Selling The Facts

Front row seats. That ring in a certain ‘blue box’. 70% dark chocolate. Business class flights. Pumpkins at Halloween. Botox. iPad mini. Frappuccino. 12 months gym membership in January. Free range chicken. The bestseller everyone is talking about. That black BMW. Vitamins. The honeymoon suite. Gluten free bread. Wrinkle cream. Overnight shipping. Black stockings. $50…

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Stand Out By Telling A Better Brand Story

The summer of 1980 was a terrible time to own a hair salon on Sydney’s Queen Street. The mile long suburban street had over twenty salons to choose from, and haircuts that were once $20, had been steadily knocked down a dollar at a time by each salon in turn. The first salon to discount…

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What The Waitress Remembered

My name. To look me in the eye. How I like my coffee. That her smile could brighten someone’s day. To make a difference. That giving a damn is seriously underrated. To hope to see me tomorrow. Not to hide behind the rules. To love her job. That what she does every day matters. Image…

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Give Them A Reason

Half of the products in your pantry now have a ‘like us on Facebook’ icon on the label. Why should you like a brand of mass produced honey on Facebook? Why does the brand manager think you should care? Marketing is about doing great work that gets noticed. It’s about giving people a reason to…

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Make Your Idea Matter

Make Your Idea Matter is finally available to buy on Amazon. Thanks to the people who bought the book yesterday it bagged a Top 3 spot on the Amazon Bestsellers list overnight! It’s taken most of our Australian winter (or your summer), to simply get the book edited, formatted, designed and ready for publication. We’ve…

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Listen To Your Outliers

Not all women love to shop. I am one such woman. So when I fall in love with a product, they’ve got me for life. That’s just one more decision I don’t have to make in the store. Glasshouse is a product I fell in love with years ago. Their fragrances are amazing, an indulgence.…

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No Substitute

Late yesterday evening I jumped in my car and did a 35 minute round trip to buy a British made food product that isn’t stocked in most Australian supermarkets. We’ve tried the Aussie versions but there are no substitutes. This is the reason shops selling imported food and drink (at premium prices) exist in Australia.…

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Go All The Way

A local cafe is trying to tap into the ‘ladies who lunch’ market with a three course ‘ladies lunch special’ on Thursdays. Recently I noticed they’d stuck a handwritten note over the top of their sign which read, “men welcome”. Halfway to the edge is just average poorly disguised. Neither this nor that. If you’re…

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What Does It Take To Be In The 1%?

”99% of ”brands” are about as inspiring, interesting, and enlightening as a cup of lukewarm tea. Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be.” -Umair Haque So the good news then is that it’s not that hard to be the 1%! I asked Umair what he thought it took to be in the 1 %. He…

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Go Where The Others Won’t Go

Have you ever watched someone learning to ice skate? Perhaps you’ve been there too? When people are starting out, hopelessly uncoordinated and a bit scared they do what all the other fearful learners do, they cling to the sides for dear life. It feels a little safer there in amongst the pack. Not standing out,…

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