Jill Cress has already been honored twice this year for her marketing leadership. Forbes chose her for its "CMO Next 2018" list, a select group of "marketing chiefs who are redefining the role and shaping the future." If that weren't enough, Jill was also named...
I was intrigued by the headline of this Adweek piece a few weeks back, Lessons CPG Brands Can Learn From Startups. Before reading a word, I thought, “is it even possible?” There are lots of smart people at CPG companies but the organizations are hemmed...
Does our storytelling always need to be virtuous? My favorite television shows are populated by despicable characters. Tony Soprano and Walter White robbed and killed. Everyone in Seinfeld, along with the Larry David “character” role in Curb Your Enthusiasm, were highly neurotic and self-absorbed. Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman...
Is storytelling in marketing bullshit? There is a clear answer to this question. Yes. And no. The key is to distinguish between the art of storytelling itself – and the relentless, self-serving hype of what is no more than a marketing fad. Of course, storytelling is important,...
Want to hop on a stage coach and travel back in time? Wells Fargo is waving its magic wand, playing make believe to transport us back to a better place while conveniently overlooking the illegal, top-down policies designed to boost earnings and screw their customers....
This past week saw two iconic American brands react to racial injustice in strikingly different ways. One chose transparency, shining a light on the issue, accepting responsibility for its actions and putting its money where its mouth was. The other did its level best to...
If you and your best friend could go anywhere in the world on vacation, and time and money were no object, where would you go? This is the question I once put to pairs of friends in a qualitative study. Now if you’re asking me, I...
Jeff talks to J.P. about breaking out on his own in 1989 to form Shikatani Lacroix Design. Starting with a handful of people and no clients, his insights, artistic intuition, eye for talent and business acumen built the firm into an award-winning, global enterprise with offices in...
Coachella, the once obscure Goldenvoice-produced music festival, has undergone a dramatic shift from its modest indie roots when it was founded in 1999. It has blossomed into an internationally recognized, sprawling, commercial enterprise. Now, with well-known artists, big-budget staging and a reputation as a "must...
How do you get people to think about and act on critical life tasks that they just don’t want to think about? If you’re over 35 and/or have any combination of children, older parents or significant others, have you made out a will? Do you have...