How do you market your great grandfather’s ratty old cardigan?

Call it a “Boyfriend Sweater” and watch the tweeniboppers line up.

In 2004, American Express wanted to make a point (maybe two). If you buy with them, you’re insured against damage, theft etc. Was it worth the zillions I’m sure they paid Seinfeld (not to mention the special effects guys) to make that point? And what’s with the “A uniform used to be worth something?” [...]

So, I’m finishing up Kenneth Roman’s The King of Madison Avenue while starting Accidental Branding by David Vinjamuri. The later book reminds me of my intention to get on the mailing list for the J. Peterman catalog, something every marketer and copywriter should do. So I pop over to the website and find the following [...]

On page 18-19 of Step Into The Spotlight!, I tell the story of how a client had recommended a book to me (Blink by Malcolm Gladwell), I hadn’t heard her and I ended up finding it myself and recommending it to her. Kinda happened again today.
Out of the blue, I called a blogger to thank [...]

I’ve said it before. Most entrepreneurs don’t know what they’re really selling. This chick does.

Instead of hitting us over the head with all the reasons we should join her website creation workshop, she focuses on one, the freedom and lifestyle (is that two?) we can enjoy if we have an internet business, which all starts, [...]

Just announced. Ellen Degeneres is leaving American Idol. This is the right move for her for countless reasons and there are lessons here for any entrepreneur.
It’s not because she’s not in the music biz. It’s not because she didn’t like saying hurtful things to contestants or because of her heavy work schedule although I’m sure [...]

I don’t watch The View. Some of us work during the day–writing silly little blog posts etc. But I was a little disappointed that I missed Obama, the first reigning (sitting?) American President in history to be interviewed on a TV talk show, disappointed until I saw this clip. Doesn’t look like I missed much. [...]

So exciting to get unexpected lumpy mail. Today’s haul included 3 marketing books (one of the benefits of being a blogger–Thanks Todd And for dragging me to blogging…and thanks to Wiley & Entrepreneur Press).
The one I opened first (while waiting outside the donut shop for my kid finishing her shift) was David Meerman Scott’s [...]

A client asked suggested I see a movie, Love Happens, with Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart about a self-help guru who wasn’t walking the talk. (Lame movie. Don’t waste your time.) It appeared to be a thinly veiled parody of Tony Robbins even down to the walking on hot coals bit. And yet, the guru [...]

So I’m watching last comic standing tonight. Nobody is all that funny. What ever happened to Paul Foot? But I did notice something. That it’s more important to have an interesting colorful persona than to have “good jokes”. Several of the comedians were funny on paper. One even got the compliment that if the show [...]