spreading ideas
846 posts
Good Stories Drive Great Strategy
Successful brands have a great story long before they have a grand plan.
The Power Of Brand Energy
Brand energy builds brand equity.
Build Your Darlings
Build your darlings for the people you care about serving. Those people who will fall in love with how your work enables them to live the lives they want.
Fabled Or Found?
Every week, my favourite bookstore restocks the shelves at the front of the store with new releases. And every time I go there, I think the same thing. What are the chances of any book—no matter how good, being found here? The truth is, the books that sell are the ones that people come into…
Don’t Manipulate Me, Move Me
There’s a difference between a good story and a great story. A good story gets our attention. A great story changes us. Successful marketing campaigns and brand stories don’t convince us. They move us. A good leader gets our vote, and sometimes, our respect. A great leader gains our loyalty, and oft
Without You
If I were to ask you to explain your company’s ‘value proposition’ you’d probably hesitate. But if I asked you what your customer would miss if your work didn’t exist, you’d likely have some thoughtful answers about why she needs what you make, serve or sell. Sometimes the language and frames we use
The Two Rules Of Good Marketing
The best marketing does two things: 1. It empowers people to make decisions now that they won’t regret later. 2. It helps people to do the things they want to do. If you’re helping the people you serve to do both of these things, you can proudly say you’re a good marketer. Image by Eric…
Build A Trust Engine
In the golden age of the advertising businesses of all sizes relied on ads to promote and sell their products. Giant corporations reached us via TV and whole page newspaper ads. Small businesses got our attention by placing small ads in the local newspaper. In the past advertising allowed average pr
What’s At Stake For Your Customer?
We often use customer insights to inform product and service development. Throughout the process, our goal is always to empathise with the customer. But sometimes the language we use stops us from achieving that goal. For example, it’s harder to imagine a particular person with a problem by making a
The Power Of Assumptions
It was standing room only on the 109 tram, as it always is at five o’ clock on a Monday evening. As more passengers boarded the crowded carriage, a man holding a briefcase got up from his seat to let the woman standing in the aisle next to him sit down. She declined. He persisted.…
Proud Work
When I was growing up, work was a means to an end for many of the breadwinners in our neighbourhood. Work meant food in the bellies and clothes on the backs of the people you loved. There is both dignity and joy in providing, especially when you’ve gone hungry and shoeless, as my father often…
How Much Information Is Enough?
When do we know it’s safe to cross the road? How much information do we need about how far away that truck is and how fast it’s going to decide whether to step off the pavement? How much information does your customer need before deciding she trusts you? As people who sell things or ideas,…
Fact Or Fiction?
The bookstore in Albert Park had just opened when Thomas, dressed as Batman, and his mum walked in. They headed straight to the children’s section at the back. They were shopping for a present for Ben, who was having a superhero birthday party that afternoon. ‘Let’s get Ben this book about Brazil. T
When Did One Day Become Never?
The first time I met Simon he was juggling four dirty plates while greeting customers and directing his team. Over time, I came to know Simon as a friend and also as one of the most gifted people I knew. Simon’s bosses loved how he ran their cafe as if it were his own. They…
Tell Me About Your Company
If you were asked to describe a friend in three words you’d have no problem. Maybe you’d say he was fun or kind, perhaps you see him as loyal or generous. But if I asked you to tell me about your company’s attributes or brand’s characteristics you’d probably struggle. We invest a lot of time…
How Much Runway Do You Need?
An aircraft must reach sufficient speed to take off. The pilot needs enough runway to achieve that optimum speed. The same is true of our projects and ideas. Velocity alone is not enough to make an idea fly. Ideas also need time. We often focus our energy on gathering speed and creating momentum, wh
Pitch Perfect
The two falafel makers at the weekend market sell an almost identical product but achieve very different levels of success. The marketing tactics they use are similar. Make eye contact with potential customers, offer them a small sample to try and use the time they’re chewing to launch into your sal
How To Tell A Story Using The Story Scaffold
There’s no question that stories are the best way to engage and persuade people. We have good scientific evidence to prove it. According to neuroeconomist, Professor Paul Zak, ‘Narratives that cause us to pay attention and also involve us emotionally are the stories that move us to action.’ It’s our
Signalling
According to the Collins English Dictionary, a signal ‘is a gesture, sound, or action which is intended to give a particular message to the person who sees or hears it.’ We are sending signals to our clients and customers whenever they come into contact with our business or brand—even when we’re not
What The Best Communicators Do
Professor Daniel Kahneman has spent a lifetime researching why and how humans make decisions. His decades of work focused on the two ways we think and decide using one of two modes of thought, System 1 and System 2. System 1 makes fast, instinctive and emotional judgements and System 2 operates at a
