Diagnosing a gap is never easy. It’s negative space. When you’re looking for a problem, you want to see a problem. (Which is why we’re happy when we hear we have pneumonia. At least you know what’s wrong.) In the absence of a clear issue, it’s easy to point to the creative. But if you’ve  … Read more

We’ve all got that person in our lives who sends an email with Hi in the subject line, or leaves a voicemail with just “call me back,” and you worry about responding because you’re pretty sure you’re in trouble. That’s the feeling trauma-informed communication aims to prevent. This has been on the FATFREE radar lately,  … Read more

When companies talk about rebranding or brand transformation, they’re often talking about logos or taglines or websites. But the hard work starts way deeper. The maxim remains true—your…

“I want to create a viral campaign.” If you’re a marketer, you’ve sat across from a client who’s uttered those words. And as long as it’s not your first day in the business, you’ve spent the next 10 or 15…

A clean, modern wordmark. A three-word tagline. A product name. Why is it that the cleanest, clearest elements often require the most heavy lifting? These projects may look deceptively…

Recently, I asked a client to help me understand their desired brand personality by likening it to a personality. I apologized for using such a time-worn approach—agency folk have done this…

Marketing has always been about connecting with someone’s heart. Whether you make them laugh, cry or feel a little smarter, an emotional reaction is gold. Now, as consumers seek more…

When you hear the brand name “Bed Bath & Beyond,” what’s the first thing you picture? Let me read your mind: Was it a coupon? If I got that right, it’s not because I have ESP. It’s because, for…

The question is no longer whether to use video, but how. Roughly 40 bazillion sources will tell you 85% of Americans with internet watch video and nearly 90% of brands use video in their…

Businesses today love to talk about company culture. The concept—which is defined as a codification of a business’s norms, values, and beliefs—was first introduced by social scientist…