Here we cut the world of B2B marketing into digestible nuggets of inspiration, highlighting courageous individuals and ideas approximately two times a month. Want to contribute content to our blog?
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Speaking of Content: The Economist
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May 27, 2016
If you're a reader of The Economist, chances are you're looking forward to the long weekend, not just for the barbecues and beer but also for the opportunity to read this week's issue from cover to cover and maybe even finish previous editions.  Your devotion to this pub, one of the few news magazines that has weathered the digital tsunami, is...

Stop the Presses: TV Still Works
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May 16, 2016
The presenter spoke with a certainty of a televangelist offering a laundry list of directives to his flock. "Times have changed" he intoned and "marketers must change with it."  "You can't control the conversation, you have to discover the context, not try to dictate it," he shouted. "Context is more important than content" was followed by "You are competing for...

Storytelling is Not a Walk in the Park
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May 9, 2016
You could say that the three of us were walking to the park, but in truth Pinky was merely along for the ride. Sitting tall in his new chariot, our Frenchie sniffed in the sights as if his 'hood had been transformed. Hands, those most desired instruments of affection, were suddenly at cheek level, drawn in by his come hither gaze. Few were immune...

CMO Insights: The Inside Story on Storytelling
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May 2, 2016
In truth, I tend to get obsessed with topics of interest.  Since my first conversation on storytelling a few weeks back with Douwe Bergsma, CMO of George Pacific, I have now read (via audio) two books, ordered three more and am in the middle of listening to a Great Course on the subject. Just in case you want to dive in...

CMO Insights: What's the Story with Storytelling?
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April 27, 2016
It was one of those rare Los Angeles days — smog free, blue skies and the air was crisp.  A perfect set up for what I hoped would be a perfect pitch.  We were sitting in a diner right across the street from the bank headquarters in Pasadena and we were the opposite of stressed out.  Like well-prepared boxers, we...

CSR: Global Food for Thought
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April 25, 2016
With the Empire State Building glowing in the background, I wondered what was on my own horizon that evening.  The cocktail party in a chic midtown hotel had just begun, the award-winning CMOs were pouring in and my curiosity was starting to peak.  Who were these people?  Sure I could read their name badges but what were their stories and more importantly,...

Reading v. Viewing: Which is Better?
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April 17, 2016
Let's do a little test together.  Watch the video below which features Trish Mueller, CMO of Home Depot and Pete Krainik, founder of The CMO Club, and make note of the marketing insights you gained.  Next, please read my interview below, also with Trish Mueller. Then jot down your key takeaways.  You'll have to trust me that both are well worth...

How CMOs Take Marketing to the Next Level
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April 10, 2016
Last week I introduced my new keynote speech, Think Like A CMO as the brazen answer to the question: What's the secret to success?  My rationale starts with the extreme yet somewhat familiar sounding challenges that most CMOs (and the rest of us) face: Bosses that may have unrealistic or significantly different expectations; Numerous factors that impact results that are outside of one's control; Limited...

A 150 Year-old Brand Takes a Fresh Look at Storytelling
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April 6, 2016
I have to admit that I went into the conversation about storytelling wondering "what's the story here?"  How could something as old as storytelling be a hot new topic in marketing.  Darren Marshall, CMO of Steinway & Sons, was kind enough to set me straight in preparation for our panel Storytelling and Branding: Does Story Trump Data (also featuring Aimee Munsell of...