The marketing industry is experiencing really big changes right now – AI, LLMs like ChatGPT, the Twitter rebrand, new platforms like Threads, and the rising power of foreign controlled TikTok. I’m still having a hard time calling the little blue bird “X”. The whole “formerly known as” feels like I’m talking about Prince! Not only is the industry being disrupted, I've been … [Read more...]
Digital Transformation
Digital transformation has been happening for some time, but it has been undeniably accelerated by Covid. Many businesses are worried because they’ve seen digital disruption before, and this latest disruption brought on by the pandemic, is arguably bigger than anything we’ve ever seen in our lifetime. In the earlier days, digital transformation disrupted music distribution … [Read more...]
Subscription membership disruption
This past week I shared an article out on my social channels from Forbes Magazine written by Shep Hyken, a friend of mine, about Burger King’s disruptive approach to selling coffee in the US through a monthly subscription. Essentially by signing up through their APP at $5/month auto billed, “members” are entitled to coffee daily. Of course, as I noted, subscription-based … [Read more...]
Disruptive approaches to location as word of mouth promotion
This week I’m sharing a simple insight about “place” (one of the marketing 4Ps) and how having a unique location can become a strong element of marketing if it is word of mouth, mouse and mobile worthy. I’ve pulled a couple examples from my recent travels through Australia in Melbourne and Perth. A picture is worth a thousand words, so have a look at these below and I’ll fill … [Read more...]
What makes cult brands special?
This past week I attended the Cult Gathering marketing conference in Banff, a meeting of CEOs and marketing directors from global cult brand leaders. Cult brands don’t just have customers, they have fans and brand evangelists who do much of their marketing for them through word of mouth online and off, and through earned media and publicity. In fact, most spend very little on … [Read more...]
