The primary job of marketing is to promote sales, and those in the industry use a myriad of tactics to entice consumers to action. Advertising, direct mail, sales promotion and PR experts have a host of persuasive armament in their arsenals. When we communicate a meaningful message that delivers on...

Since the beginning of ad time, marketers sold salad dressing. Today, we still sell salad dressing. The two most important constants of Shopper Mom haven't wavered: she's still a mom, and she's still trying to make the best decisions for her family. She might have worked then, and probably does...

"You know, the first place to cut is marketing."

The devaluing of marketing seems an acceptable mantra during challenging economic times, as if strategies that promote sales are expendable sprinkles on top of the corporate cake. In truth, the lack of effective marketing destabilizes brands and can lead to dead...

Brandwashed (def) A confused state of utter and complete denial, wherein marketers believe that the brand they create and their opinion of it are more important than the wants/needs/desires of the consumer.

Consumercentrics (def): The logical yet renegade assertion that retail products should be built from a consumer-centric perspective...

The following is an excerpt from my book, Brandwashed: What's Wrong with Marketing, and How We Can Fix It

Chances Are, You're Spending Too Much on Advertising

Traditional brand advertising isn't creating a wake. In most cases it should be having one.

Let's look at products like they're...

Gatorade, one of the most well known brands of our time, was inexplicably laid to rest in early 2009 after suffering from a brief yet catastrophic case of marketing malaise. It is survived by heartbroken marketers who mourn the loss of a true brand luminary and by millions of confused...

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book Brandwashed: What's Wrong with Marketing and How We Can Fix It;

Men Are from Marketing, Women Are at Retail

The vast majority of marketing decisions for consumer products are made by corporate and ad agency men, and the vast majority...

There's no better time to consider how to fix our election process than while in the midst of the President election. Polling voters around the block and across the country, seven relatively easy suggestions came to light that would make for a more efficient and effective election of the President...

As a democracy, the U.S. government guarantees us the right to "free and fair" elections. Ideally, every licensed voter can cast a ballot without fear of harm or reprisal, and all votes are counted. But this certainly isn't all that there is to a free and fair election. Our government,...

If a toothpaste company were to claim its product was the #1 cavity fighter in a 30-second TV spot, the broadcast censors from every station and network would demand reams of quantifiable proof and substantiation before the commercial hit the airwaves. If the same company slipped through the broadcasting cracks...