GRAY AREA
We’ll wade into the murky, gray areas of strategy, creativity, and how to bring your brand to life.
Art vs. Science in the advertising industry
"It's as much art as it is science." I heard myself say that at the best Ohio ad agency this week... and vomited a little in my mouth. In advertising, the age-old argument of "Art vs. Science" is a false dichotomy that misunderstands both. Art (creative) doesn't seek...
Uber vs. The Taxi Industry
Uber. Lyft. Yellow Cab. Which one of these is not like the others? Evidently, the taxi industry is reeling from the first two. Taxi drivers pay ridiculous sums of money to be a legal taxi service. This article tells the story of one immigrant taxi driver who has had...
Change the oil change business
I recently got an oil change at one of those quick-change places-- you know, the ones that smell like burnt coffee? It got me thinking-- this is a market that will exist for the foreseeable future. It's also a commodity market-- they all compete on price and there's...
The problem with the “Maker” movement – Or, how to properly sell a handmade leather bag
The Maker movement is a return to valuing craftsmen (and women), and the incredible, hand-made quality of the goods they produce. There are some bad-ass makers out there. There's even a really cool Tumbler dedicated to those who make. But the problem is, when people...
How To Promote Music – 3 Lessons From Daytrotter
Daytrotter, yer doin it right. Also, I <3 you. For those of you unfamiliar with Daytrotter, here's how it works: they bring kick-ass bands to The Horseshack recording studio in Rockford, IL, record the bands live, and put the recording on Daytrotter.com. Yesterday,...
Pinterest Spam is here
Look out, intrepid Pinners. Spam has made it's way to Pinterest. I posted a lovely cartoon by The Oatmeal about how frustrating it is to try to watch Game of Thrones, and within seconds had a "like." While that's not all that odd, what got my interest was that the...
A Musician’s Opinion on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)
I am a musician. I write, record, and play songs. I spend months pouring my deepest feelings into a dozen or so 3 minute tunes. In the good ol' days, I could've signed a deal with some huge record label, borrowed a ridiculous amount of money from them to record those...
Top 5 Reasons I Hate Marketers
First, let me be clear: I'm talking about what you do, not about you as a human. Second, I'm a marketer, so I'm just as guilty as you from time to time. Speaking of which, you should listen to some of my music or even come to the Columbus Songwriter Circle. See what I...
3 Predictions About the Future of “Social”
In the US, there are tens of millions of searches every month for things related to social marketing, social media marketing, and the like. But, if you look at Google Trends, it also looks like that search traffic may have peaked (for now, anyway). So have searches...
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