Leading Your Market

Market leadership is about relevant offerings and transcendent stories. If you want to become a market leader you have to produce and distribute a story about your product or service that resonates with your desired audiences.

Netflix More Popular than TV? Check the Fine Print

Research studies and polls can be a great marketing and PR tool. But sometimes the data gets stretched beyond the limit of credibility. Netflix recently claimed that it is “twice as popular as watching “live” TV” based on a survey

KFC Nails an Old Slogan to Freshen It

The fried chicken chain formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken is showing a remarkable willingness to play with its brand in several current ad and marketing campaigns aimed at millennials. In the U.S.A., a growing list of popular comedians has

R.I.P. Prince

The achievements of the late Prince placed him among the elite of pop music stars: He sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden

The Man You want to Hate but Can’t

There are a lot of car commercials out there on TV and the web, most of them unremarkable in terms of story. At least 75% of them seem to feature good-looking people driving aimlessly around the deserted streets of downtown

Chipotle Gives Away Food to “Look like Chipotle Again”

Can free burritos help Chipotle maintain its market leadership? The company is certainly willing to try. The Associated Press reported today that Chipotle has plans to expand its burrito giveaway, part of its campaign to persuade people that its food

L.A. Clippers Give Fans the Bird

Sports mascots are like clowns; some people embrace them and some run away as fast as they can. At half-time on February 29, 2016, the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team introduced its new mascot, Chuck the Condor. Initial reaction has

“They” is the 2015 Word of the Year

Another grammatical barrier has been breached. In its 26th annual words of the year vote, the American Dialect Society voted for they used as a gender-neutral singular pronoun as the Word of the Year for 2015. They was recognized by

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: David Bowie as Transcendent Rock Star

How influential was the late rock singer, actor and fashion icon David Bowie? A short list of big pop stars who borrowed his style or musical ideas includes Mick Jagger, Lady Gaga and Peter Capaldi, the current “Dr. Who.” Over

Chipotle’s Challenge Goes Beyond Food Safety

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a 900 lb. burrito in the restaurant industry, with 1,755 stores and more than $4 billion in sales in 2014. In twenty years, founder Steve Ells grew a single restaurant into a market leader in the

J.J. Abrams on “Star Wars,” Communal Experience and Myth

The Los Angeles Times ran a Q&A today with J.J. Abrams, the director of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” He talks about the powerful communal experience of watching the film in a theater, which ties in well with the mythic