Content Is Not King

If you Google these four words you’ll get over 600 million search results in less than 0.2 seconds. Amongst these links you will read articles about putting as much content ‘out there’ as you can. Others will urge you to ditch advertising and create content instead, because content is the new way to drive traffic,…

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Why People Pay And Why It Matters

The dictionary will tell you that marketing is the activity that surrounds the transfer of goods, from consumer to buyer. This, for that. But we also pay with time, attention and love. And even when we pay with money, it’s rarely a ‘this, for that’ transaction, since all value is subjective. It’s easy to fall…

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The Diminishing Value Of Access

When a new business opens in your suburb, the first thing they do, with great fanfare, is plaster ‘now open’ signs around the neighbourhood. The ‘we’ve built it, now you’ll come’ mentality is alive and well in every industry. My son, along with thousands of others is in his first year at university. Most of…

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Don’t Sell A Man A Saw, Teach A Man To Build

Mike works at our local ‘big box’ hardware store, alongside people who cut wood, motion directions and stack paint cans. Each weekend Mike sees a steady stream of ‘have a go’ DIY enthusiasts, the kind of guys who were too busy on their way to becoming accountants and lawyers in their teens, to learn how…

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The Purpose Of Innovation In A ‘Needless’ Economy

For the most part in the West we have everything we need. Roofs over our heads, food in the fridge and a lot more besides. Even in the developing world where more people have mobile phones than have access to toilets, it seems that sometimes ‘wants’ trump real needs. So, if we have everything we…

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6 Ways To Become Part Of Your Customer’s Story

Think about the rituals that punctuate your days. Freshly boiled water poured over scented tea, your morning workout, or favourite mug. The ten minutes you use to brainstorm ideas in Evernote, checking emails, or meeting colleagues at lunchtime, your ring tone, playlist, date night….each one adding another layer of meaning to your day, becoming part…

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The Elephant In The Marketing Room

“Although many of us may think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, biologically we are feeling creatures that think” —Jill Bolte Taylor I was raised in Dublin, the storytelling capital of the world. There is no place on earth that is more hardwired for story than Ireland, home of Guinness and oversize teapots. Wikipedia…

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A Better Business In 5 Minutes And 3 Easy Steps

I promised three steps and here they are: 1. Grab a drink, a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Switch off your phone and shut your laptop. 2. Now answer this question. “What will your customer say to her friend tomorrow to recommend you, or your products and services?” Don’t respond to anyone else’s…

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People Don’t Buy Features, They Buy Promises

Every day another product, tool or app comes to market. One more shortcut to this or that. Want to save lists, share something, buy, sell, store, capture, talk, listen, watch, wake up or waste time? There’s definitely a feature filled app that can help you do that. As marketers we often get bogged down in…

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What Story Are You Selling?

It feels risky to put the words story and selling side by side in the same sentence. ‘Selling’ someone on something has had a bad rap since the days of snake oil salesmen with their bogus claims, snappy taglines and half truths designed to make people buy more of the average this or that. Although…

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