In the late ’90s, I read “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding” by the daughter-father duo, Laura Ries and Al Ries. It was the first and most formative book I read on branding. Soon after, my title changed to Brand Manager — a…
Storytelling begins way before cameras start rolling
I’ve seen too many storytelling and production teams arrive on set with a list of questions developed back at the office with little to no engagement with subjects, conversations with those who know and/or work with the subjects, or advance…
What Harvard taught me about the importance of sherpas
“Who are our sherpas?” This question is the one that sticks with me even six years later, and probably will for eternity. In 2019, I had the opportunity to go through the same weeklong Harvard Graduate School of Education summer…
Lead or follow — you can’t do both
While being recruited to a company years ago, a leader there said, “We want to be pioneers and innovators.” A couple months into the job, that same leader responded to my strategic recommendations with, “Show me 5-7 other companies in…
The pandemic reinforced which content — Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned (PESO) — you should be prioritizing. Are you?
Source: Spin Sucks The pandemic created many challenges for some brands and content creators that rely solely or mostly on third parties for their storytelling and production work. This, despite the absolute necessity for organizations to invest in strong owned…
The important crisis management lessons I learned from waiting tables
I think everyone should spend time waiting tables. And not at one of those restaurants where the waiters and waitresses show up and ask, “Do you know what you want to drink?” and “Are you ready to order?” And not…
Bigger titles doesn’t mean bigger or better ideas
I will never forget when everything changed for our team. When I first started building our multimedia marketing and storytelling team, and we were planning our annual alumni leadership conferences, I came up with the themes and ideas for how…
Want to create a culture that embraces creative feedback? Start with shared agreements.
Houston branding expert Robin Tooms recently shared this Fast Company article on LinkedIn and I found it rich with great advice on how to better deliver and accept feedback on creative work. The article is great for teams looking to hone…
Hate groups co-opted Finland’s brand identity – here’s how the country can reclaim it
Somehow I missed this 2014 Fast Company article about how Finland’s most well known icon, a crowned lion brandishing a sword, was co-opted by an extreme right-wing white nationalist group, despite me being both a Fast Company subscriber, and a…
Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing – how balanced is your marketing mix?
“We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in & be what people are interested in.” – Craig Davis, chief creative officer, J. Walter Thompson Worldwide Marketing history is paved with one-way interruptive experiences – also known as outbound marketing:…