The advertising industry is like a stockbroker.

When a stockbroker makes decisions that pay big dividends, the broker likes to take credit for his genius. But if losses ensue, one too many broker will point to market conditions, the "market cycle" or unforeseen circumstances to explain their losses.

But...

On August 28, 1963, 250,000 people from across the country descended on the Mall in Washington, D.C., to hear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. give his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The organizers didn't send out 250,000 invitations and there was no Web site to check the...

What do you do if nearly every consumer hates nearly every product you produce?

This is exactly what has happened with advertising today.

Think about the lengths people go to to avoid watching ads on TV. As soon as they come on, we lunge for the remote to change the...

Starbucks was founded with a clear sense of Why - that purpose, cause or belief that goes beyond the products we make or the services we offer. At its founding, it was all about the "third space," that space between work and home. When Americans chose to hang-out...

I flew to London and back on Delta Airlines, which was great because I got to play my new favorite game: spot the old Northwest Flight Crew. Northwest and Delta merged last year to form America's largest airline. Though the planes are now painted the same and...

The world is a bell curve. Class room test scores, employee performance in a company or how many people really, really like you. No matter the population you're studying, they always fit neatly across the standard deviations of the famous bell curve. The most important thing about the bell curve...

In 1923, Babe Ruth broke the record for most home runs in a season. That same year, he also broke the record for highest batting average.

There is a third record he broke that year that most people don't know about. In 1923, Babe Ruth struck out more times than...

Dan Hesse, the CEO of Sprint, is back making commercials for his company. In the latest version, he is doing more of what he did in previous ads -- selling on price. The top guy in the company, the big boss, numero uno, looks straight into...

As if Charles Darwin himself were personally involved, the significant economic dips and downturns we face seem designed to weed out the weak. It's a good thing. By doing so, the economy, as a whole, can enter the next decade stronger, free of dead weight and old thinking so our...

The destruction in Haiti is still fresh. All the bodies have not yet been buried. And the final toll has not yet been counted. But when the darkest clouds eventually pass, what then for Haiti? The commitment that America gives to rebuild the nation now will significantly influence if Haiti...

For the past two weeks I toured three Air Bases in Europe -- Ramstein and Spangdahlem in Germany and Aviano in Italy. I spoke to many different audiences, from an audience of nearly 1,000 enlisted men and women to the leadership of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. It was a...

Kraft Foods seeming obsession with building a "global powerhouse" as a sound reason to merge with Cadbury's provides a telling glimpse into the future of the combined companies. Completely ignoring the diverse cultures at the two companies can result in one thing and one thing only:...

There are two kinds of experts, academic experts and practical experts. One is not better than the other, but they are very different and each offers very different value.

As its name conveys, the academic expert is just that -- academic. To become an academic expert takes years of...

There are two types of claims: those based on hard numbers and those based on slippery numbers.

Hard numbers are facts that, when evaluated lead to a logical conclusion ... and a hard claim. For example, the US Constitution is 222 years old and, as such, is the oldest...

Wanted: Talented executive to rebuild the economy for the next 100 years.

Since the decline in our economy, a remarkable opportunity has arisen - to redefine how banking works in this country if not the world for decades to come. If you have ideas about the ways a...

During the Cold War, America would fly spy planes over the Soviet Union to count how many bombers they had. Knowing exactly what the Americans were doing, the Soviets laid out hundreds of fake, wooden bombers to trick the Americans into thinking that they had a much bigger capability than...

There is a difference between giving directions and giving direction.

Direction is the far-away destination to which you are heading and directions are the route you will take to get to get there.

As leaders and managers, we often forget the distinction.  When we want to tell someone to do...

Republicans are completely befuddled by Obama’s “star power” and don’t seem to have a clear or effective strategy to compete. Though they are able to coordinate their messages better than Democrats, absent a leader who can clearly articulate a Republican vision for America, the only thing they can do is...

Most Sundays throughout the year,  the New York Road Runners organizes races in Central Park. They range in distance from a mile or two to distances just shy of half-marathon length.  Though there are medals for the winners, hundreds even thousands of New Yorkers take part simply for fun or...

As anyone who has every held a job can attest, at some point in one's career you will work for someone who clearly has less talent or ability than you do. On a regular basis you’ll ask yourself, “how is that guy my boss?” The answer has less to do...