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Many clients say they want to create a feeling of “wow.” But, there is a spectrum of wow experiences, and it is important to find the right place on that spectrum for your business, product or service. On one end is the, “OMG, I couldn’t believe it, it was sooooo cooooool” kind of wow. This is a fun sort of wow and best experienced in person. However, “OMG wows” tend to be momentary in nature; the power of the experience, while intense in the moment, fades quickly away. Also, it is very hard to convey the full feeling of that kind of wow to other...

For too long, marketers have relied on TV ads to create “awareness” for their products and services. Relying on the ideas of “impact” and “frequency,” the most aggressive TV ad marketers have proved so irritating that people reached for the remote, bought TiVos, or simply stop watching television. Today smart businesses are recognizing that the most effective way of getting people to know about, try and buy their products and services is through word of mouth. And the most effective word of mouth – be it delivered through social media or through...

With the state of education sparking parental fears and a plethora of schooling options prompting parental confusion and anxiety, smart schools are looking for ways they can matter more to parents. Of course, kids are the primary “business” of educators, but every learning institution needs to reach out and convince parents that their school is the best option. The secret lies in taking all the good that happens within your school and transforming that into thoughts that will prove personally relevant and emotionally important to parents – given their mindset, concerns and...

“I am not a thing—a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process—an integral function of the universe.” – Buckminster Fuller Many brands feel like nouns. They are simply static “things” that are devoid of feeling and meaning. But then there are brands that are clearly verbs. They are about action, moving forward and changing the status quo. They help people create meaning through their engaging and generous actions and behavior. They are evolutionary processes that help people advance, achieve more and find greater satisfaction. As such, they become an...

Seth Godin recently posted about the value of asking “why?”. He points out that “because I said so” is not a valid answer. This reminded us of the question we’re always asking our clients, “why is that good?” Our question comes from the experience of hearing business people talk about their offerings using the superficial and meaningless mumbo-jumbo of jargon. To help them get below the surface – and to uncover the meaning that lies beyond the jargon – we ask them repeatedly, “why is that good?”. For example, “Why is it...

It’s amazing how seemingly small changes in the way a business reaches out to people can have such a meaningful impact. Getty Images website users in the UK now see a more subtle, informative and personalized watermark when viewing images (bottom image). The new watermark is simply more useful: It shows the link that takes you directly to that image’s page, which is now richer in content. It credits the photographer, which is a great way for Getty to reach out to its contributors. It no longer stands as a dated and arrogant barrier between the image-seeking user and the images...

Once again we share the brilliant insights of Tom Fishbourne. Tom illustrates the problem of being more focused on the channels of communication than on what your brand is trying to achieve in this world. Hearing that everyone is posting to Facebook, sending tweets and “pinning” things on Pinterest naturally perks our attention, and suggests we will be missing out if our brand isn’t “there”. But, honestly, there is no “there” there (sorry Oakland). It is not enough to simply “be” in a space, be it digital, social or the latest hot app or...

One day soon, people both inside and outside your company, are going to sit down and watch this film. For some people, it will simply reaffirm what they already know and feel. For others, it will spark an awareness that there’s more to brands than one tends to think: It will alter their perception of themselves and the brands in their lives. It will change their expectations about the brands they use today, and choose to use tomorrow. It will make them think twice about how they spend their money and where they earn their wages. It will make them decide they are either dealing with a...

Right now, there’s some sort of bridge between your brand and your employees. That bridge defines the nature of the relationship between your brand and the hearts and minds of your employees. Think back, when, how and why was it built? Ask yourself, does it serve the needs you have today? Are you aware of what crosses that bridge every day? Do your employees act as though the bridge only goes one way? To seize today’s opportunities, and to be better fit for the future, you need to rebuild that bridge. It’s time to add more lanes going in both directions, so there’s...