We stress about things we cannot truly control,
But miss the synchronicities that brought us here.
Countless decisions beyond us led to this moment,
We are mere characters in this unfolding story.
The forces that brought us here know something,
The universe moves us where energy flows naturally.
Trust our instincts, don’t fight the current direction,
Forces guide us for reasons we cannot fathom.
Author: Andy (Page 1 of 27)
David Bayer, author and creator of “A Changed Mind,” has this simple formula I like:
Desire plus barrier removal equals desired outcome.
In plain English, most of us know what we want: more customers, more sales, more traction. But we forget the “barrier removal” part. And honestly, that’s where most marketing strategies get stuck.
Don’t Chase Shiny Objects Yet
It’s easy to think the next big thing will save the day. A TikTok campaign, a hot new CRM, some influencer deal. These things are cool to talk about at cocktail parties and networking events. (Plus, ad agencies will make you feel really special.) But truthfully, you don’t need another shiny object. You need to fix the stuff that’s already slowing people down.
Continue reading
I use Leonardo.ai as my go-to image generator, and recently their Senior Creative Technologist published a 27-page paper on “vibe marketing.” As a technology partner for creatives, when Leonardo publishes something that in-depth, it is worth paying attention. Seeing it explored at that level of detail piqued my interest and pushed me to dive deeper into the idea.
Continue readingDisruptive weather is noticed because it’s not everyday,
We cannot control chaos swirling all around us.
But we can trust that chaos will pass,
Chaos is fleeting while our patience truly endures.
Real strength can be found in quiet confidence,
Don’t trust the fearful reports from other people.
Look deep within, we know that staying strong
Gets us through better than yelling into wind.
Hook (3 seconds)
Most product messages fail because they start at the end. They lead with facts before earning the right to be heard. But people need something to grab their attention first.
Tease (30 seconds)
That’s why I work with something I call the 3-30-3 Rule. It isn’t a formula carved in stone, but a useful guide. The premise is simple:
Continue reading
How We All Missed the Crimes, Trauma, and Weirdness in Classic Kids’ Books
When you’re a kid, you just roll with the plot.
When you’re an adult, you realize half the books we grew up with are basically crime dramas… they just hide behind bright colors and rhymes.
Exhibit A: Curious George
Continue reading
About a month ago, I started dialing caffeine back to almost nothing.
I’m not going to lie, the 1st week was brutal. Even though I warned everyone, “Hey, I’m going to be cranky,” I seemed to exceed their expectations and still annoyed them.
But then it passed and now that I’m on the other side of it, here’s the quick report:
- Sleep: The first week was amazing. Now it’s just… better. Not perfect, but steadier.
- Focus: On the softball field I noticed a real difference. My reaction time was noticeably improved. I felt sharper, like my brain wasn’t juggling 34 distractions at once.
- Mood: Less up-and-down. Easier to slow down and pause before responding. (That topic is probably worth a post or two of its own.)
- Energy: No dramatic crashes at night, just a gradual wind-down. But also no huge daytime surges.
- Weight: No big changes, other than a little natural water loss.
I still enjoy a cup of coffee here and there, and I’ll grab an iced tea at a restaurant if I’m out or in a coffee shop if I’m working. But the dependence is gone. And we’re measuring in cups, not pots.
Overall: Let’s call it a meaningful success with no downside. Not life-changing, not a miracle cure. Just a steady improvement that makes me feel pretty good about the choice.
I was asked an interesting question the other day by a senior marketer. She wantd my opinion on how to decide it’s time for a brand to start a new channel, as well as how I keep up on social trends.
It’s an interesting question, because here we are 20 years into this social media phenomenon, and there’s never been a perfect answer. If you rushed right into MySpace, or even Friendster, back in the day, you had to decide when to leave. Then came all the others, Shoot, remember when Google was trying to make everyone do Circles on Google+?
The good thing about social is that trends don’t go hide under a lot of research. They are literally blasting you in the face to the point you can’t ignore them.
So my opinion is that trends can be monitored constantly, but investment only happens when data shows audience fit, potential ROI, and brand alignment. And tofigure that out, we look at a few things:
Continue reading
Early in my career, I was a tactician. Email campaigns, SEO, SEM, building landing pages, hacking together A/B tests. Whatever the job needed, I’d figure it out.
Then I got older. Took on bigger roles. Strategy became my thing. I got an MBA, which basically teaches you how to never do real work again. Just make PowerPoints and use fancy terms like “ubiquitous” and “leveraging synergies.” Just kidding. Kind of.
Then I taught at UW. Strategy-heavy, theory-driven. But not much time for learning how to troubleshoot a broken Meta ad pixel or chase down why TikTok didn’t like the file format you uploaded.
Fast-forward to a recent client gig. A small, scrappy brand with big potential. I figured with AI at my side, I could go back to being a full-stack marketer. The headlines promised that AI was like hiring a 12-person team. All I had to do was show up and prompt. Well, that’s what I thought would happen…
Continue reading
TL;DR Version
Twitter used to be a platform for discovery, curiosity, and real conversations. Over time, it shifted, to a space for customer complaints, then into a political battleground, and eventually into something stranger. Today, much of what passes for “debate” is driven by bots, automated replies, and talking points that feel like they were built in a conspiracy theory factory.
Research backs this up. Bots have been responsible for a disproportionate amount of political content for years, up to 30% or more, depending on the topic. The result is a platform where real engagement is harder to find, and actual people seem increasingly absent.
Continue reading