Category: Strategy

Though there are competing origin stories for the term elevator pitch, its definition is not disputed. It’s a short spiel designed to sell someone important—your boss, a client, an investor—on…

“What’s one of the surest signs a client isn’t going to be successful?” That’s the question a potential client tossed at me on an early call. It caught me off guard, and I blurted out an honest…

Years ago, driving in the Chicago Loop, I saw a billboard that really opened my eyes—not because I cared about the brand or offer, but because they made a big mistake in trying to appear local…

In an age when every marketing dollar is expected to show a quantifiable return, promotions aimed at your own employees can feel a little spongy. Or even wasteful. But we have two good…

Strategy is a term that gets tossed around a lot in marketing meetings. There’s talk of Facebook Ads strategy and email marketing strategy and blogging strategy. If these phrases…

I often wonder what a brainstorm session will look like a year from now. Right now, our firm and clients are fully virtual. And while we run as a well-oiled machine, none of our collaboration tools…

Need a new professional headshot? Check out these selfie tips. No fancy photoshoot required. With today’s smartphones, you can take a professional headshot solo.

As I’ve been digging deeper into my own creativity and returning to my fine art roots, I’ve also been exploring some of the artists who inspire me. I’m drawn to four artists in particular who, on…

The word network first appeared in our vocabulary back in the 1550s to describe interlocking threads or wires that come together to form netting. It wasn’t until the 1930s that…

As a writer, editor, and strategist for digital lifestyle brands over the past 20 years, I’ve spent most of that time trying to answer one question: What works?