Why Post-it Notes for project management?
Pretty much every office in the world has these little sticky papers. You probably even have your own little stack nearby, right as you’re reading this! They keep us organized, on task, and up to date. Post-it notes are addicting. …
The 3 essential elements of a rock-solid brand
Over the years, we’ve found that there are three foundational elements to almost any brand: purpose, values, and style. BRAND PURPOSE Research cited in Built to Last (by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras) indicates that purpose-driven companies can outperform the general market …
Tribal marketing: sacred things
Every brand tribe has sacred things that help its members relate to the abstract concepts of the archetypes and the doctrine. They can be symbolic representations, memory triggers, evocative themes, or components of the brand tribe’s mythology. ICONS Icons are …
Special K and Wheaties: lessons in positioning
Cereal is great. You throw some milk on it, and you’ve got a tasty and relatively nutritious breakfast. Theoretically, cereals–at least the basic, unadorned ones–should be relatively universal. There’s not much about them that predisposes them to any particular demographic …
7 reasons why we’re making this up as we go
“If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian philosopher When I first joined the Forty team, I hoped to infuse a little bit of my passion for improvisation into our work environment. …
Is your company’s power structure killing your marketing efforts?
Geert Hofstede’s research into national cultures from the 1960s onward has identified five primary dimensions of culture: Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long-Term Orientation, and Power Distance. This research has proven useful in a variety of contexts, from setting national policy …
Brand naming is the extreme sports of marketing
A brand name is the first one on the scene in a marketing situation. You typically know the name before you know much else. You see it in when you’re scanning search engine results, or hear it when getting a …
Clearing up the QR code conundrum
It seems like everywhere I look these days, there’s a QR code…magazines, bus stops, t-shirts, menus, Facebook ads (riddle me that!)—even on dogs. As they continue to grow in popularity, I’ve been left wondering if they’re really worth all the …