[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] Some experts think podcasts are experiencing a kind of renaissance. And it seems even more true now that so many people […]
Newsletter: #969: The “Un-Marketing” Issue
January 2, 2014
[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] The best marketing usually doesn’t begin as a marketing idea. The truly remarkable stuff comes from somewhere deeper. When you focus […]
A simple test of marketing authenticity
December 23, 2013
I did this piece for Bazaarvoice (disclosure: I’m a Bazaarvoice advisor) as a part of their series on “Collected perspectives on authenticity.” It asks marketers to think about authenticity with one question, “Would it look good in a press release?” If so, it’s not authentic. Why? Because real people don’t talk like marketers. So instead […]
Reviews we can trust
April 16, 2012
WOMMA and Bazaarvoice are teaming up to do something great: Together they’re establishing new industry standards to strengthen the integrity of consumer-generated reviews. This is good for all of us: marketers, businesses, and consumers. When customer feedback is honest and transparent, the good businesses win, marketing gets easier (and more fun), and we as customers […]
Authenticity has to be authentic
March 26, 2012
You can’t create “authenticity” in the Branding Department. It’s not something marketers can invent. (That would be the opposite of authentic.) Run away screaming if you’re in a meeting to “create authenticity.” But you can unveil it, demonstrate it, and let people see what makes you real. Example: There are some stunning BBQ food trucks […]
Authenticity runs deep
August 6, 2011
Authenticity isn’t something your marketing department creates. Authenticity isn’t an "authentic look and feel" — that’s the opposite of authenticity. Authenticity is when you do the right thing, the right way, for the right reason. Example: Marker’s Mark isn’t just "hand crafted" as part of some marketing spin. Here’s a picture of the printing press […]
Let’s talk like real people
August 10, 2010
Google’s browser asks me if I want to translate a web page. Not with a complicated menu item, just with a simple plain-English question: “This page is in Japanese. Would you like to translate it?” And if I don’t want to? I click “Nope”. Would the techies and marketers at your company hold a committee […]
Dear British Consul General James Clark,
February 19, 2010
When harvesting names off of a website for a mass marketing campaign, you may want to double-check the list. It would be quite embarrassing if you sent an invitation to an important reception to a fictional person like Preston Firestone. Love, Andy P.S. Lesson: You can’t fake the personal touch. Authenticity has to be authentic.
Secrets of the Carnegie Deli = Authenticity
May 16, 2009
Sandy Levine, MBD, is the very-charismatic-in-a-New-York-Way head of the Carnegie Deli. (The title on his business card is "MBD" – Married the Boss' Daughter.) Watch this video to see a great example of building an awesome business by staying genuine. You'll get a few word of mouth tips, too.
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