I’m pleased to say that the signs of Spring are cropping up here in Toronto! The snow has melted, the geese have returned and crocuses are coming up in public parks. Another not-so-obvious sign is the shift in marketing messages appearing in my mail. The tropical getaway offers are being replaced with home improvement . . . → Read More: Timing, Timing, Timing

One of the reasons that Facebook is so popular is that we’re incessantly curious about what other people are up to. You might even call us nosey, but in a polite and discreet way. We want to know what our friends like (winning with Tim Horton’s Rrrrolll Up The Rim campaign) and don’t like . . . → Read More: Generating Word of Mouth Marketing

This month’s news coverage of the devastation in Japan has been both captivating and horrifying to watch. When the story broke, there was limited video and photos available – mostly 1,000’ aerial shots of the ocean sweeping over fields and carrying away houses. Cars looked like ants, and homes looked like little Monopoly pieces. . . . → Read More: A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Last week I missed my semi-annual dentist appointment. Now, I knew that the appointment was coming up, it had been in my calendar since my last appointment in the Fall, and it wasn’t that I deliberately avoided it because I was afraid of the dentist (actually my dentist is great and I always look . . . → Read More: Time Management and Deadlines

One of the most common tricks of writing a great sales letter is to start off with a question for the reader.

For example, if you’re selling advertising services, you may start off with “How much more profit could your business enjoy if you could reach 100,000 qualified buyers with your next mail . . . → Read More: Why Do We Start Sales Letters With Questions?

‘Tis that time of year again. I just received my 2010 tax package in the mail from Revenue Canada. Now, aside from the fact that I really don’t like spending my evening hunkered down with piles of receipts, a pencil, and calculator, I encounter a problem every year finding where I can pick . . . → Read More: The Tax Man Cometh

This weekend I started reading Seth Godin’s book “Linchpin” and I came across an interesting section on Metcalfe’s Law.

If you’re not familiar with the gentleman, Bob Metcalfe is an electrical engineer who co-invented the Ethernet and founded 3Com. Although it’s hard to imagine now, before the Internet was developed it was virtually . . . → Read More: Metcalfe’s Law

Monday morning I arrived at work with my coffee in hand and sat down to check my email. Lo and behold, an associate in the advertising world had sent me an email late Friday evening to say “Hey, I have an extra ticket for the Art of Marketing event in Toronto on Monday . . . → Read More: An Extra Ticket

Earlier this week, we were talking about this great article recently in Inc Magazine and about brand innovation. Oprah Winfrey was mentioned as one of the best brand successes of our lifetime.

Prior to Oprah Winfrey (and Martha Stewart, to be fair), the concept that a person could become a brand was limited to . . . → Read More: Brand Innovation – Part 2

There was a great article recently in Inc Magazine from Nancy Koehn about brand innovation. Not surprisingly, Apple and Oprah were named high on the list as the most innovative brands of our time, and I can’t really disagree with that.

Apple turned branding on its head back in the 80’s as the first . . . → Read More: Brand Innovation – Part 1