Indulge me. When I was very young, perhaps 5 or 6 years old, my family was visiting my grandparents in Brooklyn. At the time my family lived further out on long island, and we would travel to Brooklyn a few weekends a month for a visit and the traditional Italian Sunday sauce. I could write

Brand creativity and marketing will only be as successful as the problem definition itself. Problems get our attention. Great brands solve problems. Problem definition is the work of positioning. Creativity is a tool that liberates strategy to tell the story of your brand. Earning attention has always been job one for advertising and marketing. Gaining

As community events go, the totality of the eclipse eclipsed more than the sun. It is estimated that more than 30 million people within the path of totality tuned into the sky. Many more, perhaps in the millions, traveled for hours to glimpse the phenomenon, driving in cars, riding in buses, flying in specially chartered

The other day, I was listening to a popular marketing podcast.  This was a post super bowl episode, and the topic was the commercials. Guests on the show included various brand managers and agency folk. They were talking about a common theme of their work which they all agreed was the big driver of their

According to Inside Higher Ed, The College of Saint Rose is not alone in the sinking ship of colleges floundering on the reefs of change.   From Inside Higher Ed: Saint Rose’s closure was preceded by similar announcements from other institutions this year, including Magdalen College, Lincoln Christian University, Alderson Broaddus University, Alliance University, Cabrini University, Cardinal Stritch University, Finlandia University, Hodges University, Holy

Scrolling and clicking, clicking, and scrolling, the mobile economy is surely a boon to retail brands. Strong brands are not defined by sales alone. Strong brands are built on a feeling. None of this is new or news, yet the media environment and the metrics associated with algorithms of mobile media would appear to favor

One thing I’ve noticed in this semi-post pandemic work world is that despite demands by many companies that people return to the office, many people continue to work with a remote mindset. There seems to be an aversion to getting together in the same room and hashing it out, whatever it is. Physically, on days

Observational tension is a tool of the storyteller, more often felt than discussed. Its subtle power renders a disquieting tone that invites audience emotion to enter the scene. The tension of a shot that lingers on a subject after the dialogue or apparent action has ended can deliver extraordinary poignancy. It does not work in

I’m hot but not uncomfortable, saved from the intensity of the sun by the occasional gusty breeze and the air that’s being conditioned by the crashing surf. If you are lucky or early, it’s possible to put your blanket down just above the high tide line. Close enough to the surf to benefit from cool

A friend of Henri Cartier Bresson once said to him, “you do not work, you take a hard pleasure.” While I often feel I’m working very hard and certainly too long, I must admit I take a pleasure in the work. At its best, it’s inspiring to stare down the proverbial blank sheet of paper.

If you know USP then you’ll not be surprised that Chat GTP delivers USP as one of the key elements of a successful advertising campaign. If you do not know Rosser Reeves and USP, you poor impoverished soul, buy this book: Reality in Advertising You can also gain a bit of contemporary context here in