Of Knowledge” and it’s extremely present…
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Fail Quickly
Yesterday, I talked about the importance of embracing failure. The second aspect of this is the speed of failure. There are many projects for which feedback is very slow and this can cause two problems. First, not being able to see the entire system and how decisions that were made earlier create a failure much…
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Resonance and Distortion
Ever listen to a song that you really like, I mean, REALLY like. The kind of song you just automatically reach for the volume to turn it up when you hear it. It resonates with you and evokes powerful emotions. But what happens when you turn it up past the point your speakers can handle:…
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Standing In Line Behind Yourself
Ever open the fridge, pull out something and wonder if it’s spoiled, decide not to eat it and put it back in the fridge, as though next time you’ll decide differently? One of the books (“Brain Rules” – I’m pretty sure) I read recently discussed being careful how we make our first decisions because we…
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Experiences versus Possessions: Stories Matter
We communicate with stories because they are richer experiences and objects or things. I found this study interesting because it actually helps demonstrate the difference in regard to the impact of buying an experience versus buying an object. When things go wrong, it has a bigger impact, but it also has a bigger impact when…
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Starbucks VIA Missing Out
I’m sure you’ve either heard or seen that Starbucks recently announced their new product, “Starbucks VIA” which is an instant coffee that is supposed to taste just like their brewed coffee. They are charging $3 for a 3-pack, and $10 for a 12 pack. They have almost completely redecorated their store so that it’s impossible…
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Nickel & Dime – How To Destroy Trust
I’ve recently been flying a bit and have been considering the business of nickel and diming that seems so popular with airlines these days. If the long lines for the Southwest are any indication, people are not enjoying being taken for a ride (so to speak). Compare and contrast this with the experience of buying…
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Kings & Marketing To Perceived Desire
Earlier this spring, NBC announced a new show called “Kings”. They advertised it heavily, trying to build momentum for a show about what life might be like if we lived with a modern monarchy. I saw the ads and had little interest in watching (or even DVR’ing the show) and I wasn’t alone. The show…
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Target Your Customer Not The Public
Yesterday, my colleagues and friend sent out a link with the title: highly effective marketing. On top of being one of the best software architects I have ever worked with, my friend is also an avid guitarist and wood worker. I watched the video with zero knowledge of wood working and was shocked by the…
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The Context Matters
A couple of weeks ago, while visiting Colorado, I noticed a number of people advertising their businesses on their cars to varying degrees of success. It made me think that while you do get a lot of people looking at your “ad”, you are also providing a lot of context about your company based on…